Mat barely remembers Caemlyn, but as soon as he enters the city he’d like to make a beeline to the Queen’s Palace. Thom, on the other hand, is yawning and going “you do you, king. I’m going to the inn to smoke my pipe in bed”.

Mat arrives at the Palace at approaches the front gates guarded by a real weaselly-looking guy. Mat pulls out his letter and claims he is from Tar Valon, but the guard all but says “YOU?! You look like you pooped your pants! Away with you!” and tells Mat that the Palace will accept no letters from any vagrants until Elayne is returned safely to Caemlyn. Mat’s like “yeah, I know, I have news that she’s ok” but the guard doesn’t want to hear ANY of it. The guard tells his fellow officers to “seize the Darkfriend”, which makes Mat go “eep” and he leaves before he causes even more trouble for himself.

Mat gets lost about seven times before finding the inn — The Queen’s Blessing. Thom is there playing stones with Master Gill, the innkeeper whom Mat actually remembers. Gill remembers Mat as a sickly little boy, and Mat tells him to stuff it. Gill has news, though: Lord Gaebril, (which I always read as “gerbil”), Morgase’s righthand man, spends most of his time convincing Morgase that the White Tower is no good. This is why, Mat, you dingus, that mentioning Tar Valon was a huge no-no. Gaebril has always replaced half the guard with his own men, and he may even marry the Queen! Isn’t that disgusting?

Mat’s new idea is to sneak into the Palace unseen, which both Gill and Thom think is loony nuts. Gill offers to take the letter to the Palace, but Mat tells him to stuff it. And off he goes to make a fool of himself in front of royalty. JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE I KNOW.