Alya wanders into the inn after she'd had to make a trip to the Tower earlier for the usual duties. Now that they were all done, she finally had a free evening. She glances around the common room a moment, then moves over to her usual chair by the fire, sitting down. Waving over a barmaid and orders some tea, then leans back in the large armchair, tapping her fingers on the arm of it.

Kyler lets his illusion drop suddenly behind Alya where he leans down in her ear and say, "BOO!" while pokes a finger in her ribs. Alya squeaks and flinches, then jerks her head around to smirk up at him. “I knew you had to be lurking around here somewhere.” Kyler chuckles at her reaction. She looks him over a moment then shakes her head "You're an ornery one you are."

“And you bonded me, so what's your excuse?”

Alya laughs softly and shakes her head again, pushing her hair out of her face. Then Kyler leans over the back of her chair and kisses her cheek. She glances sideways and smiles faintly. He stepped around the table and takes a seat next to her is still chuckling.

Tilting her head to one side as she studies him "You're in a far more pleasant mood than earlier."

“There are no hooded strangers lurking around nor or are they sending boy in to ask questions.”

Alya chuckles softly and nods "Yes well I suppose that's good enough reason." She smiles up at the barmaid when she finally comes with her tea and takes it from her, sipping it slowly.

Kyler grins, "So...to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" She glances at him askance and raises a brow, "I need a reason to come to come and seek you out?" He couldn’t help but chuckle, "No not at all. But usually you are busy about now. Just how did I get so lucky?" Alya stares down into her teacup, then glances at him again with a small smile, “Strangely enough, I was not overly swamped with paperwork today. Although I'm sure I'll regret it by tomorrow as I'll have a mountain of it no doubt.” Grinning he said, “It wouldn't surprise me. I have half a mind to kidnap you from the Tower for a while.”

Alya raises a brow and chuckles "If the Yellow Ajah and the Infirmary wouldn't turn to complete chaos with me gone I'd be more than glad to go along with it."

“But if I kidnap you there's not much you can do about it.” He is thoroughly amused at their conversation but is also partially serious.

Alya eyes him up and down and smirks, "Am I supposed to take that as a threat?"

“Take it however you like.”

“Mmmhmm.” Alya chuckles and takes a few sips of her tea.

“What you don't think I could?”

She shrugs as she lowers her cup, “Oh I know what you're capable of, though how far you would get is a different story.” He chuckles, “So I guess the thoughts of me taking you away isn't desirable to you?”

“Hmm...well I never exactly said *that*. I'd love nothing more than to get away for a bit. I just fear that everything would go to the Pit if I left it out of my sight for too long.”

“Uh huh...”

Alya drums her fingers on the arm of her chair, thinking to herself. Kyler continues his thoughts, “My dear, everything around here ran before you came along, and they will run after you are gone. They would manage.” Alya glances at him sideways, then sighs and nods, "I suppose you're right. Jascha and Laiya are capable enough of keeping things in line without me around. Perhaps I could spare a short time away...”

Kyler chuckles, “See?”

Alya eyes him again and smirks, “Alright so you've convinced me.” Grinning he says, “Besides, if anyone can keep the Infirmary in line it is Jascha.” Alya smiles a little and nods, "Hmm...Yes I suppose you're right. Something tells me I might end up very much like her when I get older...if I'm not there already." Kyler grins as he says, “Then I might just be in trouble.” Smiling sweetly Alya says, "Now why do you say that?"

“If you end up like Jascha I will be in trouble. I might have to find hiding places from you.” He winks to let her know he's only teasing her. Alya blinks and stares at Kyler a moment, then flips her hair back and laughs "I doubt I'll be that bad dear." He chuckles at her comment. She takes her tea back up and sips, “So, if you ever decided to go through with your little plot, what would you have in store for me?” Kyler thinks for a few moments, "Well, I actually do have a little plan in mind." She raises a brow and raises her head slightly from her cup "Oh? Do tell.."

“Well if I tell then if wouldn’t be a surprise. But would you be up for a ride in the country?”

Alya taps her lips in thought, then smiles slightly "I haven't been riding in a while and I'm sure Caedyn's anxious to be out and about." Kyler chuckles, "Good, how soon do you want to leave?"

“How soon is more convenient for *you*?”

Kyler grins, "Well I can be ready in about an hour. See, I was kind of planning ahead on this." She raises a brow and laughs "Really now? Well good thing I keep some clothes here. I'll be waiting." Grinning he said, "That's good, since I only need to change clothes and saddle the horses." Standing he says, "I'll go upstairs and change. Meet you around back in the stable?"

She smiles and nods, rising to her feet "Very well,” moves toward the stairs herself and to her own room.

Kyler returns a few minutes later changed out of his Asha'man uniform and into a dark green coat, gray breeches, black boots, his hair out of it’s Arafellan braids and just pulled back in a pony tail. Only thing the same is his two swords strapped to his back and his fancloth cloak. He heads to the stables and begins to saddle the horses.

Alya slips into her dark green, riding dress and braids her hair, moving down the stairs later and then stepping around back toward the stables.

Alya steps into the stables and strolls down the aisle toward Kyler, smiling softly, “Caedyn behaving himself?” Kyler looks up and grins, "Yes actually." Alya chuckles softly and steps up to the young stallion, stroking his gray muzzle. Moving over to his own big black horse grabbing the saddle blanket and throwing it over his back, then the saddle. Alya brushes through Caedyn's silky black mane for a moment, then makes a few last minute adjustments to his saddle.

Finally finished with the saddle Kyler moves to his saddlebags and a few other odds and ends tying them to his saddle. Next he rechecks his saddle and Alya's as well. He couldn't live with himself if something happened to her. Funny how the bond made protective instincts stronger.

Alya flips open one of her saddlebags to see what provisions were packed, then nods in approval and ties it shut. Alya glances at Kyler and smiles "Well I think I'm ready when you are." Nodding he says, "Would you like a hand up?” She smiles gratefully and nods, holding out her hand and he assists her up onto her horse, then moves back mounting his. She settles into the saddle and arranges her divided skirts a little before taking up the reins.

Using leg pressure to move Onyx up beside Alya he asks, "Ready?" She looks up and over at Kyler and nods "But of course." Giving a quick look around the stables he then opened a gateway large enough for them to ride thru. Then he gave Onyx a gentle nudge he rode thru the gate first giving the area a good look around. Alya paused a moment taking a look around, then smiles and rides on through the gateway after Kyler, falling in alongside him. Watching to see when Alya clears the gateway he then lets it snap shut behind them. Turning in his saddle he looks at the forest around them. This was one of the safe spots all Asha’man were expected to learn and it had a small clearing they used when coming to this part of Saldaea.

Watching Kyler closely Alya twirls the rein around her finger. He doesn't say anything but boots his horse forward making his way thru the trees. She raises a brow at him, then shrugs and nudges the impatient stallion forward, following after him. Suddenly on edge, Kyler looks up then scans the trees. Picking up on his mood change, Alya draws reign beside him again and eyes him askance, frowning slightly, “What?” He just hold up and hand for quiet and says nothing. Alya sits up a little straighter in the saddle and starts twirling the reins around her finger again, eyeing the trees.

Then he suddenly reaches over and grabs Alya's reins and stops both their horses and the bushes erupted with armed men. Alya flinches and her eyes flash, her hand instinctively reaching for one of her daggers. Kyler keeps both horses from bolting and eyes the rough looking man stepping out in front who said, “If my Lord and Lady would quickly hand over all their valuables then my friends and I won’t have to do anything drastic.” Kyler looked around calmly counting only 6 men and laughed at the man. Alya eyes dart from Kyler to the men, sniffing she draws herself up straight and tall, fidgeting with her ring absently.

The bonded pair hears one of the men off to one side say something an Aes Sedai and her warder. Then deciding that he has had enough of this silly game and with a feral grin Kyler seizes saidin, channeling air at the first two men out front taking them off their feet by blasting them both backwards into the bushes. Alya twitches the corner of her mouth in a small smile and embraces saidar, feeling some satisfaction at the startled yelp coming from one side when a small thread of fire heats up his boots enough to send him hopping about.

One of the men thought he would attack Alya but Kyler reacts showing the man why Gaidin are to be feared as he leaps across and over the rump of Alya's big gray hitting the man with his feet as he comes over the horse, the thief goes flying backwards. Landing on his feet still grinning Kyler draws both his swords, the last two men drop their knives and run as if they had Trollocs chasing them.

Alya grasps her reins tight and attempts to bring Caedyn under control, turning him about so that she's facing Kyler and looks to the side to watch the men flee. Alya turns her head back around and smirks down at him "Well that was certainly a lovely surprise." Chuckling he looks up at Alya, "Well rats, they didn't want to play. I didn't plan that. But it was fun.” Kyler re-sheaths his swords as Alya raises a brow, then nods slowly "Yes I suppose it was.."

“You have to admit, scaring the Light out of rouges was fun.”

Alya chuckles softly in response, “It's not one of my favorite pass times but this was rather amusing to say the least.” Still grinning he says, "Oh but it is mine. Besides it will take them quite a while before they come back to their old *job*” Alya laughs softly and shakes her head, “You're quite bloodthirsty you know that right?”

"Is that a problem?"

Alya shrugs, “No I suppose not, so long as you don't get too carried away.” Kyler re-mounts his horse and teasingly says, "You mean as long as its someone else's blood I'm spilling." She answers, “Within reason of course. I don't very much condone blood being spilt at all.”

“I do not kill for fun. Unless it's trollocs of course.”

Alya nods in understanding.

“Besides, That's why I didn't kill those first two. Although the fellow that came after you got off lucky.” Alya eyes him sideways and blinks, “I'll have to agree with you there.” Then she smiles and nods again, “Well shall we be going? I'm eager to see this surprise you have in store. Kyler grins, "All right, follow me." booting his horse forward again. Alya nods and nudges Caedyn onward. The arrogant stallion tosses his head in protest for a moment, but then trots forward after the other horse, though not without a snort for the larger mount.

Kyler leads Alya out onto the road. Pausing for a minute he looks up and down the road then goes right. She tilts her head to one side and watches the Asha'man curiously for a moment, then turns Caedyn about and trails after him once more. Looking off to the left, as they moved down the road, at the setting sun for a few moments before turning his attention back on the road ahead. Alya nudges her mount a little closer to Kyler's and lets her attention wander, taking in her surroundings.

After a while of riding Kyler stops his horse in the road and dismounts taking off the fancloth cloak and pulling out a dark brown one. Alya blinks down at Kyler pulling her attention back to the moment and frowns slightly, drawing rein and moving to slide down from her saddle. As he settles the brown cloak onto his shoulders then looks over at Alya he asks, "What?" She just blinks at him then shakes her head "Nothing, merely curious." He shrugs and says, "I just didn't want to draw undo attention to us. The fancloth would draw looks.” She just nods slowly and settles back into her saddle and idly twirls the reins as he re-mounts and moves his horse again. Alya pushes a wayward strand of hair out of her face and follows.

As they ride into a village, Kyler leads them straight up to an Inn called, "The Dancing Dragon." where he dismounts and gives the reins to one of the stable boys before holding out a hand for Alya to dismount. She glances up and studies the inn for a moment, then smiles down at Kyler and leans down, taking hand while sliding out of her saddle. He gives the boy a coin and quietly asks him to bring in their saddlebags before leading Alya into the inn. Alya hangs on his arm a little and glances around with casual interest as they step through the door. They find themselves greeted by the Innkeeper, a round man with little hair by the name of Nam Elderich, and Kyler asks for Room for him and the Lady. Alya smiles warmly and glances up at Kyler, raising a curious brow. She'd put her ring away before stepping inside, though she doubted it would hide much with her ageless face. The Innkeeper is pleased to have guest from out of town, as they don’t get many visitors and insists that he will give them their best rooms. After paying the innkeeper Kyler and Alya follow the Innkeeper who leads them up to their rooms. As they go up the stairs Kyler leans over quietly mummers, “We'll check our rooms, then we can meet back down stairs and eat supper. Ward your room, I want no surprises.” She glances sideways at Kyler and smiles, nodding slowly.

The innkeeper showed them their rooms and left bowing and scraping. Kyler was unsure what to make of all that, as it seemed a bit much, but for now it would do. Entering his room he heard the stable boy coming down the hall with their saddlebags. Taking both sets from the boy he gave him another coin and told him if he took really good care of their horses he would give him another coin. The stable boy swore that they would get the very best of care and he would see to it himself. Kyler grinned at the boy and told him he did not doubt that. He beamed and took off back for the stables.

Stepping into his room, which happened to be right next to Alya’s and had an adjoining door he began to check it for anything out of the ordinary. Finding nothing out of place he threw the saddlebags onto the bed and checked to make sure no one had bothered his since they had arrived here. They also seemed undisturbed. Carrying Alya’s saddlebags over to the adjoining door he opened his side then knocked on hers briefly before checking to see if it was locked. Surprisingly it was open and he slowly entered her room. She was standing there with the bowl and pitcher pouring some wash water. Kyler held up her saddlebags before laying them on the bed. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re finished.” Kyler starts to leave but stops and turns back to her moving a stray lock of hair out of her face, his features softening slightly at the gesture. Then dropping his hand away he turns and exits the room back thru the adjoining door where he pulls the door back closed.

Shutting his door as well he then begins to ward his room. Nothing to big to draw attention from another channeler, just something to let him know if anyone other then himself entered. Moving quietly he heads out the door and down the stairs to the common room.

One of the serving girls slides up next, a little too closely to Kyler as he entered the common room asking if there is anything at all she could get for him. “An ale would be nice, thanks.” He answered. She grinned at him like a cat that ate the canary and moved off to get his ale. Shaking his head he knew that Alya would not approve of this girl acting like that around him and she was going to be in for a rude awakening. Looking around the room he casually surveyed the other occupants. There was a man in the corner nearest to door who kept looking at him. Then suddenly there was brown hair in front of his face and a girl in his lap. Frowning he looked at this girl but she was smiling sweetly at him, “Aw, what’s the matter…” she reached around and started playing with Kyler’s hair, “cat got your tongue?” Kyler kept his hands off the girl. He reached around to pick up his ale and saying nothing to the girl. Usually he would at least talk to the girl but not tonight. He was busy with business and had no time for such things. He made eye contact with the man in the corner once more but was distracted by the girl on his lap who was now trying to unlace the top of his shirt. She had managed to get the top buttons of his coat undone without his notice.

Grabbing one of her hands he said quietly, “Look, not to be rude, but you have to stop.” She just smiled more if that was possible and said, “Oh come on, you look like you’re in need of a real woman.” It was then that Kyler noticed Alya standing there, staring at them. He could feel her anger thru the bond but outwardly she seemed calm. He really hoped that she didn’t think he wanted anything to do with this girl; he actually had his mind on his task at hand, which he still had not revealed to Alya. But he said nothing about Alya to the girl or that she was standing behind her. He only sat there with one hand on his ale and the other on the arm of the chair and waited.

<><><><><><> Alya had no idea what it was Kyler was up to, but she could guess that it would certainly be something interesting and likely to cause trouble. She knew, all too well that man and his strange urges and if he thought to drag her into something that could get the both of them killed then he had another thing coming, but for now she would let it slide and treat it as a simple ride in the country, as he said it was. There would be time enough for questions later. Right now she just wanted to enjoy this evening with her Gaidin. Humming quietly to herself, she set the water pitcher down and set about washing up. She’d added a few petals of lavender to the mix to add a bit of fragrance. It was always good to smell nice and normally she did not bother with such frivolous things as vanity, but this night she could indulge herself at least a little.

Once she was clean, changed out of her riding dress and into a more suitable one of pale blue silk that she'd stuffed into her saddlebags just before they left. One never knew when they would have a need for such things. She still rarely wore silk unless on special occasions, for she did not find it a very practical material for one used to hard work and getting her hands dirty, but once again she felt like indulging herself. Blue also happened to be her favorite color. The dress was cut much like most of her others, clinging from the hips up like a Taraboner dress and cut slightly low at the neckline, though not drastically low. She did have at least a little modesty. The powder blue dress was embroidered with white vines and roses along the neckline, with tiny pearls capping the center of the roses. The sleeves and the sides of her skirt were slashed with white, and to finish the combination, she stepped into a pair of white velvet slippers. She liked to look nice on the rare occasions she and Kyler got to go out.

She decided to leave her hair down as usual, unbraiding it to allow it to hang loosely down her back, though not without decorating it with an ivory comb, carved to look like a rose on the top, holding one side of her hair back. With a sigh, she looked down at her bracelet. She had no wish to take the thing off, but if Kyler wanted to keep a low profile, then she would have to leave it in her room with her ring, for both would draw looks and so far no one here had recognized her as an Aes Sedai. At last, she was ready to venture downstairs. Giving herself a once over in the stand mirror, she smiled and nodded to herself, then turned and glided down the stairs….only to stop short and to feel her mood change in an instant.

They’d not been in the Inn an hour before Kyler had a bloody barmaid in his lap. She wasn’t certain who to be angry with the most, her Gaidin or the wanton little strumpet. Sucking in a deep breath and drawing herself up straight, Alya barely managed to stamp down her anger and set her jaw firmly. Though her face betrayed nothing, inside she was simmering as she approached the pair, standing behind the girl and staring hard at her back. So far Kyler had not said anything, nor did he make a move to remove the girl from his lap. She just stood there a moment, watching them with her arms folded across her chest, then when it looked as though neither were going acknowledge her, she spoke in a sharp tone.

“I’m sure there are other patrons awaiting your services girl.”

Startled by the sudden voice, the girl squeaked and jumped to her feet, turning around to look into the hard, cold eyes of the small, Domani lady. Unsure how to respond, and a little uncomfortable about the woman’s harsh gaze, she did the only thing she could do at the moment. She curtsied and made a small murmur that could barely be discerned as “Forgive me my lady.” And then scurried off.

Alya watched the girl go, making certain that she did not even think about looking back. She would hate to give her and Kyler away by swatting her on the bum with air like she did to the girls back at the Gholam Inn. When she was sure the girl was gone, she sniffed loudly and sat down beside Kyler. Still, she did not say anything to him at first, but merely graced him with the same hard stare she gave the girl, then she slowly looked away to take in the busy common room, murmuring quietly.

“ It doesn’t help to encourage them.”

<><><><><><><><>

Kyler had been very happy to see Alya up until she said…

“ It doesn’t help to encourage them.”

Rubbing his hand over his face he was really trying to keep his anger tamped down. Bloody women and their bloody moods he thought. Very quietly, as he looks at Alya, he says, “Just once for the love of Light, can’t you just be mad at the bloody girl instead of me? I swear, sometimes women make me want to gate to the Blight and run screaming into it. I didn’t ask the bloody girl to come over here. She brought my drink and helped herself. Next time I’ll just scare the girl witless if you like. Or maybe roast her over a fire in the village square. I’m sure that would draw lots of attention to us when I’d rather just slip thru town.”

Letting a small sigh escape he leaned back in his chair and took a drink of his ale. He would never as long as he lived understand women. Not even the bond helped to make things clearer. He still wondered why Alya was so possessive of him.

As a different serving girl passed their table Kyler reached out and grabbed her arm ordering two meals and some tea for Alya. The woman nodded and left to get their order. Looking back around the room he again let his eyes slide over to the fellow in the corner. He was still there and Kyler wanted to speak with him but it would have to wait until Alya headed to bed. For now he would sit here and wait.

<><><><><><><><><>

Alya blinked once, twice, thrice, and just stared at Kyler for a moment longer, stunned by his words and his harsh tone. She didn’t think he’d ever snapped at her before. Something must be setting him on edge other than her jealousy. That had to be it. She’d thought he understood her fear, and although he reassured her time and time again, she still could not help but feel that same fear niggling in the back of her mind, the fear that he was end up like all the rest. He may not leave her but there were other ways to hurt and break hearts than simply walking away. She trusted Kyler with her life, but she still had yet to completely trust him with her heart. She was learning, but it was a slow going process, and she thought he understood that. Apparently they both still needed a great deal of adjusting to do.

Instead of retaliating, she looked away from him and set about eating her dinner in subdued silence, never once looking back up. She couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed at her open show of jealousy. She truly needed to learn how to guard her emotions more. As she ate, she took in the area, frowning at a man at the corner that had a bad habit of staring at their table, and she did not like that one bit. He made her nervous, but if she knew Kyler, he’d already spotted the man and he’d given no rise for alarm yet, so she would remain calm. When she had finished, she pushes her plate away and rose to her feet, smoothing her skirts and glancing around. She still did not speak to Kyler but instead spared him a brief glance and a faint, half-hearted smile. Perhaps he needed a little time to himself. She knew that sometimes, when tempers flared, it was best to leave it be for a while and allow things to calm down. So with that thought in mind, she turned about and made her way back upstairs and into her room.

Once there, she pulled up the only chair in the room and turned it about so that when she sat, her back would be to both doors and she could see out the window. After she’d done so, she sat down and folded her tiny hands in her lap, staring out into the night. She always found peace in the night. There was just something so calming and mysterious about it that set it apart from the day. Heaving a soft sigh, she leaned back into the chair and just let herself drift into her own little world as she stared outside. Her room was warded so she would be alerted if anyone should enter her room. She had no reason to fear. She just needed some time to relax and then perhaps she would return downstairs.

><><><><><><><><>

Eating his meal in silence he could feel the hurt coming from Alya. He really hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. He only wanted her to once in a while believe that it wasn’t him that it was the girls. He didn’t deliberately go around eyeing women, well except when she was right there with her. He did like to tease her a little but Light, he wasn’t going to chase every flipskirt that came along and he certainly wouldn’t do it when they were outside of Tar Valon. There was usually very little happening when they were at home other then the same old thing day in and day out that he liked to make Alya think he was chasing the girls in the Gholam Inn. Bah, he didn’t have to time to sit here and worry about this at the moment. The man in the corner looked directly at Kyler then made his way out the door.

Standing Kyler also made his way out the door just a few moments after the fellow. Once outside full dark had fallen and he looked around for the man. Seeing him by the corner of the building he headed that way just as the guy disappeared around the corner. Stepping around corner he was waiting. Kyler nodded to the man who began asking if Kyler knew a man that wore a black coat. Kyler only nodded and the fellow began to tell him some recent information. They spoke so quietly that even Kyler had a hard time hearing him tell his information. After the fellow had finished Kyler gave the man a few coins and thanked him before heading back into the inn. He didn’t even look at the serving girl from before as she beamed a smile at him. He quietly went up the stairs and into his room closing the door behind him.

Removing his swords he propped them by the bed within easy reach. Removing the various other weapons he had hidden upon his person he hid several of them on or around the bed. If someone tried to sneak in they would find themselves hurting very quickly. Pulling off his boots he laid on the bed trying to digest the information the man had given him. But he kept being distracted by what had happened between himself and Alya.

After almost an hour he sighed as he was getting nowhere with either of his problems. Pulling himself out of bed he went to the adjoining door and knocked. No hearing an answer he quietly opened it since he knew she was there. Kyler leaned against the doorframe and waited to see if she would say anything. After several minutes of silence he decided to break it. “Can we talk about what happened earlier?” She turned her head to look at him but said nothing.

Sighing he said, “Look, I never meant to hurt you in any way. I just didn’t want to cause a huge scene by throwing the girl off. I asked her several times to stop. She was insistent that I needed a ‘real’ woman as she put it. I was about ready to tell her a few things when you showed up. I don’t know what else to do, other then tell you I’m sorry. I’m sorry it happened and I’m sorry I’m such a pain.”

Dropping his eyes from her he turned and went back into his room and closed her side of the door leaving his open. He wanted to give her some privacy but at the same time leave it easy to get to her room in case of trouble. Laying back down on the bed he threw an arm up and over his eyes and tried to get his mind on the task as hand. If he didn’t he could end up getting them both killed.

<><><><><><><>

Alya couldn’t help but laugh softly to herself after Kyler had left It seemed rather funny that they should have a tiff over something so trivial, but there it was and he’d come back to apologize, even though it was she that needed to do the apologizing. Perhaps she should do that now while she’s thinking about it. With a small sigh, she rose to her feet and moved toward the door that adjoined their rooms and opened it, stepping into Kyler’s room. She stood there a moment with her head tilted to one side, just watching him. Something was troubling him and she didn’t need the bond to tell her that. She wanted to question him about it, to question him as to why they went on this little trip to begin with. The more and more the thought about it, the more she had reason to believe that she’d been duped into one of his schemes, but now was not the time for interrogation. She would wait until the morrow when they’d both rested up. For now she would make amends.

Slowly, she approached the side of Kyler’s bed and looked down at him with a soft smile, speaking in her usual, quiet voice. “I believe we both may have overreacted a little back there, but things have calmed now and I realize that it was not entirely your fault. I tell you time and time again that you cannot blame me for being a little possessive. I’ve tried to control it, but sometimes… well….you know my fear.” Leaning down, she placed her small hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze, her smile never fading. “All is forgiven, as I hope you can say the same for me. Rest now. No doubt we’ve a long day tomorrow.” She left that last part for him to interpret however he wished, then rose and moved back into her own room, closing the adjoining door behind her.

She stood there a moment, glancing around and pondering to herself. She wasn’t really tired right now, and she had no wish to just sit in her room all night, staring out the window. Perhaps a nice, hot cup of tea would help her to sleep. Keeping this thought in mind, Alya nodded to herself, then turned and headed out of her room and back downstairs into the common room where she sat down at a table near the staircase. The number of patrons did not seem to have dwindled, but at lest the man that was watching them before had gone. That was a relief, now perhaps she could relax. However, it was not to be, for as she sat there, she kept getting the strange feeling that someone was watching her, but every time she looked around, she found nothing. Perhaps she was merely being paranoid. That seemed to be habit of hers when she was in a strange place, surrounded by strange people. Yes, simply paranoid.

After ordering some tea, she leaned back in her chair and surveyed the room. She still did not see any sign of her watcher, but she knew they were there somewhere, and the more she felt it, the less she believed it to be her imagination. She hadn’t even noticed when the barmaid came back with her tea. It wasn’t the barmaid that had helped herself to Kyler thankfully, for Alya could see her entertaining some merchant across the room, but it didn’t matter to her. She had more important things to worry about. Usually, she would examine her tea for any strange type of smell or texture, but she was currently distracted by that feeling of being watched, and so without even looking, she absently lifted up her cup and took long sips from it while she stared over the rim at the common room, frowning slightly. Still no sign.

Eventually, she found herself squinting at the room as she tried to focus her vision. For some reason she felt groggy and she did not like it one bit. Blinking several times and trying to keep her eyes wide open, she glanced down into her empty tea cup and frowned, dipping her finger inside and swiping it around a little. She then brought it up to her face and rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger, her face growing pale at the realization of her own foolishness. Forkroot. With a curse, she attempted to stand, only to fall right back down into her seat. Her frantic eyes took in the common room, but no one seemed to notice her. She tried again to stand and failed, and her head was starting to feel a little too heavy as it drooped forward more and more. By the time her head hit the table, she saw a shape beside her, she couldn’t make it out exactly, but it was dark whatever, or whoever it was, and that was the last thing she saw before her eyes rolled back and her lids fell shut.

<><><><><><><>

He hadn’t moved his arm from covering his eyes only shifted a bit so he could see her under his arm as she spoke to him. “I believe we both may have overreacted a little back there, but things have calmed now and I realize that it was not entirely your fault. I tell you time and time again that you cannot blame me for being a little possessive. I’ve tried to control it, but sometimes….well….you know my fear.” Then she had squeezed his hand and said “All is forgiven, as I hope you can say the same for me. Rest now. No doubt we’ve a long day tomorrow.” He nodded as she left and closed his eyes again. Now that particular problem was taken care of….for now, he could focus on his other problem.

He had found out from some of his sources that there was a rumor going around were that darkfriends were going to try and go after Alya. Either by Kidnapping or killing her in an effort to get to him. They were trying to get him out of the way so that another Darkfriend who was also an Asha’man could step into his place. He kept going over and over in his head about why and where they would strike. He had been determined to bring her with him for two reasons. One, he could keep a close eye on her and two when he found the person or persons responsible for this he would *take care* of the situation. When he had received the first report he had thought it was just an exaggerated rumor. But as the days had gone on he had realized that there seemed to be more to it then that. He was not a happy man once he knew that these rumors could be a very real danger to her. He absolutely hated the fact that he seemed to bring her more danger then help.

Speaking of Alya, had had noticed that she wasn’t in her room. He could feel thru the bond that she was downstairs, probably in the common room. But the bond felt, kind of, funny. He laid there concentrating on it and it kept feeling, then a sudden flash of fear, and then nothing. “What in the Light!” Kyler swiftly came to his feet and grabbed one of his swords throwing the scabbard over his head so that he had one of them with him he headed out the door.

Quickly down the stairs he followed the faintest hint of their bond and tried to look around thru the crowd in the common room. He did not know what was interfering with their connection to each other but he would find out. Even if he had to level this Light blasted village to do it. As he looked around the room he could not see her anywhere. Then he could feel her moving away from the Inn. Growling he went out the door looking for any signs of Alya. If he had if figured right someone had done something to her and was trying to take her away. The bond was too fuzzy to be anything else. They would have had to put something in like her tea, otherwise she would have not been so easy. Frowning he saw movement near the tree line behind the Inn as he walked trying to follow the faint feelings of their bond. Moving silently towards the trees where he had seen some movement he could finally hear voices. One said something about leaving quickly and the other said something about killing the witch right now. Not while he was alive they wouldn’t.

The only problem with this little adventure was that he had focused so hard on Alya he had forgotten to pay attention around him. He was about ready to take the two men out when he felt the blade cut into his ribs. A sucking of air was the only sound he made as he turned finding a third man. Striking quickly he took the man’s dagger away from him and put that blade into the man’s chest. But the movement was all it took and the other two men had heard. One was trying to get the cart moving and the other was coming towards Kyler with a sword. Fine, he wanted to die it was ok with him. Drawing his own sword they met with ringing steel. The man with the sword was good, as he kept Kyler busy for several minutes, but he was not good enough. As the swordsman was lying there dead Kyler turned his attention to finding the cart.

It was nowhere to be seen but the tracks it left made it easy enough to follow. He had to find her! He had sworn to protect her and here he was doing a poor job of it. Following the tracks he found where the met the road, the same road they had came into the village on, and saw that the cart was headed down the way they had ridden up earlier in the evening. Fine then, he couldn’t run after it but he would find her if they stuck to the road. At least with that cart they should, it wasn’t made to go over rough ground. Seizing saidin he opened a gateway near the road where they had found it earlier and stepped thru. He hoped this worked; otherwise he might lose her for good. Crouching down next to the road he waited.

It wasn’t long before he could hear horses hooves striking the hard packed dirt road and the creak of a cart. So he had been right after all, which was a huge relief. Now that they were close again he could faintly feel Alya. Good. It was now time to hurt someone for taking his Aes Sedai. Standing he seized saidin and channeled a light over the road. He wanted this man to see him clearly, raising his sword he pointed at the man in the cart. “Stop and get down from the cart.” The fellow looked like he was about to wet himself, then he flapped the reins wildly in a effort to get the horse to move. The only problem was Kyler had thought of that and had used air to hold the reins so that the poor beast couldn’t move. The man saw that it wasn’t working and tried to leap off the cart, which Kyler helped him to do by pushing him with a weave of air.

Slowly Kyler walked around to the back to the cart reaching in he checked Alya to see if she had been hurt and finding her in good shape other then being drugged he advanced on the man. The fellow had turned his ankle and was trying to limp off. As he looked over his shoulder he realized he could not escape and drew his own dagger yelling, “I serve the Great Lord of the Dark and he will see you dead!” before plunging the blade into his chest. Walking over to the body he pokes it with the tip of his sword but the man was already gone. “Light blasted fools.” He muttered before channeling the man’s body into the ground. It wasn’t that Kyler thought the fellow should have a decent burial but he wanted to hide the body. Too many questions could be raised if he left him there.

Re-sheathing his sword he walked back to the cart. He was ignoring the wound in his side still thinking only of Alya’s safety. She would be upset with him for getting hurt but this time there was good reason for it. Taking the cart and horse into the trees he cut the cart loose and then picked up Alya in his arms, he wove steps of air so he could ride the horse and hold Alya at the same time. Riding back to the Village as quickly as he could he stopped near the edge of town. Letting the horse go he carried Alya to the back of the Inn and up the rear stairs. Once he entered his room he laid her on the bed and checked her once more. She seemed fine, only sleeping. He wished he knew more about herbs and the like then maybe he could guess at what it was they had used. Covering her with the blanket he set to cleaning and wrapping his side.

Blood had soaked part of his shirt and ran down onto his breeches. Shaking his head he pulled off his shirt and began to clean the wound. Now that the excitement is over, it was beginning to hurt. He really hoped it wasn’t too bad. Grabbing one of the Innkeepers towels he ripped a strip out of it and made the rest into a bandage. It would have to do until Alya could look at it herself. Tying it around him he fished around in his saddlebags pulling out a clean shirt and throwing it on. Not even bothering to lace it up he flopped down in the chair and waited, too tired to even clean his own sword. Leaning back in the chair he waited for Alya to sleep off whatever it was they gave her.

<><><><><><><><> The first thing Alya felt, when her eyelids finally slid open, was fear. She could remember nothing of what happened between the time of her capture and the time of her waking. For all she knew, the ceiling she was staring up at could be in a cell of some sort, but there was too much light. What was going on? Much as she wanted to move, the most she could do was slowly blink her eyes, and even that took some effort. She wanted to look around, to see where she was being kept, but all she could do was stare up at the ceiling, and her head was throbbing. She knew that it would be folly to try and embrace the source, for she knew all too well the effects of forkroot, and she berated herself silently for not being able to detect it. Light her mind must have been muddled for her to make such a fatal mistake.

There was really nothing for her to do but lie there and wonder what would become of her. As the time slowly ticked by, she began to slowly feel the numbness fade away, though only to increase the unbearable pounding in her head. The first things she was able to move were her fingers, which could do nothing more than twitch a little, and finally, she was able to turn her head, which she did immediately, though it seemed to move in slow motion. Everything seemed to move like that, and she could do naught to prevent it. What she saw filled her with immense relief. She wasn’t in danger at all, but here at he inn with Kyler. What had happened? Light, but she hated not knowing things, and this incident was liable to drive her insane until she got to the bottom of it. Although, there wasn’t much she could do about it now.

She just laid there, staring at him, blinking her eyes slowly until her face was no longer numb and she was able to move her lips and speak, though she doubted he could hear her for her voice was naught but the faintest little whisper, barely words at all.

“Kyler…. what happened?”

<><><><><><><><>

He had sat there in that chair waiting for the barest of changes in Alya. He was worried maybe they had given her too much of whatever it was. It seemed like an eternity he sat there waiting. He had noticed that dawn was beginning to break when he felt the faintest strengthening of their bond. He sat up in the chair watching her closely. Ever so slowly he felt her starting to come back to him. Her eyes were starting to move, then he heard it…just barely.

“Kyler….what happened?”

Just barely. She sounded so sleepy. Pushing himself slowly out of the chair he moved over to sit on the edge of the bed. Sitting there all this time had left him sore and stiff but he would manage. Reaching out with his hand he stroked her hair, “It’s all right now, you’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you. Sleep now.” He continued to stroke her hair and speak softly to her. Now that he knew she would wake from this he visibly relaxed. Which wasn’t the best thing he could have done as it caused his side to hurt. He had a feeling it was going to become infected but there was nothing he could do now. The man’s light blasted dagger was probably dirty when he stuck him. Well the fellow didn’t matter much now anyways since he wouldn’t be using that dagger on anyone again.

Light he was tired and his side felt like it was on fire. Lying down on his side on the bed next to Alya he watched her as he continued to touch her hair. Kyler thought it was a little cold in the room so he pulled up the edge of the blanket so that it covered him partially. He was just happy that he had been able to stop who ever it was that wanted her so bad…. at least for now.

<><><><><><><>

By the time the morning sunlight came streaming through the window to bathe its occupants in its warmth, Alya was finally able to fully move. She felt much less disoriented and could move without too much effort, although her head still throbbed and she had a terrible stomach ache, but she managed to ignore it, gritting her teeth as she slowly sat up in bed and stared down at the large form beside her. It gave her great comfort to know he'd been there beside her while she lay helpless. It gave her a sense of security, but now, as she looked down upon Kyler, she noticed something odd about him.

With a small frown, she reached over and smoothed a couple stray strands of hair back from his brow, and it was then that she felt it. He was abnormally warm, and it was still summer yet. Far too warm for a blanket. Her brow furrowed with worry, she slowly inched the blanket back and pushed up his shirt, her hand jerking back at the sight of the makeshift bandage. So he'd been wounded. That would explain a great deal. As carefully as possible, she untied his bandage to examine the wound and hissed at what she found. It was just a simple stab wound, but it had begun to fester. Her suspicions were correct. Kyler had caught a fever.

Sliding to the edge of the bed, she set her feet down on the floor, wondering if she could stand yet. So far she could feel her feet touching the floorboards, so they weren't numb. Now it was time to see if her legs worked. Grasping a hold of the post at the foot of the bed, she bit down on her lower lip and pushed herself to her feet. She stood there for a moment, still holding the bedpost, and then she took a few slow steps forward. Her legs were a little wobbly but at least she could move well enough.

Alya made her slow way toward the door and opened it, poking her head outside. Ah! She was in luck! A serving maid was heading down the hallway, obviously from some errand or some such. Reaching out, Alya snagged the girl's sleeve and asked for some cold water and clean washcloths to be brought up. When the girl nodded and hurried off, Alya returned to the room and stepped into her own room just long enough grab her belt knife, some gauze, and a few herbs from her saddlebags, and then she was back in Kyler's room, crouching by the small fireplace and holding the blade of her knife buried in the still burning embers.

While she waited for the blade to heat up, she noticed that the girl had come back with the water and cloths and she directed her to lay them on the chair beside the bed. Once the girl had done so, she left the room quickly under the Domani's hard stare. There would most likely be gossip about the wounded man, but there was nothing she could do about it right now. She had work to do.

Raising and smoothing her skirts, she moved over to the bed and touched Kyler's forehead again, sighing at the warmth. She could have embraced Saidar and healed him, but every time she tried to touch the source, she would only manage to keep hold of it for a brief second before it slipped back through her fingers. So she still needed time to gather a little more strength, but time was not something she had right now, thus she was forced to resort to more mundane methods. Dipping a cloth into the cold water, she leaned forward and arranged the blankets so that they covered him more thoroughly, then wiped at his brow and face with the cloth, attempting to bring the fever down a little while the knife still took its time heating up.

Again and again, she dipped the cloth in water and wiped him down with it. During this process, she'd removed his shirt so that she could better work, moving the cloth over his neck and chest, and shoulders as well. She'd used another cloth to clean the area around the wound and it now lay by the bowl of water, stained with blood. This was going to be tedious, but she would be bloody burned in the Pit of Doom if she were going to let something like this take him away from her. During this slow process, she glanced toward the fire and breathed a sigh. It's about bloody time. She thought as she moved over to the fire and, using yet another cloth, took the knife out of the fire by the hilt, revealing the glowing orange blade.

Wasting no time, she approached the bed again and leaned down, her free hand holding down his shoulder. It wasn't much, but she figured that in his weakened state he wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight, but he could still make quite a jolt, so it would be wise to hold him down just in case. Holding her breath, she carefully ran the flat of the hot blade over the wound again and again, the scent of burning flesh filling her nostrils. When the wound was finally, fully closed, she smeared a salve over the scarred flesh, and then wrapped the gauze around him.

Now that the wound itself was taken care of, all she had left to do was tend the fever. The cauterization of the wound would have helped to kill most of the infection, so there was no fear of it getting worse. Now she must take care of what little had managed to seep in, once again wiping him down with a cold cloth and wrapping him up in a blanket when the cold caused him to shiver. Back and forth she worked like this, attempting to keep a balance in his body temperature. She just hoped it would be enough.

Eventually, the fever had managed to die down slightly, but she knew that it risked resurfacing at any moment, so she remained by his side, curling up beside him and laying his head on her shoulder. If needed, she could provide him with a little extra body heat if he needed it. She still kept the cold cloth in her hand as well, gently bathing his brow as she held him. It was really only a matter of time now. Light how much time had passed already?

<><><><><><>

He had fallen asleep by her side in the bed but he hadn’t slept well. He’d had dreams where men had come and taken Alya away and he could not find her. Some of the dreams she had been tortured and or killed. All because of him. All because he would not ask her to release him for her own safety. He was a danger to her and a liability. But he didn’t have the guts to tell her, at least not in his dreams.

Sometime late in the afternoon his fever broke and he awoke sweating. But Alya was there beside him, safe, wiping his head and chest with a cool damp cloth. He felt as if he had been beat and when he tried to move he found he was very sore. Reaching down he could feel that he had a different bandage. So Alya had been able to get up and look at his wound. It was very sore to the touch but at least the bleeding had stopped. Looking over at Alya he said, "How are you feeling?"

Alya’s head jerked up when Kyler's voice broke the silence of the room. She had gone off in a daze a bit while they lay there and his voice startled her. Blinking, she glanced up at him and flashed a faint smile, relief quite evident on her face. "Much better than I was a minute ago. How are you feeling?"

"I'm sore and my side hurts to move, but I'm feeling better. Are you sure you're all right?" Reaching up he touched her face concern very much showing on his face. Blinking again, Alya just gazed down at him for a moment, and then reached up to place her hand over his. "I have a pounding headache and my stomach feels as though it's being tied in knots, but other than that, I assure you I am well." She paused a moment, then tilted her head to one side, her brow furrowed in a worried frown. "Though I haven't a clue as to what happened and why I found myself spending hours tending a wound and a fever."

Kyler visibly relaxed at her words. He had been so afraid for her in his heart but at least he hadn’t let that stop him from doing what needed doing last night. So he briefly explained what had happened, that he had felt their bond get weird and he came down to investigate. That he could barely feel the bond between them and about the three men who tired to take her away. Kyler did leave out his meeting with the man from the common room and what the last man had said before he killed himself. When he finished he added, “I was so afraid for you last night, I was afraid of them taking you away because…” He had been about to say something else but said instead, “because I swore to protect you and I did not do a very good job.”

Alya stared at him for what seemed like a long time, nodding slowly and taking all of this in. Light, she would have to watch herself more. It wouldn't do to allow herself to make another blunder like that. It could get them both killed. With a small sigh, she smiled reassuringly at Kyler. "You did what you could and I'm alive and well now. That is all that matters."

Nodding he still couldn’t help but think that there was possibly something he could have done. Slowly he rolled himself up on his good side and pushed himself off the bed. Throwing his feet out of the bed he noticed that Alya had removed his shirt. He thought about putting it on for a minute but decided against it. It wasn’t like Alya hadn’t ever seen him without it. She had healed him numerous times among other things. He managed to get to his feet and over to his saddlebags to get his oil and whetstone for his sword. Taking the seat beside the bed he grabbed his sword and began to work on cleaning it. He hadn’t thought about it last night when he had finally made it back with Alya. He had been so worried about her that he had forgotten to do this.

As he set to work on his sword he glanced up at her and said, “So, care to tell me what happened downstairs that started this?” Frowning, Alya shifted so that she sat up and scooted toward the edge of the bed, setting her feet on the floor and folding her hands in her lap. "I don't really know. I just felt...paranoid for some reason, and I let down my guard. I should have detected the forkroot, but I didn't." She paused then to sigh and shake her head, then glanced back up at Kyler with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry if I disturbed your sleep with my foolishness." Shaking his head Kyler said, "No you did not disturb my sleep. I was still awake at that point. Otherwise they very likely would have you far away from here by now.” Kyler rubs rather furiously as a spot on the sword blade.

With a slow nod, she glanced down at her hands for a moment, studying them. She would really have to be more careful. It didn't help that he had to worry about his own neck often enough. She didn't need to add to his troubles. She wanted to question him about the true meaning behind this trip, for she knew there was more to it than he let on. Drawing a deep breath, she drew herself up straight and focused her gaze on Kyler, her voice steady for once and not quite as meek. "Kyler, what is going on here? I want the truth." He continues to rub on the blade not meeting her gaze. He was trying to think of some excuse, or make up a story. He didn't want to lie to her but he did not want to tell the truth.

Her frown only deepened further at his silence, but she refused to allow herself to get angry again. They'd had enough tension for one evening; so instead, she leaned forward and laid a hand upon the one cleaning the sword. "Tell me?"

"Kyler, I don't like secrets. My trust is a hard thing to come by. Something is troubling you and I will not rest until I know what it is." Sighing heavily he pulls his eyes up to meet hers. "I....I started hearing some rumors. At first I didn't want to believe them. I mean, I hear lots of things and get reports and the like.” Kyler goes back to working on the blade unable to look her in the eye but continues speaking.

Slowly, she pulled her hand away from his and returned it to her lap, tilting her head to one side as she watched him. "What rumors?"

“I mean when I hear a rumor once I don't pay much attention to it. But I kept hearing the same rumor over and over then I have to start to believe it."

Closing her eyes a moment, Alya sighed softly before opening them again and repeating herself. "Kyler...what rumors?" Kyler grabs the sword sheathe and slams the sword home, "That darkfriends were plotting to either kidnap or kill you in a effort to get to me. So they can replace me with one of their own." Pushing himself out of the chair rather quickly he ended up grabbing the bedpost of support. Light his side was sore! Alya was up in an instant when he staggered, reaching out and seizing his arm to support him. She knew she couldn't hold him up should he truly collapse, but she could at least try. Looking back up at him, she smiled reassuringly. "It's not the first time someone's wanted to kill me." Kyler nods, “I know, I brought you with me because I want to keep an eye on you...and find out who is behind this but apparently I can't do that very well either.” Shaking her head, she merely responded by giving his arm a gentle squeeze before she spoke again. "It happens. As I said, I'm alive. That's all that matters. It's all said and done and now that you and I know what to expect, I'm sure the both of us can take the proper precautions from now on. I was the one that slipped up this time, and by no fault of yours. I will be more careful in the future." He mutters something about she needed to have *real* trained Gaidin instead of him.

Straining to hear his words, she frowned at what she heard and shook her head, digging her nails into his arm a bit to show what she thought of that. "Don't you start that. I don't want anyone else. I don't trust anyone else that much."

“But you would be safer without me, they want you because of me.”

"I would be no safer with some Gaidin fresh off the Training Grounds than I would be with you. I've never had need of a Gaidin before because I already have a multitude of protectors, but that still does not make me entirely safe. But I had no wish to bond any of them. If you want me to release you, I will." He finally looks her in the eyes. "I just don't want you to be in danger because of me." She tilted her head back to meet his gaze, stare for stare, then suddenly laughed, shaking her head. Kyler looks at her like she has lost her mind, "What's so funny?"

"Kyler, before you bonded me I was the dangerous one to be around. It changes nothing. People in power will always be under threat. There is no getting around that."

"Yes, but *You* are in danger because of your association with me. Without that they would not have singled you out. I feel like it’s my fault. If they want to come after me, Let them, I welcome the fight. But trying to hurt those I love...I can't deal with that.”

"When I step out of my office, I am at risk. Even within my office, I am at risk. Not because I am bonded to the M'Hael of the Black Tower, not because I am a Sitter in the Hall, but because I am Aes Sedai. Even if I were to release you, I would still be at risk.”

“Yes, this time.... but what about the next. Maybe if you didn't have ties to me they might just pass you by next time.”

Alya shakes her head slowly, “There will always be some ambitious fool out there that thinks he can get lucky.” She paused then, and took a moment to think, and then she sighed and glanced down. "But if you truly wish for me to release you. If you truly think I would be safer that way, you need but say the word. When you offered the bond, it was never meant to be permanent anyway." He watched her look away from him and he sighed. Reaching over with his good hand he raised her chin so that she had to look at him. "I know, but I also know that either way neither of us is truly safe. Maybe together we can improve our chances. I do *not* ask to be released from my bond or my word."

Alya blinked a couple times as she stared up at him, and after a few moments of silence, she finally smiled softly and gave a small nod. "I think keeping me safe might be a little harder without the bond anyway. Isn't that why you offered it in the first place? To keep a better tab on me?" Kyler finally smiles at her, "Yes, as a matter of fact it was."

"I thought so." Tilting her head slightly to one side, she folded her arms across her chest and smirked at him as she looked him over. "So are you going to lay back down or are you going to make me work harder to keep you from falling apart?" Ignoring her comment he said, "But I am afraid of them drugging you again, What if next time I was not awake and they actually got you away from me. I could hardly feel you. I was scared to losing you.”

Blinking again, she pondered this and understood his fear. She'd feared it herself really. After much thought on the matter, she looked back up at him. “I made the mistake of not being observant. I make a point not to make the same mistake again. I know enough about herbs to be able to detect any drug or poison. It's why I've lived for so long.” Kyler sighs not at all satisfied. "I'm more so worried about you. You talk about you being a danger to me, but if there's people out to get you, and you're busy protecting me. Who's going to protect you?" He opens his mouth and closes it again and stares at her, "What do you mean me? The threats were to go after you."

"In an attempt to get to you, I know. Don't you think that if they fail enough times with me, they'll give up and try to find a new target, or go after the true target itself?" Kyler sighs and leans back against the bedpost. "I don't care about me. I'm worried about you." Alya frowns and plants her hands on her hips "Well I care about you, and you won't do me any good dead." Kyler mutters something about not doing any good alive either.

Alya steps forward and stamps down on his foot. It wouldn't do any damage considering their size differences, but at least it would prove her point. "Stop that." Sighing he said, "I'm sorry, I guess I'm tired, worried and I hurt. That doesn't make me a pleasant person."

"I think you need to stop wallowing in your own guilt and get some rest. It's time to move on. The more you dwell on it, the less you'll be able to concentrate should something happen again." Kyler takes a deep breath and nods, "You're right."

Her expression softened then and she smiled up at him again, reaching up to touch his cheek. "I think we both need sleep before we start clawing each other's eyes out. And you need to regain your strength." Kyler leans into her hand slightly and nods.

"Will it make you feel better if I stay here?"

“Yes actually. If something were to happen I would rather have you here by my side then in the other room. Also as sore as I am it will be days before I'm ready to sit in the saddle for any length of time.” Alya nods slowly "I can make the arrangements with the innkeeper later if you wish."

“I'm sure the Innkeeper is keeping a bill that he will make sure we pay before we leave.” Alya nods again, and then slowly lets her hand drop, "Alright then. Let me just grab my bags. I'll be just a moment." Kyler nods. Pulling away, she flashed him a brief smile, then disappeared into her own room just long enough to grab her saddlebags, and then soon returned to Kyler's room, setting the bags down in a corner and approaching him once more. "Now...you need to lay down before you collapse. I'll be right here." She said as she moved over to sit down on the chair by the bed.” Kyler slowly steps back to the side of the bed and sits down gingerly. Kyler grunts softly at his movements. Alya watches him carefully, ready to jump back up at any moment, frowning in concern. He lays back gritting his teeth to keep from complaining before finally sighing in relief at lying down. “When I regain enough strength to channel properly, I will alleviate the pain for you if you wish.”

Kyler looks up at her, "Why are you sitting there? There is plenty of room here. Don't worry I'm too tired and sore to bother you. And yes, I would like that very much." He paused then said, “Or if you like I will sleep on the floor, you can have the bed.” Kyler makes a move to get up. "You stay right there." Eyes him sternly and jabs a finger at him to indicate that he roll right back over. Kyler collapses back onto the bed, "Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Since when has sleeping in the same bed as you made me uncomfortable?” Alya sits down on the edge of it and kicks off her slippers before lying down on her back, her hands resting over her stomach. Kyler looks at her, "Since we stopped maybe?" Kyler sighs and stares back at the ceiling. Alya glances at him sideways and frowns a little at his comment, then just shakes her head slowly. Men were strange. She would never understand them. Kyler reaches over with his good hand and pulls Alya closer before drifting off to sleep. Alya smiles contently at this and stares up at him for a while until the events of the previous evening and this morning finally got to her and she dozes off, laying her head down in the crook of his arm.

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Waking sometime much later Kyler wondered what the weight was laying on his him. Opening one eye all he saw was a mass of blonde hair on his shoulder and then he remembered when he had fallen asleep. He had pulled Alya closer to him before drifting off and now she was snuggled up to his side still sleeping. He really did wonder about her sometimes, why she put up with him? Why she even wanted him around? I guess part of that was trust but what was the other part? He knew deep down inside why he cared for her. It was love plain and simple. He loved her and he could not change the way he felt. It was why he wanted to watch her back, to keep her safe. He didn’t understand why things between them had gotten a bit strange but they had. He tired very hard to keep himself under control and not let his true feelings out all the time like he used to. At least he was able to do that in public now and maybe that was partially why things had become strange between them. Sighing slightly he began rubbing her back with his hand. He still could not move, Alya on one side and his sore side on the other. So he just rubbed her back gently and tried to stop thinking about them and start thinking on how he was going to keep them both alive.

Kyler had no clue what he should do next. It seemed the darkfriends had very good informants or they had the Dark One’s own luck the night before being able to find them. He had to believe that it was just luck, or bad luck on Alya and his part. He told no one where he was going or even that he was leaving. Kyler had hoped that by making themselves vanish he could throw them off. But it hadn’t seemed to work. So what now? Go home and put some bodyguards around Alya, or stay out here and try and track down the persons responsible. He supposed he should talk it over with Alya. Smiling slightly he looked down at her again as she was beginning to stir. It had felt good to have her here with him. But he supposed he would keep that to himself…for now. They had to make some decisions. He also hoped that she felt much better now because his side was so sore, he needed her to remove the pain so he could do his job, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to defend her if someone came after them again.

Still rubbing her back softly he watched her awaken, smiling at her as she lifted her head. “Feeling better?”

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"Feeling better? Came the disembodied voice of Kyler as Alya slowly lifted her head and opened her droopy eyes to stare up at the man lying beside her. She was never quite a morning person and always a night owl, so it took some time before she was truly able to clear her head. A slow, soft smile spread across her face as she stared up at him. It had been a long time since they'd been like this, too long, and she blamed their offices for that. They were both swamped with too much work. She wanted to tell him how much she'd missed him but that would have to wait. She wasn't really sure what his feelings were on the matter and proper protocol prohibited expressing such emotions in public. It was just unseemly.

With a small grunt, she shifted and propped herself up on one elbow, then looked at him again, speaking quietly. Still a little groggy, her voice sounded somewhat hoarse.

"Much better than before. I'm sure I can channel again, which is good and my head doesn't hurt so much."

Reaching up with her free hand, she pushed her hair out of her face and stifled a small yawn. How long had they slept anyway? It was late afternoon when they fell asleep and it was still daylight out. Either they were very tired and slept all through the night, or they hadn't slept very long at all and night had yet to fall. It didn't matter though. She felt refreshed enough to start the day regardless, but first she had to deal with Kyler. The healing she'd done that morning served to keep him alive, but the pain would be a hindrance to him, and she knew it. She'd promised to ease the pain for him and she would do so.

Shifting again, she sat up and stared down at him, laying her hand on his forehead and smiling softly.

"If you feel up to it, I can complete the healing process and them perhaps we can have some breakfast. Are you feeling any better now?"

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Kyler watched Alya as she slowly began to wake up. She never has been a morning person. He just lay there watching her. But she did seem rather…. happy. He wondered if perhaps it was because she was here with him. Or was it that she was just happy he was alive. He wished she would talk to him but he kind of figured it just wasn’t the right time. Of course there never seemed to be a right time for them. Then she finally answered his earlier question.

"Much better than before. I'm sure I can channel again, which is good and my head doesn't hurt so much." Nodding he still waited as she sat up watching him. He could tell she was thinking about something. It was hard telling what it was. He just kept quiet watching her and enjoying her being so close to him. Then her hand was on his head and she said,"If you feel up to it, I can complete the healing process and them perhaps we can have some breakfast. Are you feeling any better now?"

“I would deeply appreciate it my Aes Sedai. I can not protect you to the best of my ability when I am in pain.” Kyler wondered what she would think of him being so formal and he waited for her weaves.

<><><><><>

“I would deeply appreciate it my Aes Sedai. I can not protect you to the best of my ability when I am in pain.” Was Kyler's answer to her question, and just the tone alone caused the Domani's brow to furrow in a small frown. Why was he being so formal all of a sudden? They were completely alone. Had she said or done something wrong, or was her fear becoming reality and he'd truly distanced himself from her? Well if he wanted it that way then it was fine with her, but she couldn't help but get the nagging feeling that he was masking something, but she didn't have the guts to ask him about it, afraid that it would truly be what she'd expected. Oh she knew that he cared about her and all, and he knew that she cared about him, but she still kept that wariness about her lest she get too close and end up getting burned somehow in the end. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, just that she'd been burned before and she'd rather not take any risks.

Drawing herself upright, she raised her chin slightly and merely nodded in response to his answer, concentrating on embracing Saidar and breathing a small, pleased sigh when she felt its warmth envelope her. She waited a moment, just soaking in it's sweet warmth before focusing on the matter at hand. As always, when she was healing, she was all business and had no time or patience for anything else. Rarely anything could distract her when she worked, and so carefully, she formed her weave and let it settle into him. It was only a matter of time before the burned flesh at his side became smaller and faded to a faint pink. She'd also woven plenty of spirit though her weave to ease the pain caused from his injury, and to rejuvenate him. It wouldn't do to have a bedridden Gaidin. There was work to be done no doubt.

With all that said and done, she slowly pulled her hand back and rose to her feet, moving across the room toward her saddlebags, where her brush was. Kneeling there, she opened her saddlebags and fished for her brush, taking it out and combing through her golden tresses. As she worked, she spoke quietly, though just loud enough for Kyler to hear.

"I suppose there's no time to waste Gaidin. Are we to return home this day or are we to get to the bottom of things before something else happens?"

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He felt her mood change some when he had spoke. He had never meant to put her on guard. He was only teasing her. Before he could say anything he felt the bond change, she was getting ready to heal him, his skin crawled as she did it. It wasn’t so bad when she did it. Stiffening slightly as she channeled into him and the cold feeling washed over him then it was gone and she was up and off the bed moving away from him.

Shaking his head slightly Kyler tested his side feeling for soreness, but he also knew she was would not leave anything behind and of course found nothing. She had healed him and he could move again. "I suppose there's no time to waste Gaidin. Are we to return home this day or are we to get to the bottom of things before something else happens?"

Alya didn’t even turn and face him she was working on brushing her hair. Fine, he would have to show her a few things and one was he had been playing earlier when he had spoke so formally. Rolling out of the bed he grabbed his shirt off the chair beside the bed and walked over to her. Spinning her around he pulled her up close to him and leaned down giving her a very through kissing. Pulling back he looked down at her and said, “I was just playing with you. I never meant for you to take me so seriously.”

He left her standing there and moved over to his saddlebags and began pulling out clean clothes.

<><><><>

Alya could do nothing but stand there and gape at the back of the man who had just kissed her quite soundly. It had been a long time since he'd so much as pecked her on the cheek so this came as a complete shock to her. Light she would never understand the man! He was a mystery to her, and every time she thought she had him figured out, he surprised her with something new. She wanted to speak, to tell him what she thought, but all she could do was work her mouth silently, that dumbfounded look still etched on her face.

With an audible click of her teeth, she finally managed to clamp her mouth shut, as she couldn't just stand there with her jaw hanging slack like that. It was embarrassing. Blinking several times, she attempted to regain her composure, shaking her head quickly and blinking again, and then she cleared her throat and turned back to her saddlebags to find an extra dress. Somehow, while she stood there, she'd dropped her brush as her fingers had gone surprisingly numb. Light blast that man for muddling her senses like that! They had a job to do and couldn't be distracted by such matters, but light she couldn't get it out of her head. She had missed that a great deal. No! Mission. Darkfriends. She had to keep focus, as did Kyler if they both expected to get out of this whole fiasco alive.

Clearing her throat and shaking her head to clear away the cobwebs, she fished through her saddlebags, dragging out a plain, pale violet riding dress. She then rose to her feet with the dress draped over her arm and glanced over her shoulder at Kyler. She couldn't help but smile a little as she watched him, then finally she spoke, the humor in her voice returning slightly, though she still seemed somewhat dazed from earlier.

"Why I put up with you is a mystery, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll be in my room if you need me."

And with that, she disappeared into the room adjoining Kyler's to wash off and dress. No doubt they had an eventful day ahead of them, and she had to work at getting her act together. She couldn't afford to have her mind muddled like this. Perhaps she could ease up more later....perhaps....

<><><><><>

The myriad of emotions coming from his Bondmate was enough to please him greatly. He almost chuckled out loud. That was more the reaction he wanted. He liked to keep her on her toes. He almost lost it when she dropped her hairbrush. He was enjoying this a bit too much. He knew they had a job to do but Light, he had missed her. He was fighting the urge to go back and do it again and again.

"Why I put up with you is a mystery, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll be in my room if you need me."

He looked over his shoulder and watched her go into the other room. Sighing he cleaned himself up and got dressed. Walking around the room he gathered all of his weapons up from the places he had hidden them and settled them back into their hiding places on him. Last he picked up his swords and placed them on his back. Moving over to the door to Alya’s room he knocked and opened without thinking. He started to take a step in and locked up when he saw her. She was or had been washing up but now she stood there with a hastily grabbed towel and looking at him with the strangest expression. “Um…” keeping his eyes locked with hers he continued. “I will go on down stairs and speak with the Innkeeper. To um….settle our bill. Come down when you are ready and we will eat.” He hastily exited her room before he forgot all about why they were here.

Grabbing his saddlebags he left the room and went to find the Innkeeper. The man had just as Kyler said he would, kept a bill of their charges. Kyler paid him and ordered two meals with something to drink. He also asked that their horses be saddled and brought around. The man was more then willing to take care of that. Finding a seat he waited for Alya to join him.

<><><><><><>

Alya stared at the door where Kyler had exited, the corner of her lips twitching in a small smile and a throaty chuckle escaping her. This was certainly shaping up to be a very lovely day indeed. Just seeing the look on Kyler's face was enough to make her want to laugh right then and there, but she held back because she knew how sensitive a man's pride was, but light it was still amusing. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her like this before, and she'd never seen him act so awkward around her ever. Men were such an amusing lot at times. Confusing, but amusing none-the-less.

Still laughing quietly to herself, she finished up with her washing; this time adding rose petals to her water for fragrance, and slipped into her riding dress. Instead of leaving her hair down as she normally did, she tied it back with a white ribbon, tucking any stray strands in the front behind her ears. It took a moment for her to get everything packed but eventually it was done, and after slipping her bracelet back on and tucking her belt knife and dagger behind her belt, she carried her bags out of the room, heading downstairs into the common room.

Standing there at the foot of the staircase, she scanned the area for Kyler, and when she spotted him, a small grin spread across her face and she made straight for him. She didn't say anything at first when she reached his table but merely stood there behind his chair. Oh she knew he most likely knew she was there. The bond would have told him as much, but she wasn't exactly trying to hide from him anyway. With a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"Been a while for you I take it?"

Flashing him a teasing grin, she moved around his chair and slid into the seat next to him, arranging her skirts just so. She knew they had business to take care of, but she just couldn't pass up the opportunity to pay him back from earlier.

<><><><><><>

"Been a while for you I take it?"

Kyler looked at her and she was grinning at him. She looked more like the cat that ate the bird. Shaking his head, he said very quietly, “You know as well as I how long it’s been. But I’m sure the barmaid from a couple of nights ago would be happy to oblige me.”

Alya nearly choked at that and shot him a hard look, narrowing her eyes slightly. If he thought he was going to get under her skin today, then he was sadly mistaken. So instead of giving him the pleasure of seeing her flustered, she merely shrugged and focused on arranging her divided skirts. "Perhaps...if you like that sort."

Kyler chuckled; he had gotten the reaction he wanted. The look she gave him was enough. He waited as their meals were brought out and he waited until the serving girl left.

Glancing at him sideways, she noted the satisfied look on his face and she could not help but smirk a little. All right, so he'd won this round but the war was far from over. When their food had arrived, she raised her head and smiled slightly. Though it didn't happen often, she was famished. The previous day had taken much out of her.

Glancing around before speaking then he kept his voice low, "To answer your question from earlier, I think we should continue on. I have never been one to want to hide in fear of what will happen. If that is agreeable with you we will continue."

Taking a bite of her food, Alya nodded slowly, her demeanor changing quickly at the subject matter. Playtime was over and it was time to get down to business. Lowering her fork slowly, she spoke quietly, still staring at her plate, "I have no problem with either. I myself grow tired of hiding. I would like this over and done with."

“Good, today we will head farther into the country. There is a larger town almost a days ride from here. I have an…. someone I need to speak with there. We will need to be on guard there. It is a rough sort of place.” Kyler told all of this to her in between bites of food. "Mmm.." Was the only response Alya gave for the moment as she took a couple more bites of her food, and then she laid her fork down and reached for her drink, sipping slowly, murmuring over the top of her cup. "I have no intention of lowering my guard anymore while we're on this little endeavor."

Kyler nods at her, “Neither do I. Tonight when we get to an Inn I will ask for a single room for us to share. I would rather we were not separated by even a door.” He finished his meal; he always finished before her, and leaned back taking a drink of his juice. Nodding, she slowly set her cup down and swiped a strand of hair out of her face. "That's fine by me. I would feel far more comfortable that way anyway." He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Do you think you can keep your hands to yourself if we share a bed?" He wanted her to know that he still ready to pick up their verbal spar anytime. Alya smirked at that and barely resisted jabbing him in the ribs with her and instead spoke after another bite of food. "I don't think I'm the one we need to worry about."

Grinning he was glad to know she was still in a good mood. Otherwise he was sure he wouldn’t get that kind of reaction. “You make that sound like a bad thing.” With a shrug, Alya finished her meal and pushed her plate away, taking up her drink again and sipping at it delicately. "That is for you to interpret." Kyler arches an eyebrow and lowers his voice, "Very well then Alya Sedai, I will see to the horses. The meals are paid for. You may join me when you are ready." He stands and heads out the door to the horses to make sure they are saddled and ready.

Alya smiled over the rim of her cup as she watched him go, pleased that she'd won this round, but now it was time to be gone, so she drained the rest of her drink and set it down. Rising to her feet, she took a moment to straighten her dress, and then moved out the door.

Having already tied their saddlebags onto the horses all was ready. Once he noticed Alya had joined him he walked over to stand beside her horse, “Do you need assistance?” Alya glanced at him sideways and smiled a little. "I can mount a horse well enough on my own, but since you were so kind as to offer..." She very graciously holds out her hand to him, her smile never fading. He smirked at her and whispered in her ear when she was close, “I think I might look for some flipskirt when we get into town this evening. It has been a long time after all.” Then helped up on to her horse.

Sniffing at his comment, she climbed up onto her horse with his help, then took up the reins and smiled down at him sweetly "Whatever you say dear. Just don't stay out too late. We've a job to do you know." Flourishing a bow at her, "As you say Aes Sedai." Walking around he mounted Onyx and turned the big black where he could face Alya. "I assume you are not too tired to stay in the saddle then?" "I can manage." She stated as she flipped her hair back over her shoulder and sat up a little straighter in the saddle. He smirked at her, “Very well, I only wanted to check. I know how delicate you are.” Turning Onyx back up the road he booted the horse forward. Alya just rolled her eyes and shook her head with a small smirk. Then, taking up the reins again, she rides on after him.

<><><><><><>

The sun shone brightly in the midafternoon sky, casting its warmth down upon the two lone riders making their way along a quiet country road. Despite its warmth however, it did little to keep back the chilly wind that blew through the Borderlands, bringing with it the premonition of autumn. The wind gusted through the trees and stirred the hair and cloaks of the two riders, causing one of them, the smaller one, to clutch her cloak more tightly about her. She was more accustomed to the climates of Arad Doman and Tar Valon, this Borderland weather would take some getting used to. While the rest of the world was still enjoying the last of the summer months, the Borderlands were already feeling the chilly, brisk breezes of autumn. Alya Tesvin Sedai, Sitter for the Yellow Ajah, managed to ignore the chilly wind however, the only sign that she felt anything being that she held her cloak about her with one hand while she guided her stallion onward with her other hand holding the reins. It seemed the old Aes Sedai trick of ignoring the heat and cold came in handy at times, but that did not mean she didn’t truly feel it underneath her mask. Ahead of her was the one that was truly unaffected.

Her Gaidin, Asha’man Kyler Kade, M’Hael of the Black Tower seemed as unaffected as she, and for good reason. He’d been raised in the Borderlands. This type of weather was no doubt normal to him. She could not help but watch him silently with a small smile as he rode ahead of her, allowing his cloak to flutter freely in the breeze. An admirable man he was, if a tad obnoxious at times, but she would not have it any other way. She could not allow herself to dwell too much on the matter though, for they were not on a mere pleasure trip. They were traveling toward a town not far from where they now rode in search of answers to their current dilemma. It seemed that they had Darkfriends trailing them, and Alya was their prime target. They meant to kill two birds with one stone by taking the life of the M’Hael’s Aes Sedai to get to him and dispose of him, replacing him with one of their own. Well, after a couple nights past, neither of them had any intention of allowing this to happen, and so Alya stayed close to Kyler as they rode, observing the landscape around her. She’d never been to the Borderlands before, so this was more than a little intriguing to her. The weather left much to be desired but the scenery was pleasant enough.

The pair rode in silence for the most part of their journey, but ever since they’d set out on the open road, Alya kept feeling as though they were being watched. She did not allow herself to become distracted however, as she’d done back the last inn they’d stayed at. Instead, she rode on as though nothing were amiss. It was most likely just another traveler that happened to be on the same road as they, but as they continued onward, the feeling refused to fade and it almost seemed as though whatever it was inching ever closer, setting the hairs on the back of the Domani’s neck on end. She’d glanced behind her only once in her casual observance of the countryside, but when she’d looked, she found nothing. Whoever it was, they were keeping well hidden. Perhaps she should relate the news to Kyler. She had no wish to set him on edge, but it never hurt to be cautious.

Nudging Caedyn forward, she caught up with her Gaidin, falling in alongside him. She rode in silence for a few moments, still glancing around, then finally, she spoke, staring straight at the road ahead and pitching her voice low.

“Don’t look now, but I think we may have a shadow.”

<><><><><>

Kyler had rode on in silence not for want of speaking with Alya but because he had every sense tuned to their surroundings. He was determined not to let anyone touch Alya again on this trip. At least not if he could help it. It was not going to be an easy task he knew but he would try. He had been riding just ahead of his bondmate and wondered what she was thinking. He hoped it was about….no can not afford to think of that. There is a job to do, keeping Alya alive, even if it means dying for her. Not that he was eager to die but he had promised himself that he would go before she did. He may be the M’Hael but there were other men who were good enough to take his place. There was no one else to protect Alya, at least on this trip.

He had noticed that there seemed to be someone following them and had been doing so almost as soon as they had left the village. He had been ready ever since he had noticed they’re tag-a-long. Then Alya had rode up beside him and said, “Don’t look now, but I think we may have a shadow.” Kyler nodded, “I know. Keep riding, I will be back as soon as I can. If I fall… Return to the White Tower immediately; do not come look for me. Keep yourself safe, I do not want to die for nothing.” Reaching out he leaned over to touch the side of Alya’s face his features softening, “You are very important to me, stay safe. Alya could only blink at him when he touched her cheek. She didn't like what she was hearing and she wanted to protest, but he had a point. She wanted to go with him but knew that he wouldn't let her and that she would only be hindering him. He was, in fact, trying to keep her alive after all. So instead of protesting, she nodded, leaning into his hand a little, murmuring quietly. "Take care and come back in one peace."

Smiling at her he nodded and turned Onyx back down the road booting him forward. Soon he was out of sight from Alya, he could feel her worry and apprehension as they rode away from each other. He didn’t really like splitting up like this but it could not be helped. He needed to try and see who it was that was following them. Finding an animal trail he took it and hid Onyx in the trees. Dismounting he pulled his fancloth cloak from the saddlebags before moving as quietly as possible back towards the road. Pulling the hood of the cloak up to cover his head he crouched down and waited.

Soon another rider slowly made his way down the road. He was staring hard at the road ahead and watching the tracks on the road. Kyler waited until the man just started to pass his position beside the road, then he rose slowly from his hiding place just as the other man muttered something about chasing witches all day. The rider saw movement and turned just as Kyler reached him. He reached up to pull the man off and felt him seize saidin just as he drug him off the horse. But before Kyler could do anything he felt a shield start to slide into place around him. He could not let that happen or he would die quickly. Grabbing saidin quickly he fought very hard to keep the shield from closing around him. The red haired fellow was trying hard to shield him from the One Power, drew back his fist and struck Kyler across the face. Stumbling backwards he barely managed to hold the shield open. The red headed man drew his sword and advanced on Kyler. He managed to draw one of his own and to meet the man’s blade. They circled each other but the red hair man spoke, “You know she is about to die don’t you? I was only a diversion to lure you away from her. She does not stand a chance against the Great Lord.” Kyler figured the man was trying to make him mad enough to make a mistake so he kept on circling the fellow.

“What? You don’t believe me? Well, when she makes it to the bridge she will find the others. Too bad you will be dead.” Then he struck and Kyler was fighting for his life. The red haired man had renewed his attack with the shield at the same time he struck with the blade. They both fought for some time using blades and the power. Kyler had been blasted back with air twice and the red haired man three times. Kyler felt like he might have cracked a rib or two in one of the blasts, but while holding saidin he barely noticed. Ducking one time a tad slow Kyler took the point of the other man’s sword close to his temple nicking him. He could feel the blood running down the side of his face but it was time to end this. He needed to get back to Alya. She was becoming more and more frightened, but it was probably because of him. Pressing his advantage Kyler went on the offensive and began to drive the man back. Locking up swords, Kyler gave the man a hard forearm to the head which stunned him then pivoting quickly around he got his sword blade turned in time to drive it into the red headed fellows back and drive it far enough so the point came out the front. Pulling his blade free he quickly wiped the blade on the dead man’s cloak and ran towards the place he had left Onyx.

Quickly getting Onyx back onto the road he turned towards Alya’s direction and booted Onyx into a dead run. Lying as close to the big black’s neck as he could, fancloth billowing behind him, he urged the horse on. Slowly Kyler could feel Alya getting closer. He just hoped that the darkfriend was only trying to taunt him. Otherwise he might not be in time.

Finally he spotted her just up ahead and began to slow the large black horse. He could see her stopped in the road and waiting for him. As he trotted Onyx up beside her and stopped, he couldn’t help but grin at her, “Miss me?” Light! It was good to see her.

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Alya watched as Kyler rode off to find their pursuer. She wanted to go with him, but she knew that she must adhere to his wishes and keep riding onward. Along the way, the feelings coming to her through the bond set her more and more on edge. She wanted to run to him, but she rode on regardless, never looking back, for she knew that if she did so, she would turn her horse about and run right back the way she came. Now, here she was, sitting atop her horse before a deep trench where a wooden bridge crossed from one side to the other. She could have moved onward, but the problem was that neither she, nor Caedyn could move, nor could she channel. The moment she’d reached the bridge, she felt a shield slam into place, and then Caedyn had reared up, screaming when a few men emerged from the tall brush, spooking the grey stallion. Alya was not sure whether to turn and bolt, to head straight for Kyler, or to ride on past them and Light burn whoever she trampled, but neither thought came to pass, for as soon as she managed to bring Caedyn under control, his hooves refused to budge but an inch. The horse was frantic, tossing his head and snorting and Alya knew that it had to be Saidin that held her proud mount captive. Were it otherwise, she would have felt the one channeling, and she would have seen the weaves coming, but as it was, she was as helpless as a child, but at least she could still move.

Baring her teeth at the group of me, she reached for her larger dagger and made as if to jump down from her saddle. She did not get far however, when one of them, she did not know which, bound her where she sat in thick bonds of air. Now, like her dear horse, she could not move so much as a muscle, but could only sit there and glare down at her smug captors. What under the bloody light were they planning and why hadn’t they killed her yet? Light, the one thing she hated about Darkfriends was their annoying urge to toy with their prey before they killed it. They were like cats, although to compare them to her dear beloved pets would be a grave insult to Chielia and the rest of her family, but she could think of nothing worse to compare them to. She was facing away from the bridge, looking in the direction that Kyler had gone, for when she’d wheeled Caedyn around, she’d meant to ride in that direction, but now she was trapped, and she could not channel. All she could do was watch and wait as her captors began moving around her, staring at certain spots on the road for a long time and then walking away carefully. Light but she hated not being able to see what they were doing. It made her feel even more helpless than she already was.

With an angry scowl, she glared at the first man that came close to her and her mount.

“What are you doing? Release me now!”

Stopping short, the Darkfriend only looked at her a moment, raking his eyes over her insolently, then laughed and shook his head. Alya opened her mouth to say something more, but the man waved his hand and her words were cut off short by a gag of air. Something just wasn’t right. Not right at all. Somehow, Alya could not help but smell a trap, and no doubt, the men were setting just that as she milled around her setting whatever surprises they intended for Kyler when he returned. None of them would speak to her save to tell her something along the lines of… “Say goodbye to your lapdog witch.”

So it was a trap, and she was helpless to warn Kyler about it other than hope he ignored her fear coming to him through the bond. She tried hard to control it so as not to raise alarm, for she knew he would run right to her and then it would all be over. She did not know what these men had in store for the both of them, but she could guess it wasn’t pleasant. The thundering sound of hoof beats drew Alya from her thoughts and her eyes darted toward the road head of her as her captors went back into hiding, leaving her alone on the road. She could feel Kyler grow closer and closer, but she could not move, could not speak and could not channel. She could do naught but watch as he rode toward and her and stopped short with that grin that she loved so much.

”Miss me?

Alya’s eyes widened slightly as she tried to warn him however she could. Perhaps the heightened sense of fear flooding through the bond might alert him. Get out of here you bloody fool! was what she wanted to say, but she still could not speak, and so instead she stared at him pleadingly, silently urging him to turn back, to not take another step closer. And then she saw movement coming from the brush.

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Kyler sat on Onyx wondering what was going on with Alya for about a split second before he could feel her fear thru the bond. Suddenly on alert he saw Alya’s eye widen even further as he felt more then heard someone behind him. Reaching with his left hand he drew one of his swords and it one single motion swung the sword down in an arc that was around head high on a man. Feeling the blade sink into its target but not clean through he released the sword to fall with the body without looking. He had already found the other man coming from the hill behind Alya and was moving.

Seizing saidin Kyler channeled air and knocked the assailant backward. The only problem was he hadn’t seen the channeler who was hiding near the bridge. The darkfriend channeler blasted Kyler off of his horse about the same time Kyler stuck the other man. Blown completely off of Onyx’s back he landed on his right side completely knocking the breath out of him and stunning him. Kyler had just managed to draw a breath when the closest man fell upon him with a dagger. Kyler moved just enough that the dagger went clean thru the top of his left shoulder. Drawing back his right hand he started to punch the man when his arm was pinned with air. Kneeing the man that was on him in the groin before he could stab him again, Kyler sliced at the weave breaking it. Rolling away from the man with the dagger, who for the moment was out of the picture, he got to his feet looking for the channeler.

Inside Kyler was furious with himself but mostly with the darkfriends who had managed to get this close. Channeling he wove earth into an explosion near where the channeler was last seen. Catching the fellow with the dagger up and moving again he reached up drawing his other sword he turned to face him. A part of Kyler could feel ever single bump, bruise, and cut he had and the other part was a man on a mission. A mission to keep them both alive, a mission he would not lose. Kyler watched as the man’s eyes widened, he dropped and rolled over his injured left shoulder to come up on his feet. The move had saved him as the channeler had thrown a fire weave at Kyler back. Since Kyler had managed to roll out of the way the weave had struck the other darkfriend in the chest turning him into a human candle. Now it was one on one.

The channeler realizing he was now alone was looking nervous. This wasn’t part of the plan. It was suppose to be easy. All reports had been these two would be easy to take. His eyes darting he was looking for some advantage and they found the woman. She was still bound where he had left her. It might be enough to distract the man and get away. He lashed out with the power and knocked the female off her horse while weaving a second weave at Kyler. Unfortunately it was the last thing the channeler ever saw. Kyler had shielded himself against the channeler and then ran towards the man his sword aimed for the other man’s chest. He drove his sword hard into the man’s chest for hitting Alya and bore the body to the ground. Pulling his sword free he ran over to where Alya lay.

Dropping next to her he gently laid his hand on her head. Here is where it was going to be tricky, he had recently asked Jaxon to teach him a few weaves. The problem is he had only practiced some real basic ones. He wasn’t even sure he could do it. He did delve her to see what the problem was. Channeling a small amount he checked her injuries, but found only that the fall that had knocked her unconscious was the problem. It actually felt fairly minor so he left her for now without trying to heal her. He was scared spitless of doing it wrong and making it worse. So he took care of her bonds of air, cutting those and removing the gag. He also released her horse from his bonds and watched as the animal frisked a bit once he was free. Looking about he saw Onyx just off the road munching on some grass. Whistling he called the horse back over. There were times to be glad one had a fully trained warhorse and now was one of them.

Channeling once more he picked Alya up with a weave of air and carried her while grabbing the reins of both horses and heading down by the river. He stopped long enough to remove his other sword from the man’s body and cleaned both of the swords off on the dead man’s clothes. Down by the river he gently laid her on some soft grass he went to milling about in the saddlebags. Finally finding a cloth he walked down to the river and wet it coming to kneel beside Alya. He gently wiped her face and sat beside her on the grass hoping that he had read the delving right. He did not want to experiment on her to find out if he could heal her or not.

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Alya was in the middle of a disturbing dream that had to do with Kyler falling in battle while he tried to protect her. She had several dreams like this, and each one was different than before, but with the same outcome. Kyler had fallen and she was helpless to do anything about it. She knew that Kyler thought himself a liability and too dangerous to her, but there were two sides to every coin. She worried so much over what might happen to him while he was obsessing so much over her safety. Oh she knew that he was her Gaidin and that it was his job to place his life before hers but that still did not mean she had to like it. She intended to keep her Gaidin alive long enough to be able to do his job more efficiently. He would be of no use to her dead and she didn’t trust anyone else to do his job any better. For that reason, among other things that she refused to acknowledge, she worried for him. She was startled into wakefulness by the feeling of something damp on her face. At first she thought it might be a dog that had found her sleeping, but no, it was too precise.

Beneath her, she could feel a soft cushion of grass, and a chilled breeze stirred her hair a little. So she wasn’t asleep in the Tower after all. During her dreams, she’d had one that seemed a little pleasant, and it had to do with the fact that all that had transpired was just a bad dream and that she was really safe and sound within the White Tower. There were no Darkfriends after her or Kyler, and all was well. How disappointing to find out that it was merely a dream within a dream, and that she was still out in the Borderland countryside. With a small sigh, her eyelids fluttered open just slightly and she found herself peering through half-open eyes at a blurred form hovering over her. She was still a little disoriented, so it took a while before the image cleared and she breathed another sigh, this one of relief, upon seeing that the form was Kyler, and that he was bathing her face with a wet cloth. They may still be on their little mission, but at least she wasn’t dead or a captive, and that gave her at least a little comfort.

She said nothing at first, but merely stared up at him as though she still could not believe that he was real, but when she saw the dried blood on the side of his face, her doubts gave way to worry and she slowly raised a weak hand to touch his cheek, murmuring quietly.

“You’re hurt.”

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“You’re hurt.”

Kyler was never so relieved in his life at hearing her words. He stopped wiping her face and sat there kneeling just watching her. He still held himself in the void afraid to let go as exhaustion and his injuries might slow him down. They were not safe yet and had several miles yet to ride before they reached the next stop. Reaching up he covered her small hand with his and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll live, the important thing is you are still with me.” As he held her hand he noticed how cold it was. He had forgot she was not used to the weather in the Borderlands as he was. “You are cold. Here take this.” He removed his fancloth cloak as he spoke. “I should remember things like that. Details missed will get you killed.”

Alya frowned slightly when he'd shrugged off her mention of his injuries, but she decided that she would let it slide...for now. She would not allow him to ignore it for too much longer though. If she noticed that he was in too much pain as they rode, then she was command them to stop and she would tend to them. He would only serve to injure himself further if he kept ignoring it. She had been about to open her mouth to express her disapproval, but it was then that he'd given her his cloak. She was cold, so she accepted it with a grateful nod, sitting up and wrapping it around her. Of course the large cloak engulfed her small frame, but at least it blocked out the chilly wind. Once she'd situated herself, she shook her head slowly and glanced back up at him with her head tilted to one side. "We all learn from our mistakes and make a point not to let them happen again."

Nodding he rose slowly and moved over to Onyx to check the horse for any injuries. He had ridden him hard to get back to Alya and wanted to check his condition. Kyler still floated in the void didn’t notice how stiffly he was moving. Somewhere outside the void he registered that there was pain in movement but it was outside his realm of thinking…for now. Noticing his saddle was crooked he worked on the girth strap grunting when he bent back over to retrieve where it had dropped. Glancing over at Alya he still held some of his worry for her. So many what if’s…he shuddered to think of the things that could have happened. Fatigue also floated outside the void and he attempted to hide it all from her. Next he moved her horse to check him as well.

Quickly finishing that he walked to the tree that was beside the patch of grass that Alya was sitting on. Leaning against the tree he said, “Are you ok? Should I take us back so you can see one of your Yellow Sisters? Or can you ride?”

Alya had watched him closely throughout the entire time that he checked the horses and the longer she watched, the deeper her frown grew. She didn't need the bond to tell her he was in pain. He was hiding it well, but she'd been a healer for too long and she knew the signs when she saw them. She didn't say anything at first, but when he'd approached her and spoke, she slowly turned her head around so that she was looking straight at him and she kept her voice steady and firm. "I am perfectly fine and capable of riding. You, however, are not. Are you going to let me tend you or are you going to continue being stubborn and risk hurting yourself even more?"

Kyler sighed. “I’m fine. Just a little sore.” He couldn’t help but wonder why he lied to her. He was not fine and he knew it. The cut on his head burned from the dirt and sweat in it. His left shoulder where the dagger had gone thru throbbed. His ribs made moving painful. Add on top of that all the bumps, bruises and small cuts he felt really awful now that he thought about it. But still he stood there leaning against the tree watching her like a hawk still afraid that she had taken some hurt in her fall from the horse.

Alya met his gaze stare for stare and raised her chin slightly at the angle that said she was about to be stubborn. She said nothing at first, but merely stared at him, and then she spoke slowly and deliberately. "Kyler Kade. Neither of us will move from this spot until you allow me to tend to your injuries. Allowing yourself to go like this will only serve to make things worse and to endanger me further."

Ignoring her words he said, “We should get going. It is dangerous to stay here.” Again he wondered why he said that. Everything felt strange. Frowning still, Alya narrowed her eyes at him and folded her arms across her chest. One of the many things she could not tolerate was stubborn men that refused to swallow their pride and admit that they needed help. "We will go just as soon as I patch you up." Shaking his head as if to clear cobwebs he said, "Mount up, we will ride to the next town. We can not stay here."

Alya gritted her teeth at the bloody man. Did he have a death wish? He couldn't move without feeling pain and if something else happened while they were on the road, he would be at a disadvantage. She would not risk that. "We would be gone much sooner if you would stop denying that you need help and let me heal you."

Kyler tries to focus on Alya's face, "I...I'm sorry. We can not dance here. But maybe later... there is a woman I have to..." He looks around confused, "Protect,...I think." Uttering a curse, Alya moved forward and touched the side of his face with her hand. "Hold still, I'm going to delve you." Kyler reaches up and grabs her arm. "We have to go." Refusing to move an inch, she merely stares at him, her eyes no longer hard but worried. "Let me tend to you. You are in no condition to be going anywhere." With knees buckling he slides down the tree, still with his grip on her arm, trying to cling to the void he looses the battle and the pain crashes down on him. Leaning back against the tree, in his muddled mental state, he was afraid to let go of her arm.

Alya breathed a small sigh as she watched him, waiting a moment to see if he still intended to resist her, then she brought her other hand around to touch his face again. Waiting another minute, she watched him closely, a worried frown creasing her brow as she wove the delving weave and sent it through him. What she felt only served to worry her further. Light! If the man kept pressing on like he intended, he would have keeled over and that would have been the end of it. With a shake of her head, she concentrated on forming her weaves. She allowed him to keep a hold on her arm. Whatever comfort he thought he needed, she would give him.

She started on his wounds first, cleaning them and binding them so that nothing remained but a small pink scar and dried blood. Then she worked on his fractured ribs, all the while shaking her head and muttering about bloody fools. She would leave the bruises, as they were not overly serious. What worried her most were the open wounds, the cracked ribs, his fatigue, and...something else. He must have taken a knock to the head or something earlier, but she couldn't tell for certain. The battle had gone by too fast and she missed the latter part of it due to the fact that she wasn't conscious. Drawing a deep, fortifying breath, she began to set to work on his head injury. She had to take extra care in weaving this as head injuries were the most delicate, and she couldn't afford to make a wrong move. She only hoped that Jascha's teachings and strength exercises were not a waste of time. One by one, she chose her threads and wove them very carefully and precise, placing all of her concentration on her weave. She just hoped that Kyler didn't grow impatient as she worked and would stay still.

The only thing that revealed he was affected by any of this was a slight tightening of his grip on Alya arm. Giving the weave a firm tug to make sure it stayed in place, she then let it settle over Kyler's head and held her breath as it worked at the damaged area. This would take a bit out of her, but at least she wouldn't be ready to pass out, as was the case in the past. With one last weave to take care of his fatigue, she finally sighed and sat back on her heels, watching him closely. If she missed anything, she would never forgive herself.

Slowly as her healing weaves settled over him he became aware of things around him. First was that he had a grip on someone arm and judging the bond he knew who’s arm it was. Slowly opening his eyes he looked around before settling his gaze on Alya’s face. Light he was glad to be looking at her and she seemed in one piece. Reaching out with his other hand he gently placed it on her shoulder then pulled her into his arms hugging he to him. Leaning down he whispered in her ear, “Thank you.”

Alya was surprised at first by his reaction, but after a brief moment of puzzlement, she merely hugged him warmly and laid her head down on his shoulder, pleased that he was all right. She just stayed that way for a moment after he'd spoken to her, then she slowly tilted her head back to look up at him, smiling softly. "You had me worried." Kyler smiling at her, "Yes, well that would make two of us. I was afraid I would not be able to keep you safe. I do not want to test out weaves with you around."

She blinked at that, not quite sure what he meant, but instead of questioning him, she merely nodded and laid her head back down with a small sigh. "We shouldn't stay here, I know, but you should at least take a moment to recuperate." Leaning down he kissed the top of her head. "No, we need to get going soon. As it is now it will be dark before we reach the next town.” Thinking on this a moment, she sighed and nodded her head slowly "I suppose you're right. Are you sure you're alright enough to ride?"

“I am well enough for what I need to do, thanks to you.”

She stared at him for a moment, looking him over as if afraid she'd missed anything, and then with another sigh, she nodded her head slowly and began to rise to her feet. "We'd best be moving them."

Slowly he pushed himself up and stands before stepping over to stand in front of Alya, "I have something to say, but I suppose it should wait until we stop for the night." Reaching over he touched her face then leaned down and kissed her cheek. Pulling back he smiled at her before turning to Onyx and mounting. Tilting her head to one side, she watched him curiously. Now what did he want to say? Well she supposed she would hear soon enough, for now she was wasting valuable time by just standing there, and so with a shake of her head, she moved over to Caedyn and climbed into the saddle.

Waiting until Alya was in the saddle he rode back up on the road and stopped looking at the bodies, frowning he debated on leaving them. Unfortunately it would leave too many questions. Alya rode along in silence, falling in alongside him when he stopped and watched him closely. Her gaze flickered for a brief moment toward the bodies, only to quickly flick back to her Gaidin. They really didn't have any time to hide them. More might be coming, but rather than protest, she merely sat there and waited patiently. Sitting up in the saddle he seized saidin and channeled earth to open up under each, letting the bodies go down into the earth but closing it up so that there was nothing left to see. Releasing saidin he swayed a bit in the saddle grabbing the saddle horn to steady himself.

Tensing at his wavering, Alya leaned forward slightly in the saddle with a worried frown on her face, watching him like a mother would her sick child. Shaking his head he rubbed a hand over his face. Glancing at Alya he saw her worry as well as felt it through the bond. "I'm fine, I just need some rest. I have channeled more today then I have in a long time." At least that’s all he hoped it was. She still stared at him, her frown never fading, but after a moment, she nodded her head slowly and took up the reins once more.

Moving Onyx slowly he waited for Alya to ride up beside him, he couldn't help by smile at her still wearing his fancloth cloak. Alya waited for a brief second before nudging Caedyn forward, riding alongside Kyler. As the pair rode onward, she shifted slightly in the shadow, realizing that Kyler was looking at her and so she cast him a sideways glance, tilting her head to one side at his smile. "What?" He grinned, "Oh nothing. Are you warm enough?" She blinked at him once, and then looked down at his cloak, then chuckled softly, shrugging it off and handing it back to him. "I'm fine now, thank you."

Grinning he took it back, "Are you warm enough? I can give you my other cloak if you want it" Alya merely shrugged and tugged her own cloak further about her. "I'll manage well enough. I appreciate the offer though." Kyler nodded and threw the cloak back around himself, just in case he needed it again. Riding along he decided to stay beside of Alya. He stayed silent on the ride just concentrating on staying in the saddle. All he could think of was that he was hungry, tired and wanted out of the saddle.

They rode on as darkness fell and so far nothing else untold had happened to them. Two healings in just a few days, he needed rest and food. He had kept his hand near the pommel of the saddle and had used it a time or two to steady himself. He felt good and he knew that was because of Alya’s weaves but his body was giving him subtle hints that it needed rest. As soon as it became dark enough to make seeing the road ahead a problem Kyler had seized saidin and held it using the ability it gave him to heighten his senses. Soon they came in sight of town, Kyler stopped Onyx in the road and pulled off the fancloth stowing it away in the saddlebags and pulling his brown cloak back out. Once he had it back on he moved Onyx forward again. He glanced at Alya but her eyes were on the town ahead.

Entering the town he made his way thru the streets to an Inn he knew of called, “The Wagon Wheel” where he dismounted and waited for Alya. He hoped she didn’t see him getting off the horse, he had almost fallen off. They turned their horses over to the stable hand and entered the Inn. Kyler quickly made arrangements with the Innkeeper for a room and he showed them to it. After he left Kyler closed the door and leaned his head against it for a moment before moving over into the room dropping his saddlebags in one of the chairs. Removing his cloak and throwing it on the chair as well he moved over to the bed and looked at it.

Food or sleep. Which did he need first? Pulling off his swords he supposed sleep was winning. Leaning them near the bed he removed several other hidden weapons laying them on the table by the bed. Removing his coat and boots he flopped over on the bed his eyelids already wanting to close. Staying awake just a few moments longer he looked at Alya, “Please stay here if you want supper. I’m not sure how good I can react like this.” Gritting his teeth once more he seized saidin one last time and set wards around the room. He changed these wards so if someone entered he would most definitely wake up and it wouldn’t be pleasant. Once he released the One Power he fell right to sleep.

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Through out the night, Alya stayed by Kyler's side. The moment he'd fallen asleep, she pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat there, watching him and letting her mind wander. She could understand his fear for she had her own fears. She feared for his safety just as much as he feared for hers. There were two sides to every coin. She really didn't like having to be so cold to him sometimes, but to allow herself to get any closer than she already was would be disastrous, not to mention that the Tower already frowned upon their relationship as it was. Although, there were other factors involved as well, factors having to do with her bad luck with men.

It would be better for the both of them to release the bond, but try as she might, she just couldn't bring herself to do that. Trust was a very hard thing to come by for her and she was known to attract trouble like flies to honey. It wasn't just Kyler. Perhaps by keeping the bond, they could protect each other. Alya had already vowed long ago to make sure he did not fall and she would keep to that vow, even if it meant angering him by defying his wishes. No one said a Warder's charge had to be agreeable.

She'd patched him up more times than she could remember and she would continue to do so until she dropped dead from exhaustion. Although she would never truly admit it to his face, she did love the man, which only served to make things more dangerous for them. She could not allow herself to give into such a thing for emotions only hindered a person and would most likely get them killed much more quickly. She just hoped Kyler realized this. She couldn't afford to take any risks. Neither of them could.

They were safe though, for now, and that was all that mattered for the moment. She would remain awake and keep watch over him while he slept, and in the morning, she would make certain that he ate his fill and then some. They both needed all their strength, but she was more concerned for him than herself. He needed it more than her.

As the night wore on, Alya's head drooped lower and lower, her eyelids growing heavier by the hour until eventually, she sat in the chair by the bed, dozing softly. She hadn't meant to go to sleep, but apparently she'd needed more rest than she thought. She slept on through the night and even into the day when the morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting it's warm glow upon her golden hair, which hung down into her face as she slept. She was completely oblivious to the sunrise, completely oblivious to the fact that birds were singing outside, and completely oblivious to her charge shifting on the bed.

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Waking he could tell if was daylight outside. Opening his eyes he looked around trying to focus. Noticing he was the only one in bed Kyler rolled over looking for Alya. He didn’t have to look far; she was asleep in the chair. Shaking his head he couldn’t help but wonder why she