The young man standing there was the most handsome person Rand had ever seen—almost too handsome to seem masculine. He was tall and slender, but his movements suggested the strength of a drawn bowstring and an unshakable confidence. With dark hair and eyes, he wore red and white clothes, just slightly less elaborate than Gawyn's, as if appearances didn't matter to him. One hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and his eyes were fixed on Rand.
"Stay away from him, Elayne," the man said. "You too, Gawyn."
Elayne stepped forward, placing herself between Rand and Helena and the newcomer, poised and confident as always.
"He is a loyal subject of our mother, a good man of the Queen. And he's under my protection, Galad."
Rand tried to recall what he'd heard about her relatives. Galadedrid Damodred was Elayne and Gawyn's half-brother, if he remembered correctly; the three of them shared the same father.
"I know your fondness for strays, Elayne," the slender man said in a reasonable tone, "but this man is armed and doesn't exactly have the cleanest reputation. One can never be too careful these days. It's very easy to wrap a sword in cloth, Elayne."
"He's here as my guest, Galad, and I am responsible for him. Or have you appointed yourself my nanny, to decide who I can speak to and when?"
Her voice was thick with sarcasm, but Galad didn't seem to notice.
"You know I don't want to control your actions, Elayne, but this… guest of yours is inappropriate, and you know it as well as I do. Gawyn, help me make her see reason. Our mother would—"
"That's enough!" Elayne cut him off sharply. "You're right in saying you don't control my actions, and you don't have the right to judge them either. You can leave. Now!"
Galad threw Gawyn an ironic glance — a look that seemed to ask for help and suggest Elayne was just being stubborn. He stepped back, turned, and disappeared quickly down the stone path, his long legs carrying him beyond the arbor and out of sight.
"I hate him," Elayne muttered. "He's vile and jealous."
She looked at Rand with a furrowed brow, thoughtful.
"Now we need to get you out of here quickly."
"Then it's time for me to hop the wall again," Rand said. What a perfect day to not be noticed! He might as well be carrying a sign. He turned toward the wall, signaling for Helena to follow, but Elayne grabbed his arm.
"Not after all the work I did on your hands. You'll scratch them up again and end up with some alleyway witch putting who knows what on them. There's a little gate on the other side of the garden. It's hidden in the plants, and I'm the only one who remembers it exists."
Suddenly, Rand heard the sound of boots on pavement, coming their way.
"Too late," Gawyn muttered.
Before they could take three steps, soldiers in red uniforms came running down the trail, their breastplates gleaming in the sunlight. Behind the visors of their helmets, their gazes were grim, and all arrows were pointed directly at them.
Rand and Helena drew their swords, but Elayne and Gawyn leapt forward at the same time, placing themselves between the two and the archers.
One of the soldiers, with the gold knot of an officer on his shoulder, shouted:
"My lady, my lord, step away quickly!"
Despite his outstretched arms, Elayne held herself with regal poise.
"My lady, forgive me," the officer said, "but Lord Galadedrid reported a filthy peasant lurking in the gardens, armed and threatening Lady Elayne and Lord Gawyn."
His eyes turned to Rand and Helena, his voice growing firmer.
"This man is my guest," Elayne said. "And he is under my protection. You may go, Tallanvor."
"I'm sorry, my lady. As you know, the Queen, your mother, has given strict orders about anyone within the palace walls without her permission. And Her Majesty has already been informed of the intruder. He will be personally questioned by Gareth Bryne, the Captain-General, but will be released once it's proven he meant no harm."
"Then take all three of us to my mother," Elayne suddenly declared.
A smile spread across Gawyn's face.
Behind the steel bars of his helmet, Tallanvor looked surprised.
"My lady, I…"
"Or take all three of us to a cell," Elayne said firmly.
Another soldier in red uniform came running down the path, nearly slipping as he stopped to salute with his arm crossed over his chest. He spoke quietly to Tallanvor, whose expression lit up with satisfaction.
"The Queen, your mother," Tallanvor announced, "orders that I bring the intruders to her immediately."
The soldiers formed a guard around them, moving in a rectangular formation, with Tallanvor at the front. They watched Rand and Helena carefully, as if expecting them to draw their swords and try to escape at any moment.
Palace servants filled the hallways, dressed in red liveries with white collars and cuffs, the White Lion embroidered on the left side of their tunics. When the soldiers passed with Elayne, Gawyn, Rand, and Helena at the center of the formation, everyone stopped to stare, mouths agape.
The path Tallanvor chose wound so much that Rand started to feel dizzy. Helena held one of his hands.
At last, the young officer stopped in front of a set of double doors made of dark wood with a distinctive shine. They weren't as grand as the others they'd passed through, but they were carved with rows of lions in finely detailed relief. On each side of the door, a uniformed servant stood guard.
Tallanvor reached out to take Rand and Helena's swords, but a gesture from Elayne stopped him.
"They are my guests. By custom and by law, guests of the royal family may present themselves armed, even before my mother. Or are you going to deny my word that he is my guest?"
Tallanvor hesitated, looking into her eyes, then nodded.
Regal, Elayne stepped through the doors, spoiling her majestic entrance by motioning for Rand and Helena to stay close behind her. Gawyn squared his shoulders and entered beside her, a calculated step behind.