I hated to like you...

~7. "It's the girl isn't it?"~

*Moiraine's POV*

I was weak but noticed almost everything around me. The noises and voices. The smells. The movement. The warmth. Even thought I could not figure out where all of it came from, I still sensed everything.

There was Lan. I felt him. He was worried, yet full of hope as if a switch was turned. He would help me.

I earned a bit of energy. The cause is still a little confusing to me. It was a fading process and nothing I could put my finger on.

Soon I was surrounded by a familiar tingling. The One Power. Someone was using it on me. My wound was healing. It was not comfortable, by any meaning. It was as if someone grabbed inside me and pulled the intoxication out again. The pain pulled through my body, nevertheless it faded fortunately.

I cracked my eyes open and glimpsed into Lan's soft features, yet he had wrinkles on his face. The worried ones. The ones I didn't like.

"Don't frown too much, or you'll keep those." I pointed onto his face, feeling his skin on my skin.

The man chuckled softly and placed his other hand on my cheek. There was immediately comfort I had found within his touch.

The Aes Sedai, my sister, who had healed me left the tent to leave us to talk in privacy. As private as it would be, surrounded by my sisters. I sat up straight on the bed and suddenly my breath hitched in my throat.

"Where is Emee?" I gasped out, body shaking.

We could not have lost her. That would be such a failure.

"I told you to have an eye on her!" I spoke almost furiously.

He had lost her.

Lan let go of me and walked to the entrance of the tent. Where was he going now? The man waved me over.

"There." He spoke and I approached him. "She's outside, with Stepen and the others."

I exhaled relieved, when I took in the scene. The little brat sat at the campfire with some Warders. She seemed to have fun, yet I knew that lady could cover a lot of things. Emee was tired and exhausted. Those dark eye bags could even I see at this point. It was late, that might as well could have been the reason, yet I doubted that a single night caused this.

"Hadn't you allowed her to sleep at all?" I chuckled, while frowning.

"The options were given." Lan assured me and continued to stare outside.

I twitched my head and squinted my eyes at him.

He sighed, "I knew this would come up..."

I interrupted. "Lan, why does she look like she has not slept in days?"

"Emee didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to admit it, but she was worried about you as well."

My brows sank into a frown, "Emee? You're surely talking about the young woman outside there?"

He nodded amused, arms crossed loosely.

"So what happened before we arrived here?"

It took Lan not even a minute to explain, what took part these past days. Fascinating, yet strange. Emee almost gave me the impression, she cared about my well-being. If she knew it was my duty to do that? To make sure she was going to reach the White Tower, without a scratch. Even though I had failed that point already, because Emee already was injured. However, I healed her wounds so far. I assumed someone should take a look on that. Her body would require more healing.