A/N- A lot of the scenes are similar to the book as you will see. The reason for this is that my favourite scene in all of book one was Rand meeting Elayne and Morgase. I have to have something similar in my story. This will be standard pairings, though I have something in mind for Lanfear.
Just in case…
DISCLAIMER: All characters, places and concepts in this story belong to Robert Jordan. This story is not intended to make profit or gain, and is written purely for pleasure. As far as I am aware, Robert Jordan has not expressed a negative opinion regarding Fanfiction concerning the Wheel of Time saga, but if he were to do so then this story would be removed immediately.
I wrote that because it was a legal thing, and because yesterday I read the opinion of an author named Robin Hobb regarding her views of Fanfiction. In my opinion, she protested a little too vehemently, but I find myself guiltily agreeing with her opinions. Of course, that isn't going to stop me writing but still, I want to lay the credit where it is due.
On a peaceful country road, a cart clattered along the ground as a brown mare pulled it along, stirring dust in the air. On the cart, handling the reigns was a elderly man with white hair and crinkled eyes, while sitting next to him was a young boy, maybe thirteen, with reddish brown hair and grey eyes. As the cart rose over a hill, the boy leaned forward and gasped at his first look at Caemlyn.
Rand couldn't stop himself from gasping in amazement at the gigantic city in front of him. He had though that Baerlon and Whitebridge had been impressive, but this city outshone them all. A great wall that was fifty-feet high and made from pale grey stone streaked with silver and white, was swept out from north to south in a great circle, with towers rising along it's length. Buildings were clustered outside the wall, larger than Baerlon, Two Rivers, Whitebridge and any other town he had passed.
The farmer next to him, named Bunt, grinned at his wide-eyed expression. "What did I tell you? The greatest city in the world!"
Rand nodded absently as he gawked. Bunt continued riding the cart through the outer streets, which were filled with people, and made his way to giant gates. Several white and red uniformed men stood with gleaming armour and shiny lances, keeping the peace as a steady flow of men, woman and children flowed in and out.
The cart made its way past the gates and into the streets past the giant walls. Buildings rose on small hills, as steeping stones to the centres, and another wall was built on the highest of these hills. Towers of white with golden domes stood erect along this wall and Rand summarised that the nobles and Queen must live beyond the walls.
"Here you go, son." Bunt said as he parked his cart along the side of a busy street. He frowned as Rand pulled out ten silvers and shook his head. "No, you keep them. You have earned your due with your delightful music."
Rand sighed and dropped the coins in the cart. He bowed once to the aging farmer and turned around, stepping into the busy street.
There was a certain tenseness and vigilance that surrounded the people of Caemlyn. Red and white uniformed men, soldiers of the Queens Guard, stood at every street corner. Rand almost had a fit when he bumped into a Whitecloak, and muttered apologies as the man pushed him away without a second thought. He kept his hand on his hilt, hiding the Heron-mark from inquisitive eyes as he leant back against the wall.
There was also a certain fashion trend that appeared to be happening among the citizens. Men and women wore red or white bands across their arms or sword hilts. Similarly, men with red bands and sashes glared at other men with white sashes or bands. His eyes rooted out a stall seeling fabric purely of red and white and he crossed the street.
"Good day," Rand greeted.
The old crone behind the stole grunted. "What do yo want?" she grumbled.
Rand picked out a red piece of cloth to hide his sword hilt, mainly because it was cheaper and paid the woman.
"I see a lot of people are wearing red or white." He said casually.
"Hmph. In my day, our loyalties lay with the Red Lion of Andor, our Queen." The crone snapped. "Now we have these white-banded fools supporting the Whitecloaks, practically worshiping the ground they walk on."
Rand, who had been examining a piece of white fabric felt dread in his stomach. "White is for the Children of the Light?" He asked.
The old crone nodded and Rand dropped the white fabric.
"Thankyou for your warning." He said politely.
"It's good to see youngsters supporting the Queen." She said, smiling a wrinkled smile.
Rand smiled politely back and moved back into the crowd, his mind a whirl. He had not forgotten the night where Whitecloaks had ambushed Patrak, and he had not forgotten the slack and terror filled features of the two dead men, whose blood lay on his hands. He knew it had been the right thing to do, but he did not enjoy killing men.
Rand continued his explorations of the city as the days went past. He had booked a room in an inn called The Queens Man. Several bulky men had been sitting down and had glanced over him, noting the red band of cloth on his hilt. That had been all the inspection they needed and Rand had hired a small room out for two silvers a night.
One day, Rand had been walking up on the hills closer to the inner wall when he had encountered an unfriendly face. Opposite him on the streets was a Whitecloak with a bandage across his arm, exchanging words with a group of six of his ilk. For a moment Rand stood still in shock. It was the Whitecloak who he had shot an arrow at just past Baerlon. The Whitecloak moved his eyes across the street before coming to a halt on Rand. Recognition and a burning hatred flashed through the brown orbs and he shouted something, pointing at Rand. Rand took one look at the swords, lances and bows of the Whitecloaks and ran.
He bolted through a sea of trees, thin branches whipping at his face as he jumped over logs and ducked limbs. Behind him, he could hear shouts and hollers as several people crashed through the trees as they chased him. Rand panted for breath as he ran past the trees and up a small hill, looking back to see seven Whitecloaks following him. The wall approached quickly and Rand groaned under his breath. He turned around, his eyes scanning for any Whitecloak as he leaned back against the wall. He felt the rough and uneven edges dig into his back and he ran a hand over the large wall. There were grooves and edges, worn through the rain and weather. The Sand Cliffs at Two Rivers had been higher and he had climbed them. Without a second thought he started to scale the wall, his fingers finding holes and his leather shoes finding edges. Suddenly, something flashed past his ear with great speed and smashed next to his head. Rand lost his grip and he fell three metres to the ground. Next to him laid an arrow, the head completely crushed by the impact against the wall.
"Get him!" Somebody shouted from behind him and Rand wobbled up to his feet…just as pain blossomed through his left shoulder. Rand gave a cry of pain as he stared down and surprise and shock clouded his thoughts. A sleek arrow jutted from his shoulder and Rand gingerly touched it, trying to pull it. Another wave of pain streaked through him and left him panting as he stared up at the approaching Whitecloaks, one with a lowered bow and a victorious smile.
"It appears that we've caught a Darkfriend." The bowmen growled in amusement.
Rand said nothing as he sought the void, but it slipped away from him as pain lanced through his body. The Whitecloak with the bandages shoulder grinned in vicious humour.
"It hurts. I know." He said angrily. He spat at Rand as he unsheathed his sword. "For the murder of three Children of the Light, you shall be executed."
Rand stared numbly at the sword, watching as it glittered in the sunlight. For once, Rand felt his adult-like composure slip away. He was going to die…
"You down there! Leave him alone!"
Rand blinked as he craned his neck up, to see a figure in the trees. It was a girl, with clothes so fancy that it made him blink. A dark blue velvet cloak with fur trimmed at the collar covered a skirt with silver lining. A tiara was settled in a nest of hair and a necklace with a ruby in the centre was draped across her neck. The girl was maybe two or three years younger than him, with an oval face and red-gold hair in curls. Blue eyes stared at the Whitecloaks unflinchingly as she balanced herself on a tree branch.
"I mean it! I shall call the Guard!" The girl said haughtily.
"You seek to help a Darkfriend?" A Whitecloak called out.
The girl narrowed her eyes. "I hear that Whitecloaks accuse people of being Darkfriends, then use evil means to get the answer they want out of the accused."
"Then you are a Darkfriend sympathiser." The bowmen said and notched an arrow, raising the bow. The girl gasped, gripping the tree as if she couldn't believe it.
"Y-You can't kill me!" She spluttered in fear.
"Repent your sins and walk with the light."
"There's nothing to repent!" The girl said fearfully, her eyes trained on the arrow.
"Then you leave us no choice."
Rand saw the girl, saw the bowmen and sought the void. It slipped away from him but he pushed everything aside, his fear, his anger, his pain, and shoved in an imaginary flame deep in his mind. He suddenly grasped it and his pain dulled to the point where he could ignore it. He unsheathed his sword just as the Whitecloak took aim and jumped forward. Slicing the Silk met flesh and the bowmen made no sound as he fell to the ground.
The bow fell loosely from his hand and the arrow was released, striking the branch closest to the girl's head. She gave a shriek as she unconsciously jumped back, and lost her balance. She was flying, soaring as her hands desperately tried to grab hold of something, before she cleared the large tree and her hands found the top of the wall. She held still for a moment as the sounds of battle drifted to her ears.
Rand moved with every bit of skill Tam had ever taught him. There were no reservations, no second thoughts, and no chances for mercy. In ten seconds, he had been slashed across the chest with a sword, and had brutally hacked away at three Whitecloaks. The pain in his arm was great, he could feel it through the emotionless barriers of the void, but he fought viciously like a cornered and enraged animal. As two more Whitecloaks fell to his flurry, somebody grabbed him from behind and threw him to the ground.
Rand twisted around, his hand reaching for his dropped sword as the last Whitecloak jumped upon him with his hands around Rands throat. For a moment, Rand was lost in the madness that appeared in this mans eyes. He struggled from breath, lashing out with his arms and legs. His sword was mere centimetres away from his fingers as he sought to overpower his opponent. But Rand was just a boy on the verge of manhood, and the Whitecloak was much stronger than him. Black clouded his vision as he went dizzy, it seemed like hours as the hands squeezed and squeezed, before they amazingly went slack as the Whitecloak slumped over. Rand immediately drew a gulping breath, panting as he kicked the Whitecloak off him and took his sword from the ground, leaping up. The girl stood there, her eyes wide with a bloody dagger in her hands.
Rand stared at her as she composed herself rather quickly for a child.
"Are you well?" the girl asked Rand.
Rand nodded, still clung to the void. "And you?" He asked.
The girl nodded slowly. "Yes. I am fine. You do not look fine though, you are bleeding on the chest and you have an arrow in your shoulder!"
"Is that where you live, over that wall?" Rand asked, ignoring her as he gestured at the gleaming white wall. The pain was very bad now, as it assaulted him within the void and made him waver and tremble.
The girl's eyes flickered with surprise but they smoothed over. "Yes. Mother is going to be angry with me. She says that I shouldn't be climbing trees."
Rand nodded and approached the wall. "Come, I will help you over."
The girl hesitated. "I can't climb that." She said, frowning.
"Hold on to my back then." Rand offered. The girl had saved his life; the least he could do was show her home safely. Then he would get back to the Queens Man and ask the Innkeeper for a good Wisdom.
The girl approached Rand and hesitantly clung on to his back, her arms encircling his neck. They tightened as he began his climb, using the grooves and edges to hoist himself up until he reached the top and he sat on the wall. The girl hesitantly let go and took hold of a tree branch, swinging herself over and back onto the tree with a practised ease. Rand started to make his way down the wall again when,
"You're just leaving?" The girl asked.
Rand twisted his head around to speak to her and stumbled on his seat. He grabbed hold of the same branch the girl had as he tumbled over backwards. There was a creak and a loud snap as the branch came down under his weight and he fell to the ground, landing on his feet but falling over. Pain threatened to break down his struggling hold of the emotionless void.
"Stay still." Came a soothing voice and he looked up to see the head of the girl over him. She reached into a waist belt and pulled out tiny bottles of something, and ground herbs, and started to fiddle with them. "I've never done this on a human before." She admitted as she made a fine paste.
"That's not very reassuring." Rand muttered.
"I said hold still!" The girl commanded, her tone of voice expected to be obeyed.
"Do you expect everybody to do as you say?" Rand snapped in anger when she put her hands over the cut in his chest.
Rand could only see her lips curve upwards. "Yes."
Soon, the biting pain in his chest dulled and holding the void became much easier. Still, there was a lot of pain to go around and it was immediately replaced by the aches in his legs. The girl pulled out a silk handkerchief, a embodied blue and red piece of fabric that could have easily bought a horse in the Two Rivers. She placed in on his chest and tied it to his vest.
"There. Let us look at that arrow." She said briskly. She leaned over, placed a hand on the arrow shaft and snapped it. Rand gave a grunt of pain as the vibrations shifted the arrowhead in his shoulder.
"I'm Rand al'Thor, from the Two Rivers." Rand suddenly said.
"I am Elayne." The girl replied, frowning worriedly. "I have ground Dwarfroot into the wound to relieve the pain. You best let Mistress Lini look at that. I dare not touch it anymore than I have to."
Rand staggered up, dizzy and hurt but feeling much better than before. "You saved my life Elayne."
"You saved my life Rand al'Thor." Elayne said solemnly, so unlike the girls he knew at the Two Rivers. "I say that it clears the debt."
"I owe you a debt, you saved my life twice and relieved me of my pain." Rand said. He touched his cut gingerly and braced himself, letting go of the void. Suddenly he could feel everything again, the aches and pains and heat, but he stood tall. It was not as bad as before, his wounds were numbing due to Elayne's herbs.
"Elayne?" A voice called, male and sounding his age. A boy, a little shorter than Rand but roughly his age appeared, dressed in well-tailored clothes. His hair and eyes showed him to be kin of Elayne and he started upon seeing Rand, his eyes flicking over his clothes, the wounds and the bloody sword on the ground.
"Be calm Gawyn." Elayne commanded. "He means no harm."
Gawyn nodded slowly, his hand touching the hilt of a dagger on his belt. "Who is he?" He asked.
"His name is Rand al'Thor, from the Two Rivers." Elayne said, brushing her skirt off as she stood up.
"Two Rivers. That's west, very far west indeed." Gawyn muttered. At Rand's startled look he shrugged. "I am instructed to know all of the provinces in Andor."
"Gawyn, where is Elayne?" Came another voice as an older boy, tall and slim appeared. He was very handsome and dressed in clothes similar to Elayne and Gawyn. He had a sword on his belt and appeared just as Rand was picking up his bloody sword from the ground. Instantly, with a scrape of metal on metal, his sword was out and his eyes narrowed and hard.
"Elayne, back away." He said curtly.
Rand watched him warily, wiping his blade on the grass and sheathing it back in his scabbard.
"Don't be silly," Elayne said derisively.
"He is armed!" The boy protested.
"He is my guest!" Elayne said sharply.
The boy hesitated, his sword still pointed directly at Rand.
"Do not be foolish Galad. He would defeat you easily." Elayne said, scorn in her voice. "Now leave us!"
Galad hesitated and sheathed his sword. He stalked away quickly and Gawyn sighed.
"He has gone to get the guards." He explained to Rand.
Rand said nothing, suddenly tired and drained. He noticed a glint on the ground and approached Elayne's dagger, picking it up and examining it. It was a very well made weapon, wrought in steel and silver with gems on the hilt. He handed it to Elayne, who took it gingerly and wiped dark crimson blood on the grass. Gawyn did not miss the exchange.
"What happened?" He asked worriedly. Suddenly pounding footsteps could be heard as red-cloaked guards in white armour appeared from everywhere. Some held swords, others held bows and they rushed towards Rand, Elayne and Gawyn, circling them. Swords were aimed at Rand; bows loaded with arrows and drew back. In the space of ten seconds, twenty guards surrounded Rand.
Elayne didn't hesitate and threw herself forward, shielding Rand with her own body. Simultaneously, the bows were lowered or directed away as an officer with a gleaming golden knot on his shoulders rushed forward.
"Lady Elayne!" He gasped.
"I claim guest-right for this boy." Elayne said sharply. "Do you dare bring bared steel on my guest?"
The officer hesitated, obviously confused. "We were told by Lord Galadedrid that an armed intruder was on the grounds…"
Elayne drew herself up, making herself taller and more intimidating. For a moment, Rand thought there was something that he did not know, something important about Elayne.
"Do you wish to put him in the cells? Very well, as he is my guest I shall follow him!" Elayne said smugly. "Or you could take us to Mother."
The officer looked perplexed but signalled his men. Swords were sheathed and bows lowered and Rand relaxed his grip on his own sword.
"Very well then. Let us see Mother." Elayne said and gestured to the Captain. "Lead on."
As Elayne, Rand, Gawyn and several guards travelled through the palace, Rand barely looked at the magnificent decorations. His cloak his arrow wound as he turned to Elayne as they walked.
"Who is your mother?" He asked.
Elayne just looked at him impassively as the guards muttered to themselves and Gawyn appeared stunned.
"Morgase, by the Grace of the Light Queen of Andor, Protector of the Realm, Defender of the People, High Seat of the house Trakand." Elayne answered simply.
"You're the daughter-heir?" Rand asked in shock, almost stumbling over his own feet. "Ah…My lady?"
Elayne sighed. "Yes," She answered.
As the group approached a set of doors, the officer approached Rand, reaching for the sword that lay on his belt.
"Do you forget the privileges of guest-right?" Elayne asked sharply. "He may go armed throughout the palace, even in front of my Mother."
The Officer sighed, obviously used to Elayne and turned to the doorkeepers. "Announce the Lady Elayne and Lord Gawyn to her majesty. Also, Guardsmen-Captain Grimol with an intruder."
Elayne scowled at the Captain, but the doors were already swinging open with a voice announcing those who came. Elayne swept through the doors, and Rand followed her as Gawyn nudged him. Inside was the most impressive hall he had ever seen, but he kept his eyes on the people in front of him. Two women sat in chairs, one chair a grand-like throne and the other on the left-hand side of the other, a rocking chair. A man with greying hair stood proudly by the arm of the throne, while a woman with a face neither old or young and dark hair paid no attention to the procession, content on knitting away. Rand recognised her, with a chill, to be an Aes Sedai. He tore his eyes to the throne as the party approached it. A woman that was a mature and older version of Elayne sat there regally, her head held high. She was very beautiful, with Elayne's hair and eyes, and she regarded the party with no emotion in her eyes. Suddenly Elayne stopped and curtsied, dropping to the ground. Next to him Gawyn knelt down on one knee, placing his right knuckles on the ground and touch his sword hilt. Rand tried to imitate him, but spasms of pain rippled through his shoulder as he tried to bend, so he merely bowed his head and touched his sword. There was an indigent start from beside him and he could see the Captain glaring furiously at him. He paid him no mind and waited.
"Rise." The Queen said calmly.
Elayne stood, appearing just as regal as her mother.
"Elayne my Daughter, it appears you have been climbing trees. Did you take a fall, there is blood on your skirt?" Morgase asked.
"No Mother, the blood is that of two others." Elayne said calmly. A shiver ran through her that she stopped but she clenched her fists together. It was then that Rand could see that despite her brave face, she had been and still was terrified.
"And whose blood would that be?" Morgase said, her voice suddenly become more dangerous. Her eyes appeared to harden as even the Aes Sedai looked from her knitting.
"The blood of one is the boy who stands next to me, the boy who could not bow because of the arrowhead in his shoulder. The other is the blood of a Whitecloak, which I k-killed." Elayne answered, only stuttering at the end.
The guards shifted beside him, anger appearing in their eyes.
"Whitecloaks attacked you?" Morgase asked in anger, fury rolling of her in waves.
"Not at first Mother. I was sitting in the tree when…" Elayne told the tale of Rand running up the hill, trying to climb the wall, getting struck by the arrow, Elayne telling them to stop, Elayne falling and the battle between Rand and the Whitecloaks, how she killed a Whitecloak to save him and how he helped her over the wall and fell. She fell silent as the tale was finished.
"If I did not see the blood dripping from the boys hands then I would be hard pressed to believe you." Morgase said. Rand blinked and glanced down, pushing aside his cloak. Sure enough, blood was pooled around the wound and running down his arms, dripping from his fingers. "Elaida, if you would heal him."
The Aes Sedai put down her knitting and stood, and Rand recognised the dark hair and the face. She had been part of the circle that had gentled him when he was a child. When she approached, he stepped backward.
"I thank you, but I must decline." Rand said slowly. Elayne looked surprised as she gazed at him and Morgase sat up straighter, regarding him with a speculative gaze.
"Do not be foolish boy." Elaida said.
"I will not let an Aes Sedai touch me, especially you!" Rand spat out.
Elaida looked briefly surprised at the tone of voice. She gazed over at him and suddenly smiled. "Ah, yes. I remember you. Rand al'Thor."
"Yes, You were part of the circle that gentled me." Rand said resentfully.
The guards suddenly shuffled as they stood back, gaining more room as they put their hands on their swords. Gawyn shuffled in front of Elayne, his hand of his knife and suddenly Rand was the most observed person in the room. Male channelers were things to be feared, even when gentled.
"Yes, I remember now. I was on business for the Red Ajah, just briefly. You were young then, just a child." Elaida recalled. "We saved you from yourself."
"And I thankyou. But as one who can channel the True Source, you must know that I must hate you for gentling me, even if it were for my own good." Rand said bitterly.
Elaida regarded him with dark eyes, before returning to her seat. For a moment, there was a silence in the room that only broke as Elayne pushed Gawyn aside and approached Rand. She lifted up his cloak and examined the arrowhead wound again. "If you want, I can try to take this out for you.
"I trust you." Rand said, leaving his statement unfinished. Elaida shuffled and Morgase looked intrigued as Elayne pulled out her dagger and with a quick apology, dug it into the wound. Rand cried out in pain, before he sought the void and stood as still as a statue. He felt the pain echoing the corners of his mind, the dagger digging in new wounds and reminding the old wounds that simple herbs could not numb them. There was a clink of the ground as Elayne dropped something to the ground, an arrowhead, her hands bloody as she retracted them and dug into her belt pouches. After the paste had been administered again, she looked for a rag.
"Here." Rand said as he pulled away the red cloth from the sword hilt, exposing the heron-mark.
The guards were shocked even more, and once even tried to unsheathe his sword before Morgase shook her head. Elayne tied the rag across his arm and smiled.
"There, you stubborn puppy. All better." Elayne said, part mockingly, part something else.
Rand smiled, a true smile of thanks as he released the void.
"You have a heron-mark, the sword of a Blademaster." Morgase said loudly.
Rand bowed his head slightly to her, already feeling better. "I earned it from my father. After I was…gentled," here he gave Elaida a look that she returned stonily. "I was encouraged to find an extreme goal and quest towards it, to give me the will to survive."
"Is it official?" Morgase questioned.
"No." Rand admitted.
"He is a Blademaster." Elayne said abruptly. "I saw his skill."
"Yes, the Whitecloaks." Morgase muttered. She turned to the man beside her, who had stayed silent so far. "Gareth, what do you recommend?"
"My Queen, it is possible that the Whitecloaks did not recognise Elayne. Still, they dared to attack a ten-year-old girl and kill a boy. I suggest that we do what we should have done three years ago, ban them from Caemlyn and evict them from Andor."
"There will be public unrest." Morgase said shrewdly.
Gareth shrugged. "Not if the reasons become clear. Let it be known that they tried to murder the daughter-heir and people will join the Queens Guard in the hopes of fighting Whitecloaks."
Morgase was silent as she thought outloud. "I have been lenient to the Children of the Light." She muttered. "Perhaps too lenient. This cannot go unanswered for. Gareth, do as you will."
Gareth bowed. "May I suggest that we find out why Whitecloaks were chasing Blademaster al'Thor?"
Morgases eyes shifted to Rand. "I was a merchant guard near Baerlon when four Whitecloaks attempted to rob the caravan I was protecting. One of them survived and fled, and spotted me in Caemlyn."
Morgase nodded. "I have had reports of Whitecloaks acting as bandits. Gareth?"
"There shall not be a single Whitecloak within Caemlyn in a week, none in Andor within a month."
"Excellent. Now, Rand al'Thor, what to do with you?"
"Mother, please, show mercy. He saved my life!" Elayne begged, getting to her knees.
"Hush child. I meant, what reward should we grace him with?" Morgase said with a small smile on his face.
Elayne's cheeks went red as she scrambled to her feet, shooting Gawyn a glare as he struggled not to smile.
"What do you want, Blademaster?" Morgase continued. "Gold? Jewels? Land? A noble title?"
Rand stared blankly at her. "I do not know, your majesty."
Morgase nodded. "Have time to think and ask again later, and you shall have it…within reason."
Rand nodded and bowed his head again.
"May I ask where you come from, Blademaster?" Gareth suddenly asked.
"The Two Rivers." Rand answered.
Gareth cocked his head, just staring at Rand with a blank expression.
"With red in your hair, and grey in your eyes?" Elaida asked calmly.
Rand stiffened. "My mother was an outlander." He responded calmly. "My father is Tam al'Thor. He served in the Aiel war and bought my mother home when it was finished."
"So your mother was Aiel?" Elaida asked.
"No, I don't think so," Rand answered, getting frustrated. "What does this have to do with anything?"
"You are the perfect picture of an Aiel." Gawyn spoke up for the first time.
Rand had nothing to say to that.
"Mother, I have come up with an idea for Rand's reward." Elayne said abruptly. She straightened up, brushing down her skirt as she fiddled.
"Yes daughter?" Morgase asked with her eyebrow arched.
"It seems that I am not safe in Caemlyn. I was attacked in the palace gardens themselves, and with the Whitecloaks being evicted; there will some who will blame me. I need…" Elayne said, almost to the point of babbling.
"We can post guards to your…" Gareth began.
"I need a bodyguard." Elayne finished.
Morgase started in surprise, her eyes flicking over to Rand. "And you suggest the boy?"
"Yes Mother." Elayne said meekly. "I find him to be an excellent swordsman."
"I'm sure you do." Morgase said dryly, hinting at something that eluded Rand. Gawyn gave him a grin and indeed, even the guards were shaking their heads ruefully. "What of it Rand al'Thor? Do you object?"
Rand blinked in surprise, swivelling his head to see Elayne, who was watching him with the barest of a pleading expression. "I…" He trailed off. He straightened and managed a deeper bow than before hissing in pain. "I would be honoured, My Queen."
"Morgase…" Elaida began.
"No Elaida, would you have me break my word? This is a gift I can give to him within reason, and indeed, he may save my daughters life again in the future." Morgase said sharply. She turned to Rand. "Do you have any belongings?"
"They are in room 14, in the Queens Man inn." Rand told her. The numbness of the aftermath of a battle was beginning to wear off and he suddenly felt very tired.
"I shall send some guards to pick them up. In the meantime, I suggest you see a Healer. After all, the Defender of the Daughter-Heir needs to be able to use both arms effectively." Morgase finished.