Since I'm quite a way ahead in terms of chapters written I've already gotten to the bits with in and Elayne, and I have decided Min shall stay a woman and Elayne shall be a man for the purposes of this fic.

Rana and Mat joined the crowd following the peddlers wagon, which stopped in front of the inn, and from every direction people streamed to swell the numbers around the great wagon, it's wheels taller than any of them.
The man perched on the wagon was Padan Fain, a pale skinny man with gangly arms and a massive beak of the nose. He was always smiling and laughing as if he knew a joke that no one else knew, and he had driven his wagon and team into Emond's Field every spring for as long as Rana cold remember, and for some reason he had always worried her. There was something about him that bothered her. Especially in the way his eyes seemed to focus on Mat and Perrin, and as a consequence, her.
The door of the inn flew open even as the team halted in a jangle of harness' and the Village Council appeared, led by Master al'Vere and Tam. They marched out deliberately, admid the excited shouting of others, and the crowd parted reluctantly to let them through, everyone closing in quickly behind them.
And gradually the crowds calls died down as Fain fussed around with his horses. He always brought news of the outside world, and, though she didn't overly like the man, Rana would admit he knew how to spin it all into an exciting tale.
Rana and Mat wriggled through the press, or, to be more accurate, Mat did, pulling Rana behind him until they were right behind the Council, and her father gave her a quick nod before focusing back on Fain.
People were starting to get loud again, calling for Fain to give them the news, so when a voice said "I had been thinking you were going to stay out on the farm through the whole Festival," it was at a shout, and Perrin gently made his way through the throng, his broad shoulders making him clearly visible as he tried not to jostle anyone. And soon enough he reached them, grinning brightly. "It's good to see you Rana."
"Likewise Perrin." she glanced towards Fain, "I wonder what he has to tell us this time."
And as Perrin went to speak Fain stood up on the wagon seat, and the crowd quieted in an instant, though she noticed his eyes flicking towards them, her height and hair making the three of them stand out in the crowd.
"I shall tell you of the world outside of the Two Rivers as you wish! You are thinkingyou have had troubles in the Two Rivers, are you? Well, all the world has troubles, from the Great Blight south to the Sea of Storms, from the Aryth Ocean in the west to the Aiel Waste in the east. And even beyond. The winter was harsher than you've ever seen before, cold enough to jell your blood and crack your bones? Ahhh! Winter was cold and harsh everywhere. In the Borderlands they'd be calling your winter spring. But spring does not come, you say? Wolves have killed your sheep? Perhaps wolves have attacked men? Is that the way of it? Well, now. Spring is late everywhere. There are wolves everywhere, all hungry for any flesh they can sink a tooth into, be it sheep or cow or man. But there are things worse than wolves or winter. There are those who would be glad to have only your little troubles." He paused expectantly.

"What could be worse than wolves killing sheep, and men?" Cenn Buie demanded. Others muttered in support.
"Men killing men." The peddler's reply, in portentous tones, brought shocked murmurs that increased as he went on. "It is war I mean. There is war in Ghealdan, war and madness. The snows of the Dhallin Forest are red with the blood of men. Ravens and the cries of ravens fill the air. Armies march to Ghealdan. Nations, great houses and great men, send their soldiers to fight."

"War?" Master al'Vere's mouth fit awkwardly around the unfamiliar word. No one in the Two Rivers had ever had anything to do with a war. "Why are they having a war?"

Fain grinned, and Rana had the feeling he was mocking the villagers' isolation from the world, and their ignorance. The peddler leaned forward as if he were about to impart a secret to the Mayor, but his whisper was meant to carry and did. "The standard of the Dragon has been raised, and men flock to oppose. And to support."
The crowd gasped at that, and Rana shivered as her father glanced back at her, a strange look in his eyes, he glanced at Mat and Perrin before hissing, "You three head inside now." and when Mat opened his mouth to argue Tam gave him a dark look, "Now Matrim Cauthon. No arguing with me." and Perrin didn't, grabbing Rana's wrist and weaving back out through the crowd as the panic started to rise.
They headed into the inn quickly and, Mat, despite the fact that he was sulking over being sent away, headed to the kitchen for more honeycakes.
They sat in the kitchen for some time, with Matt and Perrin discussing the news while Rana chewed on her honeycake, a worried frown on her lips, and eventually she spoke up. "Father reacted strangely didn't he? Sending us inside like that."
"You may be right there." Admitted Perrin. "It was rather strange, and he looked at you as though he was worried about something."
"He is..." Rana glanced at Mat before stating, "Me and Mat have both seen a rider all in black on a black horse. He was watching us."
Perrin's eyes widened, "Light but I've seen him too I think, on the edge of the village watching the smithy. Just at twilight Yesterday. Gave me the shivers. I told Master Lunhan but nobody was there when he looked."
Rana nodded, "He was gone when I looked back too, and Mat. He seems to be able to just disappear."
Mat frowned, "Why has no one else seen the basted thing then? It wasn't a normal man I'm telling you that now. What would it want with us?"
"I don't know... you don't think it's to do with all this?" Rana asked suddenly, her eyes wide, "What's going on outside of the Two Rivers?"
"Blood and Ashes I hope not! What would he want with us?" Mat asked.
"I don't like it." Perrin shook his head, "You don't think it could be a Darkfiend do you?"
"Maybe, he certainly felt evi-" Mat was cut off by a stern voice as a woman a few years older than them stepped into the kitchen, nearly bristling with anger.
"What in the name of the Light do you three think you're doing? Talking about Darkfiends at a time like this. As if there isn't enough worry already Matrim Cauthon. I assume it's one of your foolish jokes, making Rana and Perrin fret about Darkfiends."
"It wasn't!" Mat stood up quickly, scowling at her, "We've all saw a strange figure on a horse and we were talking about it. And it's only natural that we'd think about Darkfiends with the peddlers news. There's a false Dragon in Ghealdan, and a war, and Aes Sedai! What else would we be talking about. Especially since Master al'Thor sent us inside."
Nynaeve shook her head. "So that's why the peddler's wagon stands abandoned. I heard people rushing to meet it, but I couldn't leave Mistress Ayellin till her fever broke. The Council is questioning the peddler about what's happening in Ghealdan, are they? If I know them, they're asking all the wrong questions and none of the right ones. It will take the Women's Circle to find out anything useful." Settling her cloak firmly on her shoulders she disappeared into the inn.
Egwene, who Rana noticed only after Nynaeve had left, did not follow the Wisdom. Instead coming to stand in front of the Rana.
"You know you shouldn't let Mat get you mixed up in his foolishness Rana." she informed her, as solemn as a Wisdom herself, and then she giggled. "I haven't seen you look like that since Cenn Buie caught you and Matt up in his apple trees when you were ten."
Rana sighed, "It's not nonsense Egwene. And Mat is my friend, of course I'll be dragged into his nonsense, it's fun, perhaps you should join in for once rather than following Nynaeve around like a sheep, I have no problem with her but you're ridiculous Egwene!"
The younger girls eyes narrowed at that, "And what if I want to be a Wisdom?"
"You won't be one here, Nynaeve is only a few years older than you." she noticed that Perrin and Matt were talking, but she focused on the other girl, who crossed her arms over her chest.
"Perhaps I plan on leaving Emond's Field." she declared loudly.
"Leaving? You can't be serious. No one really leaves Emond's Field, it's your home. You were born here. Why choose to leave?"
"Because I don't plan on being stuck in the same place my whole life, Rana. And you shouldn't either." with that she span around and walked away, causing Rana to groan loudly.
"I honestly don't understand her. I could have sworn that last time I saw her she was telling me off for our little adventures."
Mat snorted, "She's too much like Nynaeve she is." he grinned, "But on to a more fun topic. Moiraine gave Perrin a coin too, just like ours." he stated eagerly.
Rana grinned, "Even when we're not together we manage to get and see the same things, don't we?"