He could barely hear the city waking up outside the garden, and the air smelled faintly of the fir needles. The air was warm enough that sleeping outside had not been uncomfortable, though he was glad to be back in his clothing.
A Deathwatch Guard officer approached just as Tuon finished dressing. He crunched dried fir needles, bowing low before her. "Empress, we may have caught another assassin. It is not the creature from last night, as he bears no wounds, but he was trying to sneak into the palace. We thought you might wish to see him before we begin our interrogation".
"Bring him forward", Tuon said, straightening her gown. "And send for General Karede".
The officer withdrew, passing Selucia, who stood near the pathway that led to the clearing. She walked in to stand beside Tuon. Mat put his hat on his head and went up to her other side, setting the ashandarei butt down in the dead grass.
Mat felt sorry for this poor fool caught sneaking into the palace. Maybe the man was an assassin, but he could just be a beggar or other fool looking for excitement. Or he could be . . .
. . .the Dragon Reborn.
Mat groaned. Yes, that was Rand they led along the path. Rand looked older, more weathered, than the last time Mat had seen him in person. Of course, he had seen the man recently in those blasted visions. Although Mat had trained himself to stop thinking of Rand to avoid those colors, he still slipped on occasion.
Anyway, seeing Rand in person was different. It had been . . . Light, how long had it been? The last time I saw him with my own eyes was when he sent me to Salidar after Elayne. That felt like an eternity ago. It had been before he had come to Ebou Dar, before he had seen the gholam for the first time. Before Tylin, before Tuon.
Mat frowned as Rand was led up to Tuon, his arms bound behind his back. She spoke with Selucia, wiggling her fingers in their handtalk. Rand did not seem the least bit worried; his face was calm. He wore a nice coat of red and black, a white shirt underneath, black trousers. No gold or jewelry, no weapon at all.
"Tuon", Mat began. "That’s—"
Tuon turned from Selucia to see Rand. "Damane!" Tuon said, cutting Mat off. "Bring my damane! Run, Musicar! RUN!"
The Deathwatch Guard stumbled backward, then ran, yelling for the damane and for Banner-General Karede.
Rand watched the man go, nonchalant though he was bound. You know, Mat thought idly, he kind of does look like a king. Of course, Rand was mad, most likely. That would explain why he had strolled up to Tuon like this.
Either that, or Rand was just planning on killing her. Bonds did not matter one bit to a man who could channel. Blood and ashes, Mat thought. How did I end up in this situation? He had done whatever he could to avoid Rand!
Rand met Tuon’s stare. Mat took a big breath, then jumped in front of her. "Rand. Rand, here now. Let’s be calm".
"Hello, Mat", Rand said, voice pleasant. Light, he was mad! "Thank you for leading me to her".
"Leading you . . ".
"What is this?" Tuon demanded.
Mat spun. "I . . . Really, it’s just . . ".
Her stare could have drilled holes in steel. "You did this", she said to Mat. "You came, you lured me to be affectionate, then you brought him in. Is this true?"
"Don’t blame him", Rand said. "The two of us needed to meet again. You know it is true".
Mat stumbled out between them, raising one hand either direction. "Here now! Both of you, stop. You hear me!"
Something seized Mat, hauling him into the air. "Stop that, Rand!" he said.
"It isn’t me", Rand said, adopting a look of concentration. "Ah. I am shielded".
As Mat hung in the air he felt at his chest. The medallion. Where was his medallion?
Mat stared at Tuon. She looked ashamed for a brief moment, reaching into the pocket of her gown. She brought out something silver in her hand, perhaps intending to use the medallion as protection against Rand.
Brilliant, Mat thought, groaning. She had taken it off him while he slept, and he had not noticed. Bloody brilliant.
The weaves of Air set him down beside Rand; Karede had returned with a suldam and damane. All three were flushed, as if having run quickly. The damane had been doing the channeling.
Tuon looked over Rand and Mat, then began gesturing with handtalk at Selucia with sharp motions.
"Thanks a bundle for this", Mat muttered to Rand. "You’re such a bloody good friend".
"Its good to see you too", Rand said, a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Here we go", Mat said with a sigh. "You’ve pulled me into trouble again. You always do this".
"I do?"
"Yes. In Rhuidean and the Waste, in the Stone of Tear . . . back in the Two Rivers. You do realize that I went south, instead of coming to your little party with Egwene in Merrilor, to escape?"
"You think you could stay away from me?" Rand asked, smiling. "You really think it would let you?"
"I could bloody try. No offense, Rand, but you’re going to go mad and all. I figured I’d give you one less friend nearby to kill. You know, save you some trouble. What did you do to your hand, by the way?"
"What did you do to your eye?"
"A little accident with a corkscrew and thirteen angry innkeepers. The hand?"
"Lost it capturing one of the Forsaken".
"Capturing?" Mat said. "You’re growing soft".
Rand snorted. "Tell me you’ve done better".
"I killed a gholam", Mat said.
"I freed Illian from Sammael".
"I married the Empress of the Seanchan".
"Mat", Rand said, "are you really trying to get into a bragging contest with the Dragon Reborn?" He paused for a moment. "Besides, I cleansed saidin. I win".
"Ah, that’s not really worth much", Mat said.
"Not worth much? It’s the single most important event to happen since the Breaking".
"Bah. You and your Asha’man are already crazy", Mat said, "so what does it matter?" He glanced to the side. "You look nice, by the way. You’ve been taking better care of yourself lately".
"So you do care", Rand said.
"Of course I do", Mat grumbled, looking back at Tuon. "I mean, you have to keep yourself alive, right? Go have your little duel with the Dark One and keep us all safe? It’s good to know you’re looking up to it".
"That’s nice to hear", Rand said, smiling. "No wisecracks about my nice coat?"
"What? Wisecracks? You aren’t still sore because I teased you a little a couple of years ago?"
"Teased?" Rand said. "You spent weeks refusing to talk to me".
"Here now", Mat said. "It wasn’t all that bad. I remember that part easily".
Rand shook his head, as if bemused. Bloody ungrateful was what he was. Mat had gone off to fetch Elayne, as Rand had asked, and this was the thanks he was given. Sure, Mat had been a little sidetracked after that. He had still done it, had he not?
"All right", Mat said very softly, tugging at the bonds of Air holding him. "I’ll get us out of this, Rand. I’m married to her. Let me do the talking, and—"
"Daughter of Artur Hawkwing", Rand said to Tuon. "Time spins toward the end of all things. The Last Battle has begun, and the threads are being woven. Soon, my final trial will begin".
Tuon stepped forward, Selucia waving a few last finger-talk words toward her. "You will be taken to Seanchan, Dragon Reborn", Tuon said. Her voice was collected, firm.
Mat smiled. Light, but she made a good Empress. There was no need to filch my medallion, though, he thought. They were going to have words about that. Assuming he survived this. She would not really execute him, would she?
Again, he tried the invisible bonds tying him.
"Is that so?" Rand asked.
"You have delivered yourself to me", Tuon said. "It is an omen". She seemed almost regretful. "You did not truly think that I would allow you to stroll away, did you? I must take you in chains as a ruler who resisted me—as I have done to the others I found here. You pay the price of your ancestors’ forgetfulness. You should have remembered your oaths".
"I see", Rand said.
You know, Mat thought, he does a fair job of sounding like a king, too. Light, what kind of people had Mat surrounded himself with? What had happened to the fair barmaids and carousing soldiers?
"Tell me something, Empress", Rand said. "What would you all have done if you’d returned to these shores and found Artur Hawkwing’s armies still ruling? What if we hadn’t forgotten our oaths, what if we had stayed true? What then?"
"We would have welcomed you as brothers", Tuon said.
"Oh?" Rand said. "And you would have bowed to the throne here? Hawkwing’s throne? If his empire still stood, it would have been ruled over by his heir. Would you have tried to dominate them? Would you instead have accepted their rule over you?"
"That is not the case", Tuon said, but she seemed to find his words intriguing.
"No, it is not", Rand said.
"By your argument, you must submit to us". She smiled.
"I did not make that argument", Rand said, "but let us do so. How do you claim the right to these lands?"
"By being the only legitimate heir of Artur Hawkwing".
"And why should that matter?"
"This is his empire. He is the only one to have unified it, he is the only leader to have ruled it in glory and greatness".
"And there you are wrong", Rand said, voice growing soft. "You accept me as the Dragon Reborn?"
"You must be", Tuon said slowly, as if wary of a trap.
"Then you accept me for who I am", Rand said, voice growing loud, crisp. Like a battle horn. "I am Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon. I ruled these lands, unified, during the Age of Legends. I was leader of all the armies of the Light, I wore the Ring of Tamyrlin. I stood first among the Servants, highest of the Aes Sedai, and I could summon the Nine Rods of Dominion".
Rand stepped forward. "I held the loyalty and fealty of all seventeen Generals of Dawn’s Gate. Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag, my authority supersedes your own!"
"Artur Hawkwing—"
"My authority supersedes that of Hawkwing! If you claim rule by the name of he who conquered, then you must bow before my prior claim. I conquered before Hawkwing, though I needed no sword to do so. You are here on my land, Empress, at my sufferance!"
Thunder broke in the distance. Mat found himself shaking. Light, it was just Rand. Just Rand . . . was it not?
Tuon backed away, eyes wide, her lips parted. Her face was full of horror, as if she had just seen her own parents executed.
Green grass spread around Rand’s feet. The guards nearby jumped back, hands to swords, as a swath of life extended from Rand. The brown and yellow blades colored, as if paint had been poured on them, then came upright—stretching as if after long slumber.
The greenness filled the entire garden clearing. "He’s still shielded!" the sul’dam cried. "Honored One, he is still shielded!"