Drabbles of life after 2 (Wheel of Time fanfiction)

WoTtober 2024 #1 Snow

Thom woke with a strange feeling, although for some time he had trouble pinpointing what it was. He reached with his hand, wanting to cuddle against the cold, but found the bed empty. Reaching out with his mind has become his go-to in the recent months, but this didn't yield any result as well. He couldn't feel Moiraine. When this thought got to him, he shot up in bed.

She was not in the room, as far as he could see, and her side of the bed looked abandoned a long time ago. He wasted no time and walked around the small suite that Nynaeve decided to assign them when they came to stay for longer. Moiraine's more courtly dresses were in their usual place and for a moment confusion set in. It took a while to realise Moiraine probably took her well worn travel set – warm and comfortable.

After throwing some warm clothes on himself he almost ran, as fast as his knee allowed, to the stables. He actually hoped Aldieb was gone and one of the stableboys would tell him Moiraine took her out. He would be worried that she went alone, but this would be something. The white mare was still in her stall and snorted in greeting when she saw him.

His heart beat faster and faster. He couldn't feel Moiraine. Something was seriously wrong. Aes Sedai named Samitsu warned him, before they left the White Tower, that significant drop in power level might affect a channeler just like stilling would and he should watch Moiraine closely. Memory of Owen jumped to mind and Thom had to calm himself. Surely he would feel if something happened to his Aes Sedai, if the bond broke. And yet, he only felt nothing where Moiraine comfortably rested even last evening.

"Is something wrong, Thom?"

He must have been too preoccupied, because he didn't notice Lan coming into the stable.

"Thom?" Lan repeated.

"I can't find Moiraine. I hoped she just took Aldieb for a ride, but..."

"She would not do that in the first snow if she wasn't pressed hard by circumstances."

"What do you mean?" There was so much he still had to learn. Sometimes he was really jealous of Lan about all the little things the man just knew. This one was, however, oddly specific. "Is there something about first snow that I should know?"

It's a hard time for Moiraine," Lan said after a longer pause. "It brings thoughts of winter for her. And last winter..." There was a moment of uncertainty that chilled Thom. "Lets just say that it was tough for her."

"Creator, help me, the Finn..." This was getting worse with every moment. "I need to find her."

Lan accompanied him. They walked through the castle, asking if anyone had seen Moiraine by any chance, but it all seemed to be in vain. Not one person could bring them closer to finding her. She must have moved through the corridors at a time barely anyone was around, even though it seemed impossible with how busy a place it was at any given hour of the day.

At some point, when Thom started to lose hope, they ran into Nynaeve. It looked like she was actually looking for Lan for quite some time.

"This is a crazy morning. Have you been running from me?" She was smiling, obviously teasing her husband. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have any idea where Moiraine might be, Nynaeve?" Thom didn't waste any time. "She left our room in the middle of the night and I cannot feel her at all."

It took Nynaeve some time as she thought about her answer, before settling on one specific place.

"Have you checked the abandoned patio in the part of the palace we planned to recover next year?"

"Why would she do there?" Lan asked. "Nobody ever goes there!"

"I guess that's why," Thom said.

He didn't wait for their reaction and took off in the direction Lan had once shown them. It got harder and as he left the already restored part of the building. And yet, the clear signs of recent footsteps in the dust covering everything gave him hope. He was getting close, he knew.

Moiraine was kneeling slumped on the bare stone in the middle of the patio, already covered in thin dusting of fresh snow. For a moment he feared to touch her, afraid he might, after all, find her dead. Image of Owen's still body came to him unbidden for a moment, but he banished it quickly. Now that he was really close he could finally feel her. The bond was not masked. It was more of a thick fog, or dense cloud making it seem like she was empty inside.

She flinched a little when he kneeled beside her and enveloped he in his arms, but she remained unmoving otherwise. Someone else might believe she was simply meditating, but he knew better by now.

"Tell me, my dear," he said, throwing his thick coat around them both, making a warm cocoon. IT reminded his a little of the time just after rescuing her from the finn. "Just let it out, tell me what troubles you."

And, gradually, word after word, she did. As the snow on her clothes and body melted, so did the fog in the bond and emotional distance.