Lan, Bukama, and Ryne agree to escort Moiraine as far as Chachin. En route, Moiraine continues seeking out and interviewing women on her list.
Moiraine introduces herself as Lady Alys, because she attended the Mr. Garvey School of appellations. Bukama chides Lan for not following the example he set in pledging an oath to protect Moiraine on her way to Chachin. But Lan is wary of promising her anything, because while he suspects that Moiraine is merely a childish, prank-loving wilder posing as an Aes Sedai, he isn’t about to stake his freedom upon it. No sirree. Only fool men allow themselves to become bonded as an Aes Sedai’s Warder.
But Lan is no fool. Right? I mean… yes! Yes, there was the business with Lady Edeyn Arrel when he was 15 years old. And now she was building an army using his name and potentially trying to have him assassinated. But how could he have known that it would come to that? And yes! Yes, there was that business in Cairhien — he spent ten days there cavorting with Cairhienan women, resulting in multiple brushes with death, two marriage proposals, and most likely some bastard children. But he’s wiser for it. Right? No more letting women yank him around, especially not ones from Cairhien.
Meanwhile, Ryne is throwing all caution to the wind:
RYNE: Ms. Alys, may I… tend to your mare?
MOIRAINE: [stepping closer] Certainly, it’s right over there.
RYNE: And your saddle. Would you like me to… polish it?
MOIRAINE: Oh, that sounds lovely. Please. [smirks] Polish my saddle.
RYNE: My lady, your radiance has so dazzled my senses that I feel blind. Would you indulge my curiosity by telling me from whence you have come?
MOIRAINE: From the noble houses of Cairhien.
LAN: [under his breath] Fuck me.
Moiraine insists on stopping at Manala, supposedly for breakfast. But mostly she is trying to locate the next name in her little book of “Women Who Might Have Given Birth To The Dragon.” When Lan realizes “Lady Alys” has slipped away, he finds her a few streets away asking after a certain Avene Sahera. However, she refuses to accept help or divulge any related information.