Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne use one of the letters from the Amyrlin Seat to persuade Mat to deliver a letter from Elayne to Queen Morgase, explaining her impending absence from Tar Valon.
As Mat sits in his room tucking into another hefty meal, Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne walk in like they own the place. They try to butter him up with talk about how much better he looks, but he sees right through it. They want him to carry a letter to Queen Morgase to avoid another political incident when Elayne turns up missing from Tar Valon. They try asking nicely. They try appealing to his desire to see the world. Nynaeve gives her braid a good jerk (that’s twenty-one now!). Elayne even tries to command Mat to carry the letter “as a loyal subject of Andor,” and his reply is an amused snicker. Ah, it’s good to have the old Mat back.
Mat explains that he would love to carry Elayne’s letter, but the guards have orders to keep him from leaving the city. The women huddle together briefly, then give him one of the letters the Amyrlin presented to Nynaeve and Egwene. And just like that, Mat gets a spring in his step and starts planning his trip to Caemlyn.