Gareth Bryne was storming towards his tent with his still dirty shirts in his fist. Flaming woman, sometimes he wondered if she was taking so little care with his laundry just to spite him or if being Aes Sedai for thirty years and Amyrlin for ten years simply has taken any ability for doing laundry, if she ever had had some to begin with. With a sigh he realized that likely both were true. Nevertheless, he intended to give her the sharp side of his tonge for a change.

When he reached the tent he roughly pulled the entry open and all thoughts of scowling were removed from his thoughts by a pair of blue eyes staring at him in shock. Siuan was cowering on the bed weeping. Gareth dropped the shirts and was by her site in a heartbeat, smoothing away the tears on her cheek with his thumb. „What is amiss?", he asked. Siuan was staring at him wide eyed and had obviously forgotten how to breath. Suddenly realizing how close he was to her, he removed his hand from her face, but stayed on his heels in front of the bed. „What is it?", he asked again. „My Warder, Alric, was killed when Elaida ursurped the Amyrlin Seat", she finally breathed. „The pain of loosing him was masked when I was stilled, but now that I am Healed I feel the full strengh of it again. I can handle it most of the time, but sometimes it becomes too much."

„I see." Rising to his feet, Gareth Bryne felt a fool. She was weeping over another man. What was he doing? Keeping her close and having her do his laundry, to what end? He was studying her beautiful, smooth face with these intensive blue eyes, framed by long brown hair. She looked young enough to be his granddaughter. It was time to give up this madness. „The Amyrlin has offered to pay your debt. It will not bring back your Warder, but at least you will be rid of me." „No!" The force with which she jumped off the bed took Gareth aback. „I swore an oath to settle my debt and I mean to keep it." „If the Amyrlin pays me the remaining money, your debt will be settled. Your oath would be fulfilled." „I said no", she replied fiercly.

Gareth did not understand what was happening. He had wondered why she had never asked the young Amyrlin to pay her out herself and had assumed that her pride had kept her. But having it offered without having to beg for it was a different thing entirely. „But you hate me", he said, fighing to keep the pain out of his voice, „you hate working for me". Her face was completely blank showing perfect Aes Sedai serenity, if it had not been for her still wet cheeks. „I don't hate you", she said so quietly he could hardly hear her. „I love you, and I would do almost anything to stay close to you, even wash your dirty underwear."

Shock rooted Gareth to where he stood. He could not believe what he had heard. Oh he had dreamed of this of course, but he had always known the dreams to be exactly that. The color rising in Siuans cheeks brought him back to the present. „Do you really mean this?" She noddend, reddening even more. He crossed the space to her in two quick strides and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her softly. Her lips were full and soft and slightly wet from her tears. He was almost surprised when she pulled him even closer to her.

Finally, he drew back slightly to look at her. The red of embarrasment in her cheeks had been replaced by the heat of the moment, her hair was slightly distraught. She had never looked so beautiful before. „I loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you", Gareth said. „When you ran away, I told myself I was just going after you to learn why you broke your oath. When I found you and learned who you were, I told myself I was just holding you to it because I had the right. When the Amyrlin asked me to be her general, I told myself that her cause was legitamite. Truth is, I couldn't let you go." A smile appeared on her face that made her eyes shine. „You won't have to", she said, „but will have to find somebody else to wash your shirts."