With Padan Fain, the peddler, occupied with the Village Council while they wring him out for every bit of information they can get about the war in Ghealdan and/or the Dragon and/or the Aes Sedai, the children in the village stand there all like “Buhhh”…

…that is, until that fucking gleeman finally shows up! And let me tell you, he’s quite a cranky bastard. All moaning and bitching about how long it took to get to Emond’s Field and how piss-poor the accommodations have been and how shiity the Mayor is and how this Bel Tine festival seems like a useless waste of taxpayer money. He even throws shade at the town’s Wisdom, Nynaeve, especially since she’s, like, nineteen years old. The kids are trying very hard to stay gleeful around the gleeman, but ESPECIALLY Egwene gets very mad for a moment that this guy has come to their humble town just to drop his pants and shit all over it.

The gleeman wises up to the sadness he has inflicted upon the children and starts juggling and flipping and promising to tell every story that has ever existed. I don’t know how he’ll do that in a day, and it sounds dreadfully dull to me, but the townsfolk gather and start eating it up.

But then that Moiraine woman pops in, and the gleeman is less than pleased to see her. He bows repeatedly like a loon and maintains strained politeness. Something weird is going on there. I look forward to seven books in a row all about the gleeman and only the gleeman. No other characters but the gleeman. Gleeman.

Tam al’Thor comes out of his Village Council meeting and tells Rand that they’re blowing this popsicle stand. Now. No sleepovers before the Festival. They’ll be back tomorrow. Maybe they’ll order a pizza. He assures Rand that there should be nothing to worry about with the battles popping up all over the country and the Aes Sedai advancing south. Emond’s Field is a podunk town that nobody would want to be caught dead accidentally stumbling upon anyway. Plus, there’s stuff in the way like mountains and forests. You can’t even pass through! That being said, a bunch of guards are going to the corners of the Two Rivers to, you know, keep watch. Even though there’s nothing to worry about, son! But…yeah, maybe.

Tam also finally believes Rand about the mysterious black-cloaked man. Many children have claimed to see the exact same thing, so it’s possible that this tall, dark, and handsome customer only makes himself seen by kids who are 16 and under. Sounds crazy, but this is a book full of magic so why not suspend disbelief? Rand is thrilled at every kid in town has seen this dude and feels validated.

Maybe he’s not a bad guy! Perhaps he has candy.