Fathers
“What’s this?” Tam Al’Thor asked Abell Cauthon. He was referring to the letter that seemed to have mysteriously appeared on his work table.
Abell walked over. Everyone was tired, but especially the two men. Tam and Abell had been a large help in fighting off the Trollocs with Perrin Goldeneyes, or whatever he was called now.
although that battle had been months ago, Two Rivers was still recovering.
Abell examined the letter. “Says it’s from Perrin Goldeneyes.”
Tam raised an eyebrow. “Finally making contact, after all these months? We better open it.”
Abell was uncertain. “Maybe I should get Bran?”
Tam shrugged, then spotted something. “To the fathers of Rand Al’Thor and Matrim Cauthon.”
“That’s us.” Abell voiced. “I guess we should read it.”
Tam was anxious for news of Rand, and he knew Abell missed Mat. Were they finally coming home?
“We can’t come home.” Abell read from the letter. He had opened it carefully. There were tear marks on the page.
“Light! Why ever not? Keep on reading , friend!” Tam banged his fist on the table, near-shaking with worry.
Abell gave no sign of caring and kept reading. “I know you’re mad, anxious, worried. You should be. But I can explain.”
“You better, boy.” Tam muttered and Abell let out a hiss of annoyance at the interruption. Tam saw how tightly his friend’s hands gripped the letter and was quiet.
“It starts with a story. When Moraine, the Aes Sedai, took me, Mat, and Rand From Two Rivers, she did it with good intentions. We were causing Trolloc attacks on our home by Just being there. We are all Ta’veren, and ‘important in the wheel of Time’ , you see. (Now, we know we’re very important. Perhaps some of the most important people there will be, or has been.)”
Tam didn’t seem shocked, for he felt there were worse surprises in store. Abell however, dropped the letter and let out a startled sound of alarm.
“Perrin never has been one to brag. I wonder what that means?” Tam mused.
He then picked it from the floor and handed it to him. “Please, friend. I couldn’t bear.”
Abell clutched it like he could feel Mat on the paper, and went back To reading.
“I’m not entirely certain how to explain it, but for some reason we, two Edmond’s Field boys and one Aiel boy, were chosen. The Amryillian Seat said as much herself.”
“the Seat, blood and ashes!” Tam cried wonderingly. “How did they come in contact with the seat?”
The other man shrugged and thought on it for a second. Tam was glad Abell payed no mind to the ‘Aiel boy’ part.
Abell didn’t have an answer so Tam answered his own question. “I suppose they were in Tar Valon, bound to see one or two Aes Sedai.”
Abell Cauthon just shook his head, the poor man. He started reading again, in a shaky voice.
“I wish I did born have to tell you what we have been up to, but I cannot bring myself to lie. I shall simply state how greatly we have changed and you will have to piece together the great adventure out for yourselves.”
Abell ran a hand through his brown hair and looked to Tam. Tam nodded, somewhat reluctantly. “We should hear of the exploits.”
Abell nodded back and continued on.
“Please do not think me impolite for starting with myself. I would like to get it over with and perhaps it is easiest to explain. You already know i murdered Whitecloaks, married Faile (cousin to the queen of Saldea). But what you might not have known is that, well...
I can talk to wolves.”
Tam nearly fainted. Abell shivered. “Light! So is he a bloody D-darkfriend?”
Tam shook his head. “Where do you get these ideas? We must hear him out.”
Abell realized that theory did not make sense and that he was only making the anticipation worse, so he went back to reading.
“No, I have been assured By a warder it is not Dark. However, it is dangerous. My eyes have changed colors, my senses sharpened, I am even stronger. I can travel in dreams. But I can also very well lose myself and go the same type of Mad Rand is goi-Moraine says it is just the wheel of time and my ’Ta’veren’ness, if that’s a thing.”
“Blood and ashes! While Perrin is concerning me, did he just say Rand was going mad?” Tam looked like he might murder Abell if he didn’t read faster, so although Abell wanted to think about what Perrin had written so far, he didn’t dare stop.
“I do not wish to write of myself any longer, so I will write about Mat. I thought mat had changed the least, but now it appears he has changed the most. He is skilled with any weapon, and so bloody lucky he could and does evade death with his luck. It is his magic, in a way. His way with Ta’veren, that he wins enough dicing to become a lord.”
“that’s my boy.” Abell said. “He was always so good at dicing. But a bloody luck power? And ‘skilled with any weapon’?”
“I used to think of mat as a trickster, but he is bloody brilliant. He’ll make a fine general one day soon. Smartest of us three, not to mention knowing the O-old tongue. He had an encounter with an-ancient beings in Rhuidean (in the B-blight) with Rand, and earned a f-forgotten weapon only he knows how to use, knowledge of the Old tongue, and memories of old A-Aiel generals. They call him Prince of ravens. He has almost died so many times, first when he was linked to a deadly knife from Shadar Logoth, later against the seanchan. He did one very important thing, but I’ll tell you of that after i tell you of Bloody Rand.”
Poor Abell had never been so surprised in life, to hear his son flattered like that. “Ancient beings, Aiel generals. Shadar Logoth, Seanchan. Old Tongue!” He muttered.
Tam reached over to take the letter from abell, but he only clutched it tighter. “I want to read on. Don’t you want to hear of mad rand?” He asked stubbornly.
Tam flinched, but retreated. “Go on.”
“Before I tell of rand. Tam, please don’t Be mad. It wasnt rand’s fault. You have every right to be worried, although whether you should be worried for him or scared of him, it’s hard to say.”
”well that’s an bloody bright introduction.” Tam quipped.
Abell scanned the paragraph then turned bone white. “Tam...”
“Should I know?”
Abell hesitated, then nodded. “You need to know.”
So Tam, also gone pale, motioned for abell to read on.
“Rand has...”
