A score of folk had gathered on the Green since the gleeman appeared from the inn, young men and women down to children who peeked, wide-eyed and
silent, from behind the older onlookers. All looked as if they were waiting for miraculous things from the gleeman. The white-haired man looked them over
- he appeared to be counting them - then gave a slight shake of his head and sighed.

"I suppose I had better give you a small sample. So you can run tell the others. Eh? Just a taste of what you'll see tomorrow at your festival."

He took a step back, and suddenly leaped into the air, twisting and somersaulting to land facing them atop the old stone foundation. More than
that, three balls - red, white, and black -began dancing between his hands even as he landed.
A soft sound came from the watchers, half astonishment, half satisfaction. Even Rand forgot his irritation. He flashed Egwene a grin and got a delighted one in return, then both turned to stare unabashedly at the gleeman.

"You want stories?" Thom Merrilin declaimed. "I have stories, and I will give them to you. I will make them come alive before your eyes." A blue ball
joined the others from somewhere, then a green one, and a yellow. "Tales of great wars and great heroes, for the men and boys. For the women and girls,
the entire Aptarigine Cycle. Tales of Artur Paendrag Tanreall, Artur Hawkwing, Artur the High King, who once ruled all the lands from the Aiel Waste to the Aryth Ocean, and even beyond. Wondrous stories of strange people and strange lands, of the Green Man, of Warders and Trollocs, of Ogier and Aiel. The Thousand Tales of Anla, the Wise Counselor. 'Jaem the Giant-Slayer.' How Susa Tamed Jain Farstrider. 'Mara and the Three Foolish Kings.' "

"Tell us about Lenn," Egwene called. "How he flew to the moon in the belly of an eagle made of fire. Tell about his daughter Salya walking among
the stars."

Rand looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but she seemed intent on the gleeman. She had never liked stories about adventures and long journeys. Her favorites were always the funny ones, or stories about women outwitting people who were supposed to be smarter than everyone else. He was sure she had asked for tales about Lenn and Salya to put a burr under his shirt. Surely she could see the world outside was no place for Two Rivers folk. Listening
to tales of adventures, even dreaming about them, was one thing; having them take place around you would be something else again.

"Old stories, those," Thom Merrilin said, and abruptly he was juggling three colored balls with each hand. "Stories from the Age before the Age of
Legends, some say. Perhaps even older. But I have all stories, mind you now, of Ages that were and will be. Ages when men ruled the heavens and the
stars, and Ages when man roamed as brother to the animals. Ages of wonder, and Ages of horror. Ages ended by fire raining from the skies, and Ages
doomed by snow and ice covering land and sea. I have all stories, and I will tell all stories. Tales of Mosk the Giant, with his Lance of fire that could reach around the world, and his wars with Elsbet, the Queen of All. Tales of Materese the Healer, Mother of the Wondrous Ind."

"Boring." A voice called out. "This lovely hears such tales every year. Is it really true you haven't thought of something new by all those yours?"

Thom Merrilin groaned, not even wanting to look at the owner of the voice. Egwene and Perrin both sighed, but Rand and Mat chuckled. The man that the entire Two Rivers knew very well, was dressed in a simple black coat, matching his raven-black hair. He would usually appear out of nowhere, then disappear.

"What do you want now?" Merrilin said.

"Apparently, saving you from embarrassment, my friend. It is a hard thing to do when you are making yourself as noticeable as you are."

"Light burn you, Hoid!" Merrilin waved away. "You're ten times worse than a fly that follows a horse!"

Hoid placed a hand on his chest. "Me? Dear Thom, thank you! I would have never expected a comparison between me and such a delightful creature like a fly. I have to save you from embarrassment now, please!"

"Me! What do you have," Thom threw three more balls in the air, catching each of them. "to outdo this!"

"You did not just ask me that." Hoid walked close to the gleeman, standing just a bit taller than he. "Now, move just a bit." He smiled at the crowd with his keen blue eyes. Those eyes were able to sometimes fill Rand with unease, not to mention that most of the time it seemed Hoid was looking right at him. He took out his long, black flute. "You want stories, ladies and gentlemen? I will give you a story I heard long ago, on a world where storms last forever, and the gods die. A world where the wind has voices and death has children."

Thom scoffed. "Oh, yes. Another one of you 'worldhooping' journeys, isn't it?"

"One in a thousand, my friend. Though that one was more formal. But it's the best place for stories."

"You cannot be serious?" Thom Merrilin complained. "Your stories have absolutely no basis in reality! They have no truth behind them?"

"What truth? Historical truth or poetic truth? Because I find the latter much more important."

Thom scoffed again.

"Well, let's see how you will appreciate true art." The audience all went silent while Hoid sat down, holding it sideways to his mouth. And then, he played it. The melody was soothing like warm water, so lovely no one dared as much as cough while it played. Egwene leaned on Rand, her head resting on his shoulder. Even Thom was moving his body in a way that made it obvious he enjoyed the music, to his own shock. And all of a sudden, Hoid raised his hands, throwing smoke into the air. But instead of falling on the others, smoke danced in the air following his music.

"This is the story," he said, the music still echoing through the flute. "of Nianel and her little sister, Miather."

The smoke gathered into a shape that resembled an old house on a hill. "Nianel was the elder, the most beautiful and hard-working woman of the country. Thousands and thousand of men would have gladly had her for their bride, while women would have all made her their sister if they could."

As the smoke swirled, Rand could see a perfect face of a woman. In a moment it was as real and clear as the faces before him, only to vanish. Hoid's notes did not stop playing. "Miather was just a child. Playful, joyful and full of life. As far as Nianel was concerned, she did not need anyone except her sister in life. And to Miather, she was like a queen."

And what does a queen look like? Rand thought of Moiraine Sedai.

"One day, a storm came to their house." The smoke changed again, turning into a huge cloud, that was rumbling with thunders. Several people in the audience flinched, taking the sound to be too real. Hoid smiled at that, while Thom's face remained stern. "And that happened while Miather was playing outside with a fox."

The tune became...uneasy, having a sense of dread that crawled under Rand's skin. His heart started beating faster. "During the very storm, Nianel went outside, calling her sister to come home. 'Mia, Mia, come back to me. Come back to me!' she continued screaming all the while the storm was there." The figure in the cloud ran through it like a thunder travelling through the storm. "She turned up every rock, cut down every tree, questioned every beast of air, field or water, but Miather was nowhere to be found."

The image changed now and had the shape of a woman with her face in her hands, sobbing. "As you could imagine, the sisterly bond made everything stronger. Stronger love, stronger grief. The very tumult of the sea is unable to stand against the grief of a sister.

Nianel wondered: 'What did I do wrong? How could have I stopped it? Oh, when will I hear your soft voice again?'" Rand gazed at him. Hoid's voice changed - it was not that of a man anymore. "She continued: 'When will we ever play in the grass? When will we ever hold our hands? Never! Never will I know you again, and never will there be end to my pain.'"

Rand heard a few sighs behind himself, and he saw Egwene's eyes had tears in them. Even Mat's face was now down, as he cleaned his nose and tried to look away. The smoke changed again, showing a woman standing above a cliff.

"Nianel thought: 'Nothing will ever heal my pain, for I will never know you again.' So she came to the Cliff of Life, where she wanted to end it all. She did not look back, letting the cold wind touch her body. And she wept." Water started falling from the crowd. "Wept with the rain. She looked up and said only one thing: 'Why?' before she raised her foot to make a step.

And then," Hoid threw something else into the air, a golden dust that broke the gloomy image, dancing in the air above them all. The figure of a grown woman hugged the light. "'Why did you get here?' asked the little girl." Hoid's voice changed again. "'I thought I lost you forever?'

'Why? You cannot lose me, you know me.'

'Where were you?'

'I was playing here.' And Miareth took up her doll and put it into Nianel's hands. 'Let's play together.'

'We...will play together always, Mia?'

'As long as we love one another.' said the little girl. 'Always. I love you.'"

The smoke disappeared. Rand closed his eyes to make sure he still had them - the bliss was so bright it blinded him for a second. Aside from a few women and children allowing a tear to fall, Egwene among them, silence was the chief here. With a sly smile, Hoid looked at Thom, who looked like he was about to start shaking himself. The gleeman cursed. "Light burn you, you fool!" He chuckled, with a soft voice and started clapping. "May the Creator himself burn you!"

A thunderous applause followed, filling the usually quiet night with great appreciation for art. Hoid bowed before everyone. "Thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen!" The smoke returned to him, racing up his sleeve and its light disappearing.

"Please accept this!" Master Luhhan offered some money. "Please, this was wonderful!"

"Oh, no, no!" Hoid said. "The storytelling itself is the true reward to me. Stories make the world go round." He shrugged. "Or worlds, I guess."

The entire crowd echoed with laughter, even Thom joining them. It all ended, though, when someone arrived. "Why is there a gathering here?"

Rand and Egwene both stood up at the sound of that voice. Frowning as she ever did, she made everyone either mutter, like Thom, or bow their heads in respect, like Egwene. She did not give anyone any consideration, only passingly looking at them. She made an obvious frown at Rand and the others, but the true cause of her arrival was standing right before the inn.

"You are not a very welcome person here, Hoid." the Wisdom said, while Rand was holding his breath. The gleeman really thought he will outsmart Nynaeve of all people. Though people seemed to like Hoid and his tricks, there were many rumors. Some said he was just that - a trickster. Others that he was one of the Forsaken waking up from a long slumber, or even a male channeler. The last one did not seem likely, though. "Just so you know, or should I inform the Women's Circle of this..."

"Oh, no need, dear Wisdom!" Hoid played with his flute. He was the only daring to smile at Nynaeve. Not even anyone from the Village Council would do that. "I wouldn't bother them on purpose. I'm like the sun I guess...I appear when I'm not supposed to and pull everything into my heat." He made an exaggerated bow before her. "Farewell, beautiful lady! See you soon!"

"Well at least you said something smart." Nynaeve turned as Hoid left in the night. He quickly ran like a fox in the middle of the darkness, having stolen its prey. Nynaeve kept her nose up and Rand could not but at least smile at the look on her face as she realized what the gleeman had actually said about the Women's Circle. "Light burn that man!"

The beginning of the chapter is taken from Chapter 4 of The Eye of the World.

Now, this will not be a complete rewrite of the Wheel of Time, just with Hoid...that would take ages to write! Instead, this will be an anthology of Hoid's appearances throughout the story. Some of those appearances will be just fun cameos, others will be Hoid being Hoid, others will be him having an Epilogue in a book, others will be him doing something really important for the story. So, at least one appearance per book.

See you soon, my friends:)