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"Oh, well, I apologize," Birgitte said flatly "The Forsaken are loose and angry with you, the Black Ajah are undoubtedly furious that you’ve captured their agents, and you’ve humiliated various nobles who tried to seize the throne froer whatsoever I’ll run along and take lunch, then"
"You ht as well," Elayne snapped "Because I a My babes will be born healthy Min is never wrong, Birgitte"
"Min said your babies would be strong and healthy," Birgitte said "Not that you would be healthy when they arrived"
"How else would they come?"
"I’ve seen people knocked in the head so hard that they’re never the saitte said "Some live for years, but never speak another word and have to be fed broth and live with a bedpan You could lose an arm or two and still bear healthy children And what about the people around you? Give you no thought to the danger you could cause them?"
"I feel bad for Vandene and Sareitha," Elayne said "And for those men who died to rescue me Don’t dare imply that I feel no responsibility for the others die in her naitte We decided that there was no way I could have known that Chesmal and the others would arrive as they did"
"We decided," Birgitte said through clenched teeth, "that there was no use arguing any further But I want you to keep in "
"They won’t," Elayne said, looking out over the city "My children will be safe, and that itte let out an exasperated sigh "Foolish, stubborn…" She trailed off as one of the nearby Guardswoet her attention Two of the Kin stepped onto the roof Elayne had asked them to come meet with her
Birgitte took up a position beside one of the short cherry trees, her arms folded The two Kinswomen wore unadorned dresses, Sumeko in yellow, Alise in blue Alise was the shorter of the tith gray streaking her brown hair, and she eaker in the Power, so she hadn’t slowed in aging as rown more firm of step lately No further Kinswomen had disappeared or beenAof it made Elayne’s skin crawl!
"Your Majesty," Alise said, curtsying She spoke with a calm, smooth voice and a faint Taraboner accent
"Your Majesty," Su her companion’s curtsy The tere deferential--more so to Elayne than they were to other Aes Sedai these days Nynaeve had given the Kin in general a backbone in regards to the Aes Sedai and the White Tower, though Alise hadn’t ever struck Elayne as needing it
During the siege, Elayne had started to regard the Kinswomen’s attitudes with annoyance Recently, however, she’d been wondering They had been extreh would their newfound boldness lead theestured toward a trio of chairs that had been placed in the shade of the drooping cherry trees The three seated the its contrived way past them to the left There was mint tea The other two took a cup each, but were careful to add generous amounts of honey Tea tasted terrible these days without it
"How are the Kin?" Elayne asked
The to too for was up
"We are well, Your Majesty," Alise said "The fear see h sense to feel it in the first place I suppose those who didn’t were the ones ent off on their own and found theood not to have to spend sovery fatiguing So rimaced