Liked it did you? Very well then, I have no intentions to leave this hanging or to not complete this. I love the books and especially Mat and I'd write this if no one reviewed. But since you are that gives a reason to update more regularly. Thanks to all of you who reviewed.

LD/RS: I know they don't review as much here, but that's O.K. I'll keep this story going. I love to write it. Thanks for the review.

Fox Of Midnight: Is this fast enough of update? I love Mat, he's just so Mat like. Yeah, I got to itching for what happened next so I wrote this. If I have any luck akin to Mat's some of it might happen once I get serious.

Ersatz: Nauseous, really. Fun fun. Don't worry there's gonna be lot's more. I hope I get some reviews.and I have! Yes the spelling is a thing for me. I try to catch as many as I can, but my beta has been slightly overworked so I think I'll do this fic by myself. Tell me if I miss to many and I'll start to send them to my beta. Thanks for reviewing all the same. by the way, love your name. Why'd you pick it. I looked it up.

Demonesss: Don't worry, I won't stop. Wow, you've read all my stories.and liked them! That's gonna leave me smiling for a while. Thanks for the review.

Sras: I really hope it become a decent story. I won't leave you hanging. This might even become a series or at least a decently long fic if I have half a mind to write it that long.

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Chapter two

Answers and Shea Dancers

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Give me your trust, said the Aes Sedai.

On my shoulders I support the sky.

Trust me to know and to do what is best,

and I will take care of the rest.

-Trust is the taste of death- WOT

Upon seeing daylight come thought he cracks under the door of the wagon, Mat opened his eyes a slit to see if Thom was awake. The old gleeman was, and he eyed Mat with a raised eyebrow.

"Up Mat, I've done you no good letting you sleep in. There'll be people after your blood from all of yesterday."

May sighed in annoyance and rolled out of his bunk.. He noticed that a blanket had been draped around him sometime during the night. Changing from the wrinkled silk into a clean linen shirt, Mat donned his green coat before turning to Thom.

There was something that he had not asked him the night before, it had slipped from his mind.

"Thom, Where is Domon and Egeanin?"

The pair were to have shared the cramped wagon with Mat and they had been no where in sight yesterday.

A smile tugged Thom's drooping mustaches upward before he covered it with a cough. "Me and those two had a little talk before you got back to camp, and I.persuaded them to sleep elsewhere for a night or two."

Mat would gave grinned if he hadn't been dreading to face Luca and the rest that day. But he clasped Thom shoulder in a silent thanks. The old gleeman seemed to recognize the appreciation and nodded warmly.

Getting a peaceful nights rests for a while mightn't be too bad, but Mat had to put up with Egeanin when he wasn't in the wagon. And from the looks of things, Mat wasn't going to get any sleep until late tonight, after everyone but Mat Cauthon was going to get their bloody answers and those bloody dice still rolled and tumbled fit to outdo thunder.

The thoughts or dice didn't help to improve Mat's mood any more than Luca ranting in his ear for an hour or two. Light, but if he had to endure one more of Luca's whining he was going to throttle the man with his own purse strings and take over himself.

The Aes Sedai weren't in much better shape. They seemed to think that Renna's murder was going to be paid for in some way. Light burn them and all their ways. The day Mat got a straight answer from any Aes Sedai would be that day he whimpered and licked their wrists.

Try and tell them that she stabbed a woman and they just sniff and give him a haughty glare that women can so easily summon at a moments notice. One more bloody word and he'd give them something to sniff about.

Those Sheanchan go and set them off with another attempt to have them leashed. 'The girls' would behave much better for the bloody Lord Mat if they were to be simply trained properly. Let them bloody well simper when he took them over his knee.

Grumbling and rubbing at his temples, Mat stormed off to find Luca. He couldn't get in a word in edgewise earlier with the man droning in his ear. The Man just would not listen to reason. Oh he was willing and ready to move.when he was good and ready and after he had squeezed every copper he could get. Light, you'd think the man would be ready to at least save his head before thinking of money. But no, with a camp of Sheanchan less than spitting distance away he was worried about a riot over money.

A while later Mat was standing outside of Luca's tent engaged in a rather loud shouting match.

"Blood and ashes! I've given everything into pleasing you and your bloody show and the least you could do is cooperate you light forsaken fool!" Mat threw down his had and stopped on it furiously.

"Your wild schemes have gotten us near nowhere and for all your bloody 'help'. Burn me if you aren't hidin' anything else that could get me bloody drawn and quartered!" Luca fairly spit nails.

"Nowhere! I've bloody gotten you away from bloody Ebou Dar and kept your hide in one piece! You should be bloody well bowing and scraping for what I'm paying you!" A sneer appeared on Mat's face.

"Not near enough it seems! I'm the one running this show, and if you don't like it you can take your bloody Aes Sedai and your bloody Shean-"

Luca cut of abruptly. Partly from the looks he was getting because the Sheanchan he was carting were supposed to be 'maids' and because of the dangerous gleam in Mat's eyes that looked like he was going to snap soon.

In any case he flushed, whether from anger or something else, and cleared his throat. He glared furiously at Mat and turned on a heel yelling orders hotly. Going as fast as he had come.

Mat bent and grabbed his hat from the ground. It was getting quite beat up from it's handling Mat noticed. His vision was swimming from the pent up anger he had left. He could hardly keep his fists from balling. He wanted to take his spleen out on something, but wisely anyone who saw him coming got out of the way fast.

That is until Egeanin spotted him and saw the opportunity to get her own answers out of Mat Cauthon.

"Hold it there Cauthon, the High Lady wants to see you."

Mat ground his teeth in his anger and forced a smile that did not touch his eyes. If Egeanin noticed the dangerous flash in his eyes, she might have stepped clear.

"You can tell Tuon that she can bloody well rot and I might be able to see her when I've got the time."

Egeanin sniffed and anger sparked in her eyes. "You will call her the High Lady." She ground out.

Mat was beyond any warning signs. He sneered openly and fingered the black silk scarf about his neck. "I'll call her anything I bloody well lease. As I recall my lady Leilwin Shipless, did she not tell you that you were to wear a shea dancer's veil?" Let her chew on that.

His smile widened at her startled outrage. Somewhere in the depths of Mat mind, he recalled that could have been the worst things he could have done at that moment. His memory told his that women did not particularly like the title.

Sadly he had no more time to ponder it though. In a matter of seconds he found himself sprawled on the ground feeling as if his jaw had come unhinged.

Egeanin stood over him with her hand still suspended in the air. She had slapped him! More like whacked him with one of the tent poles it felt like. Mat touched his jaw ruefully and then grunted as Egeanin have him a solid kick in the ribs.

"You bloody cur! Light burn you, you miserable excuse for a bloody man!" The kicks to the ribs came furiously until they stopped suddenly and unexpectedly. He looked up from his place of the ground and saw Egeanin standing besides him with Domon next to her.

Oh Light.

In the next instant Domon had his standing upright only to find his fist buried in Mat's stomach.

Burn me and my bloody mouth.

Domon had Mat slammed up against the nearest wagon side and proceeded to do his best to make sure none of Mat's organs ever worked properly again. Mat fought back as best he could considering Domon was much stronger than himself and had the anger of Mat calling his wife a Shea dancer.

Bloody women.

Mat thought of reaching for one of the many knives and daggers her had hidden around his person, but thought better of it. Oh he could stick a knife into Domon, but then there was Egeanin to recon with afterwards.

Mat idly continued his wondering and winced as Domon's fist threatened to snap a few of mat's ribs.

Blood and bloody ashes.

A few more minutes of the beating continued before Domon was pulled way. Mat slid to the ground and wrapped an arm around his chest. Looking up he saw that Domon was being restrained by Thom and Juilin. Both men had to put themselves between him and Mat so that he could not get back to give business of ensuring his painful death.

Looking for all the world like an angry bull, Domon strained against their grasp. Mat's anger had worn off, courtesy of his beating, and left only a dazed look and potentially cracked ribs in it's wake.

With his fury vented in a totally unsatisfying way, Mat half wondered if Thom and Juilin might let Domon go if they had know what Mat had been saying.

Well, maybe not Thom.Mat's dazed look wasn't just affecting his outward appearance and his thoughts were a bit disjointed. Light, but he was tired. A sharp pain ran up his side as he breathed . Maybe he had broken some ribs after all. A darkness began to creep ingot the edges of his vision but he could still see Egeanin shooting him dirty glances from behind the retrained Domon.

Mat was sure he was going to pay for this one. Burn him but he had provoked a woman's wrath, she was never going to let him live this down. Oh Light, a man could weep.

TBC.