When In Doubt, Go With Blue

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Rides were always quiet among these two. You felt so isolated, trapped in your little bubble. You were permitted to move, but Moiraine had been shielding you for the past two days. Your strange magic matched the images you saw every time the witch did as she called 'channeling'. She asked you questions constantly. She wanted to know how you survived with this magic on your own. She was a paranoid little thing. It was annoying. She reminded you too much of your Headmistress back home. That was... less than annoying.

The thought of Miss Dowling, your Farah, sent you even farther from your mind's forefront.

You almost got lost in your head, but Moiraine asked another question. Jerking your head up, you blurted, "Huh?"

"I asked if you were tired of riding yet," she reiterated, not impatiently. You liked her voice a bit too much. It threw you off, how English she sounded despite this apparently being another world. She didn't sound like Farah, thank God, but it was still disarming.

Wincing, your American self replied, "I can't feel my legs." That was true. They'd gotten painfully numb in recent hours. So... you could feel them and it wasn't fun.

Moiraine smiled and you did not like it, no you didn't. You liked your Farah's smile, not this darker haired witch. The way she seemed to smirk just a bit with every lip twitch. No, you didn't like it at all. "We'll make camp nearby," she decided. Mostly, she was talking to her Specialist on this.

"We're in the thick of disputed territory," Lan argued.

The older brunette winced. "Yes." She turned to face you. "We'll take a break soon and camp in an actual tavern."

Some time later, the horses were brought to a stop and you swung your leg over the saddle. You slid to the ground and your numb legs did nothing to help you. You sank all the way onto the grass and didn't bother to move.

Running footsteps alerted you to the approaching witch, a hand on your back not surprising you. "Are you alright?" Moiraine asked.

"Numb," was your only answer.

"I see." Apparently, that was all you needed. The woman helped you to stand, wrapping an arm around your waist to keep you upright, helping the blood flow.

Pins and needles stabbed everywhere below your waist, annoyingly painful. The two of you wandered around this camp you wouldn't be staying at mostly for the sake of walking. Once you could support your own weight, you moved from her grasp, her totally not warm and comforting hold, to manage your own movement. You wiggled your legs as you walked, watching your feet to ensure you didn't fall again.

Lan and Moiraine watched you from the camp, you could feel but couldn't bring yourself to care. The man nudged his witch and she glared back at him.

Your legs almost felt normal, but there were still dull pulses of pain.

A warcry brought the three of you back together. Back to back to back, you watched as armed men descended upon you from all directions. "What the Hell?" you mumbled softly.

Lan pulled out his sword and prepared for battle. Moiraine had soft, fainter mists than you'd seen her conjure, floating around her. You felt the spell blocking your own abilities be released, not that you would use it. Moiraine was conjuring soft spells, bursts to distract the humans, not at all like the powerful, aggressive witch you'd seen her as when you'd first met. Perhaps because they were human, but it was still annoying. The clanging of swords let you know Lan was already in motion and you were matching the attacks quite well yourself. The two of them, once they were no longer accosted, turned to watch you and both were in awe. You'd disarmed two men, and were thus armed, and three men laid at your feet and you managed to knock out the fourth. You turned back to them, seeing the group of men mostly handled and on the ground before you. You met deep blue eyes and saw the shock on both native's faces.