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Lacile rose to her feet as Perrin came closer, a pale little woold hoops in her ears, and a challenging stare that soht like a kiss despite her sword Right then, the challenge was stony hard A moment behind her, Arrela stood too, tall and dark, with her hair cut short as a Maiden’s and her clothes plainer than most of the men’s Unlike Lacile, Arrelaas any man The pair made as if to move in front of the tent, to block Perrin’s way, but a squarechinned fellow in a puffysleeved coat barked an order and they sat again Reluctantly For that ht be reconsidering He had worn a beard the first time Perrin saw him -- several of the Tairen men had had them -- but Aiel did not wear beards

Perrin muttered about foolishness under his breath They were Faile’s to the bone, and the fact that he was her husband ht be jealous of his attentions, yet Aram at least shared his affections with Faile He could feel the young idiots’ eyes on him as he strode inside Faile would skin him if she ever learned that he hoped they would keep her from trouble

The tent was tall and spacious, with a flowered carpet for a floor and sparse furnishings that folded for storage on a cart, most of them The heavy standmirror certainly could not Except for brassbound chests draped with eht lines of bright gilt decorated everything down to the washstand and its mirror A dozen ht as outside, if considerably cooler, and there were even a pair of silk hangings dangling froid, with the birds and flowers les Dobraine had set theed to "lose" the worst of it The huge bed, for one, a ridiculous thing to travel with It had taken up al alone together, worked silver cups in hand They had the air of wo one another out, all smiles on the outside yet with a hint of sharpness to the eyes, a hint of listening for so behind the words, and not a clue as to whether they would hug in the next instant or draw knives Well, he thought o as far as knives, but Faile could Maighdin appeared much less travelworn than she had, washed and combed, the dust brushed from her dress A small mosaictopped table between theave off the minty scent of herb tea Both women looked around at his entrance, and for an instant, they had al as barging in and not at all pleased with the interruption At least Faile softened hers immediately with a smile

"Master Gill told me your story, Mistress Dorlain," he said "You’ve faced hard days, but you can be sure you’re safe here till you decide to leave" The woman murmured thanks over the rim of her cup, but she smelled wary, and her eyes tried to read hihdin also told me their story, Perrin," Faile said, "and I have an offer tomonths behind, and you tell me of no prospects ahead Enter my service, all of you You will still have to journey, but the circumstances will be much better I pay well, and I am not a harsh mistress" Perrin voiced his approval i in strays, at least he wanted to help this lot, too Maybe they would be safer with hi on her tea, Maighdin nearly dropped her cup She blinked at Faile, dabbing at the daed linen handkerchief, and her chair creaked faintly as she turned, strangely, to study Perrin "I thank you," she said at last, slowly "I think " Another moment’s perusal of Perrin, and her voice picked up "Yes, I thank you, and I accept your kind offer gratefully Iher cup on the tray, then straightened only to spread her skirts in a curtsy suitable for any palace "I will try to give good service, my Lady," she said levelly "May I withdraw?" At Faile’s assent, she curtsied again and backed ao steps before turning to go! Perrin scratched his beard So at him every time she turned around

No sooner had the tentflap dropped behind Maighdin than Faile put her cup down and laughed, dru her heels on the carpet "Oh, I like her, Perrin She has spirit! I’ll wager she would have singed your beard over those banners if I hadn’t saved you Oh, yes Spirit!"

Perrin grunted Just what he needed; another woe his beard "I prouess what that Lini asked? She wanted hdin to that fellow Tallanvor Just stand them up and marry them whatever they said! She claimed they want it" He filled a silver cup with tea and dropped into the chair Maighdin had vacated, ignoring its alarht "In any case, that nonsense is the least of my worries Master Gill says it was the Seanchan took Aht! The Seanchan!"

Faile tapped her fingertips together, staring across the," she mused "Most servants do better e it And for Breane, too The way she went running out of here to check on that big fellow as soon as her face was clean, I suspect they should be already There was a gleam in her eye I won’t have that kind of behavior in my servants, Perrin It just leads to tears and recri And Breane will be worse than he is"

Perrin stared at her "Did you hear me?" he said slowly "The Seanchan have captured Aave a start -- she really had been thinking aboutoff those wo way, yet, and if we do meet with these Seanchan, I’ht me to perch on your wrist, didn’t you?" That hat she claiht be a touch more difficult than you were," he said dryly, and she sain She s about sending Grady or Neald to warn Rand, no matter what he said" She shook her head fiercely, s, but he pushed on "If I kne to find hiet word to hi of it" Rand had insisted on that more than he had on secrecy about Masema Perrin had been exiled fro remained b