The Dream Weaver
Chapter 1
The trip to the Two Rivers was rather uneventful, even if Elayne's desire to venture off away from the planned route nearly made it so a number of times. Galad, at the least, made sure that his baby sister was at camp every morning and was not gone for daily hygiene longer than necessary after her first attempt to bolt. While he didn't understand why Elayne was so insistent to get away entirely after their mother let them leave (not only in the first place, but also without a bubble of guardsmen to protect them from the horrors of the world), Galad knew he was responsible for the safety of his siblings and worked to make them so. Besides, she was his sister; Galad already had to participate in the joys of diaper changing from when she was younger. Not much else can change that perception of her (though her toddling habit of running around the palace as clothed, or unclothed, as the day she was born did enforce it).
The only odd thing about the trip was the weather. The prevailing cold made traveling harder than originally anticipated, making the fact that they only had limited supply of money from their accounts more prevalent. Instead of going only to the best inns like they had thought of, they went to cheaper inns and pushed traveling harder to get to towns with inns, or stables, to sleep in. They did, however, indulge in getting their clothes cleaned and repaired while in the bigger towns, so the few clothes they did bring with them in their saddle packs and little pack pony were still in good condition.
Galad had been serious when he said he wanted to relax. Away from the eyes and ears of the courts and Great Game, Galad felt safe enough to take down the impersonal walls that he kept around himself and actually be. Needless to say, Elayne and Gawyn was surprised when the first snowballs hit their backs and turned to see a blinding smile, at least in comparison, directed towards them. They were unfortunate to learn that Galad's perfection in everything included snowball fights. The muddy and damp clothing that came from the resulting snowball war had worried the guards they had met with at the following stop, so they absconded from getting into another snowball fight of that epicness. Gawyn was obviously happy at this apparent change in demeanor, Elayne stunned; after all, she had not seen him immediately after saving her from near death experience like Gawyn had.
The Trakand siblings were surprised at the full extent of Galad's "true" personality. True warm smiles, sharp wit, and a desire for mischief that would have probably been benign, that is, if it had not been repressed for the majority of his life. If he had been in another time and place, they would have said that Galad was a master of pushing people's buttons. It was so lethal, that Elayne had even begun to think that having Galad by her side when she ascended the throne wouldn't be a bad thing. That is, if she could convince him to actually show that part of him to everyone else and keep it from being directed at her. Honestly, Galad bouncing between his normal self around the guards and actually being fun (if slightly bent on making her beet red from either embarrassment or anger) was getting annoying to his siblings. In any case, the younger siblings were happy to finally be able to bond with their elder.
So far, the three Royal siblings had spent a week each at Tarren Ferry and Watch Hill. They learned two things very quickly. First, Tarren Ferry folk were very greedy and would probably sell themselves to the highest bidder; a fact that convinced the Royal siblings to forget to inform them of the possible minerals in their backyards. Second, once you got past Tarren Ferry, travelers of any sort were rare enough that even in simple riding clothes they had gotten for this trip, people would crowd around them like people in Caemlyn would for a royal procession. They had to force themselves not to react in the way they would normally do in such situations or risk giving away their cover. Meaning a lot of nervous shying away.
The Watch Hillers, when told of Galad's official reason for being out in the middle of no where, offered their help and secrecy until official word from Caemlyn got back to them. They also confirmed Galad's suspicion of their northern neiburgh and shared a good laugh with them. Elayne and Gawyn got a culture shock when they realized what they had always taken to be "barely worth anything" was rich to the Two Rivers folk. It made more sense to them now why Galad had insisted that they get a lot of bronze denomination of coins before leaving Brealeon. Considering the price of Two River tobac beyond the region, it never occured to them to think they had so little money. Galad had is own reason for knowing the price conditions of the region.
While they had taken different names while traveling on their way down, the royal siblings felt it would be safe to keep their given names down in the lower regions. They did, however, use the family name Galad came up with for the trip, in order to prevent explanations of how they were all siblings down to "Galad looks like dad, we look like mom." While the name 'Chumai' meant nothing to others in Caemlyn, Galad was two parts happy and sad that he could use that name instead of Damodred, even if only for a short while. Not that he was going to inform anyone of that.
Currently, the three 'Chumai' siblings had left Watch Hill a couple hours past and were on their way to Emond's Field. They planned to stay a week there as well, and hopefully be able to spend Bel Tine there before spending another week in Devan's Ride and a last week prospecting before returning home. Elayne and Gawyn were excited for it would be their first festival of this kind that they would be attending; Galad was excited for another reason altogether, but like with the rest of his reasons for this trip, he kept it to himself.
Galad couldn't help but frown at the barren landscape. There should be beautiful wild flowers, lively green grass, and bleating newborn lambs covering the land before them with a warm sun and shade giving trees. Not be devoid of all of those things except for a few patches of dead grass and skeletons of trees with the only living things to be seen a few sheep in pens with depressed looking farm boys, black crows and ravens, and the three travelers and their own, hand picked horses.
"I do not like this," Elayne complained, rubbing one arm with the hand not holding the reins of her horse. She was behind him slightly and to his left. "I know Elaida said that the weather felt off before we left, but now it just seems to feel wrong."
Galad was forced to agree with that opinion; it did seem wrong, and the extreme agitation Elaida displayed along with her actually begging him in private to reconsider this trip, didn't help his own ominous feelings. But then, it might be why it made coming here so much the more urgent for him. He vowed a long time ago that he was going to do everything he could to keep those he considered his family safe, even if they didn't know it themselves. "Perhaps your ability to actually feel the wrong is a sign of your increasing nearness to the Source?" Galad speculated.
Elayne seemed to brighten. "Could it?" She asked eagerly, bouncing in her saddle enough for her beige and white mare to shake its head roughly. The Daughter-Heir immediately patted the animal on the neck to calm it.
"Elaida, that is, Aunt," Gawyn corrected with a look from his elder brother. They decided that since Elaida and Gareth were almost family that they would refer to them as such while in a place where they could be over heard. Gawyn had already managed to slip in public so Galad was requiring him to call her that in private as well. He and his horse, a bay gelding with a black ear, were back a little bit farther than Elayne was and to his right. He also held the lead to the pack pony, "has always said that those who touch the source have the ability to sense the wrongness of the Shadow. But that thought makes me only worry more."
"Agreed," Galad said, patting the black and brown stallion that Galad had raised and bred himself on the neck; the animal having been a source of comfort for the past few years. A few moments later, the sights and sounds associated with Emond's field greeted the travelers.
"Strangers!" came the jubilant shout of a young child, the sound releasing the building tension in the young royals' bodies. Not long after, people began pouring out of houses to see the rare sight. The curious glances and happy chatter from young and old alike made it obvious that the Emond's Fielders thought their appearance as a good sign. Suddenly, a light footed man of large girth, larger than anyone else in the village that Galad could see, darted out from the only red tile roofed building in the village. He looked around for a moment before catching sight of Galad and his siblings; a bright, white smile that rivaled the white of his apron appearing on his face before he darted to the front of the crowd.
"Welcome, welcome!" the man said pleasantly. "I'm Brandelwyn al'Vere, innkeeper and mayor of Emond's field. What brings young travelers, like yourselves, here?" Elayne giggled sweetly.
"We are from Caemlyn," Galad said while swinging off his horse, his siblings following suit. "We had come hoping to see a country spring, but even if spring does not come, it is nice to be away from the cities. I'm Galad Chumai," he said, extending his hand. The Mayor shook it with vigor. "These are my younger siblings, Gawyn and Elayne," he pointed to them in turn.
"A pleasure," Master al'Vere said. "You come without your parents?"
"My mother trusts me to keep these two out of trouble," Galad replied. "And as much as she, our aunt, and our uncle wanted to join us, they dislike leaving the business in the hands of attendants for too long. She figured that if we wanted to spend our own personal money this way, she would not stop us."
The Mayor nodded. "What kind of business you do?"
"Horse," Galad began before he had to grab his stallion's bridle preventing it from biting the hand off of a man Galad assumed to be the stable attendants, "breeding and trade. It would be best that I take this guy in, he dislikes new people handling him."
The mayor nodded. "Of course," he replied easily. "Just follow Hu and Tad here, and they'll show you where everything is."
After giving the mayor his thanks and passing his saddle bags to Gawyn, Galad followed the two stable hands to the decent size stable next to the inn. He managed to convince the two that he could brush down the horses, explaining to them that he knew what he was doing and the horses liked it when he brushed them down. It took a bit of arguing, especially since the two were eager to learn of Caemlyn and other related things, but Galad managed make the stable empty of all but he and the horses. Almost half an hour later, Galad was down to only needing to brush his own horse down.
'Now if I am right,' Galad thought to himself, 'then I have five, four, three, two-' The sound of running feet came to the prince, cutting off his line of thought. Galad internally shrugged. 'Close enough.'
"Matrim Cauthon," a man's voice called, half irritated, half amused. "Just 'cause there are strangers here doesn't mean you can annoy them!"
"But da," a younger voice whined. Galad estimated that it belonged to a boy about Gawyn's age. "I just want to get a look at their hors-" The boy cut off as he ran into the stables, almost immediately catching sight of Galad. He opened and closed his mouth for a few moments like a fish, a mortified blush burning his cheeks. A moment later, an older man entered behind the boy. By looks alone, it was easy to tell their close relation.
"Ah," the older man said when he caught sight of Galad tending his stallion, embarrassment making his smile seem strained. "Sorry about him, my son doesn't seem to want to learn manners."
"It is no problem, Master-?"
"Abell Cauthon."
"-Master Cauthon," Galad continued. "No harm is done by looking. You can help me brush him down if you want" Abell was only a couple seconds slower in moving than his son.
Galad's stallion snorted and Galad barely caught the bridle before it made its second attempt at taking off someone's fingers that day, namely the boy called Matrim. "My apologizes; his sire was a Bryne war horse and inherited its instincts to bite people he doesn't know."
"War horse?" Matrim asked in awe.
"Bryne?" Abell asked almost on top of his son.
"Gareth Bryne is the current Captain-General of Andor and has been breeding war horses on his land since before he held that position. As a horse breeder in Caemlyn, you have to get access to the many stocks of horses that the different noble houses have in order to prosper," Galad explained. "His mare was half Trakand sprinter and half Mantear charger, making Mudshoes here-" both father and son looked at the stallions feet and had identical face splitting grins when they saw the four brown footed legs on an otherwise black stallion, "-one of the more valuable breeding horses of my family's stable. Needless to say, my mother was almost as livid of my decision to take him with me as she was when I named him."
Matrim swallowed a chortle as he began to brush Mudshoes' flank. Abell, though, had a calculating look in his eye. "How much does he cost?" he asked. Matrim paused and gave his father an incredulous look.
Galad blink. "If we were going to sell him, my mother would most likely not look at an offer bellow one thousand gold marks." Matrim choked. "But I, personally, have no intention of parting with him."
Abell nodded and sighed sadly. "I understand; he is a fine animal to be sure. Nothing like what we have down here."
Galad gave a thoughtful frown as he brushed out his stallion's mane. "If there is time while we are here and I find a compatible mare, I might be willing to try breeding him." Both Cauthons' head snapped up to look at Galad.
"Really?!" Matrim asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Mudshoes snorted and stamped his hooves. Matrim immediately went back to brushing the stallion.
"How much will it cost?" Abell asked, excitement warring with the desire to do business appropriately.
"I would have to consult my siblings, but it would be infinitely cheaper," Galad replied.
"Thank you for your consideration, Master Chumai-"
"If you are comfortable in doing so, I would prefer it if you called me Galad," he interjected.
"Ah, thank you, Galad," Abell said, head bowed.
"Aw, hell," Matrim said, earning a hard look from his father, "I got to tell Dav. And Perrin! Oh, I wish Rand was here!" He patted Mudshoes' side before he ran out of the stable.
"Matrim," Abell called out in futility. "Mat! Don't just run out while you're in a conversation!" He sighed and muttered something about unruly children. "I'm sorry about this, but I must be going as well."
"It is not a problem," Galad said with a chuckle. "Should I speak with you later?"
"I'll have to speak to the Village Council first, but yes," Abell replied. "May the Light shine on you."
"On you as well," Galad replied formally. When the stable was vacant once more, Mudshoes nudged his master's shoulder and gave him a hard look of one who was just forced to suffer a lesser form of torture, an unusual intelligence present in the eyes of the stallion. "What?" Galad asked as though he were speaking to a normal servant rather than an animal. "It is not like it was not expected." Mudshoes snorted and rolled his eyes.
Galad leaned into the horse's ear conspiratorially. "Besides," Galad whispered, "every lord needs a good war horse. And I fell that the family of the lord's best friend will be well enough to raise one for him if given oportunity."
Mudshoes gave Galad a Look before making a sound that, had the horse been human, would have been a dejected sigh of resignation. Galad gave a triumphant grin, before finishing grooming the stallion. Yes, everything was working out well despite any initial troubles.
Authors note
YAY chapter 1! I had origonally hoped to get this out by Friday, but real life called and didn't want me to hang up. Some questions answered, others not. To spell it out, Eye of the World starts at the end of this story week and Galad's ish is posted on my profile. The clue is: its genetic! The thing with Mudshoes I'm not entirely sure yet, just he takes after his master.
Reviews and things to be edited are always welcomed.
Thank you to all who read and reviewed!
P.S. I discovered that Galad is like cocaine: you start on something already adicting, then you are introduced to something even more so and you can't get enough of that.
P.P.S. Galad fans who have read my WoaD, in that story Galad is straight like he should be, just not everyone in Caemlyn is and thus the out take at the end of my second chapter. don't kill me .