Missing and extended scenes of Wheel of Time - TV series

3x02 - Story A - Sore feet

It's hard to keep up with the pace of an Aiel, and the feet pay the price.

Moiraine had stopped counting how many days had passed since they left Tar Valon. It felt like an eternity. She was glad her feet still moved onward, though it was hard for her to keep up with the rest of the group.

Aviendha always seemed miles away, scouting the area, then waiting for them to join her. Rand and Egwene were younger, which made it easier for them to keep walking at such a fast pace, but even they still asked for breaks when it became too much.

Lan was doing way better than Moiraine. He was well trained, and though he wasn't used to traveling on foot, his constant training allowed him to stay by the Emond's Fielders' side.

Which meant there was only the Cairhien woman left. She tried hard to keep up with the rest of the group. Not once did she complain about their pace or about needing a break. She even pushed her exhaustion and pain aside, so Lan wouldn't feel it. Yet, Moiraine became slower after several hours of walking, slowly falling behind.

The uncrowned king of Malkier was the first one who noticed when the distance grew too wide. He always stopped whenever Moiraine fell back too far, waiting until she had reached him, then walking by her side.

During the first few days, Lan had offered to take her bags, but Moiraine had ignored him until the Malkieri had finally given up. Since then, he simply moved to her side when he noticed she was starting to struggle. Moiraine assumed he wanted to ensure that he could catch her if necessary.

As soon as Rand and Egwene realized that Moiraine and Lan were falling behind, they also slowed down discreetly to close the gap. Of course, Moiraine still saw what they were doing, cursing even more at herself inwardly. But she couldn't do anything to change it. She would always be the slowest among the four of them. Not even Saidar could help her.

And since they had reached the Spine of the World, they were more climbing up small hills and over countless rocks, which made it even harder for Moiraine to keep up with the rest of the group.

Again, the Emond's Fielder had some advantage in climbing over the hills and through the woods at home. They were used to uneven ground and rocks being in their path. Moiraine had grown up in Cairhien. They had plastered streets, and most of the time she had stayed inside the house if she hadn't learned how to ride a horse.

"We're almost through the Spine of the World, but the pass is too far ahead." Surprised, the small group stopped when Aviendha approached them. "Aiel would make it before night on foot, but...." She didn't say the rest, but it was clear what she meant. Through the eyes of an Aiel, they were too slow. "We'll camp here."

Moiraine glanced at Lan. They had known that it wasn't easy to travel with an Aiel. But that? Aviendha made no secret of her disgust for the 'Wetlanders'. But at least, she had called an end to their run today.

Sighing, the Cairhien woman followed Rand and Egwene. This platform would be as good as anywhere else, allowing them to see if someone should try to sneak up on them.

Yet, Moiraine already missed the comfort of a soft bed. She was used to sleeping on the ground. She and Lan had slept under the stars for weeks when they had been running from Whitecloaks or Trollocs, trying to stay out of trouble. But back then, they had traveled on horseback. Moiraine's body hadn't felt as exhausted and sore as it felt now. So, she didn't mind sleeping on the ground.

But walking all day through the land changed a lot, making Moiraine wish for a wonderful bed to rest properly. Instead, she dropped her bedroll beside Lan's. A thin thing, keeping her from touching the ground directly, yet she felt every little stone through it.