Missing and extended scenes of Wheel of Time - TV series

3x03 - Story E - Heavy thinking

Lan returns to his and Moiraine's tent, but his mind is still processing his conversation with Melindhra.

Lan didn't know what to do. He felt like someone had hit him on the head, and now, he couldn't think clearly. A Malkieri. Among the Aiel. Melindhra.

I'm Melindhra, of the Chumai Sept of the Taardad Aiel.

He had thought about a trap. It had been so obvious. An Aiel with the Golden Crane of Malkier as a tattoo on her back, asking him to join her for tonight. But that...

As long as one man wears the hadori, as long as one woman wears the ki'sain, Malkier lives.

A shiver moved over Lan's back. Malkier was gone. Even if there were some Malkieris left to fight alongside him against the Blight... they couldn't save it. It would take at least an army to have the slightest chance. And Lan didn't have an army.

Besides, I'm a Warder now. I have a mission. Malkier doesn't matter if Rand doesn't win the Last Battle. The whole world will die if the Dragon Reborn loses his fight against the Dark One.

Sighing, the uncrowned king of Malkier rubbed a hand over his face. He was tired. Walking through the Waste had taken its toll on him. And it didn't help to feel Moiraine's exhaustion as well. That woman needed sleep.

An Aiel sat before a tent, cleaning his spears. But Lan saw how the man eyed him warily before he returned to his routine. He wasn't the only one who had reacted like that.

Lan grabbed his sword tighter and mended his pace. After leaving Melindhra's tent, he had returned to the sweat tent to gather his clothes and weapons. He hadn't been happy when he had noticed that Moiraine had already left without him. Why hadn't she waited for him? It was dangerous for her to walk among the Aiel. Some of them still thought of her as a 'treekiller' and wished to see her dead.

Surely, she hadn't thought that Lan would spend the night with Melindhra. Yes, Melindhra was a beautiful woman, but Lan was in love with Nynaeve. He didn't even care that she was a Malkieri – if it was true what she had been telling him. His heart was already taken.

Another Aiel moved casually between two tents, playing with a spear in his hands. But his eyes were clearly on Lan. What was going on? What were the Aiel waiting for? The Malkieri had almost reached the tent that Bair had shown to him and Moiraine. Anxiously, he checked the bond again, but Moiraine seemed to be in no danger. She was still exhausted and sad, but that was it. She wasn't fighting or feeling uncomfortable. Perhaps Bair kept her company, protecting her from the Aiel.

Finally, Lan reached the tent and opened the flap. Immediately, his eyes searched for Moiraine. Someone had lit the candle of the lamp, so he had no problem seeing. In the next heartbeat, he recognized his Aes Sedai's small figure under the blanket. She was still awake, but apparently, he didn't have to argue with her tonight about going to sleep.

Relieved, the Warder closed the flap behind him. They were alone. Bair was nowhere to be seen, though Lan noticed a bowl beside Moiraine. Had Bair already brought the ointment for Moiraine's feet?

The Cairhien woman pushed herself on her elbows when the flap closed. "You're back." Her voice was quiet. Lan wondered how she managed to stay awake.

"You left without me." He placed his sword and his clothes on the ground, then moved to sit beside Moiraine.

She snorted. "I left without you? I'm pretty sure you left the sweat tent before me."

"I deliberately left my sword behind, so you would know that I return to you."