Rand POV#

Tam and Rand al'Thor travel with Bela, their shaggy brown mare, down the Quarry Road from their farm in the Westwood to Emond's Field. This area is called the Two Rivers. The Sand Hills are to the west and beyond them, the Mountains of Mist. They are delivering apple brandy to the Winespring Inn for the Bel Tine festival. Rand is unusually tall and fair with light hair and eyes[1] because his mother was an outlander.[2] Rand feels like he is being watched and sees a dark horseman.[3] When Tam turns to look, the horseman is gone. In Emond's Field, they encounter several townsfolk: Cenn Buie, the thatcher, Wit Congar, Bran al'Vere, Nynaeve al'Meara, Daise Congar, Mat Cauthon and Egwene al'Vere. Emond's Field is a small village with neat, thatched-roof houses. Mistress al'Donel is upset that the storks have not returned. Mat tells Rand that he also saw the dark horseman three days ago. He was so scared he thought the horseman might be Aginor or Ishamael or even the Dark One. Neither Dav nor Elam Dowtry saw him. They also learn that there is a gleeman[4] who arrived in the middle of the night from Baerlon and fireworks. Rand and Egwene are close to being betrothed.