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The nearest man was three tables away, and he wore a dark blue woolen coat, a prosperous tradesman perhaps, but they did not talk Plenty of tiain, and could be sure that there was no danger of sharp ears Nynaeve finished her food well before Elayne The way the girl took her ti a pear, you would think they had all day to sit at table

Suddenly Elayne’s eyes ith shock, and the short knife clattered to the table Nynaeve’s head whipped around to find athe bench on the other side of the table

"I thought it was you, Elayne, but the hair put me off at first"

Nynaeve stared at Galad, Elayne’s halfbrother Stared was the word, of course Tall and steely slender, dark of hair and eye, he was the h; he was gorgeous She had seen women cluster around hi like fools She wiped the s about her racing heart, norfor him; it was just that he was beautiful Take hold of yourself wo here?" She was pleased that she did not sound strangled It was not fair for athat?" Elayne’s voice was low, but it still held a snap

Nynaeve blinked, and realized he wore a shirt of shining olden knots of rank beneath a flaring sun She felt color rising in her cheeks Staring at a man’s face so hard that she had not even seen what he earing! She wanted to hide her own face from humiliation

He smiled, and Nynaeve had to take a deep breath "I am here because I was one of the Children recalled froht because it seewene vanished, it did not take long for Gawyn andpenance on a farht to involve you in their plots, Elayne Any of you"

"You seem to have attained rank very quickly," Nynaeve said Did the fool ood way to get them both killed?

"Eamon Valda seeained" His shrug dismissed rank as unimportant It was not modesty, precisely, but not pretense either The finest swords those who came to study with the Warders in the Tower, he had also stood high in the classes on strategy and tactics, but Nynaeve could not re about his prowess, even in jest Acco to him, perhaps because they came so easily

"Does Mother know of this?" Elayne dehtened a wild boar, though

Galad shifted just a hair, uneasily "There has been no good time to write her But do not be so sure she will disapprove, Elayne She is not so friendly with the north as she was I hear a ban " Elayne’s glare had transformed to puzzlement "She must understand She trained in the Tower, too"

"Keep your voice down," he said, low and hard "Remember where you are" Elayne flushed a deep red, but whether in anger or embarrassment, Nynaeve could not say