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Moiraine slowly became aware of gentle fingers combing through her hair as she laid in a warm lap. Soft murmurs accompanied the repetitive motions, and Moiraine shifted until she was staring up at Siuan’s face. She reached up to cup her lover’s cheek. 

“Did you have a nice nap, my love?” Siuan asked. Her dark eyes glowed with love, and there was nowhere Moiraine felt more at peace than here with Siuan holding her. 

Moiraine nodded sleepily in reply and was about to let her eyes close again when she felt Siuan’s lips brush the side of her face. She turned into the touch, and then their lips connected. Their slow kiss felt heavenly to her, but as she moved closer into Siuan’s embrace, sitting up most of the way so they could kiss more comfortably, she felt something in the back of her mind tell her that this wasn’t right. She shoved the thought away forcefully. That didn’t matter; she just needed to feel Siuan against her. 

Desperately now, she kissed Siuan and gripped her shoulders. She needed to be closer to her, but nothing ever felt close enough. Even sitting on Siuan’s lap with their mouths and bodies pressed together, she felt like they were miles apart – like there was some gap between them that couldn’t ever be filled. She didn’t understand the feeling until she did. The second she shook herself out of it–

Moiraine’s eyes flew wide open to take in the dark of the tent surrounding her. Through their bond, Moiraine could feel Lan’s concern for her racing heart. She sent him a half-hearted reassurance, but her focus was all on the anger that had settled deep within her. 

Before she could think anything through with a more rational mind, Moiraine flung the tent flap open and marched to another tent on the opposite side of the fire – the temporary home to the source of her anger. And as Moiraine entered, there she was, waiting for her with an infuriating smile. Lanfear. She reached out to the One Power, and Lanfear was pushed to the ground by the invisible force Moiraine had sent out in her thoughtless fury.

Moiraine moved over her to find the Forsaken still grinning, and in the back of her mind, Moiraine knew that Lanfear was allowing her to use saidar against her. She hated to admit it, but the Forsaken was obviously stronger than her. She released her hold on the woman. There was no need to drain herself of energy when it was effectively pointless anyway.

“Stay out of my dreams. This is your last warning.” 

“But your dreams are so cozy,” Lanfear said, still looking cheerful as ever. “It is such a shame she’s not here isn’t it? And that you left things off in such a bad place. That must just be eating you alive. What I don’t understand is why you won’t let me–” 

“Because you’re not her,” Moiraine snapped. “You may be able to look like her in Tel’aran’rhiod , but you and your twisted soul will never be her.”

“But I can feel your want, Moiraine.” Lanfear stepped closer. “Every time, there are those few moments between when you know the truth and when you actually leave.” She was behind Moiraine now, running her fingers slowly up the side of her arm to reach her shoulder. She leaned in so that her breath caressed Moiraine’s ear. “And, for just a few moments, you always pull me closer.” Her arms reached around Moiraine’s waist and pulled their bodies flush together with Lanfear’s chin resting on Moiraine’s shoulder. 

Moiraine twisted in the embrace which made Lanfear lift her head off of her shoulder as she’d hoped. She looked into Lanfear’s eyes, staring at her with an intense expression that Moiraine didn’t care to decipher. There was just enough room between them that she could do what she wanted. Remembering what Lan had once taught her, she brought her palm upwards and drove the heel of her hand into Lanfear’s chin. Lanfear stumbled back, giving Moiraine enough room to get a grip on her dagger. She was prepared when Lanfear approached her again and held the point of the weapon out at Lanfear’s throat. 

Lanfear faked a pout. “Just when we were starting to have fun. Besides you and I both know that won’t kill me.”

Moiraine sneered. “Maybe not, but it would certainly be ‘fun’ to try anyway.” 

“Maybe another night,” Lanfear said. “You do look tired though, so I’ll agree to let you sleep peacefully for the rest of tonight.” 

“What’s the catch?” Moiraine’s eyes were hard steel blue stones of distrust. 

“You poor Cairhienin noble with your Daes Dae’mar trauma. There is no catch to this one. All I ask is that you consider my offer.” 

Moiraine scoffed. “Not in a million centuries.” She turned and left the tent to return to her own, not even caring if Lanfear was sincere in her offer of a restful night anymore. 

                                                                                              *********************

They had left Falme together – her, Lan, Rand, Perrin, Mat, Elyane, Nynaeve, Egwene, and Lanfear. The girls from Andor were heading back to Tar Valon, but they would accompany the rest of the group for as long as they were heading in the same direction. At some point, they would break off and go to the White Tower while the rest continued to Tear so Rand could claim Callandor . At first Moiraine had wanted to deny Lanfear the opportunity to travel with them, but Lan had privately pointed out to her that the Forsaken could be a useful ally. Whatever Lanfear had going on with Rand paired with her newfound fascination with Moiraine had made her eager and oddly forthcoming. She had plenty of helpful information on many of the other Forsaken and their typical habits which had helped them remain undetected by the Dark One’s armies so far. They’d stuck to the woods for most of the journey, only stopping in the occasional small village to restock supplies. 

The first night they’d made camp out of Falme was the first night that Lanfear had crept into Moiraine’s subconscious. All of the talk of Tar Valon as the girls’ destination had put all kinds of memories in Moiraine’s head of her own time. A nostalgia swept over her for the time before she heard Gitara’s vision, when the Dragon Reborn was nothing more to her than a myth that may someday come true. 

So, that night she dreamed. She was young in the dream – about twenty – and the only thing she knew for certain was that she was desperately in love with Siuan Sanche. They were together in Moiraine’s bed in her Accepted’s room. Moiraine sat against the headboard with her journal in her lap, jotting down some plans for her lessons the next week. Siuan was sprawled out on her stomach at the foot of the bed, appearing to do the same, but if Moiraine had to bet, she would say her girlfriend was only doodling. It was late, and Siuan’s mind had a tendency to wander with tedious tasks like this. 

“What do you think we’d be doing if it weren’t for all this?” Siuan said, looking out of the window. 

“I’d imagine what we were doing before we got here,” Moiraine responded with a wry laugh. “You’d still be in a bamboo hut with your father, and I’d still be in Cairhien, maybe even on the Sun Throne. We’d never have met.” 

“We might have,” Siuan insisted. “Maybe you would have found your way to Tear eventually. And you have fallen madly in love with me there too, of course.” She teased, but her words were probably true enough. Moiraine would love Siuan in any lifetime; of that, she was certain. 

“You think so?” Moiraine smiled, joining Siuan in the idea of their hypothetical life. “And what? I would be your fishwife?” 

“Maybe,” Siuan said with a laugh. “I’d like to see you in Tairen clothes.” She shifted closer so that she could cuddle with Moiraine. 

They sighed together at the embrace, and Moiriane hummed as she took her into her arms. “I love you,” Siuan murmured. 

Moiraine woke up the next morning with a smile on her face at the dream of her and her beloved Siuan in their younger, happier years. And then after the smile came and went, she found herself trying to hold back tears. She could feel the ghost of Siuan in her arms, from years of memories of loving her and from this most recent dream. Her arms felt so empty. 

She startled at the sound of her tent flap opening, and sat up to see Lan’s concerned expression peering in at her. He let the flap fall shut behind him and joined her in the small space. 

“Moiraine?” he asked. It was all he had to say. Moiraine knew exactly what she was asking about. 

“Not right now.” She trusted Lan with everything in her, but this? This grief welling up inside of her? She didn’t have the words for it yet and certainly couldn’t voice anything about it without breaking down. She had to keep moving, and the only way to do that was to put Siuan out of her mind for the time being. Maybe they would reunite someday and solve their problems. Maybe they would both die before they got the chance. Either way, it didn’t have any effect on what Moiraine had to do now. Rand was her priority – him and trying to wrangle Lanfear. Just the thought of her made Moiraine’s blood boil. The list of annoying things about her went on for ages, not least of which was that she was, in fact, more powerful than her. Every day, she had that cheerful lilt to her honeyed voice, and Moiraine could swear it was slowly driving her insane. 

But Lan knew her better than anyone, so he just nodded and accepted the response. “It’s time for us to move.” 

“Thank you. Just give me a moment.” 

With a meaningful look, Lan leaned forward so he could touch her arm. Just that touch had Moiraine feeling like fine glass that might break apart. She nodded, accepting his silent message and covered his hand with her own. If nothing else, he would always be there with her. She could take comfort in that even if she didn’t feel like she always deserved his steadfast company. 

Lan left her alone after that to allow her a few moments to prepare herself for the day. She could hear the soft rustling sounds of the campsite around them as the rest of the group started to remove all evidence that they had ever been there. Moiraine steeled herself. She wouldn’t walk out of her isolated space until she could present a calm face.

She sat up straight and let herself embrace the glow of saidar. She was still getting used to the feeling of having it back after going so long without it. She didn’t try to do anything with it, but it was there and it was around her like it could shield her from everything she was trying to keep away. Moiraine took a deep breath in, allowing herself to draw more of the Power into herself, relishing the sheer energy she held. She kept it inside her for a moment and allowed herself the juvenile euphoria at becoming one with the Power before she took a steady breath out and let go of her hold on saidar . 

Feeling slightly better, Moiraine left her tent, finally ready to face everyone else… only to be immediately faced with the one person whose presence she had been dreading most. 

“Moiraine,” Lanfear said, practically in a drawl with the way she stretched out the sounds in her name. “I was just coming to see if you had enough water for the day.” She held up a waterskin, looking entirely too helpful. 

With a barely disguised scowl, Moiraine offered the other woman a polite smile. “I do. Thank you, Lanfear.” Then more words were out of her mouth, dripping in sarcasm before she could stop herself. “Your concern is touching.” 

“Happy to help,” Lanfear said, like Moiraine had been completely sincere. She smiled and brushed a hand over Moiraine’s shoulder before turning away to help the rest take down their campsite, looking like she was seconds away from humming a happy little tune. 

Bristling, Moiraine got to her own tasks. She took down her tent maybe a little more forcefully than necessary as Lan removed the traces of their small fire pit. She looked across the way to see Lanfear re-filling Rand’s waterskin while he put his packs on his horse. She was speaking to him, but he seemed to be dead set on ignoring her. Moiraine felt a petty satisfaction at that. The last thing she needed on this trip was to deal with those two trying to go at it like hormonal teenagers. Finding them in bed together the first time Moiraine had slit Lanfear’s throat had been bad enough. First time , because she was eagerly awaiting the day when she’d get the chance to do it again. 

In quick order, everyone was ready to be on their way, and they all jumped on their horses to set off on the road again. To Moiraine’s immense frustration, Lanfear decided it was necessary to keep pace with Moiraine’s horse while Lan scouted far ahead. Even worse, she had been trying to make conversation all day. 

“We’re making good pace, don’t you think?” she’d said shortly into their journey. 

Moiraine gave a short noncommittal hum because, yes, they were, but she wouldn’t give Lanfear even an inch to think they were on good terms. 

About an hour later, she tried again. “Beautiful weather we’re having. We’ve been lucky with it so far, haven’t we Moiraine?” 

And again not long after that. “You know, the time would pass much quicker with some light conversation. I can’t imagine why you’re so averse to it.” 

Each time Lanfear tried, Moiraine just grit her teeth and pushed Aldieb just a little bit faster than her normal walk so she could get ahead of the thorn in her side. And each time, Lanfear kicked her heels into the sides of her own horse so she could keep pace. It made for a long and very painful day. 

By the end of it, when they were nearing sunset, and Lan was working on finding them a place to camp for the night, Moiraine felt like she was at her wit’s end. And that was conveniently when Lanfear tried, yet again , to get Moiraine’s attention. “I’m getting dreadfully sore from all this riding,” Lanfear sighed melodramatically. “It sure would be nice if there was a cozy bamboo hut waiting for us at the end of this journey, don’t you think, Moiraine? ” 

If she hadn’t been on a moving horse, Moiraine would have stopped dead in her tracks. She whipped her head around to look at the woman riding beside her. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

Lanfear smiled patiently, like she was waiting for a small child to discover some fact that would be obvious to anyone else. “A little fisherman’s hut, in Tear perhaps. It’s been on my mind today… came to me in a dream.” She shot a sly smile at Moiraine. 

Her fingers clenched around the pommel of her saddle, and she looked away to watch the trees ahead of them. Lanfear had been in her dreams – her nice, quiet thoughts of Siuan now tainted by the knowledge of her presence in them. She should have known, or at least guessed that Lanfear would do something like that. 

“Is there any particular reason you decided to visit my dreams?” Moiraine asked, trying to sound unbothered by the revelation.

“Call it curiosity,” Lanfear said. “It’s fascinating, really. The devotion you have for her. Your Siuan. ” 

Moiraine kept her gaze stubbornly straight ahead of her. “Mention her again, and I’ll slit your throat.” 

Lanfear ignored the comment and just kept talking. “I see the appeal though. Both powerful, for this Age anyway, both too stubborn for your own good.” Her voice dropped low, and she leaned over to get just slightly closer to Moiraine. “Both stunningly beautiful.” 

Moiraine looked over to the other woman out of the corner of her eye. Was she being…flirted with? Or made fun of? Either way the Forsaken was very effectively driving her insane. 

The days continued as they traveled in much the same way. Each night, Moraine dreamed of Siuan, drawing from her memories of the long years that they had spent in each other's lives, with Lanfear starring as Siuan in every single one. And because Moiraine could not walk Tel’aran’rhiod like Lanfear could, it always took her much too long to remember that it was only a dream, and the woman she loved was being played an imposter who only wanted more fuel to terrorize her with during the day time. 

Moiraine was, for the most part, proud of how much she’d managed to keep a cool head about the situation. She endured Lanfear’s persistently infuriating presence, and mostly managed not to show that she was getting to her. 

But after days of nothing else to think about, she was starting to feel like she was about to snap. The night after she physically confronted Lanfear, she sat around the fire at their new campsite, glaring daggers at the small flames. 

The younger members of their group were sitting on the other side of the fire laughing and smiling, and Moiraine was happy for them, truly. She was glad that they could find something to be happy about in all this, but all she felt at hearing their laughter was annoyance. It was petty and childish, but there were moments here and there when she wanted them to feel sad and lonely like she did. She wanted them to feel the weight of age and burden of responsibility crash onto their shoulders until it buried their smiles. But no, she thought, as she scanned their youthful, smiling faces, they had plenty to deal with already. They didn’t need more. They were taking a moment to enjoy their lives even through everything they were facing. Honestly, they were handling the situation much better than Moiraine was in her quiet skulking. Even Lan and Nynaeve had snuck off to enjoy some time together; at the first hint of pleasure from her Warder, Moiraine had quickly dampened their bond for the night. He’d scold her for it in the morning, but she’d rather give him the privacy anyway. 

“Have some tea,” a silken voice said behind her before a warm cup was placed in Moiraine’s hands. 

Lanfear joined Moiraine on the log she sat on, much too close for Moiraine’s liking. “What do you want, Lanfear?” she snapped. She was tired of this woman. 

“To give you some tea. Well, I’ve done that, so I thought you might like some company as well. You seem…” Lanfear paused like she was searching for the right word. “Upset.” 

Moiraine glared at her. “I wonder what could possibly be upsetting me.” 

“I’m sorry,” Lanfear said, not sounding remotely sorry. “Can I kiss it better?” 

“Excuse me?” Moiraine hissed. 

“Just an offer. We could call a truce for the night.” Then, she smirked. “Or not.” 

Moiraine slammed her cup, still full of hot liquid, down on the log between them. The tea managed to splash both of their skirts, but Moiraine decided it was worth it. She needed to get away. She could practically feel her blood boiling in her veins, and if she stayed for a moment more she would probably make a very rash decision… like grabbing a Forsaken by the throat and shoving her into the ground. Past that point, warring visions of violence and sex swam in Moiraine’s mind until they blurred into one and separated out again. Moiraine was coming to realize that there were many things she would like to do to that woman, if only to finally catch her off guard and get the upper hand. 

“I hope you’re not too frustrated to sleep!” Lanfear called out behind her as she stomped off. 

One day very soon, they wouldn’t need her anymore, Moiraine thought to herself. It was practically a mantra. They would part ways with Lanfear eventually, and there would come a time when she was no longer useful to them. She had to hold onto that to get through this Light-forsaken mess. 

Yet another day of Lanfear’s annoyances had Moiraine tossing and turning as she tried to fall into sleep. She fought with her tiredness for hours, knowing who would likely be waiting for her in her dreams even though she’d been warned to stay away. After a very long time, Moiraine finally drifted off into the world of dreams.

                                                                                                          ******************

She was standing in the hut that she and Siuan had built together; that was the first thing Moiraine recognized about her surroundings. She breathed in the clear, warm air of Tear as her eyes fluttered shut. She was at home. But when her eyes opened again, the peace of the moment was ruined by the sight of the bed in the center of the room. 

Where Siuan often waited for her whenever they used this palace to meet, another woman sat. With her long dark hair swept over her shoulder, Lanfear appeared with the same self-satisfied smile that had been driving Moiraine crazy for far too long. Her eyebrows were raised, like she was waiting for some kind of reaction from Moiraine – one Moiraine was determined not to give her. 

In short seconds, the anger that had been bubbling inside of her for days finally won out. Moiraine stepped forward, not even entirely sure what she intended to do once she forced herself into Lanfear’s personal space. She shoved outwards with the One Power, forcing Lanfear to fall back onto the bed. 

Infuriatingly, all Lanfear did was laugh as Moiraine jumped gracefully onto the woman in front of her, straddling her stomach before pulling her dagger its sheath and holding it across Lanfear’s throat. 

Lanfear smiled sweetly up at her. “Revisiting this now, are we?” Her hand came up to gently brush the hand holding the dagger before wrapping around it so they were both holding the handle. “You really seem like you could stand to relieve some tension, Moiraine. We could fight about it, or…”

She let go of Moiraine’s hand so she could reach up, wrapping her grip around the back of Moiraine’s neck, grinning the whole time. She tugged down, startling Moiraine forward, and in the heat of the moment Moiraine pulled the dagger away from Lanfear’s neck to avoid injuring her. She should’ve left it. She couldn’t care less if Lanfear ended up with a blade in her neck. It had happened before – it wouldn’t even be permanent. 

In her distraction with the dagger, Moiraine hadn’t even noticed how close their faces were now. Their lips were inches apart, and Moiraine could feel the warm air of Lanfear’s breath ghosting against her mouth. 

She didn’t give herself time to question it. She wanted to do something with the frustration and tension coursing through her. Moiraine pushed downward, fully letting go of the dagger so she could fist a hand in Lanfear’s hair. Their lips connected, both of their mouths already hot and open as they moved against each other. 

Moiraine let out a moan as Lanfear rolled them over, using saidar to ease the movement so they never had to break their kiss. Lanfear settled on top of her, firmly taking control of the kiss, and Moiraine let her. She relaxed into the sensation of Lanfear’s tongue pushing insistently into her mouth, and, Light, it felt incredible. The Forsaken roughly pulled the hem of Moiraine’s shirt out of her skirt so that it sat awkwardly half-shoved up her stomach as Lanfear’s hands cupped her breasts roughly, practically clawing at them. 

With a grunt, Moiraine shoved upwards at her, trying to roll them over again so she could have control again. Except, Lanfear pressed down with the One Power at the same as she disconnected their mouths. She used her hands to hold Moiraine’s shoulders down even though the Aes Sedai was already restrained by a force she couldn’t counter. 

“I had you pegged for a pillow princess. Don’t tell me I guessed wrong,” Lanfear said with an exaggerated pout. 

“You said you would help me ‘take the edge off.’ Maybe once you start doing that–” Moiraine said, still slightly out of breath. She was trying to look unaffected by the woman on top of her, but with her face on fire and almost panted words, she was sure it wasn’t working. All of the legends of the Daughter of the Night spoke of her irresistible beauty. Moiraine had always rolled her eyes at those, but now – lying beneath her – she was having a hard time arguing with them. 

“Are you going to stop fighting me or do I need to keep you held down? It is dreadfully hard to focus on pleasuring someone while using the One Power at the same time. Have you ever tried?” 

Moiraine just glared at her. “I’m sure you can manage. If not, I can imagine how the Dragon got bored.” 

As soon as the words left her mouth, Moiraine started choking and heaving as the air was pulled forcefully out of her lungs. “You’d do well to remember exactly who you’re in bed with, Moiraine Sedai.” Lanfear’s eyes blazed in fury, and all Moiraine could do was smile as the choking sensation subsided. She had finally hit a nerve. 

“Why are you here, Lanfear? Has Rand become uninterested in being your plaything? I’m an interesting second choice. He is a bit young for you, but then, aren’t we all by comparison?” As she taunted her, Moiraine’s eyes fell to Lanfear’s swollen lips. Now that she had managed to make some headway towards having the upper hand, she was actually starting to enjoy herself. 

“Shut up,” Lanfear hissed. “Do you want to do this or not?” 

Moiraine hesitated because the truth was, she did want to do this. She felt warm all over at the prospect of the pleasure that could be in her near future if she just let go and let this happen. Then again, it was Lanfear, a Forsaken, who would be bringing her that pleasure. Was it worth it? She let her gaze roam Lanfear’s figure above her and spoke the demand that had been lingering in her mind since she’d arrived. “Take your shirt off.” 

Lanfear’s grin widened as she moved her hand to the bottom of her shirt, but Moiraine caught her wrist before she could pull it up. “You can do it faster than that.” 

In the blink of an eye, the cloth disappeared, and Lanfear’s upper body was left bare. Moiraine went to surge upward to explore all of the new skin at her disposal, but she was once again stopped, pinned by saidar. She gritted her teeth as she glared up at Lanfear, determined to keep her gaze on her eyes and not any other part of her that could be serving a much better purpose if she wasn’t being kept from them by this infuriating woman. 

“You didn’t answer my question.” Lanfear tutted like she was scolding a novice. 

“I assumed asking you to remove more clothing would be answer enough,” Moiraine said haughtily. “My mistake.” 

“I want to hear you say it.” Lanfear leaned down and gripped Moiraine’s chin with long, slender fingers. “I want to hear you say that you want to fuck me.” She pulled Moiraine’s face forward so that their lips were inches apart. 

Moiraine sneered at her. She wouldn’t keep playing these ridiculous games. She could just get herself off once Lanfear left her alone. She embraced saidar and tested the strength of Lanfear’s hold on her. Maybe the Forsaken had gotten lazy. 

As soon as she pushed, Lanfear tightened her hold, and the weaves holding Moiraine down didn’t budge an inch. Moiraine let the One Power go with a grunt.

“You can leave if you want to, Moiraine,” Lanfear said. “ Or you can stay and tell me exactly what you want. Surely, that wouldn’t bruise your pride too badly. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, and we have weeks of travel left. You’re going to have to see my face every day, wondering what would have happened if you had just given in. Who knows, this might even help us get along better.” 

Moiraine could imagine exactly how it would play out. She would seethe with rage every hour they spent together while her cunt clenched at the thought of how this dream could have gone if she had let it. It sounded like torture. It had already been torture for days now. “I want ,” she said, her sharp tone cutting through the air, “you to let me up so I can fuck you.” 

At once, Lanfear’s hold on saidar was gone, and the woman got off of Moiraine to lay down on the bed beside her, smiling. “Now that wasn’t so difficult was it?” 

Moiraine had already moved on top of her again and kissed Lanfear roughly, biting her bottom lip. “I want you to stop talking too,” Moiraine breathed against her mouth. “Do something useful and get rid of the rest of our clothes.” 

Moiraine felt the moment that Lanfear complied with her order. The Forsaken was spreading her legs beneath Moiraine, and Moiraine slipped a thigh between them as her hands and mouth went to work at her chest. She was only further encouraged by the slick she could already feel between Lanfear’s legs. 

She took a nipple between her teeth, gently at first before sucking roughly and running her tongue around it. Lanfear let out a breathy sigh as nails dug into Moiraine’s hips and she ground down harder against Moiraine’s thigh. Switching to the other side of Lanfear’s chest, Moiraine smirked up at the woman’s expression – undeniably aroused. 

“Oh shut up,” Lanfear snapped and dug her nails further into the flesh of Moiraine’s hips. It stung deliciously, and Moiraine muffled her own moan as she sucked on her breast with renewed fervor, making sure her teeth caught skin too. 

She could feel the way that Lanfear had started to squirm against the thigh, desperate for more stimulation and unable to get what she needed from the way Moiraine had situated herself on top of her. 

Moiraine lifted herself and smiled down at a seemingly quite frustrated Lanfear. She reached down resting a hand on her throat – not grabbing or choking, just resting there. “Is there something else I can do for you?” 

“You know what I want,” Lanfear snapped, her eyes were wide with arousal, and Moiraine had a suspicion it was at least somewhat due to the hand threatening to choke her at any moment. 

“I want to hear you say it,” said Moiraine, firing Lanfear’s own words back at her. She widened her grip and squeezed on either side of Lanfear’s neck. “Ask nicely.” 

“What? You want me to beg?” Lanfear rolled her eyes. “Please,” she scoffed, even though her voice came out ever so slightly strained, somewhat ruining the effect Moiraine was sure she was going for. 

“I’m sure you’re not above it,” Moiraine said shortly. “Now what’s going to happen next–” she spoke slowly, like she had to carefully spell it out for her, “-is that I’m going to bind you with the One Power, and you’re going to let me. Unless, of course, you can’t handle it, in which case you’re welcome to get rid of it.” She finished her instructions mockingly as she released her hold on Lanfear’s neck so that she could take weaves of air and wrap them around Lanfear’s wrists and ankles. She left her neck alone for the time being. They could come back to that later, but she much preferred to do that with her own hand. 

Satisfied that Lanfear was allowing her binds to remain in place, Moiraine sucked and bit her way down the woman’s body, leaving a trail of marks that would definitely bruise later in her wake. When she got to her hips, she stayed there for a while, sucking along her hip bones, then her thighs, then between her legs on the skin just above where Lanfear wanted her. The woman’s hips bucked like she was trying to force Moiraine’s mouth down, but Moiraine just moved to the side. Pressing softer kisses now, Moiraine worked along the crease of where Lanfear’s hip met her thigh, barely ghosting her lips along her skin at all. 

Lanfear still squirmed, but to Moiraine’s surprise, she still let her restraints stay where they were. “Moiraine,” Lanfear said in a breathy warning, her tone dripping with frustrated anticipation. 

“Yes?” Moiraine asked between presses of her mouth to warm skin. She started moving towards the inner crease of her thigh, dragging her tongue across the surface as she went. She pretended like her answer was a complete afterthought as she worked closer to the woman’s center. 

“Please.” 

Moiraine smiled, and she softly pressed a kiss to Lanfear’s clit. Lanfear sighed above her as she sank into the mattress. “ Finally, ” Lanfear said. Her voice was low and breathy, and the sound of her words sent arousal straight to Moiraine’s core. It made her want to hear more, in fact. 

With a wicked smile, Moiraine sat up between Lanfear’s legs. “Sorry, please what?” 

“For the love of–” Lanfear cried out. “If you don’t get me off in the next five minutes, I will kill you.” 

“Five minutes?” Moiraine asked with a raised eyebrow. “How generous of you.” 

She didn’t say anything else. She knew she had pushed her luck with the Forsaken plenty far enough, so instead, she settled back down between her legs with hands braced on her hips. She licked firmly from Lanfear’s core up to her clit, enjoying the breathy moan the contact elicited. She ran her tongue over her clit as she brought a finger to tease her entrance, not quite penetrating yet. 

“Dark One help me,” Lanfear moaned as Moiraine’s finger finally entered. “That feels good.” 

Moiraine sucked hard on her clit as she dragged her unoccupied hand down the Forsaken’s hip with nails digging in the entire way. Lanfear moaned even louder, and Moiraine felt a hand thread through her hair as the legs on either side of her now moved with more freedom. Lanfear had – consciously or unconsciously – done away with the weaves that had been holding her in place. Moiraine honestly couldn’t bring herself to care at that moment. The tight grip holding her head in place felt incredible . She moaned, and Lanfear’s hold tightened even further. 

Moiraine kept going like that for a while longer, her fingers pushing steady strokes inside of her while her tongue worked over her clit. When she felt Lanfear’s walls start to tighten around her fingers, she stopped what she was doing and pulled her mouth away. Lanfear let out a frustrated noise as she tried to ride Moiraine’s fingers to keep chasing her orgasm. Moiraine warned her against what she was doing with a sharp slap to her thigh. Suddenly, Lanfear froze beneath her, and she just watched Moiraine for what was coming next, despite her annoyed expression. 

She readjusted herself so that she could watch Lanfear face-to-face while she fucked her. She brought her other hand down to her throat, pressing her fingers down on either side as she had before. She watched as Lanfear’s eyes widened with pleasure, and the Forsaken moaned at the pressure and Moiriane’s reinvigorated motions inside of her.

When Moiraine finally felt Lanfear’s walls clench around her, she pressed just slightly harder on the sides of her neck, getting some twisted joy from the power she felt above her. Lanfear let out a strangled cry, and Moiraine’s fingers pumped slowly as she let her ride out the lingering waves of her orgasm. 

Moiraine didn’t stop what she was doing until Lanfear had fully relaxed back into the sheets beneath her, sighing as she tried to catch her breath with a smile on her face. A wrist came to meet Moiraine’s where she was still making small ministrations inside her. She gripped hard and pulled Moiraine’s hand out as she flipped them back over forcefully. Moiraine grunted as she fell back on the bed. Lanfear’s body was quickly covering hers, and teeth bit sharply into her neck, probably hard enough to draw blood. Moiraine moaned. Any other time she would have insistently rejected what this woman was doing to her, but well– they were already here, and she was soaked. 

When Lanfear fucked her, it was harder and faster than Moiraine had been. She pushed her fingers in and out at a punishing pace while covering Moiraine’s neck and chest in bites, but Moiraine lost herself blissfully to the sensation. Her hands fisted in the sheets when she came moments later, moaning what she refused to admit was Lanfear’s name. Lanfear slowed but didn’t stop, rubbing patterns over Moiraine’s clit that were slowly driving her crazy. Lanfear’s open mouth covered her own, and they kissed lazily as she pulled another orgasm from Moiraine that had the Aes Sedai shuddering in ecstasy. 

Lanfear pulled away, looking much too pleased with herself for Moiraine’s liking. Her fingers left Moiraine to place them in her mouth, making a show of moaning as she sucked on them. “Thoughts on your first time with a Forsaken, Moiraine?” 

Her face still felt flushed all over, her breaths just starting to even out again. Moiraine tried to shift so that she could sit up, but as she moved her hand, it knocked into something hard – something she’d forgotten she’d discarded early on in this whole affair. Wrapping her fingers around it, she leaned up on her elbows, her face inches away from Lanfear’s. She smiled. 

“It could have been better,” Moiraine said. 

Not to be deterred, Lanfear looked completely unphased by the response. “The night’s still young. What would make it better?”

Moiraine made sure her grip was secure and her breathing was back to normal before she did what she’d been longing to do for weeks now. In one swift motion, she pushed herself up while raising the dagger in her hand to Lanfear’s throat, slicing viciously. She had just enough time to laugh at the look of surprise on Lanfear’s face before her eyes opened and she woke to the early morning light drifting through the hide walls of her tent. 

When the traveling group was ready to leave not an hour later, there were many confused glances thrown in the direction of Lanfear’s tent. It had remained untouched, and seeing as Lanfear didn’t exactly need sleep, it was particularly weird that she was nowhere to be found. Rand made a move to go check on her, but Moiraine stopped him with a firm hand around his wrist. “We’re leaving. See that your horse is ready for the journey, please.” 

He started to push past her. “What about–” 

“She’ll catch up,” Moiraine said firmly. 

Still looking reluctant, he sighed but turned around and went back to making sure his packs were settled for the day’s travel. However, Moiraine wasn’t quite done answering questions yet. 

“Anything I should know about?” he said quietly. 

“Lanfear might be a little…indisposed. She’ll survive.” Moiraine turned to look at Lan. 

He had the slightest hint of an amused smile on his face. “Alright.” 

Moiraine jumped up on her horse as the rest of her traveling companions did the same. As they set on the road, she found her thoughts drifting to the night before and the fact that Lanfear’s annoying presence would soon be joining them. Somehow, that thought didn't set her on edge the way it probably would have the day before. Unfortunately, she did feel…better after her night in the World of Dreams. She allowed herself a small smile, and she could almost concede that Lanfear there to be a thorn in her side wasn’t the worst part of this whole thing.