Mat, you blessed fool, Perrin thought, breaking into a grin. You did it. You actually did it.
For the first time in a while, thinking of Mat made the colors swirl in his vision. He saw Mat on a horse, riding along a dusty road, tinkering with something he held. Perrin dismissed the image. Where had Mat gotten to now? Why hadn’t he come back with Moiraine?
It didn’t matter. Moiraine was back. Light, Moiraine! Perrin started toward her to give her an embrace, but Faile caught him by the sleeve. He followed her eyes.
Rand. His face had grown pale. He stumbled away from the table, as if all else had been forgotten, and pushed his way to Moiraine. He hesitantly reached out and touched her face. "By my mother’s grave", Rand whispered, then fell to his knees before her. "How?"
Moiraine smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder. "The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, Rand. Have you forgotten that?"
"I . . ".
"Not as you will, Dragon Reborn", she said gently. "Not as any of us will. Perhaps one day it will weave itself out of existence. I do not believe that day is today, nor a day soon".
"Who is this woman?" Roedran said. "And what is she blathering about? I—" He cut off as something unseen flicked him on the side of the head, causing him to jump. Perrin glanced at Rand, then noticed the smile on Egwene's lips. He caught the scent of her satisfaction despite all of the people in the pavilion.
Nynaeve and Min, standing nearby, smelled utterly shocked. The Light willing, Nynaeve would stay that way for a little while. Shouting at Moiraine wouldn’t help right now.
"You haven’t answered my question", Rand said.
"But I have", Moiraine replied fondly. "It just was not the answer you wanted".
Rand knelt, then threw his head back and laughed. "Light, Moiraine! You haven’t changed, have you?"
"We all change day by day", she replied, then smiled. "Me more than some, lately. Stand up. It is I who should be kneeling before you, Lord Dragon. We all should".
Rand rose and stepped back to allow Moiraine farther into the pavilion. Perrin caught another scent, and smiled as Thom Merrilin slipped into the tent behind her. The old gleeman winked at Perrin.
"Moiraine", Egwene said, stepping forward. "The White Tower welcomes you back with open arms. Your service has not been forgotten".
"Hmm", Moiraine said. "Yes, I should think that having discovered a future Amyrlin would reflect well upon me. That is a relief, as I believe I was on a path to stilling, if not execution, before".
"Things have changed".
"Obviously". Moiraine nodded. "Mother". She passed Perrin, and gave him a squeeze on the arm, eyes twinkling.
One by one, the Borderlander rulers took swords in hands and bowed or curtsied toward her. Each one seemed to know her personally. Many of the others in the tent still looked baffled, though Darlin obviously knew who she was. He was more . . . thoughtful than confused.
Moiraine hesitated beside Nynaeve. Perrin couldn’t catch Nynaeve’s scent right then. That seemed ominous to him. Oh, Light. Here it comes . . .
Nynaeve enfolded Moiraine in a powerful embrace.
Moiraine stood for a moment, smelling distinctly shocked, hands out to the sides. Finally, she returned the embrace in a somewhat maternal way, patting Nynaeve on the back.
Nynaeve released her, pulling back, then wiped a tear from her eye. "Don’t you dare tell Lan about this", she growled.
"I would not dream of it", Moiraine said, moving on to stand in the center of the pavilion.
"Insufferable woman", Nynaeve grumbled as she wiped a tear from the other eye.
"Moiraine", Egwene said. "You’ve come at just the right time".
"I have a knack for that".
"Well", Egwene continued as Rand stepped back up to the table, "Rand . . . the Dragon Reborn . . . has decided to hold this land for ransom to his demands, refusing to do his duty unless we agree to his whims".
Moiraine pursed her lips, taking up the contract for the Dragon’s Peace as Galad set it on the table for her. She scanned it.
"Who is this woman?" Roedran said. "And why do we—Would you stop that!" He raised a hand as if he’d been smacked by a thread of Air, then glared at Egwene—however, this time one of the nearby Asha’man was the one who smelled satisfied.
"Nice shot, Grady", Perrin whispered.
"Thank you, Lord Perrin".
Grady would know her only by legend, of course, but tales of Moiraine had spread among those who followed Rand.
"Well?" Egwene said.
" ‘And it shall come to pass that what men made shall be shattered,’ " Moiraine whispered. " ‘The Shadow shall lie across the Pattern of the Age, and the Dark One shall once more lay his hand upon the world of man. Women shall weep and men quail as the nations of the earth are rent like rotting cloth. Neither shall anything stand nor abide.’ "
The people shuffled their feet. Perrin looked questioningly at Rand.
" ‘Yet one shall be born to face the Shadow,’ " Moiraine said more loudly. " ‘Born once more as he was born before and shall be born again, time without end! The Dragon shall be Reborn, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth. In sackcloth and ashes shall he clothe the people, and he shall break the world again by his coming, tearing apart all ties that bind!
" ‘Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us, yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle, and his blood shall give us the Light. Let tears flow, O ye people of the world. Weep for your salvation!’ "
"Aes Sedai", Darlin said, "pardon, but that is very ominous".
"At least it shall be a salvation", Moiraine said. "Tell me, Your Majesty. That prophecy commands you to shed tears. Are you to weep because your salvation comes with such pain and worry? Or, instead, are you to weep for your salvation? For the man who will suffer for you? The only one we know for certain will not walk away from this fight?"
She turned to Rand.
"These demands are unfair", Gregorin said. "He requires us to keep our borders as they are!"
" ‘He shall slay his people with the sword of peace,’ " Moiraine said, " ‘and destroy them wit
