Towers of Midnight/Chapter 57

==Summary==
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Matrim Cauthon stands outside the Tower of Ghenjei yelling ecstatically at it that he finally beat the Finn. Moiraine Damodred asks about the one left behind. Mat tells her that Noal died a hero and that Thom needs to write ballads informing the world about it. Mat is bitter that Thom knew about Noal's true identity.
Moiraine tells the men how the Finn fed off her emotion, although they don't need it to survive. Mat analyses her and thinks of her as humbled and cast down, but stronger for it. Moiraine struggles to light some wet tinder, telling them that that is all she can manage now. The Finn feed on powerful emotions, but find ta'veren intoxicating. The Aelfinn and the Eelfinn took turns on feeding off Moiraine draining her ability to channel. They were fed by her sorrow at losing her ability and off the One Power. The Finn claim to have killed Lanfear, but a man arrived asking about her. Moiraine asks Thom for the ivory bracelet angreal. She tells the men that it was one of her three demands. Moiraine knew she would be trapped in the land of the Finn once the twisted redstone doorframe exploded leaving no way out, no matter how she worded her questions. Mat inquires what else she asked her and she replies in a very Moiraine way, not revealing anything else. Moiraine asks if Mat wants Healing on his lost eye. He refuses and she wonders aloud if he is still afraid of the One Power. Moiraine then states that she needs to find Rand. Mat tells her that he managed to clean the taint from saidin. Moiraine is astonished, and smiles deeply.
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Mat tells Moiraine that Rand will be meeting with all the monarchs of the world tomorrow and that Elayne is now Queen of Andor. Moiraine asks about the Forsaken and Thom replies that the Forsaken don’t bother Mat as he is now married to the Seanchan Empress. She is surprised and but attributes it to Mat's ta’veren nature. Mat is not surprised by her reply. Moiraine insists on finding Rand but Mat tells her he has other things to do. Moiraine reaches out and asks if Thom would be her husband. Thom is reluctant due to his troubles with women who could channel in the past. Moiraine offers to discard the angreal if that would change Thom's mind. Thom would never do that to her and would marry her now. Moiraine tells him that with the bracelet she will be stronger than before in the One Power. Mat is stunned and wonders how he missed the love connection between the two. Thom says that Mat wasn’t watching very closely and asks if Moiraine wants him as a warder too. Mat scorns Thom for accepting being bonded. Thom retorts that Tuon can also learn to channel. Mat watches the two as they look at each other with real love in their eyes. He walks away from the two and makes a small cairn for Noal. Mat worries about his ability to fight with only one eye. He throws his knife randomly behind him and it impales an unlucky rabbit. He then finds a cooking pot in the River Arinelle in good condition. Although distances are harder to judge, Mat’s luck more than makes up for it. He then busies himself with making dinner.
==Characters==
*Mat Cauthon
*Thom Merrilin
*Moiraine Damodred
===Referenced===
*Noal Charin / Jain Farstrider
*Aludra
*Birgitte
*Lanfear
*Moridin
*Rahvin
*Rand al'Thor
*Min Farshaw
*Verin Mathwin
*Elayne Trakand
*Tuon Paendrag
*Lan Mandragoran
==Places==
*Outside the Tower of Ghenjei
===Referenced===
*Rhuidean
*Two Rivers
*Caemlyn
*Tar Valon
==Items==
*Ashandarei