“Mother,” Elayne said, raising a hand to grasp hers. “He’s a good man, and I love him. What you have heard is exaggeration or bitter rumor.”

“But he’s…Elayne, a man who can channel, the Dragon Reborn!”

“And still a man,” Elayne said, feeling his knot of emotions in the back of her mind, so warm. “Just a man, for all that is demanded of him.”

Morgase drew her lips into a thin line. “I shall withhold judgment. Though in a way I still feel that I should have thrown that boy in the Palace dungeons the moment we found him skulking in the gardens. I didn’t like how he looked at you even then, mind you.”

Elayne smiled, then gestured back to the seats. Morgase sat, and this time Elayne took the seat directly beside her, still clutching her mother’s hands. She sensed amusement from Birgitte, who stood with her back against the far wall, one knee bent so that the sole of her boot rested against the wood paneling.

“What?” Elayne asked.

“Nothing,” Birgitte said. “It’s good to see you two acting like mother and child, or at least woman and woman, rather than staring at each other like two posts.”

“Elayne is Queen,” Morgase said stiffly. “Her life belongs to her people, and my arrival threatened to upset her Succession.”

“It still might muddy things, Mother,” Elayne said. “Your appearance could open old wounds.”

“I will have to apologize,” Morgase said. “Perhaps offer reparations.” She hesitated. “I had intended to stay away, daughter. It would be best if those who hated me still thought me dead. But—”

“No,” Elayne said quickly, squeezing her hands. “This is for the best. We simply will have to approach it with skill and care.”

Morgase smiled. “You make me proud. You will be a wonderful queen.”

Elayne had to force herself to stop beaming. Her mother had never been free with compliments.

“But tell me, before we go further,” Morgase said, voice growing more hesitant. “I have heard reports that Gaebril was…”

“Rahvin,” Elayne said, nodding. “It’s true, Mother.”

“I hate him for what he did. I can see him, using me, driving spikes through the hearts and loyalty of my dearest friends. And yet there is a part of me that longs to see him, irrationally.”

“He used Compulsion on you,” Elayne said softly. “There is no other explanation. We will have to see if any from the White Tower can Heal it.”

Morgase shook her head. “Whatever it was, it is faint now, and manageable. I have found another to give my affection.”

Elayne frowned.

“I will explain that at another point,” Morgase said. “I’m not certain I understand it yet. First we must decide what to do about my return.”

“That is easy,” Elayne said. “We celebrate!”

“Yes, but—”

“But nothing, Mother,” Elayne said. “You have returned to us! The city, the entire nation, will celebrate.” She hesitated. “And after that, we will find an important function for you.”