Raeyn found herself stirring from another restless night of quasi-sleep in the semi-light of dawn. A breeze twitched at the tent-flaps, enough to show Matalina sitting outside in the miserable torridly windy weather.
She smiled, a quick twitch of her lips. In failing to protect her two former Aes Sedai from harm, Matalina seemed to have unseemly dedication to her duties since her fall into the Shadow. It was rare to find anyone loyal to anyone else who served the Shadow, yet the Great Lord had smiled upon Raeyn in finding Mat. And the dedication that Raeyn felt towards Matalina was returned in spades; she had saved this woman from her own death, and she would do her best to protect her dear Warder, one of her dearest friends as well as she could.
Dressing quickly, she pulled on a thick velvet dress in a deep hue of brown over her warm woolen shift. The chill in the air was so terribly reminiscent of home, but her time spent in the Tower had caused her to become unaccustomed to the joyful briskness of a proper winter. Channeling, she relight the brazier that still contained some remaining wood from the night before, at which time Matalina poked her head into the tent.
“Raeyn, they seemed to have found the city. It looks as though they are preparing to enter.”
Raeyn blinked. That would explain the rising noise levels outside, louder than could be accounted for by those in camp simply getting up and heading for some breakfast. “A fine day for discovery,” she murmured ruefully as another breeze ripped open the tent flap to show people milling about outside, running for this and that.
She put on her belt, checking the pouches attached to make sure she had everything she needed: ink, notebook, pens, and a random assortment of other things that she had found useful to have on hand over the years. A small, unadorned dagger tucked into the belt completed her arraignment.
Stepping out of the tent with Matalina shadowing, she let the wind rush over her for a minute before starting towards the direction that people seemed to be excitedly pointing at. A day of destiny for some, a day of doom for others. What would come of today, in the histories, in personal lives?