The forest had been dark and cruel as of late, even at the end of winter, only the birds had appeared again, and they only appeared when the sun did, which was infrequent at best. In fact, this was likely the first sunlight Ali had seen in weeks. The winter had been harsh, and there had been talk of Wolves and Bears appearing in the Westwood. Wolves were rare, but he had not heard of a bear in seven winters, yet here they were, attacking livestock and men. Ali wouldn't easily forget having to fight off a small group of wolves after two sheep had been taken naught but a month ago. 

Even in these forbidding times, he never expected to face more than a few roughs on the road between Edmond's Field and Taren's Ferry, though what he found first was something he could never have been prepared for in all of his life. Because out of the brush came not a wolf, bear, or thief, but a coppery skinned woman with an uncovered bosom. She hit him with all her weight, but Ali was a tall and strong man. "What?" he voiced in surprise, until he realized that an exotically attractive woman had impacted into him, and her bare breasts were against his chest. 

If you later told Ali that steam had shot out of his ears, he would have believed you. His tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth and he stammered, backing up with his youthful face flushed. "Wha-!? who're yo..." He suddenly realized she was covered in blood and twigs, and understood immediately that this was more of a dangerous situation than a provocative one. "Blood and Ashes," he cursed, catching her before she fell. 

"Miss?" he asked, and she didn't immediately respond. "Light! Miss are you ok?" He knelt her down and let her lean on his curled legs. What was he going to do? Who in the creator was she? On further inspection, she was definitely a foreigner. Copper skinned and likely the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. He needed to cover her up, for both her and his sakes, so carefully, without his eyes focusing on her full bosom too much, he began to lace up her bodice with a pure focus. The void and the flame, his da had always said. He usually meant that for stick fighting and archery, but he supposed it was useful in many situations. 

"They're coming." The woman said, her eyes opening lazily. Ali blinked, having just covered her up. "What? Who?" 

Muted voices could be heard from the tree line, and the brambles began to show. What pine and leaf that had stubbornly clung to the trees this winter bounced from the movements of men approaching. When they came onto the road, they would see Mave on the ground and Al standing there, stick in hand and pack settled on the earth. The lead one grinned, his hair tied in a topknot and a dagger in his callused fist. "Boy, run along and leave us the woman." 

"I'm not a boy." Ali said, stone faced and chest out. "I'm no fool either. It's not right to treat anyone this way, especially a girl. Leave now. But if you step closer, I'll kill you." Later, Ali would look back on this statement and wonder if he was really prepared to do just that. Then men certainly didn't believe him, at least after a few moments. A second man with a sword, and a third with what looked to be a makeshift farming implement was now there flanking the topknot. 

Al needed to calm down and focus. Just by their faces he knew that they were going to attack. Bloodthirst was in their eyes. The man with the dagger leaped at him with an underhanded thrust, a common move his da often said inexperienced ruffians would make. He moved with little thought to strategy, so in tune was he to his staff. The top part of his walking stick banged down on the man's hand, causing his nerveless fingers to drop the knife, and before the blade had hit the ground, the flow of the staff was redirected to crunch into the assailant's nose with a thrust, breaking it. 

He didn't have time to think, stepping past and thrusting once more with his staff, this time between the next one's sword and his arm as he charged. He pressed down on the arm, causing the appendage to bend and lose his stance. He was no ammatuer, and instead of continuing his movement, the bandit tossed his sword into his other hand. He left his face open however, and Al's staff cracked into his cheek bone audibly. He spun, hooking the man's leg with the bottom half of his staff and twisting it with a quick jerk, tripping him up and probably breaking his knee. 

The third man was the smartest, though. He had gone around to Ali's flank, and when his back was turned, and tried to hack at him from behind until something tripped him up, sending him flying into the air as if a bear had swiped him! Ali twirled, staff at the ready to see him sail over the young man, and the woman concentrating on the thrown bandit strangely, as if she had the power to move him like a puppet. The exertion seemed to tire her out, however, for she slumped into the dirt once more. 

Light, what did he just see? That couldn't have been her... 

He kicked the first attacker in the face for good measure, and then gingerly lifted the woman up in his arms as if she were a babe. She was relatively small at least. He'd carried sheep back to the farm before. It was a ways back to the house, but he set off with his staff under his armpit, leaving the men groaning on the ground. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew this girl was hurt and he needed to help.

A horse whinnied in the distance, and Ali realized it was behind him. He glanced backward and saw a frightening figure, clad in a black cloak astride a black steed. Ali could barely see the bottom of his face, but he swore the man was looking right at him. "Sir?" he called, and looked to the woman in his arms, and then back to where the rider was. Only to notice that he had disappeared. Al blinked, but the rider was still gone, as if he had never been.  
[hr]
[i]4 hours later[/i] 

The oil on the cast iron pan filled the kitchen with crackles and pops as Ali finished preparing the meal he was making for himself and the woman. It was only an hour ago that they had made it home, and she had yet to awaken. Thank the light his family had left already, but even still he put her in the guest bedroom, having wiped her face, hair, and what part of the chest he was comfortable with cleaning before he went and fetched water for her. Now he was preparing food, knowing that whoever she was, she'd likely wake up hungry. 

He had spent a lot of time in thought as he carried her back, and the rider kept intruding on his thoughts, because he had felt true fear from the man. Somehow, he knew the rider had meant him harm. Had hated him. Could he have been with the fellows Ali had beaten up? What was more frightening was that he recalled one other thing that made the man so horrible. Even in the morning wind, his cloak had not shifted... 

he'd also come to the conclusion that the woman he'd found had to be Aes Sedai. The shawl and the agelessness to her features, along with the fact that she was a bloody foreigner that could lift men without touching them. What else could she be? He almost felt she was too dangerous to bring home, but he couldn't simply leave a woman out in the cold. Even an Aes Sedai could be helpless unconscious...he guessed. Light, he didn't even know. 

There was a knock on the front door. 

His da and siblings couldn't be home... Quickly he grabbed his staff and headed out of the kitchen, letting the meal cool down now that he had placed the food on the plates. At the front door, he looked out the window and saw Bran Feran, one of his boyhood friends that lived two farms down. Brown haired and a head shorter than Ali, he had a matter of fact way of saying things. Ali opened the door. "Bran? What are you doing here?" 

Bran didn't speak at first, looking unsure of himself. "Ali, you need to tell me now. What have you done?" 

Ali blanched, taken aback. He briefly wondered if news of the men he had fought had reached the town, but that was impossible! Could it be the woman? "Nothing, what are you talking about? I just went to Teran's Ferry for the night and came back. Why? Bran, don't laugh but you're freaking me out." 

That answer seemed to cause Bran to deflate. "I believe you. Sorry, I wanted to ask. Ali, be careful. There's a...man asking around town for you."

"A rider? In black?"

"Yeah. He won't give his name, but he knows yours. No one seems to trust him, but sooner or later a Coplin will run their big mouth and he'll be on his way here." 

Ali groaned in frustration. "Blood and Ashes, I saw him on the road earlier. I didn't even speak to him though, Bran. I don't know what he would want. I admit it, he scared me." 

"I only saw him for a second, but he scared me too. You know you can hide at my place, right?" 

Ali grinned, and this time he truly did look like a boy. "Thanks Bran, you're a good friend. You better go on though. I'll see about that, but I need to finish a few things here first." Truthfully, he would have taken his offer if it wasn't for the woman in the guest room. No need to bring her or Bran into anything, so he didn't mix the two with telling him she was there. "I'll see you later, ok?" 

When his friend left, Ali closed the door and slumped, running his hands into his thick mass of hair. What was going on? 
[@Penny]