Channelers and the Men Who Love Them: Season Two
Episode Two – Wounds That Heal
“Moiraine? Stop daydreaming!”
Moiraine eyed Cadsuane with irritation before turning her attention back to the festivities. Today was Tamra’s first namingday, and Matrim had insisted on a giant feast. Barely a month had passed since his last battle, yet her husband refused to rest. At the moment he was on all fours, standing in place of a real horse. They were making quite the spectacle with Tamra hitting him on the head with a spoon and Matrim neighing.
Feeling a slight tug, Moiraine looked down to find Kaitlin Melaidhrin staring up at her with large grey-blue eyes. Moiraine stared back unsure of what to do with the spawn of Cadsuane and Rand. Thankfully, Rand scooped the girl up and proceeded to make those annoying cooing sounds. This action not only saved Moiraine from having to hold the child, but caused Cadsuane to finally stop drilling a hole in her back. The elder Aes Sedai seemed to dislike Rand’s parenting style and never wasted an opportunity to scold him.
“It’s hard to believe all that’s happened in the last two years, isn’t it, Aes Sedai?”
“It’s hard to believe that after all these years I still have to tell you to call me Moiraine, Thom.”
Meeting his eyes sent a flutter through her stomach. “I simply want to show respect. Care to join me for a walk?”
“I don’t see why not.” A part of her knew it wasn’t smart to be alone with Thom, but Moiraine looped her arm through his anyway.
They walked in silence through one of the gardens, and for a small while Moiraine pretended there was nothing wrong with wishing for a different life.
Mat did not want to stay still long enough to rest. During the campaign resting was all he wished for, but now that the fighting was finished he had too many thoughts running through his mind. The small kingdom of Cairhien had become unwieldy with the addition of Andor and keeping all the various Houses in check was proving more frustratingly difficult than trying to win a war. These were not the issues keeping him up at night. No, those thoughts were reserved squarely for Moiraine.
There was that kiss with Lan. That walk with Thom. Both events she seemed to think he hadn’t noticed. Mat couldn’t help but wonder what he hadn’t managed to notice. It didn’t help that recently his wife had seemed painfully distracted. Understandable considering all that she had on her plate, not so understandable that she only seemed distracted with Thom in the room.
“You could always kill him.”
“What? Rand. No. I’m not going to kill Thom.”
“But he’s old. He should have been dead ten years ago, anyway.”
“Oh, shut up.”
Rand had the audacity to look offended. “I’m just trying to help you out!”
“I like Thom!”
“Even if he is, well, you know, your wife?”
“He isn’t! I’ll have a talk with him. This is all a misunderstanding.”
Much to Romanda’s disappointment there would be no hanging of Siuan Sanche and Elaida a’Roihan. She had tried for many a week to find some law that they could be re-convicted under to no avail. So it was with a heavy heart she sent them off to work on farms: one in Tanchico, one in Fal Dara. She didn’t care who went to which so long as they were suffering and out of her sight. The girl Amyrlin claimed that both would be off to Cairhien as soon as their warden had their back turned. Which was a punishable offense and why Romanda was looking forward to them running away. Oh yes she was.
Tanchico? No, no, too stuffy.
Thom was quickly running out of cities to run away to; he just couldn’t seem to find one that was a good fit. Admittedly, he didn’t really want to leave, but after inadvertently admitting to Mat that he was in love with Moiraine and may or may not want to father her future children, he thought it best to hitch the first ride out of the City.
“Hmmmmm…you should go to Tar Valon.”
“What?!”
“Well! It’s not like Mat would go there!”
Thom stared at Rand trying to comprehend if he really had just heard a viable suggestion from him. “That is true.”
“Yes!” The boy’s eyes seemed to light up. “I’ll go with you. Tar Valon is where Cadsuane’s other lover is.”
“I really wish you wouldn’t say ‘lover’ and ‘Cadsuane’ in the same sentence.”
Thom had claimed that nothing had happened between him and Moiraine “yet” but that didn’t sit right with Mat. However, if the years had taught him anything it was that trying to get information out of Moiraine was a fool’s errand. He would need a plan to get to the truth. And in reality he would probably have to pay someone to come up with said plan. Cadsuane was offering her services at a discount this month, and once he got the chance he’d take her up on her offer.