Missing and extended scenes of Wheel of Time - TV series

2x01 (Story F - Really listen) A helping hand

I received a request to extend the flashback from story F, so I wrote two more chapters for "Really listen".

A hot bath helps in every situation.

Together, Moiraine and Lan returned Stepin to his tent and made him as comfortable as possible for the night. Once they were done, a Warder from one of Moiraine's Green Sisters appeared to take over, giving Lan the chance to get some sleep.

When the Aes Sedai and Warder returned to their own tent, they seemed calm as always. Lan walked one step behind Moiraine, keeping an eye on their surroundings. The sudden appearance of Logain's army had made the Warders oversensitive to further possible attacks. No one wanted a repetition of that fight.

Shortly before Moiraine and Lan entered their tent, Nynaeve crossed their path, glaring at Moiraine like she could erase the Cairhien woman like that.

Luckily, Lan's Aes Sedai was too tired to argue with the young woman and simply disappeared through the entrance of their tent, leaving Lan with the furious Wisdom. But Lan was also too tired to listen to Nynaeve's endless tirades about Moiraine's terrible character, so he wished her a good night, then followed his bondholder inside.

The Cairhien woman raised an eyebrow in surprise when the Malkieri followed her so quickly. Obviously, she hadn't expected that.

"What?" Lan asked in amusement while taking off his belts.

"I...." Moiraine shook her head, then rubbed her hands over her face. "Never mind."

Quietly, the uncrowned king of Malkier stepped behind the Cairhien woman and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close against him. Moiraine sighed with a smile on her lips, tilting her head backward until it rested on Lan's shoulder and placing her hands over his. Their bond lit up with the love they felt for each other, and for a few moments, they forgot the world around them and simply enjoyed the close contact. It was their little moment of peace.

The Malkieri moved his nose from the woman's ear over her soft cheek and then to her exposed throat. His lips felt the strong, beating pulse under her skin. Alive. Moiraine was alive. Light, it felt so good to have her in his arms!

"What do you think about a hot bath?"

Moiraine stiffened, then turned her head until she could look at him. "Is that your way of telling me nicely that I stink?"

Lan chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Silly one. This is me, asking you nicely if you'd like a hot bath to relax after riding on horseback for days."

Carefully, the Aes Sedai watched her Warder, listening to the bond. When she was satisfied with what she had found, she turned her head away. "There is only one bathtub for the entire camp."

"I remember."

"We didn't inform anyone that we would like to reserve it for tonight."

"Which doesn't mean that it is reserved. I didn't hear anyone talking about using it tonight. Actually, it's used very seldom by anyone if we're honest."

Moiraine opened her mouth, then sighed in frustration. Lan was right. The bathtub had barely been used in the last few weeks. It was highly possible that it wasn't used tonight, either. But did she want to ask Lan to leave and get it?

"Would you like a hot bath?" Lan asked gently.

"That thing is heavy, and we don't know where it is right now."

"That wasn't the question." The Malkieri brought his mouth closer to the Cairhien woman's ear, tickling her with his hot breath. "Would you like a hot bath?"