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"Aviendha?" He had said he was not going to ask her this again Lan said it was Kandori work, a pattern called snowflakes Probably loot froave you that necklace?"

"A friend, Rand al’Thor We came far today, and you will start us early tomorrow Sleep well and wake, Rand al’Thor" Only an Aiel would wish you a good night by hoping you did not die in your sleep

Setting the much smaller if much more intricate ward on his dreams, he channeled the lamps out and tried to sleep A friend The Reyn came from the north But she had had the necklace in Rhuidean Why did he care? Aviendha’s slow breathing seemed loud in his ears until he fell asleep, and then he drea hi but that necklace, over his shoulder, while she beat hiade blosso facedown on his blankets with his eyes closed, Mat luxuriated in the feel of Melindhra’s thu quite as good as a s were, but right then, he illing to settle for her thumbs

"You are well muscled for such a short lanced back at her, kneeling astride his hips She had built the fire up twice as high as needed, and, sweat trickled down her body Her fine golden hair, closecut except for that Aiel tail at the nape of her neck, clung to her scalp "If I’m too short, you can always find somebody else"

"You are not too short for er than hers "And you are cute Relax This does no good if you tense"

Grunting, he closed his eyes again Cute? Light! And short Only Aiel could call him short In every other land he had been in, he was taller thantall Taller than Rand, when he rode against Artur Haing And a hand shorter than he was nohen he fought beside Maecine against the Aelgari He had spoken to Lan, clai he had overheard so of Eharon, one of the Ten Nations -- that much Mat already knew -- some four or five hundred years before the Trolloc Wars Lan doubted that even the Brown Ajah knew more; much had been lost in the Trolloc Wars, and more in the War of the Hundred Years Those were the earliest and latest of theafter Artur Paendrag Tanreall, and nothing before Maecine of Eharon

"Are you cold?" Melindhra said incredulously "You shivered" She scrambled off hih scrub here for burning She slapped his botto, "Good muscle"

"If you keep on like that," he muttered, "I’ll think you mean to spit me for supper, like a Trolloc" It was not that he did not enjoy Melindhra -- as long as she refrained fro out that she was taller, anyway -- but the situation made him uncomfortable

"No spits for you, Matri hard into his shoulder "That is it Relax"

He supposed that he would marry someday, settle down That hat you did A woman, a house, a family Shackled to one spot for the rest of his life I never heard of a wife yet that liked her husband having a drink or a gamble And there hat those folk on the other side of the doorfrareal had said That he was fated "to hter of the Nine Moons" A man has to marry sooner or later, I suppose But he certainly did not mean to take an Aiel wife He wanted to dance with as many women as he could, while he could

"You are not reat honor, I think," Melindhra said softly