[IC] WoT: The Dark One's Own Luck.

[POOHEAD189]

Ali found he trusted her, though light knows why. She had a forceful grace about her that spoke of things he wasn't used to, and if he didn't heed her he might be dead, all without saying so. As unaccustomed to women as he was, he knew that wasn't something you ignored. They stepped back onto the road, and all but ran to the north bridge that carried them over into the town proper. Ali was fraught with anxiety of what was happening to his home, but Mave's hand squeezed his and took all doubt from him as they moved.

Once they came within eyesight of the town, she let go of his hand and he drew himself up straight, striding over with his walking stick 'clacking' on the wooden planks of the bridge. They would see many young girls in curious braids in a circle, watching some of the older women raising a festive pole, chanting softly as they did so. Young boys ran across their path, smiling and laughing and a few even giggled at Ali and Mave.

Ali ignored the audible gossip of the smiling women as they passed and entered the Winespring Inn, and a welcome warmth accompanied their entrance. The place was hearty and filled with rural cheer. Red and green ties were sewn ubiquitously across the walls and on the very plump woman who greeted them with arms outspread. "Ali! Oh, I heard the news!" She said, pleased as fresh peaches. Her hair was tied in a brown bun and an apron was slung across her ample hips. "This must be her. You are a lucky young woman, though this one is more stubborn than most."

"Mrs. Al'Cagan, she's just a friend." Ali said, though the words seemed to fall like lead before they reached her ears. She waved him away as if it was nonsense. "Come, I have a table set for you. Edgar! Where is that fool oaf?" The plump woman then shimmied away, nearly knocking over a lamp as she did so.

The food here smelled even better than at Ali's home, with country spices and cooked lamb that drew everyone's attention. It wasn't crowded inside, but there was a few of the townsfolk chatting and eating. A group of girls Ali's age sat at a larger table in the back, congregating into groups like women often did. Except Mave, Ali noted. He didn't know anyone crazy enough to scale the mountains alone.

As they sat down and began to eat, Ali doing his best to ignore the looks and whispers that accompanied them, the Wisdom showed up yet one more time, arms over her chest and hip cocked to the side. It wasn't a surprise to Ali, but the fact that she interrupted their meal without apology was something that brought a raised eyebrow from Mave, the woman clenching her fork as if to stick the woman. "So, are you still sticking to that fool story of how you met or are you going to let me do my job, Alidren Baldyr?"

"I don't care if it's a fool story, it's true."

"You're impossible, Ali. And you, don't think you can weasel your way into this town without being given a good talking to. You and Ali better tell Evelyn this concocted tale of a story and see if she is pleased to hear it." She said.

"Evelyn isn't pleased at anything. Now let us eat our meal." Ali said, his face red from embarrassment. She gave a loud 'hmmph' and spun, her hands curled in fists, muttering about wool headed fools. Mave looked less than comfortable, though truth be told Ali knew it would be even worse if they hadn't shown up now. If they came for Bel Tine a few days later without introducing her then all of the festivities would halt.

However, after the Wisdom had exited, they actually had a quaint meal for a short while, with delectable but hardy food and Cider that beckoned the tastebuds. "You know I can see how you could handle a few street toughs, if you have to deal with this everytime you come into town." Mave joked, and Ali had to chuckle. "I'm just glad my da isn't here or he'd be questioning me and giving me a talk as well."

Ali saw her cider cup was empty, and volunteered to get her an extra helping. He took her cup when she agreed with a smile, and he made it to the Kitchen. Though in the small corridor leading back, Bran was there, hiding behind the wall. Ali nearly dropped the mug. "Light Bran, what are you doing here?"

"You didn't tell me you had a woman in the house, Al." he said. "I thought we were friends. Here I came over to warn you about a strange fellow and you had a strange woman in there. What if he's her husband!?"

"Don't be stupid. And I didn't tell you because I didn't want you involved in anything that might get you into trouble." Ali explained.

"Why didn't you tell me you were sweet on a girl at least?"

"I'm not." Ali replied vehemently, though his cheeks reddened.

"Well if you aren't, then someone else will be." Bran said, poking his head out of the corner and looking at Mave, who was now being presented a cake and a crown of flowers. Despite the attention, the crown was given to her by a small child cute as a button, and the tastey cake was given to her silently by Mrs. Al'Cagan "She's prettier than Evelyn and Valerie, and a foreigner to boot. How are you so good with women, by the way?"

"You're the one that's good with women. Don't be a fool. Besides, that's not important. I saw the dark rider on the road..."

"What!?" Bran exclaimed, and Ali placed a hand on his mouth. "Sssshh, I'll talk to you later. But be careful."

Ali would come back to their table moments later when Bran went out the back, setting down a cup of Cider for her. "Sorry that took a second." Burn me, but she does look lovely in the flower crown.
@Penny

[Penny]

Mave moved among the children smiling as best she could. Several young women were looking at her. Some seemed envious or curious, others seemed openly hostile, more than a few cast jealous looks at Ali as he headed to the kitchen. Whispered snatched of conversation told her that the story that she and Ali were together had been taken seriously and not a few local girls were less than pleased with this state of affairs.

She sipped at her cider primly, though it was tart and delicious, it had been a long time before she had partaken of anything but tea. Her mind was occupied with the rider and her dark suspicions regarding his nature. Part of her wanted to believe she was just being paranoid but she couldn’t dismiss the uneasy feeling. Consequently she didn’t at first notice when a shadow fell across her table. A clearing of the throat bought her back to the present. The wisdom stood over her, hands on hips, glaring disapprovingly. Mave, having been glared at by Aes Sedai many times, was not particularly moved. It was kind of amusing in its way. Mave glanced at the wisdom and went back to sipping her cider.

“We need to talk young woman,” the wisdom declared at last when it became obvious that Mave wasn’t going to initiate conversation.

“Do we?” Mave asked in a tone of studied disinterest. The woman's teeth ground almost audibley.

“I dont know how they do things where you come from but if you think, you can just show up here out of nowhere and shack up with an impressionable young man! What you have done is…” the wisdoms voice was rising into a tirade.

“Mistress,” Mave said sharply in a tone that wasn’t loud but was clearly audible throughout the tavern. The wisdom’s mouth hung open, clearly unaccustomed at being interrupted. The Inn quieted in an instant as conversations came to an abrupt stop. A confrontation between the Wisdom and the stranger was obviously enough to enrapture the attention of all but a few of the children who were quickly hushed by parents or older siblings.

“What I have done, is suffered the misfortune to be set upon by bandits on the road outside of town,” Mave said in the same clear calm tone. The wisdom’s mouth worked like a landed fish but Mave didn’t give her the chance to recover.

“To my great good fortune Master Baldyr,” she went on, using the formal address to underscore the fact that Ali was a grown man, “was there to drive them off even though they had swords and he had but a staff.” The wisdom took a step back, intimidated by her cool poise and the unexpected forcefulness of her words.

“Furthermore he was hospitable enough to offer me shelter to rest and recover,” she swept the room with her eyes, visually slapping down anyone who was staring at the confrontation.

“An attitude that I had hoped to find a bit more widespread.” Several faces colored at the implication of discourtesy especially among those who had visited the house on the Wisdom’s ‘suggestion’ earlier.

“Now if you take some offense at my presence then that is your own affair and none of mine. Now I would appreciate it if you would leave me to enjoy my meal in peace.” Mave’s words cracked like whips in the silence of the common room. The Wisdom was going a very peculiar shade of crimson and balling her fists so tight they went white. She opened her mouth to speak but Mave cut her off.

“Goodnight to you mistress,” she said and returned her attention to the cake she had been presented. Valerie’s jaw worked convulsively and without another word she spun on her heel and stalked from the common room, parting the few spectators like the bow wave of a ship.

Ali slid back into his seat with a slightly shocked look, sliding a cup of cider towards her, which she accepted but didn’t immediately lift to her lips.

“Sorry that took a second,” he said. Mave gave him a wry smile.

“I’m afraid I haven’t made a good impression on your Wisdom,” she said, feeling a little embarrassed now that the moment had passed. It wasn't really fair on Ali to make the situation worse.

“Not very afraid though,” she corrected with a small chuckle.

[POOHEAD189]

Ali felt tongue tied. Not in his worst dreams did he think Valerie could sneak past him and lecture Mave alone, but he had caught the tail end of it. Not only had she failed in intimidating her, but Mave had sent her packing! Briefly he wondered if he could ask her to stay for protection, not the other way around. What's more, he found it very attractive. I must be insane. "Don't worry, she's needed a talking to for awhile." he said.

"In fact, she's not the only one." He said, looking around suspiciously. They had all quieted down and even looked more demure after Mave had questioned the hospitality of the Inn, but Ali still felt eyes on him from every corner. Maybe he was so disturbed by the Dark Rider's attention because it was like the attention of the women in the village. Being weighed and measured by the very feel, even if he saw no eyes truly on him.

"Well I'm certain they'll settle down in a few days." Mave said, slipping a piece of cake in her mouth and chewing with delight. There was a cold, sweet taste to the icing that complimented the richness of the breading.

"You know it's funny," Ali said, taking a sip of his cider. He hesitated to continue, and only did when Mave's exotic eyes lifted to meet his. "When I found you on the road, I'd thought you Aes Sedai."

She stiffened, eyes widening slightly as he hit the nail on the head. He didn't notice and continued however, looking over his shoulder. "Ridiculous, I know." he chuckled, crossing his strong arms over his chest. "It was the shawl and when that man tripped coming after me. But it seems the most dangerous thing about you is your tongue, which is greatly appreciate because I am not bloody listened to."

"Do you dance?" she asked suddenly.

"What?" he asked on instinct, and suddenly realizing a jaunty tune was being played just outside. A dance was not something that would give the others an impression that they were not smitten, plus he had not danced in three winters! Light he'd be terrible. "I uh, I don't-..."

"Come, dance with me." she said, doing her best to distract him as she laid a hand on his bicep, smiling. His gaze couldn't help but be drawn to hers. "Alright," he nodded, and she led him to the porch where one of the younger boys played a flute. It was Bran's little brother, Braidon, and the song was a less than modest one he was obviously playing to unnerve the older folk, though it did have a catchy tune.
@Penny

[Penny]

Mave wasn't really sure why she wanted to dance. It wasn't something at which she had gotten a lot of recent practice at. Partially it was to move the conversation away from the notion of her being Aes Sedai. That wasn't technically true, but it was close enough that she would prefer he didn't dwell on the matter. Maybe it was because she was certain it would infuriate the Wisdom, or maybe it was because she had been stuck in the White Tower for long enough that she missed it. Accepted were taught to dance in the fashion of a noble soiree but it would have been unseemly for them to engage in the more energetic country dances. Regardless of her motives, obscure even to her, she led Ali out onto the green.

It was a broad expanse of grass that functioned as a village square. Already a Beltane pole had been erected, with pieces of colorful fabric twined carefully around its twelve foot length to avoid flapping in the light breeze. Lanterns were being set out also in preparation of the celebration. There were already several pairs of young people dancing on the grass to the music. Most of them were of an age with Mave and Ali though there were a few older couples and a few precocious younger ones. Several of the older more staid villagers had looks of disapproval on their faces, but they made no mood to stop the impromptu celebration.

The dance was simple enough that it only took a minute or two of watching before Mave, pulling Ali behind her, took her place on the green and they began to dance. It was more fun than she had imagined, all the more so for being a relief from her cares. Why shouldn't she take a moment to enjoy something, soon it would be Beltane and she would have to be on her way but while she was here she might as well enjoy it. Several local girls were giving her hard looks and she realized that Ali must be something of a prize in these parts. An unmarried man with an aging father and a thriving trade must be a match that made mothers swoon. Soon enough she was laughing as the whirled and danced on the green and it was almost a disappointment when the fiddler, a boy younger than Ali, was forced to take a break.

"Its been a long time since I danced," she admitted as they sat breathlessly on one of the wooden benches. As they longued Master al'Cagan came busting over, a concerned look on his face. He was puffing his pipe in and out fast enough that it could only be a sign of nerves.

"Alidrin what is going on, first its bandits, this girl... begging your pardon miss, and now I hear there is some strange man looking for you? WHat have you gotten yourself into boy?"

[POOHEAD189]

Ali had not embarrassed himself nearly as much as he had imagined. His feet had moved well and he took her hand whenever the music called for it. He had to smile, because truth be told he was having a fine time. If you had told him yesterday that a fun girl would pop out of the brush and suddenly start to reorganize his life with her presence he would have called you a fool and to put down the brandy. Now, sitting by her and taking a rest, he felt very satisfied with how the afternoon was turning out.

"Me as well," he replied to her, wiping his forehead with his solid forearm to brush off the light perspiration.

"Alidrin what is going on, first its bandits, this girl... begging your pardon miss, and now I hear there is some strange man looking for you? What have you gotten yourself into boy?"

Both Ali and Mave blinked at the interruption as the old and affable mayor approached, trying to be as congenial as usual, though he was also as blunt as badger. Ali smiled, having an easy way about him. "Is there something wrong with her?" he asked, indicating toward Mave, and the mayor grumbled, shaking his head earnestly, with his hands out as if to settle the two of them down when they hadn't made a move. "No, no she is a fine woman. I'm certain you're a fine woman. Everything is just so strange, please let me know if there is anything you need to tell me."

"I know about the man asking for me, but I don't know who he is." Ali said, his face turning from lighthearted to taking his concerns a bit more seriously. "I've seen him twice the past day, but you need to believe me, Mayor Al'Cagan, I haven't done anything other than help Mave this morning. Maybe he's with them?"

"Maybe, lad. Maybe." The mayor replied, puffing smoke out of his pipe as he tried to think of another protest or reason for these queer happenings. "Your da told me you went to Taren's Ferry yesterday. Did you skip out on paying anyone there?"

"You know I always win at dice. Light, and you know I'm not dishonest enough to cheat someone out of money." Ali said, slightly defensive at the accusation. "I'm not sure what's happening mayor, but I honestly do not know who the man is or what he wants. I stake my life on it."

When he meant something, it was a palpable feeling, as if the world could feel his surety. The mayor nodded, convinced. "Hmmm, very well, very well. But I only ask so the Wisdom doesn't get to you first. Or young Evelyn. Be glad she wasn't here today. That pretty young thing has had her eyes on you for years."

"I'm sure we'll see her tomorrow." Ali said, wanting to change the subject off of the girl. Blood and Ashes, his mother had always said women liked a pair of shoulders but the last few years he'd had more attention than he was used to. He had not known Mave long, but at least she didn't try to tug him around like a dog on a leash. "Thanks for the talk Mayor. Tell your wife we loved the meal." It was clear Ali meant for the questioning to be done, and the Mayor took his cue. "Yes, yes, good talk my boy. Good talk." as he waddled away.

"We'll need to be getting back soon." Ali said, and then he added something else, as if there was someone else speaking for him. "You know, if you're not comfortable with staying at my house, you could stay at the Inn. I'm sure it wouldn't cost any coin." Oddly enough he hoped she refused, but he wasn't about to make her stay at his place.
@Penny

[Penny]

"No, no its fine," Mave said after a moment of consideration. The dusk was growing heavy and they would need to be leaving. The mayor returned walking quickly across the green with a basket in his hand. To Mave's considerable surprise it contained some cheese and a loaf of bread as well as some dried apples. The man cleared his throat in obvious embarrassment.

"You'll be back for the feast tomorrow of course but I know that you aren't fixed to be feeding guests," the mayor muttered the words and Mave sensed they were an apology of sorts for the behavior of the Wisdom and himself when they visited earlier. Instinctively she moved the bread aside to see a wineskin concealed beneath it.

"Thank you master al'Cagan, and I apologize for my outburst earlier, I did not come here to cause dissent," she said carefully but the mayor was already waving her words away.

"Your welcome here Misstress..."

"Kashana," Mave supplied. The Mayor nodded as though the name made sense, though this far from Arad Doman she could have said anything and it would have been equally believeable.

“Mistress Kashana,’ the Mayor repeated and bowed slightly. They stood and waved and started for the edge of the village. Ali took up his staff and Mave wrapped her shawl tight around her shoulders. Beltane eve it might be, but it had been a harsh winter and the seasons grip hadn’t yet been dislodged.

“Should we take the game trails?” Ali asked as they walked into the twilight, the lights of the village twinkling behind them as they headed westwards towards the mountains. Mave shook her head.

“Let take the path,” she said, “I don't think we will have any trouble. Whoever your friend is he knows you aren’t home by now.” Mave didn’t have any such belief and she kept her eyes opened as they followed the path through the moonlit woods. Ali had taken a lantern from the green but he kept it shuttered, it was almost the new moon but the stars were bright enough to see by and they instinctively didn’t want to draw more attention to themselves. Despite Mave’s misgivings they reached the house without incident, and they both felt an unspoken relief as the farmstead came into view. No black figure or dark horse lurked around that she could see. Ali cleared his throat perhaps feeling a little embarrassed at his own fear.

“Well, nothing like a walk in the woods,” he said with giddy relief. Mave smiled at him and gestured to the house.

“Why don’t you go in and get a fire started,” she said, affecting a slightly nervous glance towards the house.

“I’d like to look at the stars a moment,” she said. Ali nodded and gripped his staff, imagining that she was worried about someone lurking inside the house.

“Right,” he said and headed inside. Infact Mave wasn’t concerned that the rider was lurking inside, but she did need a few moments of privacy. Reaching out she surrendered herself to Saidar, allowing the One Power to flow into her like a warm draught of tea. Instantly her senses were sharper, she could hear the chirps of bird and sense the movements of leaves. She began to walk around the house, weaving flows of spirit and air in an intricate lattice work. Some Aes Sedai believed that all students had a particular talent or aptitude when it came to the Power. If that were true Mave’s talent was wards. She completed a circuit of the house, joining the point where she had began before inverting her flows and tying them off.

By the time the ward was in place the light of the fire had appeared in the window and Mave went inside. Ali was closing the windows and latching them, no doubt imagining the rider to be a more prosaic threat than Mave feared.

“It is beautiful in the country at night,” she said as she began to take off her shoes and shawl.

“In Bandar Eban you can hardly see the stars for the city lights.”

[POOHEAD189]

The inside of the house was dark save for the firelit den, though it also gave it a cozy warmth that permeated the air. Ali fetched some blankets and quilts as well for Mave and one for himself to keep his feet warm. He moved swiftly and methodically as usual, humming a tune that spoke of elder days long since forgotten. When she arrived inside, he was just finishing up the sweetened apple oatmeal he had made, and had finished latching all of the windows.

Truth be told he would have boarded them, but his family would be back after Bel Tine and there would already be enough questions on what happened here by the time Mave was gone, much less if he began to shutter up the house as if it were a bloody warzone. As she walked in, she would notice he had changed clothes since he had gone out and checked on the livestock, making sure they had enough feed and hay for the night. He wore a sleeveless shirt of linen that hugged his strong chest, leaving his powerful arms bare. His pants were simple brown trousers of wool, tied together by a loose sash belt of tan cotton.

When he led them into the den, Ali sat down next to her in the warm room, watching her with a curious look. Not out of any boyish thoughts, but an yearning for far away places. "What's it like there?" he asked her as she tasted the food. "In the Arad Doman?"

He hoped she liked it. He'd been told he made good oatmeal. "I haven't been 3 days walk from here since I was born." He confessed, gazing into the firelight.
@Penny

[Penny]

“Truly?” Mave asked as she sat down in one of the comfortable chairs and pulled off the wollen leggings she had been wearing. Crossing her long golden limbs she took the proffered bowl of oatmeal. Weariness was settling into her bones, though in truth the Weaving she had performed had been more taxing than the evenings travel and the dancing combined. Now, by the light of a warm fire, she felt foolish to have bothered with it. Surely her suspicions were nothing more than that and the rider would turn out to be some disgruntled customer of the family business or some such. She had wanted to return to the farmstead so that if things went poorly she would at least not have to worry about innocent bystanders, save for Ali of course, and he had proven that he could take care of himself.

“Well I grew up outside Bandar Eban…” she talked for a time about the wonders of the port city and then about the manor that her family had brought with the money from their trading ventures. Nobility was a fluid thing in Arad Doman and in a few generations the Kashana’s would probably give themselves titles and airs to match their wealth. If Mave hadn’t been taken off to the White Tower, she doubtlessly would have been another brick in that climb, a marriage alliance to a house with ancient title but failing fortunes. She didn’t share that part with Ali naturally, nor did she allude to having travelled to Tar Valon. He didn’t seem to mind, he was a good listener eating up the stories she told him of the vast Almoth Plain or of the storms she had seen on the Aryth Sea and the shipwrecks she had visited on the rocky coast. He was a handsome man, strong and muscular and very different from most of those she had met. The odd shade of his eyes was captivating as well and she could easily understand why he had been the center of attention for the marriageable women of the village. Less understandable was why he was still single when the average age of marriage was low. Possibly this Evelyn she had heard of had plans in that regard. Well in a day or so she would be gone and her disruption to his life would be over. It made her inexplicably sad, he was the closest thing to a friend she had enjoyed since she passed through the arches. Unless you counted Velma Sedai, who while mysterious and intense was hardly friendly.

The fire had burned down low by the time they finished talking and Ali made one last round to check the window latches. Mave doubted he would have bothered but it was obvious that the strange rider wasn’t far from his mind either. For her own part she was comfortable that her wards would keep them safer than the strongest door in the Two Rivers would but she couldn’t share that information. Finally it was time for bed and she gave Ali a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, an act which made him blush almost the shade of his eyes.

“Thank you for today Ali, I had a wonderful time,” and with that she vanished into her bedchamber and lay down to sleep.

[POOHEAD189]

He placed a hand on the cheek she had kissed, and the hug only amplified the warmth he felt. He realized now he would be sad to see her go, and already he considered her more of a friend than most. When she spun and told him she had a wonderful time, he gave a stiff bow. "I did too. Thank you." he said, and when she went to bed he put out the fire, and went to his room, falling into a dreamfilled sleep of a life he would never live.

---

That morning the two got dressed and ate a quick breakfast, having little time to talk as they went about trying to get ready. Ali had never been good at dressing formally, though what passed as formal in the Two Rivers probably looked particularly rural compared to even a middle class dress in other areas. Though he made do, having actually made his own outfit last summer in preparation. Truth be told it was a very handsome garb.

He wore a forest green shirt beneath a formidable brown vest that not only hugged and accentuated his broad shoulders, but still looked practical enough to work in. His trousers were similar to what he had worn last night, though it was better stitched and folded, and the belt was a relatively expensive one, made of black leather with bronze beltbuckle. To his relief, it looked like the livestock and the outer farm had not been touched through the night, which led him to believe that everything would be fine to celebrate today.

"What is Bel Tine like in your village?" Mave asked as they stepped out of the door. She had a way about her that seemed both graceful yet brimming with an intelligent energy, yet another thing that captivated him about her.

"Simple enough, even if a Gleeman doesn't show up, though I'm hoping one will." He said, closing the door behind her and locking it. He grabbed his staff and bid her to accompany him down the road. The morning was as crisp as the previous one, though the sun seemed to be out and about already, meaning likely the weather wouldn't be as cold as the day progressed. "All of the unmarried women will dance around the Spring Pole and the married men will sing as they do so. We'll break to eat, and then dance and sing and watch entertainers at our leisure. New couples often kiss under the cherry bush when its an hour before evening."

Mave glanced at him, and he blushed and chuckled, shaking his head. "I think we'll be exempt from that. Hopefully it will even put it in their heads we're not together since we won't do that."

"I don't know, they seem a stubborn lot. Not that you'd know anything about that." she joked. "And you mentioned Peddlars?"

"Definitely, Peddlars always come by at Bel Tine, even if Gleemen sometimes skip it. With any luck, we'll get both. If you need help haggling, tell me. Usually the same Peddlars show up and they know some of the families here. My da has gotten good prices on various items before."

Thankfully the roads were clear and safe this day, and in no time they made it to the northern bridge. What had been a quaint town yesterday of soft chants and light hearted play was now a full blown festival. Even for such a small town, it seemed extravagant from all of the colors and the singing, and it was yet to be lunch time! What's more, there was a Gleeman there. An elderly fellow with a drooping mustache who simply sat and spoke to the mayor, betrayed by his patched cloak of many many colors. Peddlars as well, selling some of their wares and being asked to give news of far away events.

It all halted abruptly, at least for Ali and Mave as they had just crested the bridge, when they were halted by a beautiful and shapely young woman with red hair that cascaded off of her fair shoulders. Her eyes smoldered with fire, though, and her hands were on her hips. Ali blanched, afraid this would happen. Evelyn Dal'Mara was the loveliest girl in the Two Rivers, and the most eligible and sought after young woman at 19 winters old. Ali might have come to accept her advances if it wasn't for her constantly trying to treat him as a prize to be won and a hog to be snatched and tied.

"You..." she fumed, brow furrowed as she gazed daggers into Ali, giving a scowling glance Mave's way. Light, she acted like they were already married! "Here I am awaiting Bel Tine for you and you show up with this foreign chit?" She grabbed his freehand as if to pull him along. "We're going to see the Wisdom so she and I can knock some sense into you, you oaf."

Turning, she looked at Mave and gave her a smile that dripped poison. "Pardon me for interrupting." and then yanked at Ali again.
@Penny

[Penny]

Mave offered Evelyn a slight Domani bow, the kind which competing suitors exchanged as a sign of mutual respect. Evelyn, as ignorant of the veiled insult as anyone else unfamiliar with Domani custom, merely made a slight Hurrump sound as she dragged the protesting Ali away. Mave didn’t envy him the tongue lashing he would likely receive from the Wisdom, particularly after the altercation the previous evening, but this was Ali’s life and she didn’t expect it would prove fatal.

The village was a riot of color and pageantry. A great table had been laid out over the green, covered with a half dozen tablecloths of splendid reds and whites. Great barrels of porter, piles of fruit and sliced meat had been piled on wooden platters. Here and there were meat pies, pastries and cakes were stacked alongside pots of boiled vegetables. Loaves of bread some of them still steaming, where stacked beside crocks of fresh churned butter and jar after jar of jams and preserves. Pitchers of cider and water sweetened with fruit juice and honey glistened with condensation, clearly having been bought from cellars where they had been kept cool.

Men and women were stacking plates and filling tankards and chatting happily. It was clear that this was a day to which the whole village looked forward and marked the end of the long winter. Mave saw Mayor al’Kagan dressed in an impressive sash of old but well cared for silk. He was speaking animatedly to a gleeman in a patched cloak. Everyone was dressed in their best clothing and Mave, with only her cast off dress to wear, was the odd one out. None the less she was still a center of much interest, a group of girls seemed to hover about her, nervous to ask questions until one plump bloned finally blurted out.

“Are you really marrying Ali?” A barrage of questions followed that Mave answered as best she could. No she wasn’t marrying Ali, yes he had saved her from bandits, yes he was staying at his house, no she hadn’t beaten the wisdom with a bunch of thistles. Yes this was really the best dress she had to wear.She moved through the knot of girls with grim determination heading for the peddlers. There were a pair of them, both standing before wagons which groaned with everything from pots to books to bolts of cloth. A number of goodwives were haggling with the peddlers though Mave had the impression that these were late comers who had missed the early trade. She picked the older looking peddler at random and approached him as a woman hurried off with a roll of lace.

“Ah what can I do for you miss?” he asked, eyeing her dress as a clear sign that she didn’t have much to trade.

“I need a backpack and a knife or short sword,” she said bluntly.

“New boots as well, if you have them. I also need a map, flint, a tinderbox and a new dress if you have one.”

“And how will you be paying for all this miss?” the Peddler asked, “We usually trade on account for bales of wool and…” He fell silent as Mave pulled her pouch from her belt and jingled it significantly. They got down to business.

Mave was just sitting down to enjoy a pie and a slice of bread, trying to ignore the looks from the village women, speculative or disapproving depending on whether they had boys or girls or perhaps husbands with wandering eyes, when she was interupted by a near shriek.

“You hussy!” Mave paused with her pie half way to her mouth. Evelyn was standing across from her, chin raised and hands on hips.

“You do plan to steal him away dont you, that’s why he won't marry me!”

Mave pictured herself as a flower, petals slowly opening to the sun. Finding serenity. Saidar beckoned her but she merely wanted to compose her mind.

“For the last time,” she said in a cold quiet voice.

“I’m not here to steal anyone away…”

[POOHEAD189]

"That is where we differ." A kindly, sage like voice pipped in. And as if out of nowhere, the Gleeman from earlier stood next to the two girls with a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. He clearly sought to give Mave a helping hand in exchange for help himself. "You see I am looking for the prettiest girl in the town to be my assistant on my second trick. Would you be so kind as to help an old man in his trade?"

He gave Mave a stately bow, a practiced one at that. One of the last things you might see in the Two Rivers. The exchange only sought to fuel Evelyn's fires even further. Not only was someone here taking Ali's attention, but this Gleeman just insulted her in front of her bloody face! The look on her face was priceless when strong hands grabbed her from behind and lifted her up, before moving her over. Ali then stepped through where she had been standing. Evelyn looked like a plucked goose, and then proceeded to sashay angrily away, muttering curses.

Ali felt lucky to be alive, so he decided to push his luck and send her scampering. If one were to imagine two large, ferocious bears battling to the death until there was naught but fur and blood left, that was basically the physical manifestation of the conversation Ali had just had with Evelyn and Valerie. Though truth be told, he didn't know how much longer he could keep up denying them. He felt like it was starting to look smarter to just eventually marry her. Who knows? Maybe once she finally got her way she would detract the claws.

Anyway, he would think about that later. At the moment he was excited to see the Gleeman and Mave. For his part, the elderly fellow eyed Ali up and down. "My, you're a strong lad aren't you? Tall too. Not as tall as an Aiel man, but near enough. Strange eyes to boot, ones like I've never seen before. Who are your parents, my boy? What's your name?"

"My father's name is Ryld Baldyr. My mother died years ago, but she was from Tear." He said, as if that was a world away. Likely it was, as far as he knew. "I'm Ali Baldyr, and this is my friend Mave."

"Mave Kashana." She said, smiling happily and accepting the Gleeman's hand as he took hers and kissed the top of it as if they were in a royal court.

"A pleasure to meet you both. You, my dear, have the look of someone from the Arad Doman. Careful boy, she can snatch up men's hearts like you shear wheat! But enough pleasantries, I have a business proposition for you two. I will give each of you three copper peices if you help me with my act. First I will go alone. Swallowing fire, you see. But after, I will need you to juggle, miss Kashana. Can you juggle?"

"A little." she said modestly.

"It would have been better if you said no, but we can work with it." He said, smiling. "And you boy, after her trick and my knives, you can try to lift me up off the ground. But only when I say time, you likely could now with how strong you look, but when I have my audience, I'll pull me trick. Deal?"

After the Gleeman walked off, Ali looked at Mave's hip. "You know how to use a sword?" he asked curiously.
@Penny

[Penny]

Though Mave was pleased to be away from Evelyn and her theatrics, she was less than pleased to be made the center of attention. The last thing she wanted was word of her location to filter back to those who were hunting her. Still there was no practical way to refuse without causing more of a scene. The gleeman nodded happily and moved off to begin starting his performance. Mave glanced down to the sword at her hip. It was a simple thing, a short steel blade with a leather wrapped hilt. Negotiating with the peddlers hadn’t gone well. The villagers had their own craftsmen who did most of the work, peddlers primarily bought in exotic luxuries like silk thread and copper sheeting, which the locals used in their own crafts. Books and parchment and other such things made up the bulk of the trade.

“I learned to use a knife as a girl,” she explained. Domani marriage and courtship rituals involved the use of special marriage knives and most people learned the basics of using one, at least as a game. Mave didn’t truly need a weapon, she had the One Power, but something that caused an opponent to hesitate could be very useful. The sword wasn’t much longer than a marriage knife, but she didn’t intend to try to use it for anything like fencing.

“Your.. umm.. Bethrothed is very forceful,” she said after a moment, giving Ali a teasing look. Her eyes tracked the Wisdom as she strode across the green to acost two young boys who were up to some mischief.

“THere seems to be a lot of that going around in Tarren’s Ferry.”

[POOHEAD189]

"I think now that the...er, introductions are done with, we can get to having fun." He said to her, and gave a wink.

He wasn't far from the truth. The Gleeman performed beyond what anyone could expect! Both the children and the adults gasped as the man 'bit' the flickering flames off of the torch, and blew them out of his mouth moments later. It was a sight to see, and Ali had difficulty wrapping his mind around how exactly it was done. By the time he had realized he was about to go crazy, Mave was up before the crowd and juggling.

Despite the initial sour reaction to her, seeing her tossing the apples skillfully as the Gleeman took the fruit out of the air with knives made the crowd root for her safety, and they were all relieved when she stepped off the stage and took a bow. She was met with more clapping and smiles than the previous judgemental eyes, save the two women who seemed particularly put off by her, I.E. Evelyn and Valerie.

Ali went up next, and the Gleeman spent a short amount of time telling the women to marvel at his physique, something Ali was a bit too bashful to be fully in adherence with. It was over soon though, and everyone marveled when Ali could not pick the man up. Truth be told, the younger man didn't try his hardest, or he felt the strength would have broken a few of the elder's bones. But it was still an impressive feat, nonetheless.

Afterwards when the crowd broke to eat mid afternoon lunch, he paid them three crowns each and thanked them. Luckily, after a bit of food, the festivities seemed to be far more relaxed, though it was time for the dancing and singing. All of the unmarried women and men made their way to the spring pole. Ali reluctantly went, and Mave stood her ground to keep herself out of the local politics as the singing began. It was a spun tale about a healthy farm and a bountiful harvest, almost like a prayer.

Mave began to receive little treats and the beaming attention of young children and older folk, accepting her a bit more openly now that they celebrated Bel Tine with them for most of the events. As the sun began to wane, it was nearly time to head back to the farm, though most people were still milling about, eating, chatting, some played the flute and the lyre, and to Ali's sudden frustration, he saw cherry bush leaves being set up above the Inn door just as he and Mave were about to go through it homeward, with Evelyn standing at the doorway expectantly.

Ali sighed, distraught. "You know, I might as well get it over with." he said. He'd waited too long to not marry, particularly if she was ready to begin courtship. It was beyond his wishes, for the most part. "We'll go back in a second." He said, as if he was about to walk to his death. Light, what was he doing? No, it was what needed to happen. He needed to swallow his pride and do it.
@Penny

[Penny]

Mave caught Ali’s arm as he turned to go her eyes on the darkening sky. Beltane was the new moon and so the thin sliver of silver of the previous night would be entirely absent. Ali tensed uncertainty under his grip and gave her a questioning look, obviously a little relieved to have an excuse to hesitate.

“If we are going to go back to the farmstead tonight, we should get going,” she said quietly her voice strangely intent.

“It isn’t a night we want to be on the road after dark,” she said, her voice quiet and intense. Ali stared at her in perplexity.

“Why not,” he asked glancing about. All around them the villagers continued their happy celebration, making her obvious concern seem all the more out of place.

“I’m not sure,” she replied with her usual infuriating lack of information, “But if we aren’t going to leave soon we should stay at the inn.” Ali threw up his hands.

“We can't stay at the inn tonight Mave, all the rooms have gone to the peddlers and the gleeman,” Ali pointed out. Mave, unfamiliar with the village, hadn’t considered that. Families from farms that were too far to make the trek were also in town overnight, meaning that their wouldn’t be any spare beds.

“Then we should leave quickly,” she repeated, hefting the leather pack she had bought. She had an uneasy feeling that she had tarried too long here, the peddlers hadn’t had half of what she had wanted but it was too late to worry about it. Ali glanced back at the inn obviously torn between whatever it was he needed to do and her urgings. At last he took her arm in his and they headed out of the village.

They didn’t speak much as they made the now familiar trek down the forest trail. Darkness was already beginning to close around them and wisps of cloud veiled the stars save where odd breaks permitted an occasional glimpse. Despite Mave’s fears they reached the house without incident, though she thought even Ali was glad to bolt the door behind him.

“So you are going to leave tomorrow, he asked as she set her pack down and he piled some kindling in the fireplace and struck it to flame with a flint, blowing gently until the fire caught and began to spread over the twigs and branches.

“I think I had better,” she said with a ghost of a smile.

“The Wisdom and your Evelyn will probably be here with torches and pitchforks if I don't, plus your family will be coming back and you won't have space for me.” The words were a little sad, she had enjoyed her time with Ali. He was handsome and brave and dependable in a way that no one had been since she had signed her name into the Novice Book years ago. She was going to miss him.

[POOHEAD189]

Ali's life was saved by the most unlikely person. Braidon Calmere, Bran's younger brother, had decided to play a small prank on Ali. He knew Evelyn would be awaiting at the door, and left a bit of string across tied to one of the beams. The result was Evelyn covered in mud after being accidentally pushed by Ali, and Mave and Ali's subsequent flight out of the Inn and to the other side of town, before they had decided to leave.

But when all was said and done, his mind focused less on the embarrassment of the previous hour and the walk home with Mave, noting just how foreboding the Westwoods truly looked. He believed she was right, it was good to leave early. With his staff in hand, he led her home, though in a way he felt she was guiding him rather than the other way around. His senses were on edge, and even the slightest brush of a thistle or shaking of a branch drew his attention.

Then he decided to speak to Mave to get his mind off of things, and he found it to be a topic he was regretting bringing up. He would miss her too. He nearly began to say 'we can make room' but that would have been ludicrous. It was simply his "can do" attitude of living on the farm, where any situation could be made better with some time and effort and good Two Rivers stubbornness. But truth be told, somethings couldn't change no matter how much you disliked them.

"You know, I might never see you again." he said with a finality of a relatively festive day drawing to a close. He looked down at her lovely face as the birds chirped above them, and he gave her a warm smile. "But I'm lucky to have met you."
@Penny

[Penny]

“Not as lucky as I,” Mave responded truthfully and she raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him briefly on the lips.

“Besides you never know,” she said, though as the words came out she knew that they were a lie. Even if she survived this insane quest of hers, the likelihood was that she would be stuck in the Tower for the rest of her natural life. Good reason or not, runaways were not treated kindly in the White Tower. Even if she managed to attain her shawl after all that her duties would not bring her to this remote region and if they did, well it would be years from now and Ali would certainly have settled down and started his family by that point. He must have read something of that in her eyes because his initial blush died away as suddenly as it had appeared.

“I’m sorry I… I should get some sleep,” she said after a moment and glided gracefully into the room that Ali had given her and pressed the door shut before he could responde. Leaning her weight against it she sank down with her back to the door, her finger in her pouch, tracing the outline of the serpent ring that she had given up so much to win.

An unearthly scream woke Ali from his sleep. It was a sound that no human or animal could make and before he could dismiss it as a dream or a nightmare it came again, a hissing rending cry of murderous frustration. Wearing only his bed clothes he burst into the livingroom seeking his staff. Mave sat cross legged on the floor, wearing only her shift. Her dark eyes glinted in the light of the dying fire which cast her skin in a ruddy amber hue, like fire striking off brass. Her eyes were fixed on the window which rattled with a third scream.

Outside through the glass the dark rider could be seen. Froth dripped from the mouth of its evil looking steed as it pawed at the air, responding to the frantic jerks its rider inflicted upon it. The rider seemed possessed racing up and down some invisible line that only it could see. Outside the wind whipped the trees into a tumult but the black cloak that shrouded the rider did not so much as twitch.

“Light burn me…” Ali said, there was fear in his voice but also anger. This man or this thing had been haunting his steps for days and had now come onto his property in the middle of the night. He reached for his staff but Mave’s hand shot out and seized his wrist before he could touch the weapon. Her fingers dug into his flesh almost painfully and her eyes never left the rider.

“Don’t, you couldn’t best it,” she said quietly. Ali looked at her in shock.

“It?” he asked, the tremor in his voice letting her know that he had his on suspicions. Her eyes flicked towards the books on the shelf. The Travels of Jain Farstrider were there she recalled, although she couldn’t read the binding in the darkened farmhouse.

“It is a creature of the Shadow,” she said, feeling as she spoke the words that she passing a point of no return, shedding the innocence of the last few days like a cloak.

“A Myrddrall, it is called,” she said with the solemnity of a funeral bell tolling. The creature continued to race back and forth at the invisible barrier of her ward, screeching in frustration and whipping its dark steed to a lather..

[POOHEAD189]

"A..." he began breathlessly. Even someone as tall and strong as him seemed just a boy when contemplating what paced around the front of his home. He'd heard the word before. Myrrdrall were the stuff of legends, over a thousand years ago. They were from tales that Gleemen sometimes spun of far away places like the Borderlands. Ali shook his head, looking to Mave to see if she was joking. "No, t-they're just a myth."

Her look of regretful truth spoke volumes when she gazed back at him. A Fade? Here? For him? He didn't know what to think of that, but it made a morbid amount of sense. How he became scared every time he felt the mere presence of the rider, feeling a stare of pure hatred and a cold breeze slithering down the base of his spine as it passed.

How did Mave know? Briefly he considered that the people of the Arad Doman were more accustomed to stuff such as this, but he knew it was more than that. She had been wonderful ever since she had arrived. He had been glad she had kissed him rather than Evelyn, and was still glad. But she was hiding something, and he needed to tell himself yet again that he had only met her the day before.

"What are you doing?" Mave asked as Ali went to grab his staff.

He began unlacing sections of his vest to give him more freedom of movement, a hard determination in his eyes. No, it was a curious mixture of emotions. The fear of death battling with the stubborn anger of a young fighter that had seen enough. "I believe you." he told her truthfully. "And you're probably right. I can't beat this thing. But I have no other ideas. It wants me, not you or anyone else. If I beat him, then it's solved. If he beats me..."

Ali tossed his staff into his other hand as he looked out the window at the abyssal thing that waited to claim his life. "At least my family will be safe." he said to himself softly. What's more, it would likely leave Mave alone too. He realized now he was very glad she had kissed him. It was a good memory before he died.
@Penny

[Penny]

Ali’s bravery in the face of the monstrous thing shook Mave briefly from her fatalistic composure. He was willing to battle it with only the staff in his hands. Perhaps it wasn’t so surprinsng, his staff had seen of the bandits afterall and the simple folk of the Two Rivers solved problems with the simple tools they had, not much given to fretting or worrying about the unnatural.

“You can’t kill it with a staff,” Mave said quickly, “even steel is uncertain.” Ali merely squared his shoulders and reached for the door handle his face set. Mave wasn’t entirely sure that his belief the thing was after him specifically was justified but she couldn’t let him throw his life away. Fortunately the truth was evident enough in her state of detached contemplation.

“Even if you do it won’t save your family,” she said and Ali froze with his hand in mid reach. He looked back at her uncertainty, it was too dark to tell for sure but there was a look of suspicion in his eyes that cut into her. It had been the right choice to keep thing from him, secrecy was always the right choice the Tower, and in this case Mave, believed, but it still hurt.

“What do you mean?” he asked, glancing from her to the fade with quick flicks of his maroon eyes.

“It isn’t acting alone,” she explained, her eyes tracking the things progress.

“Others will know what it knows, other fades, shadow eyes,” she went on. Ali was looking at her with dawning horror, though his grip on the staff remained firm and strong, not giving in to the panic the thing beyond the ward engendered.

“If this one dies, others will come here seeking you.”

“How do you know this?” Ali demanded, an edge to his voice that she couldn’t quite identify. Mave made a gesture towards the frustrated Fade.

“See how it dosen’t approach any closer,” she said, seeming to avoid the question though that wasn’t her intent. The time for secrecy, at least on this matter, was fading quickly. Ali flicked a glance at the shadow figure as it moved up and down the invisible line.

“If it wants me why dosent it come in? Some of the stories say you have to invite evil into your house…” Mave shook her head in dismisal.

“If only that were so,” she said with a sad smile. For a few heartbeats she was silent and then she plunged ahead.

“I have placed a ward around your home,” she explained in a quiet sombre voice.

“It dosen’t keep it out exactly but it would be blind if it stepped over the threshold, the Eyeless fear blindness as much as they fear anything. An irony.”

Ali didn’t look scared, which probably wasn’t a good sign.

“A ward?” he asked deliberately, obviously knowing enough of what that implied that it confirmed his suspicions. Without speaking, Mave reached into her pouch and withdrew the golden ring she carried there. The intricately carved golden circle caught the firelight, reflecting the image of a snake devouring its own tail. She slipped it onto her left ring finger, quite improperly for an Accepted who were supposed to wear it on the left. It was unlikely anyone outside of the Tower or a few scholars at the Royal Courts would know the difference.

“I am sorry Alidrin Baldyr,” she said simply

[POOHEAD189]

It made a frightening amount of sense. He had not been crazy when that man had been thrown. The knowledge she had. The serenity and her dodging his conversation topics. It all came crashing down on him like a hammer on an anvil, and he suddenly felt different somehow. Not fueled with rage, though that certainly lingered on the edge of his periphery. He felt injured more than anything, within his chest. A feeling he wasn't used to.

His hurt then gave way to the anger that had been boiling up. "Who are you?" he demanded simply. He held his staff up as if to defend himself, though he made no move to go on the offensive and harm her. Before she could answer, he then shouted hoarsely. "What else have you said that was a lie?"

"Nothing. Nothing was a Lie!" she said. "I only did what I needed to protect myself, and you!"

Ali seemed stuck between two courses of action, and neither seemed to be good for their current predicament with a Myrrdraal outside pacing. He still held his staff before him, but it looked more like a rigid posture, as if he didn't know what else to do with himself or his hands. "You bewitched me, didn't you?" he asked her. He'd been far more happy and protective of her than he had been for any girl in the village.

She stepped forward, and he braced like a cornered animal. "Don't come any closer." he warned, though his body did not accompany his threat. But with the grace and confidence of a woman from the Arad Doman, and who had survived the initial trials of Tar Valon, she placed a delicate hand on his chest, and then cupped his cheek. Their eyes met. "Nothing was a lie," she said softly, looking into his maroon eyes.

Broad shoulders lowered, and as he looked at her, he could tell she was telling the truth. "I believe you." he replied. Her smile lit up the dark room, but the moment was interrupted by a dark hiss from outside. @Penny