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She settled back against a lu over the back of the wagon As the cart rolled up a slight incline, she could see over the Aes Sedai caed around it was the ared around the of camp followers

Beyond it all, the landscape was brown, the winter snowssprouts scarce The countryside was pocketed with thickets of scrub oak; shadows in valleys and twisting lines of chi how farasslands felt When she had first come to the White Tower, she’d been sure she’d never come to love this landlocked countryside

Now she had lived much more of her life in Tar Valon than she had in Tear It was difficult at tione on early- trips with her father She’d beco else, a woman who traded in secrets rather than fish

Secrets, those powerful, do secrets They had become her life No love save for youthful dalliances No tilements, or : finding the Dragon Reborn Helping hi hi that sao out and see the world Siuan had grown old--in spirit, if not in body--cooped up in the Tower, pulling her strings and nudging the world She’d done soh

She didn’t regret her life Yet, at thisar the cart,it rattle like dried fishbones in a kettle--she envied Moiraine How often had Siuan bothered to look out of her ard the beautiful green landscape, before it all had started going sickly? She and Moiraine had fought so hard to save this world, but they had left the to enjoy in it

Perhaps Siuan hadwith the Blue, unlike Leane, who had taken the opportunity in their stilling and Healing to change to the Green Ajah No, Siuan thought, wagon rattling, s this blasted world There would be no switching to the Green for her Though, thinking of Bryne, she did wish that the Blue were a little more like the Green in certain ways

Siuan the Ale people with quiettheweight of responsibility she’d felt during her years leading the White Tower Was there, perhaps, rooon reached the far side of the army camp, and she shook her head at her own foolishness as she hopped down, then nodded her thanks to the wagon driver Was she a girl, barely old enough for her first full-day blackfish trawl? There was no use in thinking of Bryne that way At least not right now There was toothe peri dark, and lanterns burning precious oil illuht Ahead of her, a small circular palisade rose on the army side It didn’t enclose the entire arh for several dozen officer tents and soer coency, but always as a center of operations--Bryne felt it good to have a physical barrier separating the larger camp from the place where he held conference with his officers With the confusion of the civilian ca border to patrol, it would be too easy for spies to approach his tents otherwise

The palisade was only about three-quarters done, but as progressing quickly Perhaps he would choose to surround the entire arh For now, Bryne felt that the sest security to the soldiers, but also lend theht-foot wooden stakes rose fro side by side, points raised to the sky While holding a siege one generally had a lot of ate knew to let her pass, and she quicklyto do, butShe was supposed to rew dark, and the glow of the sunset was already beginning to fade

Bryne’s tent, as usual, shone with only a very faint light While people outside squandered their oil, he scrimped Most of his men lived better than he did Fool

If he was foolish enough to change without going behind the screen, then he was foolish enough to be seen doing it

He was seated at his desk working by the light of a solitary candle He appeared to be reading scout reports

Siuan sniffed, letting the tent flaps droop closed behind her Not a single la by such poor light, Gareth Bryne"

"I have read by the light of a single candle for e and not looking up "And I’ll have you know that ht is the same as it hen I was a boy"

"Oh?" Siuan said "So you’re saying that your eyesight was poor to begin with?"

Bryne grinned, but continued his reading Siuan sniffed again, loudly, to ht and sent it hovering over beside his desk Foolso blind he fell in battle to an attack he didn’t see After setting the light beside his head--perhaps too close for hi over--she walked over to pluck clothing off the drying line she’d strung across the center of the tent He’d voiced no co laundry, and hadn’t taken it down That was a disappoint him for that

"A woman fro his chair to the side, then picking up another stack of pages "She offered roup of omen in the camp, and she claimed that she could do le distracted lance at Bryne, as looking through his papers His strong jaas lit on the left by the even white light of her globe and on the right by the flickering orange candlelight Soe, others were made to look tired or slovenly Bryne had siuished, like a pillar, crafted by a e hadn’t reduced Bryne’s effectiveness or his strength It had si his te his firm face with lines of wisdom

"And what did you tell this woe over "I told her that I was satisfied with my laundry" He looked up at her "I have to say, Siuan, that I’m surprised I had assumed that an Aes Sedai would know little of work such as this, but rarely have my uniforms known such a perfect combination of stiffness and comfort You are to be co her blush Fool s to kneel before her! She manipulated the Aes Sedai and planned for the deliverance ofskills?

The thing was, froful compliment He didn’t look down on omen, or on runner boys He treated all with equity A person didn’t gain stature in Gareth Bryne’s eyes by being a king or queen; one gained stature by keeping to one’s oaths and doing one’s duty To hiful as a round before the ene her Fool an folding it

"You never did explain to my satisfaction why you broke your oath," he said

Siuan froze, looking at the back wall of the tent, splayed with shadows of the still-hanging laundry "I thought that you understood," she said, continuing to fold "I had important information for the Aes Sedai in Sali-dar Besides, I couldn’t very well let Logain run about free, now could I? I had to find hiet him to Salidar"

"Those are excuses," Bryne said "Oh, I know that they’re true But you’re Aes Sedai You can cite four facts and use theht use lies"