The Wheel of Kin: A Daughter's Journey

She who comes with the dawn

The room was dim, a golden haze from the late-morning sun slipping through the cracks in the stone walls. A breeze stirred the fabric draped along the archway, and somewhere nearby, the wind whispered over sand.

Elara stirred.

Her eyes fluttered open, the weight of sleep and exhaustion still holding onto her bones. Her breath came slow at first—measured. The last thing she remembered was the beam of light tearing from her chest. The scream she hadn't heard. The warmth of Lan's arms carrying her.

Now the silence settled like a blanket.

Until the curtain shifted.

Rand stepped into the room quietly, hesitant. He didn't speak at first, just stood near the wall, his hands curled at his sides, eyes rimmed red from sleeplessness.

Lan rose from his chair by the bedside.

"Moiraine and I are going to speak with Sammael," he said to Rand. "He's restrained and shielded. But we want answers before he vanishes."

Rand nodded.

Moiraine stepped in beside Lan, gave one long look at her daughter, and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning away.

"We'll be back soon," she murmured. "Rest while you can."

And then the room was still again.

Rand stepped closer, cautiously lowering himself into the chair Lan had just vacated.

"We scared everyone, you know," he said quietly.

Elara gave a dry little exhale, not quite a laugh. "That's nothing new."

Rand looked down at his hands, then back to her. "I just wanted to say... thank you. For trying. With Alsera."

Elara slowly turned her head toward him, the weight of the words pressing into her chest.

"No," she said softly. "It was selfish of me to try."

Rand furrowed his brow. "Selfish?"

She nodded. "I didn't do it for her. I did it because I couldn't bear to lose anyone else. Not now. Not here."

He looked at her, uncertain.

Elara's voice was a whisper. "She's going to die for you, you know."

Rand blinked, and she didn't need to say the name.

Moiraine.

"She saw it in the Rings. So did I."

Rand's mouth opened, but no words came.

"And I can't even hate you for it," Elara continued. "Because it's not your choice."

"I don't want any of this," Rand whispered. "Any of it. I'm sorry."

Elara looked at him, her expression unreadable. "The only choice you have to make... is if you will fight for the Light. No matter what. No matter who."

She paused. Her voice cracked—just a little.

"That is your choice. And it's the only one that matters."

Rand nodded slowly, the weight of it settling in.

Elara turned her face to the ceiling, blinking against the tears that threatened to rise.

"And if you choose the Dark," she said, "I will hate you. Because it will cost me everything."

Silence.

Then Rand nodded again. More firmly this time. "I won't."

There was a long beat of stillness before he spoke again.