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“Finally.” Mat exclaimed as he walked out of the Gateway. “You know, back when we first rediscovered these we used to just open them anywhere. Now you have to open a tiny one, send a Missive, then wait for the other side to permit you to come across, it’s ridiculous.” he said as he walked away from the traveling station, holding the reins of his horse, Locks, in one hand, and his Ashandarei in the other, propping it on his shoulder.
“But the old way was dangerous Highness.” Clawor said, Mat still cringed inwardly every time he’s called that, but after all those years, he’d learned to live with it. “People got hurt because they opened Gateways where others were standing.” Clawor continued.
“Back in my time, not enough people knew of Gateways so there wasn’t much risk of that.” Mat said as the last of the soldiers he’s brought with him stepped out, and the Gateway winked close behind them. He started walking down the road straight ahead of them, Clawor walking by his side, while the rest trailed close behind them.
“I know Highness, I was there.” Clawor said with some amusement in his voice. The Seanchan lieutenant often tried to hide the fact that he had a sense of humor, which is something that is frowned upon in general in the entire continent, but his time with Mat and the Band is slowly changing that “I am, after all, older than you are, Highness."
“Well you know what? You can take your old bottom away from me.” Mat said sharply “And stop with the Highness nonsense, we’re not in Seanchan right now.”
“But highness…”
“I said stop. When we’re here, you’re to call me Mat.” Mat was adamant, but the look of horror in Clawor’s face made him relent and sigh and say "Or call me Lord Mat, but not Highness, not here.”
“Yes high…lor…” Clawor coughed and stammered a little. He maybe a member of the Band, but he is still Seanchan, and Mat is of the high blood. “Yes, Lord Mat. But we can’t leave you, we have our orders to accompany you everywhere.”
“Orders?” Mat asked turning to the Lieutenant. “And who gave you those orders you are so afraid of breaking?”
“Well…the Empress, Lord Mat, may she live forever.” Mat must have been glowering with his one eye so hard because Clawor started to squirm.
“What is that sigil, Lieutenant Clawor, the one on the breast of your uniform?” Mat asked in a soft voice.
“The Red Hand my Lord, the Sigil of the Band.”
“And who leads the Band? Whose orders do Members of the Band, especially the officers, heed?”
“Yours, Lord Mat. But…”
“But nothing.” Mat said, he knew recruiting Seanchan into the Band was a mistake the moment he decided to allow it, and he regretted it on multiple occasions already. But apart from minor inconveniences like the one at hand, there weren’t that many down sides to that decision. “You follow my orders, Fortuona may she bloody live forever cannot order my men.” she can order me, as time has proven, but she cannot order my flaming men. Mat thought to himself. “Now go. Talmanes is at the Field, or at least he’s supposed to be. He’s usually never late. Take the men and go meet with him, tell him I arrived, and tell him I’ll join him and the others shortly.” Talmanes was supposed to have arrived at the Field a day earlier, to establish a tent for the Band of the Red Hand, a place for them amidst the numerous factions attending the festivities.
“Yes, Lord Mat. As you wish.” Clawor said and he started walking towards the field. It could be seen at the end of the street they were standing in, supposedly all the streets in this new town pointed at the Field in its center, the Field of Statues.
Mat stood on the side of the road, watching the men leave. He turned his gaze to study the new town. He’s been here once, years back when it was still being built. Of course the first time he set foot in this area was ten years ago, back then there was no new town, there was no Town of Merrilor, there was just the Field of Merrilor. At a time when many thought the world would not exit for another day, let alone ten years, but here he stood, at the tenth anniversary of the day the Last Battle ended, and what better place to celebrate it than here?
Mat started walking again. His gaze went back to the Field of Statues. From where he were he could only see two statues, the one of Rand and the one of Egwene, the largest two. But last time he was there, there were plans to build hundreds more. All of people who died, who’s bravery was enough to award them a statue in the Field where they bled. “Everyone who died here deserves a bloody statue.” He muttered to himself. Not as big as Rand’s and Egwene’s though, there isn’t enough granite in the world for that, that’s why the rest of the statues were a lot smaller, but Rand’s and Egwene’s were so large they could be seen from outside the town, from miles off. Rand with Callandor in his hand, the tip pointing down, and Egwene holding the Sa’angreal she used to defeat one of the Forsaken and kill most of the Sharan Channellers. What was it called? Zora’s Sa’angreal? Kora’s? Mat couldn’t remember.
Mat stopped a passerby, asking him about the Dancing Shienaran Tavern, the man pointed him at a building Mat had passed minutes earlier, he had missed it because he was studying the statues. They were very well made; they looked so much like the boy and the girl he grew up with.
Mat rounded back and walked to the Dancing Shienaran. He stood at the door and a stable boy scampered up to him to take Locks. Mat gave him a gold mark, a hefty sum for a stable boy but Mat liked Locks, and he wanted the boy to treat him well.
Mat stepped into the Tavern. He left his Ashandarei propped on the wall on the side of the door. He took a deep breath and looked around. It wasn’t often that he’s left alone to enter a tavern these days. In fact, he couldn’t even remember the last time he set foot on a tavern, on this side of the Aryth ocean or the other one. The Angry Shienaran seemed like a good place, not too classy for Mat’s liking but not too rowdy either. A few tables were occupied by merchants and noblemen who arrived to attend the celebration, Mat knew that all the gold he had wouldn’t be enough to get a room in this town this week. There was a bar at the far end of the tavern, behind which stood an elderly lady wearing a blue and black gown that is very similar to what he remembers Shienaran women wearing in Fal Dara the last time he was in a Shienaran city. The town of Merrilor was on the border between Arafel and Shienar and it was primarily inhabited by people from both countries, but Mat knew it fell under Arafellian rule.
Mat straightened his coat, his plain coat, with his hands as he walked to a table. Being the Rod Holder of the Seanchan armies and the Prince of the Ravens, he was required by their traditions to wear some very ridiculous outfits, but here on this side of the Aryth Ocean he could wear whatever he wanted. Fortuona controlled much of his wardrobe, but he kept a few things that were his. As he sat down he took off his hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, as he did so he noticed which hat he was wearing, and he scowled. It was one of the hats picked for him by Fortuona, or maybe Selucia when he refused to stop wearing a hat with his uniform. It had a very distasteful color patterns and he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed which hat he was wearing while coming here.
A serving girl approached him, dressed in a similar dress as the elderly woman’s, except hers was red and yellow. She was short and pretty, with dark hair and brown eyes. She smiled at him with her full lips and said “Welcome. How can I help you?”
“I am expecting a friend, he hadn’t arrived though.” Mat said as he smiled back “However that is not a reason to not start drinking. I’ll have ale.”
The serving girl gave Mat an appraising look, one that would get her killed by Fortuona if she ever saw it. “Right away, My Lord.” Mat cringed inwardly again as the girl walked away. He could still look at pretty girls, even though he was married. Some of his men aren’t married yet, Talmanes for example, and he was older than Mat himself.
There was a flute player in one corner of the tavern, a tall, pale, fellow with long dark hair that he kept in a knot at the back of his head. He wore a fine, dark green coat. He looked familiar to Mat, but Mat couldn’t remember where he saw him before. Perhaps he resembled someone in the memories Mat got from the Aelfinn. He was good though, he played some tricky songs and he played them well.
The serving girl came back with his ale, he paid her and sat back with his mug in hand, tapping his foot to the tune that’s playing, Mat knew the song though he hadn’t heard it in ages, it was called 'She wore a Mask that Hid her face.'
Before long the door to the tavern opened, and in stepped the man Mat was waiting for. Perrin was as large as ever, now he looked even bigger, though softer. The years had marked themselves on his face, though not necessarily in a bad way. He still carried that large hammer around, and though he was dressed in a plain coat, like Mat’s, he still looked stately. Ten years as lord of a region as large as the Two Rivers would change a man. Being the Prince of the Bloody Ravens changed me as well.
Perrin walked over to Mat’s table. His beard was much longer and shaggier than Mat remembered, though it was tidy. Mat stood and the two friends embraced and sat down. Perrin ordered brandy from the serving girl who gave him an admiring look and came back hastily with his drink.
“I thought the plan was to be inconspicuous.” Perrin said as he drank.
“It is. I am wearing a plain coat, aren’t I?” Mat said gesturing to his clothes.
“Yes the coat is plain, but that hat is anything but. Your silk scarf and silver medallion, your Ashiandrei at the door. You might as well hang a sign that says Mat Cauthon, the man you all heard about, wearing everything the stories say he wears.” Perrin said smiling “And don’t get me started on that eye patch.”
Mat closed his eye and bit his lower lip. He took a deep breath and said “Which eye patch am I wearing?” slowly but before Perrin could answer he said “No, never mind. I probably don’t want to know.” whenever he got a normal, plain eye patch it would go "missing” yet all the ones Fortuona gets him, the ridiculously colorful, extravagant ones, they all stay around forever.
The two men sat and drank in silence for a few moments. This was the first time they saw each other in over five years, and the first time since before the last battle they sat together as friends, not as nobility, with no guards or responsibilities, just the two friends who grew up together in Emond’s field, grew up with the Dragon Reborn.
“I am glad to hear that the fighting in Seanchan is finally over.” Perrin said, referring to the war to reestablish order in Seanchan after it was plunged into chaos shortly before the Last Battle.
Mat sighed and said “I haven’t seen a battlefield in nearly two years. I’d be happy if I never saw another one until the day I die.” he took a sip from his drink and continued “I can’t believe I used to like battles. I liked the planning, I never liked the fighting.” Perrin nodded “Soon enough I didn’t even enjoy the planning. Every idea I right down on a map immediately brings to mind the amount of soldiers I’ll lose to execute it. That drained the fun out of it very quickly.”
Perrin nodded again. He hadn’t been in nearly as many battles as Mat, but he has seen his fair share of them, he knows what Mat was talking about. “I’m glad I never saw a real battle since…since Ta’rmon Gaidon.” he spoke softly “Though that conflict in the east nearly came to fighting and I was called by Elayne to take part. I’m glad it ended peacefully. The Dragon Peace held.”
“May it hold until we die.” Mat said raising his mug and Perrin did the same. “He did that for us. He did a lot of things for us, didn’t he?”
Perrin nodded and said “Enough about battles. How are your kids?”
Mat smirked and said “I thought you said enough about battles. I swear raising those kids iw more difficult than some battles. And as if it’s not hard enough, I got those pigheaded teachers in Seandar filling their heads with all sorts of nonsense. Pretty soon I’ll find them sending assassins after one another.” Mat said adjusting his hat “Salwain is growing up to be a pretty good musician, Abell rejected all attempts by anyone to teach him music, and he can’t wait to be old enough to learn the sword. Lauvell is going to be a scholar, she’s three and she already can read, can you imagine that?”
“Seeing how you, her father, couldn’t read until you were seven, no, I can’t imagine that.” Perrin said laughing and Mat scowled at him. “But I know what you mean. I mean Con is very quiet, he’s like your Lauvell he spends most of his times with his head buried in a book, but Deira,” Perrin paused and chuckled “She’s set to rule instead of me and her mother and she’s not even five yet. She orders everyone around.”
Mat laughed, the only thing that seemed more absurd to him than his friend being a father, was him being a father himself. He didn’t admit it outwardly, but he enjoyed fatherhood. “I’m thinking of bringing the kids to visit the Two Rivers. Fortuona is teaching them all about the Seanchan culture, I think they need to know where their father came from.”
“You will always have a place in the Two Rivers.” Perrin said then scratched his beard and said “Wait, when did you start calling your wife Fortuona? I thought you insisted on calling her Tuon.”
“I started calling her Fortuona when she started calling me Mat again.” Mat said “Remember that whole Knotai nonsense?” Perrin nodded “Well when the war ended she 'awarded me' by letting me choose a name that would honor me more than Knotai. I chose Matrim, she agreed on it only if I called her Fortuona, when we are in public.”
Perrin raised his eyebrows and said “So let me get this straight, your wife rewarded you for winning a war, by letting you choose to be called by your name instead of the one she gave you, but only if you called her by the name she chose for herself?” he paused and laughed “And I thought my marriage to Faile was tricky.”
Mat scowled again at him but he couldn’t help but laugh himself. “That basically sums it up yes. Seanchan are a strange bunch, among the high blood and the high ranking officers in the Ever Victorious Army there are many who knew me as Mat before she gave me the name Knotai, but when she named me Mat again they acted like it was the most honorable name to ever exist, and that Fortuona just came up with specifically to honor me.”
Perrin laughed and set down his empty mug. Mat wondered how can he have such a thick beard and drink without getting a single drop in it. Mat set down his own mug and noticed that his leg was tapping to the tune of the flute player again. “I like this song.” Mat said casually “Ferry O’er the River.”
Perrin nodded and said “I know it. Serra, a bard that has taken up at Master al’Vere’s inn, she plays it often.”
Mat chuckled and said “Rand played that song once. Remember back at the very beginning, shortly after we left the Two Rivers? When we got separated and Rand and I had to find our way to Caemlyn on our own.” Mat laughed again and said “It’s funny how that journey seemed so scary and almost impossible to go through at the time. Anyway, he played the flute and I juggled balls in taverns and inns and even farms for food and lodgings. Rand played that song at least once in that journey.” Mat then squinted and turned his head slightly as the song ended and the next song began. “Matter of fact, he played that one too.”
“I know that one as well.” Perrin said.
“Coming home from Tarwin Gap.” The two said in unison.
“Actually, come to think of it,” Mat said adjusting his hat “the song he was playing when I first came in, Rand played that one too. Most of the songs I noticed as well.”
“Coincidence?” Perrin said “A strange one if you ask me.”
“A flaming strange one.” Mat said as he felt a sense of wariness climb in his chest, perhaps he shouldn’t have been so hasty in sending away his guards. After all, the bloody maniacs from Seanchan see sending assassins after a person as a form of flattery, and a lot of people want to flatter Mat Bloody Cauthon the Prince of the Flaming goat-kissing Ravens. “You know, perhaps we should leave?” Mat said to Perrin “The festivities are about to start and there are a lot of people I’d like to see before that.” he started eyeing everyone in the room.
“Yes, Faile and the kids are probably at the Field right now anyway.” Perrin said.
“Leaving so soon fellows?” The dark haired serving girl almost startled Mat as she approached on surprisingly light feet. She had a mug of ale and another of brandy on her tray, and she put them on the table saying “I just brought the second round.”
“We didn’t order a second round.” Mat said sharply. If this was an attempt to poison him, it was a very bad one.
“I could have sworn you did.” the serving girl said looking confused. “Anyway, it’s already paid for so I’ll just leave the drinks here.” she said and walked away.
The second the serving girl left the side of the table she was replaced by the flute player. “I paid for the drinks in case that’s what the wondering faces are about.” He was holding his own mug and drinking from it “Don’t worry, they’re not poisoned.” he said as he dragged a chair to the table and dropped into it.
Mat looked at the drinks then at the man. He took a moment and then said “Why would you buy men you don’t know drinks?”
“Who would not know you, Matrim Cauthon, Prince of the Ravens, Consort of Empress Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag of Seanchan may she live forever, holder of her Rod. You sir, were the man who matched wits with one of the Forsaken on Ta’rmon Gaidon, leading all of the armies of the Light in a battle the scale of which is unheard of in living memory.”
Perrin chuckled and muttered “Plain coat.” under his breath. The flute player turned to him smiling.
“Perrin Aybara. Perrin The Wolf King. Perrin Goldeneyes Lord of the Two rivers, and king of Saladaea by regency. You were the one who fought the last battle in the world of dreams. You brought the Black Tower and its inhabitants out of imprisonment by the Dreamspike, allowing them to finally join the battle.” he then put one hand on each of their shoulders and said “You two are also childhood friends of Rand al’Thor the Dragon Reborn. You aided him from the very beginning and were crucial in his efforts to save this world from the Shadow. Who wouldn’t want to buy you drinks?”
Perrin shifted uneasily “A lot of what you said, very few people know about it. Especially the Dreamspike.”
“Very few people know about it indeed.” the flute player said smiling and sitting back “I am one of them.”
“Who are you?” Mat asked with a bit of annoyance in his voice “A tavern like this would have a gleeman. You’re not a gleeman.”
“You would notice I am not a gleeman since I do not wear a cloak with a thousand colors.” the man chuckled “Very observant of you. And you would know gleemen, such as Thom Merrilin who accompanied you from the beginning at Emond’s field. It was very strange for a gleeman to show up at such a remote place like Emond’s field, even at Bel Tine. The pull of Taverene is something wondrous, isn't it?"
Perrin gritted his teeth. Mat knew this expression, he knew his friend well. He was very good at suppressing his anger, but apparently the flute player was getting on his nerves.
“We do not know you, you are not welcome at our table. Please leave us.”
“But you do know me.” the man said “Think hard Goldeneyes. You’ve seen me before.”
Perrin focused on the man for a second then and his eyes widened, he paled slightly and his hand went to his hammer “It’s you. I saw you, in that tent. You were laid next to Rand. It’s you.” He turned to Mat and said “He’s the Forsaken Rand fought in the Pit of Doom. That’s Moridin.”
“Blood and ashes.” Mat cursed as he reached inside his boot to retrieve a knife. He worried about an assassin but one of the Forsaken was sitting at the table with them. Perrin was loud, how come none of the people in the tavern are reacting? Were they all Dark Friends? Were there still Darkfriends in existence?
“Now fellows” the man, Moridin, lifted both his arms palm out towards Mat and Perrin “I’m not him. I may look like him but I swear to you I’m not him.” he pushed some of his hair back before putting his hand back in Mat’s face “I’m a friend, I swear it.”
“A friend? How are you a friend?” Perrin asked. Why were these people just sitting there?
“How do you think I know all those things?” the man asked “Better yet, how do I know that Mat didn’t start to read at the age of seven like you said, it was at the age of eight? Or the fact that one of the very few times Perrin was the one to get us in trouble was when we played that prank he suggested, in retaliation for Cenn Buie’s unnecessary complaints against us? Or the fact that Perrin was hanged from his foot by the women’s circle for it? I know this because I hanged next to him.” he smiled and said “In the same way that my bottom was next to yours, Mat, as Mistress Barran punished us for taking a bite from Mistress al’Seen's pie. Even though she..”
"she always gave us pieces of the pie anyway, she always had us wait until the pie has cooled off though." Mat finished the story, speaking slowly, his eyes felt like they were about to jump out of his head.
Perrin and Mat just stared wide eyed at the man. “What are you saying?” Perrin asked slowly.
“How can you know that? How can you possibly know that?” Mat asked. He though that perhaps it was a trick of the one power, that he somehow can rummage through their memories, then he touched his Foxhead medallion and dismissed the thought. “Are you sayin…are you…”
“Yes, it really is me.” the man said with a wide smile “I am your friend. I am Rand al’Thor.”
Mat caught his mouth open. He stared at the man’s eyes for long. All the stories aside, he did have similar eyes to Rand’s. Not in shape or color, they were just…similar. He looked at Perrin and apparently he came to the same conclusion. He sank in his chair and muttered “Blood and ashes. Blood and bloody ashes. It really is you. But how? How can you…be here, looking like that?”
Rand smiled softly and said “The time we have is unsuitable for me explaining this, and by 'the time' I mean our lifetimes.” he said then brushed back a few strands of hair that fell onto his face “You’ll know, one day you’ll learn everything, well, you’ll find that you knew all along, you'll just remember.”
“What does that even mean?” Mat asked.
“When we die.” Perrin said softly “When we die we’ll know, we’ll spend our time in the Wolf Dream, waiting to be reborn into the pattern, but we’ll possess the knowledge we’ve accumulated throughout the ages, right?”
Rand nodded and said “More or less, yes.”
Mat raised his hat, ran a hand through his hair, then set it back onto his head “So you are immortal now?”
Rand laughed and said “Light, no. I’ll die just like you, just like I always did, just like I always will. And seeing how I cannot channel anymore, I’ll die even quicker. My life span is the similar to yours.”
“You can’t channel?” Mat asked “How did that happen?”
“To be completely honest I am not sure how it happened.” Rand said slowly “It may have happened during my fight with Moridin. The amount of power that passed through the two of us that day, no one should know what that’s like. Still,” he said and raised his right hand, there was a lit pipe in it, Mat didn’t see him take it out much less light it. Perrin’s eyes were as wide as Mat imagined his would be, as Rand put the pipe’s stem in his mouth and took a long drag, he puffed the smoke as he spoke “I have access to other powers now. They came in very handy on several occasions.” he looked from Mat to Perrin and said “I can’t explain them either, sorry. I barely understand myself.” he then took another drag of smoke and suddenly the pipe was no longer in his hand.
Perrin scratched his beard. He was the first to break the silence saying “I remember seeing Thom performing something similar to this.” he chuckled and Rand laughed, Mat joined them after a second “If you’ve been alive all this time, how come you’ve waited this long to come and meet us?”
“I don’t know.” Rand said “It took me a while to figure out why and how I was alive, and ever since then there’s just never been a good time to come to you. I mean you have to understand, this is not easy for me either. I just told my two best friends that their best friend is still alive, that he never died, and that now he possesses the body of his arch nemesis.”
Mat laughed and said “Well imagine how we feel after we’ve been just told that.” Perrin chuckled as Mat continued “Still you should have come earlier.”
“Perhaps. But what about the two of you?” he said looking at them “This is the first time I see you both together in a very long time. I was supposed to be dead, what’s your excuse for not getting together?”
“Well I had to squash a rebellion and help restore order in Seanchan.” Mat said simply “Not a lot of time for friendly visits.”
“I had to see to the rebuilding of the parts of the Two Rivers that were affected by the Last Battle.” Perrin said “Also I had to do the same in Saldaea, though Faile did a lot of the work if I’m completely honest. In both places. I’m not cut out to be a ruler.”
“You’re doing a terrific job.” Rand said putting a hand on Perrin’s shoulder, and then he put another on Mat’s and said “Both of you. I saw what the riots did in Seanchan. You deserve the hero status the people have gave you for restoring order.” Mat looked down, images flashed in his mind, images he wished he could forget. Thousands of people lost their homes, lost their lives. Entire cities decimated. Without any leaders to uphold law and justice, a coalition of vagabonds took advantage and wreaked havoc in the whole empire. He wasn’t a hero, he only did what needed to be done, he would have been a coward if he had turned his back. “And you,” Rand said looking to Perrin “You know Two Rivers folks, if you weren’t an exceptional Lord, if you weren’t constantly making life there better, they’d have kicked you out of the high seat they built for you.” all three laughed at how much truth that statement contained.
“Thanks, Rand.” Perrin said slowly “I…knew that already, people tell me all the time, but to hear it from a friend…thank you.”
Mat nodded but didn’t say anything. After nearly a minute of silence he said “So you’ve been keeping watch on us?”
“From time to time yes.” Rand said sitting back in his chair “Elayne does most of that for me in your case.” he said looking to Perrin. “She pays close attention to all the Lords and Ladies of Andor. As for you,” he said turning to Mat “Min kept an eye on you until she left Seandar, and since then some of the people she keeps in touch with there keeps her informed about everyone in the Blood.”
"So they knew you were alive and we didn't?" Mat asked.
Rand shrugged and said "They knew because of the Warder bond they have with me, Aviendha too naturally. I suspect that Moiraine knows too."
Perrin chuckled and said "Of course Moirain knows, Moirain knows everything. Especially know that she's Amyrlin."
Rand chuckled and said “As I was saying, I’ve been watching over you, both of you. The conflict in the east, I prevented that from boiling over.” he said looking at Perrin, then he turned to Mat and said “And you, remember the battle of Qirat? I was there too.”
Mat’s eyes widened and said “It was you?” during the battle of Qirat, he was outnumbered, and by the third day of fighting what little that remained of the men he had with him were the only thing standing between the coalition and a camp of refugees. In one final charge by the enemy that was sure to bring the end of Mat, a lone rider broke into the enemies lines and caused so much chaos that Mat could turn that day into a very unlikely victory. Later he couldn’t find who that rider was, now he knew. “Thank you.” was all he managed to say.
“For what?” Rand said “I’ve always protected humanity, wouldn’t I protect my own friends?” he said smirking arrogantly.
“Don’t get too full of yourself.” Mat said smiling. “I did my fair share of protecting humanity too. I did more than you I reckon.”
“Oh?” Rand asked with a challenging look in his eyes “Last I heard they praise me as the Dragon Reborn, the Champion of the Light and protector of humanity.” he said smugly “And I remember saving your life, twice, before the last battle.”
Mat opened his mouth and was about to say something but Perrin said “Well I saved your life, Rand. Twice for that matter. You remember Dumai Wells, don’t you? And when you were down at the bore, Lanfear was about to kill Moiraine and Nynaeve and take control of Moridin through Callandor, I stopped her. Imagine what would have happened if I weren’t there.”
“Yes,” Mat said “And for that matter, even if you won against the Dark One, the battle against the forces of the Shadow still needed to be fought. I ensured we didn’t have another Trolloc War on our hands by beating Demandred and stopping him here at Merrilor.”
Rand smiled at both of them and said “Seriously? You want to do this? You want to compare accomplishment with the man who cleansed Saidin?”
“That again, so what?” Mat said sharply.
“So what?” Rand asked “So I ensured that the Asha'man would not go mad, so we wouldn’t have another Breaking.”
“The only reason the Asha'man existed, and hence the risk of the Breaking, is because of you.” Perrin said pointing at Rand “You can brag about cleansing Saidin if you had done it first before starting the Black Tower. That way you can claim to have been thinking ahead, instead of trying to prevent your actions from causing disasters.”
“Yeah well…” Rand said and paused for a few seconds before saying “I brought together all the people of the world under one banner. I united all the nations for a common goal.”
“You didn’t bring everyone together.” Perrin said waving his hand “You brought a few nations together, and the Aiel. Egwene brought most of the remaining ones. And if you’ll recall, one of the largest forces that was gathered and ready was brought by me. Ghealanins, Mayneres, Aiel,..”
Rand cut him off saying “You can’t take credit for the Mayneres and the Aiel that were following you, they only did so because I told them to.”
“Well did you tell the Children of the Light to follow me?” Perrin asked “I brought the Children of the Light to fight in the Last Battle under your banner. They would have fought alone otherwise.”
“No you cannot take credit for that.” Mat said quickly “Galad Damodred brought the Whitecloaks to you. Do you honestly believe that had Eamon Valda, or even Pedron Niall, been their Captain Commander they would have agreed to follow you?” Mat then tapped a finger on his own chest saying “I brought one of the largest forces to the battle, I brought the Seanchan. Without them we would have lost.”
“You mean you would have lost. Since according to you, you won us that battle.” Perrin said smirking.
Mat stammered and was about to say something when Rand added “Besides, I brought the Seanchan into the fold. You should know that, you were there when I negotiated the treaty with your wife in Ebou Dar.”
“You nearly ruined everything that day in Ebou Dar.” Mat said quickly “I had nearly convinced Fortuona to fight with us when you came and almost caused her to change her mind.”
“Is that true?” Rand cocked his eyes towards “Regardless, I killed more Forsaken than either of you. That means I win.”
“I killed Mashadar.” Mat said quickly “I’d say that was tougher than some of your Forsaken.”
“I doubt it.” Rand said.
“You’re forgetting that I destroyed the Shaido.” Perrin said while leaning on the table, his yellow eyes seeming sharper than before “I put together a very unlikely group of armies and I broke the Shaido in Malden, freeing Faile, Morgase Trakand, and Alliendre of Ghealdan.”
“The Ever Victorious Army helped you with that if I remember correctly.” Mat said. Rand seemed to watch quietly, smirking. “Besides I beat the Shaido before you. At the walls of Cairhien, with a much smaller force. And I single handedly killed their leader.”
“Come on, your 'small force' wasn’t the only force there that day.” Perrin said “I wasn’t there and I know that. You didn’t beat them, you survived them.”
Rand chuckled but continued to watch in silence as Mat said “Well I won against the Seanchan with a fraction of their numbers in Altara.”
Rand opened his mouth but Perrin said “I organized the defenses in the Two Rivers. When neither of you were there I took the ordinary folks of the Two Rivers and I lead them to stand against Trollocs and Myrddraal.”
Rand opened his mouth again but Mat spoke over him sharply “I beat the Aelfinn and the Eellfinn at their own game.” he turned to Rand and said “You saw those goat kissing bastards, I went into their tower and took Moiraine from their clutches, I outwitted them and beat them in their own domain.”
“I killed Slayer.” Perrin said in a near shout “A creature born of hate and shadow by merging a corrupt Wolfbrother and Blademaster. He was intent on killing Rand in Shayol Ghul and he would have succeeded had it not been for me.”
Mat and Perrin both had their mouths open and were about to speak on top of one another when Rand slammed his open palm at the table. They both stared at him and he spoke in a low voice that was gradually climbing in volume “I met the Dark One in a battle of will against will, I stepped into a place that was a noplace, a place outside this world, outside the pattern itself, a place where things like light, matter, and time could not exist. Consciousness and memory were all I had.” he took a deep breath and continued in a louder voice “I wielded the threads that are the lives of all the people who have ever lived like a person wields the One Power. I saw the truth, all the truths, even the truths that were lies, or the truths that never were or could never be. I saw the accumulated effect of tiny, miniscule actions of people who lived centuries apart, ebb and cause a climactic reaction that can only serve as proof that the Pattern has a cruel sense of humor.” he stood and placed his fists on the table and spoke in an ever higher voice “I stood on a pedestal of power, the likes of which has, will, and should never be experienced by any mortal, and from there I saw, perfectly clear, time standing still, time moving so fast that I can perceive the turning of the Great Wheel itself, a privilege only the Great Serpent ever knew. I held Evil, the primal force of the universe, the antitheses to the Creator, in the palms of my hands and had I wanted, I could have squeezed my thumb and squashed it like the pitiful mite it really is, but in doing so I’d rob the universe of one of its primal forces, I had the power to change the face of existence but I chose to relinquish it, for even on that pedestal, I was naught but a humble creation of the Pattern itself.” he stood there breathing heavily, his eyes sharp with creases in his forehead.
At that point everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing and were staring at the three of them. Rand looked over his shoulder and suddenly everyone was back to whatever they were doing as if nothing had happened.
Perrin and Mat stared at him for a long time before Perrin said “You were exaggerating, weren’t you?”
Rand shrugged and said “Maybe, just a little bit.” then the three broke out in laughter.
“Alright man, you win.” Mat said, then he looked at Perrin and said “But between Perrin and I, I win.”
“I’d love to prove you wrong but we need to get going.” Perrin said slowly “The celebrations are about to start and I am supposed to give a speech.” he said it in a way that suggested that he did not want to give that speech.
“Well, let’s get going then.” Mat said then he looked at Rand “You are coming, aren’t you?”
“Of course.” He said standing up. He looked at the other two and said “We need to do this more often fellows.”
“We really should.” Perrin said.
Mat nodded and said “I agree. I don’t think we had a sit down like that, the three of us, since Moiraine came to the Emond’s Field.”
Mat grabbed his Ashiandrei as the three of them left the Tavern. They walked in silence for nearly a minute before Rand said “Nice eye patch, Mat.”
“Shut up.” Mat said sharply as Perrin snickered.