Rand turned to the others, who watched him in silence around the table. Without ceremony, he pulled several enchanted leather pouches from within his cloak and tossed one to each of them.
"Here," he said firmly. "Each one contains a generous amount of food, potions, reinforced clothing, and two pieces of armor I recommend you wear. They're discreet, made from the hides of magical beasts. Extremely durable, almost imperceptible to the touch. It's the same material used in Helena's clothes."
Everyone stared at the pouches in surprise. Even Matt, who usually seemed indifferent to such things, couldn't hide his interest.
Rand took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair, and finally looked at the group with a more serious — almost ashamed — expression.
"I… realized I've been neglecting our journey," he said, in a low voice, almost a whisper. "I let my sense of adventure take over. There were moments when we could've saved ourselves easily… but I chose not to step in. I was stubborn. I wanted to let things play out as if it were just another hero's tale… and because of that, you were put at risk. Helena was put at risk. That won't happen again."
A heavy silence filled the air. His words echoed in the room, weighty.
Moiraine raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
"What are you trying to say, Rand?"
He gave a half-smile, but his eyes didn't follow the expression.
"Let's just say… I have a few resources that could speed up our journey. And from now on, you'll be able to use them."
The answer was vague, mysterious, but there was something in his tone that made it clear: he wasn't ready to tell them everything yet. And no one pushed him. Not in that moment.
After the meal, Rand gave Helena a subtle gesture and the two made their way to the sitting room. Large cushions and pillows were scattered across the carpet. He collapsed among them with a long sigh, feeling his muscles relax in a way they hadn't in a long time. Helena settled beside him, gently stroking the soft feathers of her phoenix, which curled up close to her.
But the moment of peace didn't last long.
"Why did you ignore me the entire trip?" asked Egwene, appearing beside them with her arms crossed and her eyes blazing. Her voice was firm, as always, but there was a hidden note of hurt behind it.
Rand didn't look away from her gaze, but he didn't answer right away either. He stayed silent for a few seconds, as if searching for the right words. Helena, sensing the tension, looked away and focused even more on her phoenix, pretending not to be there.
"I didn't ignore you, Egwene," Rand finally said, his voice low and tired. "I… needed some distance. Things between us were getting too confusing."
"Confusing?" she shot back, the pain now more visible than the anger. "You just cut me off! As if everything we've been through meant nothing!"
Rand slowly sat up, his eyes still locked on hers.
"That's not it… you were the one who left me first, Egwene. You chose to become a Wisdom's apprentice. You were going to toss our relationship aside like it was just another story from the past. I got angry. And the closer I am to you, the more afraid I am of losing you. And now… now you want to be an Aes Sedai. You know as well as I do: they don't marry. They live for the Tower. And once again, you chose to leave me."
Egwene hesitated, Rand's words hitting her hard. The fire of the argument still burned in her eyes, but something inside her began to waver.
"You could be my Warder, Rand," she said, her voice softer now, almost a plea. "We could make it work. If I'm going to lose you, let it be while we fight side by side. Don't leave me behind."
Rand blinked slowly. His eyes glinted for a moment, but not with emotion — with anger. The idea of becoming a Warder to an Aes Sedai, of living bound to orders and the secrets of the White Tower… wasn't just absurd — it was insulting. He took a deep breath, trying to contain the fury threatening to boil over.
"So you want me to be your watchdog? To live in the Tower's shadow, chained to you while I pretend it's love?" he whispered, voice low and sharp.
Egwene stepped back, startled by the venom in his words.
Rand turned to Helena without another word, cutting the conversation like a blade. He ignored Egwene completely, as if she wasn't even there anymore.
His heart pounded, fists clenched. It wasn't just anger — it was pain, frustration, disappointment. For the first time, he felt like he was truly seeing Egwene for who she was: someone who made her own choices, yes… but also someone who chose what was convenient for herself, not for the both of them.
Helena said nothing. She simply moved a little closer to him, offering her silent presence as comfort.
And Rand… for the first time in a long while, didn't know if his heart hurt more from loving her too much — or from finally starting to let her go.
The late afternoon crept in, painting the sky in shades of orange when Moiraine finally returned, with Lan right behind her. The Warder kept his posture rigid and his eyes sharp, as if every shadow around them might hide an enemy.
"We need to leave," Moiraine announced, serious. "We can't spend the night in this town. Even with the wards I placed around this place, the risk is too high."
Lan gave a curt nod and added in a firm, direct tone:
"Gather your things. We'll be on the road soon."
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the spot where the horses were tied. Moiraine followed shortly after, her cloak swaying softly.
Rand watched their departure with a sense of unease. Moiraine would usually approach him, question him — especially after everything that had recently happened. But this time, she didn't even glance at him. No probing look, no veiled words. Was she really avoiding him? Or was this just the calm before the storm?
Matt and Perrin came from the rooms, carrying their packs with grumpy expressions.
"Oh come on… one more hour of rest wouldn't kill anyone," Matt grumbled, kicking one of the pillows on the floor. "I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to sleep without looking over my shoulder."
"At least we got some decent food," Perrin muttered, adjusting the axe on his back. "But yeah… I would've liked more time here too."
Even while complaining, they started organizing their gear and getting ready.
Thom showed up shortly after, with his old worn cloak and lute strapped to his back. His sharp eyes scanned the room and paused briefly on Rand, as if he could see through the weariness on the young man's face — but said nothing. He just gave a small nod before heading out to check on his horse.
Nynaeve was already outside, checking her horse's tack with determined, confident movements. Though silent, her posture made it clear that she also felt the weight of urgency.
Rand waited a little longer before moving. There was something unsettling about that contained silence. As if everyone was expecting something — or afraid something would happen the moment they left. He took a deep breath, cast one last glance inside the tent, and with a gesture, packed everything into his bag once more.