The One... Or Two?

The Other Sedai

The trip continued for a longer time. Secily felt tapped of all energy. Nynaeve noticed and rode close to her. "We've been heading southwest for three hours now. You care to tell me why?" she demanded, protectively.

"He sought out my sisters," Moiraine warned the girls about what they were riding into.

"You're feeling better," Lan commented, examining his Aes Sedai carefully. He felt better.

Secily pulled on her reins, sitting straight (paranoid) again, and Arthur stopped, going so far as to turn around. She circled for a time, Arthur stepping forward and backward occasionally.

"I am," Moiraine mumbled, watching the young Channeler come to another decision. She was quite pleased with the first one she'd made on her own, staying with Moiraine, and she hoped the girl would continue to use that wisdom in this. But she understood the fear. Secily had very little experience and likely had had many accidents, one way or another. Perhaps that was why she stayed in the woods instead of in her home with her twin.

A blonde red Sedai rode down the path, stopping before them.

Secily came to a stop, refusing to give anything away.

"Moiraine Sedai," the woman greeted.

Moiraine was definitely feeling better. "Liandrin Sedai," she greeted back with just as much passive aggression.

"If you're here to help, you're too late. Oh, didn't you hear? We captured a man calling himself the Dragon Reborn."

A man chained up in a cage was carted down the road, heading for the White Tower.

Secily blanched at the visage. Two Aes Sedai mounted behind him, staring determinedly.

*~*

Moiraine and Lan settled into their lives among their own all too easily. They were brought into the camp and the two went off so Nynaeve and Secily came to their own decision to sleep in the familiar wilderness. They agreed not to get too close to the camp due to the unknown level of strength Sedai possessed with grouped together. It was actually quite terrifying.

*~*

Moiraine stood by the false Dragon's cage. "I presume Kerene has asked you to use our friendship to get information out of me," she called over to her friend, smiling faintly.

Alanna smirked then paused, sitting straighter. "Not for a day or two still. When you're expecting it less."

Moiraine smirked back. "Subtle. You could have easily been Blue Ajah."

Alanna grinned snobbishly. "Please." She raised her head, speaking with class. "One Warder would never do."

Both ladies laughed. Moiraine held her grin. "I got a taste of that... a few days ago."

Alanna turned to face her in grinned awe. "Have you? How?"

Moiraine smirked at the man trapped, but thought back to that first battle. "WHen I got my injury, we were against a massive amount of Trollocs. And the young woman out there-"

"Red hair or green robe?"

"Red."

"Ah!" Alanna breathed gleefully.

Moiraine shook her head. "She didn't even think. Just stepped in. I was expecting Lan and he wasn't there, but she was. And to see her, standing so tall, proud, defensive- I'd.. never felt so..."

"Secure," Alanna finished and Moiraine nodded. "When I chose Green, I thought it was so heroic . The Battle Ajah... warriors trained to defend humanity from the Dark One at the Last Battle. But I never thought I'd see it myself."