Upstairs, at Milliways -- Moiraine's Room

[blue_ajah]

The guest quarters at Milliways are comfortable, and this one is no exception. The room is small, but neatly kept. The bed is made, with a blue cover, and a rug lies upon the floor. There are no windows, but pictures from the End of the Universe show are tastefully framed and hang upon the walls. A closed door indicates the likely presence of a washroom en suite.

A lamp stands upon a table, suitable for working, reading, or upstairs dining away from the noise of the bar. Two chairs are present, as well.

Comments

[blue_ajah]

*Moiraine enters the room, and walks to the table. She seats herself in one of the chairs, and indicates that Peter should take the other.*

[pjpettigrew.livejournal.com]

Peter closes the door to the room as he enters, then casts a Locking Charm and a Silencing Charm on it. Privacy thus secured, he seats himself in the chair indicated, opens the chest, retrieves a glass and the bottle of Veritaserum from the chest, carefully pours three drops from the bottle into the glass, and hands the glass to her.

"I believe that this should bind you, temporarily, as the Three Oaths do," he says as he replaces everything in his chest and then sets the chest on the floor beside him. "No more, no less. I ask you to take only because I am more familiar with how this works than I am with how the Three Oaths do."

[blue_ajah]

*Moiraine looks at the glass, and then studies Peter very, very carefully for some moments, saying nothing. Her face gives no indication of her thoughts.*

*Finally, she drinks, with a small frown for the taste, and sets the glass aside. She takes a deep breath, then another, gasping slightly; the air in the room seems to weigh heavier against her skin as the potion takes effect. In a very short time, she feels utterly surrounded by pressure, as when she was first bound by the Three Oaths. Her breathing slows, and she nods to Peter.*

Ask your questions.

[pjpettigrew.livejournal.com]

Peter speaks in a gentle tone. "Forgive me for going straight to the heart of things, but we have little time. What do you fear most? And why?"

[blue_ajah]

I fear the Shadow.

*Moiraine smiles wryly, but her eyes are darkly haunted.*

The first question was simple, the second much less so. My world is at war. There have been many wars, down through the Ages, but this one is different -- we approach Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle; and either we win this battle, or the world itself dies.

I was present at a Foretelling that announced the rebirth of the Dragon Reborn, who is now known to be Rand al'Thor. This is cause for both hope and despair, as there are many prophecies that speak of his coming, and they bring little comfort. *She takes on the appearance of one reciting.*

"The Shadow shall rise across the world, and darken every land, even to the smallest corner, and there shall be neither Light nor safety. And he who shall be born of the Dawn, born of the Maiden, according to Prophecy, he shall stretch forth his hand to catch the Shadow, and the world shall scream in pain of salvation. "

"The Dragon shall be Reborn, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth... he shall break the world again by his coming, tearing apart all ties that bind... he shall stretch forth his hands to catch the Shadow, and the world shall scream in the pain of salvation. Women shall weep and men quail... 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."

*She resumes a more conversational tone.*

I have given my life to finding the Dragon Reborn and seeing him ready for Tarmon Gai'don. The Pattern is not set; there are many ways in which he could be lost, or bound, or destroyed, and I would not have that happen.

Entering the Dreaming

[pjpettigrew.livejournal.com]

The need begins before you have all fallen asleep. Thus, you awaken together on the shore of an ocean made of nothing. The sand beneath your feet--he was called the Sandman--shines like black diamonds and clinks softly in the passing of breezes.

The Kitten pads toward you, its golden bell chimes softly as it moves.

"I can't get to him. Not directly. Are you here to help?"

At the nods and replies, it settles down and licks a paw.

"He's in the middle, but he has closed down the pathways. Nuphar and Milton are there, but I belong in the Garden."

Kitten sounds very, very put out.

"Outside the Garden isn't defined yet. Because you are here knowingly, but are not in the Garden what you think will put flesh on the bones that he has been creating. Be careful what you think, because it will grow."

[blue_ajah]

*Moiraine nods gravely at the Kitten.*

Thank you for your information and advice; it is greatly appreciated.

*She turns to look at Peter, and suddenly smiles.*

As I mentioned before, how you perceive yourself affects how you appear. This is a reflection of the real you, the you that you are deep within. If you prefer, you may alter things, such as clothing, by concentrating on the change. Thoughts affect reality, here.

*The smile fades from her face, and she looks calm, then holds out her hands.*

Remember, need is the key. Take my hands, and close your eyes. Focus on Lord Dream, and on our need to find him. We will feel a shift; then we will be elsewhere.

[pjpettigrew.livejournal.com]

Closing his eyes, Peter takes her hands, and focuses on Morpheus.

Morpheus. The strange, desperately honourable Endless who had unexpectedly appeared one day at Milliways, and had slowly befriended Liz and Moiraine and Peter. The tormented being who had seen to the heart of Peter's guilt, and had admitted his own guilt in murdering his son. The foolish man who got drunk with his sister Death; the being with memories of nine years lost in the Outer Dark; the touchingly loyal friend, who would avenge Liz's loss of emotions and who would do his best to form a gateway to send a friend hom...even if it broke all the rules.

Morpheus. Friend. Have to get him back.

The world seems to slide sideways, shifting underfoot.

Peter opens his eyes cautiously. They are elsewhere (http://www.livejournal.com/users/lord_of_dreams/6682.html).

Re: Entering the Dreaming

[sign-seeker.livejournal.com]

*The air shimmers and then Will is there, looking with interest at his surroundings. The kitten comes padding towards him and he crouches to scratch its ears.*

Hallo, Gwrdnei.

*Gwrdnei licks his finger briefly, and then tells him what it has already told the others -- that Dream is in the middle, out of the Kitten's reach, and that the dreamlands outside the Garden are undefined. Will nods, and continues to pet the kitten as he thinks.*

Could you come with us, outside the Garden, if I carried you? Would you want to?

*Yes, the kitten tells him. It can, and it would like to; "he" belongs here, in the Garden with his dream-creatures, and not in the middle.*

*Will scoops up the kitten, which curls comfortably in his arms, a tiny warm bundle with alert ears and twitching whiskers. Holding it securely, Will takes half a step and turns, and in a moment the breeze is blowing gently through the spot where he was standing.*

Re: Entering the Dreaming

[muddypetticoats.livejournal.com]

Liz does not appear in the Garden, much as she had nightly prior to her nightmare. She is surprised to find herself next to an ocean. It would seem that something had indeed disrupted the fabric of the Dreaming, and that worried her greatly.

"Nimue?" she calls, hoping that perhaps the kitten will appear, but the small creature is not in evidence. She is not aware that Will has already taken the little dream with him.

When nothing changes or appears, she sighs. She should not tarry; she needs to find the others. She closes her eyes tightly and focuses on her need to locate her friends. She repeats the process several times, moving through the snowy mountainlands and the harsh desert. Always, she focuses on the need. She needs to find them. She must. She dares not think of the alternatives.

[sign-seeker.livejournal.com]

*Will closes the door quietly behind himself. Ender, sitting alert in one of the chairs, nods a greeting. Will returns it.

He studies the two sleepers, and then gently reaches out to brush the dream-mazed surfaces of their minds. Neither blocks him out. He stands comfortably near the foot of Moiraine's bed, arms loose at his sides, and his calm round face goes blank and still as he slides into her mind and her dream.*

[muddypetticoats.livejournal.com]

After reading Peter's note, Liz races upstairs to Moiraine's room. She pauses outside the door to catch her breath and compose herself, then pushes it gently open. She sees Ender sitting in one of two chairs across the room, and mouths a silent greeting to him.

She pauses inside the doorway, surveying the three sleeping people curiously: Peter and Moiraine in duplicate beds, Will standing by at the foot. So still, all of them, as if someone had stopped time around them. She resists the urge to reach out and touch them. Judging by the way Peter and Moiraine are gripping their keys to the Garden, they are in the Dreaming. From what Morpheus has told her, it could be dangerous to wake them before they are ready.

Quietly, Liz crosses the room, and seats herself in the free chair opposite Ender. "You are Ender?" she says in a whisper. When Ender nods in affirmation, Liz continues, "There was a note on the bar. I am Liz - "

Ender's eyes light up with recognition. He leans forward, and in a hushed voice, tells Liz everything she needs to know regarding Morpheus and the rescue mission and Need. She listens carefully, nodding periodically to show her understanding. When Ender is done speaking, Liz reluctantly tugs the golden key from the neckline of her gown.

"And I am to follow with the final key?" she asks in a voice that indicates she already knows the answer. Ender nods again, and Liz closes her eyes, her heart racing. She had not tried to use the key since her horrid nightmare in 1811. At least, she had thought it was a nightmare; it would appear that at least part of it was in actuality very real indeed. She was not eager to return and risk a similar experience. The very thought made her feel panicked. However, Morpheus was her friend, and he required her help. She would not abandon him in his present condition - and if her dream had been a vision of reality, that condition was indeed quite poor. She had to accept the risk.

She opens her eyes and grips the golden key about her neck with an expression of tense resolve. "Is there some means by which I might assume a sleeping state?" she inquires of Ender in hushed tones. "Truly, I do not think I could sleep unaided at present, no matter how fiercely I wish it." Ender rises and moves to the chest of potions. He withdraws a small vial and hands it to Liz soundlessly.

Nodding hesitantly, her eyes fearful in spite of her set jaw and determined expression, Liz settles herself in the chair as comfortably as possible. Clasping her key tightly, she raises the vial toward Ender in a toast that looks more lighthearted than it feels, places the container to her lips, and drinks. She finishes the vial - Ender had not told her about the three-sip dosage - and is asleep within seconds, the glass container falling from her limp hand to shatter on the floor.

[blue_ajah]

*Moiraine opens her eyes.*

*She is lying on the bed in her own room at Milliways. She moves to sit up, slowly, slightly dizzy and light-headed from the long dreaming, but she manages well enough.*

*From his post near the door, Ender alertly watches as they stir. A relieved look breaks over his face, and he nods courteously, then quietly slips out the door.*

*Moiraine looks around at everyone, and smiles.*

[lord-of-dreams.livejournal.com]

Dream appears, food in hand, to hand to them as they awaken.

[blue_ajah]

*Still smiling, Moiraine looks at him.*

It is truly good to see you well again. Welcome back.

[lord-of-dreams.livejournal.com]

"It is good to be home, Moiraine."

He hands her a plate of food, and passes the rest around to the other dreamers.

[muddypetticoats.livejournal.com]

Liz smiles quietly from across the room. She stays seated, simply adjusting.

She has been given distance from the memories - but she still realises what she experienced, and feels very different for it.

She is, however, exceedingly happy to see Morpheus returned safe and sound.

[lord-of-dreams.livejournal.com]

"I could still take them from you, Elizabeth."

Its a quiet, but sincere offer.

[sign-seeker.livejournal.com]

*Will opens his eyes, and a slow smile spreads over his face.*

*He is standing at the foot of Moiraine's bed, exactly as he had been when he entered her mind and the Dreaming, save that in his pocket is the tiny weight of a key. His arms feel strange, without a kitten cradled in them.*

*He shifts his weight, and winces very slightly. An Old One has ways of holding off discomfort, but he has been standing still for a long time indeed, and even he is stiff. He walks a touch awkwardly to the chair Ender had occupied and drops into it, grinning at everyone.*

*He realizes, belatedly, that he is famished.*

[muddypetticoats.livejournal.com]

Liz wakes up in the same railbacked chair in which she had fallen asleep some days before.

Her head is slumped onto her shoulder, and she straightens her neck with some difficulty. Her left hand, which had fallen alongside her when she finished drinking the sleeping potion, is cold and numb from lack of circulation. Carefully, she lifts her arm and massages her desensitised hand until blood flow is restored. She is not brave enough to try standing yet.

Liz looks around the room, getting her bearings, and smiles widely when she sees her friends. This is the first time she has seen them in the waking world since her run-in with Desire nearly two weeks before. It is good to be home.

[pjpettigrew.livejournal.com]

Peter is the next to stir, stretching and moving slowly after sleeping so long. He, like Moiraine, is slightly dizzy and light-headed, but he too staggers to his feet.

He notices that Liz fell asleep in a straightback chair, while Will seems to have put himself in a trance standing up. The two of them will need chiropractors when they wake. Obviously, this will never do.

He waves his wand in a complicated gesture and speaks one word:"Elanguescetis."

Tension, pain and cramps instantly--and visibly--leave Will and Liz. Just to be on the safe side, he repeats the procedure with Moiraine and himself: "Elanguescemus."

He still cannot quite believe that they succeeded. That it is over.

If, that is, such a quest can ever truly be said to be at an end.

[muddypetticoats.livejournal.com]

Liz stretches with a sigh as Peter's spell relaxes her cramped muscles. Much better. She smiles warmly at Peter.

"Thank you," she says in a quiet voice. It is not simply for the relaxation spell, but for everything.

[blue_ajah]

Thank you, Peter.

*It dawns on Moiraine that where once she thought this man Forsaken, she now considers him a trusted ally. Some of this is visible in her eyes as she looks at him; much has changed.*

[lord-of-dreams.livejournal.com]

Another plate of food is offered, this one to Peter.

[sign-seeker.livejournal.com]

*blinks, and stretches slightly*

*smiles a thanks at Peter*