Copy Void Protection Part 3 (Patreon)

"How are you holding up?" Perrin asked as he sat down next to Mist.

Mist pulled his attention off the cute and rather busty teenage girl that was talking to Mat at another table and focused on Perrin. "I'm alive and it could have been worse."

"It was bad enough," Perrin complained, thinking about the dead.

"We got lucky," Mist argued as Bodewhin and Mat walked over. "How are you doing?" he asked Bodewhin, wondering if some events were destined to repeat themselves or if it was just chance that she'd killed a trolloc with an axe this time around as well.

"I'm not made of glass," Bodewhin replied as she sat down next to Mist at the table, bumping his knee with her leg and giving him a pattern.

'I'm not sure 'plumply pretty' really covers curves in all the right places but I'm not going to object to having more patterns,' Mist thought as he pulled the package for the Lord of Battle out of his gift menu and tossed it to Mat.

"Where did you get that?" Mat asked.

"In a box, it's a good luck charm, it's supposed to ward off Aes Sedai," Mist replied in a whisper.

Mat quickly unwrapped the cloth from around the silver medallion that was shaped like the head of a fox. "This looks expensive-" he blinked when he touched the metal with his finger and found himself looking around an inn that he hadn't seen for five years, not since he'd come back to show his daughter where he'd grown up. He blinked a couple of times when he realized that both of his eyes still worked and that his memories of growing up in Emond's Field weren't a scrambled mess. "What's going on? The last thing I remember was…" he trailed off when he realized that admitting that he'd been in the middle of killing a high lord for killing his wife wasn't the best idea in the world. "Never mind."

"Never mind?" Bodewhin asked, knowing her brother well enough to know when he was lying or trying to change the subject.

Mat glanced at Perrin and smiled when he realized that his friend had brown eyes rather than the golden eyes he was famous for. "It's been a long day…" he trailed off as Egwene walked into view and he realized that he was in the past or that his life had been a vision. He brought his hand up and felt his neck where the scar 'should' have been, finding nothing but unscarred skin.

'Huh, someone's trying to stack the deck,' Mist mused, suddenly feeling a lot better about their chances to win since Mat apparently had more memories than he should. "We're going to need a wall."

"It would certainly help," Mat agreed as Egwene walked over. "We're going to have to warn the other towns in the area."

"In a way that they'll believe," Egwene added as she sat down next to Mat. "Which probably means they'll have to send someone trustworthy."

"I wish I could travel," Mat muttered.

"Would be…" Egwene trailed off when she noticed Mat's medallion. "Where did you get the medallion?"

"Snakes," Mat replied absently, thinking about the best places for a wall in case the trollocs came back.

"Snakes and foxes?" Egwene asked, dragging Mat's attention back to the conversation.

"Yes," Mat admitted, wondering how much she knew.

"What are you talking about?" Perrin asked, wondering what was going on. "Mist found the medallion in a box. I'm not sure why he gave it to Mat though, it's probably worth a couple of gold just based on the work."

"It's priceless," Mat snapped, thinking about the price he'd paid for it and knowing that he'd lost count of the number of times it had saved his life over the years. "Sorry, it's been a long day."

"Last battle?" Egwene asked, wondering how much he remembered.

"That was years ago," Mat replied. "Or it was."

"Do I need to get Nynaeve?" Perrin asked as he glanced between Mat and Egwene. "You aren't making sense."

"How many people remember more than they should?" Mat asked Egwene, ignoring Perrin's question.

"Just us, Mist just remembers stories," Egwene told him.

"How much was real?" Mat asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know," Mist admitted. "I wasn't expecting the medallion to come with memories, I was just hoping we could avoid a bunch of shit. I'm guessing the memories came from another version of you and Egwene."

"Story of my life," Mat muttered, hoping he could avoid some of the mistakes he remembered making. "I'm going to need a decent spear."

"Egwene should be able to help Perrin create a power wrought weapon," Mist suggested.

"We can deal with it in the morning," Egwene told him. "Unless you're planning on running off tonight?"

Mat shook his head. "Someone needs to close the waygate and I know how to find it."

Perrin glanced between his friends. "What's going on?"

"You'd better explain, he's not going to believe me," Mat told Egwene.

"The crystal gave me memories of another life, a life where we left to have an adventure, I became an Aes Sedai and you became a lord," Egwene told Perrin.

"A lord?" Perrin asked in disbelief. "I'm a blacksmith, no one in their right mind would follow me."

"You'd be surprised," Mist offered, thinking about how much his people had loved him by the end of the series.

"If I became a lord, what happened to Mat and Rand?" Perrin asked, wondering how Mat had roped Egwene and Mist into his prank.

"They grew up," Mist replied as Moiraine and Lan walked into the inn with Nynaeve and the other Egwene following them. "We might as well just explain things once."

Nynaeve froze when she saw Egwene sitting at a table with her friends despite the fact that Egwene was walking next to her. "What's going on?"

"I'm a copy," Egwene's clone replied with a smile as she waved at her father who was behind the bar on her way over to where Egwene was sitting, causing him to do a double take when he realized there was another version of his daughter sitting at a table.

Bodewhin glanced between the two versions of Egwene. "How?"

Egwene sighed, slightly annoyed that her clone hadn't stayed out of sight or at least changed her features with magic until she could figure out a good way to explain her presence. "Magic."

Bran hurried over. "What's going on?"

"She's another version of me," Egwene admitted as Moiraine and Lan walked over, wanting to avoid implying that Mist could use magic since the male half of the source was tainted and everyone that touched it went mad eventually.

"There are ways to travel between different versions of the world," Moiraine offered, implying that the other Egwene was from another world without actually lying.

"You should leave!" Eward Congar called out as he stalked over with Hari Coplin following him, angry about losing two of his family members. "You're a changeling!" he snapped, glaring at the copy of Egwene.

Mist stood up and stepped in front of the angry men, causing Eward to take a step back and look up at him. "Take a breath and relax or are you going to pick a fight in the middle of her father's inn?"

"I'll ban you for life," Bran told Eward then turned his attention to Hari Coplin who was standing behind him. "Same goes for you Hari."

"I didn't do nothing," Hari complained as he walked off and sat down at a table, unwilling to risk getting banned from the only place that sold alcohol in town over a couple of cousins that he didn't much care for at the best of times.

"Coward," Eward complained at Hari then turned to look at Mist. "You should be pissed, your father died."

"He died warning the town, I'm not going to disgrace his memory by using his death as an excuse to insult a lady that was willing to help heal people and has offered me nothing but kindness." Mist gestured toward the copy of Egwene. "And if she brought an extra Egwene to town, I don't mind being the first person to say thank you."

"You're just a child, you don't know anything," Eward snapped.

"I'd rather be a child than a Congar or a Coplin," Mist replied with a shrug. "At least children eventually grow up, you never did, you just got older."

Perrin stood up and glared at Eward when it looked like he was going to take a swing at Mist. "Go home and sleep it off."

Eward opened his mouth to object to Perrin giving him an order before some fragment of self preservation reminded him that Perrin's arms were larger around than most people's legs and that he could probably toss him halfway across the village green. "This isn't over!"

'Just be happy you don't count as a cultist,' Mist thought as he watched the grumpy troublemaker stalk off.

"You should be more polite," Nynaeve scolded Mist.

"I'm not going to apologize for standing up for my friends," Mist told Nynaeve then turned to look at Moiraine. "Do you want to finish the discussion in the morning or tonight?"

"Tonight," Moiraine replied, wanting answers more than she wanted a full night of sleep at the moment.

"Can we borrow the meeting room?" Egwene asked her father. "It's important."

"Do I need to round up the council?" Bran asked as Tam and Rand walked into the inn.

Egwene glanced over at where Cenn Buie was talking with Hari Coplin. "Most of it isn't council business and you can share the details tomorrow on the part that concerns the council. We're going to need Nynaeve, Abell and Tam." She turned and walked toward the meeting room before he could ask more questions, wanting to avoid explaining things in public since she didn't trust some of the villagers to keep their mouths shut or their noses out of things that were none of their business.

Egwene's clone just shrugged and followed Egwene, rather amused by the way Rand was staring at them with his jaw open. 'He might be destined for Elayne and Min but he's certainly easy on the eyes.'

"What's going on?" Perrin asked Mat in a whisper once Nynaeve walked over to talk to Rand's father.

"Let's find out," Mat replied cheerfully as he followed Egwene, rather amused that she'd already taken charge, if only because it saved him the effort.

"Great," Perrin muttered as he followed his friends, wondering if it was too late to head back to the forge and get some sleep.

Mist glanced at Moiraine and Lan then focused on Bodewhin. "You might as well come with us, we're going to need your help." He turned and followed Mat and Perrin, not seeing a reason to exclude Bodewhin as she'd proven to be pretty dependable in the books.

"Alright." Bodewhin followed the guys into the meeting room, fairly sure someone would stop her but curious why there was an extra Egwene and what was going on with her brother.

Moiraine glanced at Lan then followed Mist, wondering how he fit into things.

Bran closed the door once Nynaeve, Tam, Abell and Rand walked in. "What's this about?" he asked Egwene, not really paying attention to the people in the room other than his daughter and the person that looked like her.

Egwene glanced around the room then focused on her father. "This will probably sound insane but Mist found a box filled with magic crystals and ter'angreal in the Waterwood. One of the crystals gave me an extra couple of years worth of memories of a possible future, that's how I knew about the attack."

Bran looked at Mat. "Did you put her up to this?"

"It's not a joke," Mat told him. "I wish it was."

Egwene held her hand out and wove threads of fire and air together, creating a glowing ball of light over her hand. "It's also how I know I can channel," she offered as she tied the weave off so that it would last an hour and dropped the source.

"You're a wilder, most wilders have tricks," Nynaeve argued, knowing some stories thanks to her training as a wisdom.

"Is that true?" Tam asked Moiraine, knowing she couldn't lie.

Moiraine glanced at Nynaeve then focused on Tam. "While most wilders have little tricks that they picked up, they're usually the result of weeks or months of practice or unconscious use, tying off weaves is a skill that is usually only taught to Aes Sedai and generally requires a large amount of skill to master. I find her story more likely than her picking up the ability in the couple of hours since the battle."

"Why do you have my daughter's face?" Bran asked the clone.

"Because I'm another version of your daughter," Egwene's clone replied, not seeing a point in letting people know that Mist could make duplicates until they got the school set up and better defenses. "The ancient Aes Sedai created portal stones, they basically let powerful channelers move between different worlds."

"That's actually less important than the fact that we need to permanently close the waygate in Manetheren," Egwene cut in, trying to avoid things getting side tracked.

"Where?" Bran asked, not sure what she was talking about.

"The Two Rivers used to be part of Manetheren, a nation that fought the Dark One in the Trolloc wars and died in the process," Mat explained. "The capital city was west of Deven Ride, you can reach it from the Quarry road."

"How do you know that?" Abell asked, wondering where he'd heard about the abandoned city.

"Egwene isn't the only one with memories of another life," Mat admitted, knowing he'd have to tell them at some point if he wanted them to take him seriously.

"Have you lost your minds!" Nynaeve demanded, wondering why anyone was entertaining the idea that Mat wasn't playing a stupid prank.

"The region used to be part of Manetheren, it fell in the Trolloc wars," Moiraine offered.

"So you say," Nyneave snapped, glaring at the Aes Sedai.

"Aes Sedai can't lie," Tam cut in, trying to head Nynaeve off before she said something she'd regret. "They can twist the truth but they can't actually lie."

"That's not technically true," Mist cut in. "The oaths are a result of a ter'angreal, you can use the ter'angreal to break the oaths."

"Which means she could be lying," Nynaeve argued.

"No, one of the crystals I used gave me the ability to see magic, I can see the oaths wrapped around her throat and hands along with her bond to Lan, she can't lie," Mist told her. "All of the arguing in the world isn't going to change the fact that Rand, Mat and Perrin need to leave the village. They're being hunted and if they stay, they're going to bring a world of problems down on our heads."

"I wish I could say he was wrong," Mat grumbled.

"Why are they hunting you?" Abell asked.

"Because we have a part to play in the last battle," Mat replied, not wanting to get into the fact that Rand was the Dragon Reborn. "This isn't a joke and we're not asking, we're leaving as soon as we make sure the village is safe."

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" Perrin asked.

"No," Mat replied, knowing they needed to leave if they didn't want everyone to die.

Abell glanced at his daughter who was doing her best not to draw attention to herself. "How does Bodewhin fit into everything?"

"She can keep her mouth shut," Mist replied. "She also has the potential to channel which means she deserves the chance to make an informed decision about her future."

"I can channel?" Bodewhin asked excitedly.

"You have the potential," Mist corrected her. "I don't know if you could learn tomorrow or if you'll need another four months but eventually, you'll need to be taught. Which means we're going to have to start a school because the White Tower isn't safe."

"What makes you say that?" Moiraine asked, trying to figure out how much they knew.

"You have a rat problem," Mist replied, fairly sure she'd get the reference. "They're also chained to tradition and we need people that are willing to create weapons with the power."

"Why?" Moiraine asked.

"Because the shadow has been breeding more powerful darkhounds," Mist complained. "They can't be killed without proper power wrought weapons or balefire and balefire damages the pattern which means we're basically screwed if we don't change things."

"You're going to need teachers, she can't heal," Moiraine pointed out, making a note to ask about balefire when they were alone.

Egwene said, "I can form the weaves, it just doesn't matter without the talent."

"What happened to your family?" Bran asked the cloned Egwene.

"We weren't as lucky with the attack, there's no reason to go back," Egwene's clone told him, not seeing a reason to make him wonder why she didn't want to go back when there wasn't anywhere to go back to.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Bran offered.

"If we don't need the Aes Sedai, why is she still here?" Nynaeve asked.

"Because she's one of the few Aes Sedai that is actually trustworthy and she has connections that we'll probably need if we want to fund the school," Mist replied, reminding himself that Nynaeve's concern for the village was honest.

Nynaeve glanced between Mist and Moiraine. "How are you planning on funding the school?"

Egwene scowled as she thought about the Seanchan. "One of my talents is the ability to sense ore under the ground, it's a bit like your ability to Listen to the Wind. I don't have to guess when it comes to mining, which should be profitable enough to fund the school."

"You should be careful that the Congars don't learn about that ability, they'd pester you until you snapped," Bran warned her.

"I wasn't planning on telling people," Egwene replied.

"How far do we have to go west before we run into land that hasn't been claimed?" Mist asked, not actually sure how to stake a claim.

"Tam has the last farm, so anything past that is open for claiming. Why not place the school closer to the village?" Bran asked.

"I don't want the merchants or their guards carrying tales that they shouldn't and I don't need any of the Congars or Coplins harassing the girls," Mist explained. "If the Tower finds out that we're creating a school to teach channeling, they'll send a group to kidnap the girls. Never mind that it's not actually illegal to channel without Aes Sedai approval."

"If you're trying to keep it secret, why tell Moiraine?" Nynaeve asked.

"Because we need to trust someone and Moiraine would walk through fire to keep the boys safe, in another life she put herself between the boys and two of the Forsaken. She's also flexible and she has been running around the world for the last twenty years rather than soaking in the poison that surrounds the Tower."

"What do you think?" Nynaeve asked Moiraine.

Moiraine glanced between Egwene and her clone then focused on Nynaeve. "I'm willing to entertain the idea of holding my tongue on the subject but she'd need to prove that she knows enough that she isn't risking the students' lives."

"Why?" Nynaeve asked.

"Because I've seen at least three dozen girls or women with the potential to channel since I've been in The Two Rivers," Moiraine replied, not seeing a point in admitting that the number was far higher. "Most of them are old enough that the Tower wouldn't take them, regardless of their potential strength or possible talents. If Egwene can prove that she can train people the tower wouldn't take, how can I object?"

"We can't stop people from talking, not forever," Bran warned them.

"We don't need to," Egwene assured them. "We just need people to keep their mouths shut when the merchants and their guards show up for the shearing in the spring, by the fall we'll have enough people trained that we'll be able to defend ourselves if someone sends an army at us."

"Why would someone send an army after us?" Rand asked, feeling like he was trying to play catchup.

"Because events will place the entire region on the map in a way it hasn't been for two thousand years," Egwene replied.

Tam glanced between Egwene and Mat. "What do you need?"

"I'm going to need help building a temporary wooden building for the school and I'm going to need help to make sure we have people that can watch children while their mothers or sisters are getting basic training," Egwene admitted. "I don't want to rip the region apart, I want to give us a chance to shine."

"We can figure out schedules once you figure out who needs training," Nynaeve said, knowing the Women's Circle would pitch in.

"I'll come up with a list," Egwene's clone offered.

"I'm going to round up some of the more reliable boys and do a patrol around the village, we'll let you know if we find anything," Tam told Bran.

Lan glanced at Moiraine who nodded. "Do you want an extra set of hands? I can sense shadowspawn if they're close enough."

"I'd appreciate it," Tam admitted. "I'll be back in a few, don't wander."

"I won't," Rand assured him.

"Let's get you home before your mother starts worrying," Abell told Bodewhin as Tam and Lan left.

"That would be bad," Bodewhin agreed, wanting to avoid getting in trouble.

"Let me know if you need help," Mat told Egwene as he stood up to follow his father, not interested in getting grilled about his future knowledge without a couple shots.

"I'll let you know," Egwene replied with a smile, glad that he had her back.

"Are you sure about this?" Bran asked.

"Unfortunately," Egwene told him. "Things will work out, you should probably make sure the Congars haven't helped themselves to the tap."

"They better not have," Bran grumbled as he left.

Perrin glanced at Rand. "We should probably get back to hauling trollocs."

"Do you need anything?" Rand asked Egwene.

"I'll be fine," Egwene assured him. "The sooner the trollocs are burned, the better I'll feel. Just don't cut yourself on any of their weapons or if you do, let Moiraine know, they're tainted."

"We'll be careful and we have gloves," Rand assured her then left with Perrin.