Moiraine's draft letters
by sidious
Before Moiraine gave her note for Thom to Rand, she first asked someone to proof read it…
Moiraine : Amys, I need a favour.
Amys : Hmm?
Moiraine : I’m going to die soon. The Rings told me so. I don’t really want to discuss it, but I need to leave a letter to Thom Merrilin, a man I know. I’ve written two drafts. Could you pick one for me?
Amys : I will aid you in this task.
Moiraine : Thank you. Here is the first one…
Draft One
My dearest Thom. I have dreamed about you so often, and yes I would dearly love to spend the rest of my life with you. By the three Oaths you know this to be true. Unless I was Black Ajah. Which I declare I am not – and because of the Oaths you know this is truth. Unless I was Black Ajah… nevermind. You probably think I am dead. No doubt you heard reports of me and Lanfear falling through a doorway which then went nuclear. I am not dead. I think. If you reading this, then I battled Lanfear and we fell into another world which has me prisoner. Don’t ask me how I know this. There are others whose secrets I shall not betray, and to be truthful, I don’t know either. I am probably alive. You see I saw hundreds, millions of possible futures, and I think I am alive in the Tower of Ghenjei. Unless I placed all my eggs in the wrong basket and read the wrong future. In which case I am dead. But I think I’m alive.
The future is difficult to read when given as a gift. One must separate the inevitable, such as my love for you, from the absurd, such as visions of male channelers walking the world again, to the comical, such as Nynaeve al’Meara drawing enough saidar to destroy the world. Luckily, my judgment and Aes Sedai training have helped me narrow down the correct future – I am alive! I think. To rescue me will require great courage. You must find a tower in the middle of some parallel universe which has no obvious door to free me. Once you have surpassed this small obstacle, you must defeat the creatures who managed to imprison both me and Lanfear. You will do well.
Some points. If you choose to rescue me, you must bring Mat. If you don’t bring Mat you can bring either Mesaana or Egwene, but Egwene MUST wear a blue dress if you choose her. Mesaana can wear anything. If you choose to bring Mat instead of those two then you must bring along an unnamed third man. I don’t know who he is, or even if he is a man. He may be a bearded woman. But he is essential to success. If you can’t bring the unnamed man, you must bring either three dwarfs and a mime, or else a rare spitting pigsnake from Shara. None of these choices are easy. My visions also told me that the key to winning Tarmon Gai’don is to tell Rand al’Thor that Ishamael has been resurrected as a man named Moridin and that they are spiritually tied. However, if you choose to tell Rand this information, I will die. I know you’ll do the right thing (pick me, pick me!). So in summary (to make it simple for you), bring three, not more or less. Unless you don’t want to bring three, then you must bring four, or eight – in which case they must be specific.
As always, I trust your judgment. Your loving Moiraine.
Amys : Hmm… this Thom wetlander… he is an intelligent man?
Moiraine : Oh very…
Amys : It would take a considerable mind to choose the right path here Aes Sedai. Perhaps…
Moiraine : Well, here’s my other draft….
Draft Two
Thom… I’m alive. Come rescue me in the Tower of Ghenjei. Bring Cauthon. PS. I’m naked. Moiraine.
Amys : Hmm… Moiraine, both of these letters are too much for any one man. Perhaps we could find a middle point.
Moiraine : Perhaps.