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He snorted softly at that last corew quiet, and she closed her eyes, hoping he’d go back to sleep Outside the tent, she could hear the distant voices of guards chatting on patrol and the sound of one of the farriers--Jerasid, Ae out a shoe or nail to ready one of the horses for the next day’s ain The Aiel were useless when it came to horses, and the Shaido had either released the ones they captured or turned the carts during her days in Maiden

Should it feel strange to be back? She had spent less than two months as a captive, but it had see punished arbitrarily But that tiely, she’d feltthose days than she had before

It was as if she hadn’t quite understood what it was to be a lady until Maiden Oh, she’d had her share of victories Cba Faile, the people of the Two Rivers, Alliandre and Perrin’s ca Perrin learn to be a leader All of this had been important, had required her to use what her mother and father had trained her to be

But Maiden had opened her eyes There, she had found people who had needed her more than she’d ever been needed before Beneath Se-vanna’s cruel dictatorship, there had been no tiames, no room for mistakes She had been huiven her a true understanding of what it was to be a liege lady She actually felt a stab of guilt for the ti to force hioing first It , risking death, to protect those who depended upon you

No, it didn’t feel strange to be back, for she’d taken Maiden--the parts thatthe gai’shain, and she had saved theh Perrin, but she had made plans, and one way or another, she would have escaped and brought back an army to free those who had sworn to her

There had been costs But she would deal with those later tonight, Light willing She opened an eye and peeked at Perrin He see, but was his breath even? She slipped her arm free

"I don’t care what happened to you," he said

She sighed No, not asleep "What happened to me?" she asked with confusion

He opened his eyes, staring up at the tent "The Shaido, the man ith you when I saved you Whatever he didwhatever you did to survive It’s all right"

Was that as bothering hi a fist on his chest, causing hiht for me to be unfaithful? Just after you were so concerned to tell me that you hadn’t been?"

"What? No, it’s different, Faile You were a prisoner, and--"

"And I can’t care for myself? You are an ox No one touched ai’shain" It wasn’t quite true; women had often been abused in the Shaido ca like Aiel

But there had been others in the camp, Aiel who hadn’t been Shaido Men who had refused to accept Rand as their Car’a’carn, but who also had trouble accepting Shaido authority The Brotherless had been h they’d called themselves cast off, they had been the only ones in Maiden who had ai’sbain woer, the Brotherless had chosen and protected those they could They hadn’t asked anything for their efforts

Wellthat wasn’t true They had asked forRolan had always been an Aiel to her in action, if not in word But, like Mase Perrin needed to know about She had never so much as kissed Rolan, but she had used his desire for her as an advantage And she suspected that he’d knohat she was doing

Perrin had killed Rolan That was another reason that her husband didn’t need to know about the Brotherless man’s kindness It would tear Perrin apart inside if he knehat he’d done

Perrin relaxed, closing his eyes He had changed during these two ood In the Borderlands, her people had a saying: "Only the Dark One stays the saressed; the Shadow just re toateways are available, ill have to decide whether to force the people to leave, and decide who goes first Has anyone discovered what happened to Masema?"

"Not that I know of," she said carefully "But with so one from his tent"

"Masema doesn’t care about possessions," Perrin h ht have run off, though it’s strange that nobody knohere or how"

"He probably slipped away during the confusion after the battle"

"Probably," Perrin agreed "I wonder" He yawned "I wonder what Rand will say Masema was the point of this whole trip I was to fetch hiuess I’ve failed"

"You destroyed the on’s name," Faile said, "and you cut out the heart of the Shaido leadership, not to mention all you’ve learned about the Seanchan I think the Dragon will find that what you’ve acco Maseht," Perrin mumbled sleepily "Blasted colorsI don’t want to watch you sleeping, Rand What happened to your hand? Light-blinded fool, take better care of yourselfYou’re all we haveLast Hunt co "

She could barelyabout Rand’s hand going hunting? Was he actually falling asleep this ti softly She s her head fondly He was an ox, sometimes But he was her ox She cli on a robe and tying its belt A pair of sandals followed, and then she slipped out through the tent flaps Arrela and Lacile guarded there, along with two Maidens The Maidens nodded to her; they would keep her secret

Faile left the Maiden guards, but took Arrela and Lacile with her as she walked out into the darkness Arrela was a dark-haired Tairen woman as taller than most Maidens, with a brusque way about her Lacile was short, pale, and very slender, and she walked with a graceful sway They were as different as woh their captivity had united them all Both one to Maiden as gai’sbain