Tarasin Palace, Ebou Dar [later evening]
After they'd gotten the Aes Sedai free and he'd had a quick chat with the Windfinder, Mat had split off from the group to return to Tylin's room and retrieve his ashandarei--he'd paid too large a price for the thing to leave it behind--and received his second nasty surprise of the night: Tylin had returned.
So instead of the two minutes he'd thought his brief detour would take, it had taken ten, first to convince Tylin that no, he wasn't staying, and then, at her insistence, to tie her up and stuff her under the bed like she'd been caught unawares by his escape attempt. Bloody strange woman. He would miss her.
His cloak streamed behind him as he trotted through the hallway, intent on catching back up with Arthur, Merlin, and the women.
Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag
"So you are intending to leave. I cannot allow that, Toy."
Mat Cauthon
Mat spun on his heel with an oath. What in the Light was Tuon doing awake? Blood and ashes, if she went running off, shouting for guards to stop him...!
Desperately, he reached out for her.
Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag
Tuon writhed away from his grip and smacked his wrist sharply, sending the ashandarei flying, then began raining blows down upon him, punching with folded knuckles, chopping her hands like axe blades.
Mat Cauthon
Mat had quick hands--the quickest the gleeman had ever seen--but it was all he could do to ward her off, and forget about grabbing her. If he had not been trying so hard to keep her from breaking his nose--or something else, maybe, she hit very hard for such a tiny thing--except for that, he might have found this laughable.
He towered over her, yet she came at him with so much concentrated fury, as though she were the taller and stronger and expected to overwhelm him. Her lips were tugging up in a small smile, and he was struck with just how pretty she really was.
Which, on the scale of useless things to be thinking about in a fight, was right up there.
Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag
She flowed away from him and used both hands to readjust the circle of gems that secured her veil. Placing her feet carefully, never taking her eyes from his face, she began slowly gathering her white pleated skirts, inching up above her knees.
Mat Cauthon
As nice as her legs were, Mat wasn't about to stand there and get bloody kicked. He leaped for her, and a stab of pain in his hip sent him to one knee.
Merlin
Oh, come on. Why did people he knew always get trounced by petite girls? Was this some sort of karma?
Never mind that now. Merlin flung up a hand to stop her mid-air for the next kick. "You're worse than Arthur!"
Mat Cauthon
"I bloody am not," Mat snapped before glancing up, eyes going wide at Tuon's foot frozen just above his head. "Nice trick."
Light, what was he going to do with her?
"I don't suppose you can keep her frozen permanently?"
Merlin
Could he?
"I might be able to put her to sleep?"
Mat Cauthon
Mat nodded. "Do it," he said, reaching for a knife from his sleeve. "We'll tie her up and leave her in the stables."
The look in Tuon's eyes would have flayed him alive, had she possessed that power. He ignored it.
Merlin
"Hogian ic gehīeran hīe ācleopian mīn nama," Merlin muttered, eyes flashing to let the audience know magic was happening and he wasn't just saying funny words.
Mat Cauthon
Tuon's body went slack and Mat went to work slicing the hem from her gown and binding her hands and legs, then gagging her.
All of the practice he'd just gotten in Tylin's room came in handy. "Get that tapestry off the wall, too," he instructed. "We'll wrap her in that to carry."
Because two men hauling a tapestry through a palace would pass completely unnoticed.
"What's keeping Arthur?"
Merlin
"Should we check on him?" Merlin suggested, tugging on the tapestry and glancing back to find where the man had gotten off to.
Arthur Pendragon
Arthur... had swooped around the corner right around the moment Merlin said as much, some decidedly ornery-looking women in his wake (well, most of them were looking ornery. One of them seemed rather impressed with the make of Arthur's breeches). His own expression was stormy.
He did not always do well with the fairer sex.
"Be silent!"
Mat Cauthon
Mat smirked at Merlin. "That's what was keeping Arthur," he said, eyes twinkling.
"We ran into a slight...complication," he said, gesturing down at Tuon on top of the tapestry. "We'll leave her in the stable on our way out."
Selucia
On cue, Selucia, Tuon's so'jihn--the Seanchan term for lifelong servant, though Mat could see Selucia being much past thirty years old--skittered into the room and drew up short when she saw Tuon.
"You madman," she gaped at Mat. "It's death by slow torture to lay hands on the Daughter of the Nine Moons!"
Mat "Totally Screwed" Cauthon
Mat grunted as though Tuon's kick to his head had actually landed. The Daughter of the Nine Moons. The Aelfinn had told him the truth, much as he hated knowing: he would die and live again, if he hadn't already. He would give up half the light of the world to save the world, and he didn't even want to think about what that meant. He would marry..."She is my wife," he said softly.
Arthur Pendragon
Arthur would have passed comment on the irritating witches following him around, except then there was that...
... and he was very discreetly trying to veer closer to 'astonished' than 'about to double over laughing'.
Merlin
"...seriously?" Because someone had to ask it, okay?
Mat Cauthon
"Seriously," Mat groaned. The Aelfinn always gave true answers. Always. "She is my wife." He glared at Selucia like that would change anything. "Your bloody Daughter of the Nine Moons is my wife!"
Selucia
"Forgive me for speaking," Selucia breathed, glancing towards the Aes Sedai as though seeking sul'dam protection, "but what you do is foolishness beyond madness. Whatever the omens, this can still be rectified if only you consent to draw back."
Arthur Pendragon
"I'm afraid that's not about to happen," Arthur interjected, his mouth wobbling a little as he was trying to stay serious. And succeeding, thankfully.
He'd laugh at Mat later. Like, when they were in the safe arms of Fandom.
Selucia
Selucia looked from one face to another, then settled to her knees and folded her hands across her lap, all her fear vanishing. "I will obey you, so long as you do not harm my mistress. If you do, I will kill you."
Arthur Pendragon
Arthur turned to Mat, then, one eyebrow lifting at him incrementally. Way of the Royals, that one was. "Well," he drawled, "Mat, she's your wife."
Mat Cauthon
Mat looked down at the tapestry with a sour expression on his face. "Don't bloody remind me," he sulked. "All right. New plan. They're both coming with us."
And the Aes Sedai. And an innkeeper. And the bloody Warders. It was a good thing they were taking refuge at a bloody circus. Mat felt like he was leading one already.
He started rolling Tuon into the tapestry, then glanced at Arthur. "Help me carry this?"
Arthur Pendragon
There was a moment of silence.
"You want me to help carry your wife," he said, "in a tapestry."
He was just checking.
"I fear that might be your burden to bear for the foreseeable future, mate," he added, and patted Mat on the shoulder in a way that wasn't patronizing or supercilious at all.
Merlin
"Seriously?" No, Mat. This would never make sense to poor Merlin.
Mat Cauthon
"We can't bloody leave them behind now," Mat said, "and we're not bloody staying." He glared at the Aes Sedai. "And I'm not taking any bloody suggestions from you, either. Let's go."
[OOC: Part two of three of plot preplayed by the splendifforous bitch_prince and bigdamndestiny, based loosely on Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan. Mat has quite the way with women, doesn't he? NFB, NFI, OOC loved, etc., etc.]
So instead of the two minutes he'd thought his brief detour would take, it had taken ten, first to convince Tylin that no, he wasn't staying, and then, at her insistence, to tie her up and stuff her under the bed like she'd been caught unawares by his escape attempt. Bloody strange woman. He would miss her.
His cloak streamed behind him as he trotted through the hallway, intent on catching back up with Arthur, Merlin, and the women.
Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag
"So you are intending to leave. I cannot allow that, Toy."
Mat Cauthon
Mat spun on his heel with an oath. What in the Light was Tuon doing awake? Blood and ashes, if she went running off, shouting for guards to stop him...!
Desperately, he reached out for her.
Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag
Tuon writhed away from his grip and smacked his wrist sharply, sending the ashandarei flying, then began raining blows down upon him, punching with folded knuckles, chopping her hands like axe blades.
Mat Cauthon
Mat had quick hands--the quickest the gleeman had ever seen--but it was all he could do to ward her off, and forget about grabbing her. If he had not been trying so hard to keep her from breaking his nose--or something else, maybe, she hit very hard for such a tiny thing--except for that, he might have found this laughable.
He towered over her, yet she came at him with so much concentrated fury, as though she were the taller and stronger and expected to overwhelm him. Her lips were tugging up in a small smile, and he was struck with just how pretty she really was.
Which, on the scale of useless things to be thinking about in a fight, was right up there.
Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag
She flowed away from him and used both hands to readjust the circle of gems that secured her veil. Placing her feet carefully, never taking her eyes from his face, she began slowly gathering her white pleated skirts, inching up above her knees.
Mat Cauthon
As nice as her legs were, Mat wasn't about to stand there and get bloody kicked. He leaped for her, and a stab of pain in his hip sent him to one knee.
Merlin
Oh, come on. Why did people he knew always get trounced by petite girls? Was this some sort of karma?
Never mind that now. Merlin flung up a hand to stop her mid-air for the next kick. "You're worse than Arthur!"
Mat Cauthon
"I bloody am not," Mat snapped before glancing up, eyes going wide at Tuon's foot frozen just above his head. "Nice trick."
Light, what was he going to do with her?
"I don't suppose you can keep her frozen permanently?"
Merlin
Could he?
"I might be able to put her to sleep?"
Mat Cauthon
Mat nodded. "Do it," he said, reaching for a knife from his sleeve. "We'll tie her up and leave her in the stables."
The look in Tuon's eyes would have flayed him alive, had she possessed that power. He ignored it.
Merlin
"Hogian ic gehīeran hīe ācleopian mīn nama," Merlin muttered, eyes flashing to let the audience know magic was happening and he wasn't just saying funny words.
Mat Cauthon
Tuon's body went slack and Mat went to work slicing the hem from her gown and binding her hands and legs, then gagging her.
All of the practice he'd just gotten in Tylin's room came in handy. "Get that tapestry off the wall, too," he instructed. "We'll wrap her in that to carry."
Because two men hauling a tapestry through a palace would pass completely unnoticed.
"What's keeping Arthur?"
Merlin
"Should we check on him?" Merlin suggested, tugging on the tapestry and glancing back to find where the man had gotten off to.
Arthur Pendragon
Arthur... had swooped around the corner right around the moment Merlin said as much, some decidedly ornery-looking women in his wake (well, most of them were looking ornery. One of them seemed rather impressed with the make of Arthur's breeches). His own expression was stormy.
He did not always do well with the fairer sex.
"Be silent!"
Mat Cauthon
Mat smirked at Merlin. "That's what was keeping Arthur," he said, eyes twinkling.
"We ran into a slight...complication," he said, gesturing down at Tuon on top of the tapestry. "We'll leave her in the stable on our way out."
Selucia
On cue, Selucia, Tuon's so'jihn--the Seanchan term for lifelong servant, though Mat could see Selucia being much past thirty years old--skittered into the room and drew up short when she saw Tuon.
"You madman," she gaped at Mat. "It's death by slow torture to lay hands on the Daughter of the Nine Moons!"
Mat "Totally Screwed" Cauthon
Mat grunted as though Tuon's kick to his head had actually landed. The Daughter of the Nine Moons. The Aelfinn had told him the truth, much as he hated knowing: he would die and live again, if he hadn't already. He would give up half the light of the world to save the world, and he didn't even want to think about what that meant. He would marry..."She is my wife," he said softly.
Arthur Pendragon
Arthur would have passed comment on the irritating witches following him around, except then there was that...
... and he was very discreetly trying to veer closer to 'astonished' than 'about to double over laughing'.
Merlin
"...seriously?" Because someone had to ask it, okay?
Mat Cauthon
"Seriously," Mat groaned. The Aelfinn always gave true answers. Always. "She is my wife." He glared at Selucia like that would change anything. "Your bloody Daughter of the Nine Moons is my wife!"
Selucia
"Forgive me for speaking," Selucia breathed, glancing towards the Aes Sedai as though seeking sul'dam protection, "but what you do is foolishness beyond madness. Whatever the omens, this can still be rectified if only you consent to draw back."
Arthur Pendragon
"I'm afraid that's not about to happen," Arthur interjected, his mouth wobbling a little as he was trying to stay serious. And succeeding, thankfully.
He'd laugh at Mat later. Like, when they were in the safe arms of Fandom.
Selucia
Selucia looked from one face to another, then settled to her knees and folded her hands across her lap, all her fear vanishing. "I will obey you, so long as you do not harm my mistress. If you do, I will kill you."
Arthur Pendragon
Arthur turned to Mat, then, one eyebrow lifting at him incrementally. Way of the Royals, that one was. "Well," he drawled, "Mat, she's your wife."
Mat Cauthon
Mat looked down at the tapestry with a sour expression on his face. "Don't bloody remind me," he sulked. "All right. New plan. They're both coming with us."
And the Aes Sedai. And an innkeeper. And the bloody Warders. It was a good thing they were taking refuge at a bloody circus. Mat felt like he was leading one already.
He started rolling Tuon into the tapestry, then glanced at Arthur. "Help me carry this?"
Arthur Pendragon
There was a moment of silence.
"You want me to help carry your wife," he said, "in a tapestry."
He was just checking.
"I fear that might be your burden to bear for the foreseeable future, mate," he added, and patted Mat on the shoulder in a way that wasn't patronizing or supercilious at all.
Merlin
"Seriously?" No, Mat. This would never make sense to poor Merlin.
Mat Cauthon
"We can't bloody leave them behind now," Mat said, "and we're not bloody staying." He glared at the Aes Sedai. "And I'm not taking any bloody suggestions from you, either. Let's go."
[OOC: Part two of three of plot preplayed by the splendifforous bitch_prince and bigdamndestiny, based loosely on Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan. Mat has quite the way with women, doesn't he? NFB, NFI, OOC loved, etc., etc.]