|
| <<< The First Ship >>> |
| Setting: Tar Valon, River Erinin |
Summary[]
- Point of view: Matrim Cauthon
Mat and Thom arrive at Southharbor just as a ship, the Gray Gull, is unfastening its mooring lines. Mat told Thom he intended to catch the first ship and that is the ship. A dockmaster attempts to stop Mat due to the Aes Sedai orders, but Mat has the letter from the Amyrlin given to him by Elayne. Thom is confused as to why Mat would be refused so. The dockmaster is even more confused by the apparent contradiction presented by the letter but accepts it and tries to get the ship to wait. The ship is underway so they have to jump to land on the ship's deck. The ship's captain, Huan Mallia, is angry and calls on two of his crew to toss them back into the harbor. Mat uses gold and the letter to secure passage to Aringill. Thom is enraged by the price demanded by the captain and starts to negotiate passage in exchange for his services. Mat wants a cabin and the captain's meals though. Mallia says they can have his cabin and meals for five gold each believing no one would pay that and then is astounded when Mat calmly starts counting gold coins into his hand. Mallia asks if Mat is a lord which Mat denies.
As they get their things into the cabin, they listen to the captain who is trying to pump them for information. The captain is convinced that Mat is an Andoran lord who is carrying out some mission for Queen Morgase involving Tar Valon. Mallia is Tairen and speaks highly of the High Lords of Tear and especially the High Lord Samon. He is contemptuous of Mayene and Illian, as most Tairen are. He expresses contempt for Tar Valon too, because Samon says the Aes Sedai must all be killed and the White Tower destroyed. Then he realizes what he had just said and backtracks, not wanting to offend Mat. Mat goes with it and mocks him, which causes Mallia to leave the cabin.
Mat tells Thom about winning the gold at dice using others' dice, the letter from the Amyrlin, the letter from Elayne to Morgase, and Thom doesn't believe a word of it. Thom goes to sleep but Mat lies awake pondering the events of the last couple of days. Mat realizes Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne must be involved in some plot from the Amyrlin if they had that letter to give him. He hears feet outside the cabin door and fights two men that come into the cabin, killing them with the quarterstaff. Mat takes one of the dead men's cloak to disguise himself and goes up onto the deck.
Mat walks up to a man at the tiller and claims to the man that their target is dead. The man is happy that "this boy" is dead and Mat recognizes the voice from the Tar Valon alley. Then the man realizes Mat is not one of his party but it is too late as Mat strikes with his staff, cracking him in the head. Thom throws a knife to kill another man that Mat didn't see. Thom points to a dropped lantern and notes that they were lucky it did not set the ship on fire. Two more men are left in a boat tied to the stern. They shriek, recognizing Mat, and dive into the river to swim away. The captain comes on deck, furious. Thom says they saved the ship from river brigands so perhaps he should reconsider their price for passage. Mallia looks at the dead men and considers that maybe Mat is an assassin, having killed so many.
Point of view: Rand al'Thor
Rand is playing Rose of the Morning on his flute. This was song he played at weddings, oh so many weddings. People had told him that he is ta'veren and maybe it is true. Maybe he had caused the weddings. People had told him that he is the Dragon Reborn too, but that doesn't make it true. He wonders about the dreams he has. In them people he knows come and try to kill him, including his father and mother and Min. He knows it was not actually Min; Min would never hurt him. Selene also came to him in the dreams, telling him that he must take Callandor. Are the dreams real? He remembers a dream where Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne are being pushed into cages and wonders why he feels more concern for Elayne than the other two. He continues playing the flute through the night instead of sleeping, so that he cannot dream.
Characters[]
Referenced[]
- Siuan - as Amyrlin
- Perrin
- Morgase
- Elayne
- Nynaeve
- Egwene
- Moiraine
- Egwene
- Be'lal - as High Lord Samon
- Tam
- Kari al'Thor
- Min
- Selene
Places[]
Referenced[]
Items[]
Referenced[]