You were embarrassed. Having cried yourself unconscious, you started awake from a nightmare and now had a headache and regret at your weakness. The morning had hardly begun, the light of dawn weak and cool. You stood slowly, awed at the painting of your beautiful surroundings. You were in a forest and so surrounded by trees. The pale light of the cloudless sky left everything pale. A few critters were wandering about, birds singing softly. A gentle wind swept over your face, waking you better than any coffee, though you deeply missed the caffeine. You could hear running water not far away and voices far in the distance, but you were alone. Relatively. Your natives were still sleeping, Moiraine - you noticed - was near the spot you'd been in. You flustered at the implication and also stewed a bit in your anger. But still, your mind was faint in the way of telepathy so you took advantage of the solitude. You set out for firewood. Stacking it like a tikki, you picked a few sticks out and took them with you. You went to the stream, levitated a few fish free, and killed them telekinetically. Cooking fish from where you were bathing was easy.
The stream was small and cold, but you'd cleaned in worse. You goosebumped all over, worse when the water hit your skin, but you sighed as the dirt flowed downstream. The cold erased the feeling of dried sweat and your clothes were given an illusion of clean next. You hung them up once drenched and looked around. Deciding the coast was clear, you held up your hand and your eyes glowed. Your delicate squeezed without wringing first and they were dry quite soon. You lamented at using a blanket as a towel, but was wrapped just the same. Pulling your undergarments on, you looking back up at the rest.
Back at the makeshift camp, the bonded pair slowly awoke together. Moiraine jerked to sit up upon feeling her empty hands. She knew she'd fallen asleep holding a prophesy. Lan felt the alarm secondhand and hopped to. He stared at their surroundings, seeking proof of a fight. Moiraine's gaze was drawn to the crackling fire and, more importantly, the four impaled fish floating and rotating above the fire and around each other.
Lan again felt the change and turned to look as well. "She made breakfast?" he asked.
"Caught it, gutted it, cooking it," Moiraine answered specifically.
"She isn't in eyesight," Lan expanded. No Aes Sedai could manipulate that outside her vision without a tether. Not without skills you'd been taught none of.
Moiraine rose to her feet, eyes fixed above the fire. "We know she had powers unknown." Just like the Dragon, the Mist Between was an enigma, completely unable to predict.
"Greater than the Dragon?" the Warder had to ask. The Sedai didn't know the answer, but she knew it was likely yes. It took more power to realm-hop than to poison the Source. Instead, she set off after you. Moiraine doubted you knew the Power you gave off, even when not actively channeling. There was so much you likely didn't know. Like how to tell Moiraine you needed a bath. Looking at you wrapped in a saddle blanket, she knew she very much would've appreciated the prior notice. She would've gotten an inn-room and you wouldn't have had to freeze. But she was sure that had an upside too. The woman had to remind herself how the slap stung. You would not be open to any advances. How disappointing. The Blue was an all or nothing sort of woman. If you were open to any type of long-term relationship, she could tell you everything, and she would. But she would share some. With barely a thought, Moiraine snaked the One Power at your clothes, twisting them dry. She smirked when you traced the Power back to her, surprised. "Lesson One: How to Summon the One Power." Dramatically, she turned from you and left the area. But she smirked at the splashing of you following.
Your pants went on first, eager at the prospect of a lesson. You pulled the headhole over you first, Farah's coat over your arm. You chased the woman with one arm in its sleeve and the other half of your abdomen exposed while you swapped which arm held her coat. You were fully dressed when you caught up with her. You folded the coat and carefully packed it into the saddlebag. "Is the One Power-?"
"The mist you represent, yes," Moiraine actually answered. She nodded with some meaning at Lan before continuing to the campsite.
If you hadn't been so excited to learn about your curse, Lan's sudden disappearance would've left you uneasy. But as it was, you were excited. You obeyed any and all commands put to you.
The fire had been an excellent way to start the channeling. Moiraine recognized how the dancing flames called to you. She understood the allure - using it to power her fire spells - and your first One Power appearance with guidance was a delight! Soft and gentle, mind pliant for likely the first time since discovering your Power, Moiraine could have stared at you forever. But kept you staring into the flames, bringing the Power to twist the smoke just enough to catch your attention. You didn't move on until you could summon the mist at will, on purpose, and could send it away. That had been a difficult bit. You had constantly been flashing back to Alma and that wasn't helping dispel the energy. Moiraine had been a tremendous help, never leaving your side. The noblewoman saw your eyes light up at the basic control was left worse-off than pre-slap. Once back on the road, you were lighter, happier.
Lan watched his Sedai stare at you.
Watching wasn't enough, Moiraine decided. She jerked her reins but her Warder's teasing halted her. "A week is all it took?" he seemingly mocked.
That caused Moiraine pause. Had you done something to her? You were a manipulator of the mind, by your own admission. The Blue hadn't suspected you were a spy, a dangerous oversight. In any event, now she had to talk to you. She slowed so you would meet her. You were staring at the area, taking in every new aspect. It was quite a darling sight. She redirected herself. "I still cannot believe you never knew about her."
You looked over at her, not even noticing. "There are seven known realms. One is completely non-magical, though they have their own brand. The other six are fairy-dominated."
Moiraine tried to watch the road rather than you. "You're well-traveled."
"I can't believe you knew about a connector between two worlds, one you didn't even know about."
Now, Moiraine examined you. "You just said you've been to two realms, and now this one," she questioned without questioning. That hadn't seemed to occur to you. How many worlds did you 'connect'? Did you even or was that an excuse? "Blue Ajah Sedai pick a calling beyond the color of their shawl. We pick a prophesy, a focus of some sort. I chose one of the powers you link to. The Dragon Reborn. But there's been no sign for a thousand years. We have false ones, but nothing that says the Wheel truly has turned him out."
You frowned over at her. "Wheel?"
The Aes Sedai took a moment to think. "The Wheel of Time holds our essences when we die and turns it back out as a new person in a new age. It also weaves the way of the world. What occurs is by design."
You vaguely understood. A religious explanation without religion.
Moiraine took in the visual of you on the horse and suddenly saw what she didn't before. You were awkward on the beast, obviously unfamiliar, but she was so caught up in the prophecy she hadn't even chosen choosing her that she hadn't been paying you that close attention. "Take the reins in both hands," she instructed.
You slowly complied, confused by grateful for the aid.
"Now... leave your feet in the stirrup, stand sometimes when you ride, kick where your heels rest. More like nudge his hips to speed up."
You did put your booted feet in the stirrup, blushing at the alternative meaning, and tested standing to relieve the pressure on your ass, but you did not speed up. You spent most of the day with Moiraine, her instructing you on riding and caring for a horse. Once you made camp, she showed you how to strengthen the steed so he would need less rest. Not a cure though, and you all needed rest. You settled in that night with more ease than you had, with no special circumstances, for decades. You looked up at Moiraine's head by yours, reaching for the hand tucked under her hair. "Thank you," you bade softly, hoping she was asleep, before retracting and looking at the fire. The dancing flames overlapping and conjuring themselves was enough to send you to sleep.
The ground was soaked with blood. You stood in it in a single slip of a nightgown and looked down to see the deep crimson seeping up between your toes. Just a few feet in front of you, a river was flowing to your right. It ran red as well.
You turned around at the sound of fighting. It was weak, not strained but singular. One sword hit several others. You found a man in formerly almighty now broken to bits armor that swung with all his lessening might at a beast like a boar, on two legs, with the other sword. Two other monsters stood beside the first. The broken armor also revealed multiple wounds staunched in blue powder, or perhaps poison. The already injured man risked a low blow and got clobbered over the side of the head. The monster fell, but so did the King. He staggered to his feet while the creature cried over his injury. There was no way he was getting up from that. The human picked up his sword one more time and took the creature's head off.
He fell to his knees, incapable of supporting himself any longer, but a sword went straight through his back and out his front. They both went still almost at the same time. Not a minute later, thunder rumbled and clouds brought themselves together. You supposed magic was magic in any world. But lightning didn't strike. A hurricane smacked into the ground, making you wonder if the river flowed into an ocean. But the water got harder, faster, sharper, hotter. Soon water turned into fire and the spiraling flames sent the creatures running for their lives, but they were not fast enough.
Every last one was swallowed by flames.