Mave moved among the children smiling as best she could. Several young women were looking at her. Some seemed envious or curious, others seemed openly hostile, more than a few cast jealous looks at Ali as he headed to the kitchen. Whispered snatched of conversation told her that the story that she and Ali were together had been taken seriously and not a few local girls were less than pleased with this state of affairs.

She sipped at her cider primly, though it was tart and delicious, it had been a long time before she had partaken of anything but tea. Her mind was occupied with the rider and her dark suspicions regarding his nature. Part of her wanted to believe she was just being paranoid but she couldn’t dismiss the uneasy feeling. Consequently she didn’t at first notice when a shadow fell across her table. A clearing of the throat bought her back to the present. The wisdom stood over her, hands on hips, glaring disapprovingly. Mave, having been glared at by Aes Sedai many times, was not particularly moved. It was kind of amusing in its way. Mave glanced at the wisdom and went back to sipping her cider.

“We need to talk young woman,” the wisdom declared at last when it became obvious that Mave wasn’t going to initiate conversation.

“Do we?” Mave asked in a tone of studied disinterest. The woman's teeth ground almost audibley.

“I dont know how they do things where you come from but if you think, you can just show up here out of nowhere and shack up with an impressionable young man! What you have done is…” the wisdoms voice was rising into a tirade.

“Mistress,” Mave said sharply in a tone that wasn’t loud but was clearly audible throughout the tavern. The wisdom’s mouth hung open, clearly unaccustomed at being interrupted. The Inn quieted in an instant as conversations came to an abrupt stop. A confrontation between the Wisdom and the stranger was obviously enough to enrapture the attention of all but a few of the children who were quickly hushed by parents or older siblings.

“What I have done, is suffered the misfortune to be set upon by bandits on the road outside of town,” Mave said in the same clear calm tone. The wisdom’s mouth worked like a landed fish but Mave didn’t give her the chance to recover.

“To my great good fortune Master Baldyr,” she went on, using the formal address to underscore the fact that Ali was a grown man, “was there to drive them off even though they had swords and he had but a staff.” The wisdom took a step back, intimidated by her cool poise and the unexpected forcefulness of her words.

“Furthermore he was hospitable enough to offer me shelter to rest and recover,” she swept the room with her eyes, visually slapping down anyone who was staring at the confrontation.

“An attitude that I had hoped to find a bit more widespread.” Several faces colored at the implication of discourtesy especially among those who had visited the house on the Wisdom’s ‘suggestion’ earlier.

“Now if you take some offense at my presence then that is your own affair and none of mine. Now I would appreciate it if you would leave me to enjoy my meal in peace.” Mave’s words cracked like whips in the silence of the common room. The Wisdom was going a very peculiar shade of crimson and balling her fists so tight they went white. She opened her mouth to speak but Mave cut her off.

“Goodnight to you mistress,” she said and returned her attention to the cake she had been presented. Valerie’s jaw worked convulsively and without another word she spun on her heel and stalked from the common room, parting the few spectators like the bow wave of a ship.

Ali slid back into his seat with a slightly shocked look, sliding a cup of cider towards her, which she accepted but didn’t immediately lift to her lips.

“Sorry  that took a second,” he said. Mave gave him a wry smile.

“I’m afraid I haven’t made a good impression on your Wisdom,” she said, feeling a little embarrassed now that the moment had passed. It wasn't really fair on Ali to make the situation worse.

“Not very afraid though,” she corrected with a small chuckle.