Trisscar stood up and pulled her dirk out of the ground with one hand while fingering her marriage knife with the other. She had gotten word that there were people being killed randomly all around the cities of Cairhien, Tear and Far Madding. She was still trying to track down the cloaked assassin from that fateful day. ...never to see the light of day again...
Triss shook her head. The awful events of that awful day were burned into her memory forever. She usually dreamed of that day when she wasn't dreaming about the cloaked man. But having to kill that man made her an assassin, and to earn money in the city of Tear, she assassinated people for a living. Everyone knew to go to her when they needed a job done. An awful, but paying, living.
Sighing, Triss walked around her small camp and doused the fire with a bucket of melted snow and then covered the ashes with fresh snow. Walking over to Swallow she saddled her and attached the bucket and a few other camp items to the packs on the saddle. She was about to swing up onto the saddle when she noticed she was about to leave her bow behind again! That would make it the...fourth time this week? Forgetfulness could get you a blade between your ribs.
Sometimes, she wondered as she strapped the bow to the saddle, I wonder if I should even still wear this marriage knife. I am a widow, a widow of 19 who has lost her husband and children in one day. All in that one damned day! But the women of Ebou Dar wear these and they are quite fashionable. Her mother had bought it for Triss after she had given birth to Fawn and Evan. Her mother had been Ebou Dari. Had been, meaning she was assassinated as well as the rest of Triss' family. Cities are being ruled by terror, she thought, and the High Lords and Ladies, if you please, aren't doing a single bloody thing about it!
Finally Triss was able to swing up onto the saddle and gallop Swallow into Tear. Tonight she would have to make it to Cairhien; she had another job to do. Triss was so lost in thought that she did not see the cloaked man materialize out of thin air until it was too late. The man tried to grab her reins but Swallow kept galloping the direction Triss had set her to without hesitation. The cloaked man was swept out of his saddle but managed to slash Triss right below the eye before he was. Triss was almost swept out of the saddle and righted herself again with a muttered oath.
She tore a piece of cloth from a skirt hanging out of one of her packs and grabbed some snow from a tree as she passed one. She finally managed to get the bandage to stay as she rode through the gates of Tear as regal as Queen Elayne Trakand herself. The Queen of Andor is the rightful and good ruler of Andor, but she didn't want to get interested in politics. Politics on this side of the blight cause all sorts of unwanted trouble.
Suddenly, Triss stopped Swallow in the middle of the road as it suddenly dawned on her. That cloaked man! The fire of hatred burned in her eyes. A cart came from a road leading to her right and the cart driver would've hit Triss and Swallow, had Swallow not moved out of the way in time. Yelling another oath at the driver she started to move Swallow, but paused in the act of doing so. The driver and a few passersby were staring at her in bafflement. Bloody tongue of mine. Sprouting the Old Tongue like I know it when I don't! It was like she had her own and another's memory inside her head. So far she only remembered the Old Tongue...but it was never taught to her, never!
Moving quickly, Triss got Swallow into a canter and rode her past the Stone of Tear where the bloody Dragon Reborn pulled that bloody sword-that-is-not-a-bloody-sword out of the bloody block! Light! She had a tongue on her! Muttering and riding quickly she managed to get out of Tear within a half hour. She went onto the North road and realized that she didn't have the time to stop in at Far Madding or Caemlyn. Caemlyn would be packed after Daughter Heir Elayne Trakand had been raised to the throne. Triss had also heard that there was an army of Dragonsworn attacking Caemlyn. Well, she would just find out for herself if it were true or not.
Triss raced Swallow to the North, toward Far Madding, Caemlyn, Cairhien, and her job.