AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello everyone! You're awesome! I am incredibly elated at the shear enormity of the positive reviews you have given to me, and I am glad that I have found plenty of you who liked the idea I was trying to convey. Now, I feel a bit guilty, though, because I never managed to respond to all of your reviews questions, even though many of you do ask good questions and deserve a good answer. To those that didn't get any response – I'm sorry about that! There simply was a lot of things that I needed to do, and I never managed.

Now, an important thing: there are a few people who, throughout this series, have offered to be my beta, and I think you deserve at least some kind of an answer. I'll be frank with you on that matter, though: I am very reluctant to have a beta. I understand that there might be a grammar error appearing here and there, and English truly isn't my native tongue, which would make it wise for me to have a real native-English speaking proof-reader, but I am still very reluctant. All of my proof-reading is done by a friend of mine, and he was extremely helpful, and in a much greater way than simple grammar. He is very skilled at spotting those tiny inconsistencies, or abruption in the flow of the story. No, seriously, it is in no small part thanks to him that this story remains so good. With that said, I am not completely adverse to ever having a beta, but when it comes to that, I tend to behave a bit like I was being offered to become a Warder – flattered, but no, thanks!

So, here it is – a 15000 word chapter. I know it is a few days late as opposed to what I promised, but hey – I delivered! Now, remember when I said that this chapter was originally merged with the previous one into a big 25k word chapter, but I had to divide it, so this chatper is basically a continuation of the previous one. I know it may seem like the story isn't progressing fast enough, but bear with me! The chapter after this one is where the fun begins. As for that one in particular, I haven't started writing it yet, as I was doing my best to fine-polish this one (and besides, I went for a bit of job hunting), so I'm not sure how long that one will take. But I really want to do it, and will work on it.

DISCLAIMER – I do not own the Wheel of Time series, its characters or anything that comes with it. It all belongs to… I don't know who, but it's not me!

Chapter 6 – The South Wing

Moiraine felt light as a feather as she stood up to follow Rand out of his work chamber. It was such a strong sensation that it was as if a slightest breeze would lift her off her feet. The world was spinning, the universe was spinning, and even the air itself seemed to be the catalyst for this amazing feeling, for this strong feeling; a feeling like ends had ceased to exist.

"Still feels earthshattering, doesn't it?" Rand asked her.

"Yes," she nodded, then smiled. "It's just that I can't…" she shook her head. "All these revelations are making it so that everything is different. Nothing is as it was, anymore, and I find my head throbbing with all of these new… ideas."

"Hmm," he smirked. "I know that feeling. That's a good thing. Your brain is like a muscle. It needs to be worked in order to grow, but it too has its daily limits, even if there is a ter'angreal as powerful as Lavanth, giving you the motivation. There's so much more that you need to receive today, and I'm not sure that it would be within anyone's limits."

"Stopping now?" she asked incredulously as he opened the door out of the chambers. Her tongue moved as fast as her thoughts. "No."

Rand laughed mightily, the entire corridor to which they have just passed into starting to reverberate.

"I see, I see," he said as his laughter subsided, then leaned down to her, with a sinister grin, and a sly tone to his voice. "But be careful what you wish for. I never said that I won't give you everything, did I? What you have tasted was just a lick of the tastiest fruit the human kind has ever known, and once the seeds of that fruit are properly rooted, it becomes as addictive as a drug."

"We'll see," she smiled back.

Rand turned somber, then.

"Be that as it may," he spoke, "there are some things you need to understand before we even venture there."

Moiraine's smile dropped as she noticed his serious demeanor.

"I'm listening," she said.

"First things first," he said. "Concerning my channeling, you need to understand that you are now unofficially included in a special circle of people who know of my ability. What's more – and this is even more important, in fact – you are now one of only seven people who are able to speak freely about it."

"I thank you for your trust," Moiraine said after a moment. "But, how can you be sure that others won't speak of it?"

"They can't. They have willingly sworn an oath on the binder ter'angreal that we have uncovered – the same kind of ter'angreal that you have sworn your Aes Sedai oaths on."

Moiraine raised her eyebrow. "You made them swear it on an Oath Rod? Don't you trust these people?"

"You misunderstand," he said. "If I didn't trust them, they would never know that I can channel. On the contrary! I trust them fully. However, things like these tend to leak out unintentionally – someone may overhear something that they shouldn't, and then spread it onward – and something like that is not desirable for the stability of a young nation such as this. It's not some sinister plot; it's simply a matter of sound principle of statesmanship. Unlike most that do know of me, however, you are left with freedom concerning this, but I hope you understand the need for it remaining secret."

"I do understand," she said after a moment. "But there is the matter of Lan. He has been my most trusted friend for many years. He knows almost as much as I do, and has shared in my quest in the search for the Dragon ever since I've met him."

"I was expecting you would," Rand said. "It is only understandable. What I truly meant was that you keep it to yourself, and certainly to not share it with other Aes Sedai when we do meet them, even if they might be your closest friend."

"Not immediately?" she intoned hopefully.

Rand's eyes became a pair of dangerous lightning clouds. "Not before I tell you to. I don't need a pack of overzealous female channelers chasing my tail. It's counterproductive to both of our causes. Are we clear on that?"

She nodded and seemed to think things through.

"I assume that two of those other people that know of what you are, are Mat and Perrin?" she asked.

"That was an easy assumption," he said.

"It was only logical," she said. "You three give an aura of certain… bond, shall I say."

"Taking a charcoal burn and scythe cut to one's own skin instead of letting your friend be hurt tends to do that," he responded. "Mat and Perrin are the only ones that know everything."

She was silent for a moment.

"Other two must be your parents," she stated with finality.

He looked down at her with surprise. "And your assumption is based upon…?"

"That parents always know when there's something different about their child," she responded.

"Interesting," he mused. "Do you have children?"

"No," she said. "But I know of these things."

"Well, you're not wrong about my parents. But they don't know everything. Neither do you – yet, that is – but once you find out enough, you should refrain from mentioning it."

Moiraine smirked.

"You mean me believing that you are a… special channeler?" she intoned. "A kind that happens to appear only once during an Age, at the end of that Age?"

Rand had to chuckle.

"Oh, really?" he retorted. "If I remember correctly, there are certain things that this man would need to do in order to be known and accepted as such."

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills," she said. "I came here to the Two Rivers… to Manetheren, because it was the last place that I haven't been to, and I cannot imagine him slipping through my grasp in any way in those other places in the twenty years of my search; not with all of the precautions I've taken. If that man wasn't here, living and breathing, then we're all already doomed. Seeing you for who you are, for what kind of person you are, well… let's just say that it's infinitely better prospect for us; and those 'quests' that would need to be undertaken? I believe you will do them all without a hitch; it is only your birthright."

She looked up at him pointedly, then. "You are our last hope. In truth, I'm placing last shreds of my own hope and willpower into him being you. All of my faith."

He was looking down to meet her gaze. He could hear in her voice all the effort that those twenty years of search have taken, but even more all the strain that was left in its stead. It was a living thing to his senses, that strain. It hovered like a dark aura that was battled by her serene composure, and was only now beginning to be pushed back by the ignited spark of hope and elation she was feeling. But the dark aura was still there. It needed to be destroyed in its roots.

He nodded as he was holding her gaze and spoke with strong but kind voice:

"It was a great burden to carry it alone all this time. You do not need to carry it alone anymore; you do not need to carry it at all, in fact. I will do all that is within my power to see that it wasn't for naught.

"I am the kind of man that does not believe in fate, but what I do believe in is balance, and what I know is that the Creator is never indebted, or remains indebted to anyone. Everything is paid and repaid as deserved; and the first part of what is your due, Moiraine, your reward for all of these years is about to come to you right now."

They passed out of the hallway, and entered the grand central hall. Just as yesterday, there were people about on the walkways and galleries, a low murmur of their voices rising and climbing all the way up before being broken up into a pleasant hum.

Moiraine turned her head toward the South Wing, which could be glimpsed through the great windows from where they were walking from. She could sense the women that were channeling, even though there were many walls between them and her. Almost a dozen sources. Strong sources. Her heart started beating faster.

How strong were these women? How skilled were these women? A realization came to her then, a thought born of all that she had experienced only minutes ago in Rand's work chambers – that unlike her, these women had had Rand's guidance for years.

It suddenly felt that instead of walking into a garden of ripe fruit ready to be plucked and taken to the White Tower, she was walking into a den of lionesses, with her being the one that is fresh meat.

She took a deep breath and embraced serenity. No strength in One Power, no skill in channeling; serenity and spirit were all that she had now.

"How many women channelers are there?" she asked, as her thoughts settled and came to terms with it all.

"Manetheren has sixty-eight," Rand responded.

She was stunned. "That many?!"

He looked at her weirdly.

"In the entirety of Manetheren, yes," he said, "but there is no more than forty or fifty at any given moment in the immediate area of Emond's Field. They are not prisoners of the South Wing, Moiraine; that's their base of operations. There might be as few as ten of them there at this moment."

"But such a concentration of non-White-Tower channelers at one spot!" she breathed.

Rand stop dead in his tracks right there in the middle of the hall, and looked at her with a stunned expression of his own. He spoke slowly:

"Just how many Aes Sedai are there at this very moment?"

Moiraine sighed imperceptibly. There was no point in hiding it, she figured.

"Like our knowledge and strength with the Power, our numbers are declining," she admitted. "There are a bit more than a thousand Aes Sedai, spread out across the world, though there are more Novices and Accepted," she said.

He turned away from her, a low growl coming out of his throat as he looked into the distance.

"I was afraid of that," he said. "There were more than a hundred thousand Aes Sedai in the Age of Legends, you know; and many more people that were channeling, but never held the honor of calling themselves such."

Moiraine was silent for a moment. "Fact?" she asked him cautiously.

"Fact," he said grimly.

She was silent for a moment, looking off to the side with a pensive frown.

"It sounds so unreal," she said. "That number of people is a city unto itself."

"There were billions of people back then, Moiraine," he said as he turned back toward her. "The Breaking has taken its toll on more than just knowledge, but on human kind's ability to maintain high numbers. But what troubles me the most is that even accounting for the reduced number of people that live in this day and age, I had assumed that there would be more than five thousand Aes Sedai in the Tower. How is one supposed to fight the agents of darkness if there are so few of your sisters?"

"That is the truth," she said softly. "We have been in a steady state of decline for the past few hundred years. We never really understood why."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I know the exact reason why," he said. "Tell me, Moiraine, do Aes Sedai have children of their own?"

There was a look of understanding in her eyes.

"Usually no," she admitted after a moment. "Most believe such things are… too trivial compared to an extent of what Aes Sedai are supposed to represent, compared with what they are supposed to do." She frowned. "In fact, I'm not sure that I've heard of a single case of any of the current Aes Sedai having a child."

Rand rumbled deep in his throat, before motioning her to continue their walk toward the South Wing slowly.

"Well, there it is then," he said with finality. "The reason for the decline of Aes Sedai's numbers is clear as a day. There is little or no children by Aes Sedai, and what's more, you are severing male channelers when you find them, which inevitably leads to their death soon after, without leaving any offspring of their own."

Moiraine frowned, then nodded.

"There are theories advocated by some of the more scholarly Aes Sedai," she said. "They advocate the idea that the ability to channel can be transferred to children through parents. I was very much inclined to believe them. It was that which made me believe that there would be many women in the lands of the Two Rivers who would have the ability to channel. The Old Blood runs deep here."

She looked at him sideways. "You are saying that those theories are true, aren't you?"

"It's not what I'm saying, Moiraine; it's how things are," he responded.

"Then what is the reason for the cases where Aes Sedai did have children, the children themselves lacked the ability?" she asked hopefully. "If anyone can explain it, then it must be you."

He nodded.

"The ability is there," he said. "What you need to understand is that the ability to channel depends on something called the genes. To put it in words that you can understand – it is carried by blood, and it rarely pops up just like that if there is no blood relation. The ability might not manifest in the child, true, or maybe even in the grandchild, but it since it is carried in the blood, it will manifest sooner or later. The greater the concentration of blood in the child's parentage is, the greater the chance that the child will be born having the ability."

He sighed as he shook his head, then continued:

"The problem with the world is that not only that Aes Sedai destroy the male side of the ability, they themselves refuse to contribute! They've found reason against having offspring, even with ordinary men. I might be willing to go so far as to say that the idea of severing the maddened male channelers was a necessary evil, but what I cannot, and what I will not abide is the attitude that the White Tower has adopted on the whole matter, and to which they refuse to turn their eyes to. That kind of attitude is unwittingly culling the human kind's ability to channel, and I'll have none of that. None! That is why this place exists. And that is why you will not lose your nerve when you find out all of our secrets."

Moiraine took a deep, steadying breath, and gave a solemn nod. She had no problem believing Rand's words, or the idea that was behind them. Male channelers to leave possibly channeling offspring? If any Red sister were to hear of it, she would be furious. But what Reds believed was no concern of hers anymore; the world was about to be changed. Violently. And this man, she knew, was the catalyst.

But despite that, she now felt strangely at peace. She had a strangest feeling – one of those rare, unique feelings – that things would be alright; and that even those other nerve-wrecking secrets that he was referring to would not shake her.

"I best keep that open mind," she murmured as they passed the guarded doorway that led from the great hall into the main corridor of the South Wing.

It was a strange mix of excitement and trepidation that held her firmly in its hold as they were walking down the corridor. Almost immediately, she could sense the residues of channeling all around her. It felt familiar; comforting. It was like she was walking the corridors of the Tower, only – not. It was different. The women she was meeting were different. More powerful in many ways, she knew – not just the inherited blood.

"Sixty women," she almost whispered in amazement. "Sixty skilled women, all right here, in the Two Rivers."

"Not all of the women are originally from the Two Rivers," Rand clarified. "More than half are, but many had come from Tarabon and Arad Doman with the refugees. We found them all, trained them, and given them purpose through serving the rise of Manetheren; they had taken to it readily. People need something to believe in, especially the ones that had gone through terror such as the refugees have. That is why it is our duty never to betray them. But it is also our duty to make them understand that they are the ones that must work on this new nation, as well. The women who were trained in the channeling understood it flawlessly."

"Who trained them?" she asked. "Who trained the first ones?"

He was silent for a moment. "I did."

It was Moiraine's turn to stop dead in her tracks. She was just looking at him for a while, without any discernable expression, except maybe realization. After a few long moments of grave silence, she spoke slowly:

"I don't doubt it for a second. But saidin and saidar are incompatible. You might have knowledge of that weave that enables you to see flows of saidar, but that doesn't mean that you can know exactly how it works…"

He was only silent, looking at her, calling her silently to voice her logic. She cocked her head, measuring him up.

"But that's not it, isn't it?" she said. "Considering all the things you have shown me earlier, and all the knowledge that you just keep dishing out as if it is something common to you, it makes me believe that there is much more hidden up your sleeve. I need to ask you an absurd question now, but considering your call for an open mind, I have to. Rand, can you channel saidar as well?"

"No," he stated with a firm shake of his head. "I can do many things, but that is not one of them."

"Well, that's a… relief, I suppose," she said. "But, how could you teach a woman how to do it? Did you even know how a woman was supposed to embrace saidar?"

"Yes, I did," he said. "I've channeled saidar by being in a link with a woman, long time ago, so I know how saidar behaves. Don't ask me how or when did that happen, though."

"One of those 'I'll explain eventually' things?" she asked.

He nodded, then continued:

"As for teaching them the weaves themselves, it was a matter of knowing the core. The prime principles of channeling, and of means how to make an effect on the physical world are based on that physical world. That means they are the same for both men and women. Using En'gon, for instance, in certain conjunctions with Haon will always make a certain physical effect. Always. The difference is: how must a woman weave En'gon into Haon as opposed to man in order to achieve the same effect?

"Half of the time that was enough – these women are smart, especially once that spark in their minds was ignited – but when the other half came to be, that the woman couldn't figure it out solely based on the prime principles, I'd explain it to her by following one simple rule. It worked like a charm. Every single time."

"And that rule is?"

He shrugged.

"I'd tell her to weave it with saidar in a way that if I were to do it with saidin, it would either kill me, cripple me, or simply feel as foul as if I was being raped. There is no other secret to it."

He turned and continued walking with Moiraine following closely behind.

"Makes sense, when you think on it," she muttered.

"It does, doesn't it?" he said.

When they reached the end, the hallway branched both ways and went around a single wall that blocked the view of the great double door that was wide open on the other side.

They had entered a great domed hall, not unlike the great entrance hall, only slightly smaller, and thus appearing more crowded. There were no floors, only one gallery mid-height that ran all around, which was connected with four hanging bridges that joined in the middle on a circular pathway that surrounded a large world globe, not unlike the smaller one in Rand's work chamber. Above it, from the top of the ceiling, hung a large representation of what could be none other than stellar bodies. Their true representation.

And down on the ground floor and on the galleries, the women mingled; the channelers of Manetheren. There seemed to be roughly twenty of them all around, going about single, or in pairs or in small groups. Most seemed to be busy with something as they sat or stood next to numerous work desks that had odd apparatus on them, books (plenty of books) and most importantly, objects of Power.

The women were working with the objects, and they were channeling to diverse means indiscriminately.

At any given moment there were at least two or three of them channeling, sometimes more. There were numerous weaves about, and she could sense the women's individual power, which only confirmed what she had sensed yesterday: the median average of these women's strength in the Power was greater than was the average of the White Tower. Noticeably greater.

Though the White Tower had greater diversity, and though Moiraine herself was a bit more powerful than most of the women here, she could not deny the fact that there were a couple of them that in fact were more powerful than her.

"Come," Rand said. "I want to show you around while nobody sees us."

"You've channeled to hide us from view?" she asked, deducing the most obvious means.

"No. Ta'veren is a much more subtle mean than any form of channeling."

He led her into the hall with a sure step, passing unnoticed by the women. Moiraine could look and see everything that they were doing in turn, which mostly consisted of channeling – or what rather seemed to be practicing the various complex weaves, to be precise – or studying the scriptures in books.

There were so many weaves that were unknown to her that it was staggering. Many of the weaves seemed to be doing nothing, yet women that were in groups were studying them carefully, pointing certain things out to one another as they were consulting books. Odd, that, she thought. The White Tower did not depict drawings of weaves in books, nor study them back from such means; the nature of weaves is not such that it can be done so practically. And how come these women have such books? Did they print them themselves?

"Is it safe to talk?" she asked with a hush.

"Yes, but don't yell," he chuckled.

"Good," she said as she looked around her. "Tell me how is it possible that these women learn weaves from books?"

Rand looked down at her with a confused look, to what she pointed out what she was seeing.

"Oh, that," he said as he saw what she was pointing at. "No, they are not studying weaves. None of the books here depict weaves; it is impractical." He smiled, and she relaxed. It was comforting to know that the Aes Sedai of this time and Age were not doing that wrong as well. Rand continued:

"Remember what I told you about the basic principles of channeling?" he asked, to what she nodded. "They follow the basic principles of nature. Science explores nature, and the majority of books that you see here are scientific documents. Of course, there is a significant part of this wing that is dedicated to books of history and philosophy, but mostly it is science. By studying the information found in these books and then utilizing it in a smart and responsible way, a channeler can improve or develop new weaves. How else do you think the channelers from the Age of Legends developed so many amazing techniques?"

Moiraine looked around, absorbing everything that she saw or heard. It was a whole new outlook at what was happening here. She could see deep down inside of her that she wanted to be a part of this.

"Tell me of this place," she said wistfully. "What is this South Wing?"

Rand took a sigh of relaxation and looked around the grounds with pride. He nodded after a moment of reflection and spoke:

"The South Wing is actually noting more than a location where we are. What distinguishes it is that it is the home of one branch of a bigger organization, called Haan al'Naedresan – a coined word of nae, dres, and an – and it means The Avowers of Knowledge, Usage and Wisdom."

"It sounds a bit over-the-top, don't you think?" Moiraine asked.

"Maybe, but it is necessary to have a name that can be used as a symbol. This name symbolizes the true purpose of what this organization is supposed to be, as well as to have it as a reminder so that one does not unintentionally stray or lead the organization into the wrong paths. Knowing is useless without applying it; usage is dangerous without wisdom; wisdom in itself cannot exist if there is no knowledge. A circle. And it is all connected with the word haan.

"You know how Old Tongue is complex, right? Well, haan is a homonym, and can mean 'avowers', but it is also a word of endearment… something like 'darling', perhaps. It matters, because without it, the previous three words might make the organization become just some sterile, logical structure that might think itself more important than the ones it should serve."

She was looking at him with a contemplating look.

"You've poured a lot of personal effort and hope into this, I see," she mused. "It is written in your eyes, in your words, and in your very stance."

"Yes, I did," he admitted. "It is the amalgam of all that Manetheren is, what it should be, and what it will be. It is still in its infancy, only now beginning to stand on its feet and starting to gaze into the world around it, reaching out with its grasp to touch and test how much it can do, but it is growing, and it will grow much more."

"You're placing all of your bets into a few channelers?" Moiraine asked, clearly voicing an uncertainty to the idea.

"No. Look there," he said, and pointed at where two men talked to a few women channelers with one of the men gesticulating wildly. "Those two men are scientists, and have no ability to channel the male half whatsoever. They themselves are a part of the Haan al'Naedresan, but they are a part of a different branch, with the majority of their work being done elsewhere. However, the crucial thing is that they work closely together with the channelers in discerning the physics of the world, and they are the ones that are devising ways for practical application by the non-channeling people.

He nodded toward one of the men.

"See that man that is waving his hands? He is from north, from Taren, and his name is Issaik Newtown. He has already discerned the physical properties of the force that makes objects fall, and hold us bound to the ground. The man next to him is a Domani, Nikel Tasla, who studies the nature of lightning for practical engineering purposes.

"And, see that woman over there?" he pointed at another direction. "The one with her hair done in thin long braids? Her name is Aludra. She was one of the members of the Guild of Illuminators, but had to flee for her life when some disagreements escalated. She came here with the war refugees, and decided to help us develop and improve some very powerful siege engines with range superior to any other, and who can wreck any wall in existence; you might very well get the chance to see those at work. Her work is invaluable to ensure Manetheren's competitiveness with other states."

He turned to her before continuing.

"The Haan is a sprawling web, Moiraine. It spans many diverse disciplines: sciences, engineering, medicine, even philosophy, and of course – channeling. That way everybody works together. Nobody can separate from one another and claim that they are the only ones that are important, or claim rule. It enables unprecedented flexibility, so that if something of gigantic proportions were to go awry, the legacy of the Haan would stand much greater chance of surviving and rebuilding."

He spread his arms and turned around. "The South Wing of the People's Palace is the place where channeling is being studied, and explored. It is more than a place for simply learning how to channel; it is a place to expand into new and unknown expanses of channeling. Come on! Follow me up!" he said, and almost ran up the stairs to the gallery.

From there they were able to look all around the hall and see everything. Rand leaned sideways against the balustrade and spoke to Moiraine who braced against it as she looked across the hall.

"This place holds many objects of Power here. Many of them were buried at various locations, long time ago; whether they were used by Old Manetheren, or were there ever since the Age of Legends is not clear, or important. Most of them are in the repository that lies underneath." He pointed at a fenced-off stairwell that spiraled its way down beneath the ground floor of the hall, and then added with a wry smile: "And no, you can't have any; they're mine! All mine!" To what Moiraine smiled. He continued:

"So, you see, the greatest challenge here is not how to understand to channel, but why does something happen that way when you channel those particular weaves."

Moiraine smiled as she remembered their earlier conversation.

"Like that when you said that it matters what a weave is in its core," she said. "Right before I accused you of being a channeler."

"Exactly!" he grinned predatorily, with a glint in his eye. It looked like a glimpse into a slightly mad mind; but it made her wonder if there was something about it that made it 'his thing'.

"Look down there, for instance," he continued as he motioned with his eyes alone, "See those two women over there? They're studying and comparing information in several books, but the books are closed; they are using a weave to help them with that. Can you see what that weave does?"

Moiraine studied a strange, sprawling weave of Earth, Air, Spirit and Fire that one of the women was maintaining and directing. The numerous thin threads of the weave were sprawling across and into the numerous books, woven together as densely as aged spider webs, from where they adjoined into a single thread per book and rose up into the air where they made glowing scriptures that were visible to all.

"I imagine that the weave is 'reading' pages of those books and displaying them in the air," she said at last.

Again, that gleam in his eye as he smirked. "Go deeper into the matter," he said.

She studied the weaves some more, then spoke.

"The weave they use is able to read all the pages, but they can choose to select the pages that they want displayed… Oh, my…" she trailed off in surprised realization. "The weave obviously enables them to compare several different sources from several different books in search of the one that they want! They can change the pages and text that appears in the air on the fly… all without losing themselves in mountains of paper! That is… useful beyond measure! I am going to have to try that weave."

Rand was smiling mysteriously as he gauged her reactions, never diverting his gaze from her face.

"Hmmm… go deeper," his voice rumbled. "Tell me how their weave does what it does."

Moiraine nodded.

"The tendrils of the weave that touch the books are made of Earth –Tirson, that is –"

"No, by all means," Rand interrupted. "Use the nomenclature that's easier for you. This is not a test of names."

She nodded again and continued:

"The Earth tendrils that touch y are passed into the weaves of Air through… oh… now that I look a bit better, that part of the weave isn't as simple as I thought."

"Go on," Rand urged her.

"That intricate part of the weave is where the channeler connects to the whole weave. There is a thread of Spirit that connects to her head and sprawls across her mind. From that juncture, tendrils of air go up, and then threads of fire are… injected into them, making it glow and becoming visible."

"Now," Rand started. "Why do you think that the aspect you call Earth is used on the books?"

Moiraine thought on it. "Because of the ink," she realized. "The ink might be liquid, but dried ink is like caked dirt! The weaves pick out the shape of the letters – of all the letters – and raise them to be transformed into air."

She smiled. "That's where threads of Spirit come in play. The channelers think on the word they want, and the… transforming part is being directed, to sift through and pick at relevant data, so that only it is shown in the glowing script in mid-air. And what's more, the weave does not even use that lot of strength… even a woman with low affinities for the aspects could use it."

"So," Rand spoke after a few short moments. "Do you think you could have discovered that weave on your own?"

Moiraine was silent for a long while, before shaking her head, as if in disbelief.

"No," she said. "It is a strange weave; an unnatural weave. Most of the weaves that are discovered without someone showing how they work first are only the 'natural' ones. Those are weaves that make fire, lightning, solidify air or make winds blow, form mist, or even weaves that influence a person's mind, but this one… this one is not just complex; it is a weave that has no 'natural' equivalent."

She seemed to think a bit more, then turned around and took a random book from a bookshelf that spanned the wall behind them. She placed it on a nearby table, and attempted the weave herself. She had to look down more than once to where the two women were maintaining their weave in order to see all of its intricacies. As she was working it out, however, the flows of this seemingly unnatural weave started to slip into place on their own, just like flows of a natural weave would.

A moment later, the weave started to form, but something was off. She couldn't make it stable; a part of it kept slipping out of her grasp.

Rand spoke then:

"You're having trouble forming the part of Haon and En'gon that shows glowing letters, aren't you?"

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I know channeling," he said. "And I know weaves; and I know where everybody errs the first time when it comes to that particular weave.

"You've seen this weave as the two women were maintaining it down there, so it seemed to be a 'still' weave." He shook his head. "That's not the case. This weave is a 'shifting' weave, like the weaves you've seen that surround my own body. It is not formed at start the way you've seen it down there, but gains that shape depending on how it is used."

He motioned with his head in a general direction of where he suspected she was making the weave.

"Forget about the Haon-and-En'gon part. Do it like this: leave those weaves sprawled at the base where they merge with Tirson, in the way that they can blossom out, and make them… acceptant of your Psion threads so that they can draw on it."

"Is that how you do it?" she asked.

"Light, no!" he laughed. "That's a female way. I have to make Haon-and-En'gon part coiled in the way that they are at 'the ready' to spring up the moment they receive a corresponding impulse from Psion threads. If I were to do it in your way, my male Psion would punch through and rip that Haon-En'gon mesh to shreds!"

Moiraine thought on it, then simply went for it in a way that was most natural to her that could adhere to Rand's first advice. The female way. Threads followed suit almost immediately and stabilized, but nothing happened. She looked askance at Rand, and he spoke:

"Now, concentrate on a word…" he looked down at the book as he was remembering what it was about. "'Ogier', and then send it through the spirit thread."

As Moiraine did so, several pages of gold-glowing letters appeared in neat cascaded stack in front of her, with several instances of 'Ogier' word glowing blue on the closest one. It was an account of a poorly-known city of Nara el'Shar from the period of the Ten Nations that had been built by the Ogier, and had had a Waygayte.

She imagined shifting the pages, but they started flying all over the place.

"It's easier if you use hands to direct them, until you gain a bit of practice," Rand said.

"It is a most amazing weave," Moiraine after a few moments of experimenting, then released the threads and let the weave fade away. She turned to Rand and spoke:

"How is it possible that you have discovered this kind of complex weave on your own?"

"I experimented," he said pointedly. "I had plenty of prior knowledge, true, but even if I didn't, I know that I could have found it by studying the meaning of En'gon, Haon, Vel'won and Tirson, and their mechanics. And when you're done with that, you go about with trial and error."

He straightened up from where he was leaning against the balustrade.

"You see, Moiraine, making what you call 'natural' effects with the five aspects of the Power is easy. Fire, wind, gale or lightning storm – all of those are easy. The nature functions in those lines already – the Pattern makes nature function like that already; and since the Pattern itself is made by threads of the True Source, then it stands that it will be easy for a person who can channel to form weaves that mimic the natural effects.

"But, how will you make something that does not go with the flow of nature? How will you make a gateway for Traveling that inherently defies the continuum of space and time – the thing which is the natural state of the Pattern? How will you make traps, or weaves that activate only if certain conditions are met, and after many years if needed? For that you need planning. You need structuring. You need to engineer the weaves, after which you tie them off – for a lack of a better term – so that they can maintain themselves. You need something that only us humans have, and that is imagination; and with it, a little bit of madness that will push you to experiment, even if you're afraid of what you might stumble upon.

"So… are you a little bit mad, Moiraine? Are you willing to go further than what your peers are saying is safe or possible? Are you willing to see and understand the reason why Aes Sedai of today seem so much weaker than the Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends?"

Moiraine was silent for a bit, thinking on the entire situation. She turned to him at last, and spoke:

"How would you feel if someone were to come to you and tell you that most of the things that you've known, things that have defined you and kindled your soul throughout some of the most difficult times of your life are nothing more than… than novice level?

"How would you feel, Rand, really? To realize that there is a whole new world out there and that once again you are like a child? Except that unlike a child, you are an adult and you had had your hopes and dreams that now seem so much smaller and childish? How would you feel?"

Rand's eyes were glowing with a knowing smile.

"You must hate me now, right?" he said teasingly.

That drew out a tiny smile in the corner of her lips. She looked across the hall, and one could almost see the imagination her mind was conjuring.

"No," she said with finality as she looked back at him. "I don't hate you. In fact, I am grateful. I know that a part of me should feel anger, or a sensation of helplessness, and maybe… maybe at some minute, insignificant level I do. But something like that would be petty, and is nothing compared to the sensation of endless possibilities that are being given to me, right here and now, just for the taking.

"I feel that I can't wait to discover more of the things that you have here, the elation at the prospect of knowing these things, and the desire of discovering more. But a deep, dark part of me still wonders if these feelings are mine, really mine, and not a fabric of some ter'angreal that is buried underneath this Palace, and that all of this is just some elaborate lie. It seems too good to be true."

He was silent, listening to her carefully.

"But the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills," she said at last. "Even if it was a lie, even if the sensations weren't mine, I know that everything happens for a reason. No one knows the Great Pattern the Wheel weaves, or even the Pattern of an Age. We can only watch, and study, and hope. Therefore, I'll take that leap of faith."

There was a silence between them, interrupted by the sounds of people going about and around them, leaving them undisturbed and cloaked from their notice.

"So," he spoke first. "What are you going to do now?"

"I want to learn things," she said. "Even if you don't give me everything, I will do everything that I can to obtain them.

He smiled broadly. "That's the spirit any teacher wants to hear."

Moiraine harrumphed. "I'm old enough to be your mother, and you're the one to teach me?" she shook her head. "I suppose that these are strange times that we live in. Are there more weaves that I can learn from you?"

"Many more," he said. "But first you need to learn certain… laws of nature so that you can apply them properly. For that, you need to study some things – a few days would suffice – and for that you need a tutor that can channel saidar. That would of course mean that you would have to leave your rank behind. Is that alright with you?"

"It will be."

"Let's go down, then," he said. "We'll make ourselves seen by the people."

They walked down from the gallery and to the entrance from whence they came. There was a matronly-looking middle-aged woman with braided hair and wearing what Moiraine came to recognize as that classy Manetheren style of dress standing there, looking studiously at a bookshelf, as if she was trying to find a better way of organizing it.

"Ailene," Rand spoke up, and the woman started as she turned about.

"Oh! Ayden, Rand," she greeted him informally. "Ind'asa jhin. Irashye na enderye el'den?"

Rand talked in common tongue as he pointed at Moiraine.

"I came to introduce a special friend. This is Moiraine Damodred, Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah of the White Tower. I assume you've already known of her arrival yesterday? Moiraine, this is Ailene al'Nemar, and she is the custodian of the South Wing proper."

"Of course I know of your arrival, Moiraine Sedai," Ailene smiled ingratiatingly. "The whole town was abuzz with your arrival, and more so than usual. New things appear in Manetheren every day, yet it takes something special to make people restless this much."

"Perhaps because of the history of Manetheren?" Moiraine ventured. "I understand that something you call the blood memories had started to occur in the original populace of the Two Rivers, and that you're starting to remember things such as having Aes Sedai queen."

"That's the most obvious reason," Ailene said. "They're probably making up scenarios pertaining that, right as we speak."

"Scenarios?" Moiraine asked wondrously.

"Oh, you know – the 'imagine if she were to marry Lord Rand, or Lord Perrin' scenarios."

Moiraine rolled her eyes. She knew exactly of these kinds of things among commoners. Rand in turn shrugged.

"Well, what're you gonna do?" he said. "There are always such talks, even in Manetheren; but our people are smarter than that."

"Are you telling me that there might not be a rumor that you've already married in a week or so?" Moiraine asked unabashedly.

"There won't," he said. "Manethereners don't take to fancy rumors. It's a national mentality thing."

"And I can vouch for that," Ailene added. "We used to have been a village community that dealt primarily in herding. There was very little tolerance for people that cried 'wolf' for no reason."

"Well, let's hope that's true," Moiraine said, then turned pointedly to Rand. "People need something to believe, you said it yourself."

He just shrugged, then addressed Ailene:

"Is Nynaeve around?"

"No, unfortunately. Something happened in the barracks some time earlier that required her talents. I'd wager some soldiers got overexcited and injured themselves."

"Barracks?" Rand seemed to think on something, then turned to Moiraine. "Isn't that where you said Lan went?"

"Yes, but I can sense him through our Warder bond. He's not injured, though I do know for a fact that he did engage in some physical activity while he was there."

"You can do that with the Warder bond?" Rand asked.

"Yes. He was not physically distressed, and there were no feelings of alarm or fear coming from him."

A warder bond. An intriguing thing, Rand thought, then. There were no such things during the Age of Lews.

"Someday, perhaps, you'll share some of your knowledge," he said.

Moiraine shrugged. "Someday."

"All right, then," he steered the conversation, talking in a very serious tone. "We did not come here for simple chit-chat. There are things that need to be done and little time to do it. First of all, Moiraine, what you need to know now is that all of the women here know that I have the ability to channel."

He could see that Moiraine understood the word play perfectly: he channeled; nobody knew to what an extent. For that matter, how strong was he, anyway? She herself didn't know, either. Rand kept talking:

"Truth be told, there was no way for me to hide my ability and teach them at the same time; that is the reason why you know of it as well – I am going to teach you things. As you've realized by now, there is a world of possibilities that you were not aware of before. It is only a glimpse of what was once possible, but trust me, if we work together, we will be able to achieve more than what was possible during the Age of Legends. That is my firm belief."

He waited out a few moments, to let that sink in, then spoke to Ailene.

"There are some things that Moiraine needs to learn, and your help will be invaluable, since you are the custodian, and you know this place inside-out. When it comes to skill, though, Nynaeve is the one that I need the most in that matter. I need her to work with Moiraine the most."

"Nynaeve?" Ailine raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Rand?" there was an unspoken 'is that wise?' in there that was clear to all of them.

"No doubt about it," he said seriously. "Nynaeve is the one woman channeler that encompasses both skill and the wisdom to pass it on. She was not favored by the old village Wisdom as the most prominent successor for nothing, and that is why she is the leader of the women here."

"Perhaps," Ailene acceded, "but Nynaeve is notorious for making people either do it her way or no way," she said. "You are the only one she ever listens to."

Rand looked down at Moiraine, with a long and careful look. Then, the left corner of his mouth rose into a smirk.

"Don't worry, Ailene," he said. "I sense that the two of them will hit it off quite nicely. Now, tell me, is Egwene here?"

"Yes, she's over there, at the far end," Ailene pointed.

"Alright, then," Rand said as he used his supreme height to look over people's heads. "We'll leave you to your business now, Ailene. Irashai."

"Irashai," she greeted him back, and Rand motioned Moiraine to follow him.

He spoke in slightly hushed tone as they walked slowly.

"The girl we are about to meet is the second strongest in channeling power among all of the women here, and I'm willing to say that she has the greatest potential of them all."

"I sense there's a 'but' somewhere around there," Moiraine remarked.

Rand sighed, and for the entire world it seemed as if it was the heaviest sigh she had ever heard him have.

"That's true," he said. "She's smart, strong, skilled, not afraid to experiment, but she believes she is always right."

"Sounds a lot like someone I've recently met," Moiraine jabbed.

"Ha-ha," Rand said sarcastically. "This is a bit different than that. She is as strong-willed as any of the Two Rivers' folk, but what do you think that means when you pair it up with being one of the youngest and most powerful channelers to boot?"

"I can see what you mean," Moiraine said after a moment. "The White Tower has the same problem with its Novices and Accepted, except that we have methods of culling that kind of behavior in its root that have been perfected over millennia. That's why I felt that these women should be trained in the Tower… though, when I think about it, I realize now that the White Tower couldn't handle them… especially if the infamous Manetheren stubbornness is true."

"Maybe you have a point about White Tower," he said. "But that's a risk for many reasons, and frankly, we," and there the 'we' sounded as if he was referring to none other than the two of them, "don't have that kind of luxury."

"But that still leaves you with a problem pertaining this girl," she said.

"Not if you step in."

"I'd be willing to lend you any kind of help that I can," she said cautiously, "but if she's as powerful and as skilled as you say, not to mention strong-willed, any guidance I might attempt might be miniscule."

"That's where an interesting paradox comes in," he said. "Egwene believes that Aes Sedai are by default the most powerful channelers – period! – and that nothing we do here is even close to the thing that they are capable of."

"Playing the Aes Sedai indomitability card? I can't lie, Rand, remember? I can evade, but if she's smart, she'll have no difficulty seeing it at that very moment, and I don't see how shattering her illusions can help anyone."

"Ah, now, that's where you'll realize that there are two types of cruelty" he said, motioning with his finger. "There's cruelty for the sake of cruelty, and there's 'cruelty' for the sake of improvement. If Egwene's illusions are shattered, then she might turn into a bitter person, true… but between you and Nynaeve, she just might become something better."

She was silent for a moment. "You care about this young woman, don't you?"

"In a brotherly fashion, yes," he said, then pointed with his head forward. "And, there she is."

They came to a desk on which there were a number of objects of Power, and a young woman who was turned with her back toward them stood there, channeling. She was a very short girl, with long brown hair held back from her face with a single red ribbon.

Moiraine was paying close attention to the weaves she was making, then spoke in hushed tone:

"Um… I know you're an advocate of experimenting," she said uncertainly. "But what she's doing seems way too dangerous from where I stand."

Rand frowned, then looked toward what Egwene was doing, paying close attention to the objects of Power she was dabbling with. Light, she better not be doing that, he thought.

"Egwene," he called to her, to which the girl jumped with a start.

In that instant, a blinding white flash, followed by a deafening high-pitched whiplash sound rattled the entire South Wing.

Blinding white had turned to colored shadows and shapes of the last thing seen. The sounds were gone, replaced by ringing in the ears that slowly abated and was replaced by muffled sounds of alarm. Moiraine didn't know how long the stun lasted, but she had remained on her feet, slightly bent down, and covering her ears.

She blinked a few times as the world slowly took shape around her, then removed her hands from her ears. The sounds had come back now, and she could hear the din of alarmed people. One mighty roar overpowered them all.

"EGWENE, LIGHT BLAST IT!"

Moiraine looked sideways and saw Rand, as pissed off as a father of all that's wrath, starring death at the pretty young woman with large brown eyes that was hopping in one spot, shaking her hands vigorously, as if she was burnt, before settling down and staring back at him with what was a startled look, which was quickly covered by anger of her own.

"Experimenting with unknown methods inside the South Wing?!" Rand roared at her. "How many times have you been told NOT to do that? HOW MANY?! South Wing is for research, not experimenting! Are you sitting on your ears, or are you just bloody insane? Your little bundle of joy could have killed us all! What the blazes were you thinking?!"

"Rand al'Thor, you idiot!" she yelled back. "I was so close! I would have had it if you didn't interru –"

She was cut off by Rand's even greater boom:

"I don't bloody care how close you were to anything! The experimenting is done at the testing polygon for a reason, because everybody knows that there's fire flying over there! That's what it was made for! Are you telling me that these people are supposed to know what you are about to do all the time, and make concessions just for your sake?!"

"I am not about to go all the way to the polygon for a weave so small, and one that would have taken minutes at the most," she countered with her logic. "Something like that would be utterly senseless, and besides, it is your fault for interfering!"

Moiraine had thought that one man couldn't get any madder than what Rand already was. She realized she was wrong. At Egwene's words, his face turned from fury-marred incredulousness, to plain and simple fury. He was so red-faced that even the whites of his eyes were gone. She knew instinctively, that if she didn't do something, anything – then something irreparable might happen between these two young people.

She jumped in front of him, and dealt him a slap on the face as hard as she could.

You could hear a pin drop from a mile away. In that second, in that tiniest moment, Moiraine felt that she had not been so frightened in her entire life.

"Can we do this later, for crying out loud!" she called out, her exasperated voice echoing across the silenced hall, leaving her amazed that she could voice anything at all.

Just she said that, two things flashed in the corners of her eyes. On one side, there was a longest braid she had ever seen, zooming pass her toward where Egwene stood; on the other, a grayish color-shifting cloak, and a blade that flashed between her and Rand's neck, and quivered there while a strange glow emanated from the edge, as if an invisible barrier had stopped it before it reached the skin. There was sound of scuffle behind her, and another loud slap.

Silence.

"Lan," Moiraine said, working the strength of her voice. "If you value both of our lives, you will sheath that sword."

A moment that passed like an eternity before the blade slowly moved, the glow of the barrier near Rand's skin fading away with it. The sword slid into the scabbard and clicked into place, after which there was a collective sigh of relief. All except Rand, who stood stoically, with a firm set to his jaw and a pained look in his eyes.

"Rand, I'm sorry," Moiraine started in a rush, "Lan was just doing his duty of protecting me, don't take this against us."

Rand sighed, and the corner of his lips turned into a slight smile, "Why would I? You seem to be doing a fine job as an anchor already, Moiraine. I'm sorry that you had to do it like this."

She gathered her composure and nodded. "Well, it happens to everyone sometimes," she said.

It was then that she heard Egwene who sounded as incredulous as if she saw a manbearpig:

"Why did you slap me, Nynaeve?"

"Because I saw it all, Egwene," Nynaeve gave an immediate sharp response. "Frankly, I have had it with you misusing the shear scope of the freedom that was given to you!"

Moiraine finally turned to see what was going on behind her, and as to who the new arrival was.

She saw a very pretty young woman – beautiful, even – with a very long and thick braid going across her right shoulder. She held Egwene by the wrist, and wore an angry frown and a sour downturn of her lips that didn't manage to mar her pretty features one least bit.

"Misuse?" Egwene asked incredulously. "Freedom? All I see is 'don't this, and don't that'! Why should I adhere to that if I know for a fact that I can do things my way without truly hurting anyone?"

"Because it's reckless, child," Moiraine spoke with all the authority of Aes Sedai.

She herself was amazed that she spoke up at all, but it was as if for a moment she was a passenger on a boat that was helmed by the Aes Sedai in her.

"I know that you are young," she kept on. "I know that your mind is full of ideas, and that you want those ideas to be heard and employed. But there is a fine line between expediency and recklessness, and youth lacks wisdom in seeing it."

Egwene had a defeated look on her face.

"You… you're taking Rand's side, Aes Sedai?" she asked. "Didn't you just slap him?"

"It was either me – a small and frail woman – slapping him, or it would have been him – a tall, strong, young man – slapping you; which do you think would have been more damaging? Because, I assure you, one of the two would have happened."

"B-but Two River's men don't hit women," Egwene spoke, slightly incredulous.

It was Nynaeve that spoke then, putting a word or two of her own:

"That's because Two River's women have the wisdom in them to not act like fools, girl," she snapped. "Even if you were a woman, I would have put you over my knee if I were in Rand's skin, but the last time I checked, your hair was not in a braid! And children. Get. Disciplined. Need I remind you that the only reason you are allowed in the South Wing as such is because you had proven that you have the brains. Don't make us rethink the validity of that proof."

Egwene lowered her eyes. There was a sense of deflation coming out of her. There was a moment of silence.

"I am sorry, everyone," Egwene spoke at last in a quiet tone. "I didn't mean for anyone to be hurt."

"We know, child," Moiraine spoke then, soothingly, as she took a couple of step toward her. "But there is a time and place for everything. Rules are not meant to stop anyone, or to prevent you from achieving everything that you can be. On the contrary! They're made to guide you to become the best you can be.

"I have known Rand but for a day, but it was enough to have no doubt in my mind that he wants for you to become all that you can be. All you need to do in turn, is to trust the guidelines he had made."

Egwene was looking up from beneath her eyelashes with a look of reverence, absorbing every word. She looked back down at the end, and nodded.

Nynaeve, who up until then was looking sideways at Moiraine, carefully measuring up both her and her words, sighed and spoke to Egwene:

"Regarless to your understanding, you cannot go unscathed away from this," she said. "Life isn't fair, it won't coddle you, so neither will I."

Promptly, Nynaeve embraced saidar and channeled a quick flow of intricate spirit threads, placing them over Egwene. The young girl winced as the weave settled on her.

"No channeling until I remove the sai'vron," Nynaeve stated. "I'll know instantly if you do. You are also temporarily restricted from the South Wing."

"Until when?" Egwene asked hopefully.

"Until I deem it fit," Nynaeve spoke with intensity. "Now, off with you!"

Egwene swallowed, then looked to the ground and walked away without looking at anyone. Nynaeve, with her arms folded under her breasts, waited until Egwene was safely out of earshot before speaking.

"Honestly, I don't know what to do with her," she sighed. "She's a handful for any one person, and I can't babysit her all the time."

Moiraine spoke carefully:

"You're not placing a shield on her?" she asked.

"What's the point?" Nynaeve said as she followed Egwene with her look as she was leaving the hall. "With sai'vron in place, anyone can channel, but I'll know if that happens, and believe me, she'd be better off with Rand's slaps than with me if she does that. This is to see if she has the character to refrain on her own."

She then turned toward Moiraine, struck a pose with her hip out and arms akimbo, and truly appraised the woman for the first time.

"So… you're the Aes Sedai everyone's been talking about?" she asked.

There was that moment, right there, when two women channelers were meeting for the first time; one even needed not be a channeler at all to know that something was happening. It was in the air, and it was palpable. It lived and breathed, and it was the strongest right between the two women, right where their gazes crossed. One could almost see the proverbial lightning sparks dancing between.

But there never was any malice. Not on Moiraine's part anyway. She had known the very first moment Nynaeve appeared that the young woman was stronger than she was; now, it was only confirmed. This young woman was much, much stronger than her, even if the angreal and ter'angreal she wore as jewelry were to be removed.

Moiraine took those few seconds under saidar to use her enhanced senses to appraise Nynaeve. Now that she had the moment, she realized that this was a really interesting young woman.

What at first she thought was a dress, turned out to be broad, flaring bell-shaped leggings that only gave the appearance of a dress. Oddly enough, even though they were in fact a kind of trousers, they were surprisingly feminine-looking. The dark corset vest she wore on top of her white embroidered shirt was heavily embroidered as well, but for all its daintiness, there was an air about this woman that made it seem almost like a piece of armor. The belt that had a small purse and a sheathed knife hanging from it, which she wore across her generous hips only added to that feeling, looking nothing less than something like a female version of a male sword belt.

But that knife at her belt was nothing next to the three objects of Power that she wore: an odd ter'angreal on her left forefinger, which looked like ornately-engraved plate that covered her entire finger; a broad armor-looking bracer ter'angreal that went over the back of her left hand and down the entire length of her forearm; and finally, a small plain-looking bracelet angreal on her right wrist.

Moiraine caught herself from wanting to examine the artifacts and lifted her gaze to meet Nynaeve's. She nodded politely in greeting and answered Nynaeve's previous question:

"Yes, indeed, I am the Aes Sedai. My name is Moiraine Damodred, and I am Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah of White Tower," she said, then added. "And you are by far the strongest woman channeler I had ever seen, Miss Nynaeve."

Nynaeve raised her eyebrow in surprise. "Is that so?" she asked, then nodded, tilting her head sideways. "Thanks, I suppose."

She then lifted a finger and pointed it at Moiraine in a cautionary manner.

"But I'm keeping my eye on you, none the less," she stated firmly. "The very fact that you're here means that you know about Rand. I don't know where your thoughts lie concerning that, and I don't care, but if I hear you, or any other Aes Sedai, so much as hint at taking him to the White Tower to be gentled, there'll be blood and ashes to pay! Are we clear?"

Moiraine had to smile at the loyalty this young spitfire woman had when it came to Rand. She nodded sincerely as she spoke:

"Indeed we are," she said calmly, then looked sideways at Rand. "Though I doubt anyone, or even any group, could do anything like that."

Nynaeve sniffed, and a sour turn of her lips turned into a slight smile.

"You got that right," she said. "He surely is the most stubborn idiot I've ever seen." Then, something caught her attention and she glanced sideways, then made a snappish comment: "And what are you smiling at?"

Rand, temporarily forgotten by everyone, was standing to the side next to Lan, watching the two women with a smirk on his lips as he rubbed his chin. His eyes were boring into each of them in turn.

"Oh, I am just happy to see you two getting along so well," he said. "I knew that bringing Moiraine into Egwene's lectures would be a good thing." He lifted his hands with his palms turned skyward. "And look how great you two did that on your own, without me even having to point you to it."

Nynaeve rolled her eyes and grabbed her long braid with one hand. "Ugh! You and your machinations!" She spoke in annoyance, and yanked the braid once before letting go. "Sometimes I feel that life would have been so much simpler around here if you did not suddenly turn into…" she lifted both her arms toward him, then finished. "Into… that!"

She dropped her arms and took a deep sigh, then turned to look at Moiraine, thinking things through.

"So, you want to help with Egwene's apprenticeship into the One Power?" she asked.

"If I can," Moiraine responded.

Nynaeve seemed to think carefully some more as she twirled her braid.

"And how am I to know that your way of teaching won't interfere with my own?" she asked then. "Because I'll have none of that, mind you."

"There won't be any interference," Rand stepped in just then, stating it as if it was how things were naturally going to end up. "Moiraine is going to be learning things, as well. My fears concerning Aes Sedai that I've been telling you about in the previous months have been proven as true. Aes Sedai are not what I hoped they were."

He placed a hand on both Moiraine's and Nynaeve's shoulder, and for a moment, the look he had in his eyes was almost like that of a father.

"Moiraine deserves to learn everything that we have to offer, Nynaeve," he said. "Will you do this for me?"

Nynaeve yanked her braid half-heartedly. "Of course I'll do this for you, you big oaf," she said, her mellow voice being strangely at odds with her stern look. "Why do you even have to ask?!"

"Because I'll have Moiraine use the Psyatha ter'angreal," he said gravely. Nynaeve's face turned serious. "I'll need you to monitor her state."

Nynaeve was silent for a few moments, looking up at Rand with a discerning look. At last, she nodded.

"Alright," she said, then glanced at Moiraine before speaking. "Go, and do what needs to be done, then come to me. I'll be waiting here."

Rand motioned Moiraine to follow him, to what Lan silently moved to follow them as well.

"Oh, no you don't," Nynaeve called out and grabbed Lan by the bicep with both of her hands, planting her feet and putting her weight to stopping him. "You still owe me the precise demonstration of how you broke out of my Lady Hold."

Rand stopped abruptly and turned, looking wide-eyed at Lan.

"You broke out of her Lady-Hold?" he asked in surprise.

"He sure did," Nynaeve responded in his stead. "And I'm not separating from him until he shows me how he did that."

Rand looked Lan straight in the eyes, nodded solemnly, and spoke: "Respect!" He then turned and led Moiraine further.

"What is a 'Lady-Hold'?" Moiraine asked him then.

"The most humiliating thing a five-and-a-half feet tall woman could do to a seven feet tall man who is twice her weight," Rand responded, then clarified. "Nynaeve knows human body better than anyone I know, and she knows its limits and weak points. By taking advantage of these, she can make anyone be like puppet in her hands. Imagine what it looks like when a grown man is being casually led around like a dainty lady – by a girl! All because he cannot move his entire arm, because his wrist will be broken if he does. She did that a few times to some of our soldiers who… wanted to prove themselves, should I say? They were some of the recruited Tarabon people, so they didn't know better. Needless to say, that demonstration was enough to make everyone step lightly around Nynaeve."

"I see," Moiraine said, then looked up at him with a tiny smile. "Have you gone through this… most unmanly experience, as well?"

He chuckled darkly. "It was I that taught her," he said. "And it was I who allowed her to the use of my arm so that she could learn how far she can go without breaking it."

"That was noble of you," she said. "Weren't you in pain?"

"There was pain," he said. "But I wasn't in pain. I know how to utterly ignore it when the need arises. Few men do."

Moiraine nodded as if to herself. "A trait known to belong among Warders and Blademasters."

"Exactly," he smirked as he opened a small gate in front of the fenced-off stairwell that led down into the lower recesses. He passed through and Moiraine followed promptly behind him.

The moment she passed, though, she felt a sudden and complete disorientation.

What was she doing there? Where was she going? Where is 'here'? There was nothing here that interested her! There are far more important things to do than to linger here.

She promptly turned to leave, feeling angry at herself for dallying about, until she felt someone taking her hand. Just like that, sanity returned to her in a nauseating rush.

"Ugh!" she gasped as she turned to Rand wide-eyed. "What had just happened?! What was that thing?"

"The first safety measure against unwanted people," he said. "It's a very complex weave that makes you forget why you came here. I'm immune to it, and it transferred to you when I touched you. Now, follow me, and don't let go of my hand until I tell you to."

Moiraine couldn't see any weaves around her. It must have been either a saidin weave, or a weaving technique beyond her knowledge. Despite the impression she felt, she threaded lightly after Rand, still wary of any unpleasant shifts of focus.

He led her down the spiraling staircase. The staircase itself was white, but everything around it was coated in oppressive darkness.

"Do you see this darkness, Moiriane?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded, and shivered. "It feels so… unnatural."

"That's because it is. If you were to let go of my hand, you would feel as if some kind of incredible weight was pressing down on you. With every step we'd go lower, the worse it would get, up until the point that it gives birth to hallucinations. So, don't let go, you hear?"

Her response was a tightening of her hand on his.

They took the final step, and just as she did that, all of the darkness disappeared as if waved off, and she found herself in an underground hall supported by pillars, and illuminated with One Power-made lights.

"You can let go now," Rand said, and she carefully did so, and then looked around.

The chamber was filled with many shelves and desks, but more than half were empty. She could see immediately, though, that the shelves and desks were carefully arranged and categorized. She recognized the numerous objects of Power for what they were, but there was more. There were scrolls and books that seemed to be under various states of decay – or even more interestingly, under various states of Power-induced restoration!

There were other items, as well – non-Power artifacts of an Age long gone: an odd-looking armor in bad shape, some strange gear, items of metal and glass that looked incredibly complex in their mechanical nature, and few that looked so alien in appearance that there simply was no analogue in this Age to what she could associate them with. Yet, one thing was common to them all.

Other than the objects of Power, the items were old to the point of decay.

"Come," Rand said, as he led the way to a small stand on which an object of Power stood. It had a shape of a metallic arch, silvery-blue in color, its arching path branching into spiked ends at a couple of places that made it resemble like some antlers or such. Despite the sloping shape of the arch, the item itself was of quite angular edges, yet it had a certain mystique quality about it.

Rand picked it up in both his hands and showed it to her.

"This is Psyatha ter'angreal. Have you ever seen reading glasses, or reading lenses?"

"Of course," she said. "Such are used in Cairhien among scribes."

"Good. This one is worn just like that. Here…"

He placed the ter'angreal careflully on her head, like he would a pair of glasses. The moment he removed his hands from the rim, the ter'angreal instantly reshaped to fit the size of her head, and tightened comfortably against her skin.

The ter'angreal went from behind her ears, bending across her temples, from where a pair of spike-like branches molded across her upper cheek bones, while the upper frame went across her brow, and joined in a triangular shape at the center of it.

The moment it was there, she felt clarity of thought like never before.

"How do I remove it?" She asked, cautious of this new artifact.

"Just like you would normal glasses," he responded, to what she nodded, and looked to the side with a bewildered, but focused look.

"I feel strange," she stated.

"You should," he responded seriously. "The Psyatha amplifies a person's ability to understand, absorb, and catalog new knowledge in her brain."

"That must be the clarity that I feel," she stated as she looked around, then abruptly: "I feel like I need to do something. Anything!"

"Good," he said. "That means it works. Psyatha makes you crave for knowledge, crave to process things and solve problems. It is the most dangerous ter'angreal we have."

"I understand why," she said. "It's because a person can be tricked into overusing it, isn't it?"

She had discerned the reason instantly, her mind starting to work faster and faster under ter'angreal influence.

"What are the dangers to this?" she asked then.

"After you remove it, you feel an opposite effect for roughly the same amount of time," he stated. "Clarity of mind becomes dullness, coherence of thoughts becomes distraction. Wear it too long, and random side effects will start to settle in for prolonged periods. Ultimately, Psyatha can cause a complete mental breakdown if used unwisely. That is why you must be close to Nynaeve when you wear it. She will know if something happens that shouldn't, and help you if needed."

"What is the proper use, then?" she asked, noticing that the speed of her speech was increasing, becoming more precise, more concise.

"Four hours a day, five at the maximum," he said. "The hours are to be those final hours of your daily cycle, right before your regular nighttime sleep."

"I can understand that," she said. "Mind relaxes in the sleep, and allows for regeneration which in turn –"

"Moiraine, focus on me, now!" he practically ordered, noticing that her mind was starting to drift with enormous amounts of ideas that it was starting to produce on its own.

Moiraine promptly closed her eyes, sucking in air and taking a deep breath. When she opened them again, she seemed to have re-focused again. She looked up at him intently.

"This is a dangerous tool," she stated, her speech returned to normal levels under her own willpower. "I'd prefer not to wear it."

"I'd prefer that too," he said, his voice low, sounding grim. "But we don't have the luxury of time. You need to learn things, and I doubt we have even as much as two weeks' time."

"What is supposed to happen at the end of this uncertain timeframe?" she asked discerningly.

"Something nasty; and let's leave it at that for the moment."

She nodded after a moment. "Very well."

She then looked down with a frown, her eyes intently focused into the distance. She lifted her right hand, and pointed to the side, without looking at where she was pointing.

"You will tell me what is over there, though, because it's nagging the living ash out of me," she stated.

Rand was silent for a moment. "How do you know that there's anything there?"

"The clarity that this ter'angreal gives me is strangely lacking when I look or focus on that area over there."

Rand had to smile.

"Walk with me," he said.

She followed him into an area that was strangely lacking in anything that she could see, or even notice at all. It was like walking through molasses that dulled the perception. The only thing she could notice for sure was Rand, lifting his hand toward… wall?

The wall seemed to shift, open like a door, and she followed him into… another chamber? Is it? Suddenly, her perception seemed to return, and she saw it.

The sensation engulfed her like an energizing wave that surged all the way from her toes, through her entire spine, and struck her brain like a torrent of power.

Her face lit up in the greatest smile she could remember having, her eyes watered, and her entire being was filled with restlessness like no other in her entire life.

She took an involuntary gasp, clenching her fists as if she was preparing for a fight, and reveled in it.

"Wha… what is that?" she managed as her eyes wandered across the large white object of Power that stood like a stone resemblance of a wide-branching tree.

"The Lavanth," Rand responded with feral intensity; a sign that he too was very much under the influence. "It is a ter'angreal that you were so interested about, earlier. It is the thing that gives the motivation and the desire for action to the people of Manetheren. There are two of its smaller siblings – one in Watch Hill, and another at Deven."

Moiraine was taking note of every single one of his words, yet there was no way that she could move her eyes from the wondrous ter'angreal.

"How…?" she couldn't finish her question, as she was breathing heavily, yet Rand knew what she was asking.

"It was hard to make these ter'agreal, true," he said. "There is one woman among us who has the talent, the feel for the objects of Power. I can make them, yes, but in my case it is because of hard training; something like that is not enough for something this grand. Sometimes, you simply need your soul to be in the right place for the specific job. So, we made an extended circle, with me a part of it, among others, and Mardi at the lead, with her using both saidar and saidin. That is the only reason she managed to make the objects. After Lavanth was made, she had to spend three weeks recuperating."

"I never…" Moiraine spoke breathlessly, barely able to make a coherent word, despite the presence of Psyatha on her head. "I mean… I always knew that saidar and saidin together could… yet, this!"

Rand growled, taking her by the shoulders and led her out, letting the passage close behind them.

He sighed in relief, then spoke:

"Proximity to Lavanth raises ones adrenaline. That's why it is kept in special chamber. Are you alright?"

Moiraine had lowered her gaze, and closed her eyes, clearing her mind of the drifting emotions.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said at last. She looked up at him with strange sense of reverence. "Thank you, Rand, for showing me this." She took a few more deep breaths before speaking again. "I can only hope that one day the Haan will teach the White Tower how to make ter'angreal."

"Oh, I am hoping for much more than that, Moiraine," he retorted. "I'm hoping that you will be the one to pass the knowledge on to the ones that are worthy. That is why I want you here."

She looked at him strangely.

"It is in my duty to spread the knowledge to everyone that I can, Rand," she countered. "Surely you understand that."

"I understand what you want to say," he said. "But that is the wrong way. Your duty, and my duty, and every teacher's duty is to spread the knowledge to the ones that want to learn FIRST, and only then to try to dispense it to everyone else. You cannot make a mule go where it doesn't want to go, Moiraine, and there are many people who do not want to go down the path of enlightenment. That is one of those cruel truths that you will have to endure. If in one place you find that all the people want to learn, then you must sweat blood in order to pass it onto all of them, because that much is your duty. If, however, at another place nobody wants to learn, then you must cut that place off, and suffer the pain. It will hurt you more than it will hurt them – and do you know why? – It is because you know what they are losing. They don't.

"How can I justify just leaving those people there, in ignorance and nescience, you wonder? It is a simple, yet cruel fact: because even if you spend your whole life dispensing wisdom only to the people who do want to learn, you are still just a frail human, who will live only for so many years, and will never truly manage to spread the knowledge to all of those that crave it. Yes, Moiraine; there will be the ones who deserve the knowledge, but will not manage to grasp it. And that is the stigma that will follow you forever, and which you will have to overcome. That is why you must do the division."

There was a long stretch of silence among them. Rand could see it in her eyes, in her very Psyatha-boosted mind, that she was taking all of this to heart. And that it pained her; it pained her because she realized somewhere deep that what he spoke was the truth.

"Who are we to choose something that is only Creator's to decide?" she asked in a near whisper as she shook her head.

"Vessels," he said. "We are vessels that he made us into. All we can do is watch, be vigilant, do what we feel is right, and hope. If we err, then we err, and there is no point in crying; only learning by example. But this we must do. And if you feel yourself strong, then we will do."

She took one last deep breath, before her eyes focused on him with new determination.

"When do I begin?"

He chuckled. "You have already begun, my friend. Now, we just take it up a notch. I'll take you to Nynaeve now, and leave you with her to expand on your skills over the next few days. Meanwhile, you will be welcome to join Mat, Perrin and me, whenever you feel like it. Don't worry; you'll know how to find us wherever you are."

Moiraine smiled then.

"Men," she said. "Always assuming us women need them, and want to paw all over them."

Rand laughed heartily, the sound echoing through the hall.

"There you go!" he said. "You're starting to act like a Manetheren woman! Shall we?"

Moiraine nodded, and followed him up to the South Wing main hall. As they walked up the stairwell, toward the light that came from the South Wing hall, she wondered at what the days would bring. Her mind, now stimulated by Psyatha's effect, was churning out new scenarios of what would come in the following days, forming new ideas, sifting through them, cataloguing and processing it all like a well-organized machine, taking what she liked and throwing away the other. One thing was constantly floating up into her thoughts, though: that whatever her mind was thinking up right now was only a tip of the iceberg. What, in the name of the Light, did she put herself into, she wondered.

A genuine smile appeared on her lips, and then it simply broadened into a full grin. And there was no turning it down.