Zarayne
It hadn't been long since she'd fallen asleep - at least that's what her internal clock seemed to suggest - yet Zarayne found herself waking up to the signs of light behind her eyelids. She moaned softly, fanning the childish hope that if she protested enough, the sun would retreat below the horizon once more.
It didn't happen.
Sighing, Zarayne opened her eyes. Soft light suffused the tent, allowing her to see the interior for the first time. The three bedrolls were evenly spaced, although Lysira's seemed untouched, and Tia Sedai's was now lacking its occupant. Zarayne wondered why Tia hadn't awoken her whenever she rose, not that the Accepted was complaining about being allowed to lie in.
Zee paused in the midst of getting fully out of her bedding. She frowned in concert with the nagging feeling that had started the instant she woke up, but only now was pushing into the front of her head. Something was amiss. She glanced over to the other bedrolls for some reason she couldn't place a finger on. The tent flap was closed; was that relevant somehow? What is it I'm missing? Pulling the bottom of her skirts free from the bedding, Zarayne ducked over to the front of the tent and stepped outside.
The sky was blue. The ground was snow-covered. The air was chill. Zarayne was surprised at the daylight, but if Lysira and Tia weren't worried about--
There was no-one there. The campsite that had been built in front of the tents was gone. Not merely gone, Zarayne realised. There was snow over where the campfire had been, and nary a trace of ash. She even crouched down to inspect the snow, touching it with her fingers. It was icy snow rather than freshly fallen. How is that possible? She dug around with her fingers, seeking out anything that proved a fire had once been here. A trick of the Power? Zarayne's own strengths lay in Fire and Earth, with Water being her weakest affinity. If it was possible to make snow, she didn't know how.
As she turned back towards the tent - back to the only thing that made sense - Zarayne audibly gasped. It was gone. And not just packed away gone, but vanished completed. The rectangular space that should have been marked by the tent was just as non-existent as the campfire.
"What's the matter Zarayne?"
"I--!" Zarayne spun around to come face-to-face with her mother. The Accepted went bug-eyed in shock and surprise. "Mum? What are you--? What?" Confusion ranked higher than any other emotion in her voice and on her face.
Sinead's patient smile was as encouraging as it was infuriating. "I've oft wondered how long it would take you to get here. Now we have our answer."
Zarayne shook her head in a frenzy. "You can't be here! I'm with the Tower. I'm travelling with an Aes Sedai and a Gaidin."
"They're not here," Sinead replied. "Zarayne, look around us. Take a proper look."
Still scrambling for her bearings, Zarayne found the instructions the easiest thing to follow. She assembled some degree of calm before doing as her mother had told her. Everything was as it was, assuming one expected to see zero tents and no signs of life. The snow on the ground was bright, which was as expected given the light in the sky. Zarayne scanned the clouds for the sun, unsure what time it was. That was when it finally clicked. "This..."
"Tel'aran'rhiod, yes." Still patient, still... motherly. Zarayne had forgotten that about Sinead after her time in whites, and then her time in the Grey Tower. And honestly, she was focused on other things at the moment, like the simple fact she was walking in the World of Dreams. They - Sinead and Zarayne - had believed that Zarayne would, in time, be able to venture in Tel'aran'rhiod. However, as the years passed, and especially after Zarayne departed for Hama Valon, she had let that belief fade into a hope, then fade further into a myth. It had still seemed impossible even after her encounter with Olin.
"It's real." Zarayne still sounded amazed.
When Sinead spoke, there was a warning edge to her tone. "Very real. Now that you've found your way here, you must be careful."
Careful, yes. Zarayne had listened to the stories about Sinead's past. They had been the only true connection Zarayne had with the Aiel, and all of her cultural and moral beliefs had been formed around them. Her mother's stories had also included her ability to dreamwalk, as it all linked into Sinead's return to the Three-fold Land, as well as her reasons for leaving it.
Something tickled the Accepted's feet. She glanced down to find herself barefoot as a brown tail slithered over them. In the next instant, a spear was thrust into the two step; a spear wielded by a fiery-haired Far Dareis Mai. "You mustn't let your mind wander here," Sinead warned behind her shoufa. In the next moment the Aiel garb around her mother was gone, allowing Zarayne to see the tender look on Sinead's face. "My daughter. I will teach you how to keep yourself safe in the World of Dreams, but for now you must wake."
"But--"
"Sleep well and wake," Sinead stressed.
----
Someone touched her shoulder. Zarayne moaned softly, fanning the childish hope that if she protested enough then that someone would leave her be. The hand did not remove itself, so Zarayne had to roll over onto her back to acknowledge Lysira's presence.
"I'm awake," Zarayne muttered.