In the inn, The Nine Rings, Rand does some people-watching and sizes up the clientele. The common room is full of soldiers. The innkeeper pegs Rand as a lord based on his ornate technicolor dreamcoat and Selene as a lady based on her dress that’s so white that even white looks like shit. A lot of unlord- and unladylike behavior baffles the innkeeper throughout the whole chapter, basically. Like, they aren’t going to sleep together in the same bed, and they allow SERVENTS (i.e. Hurin) to sit with them for dinner, examples of that ilk. The innkeeper notices Rand’s (Thom’s) flute case and Rand offers, unlordylike, to play a few songs for the miserable and gross clientele. He does happily, showing Selene that he is most certainly not a fucking lord. Fuck her.

An officer in the room approaches Rand after his festive flutin’ and apologizes for his soldiers singing along crassly. Rand doesn’t give a shit, he can be crass too! Watch this: “Boobs.” The man is Captain Caldevwin, and he recognizes him as some sort of Aiel scum (probably) and congenially grills him to get some proof that he is actually from the Two Rivers. After Caldevwin asks Rand for Selene’s name, SUDDENLY OUT OF NOWHERE A SERVING GIRL DROPS A LAMP. How convenient! Dark One in a dress, this one. Watch out for it.

Selene excuses herself to her quarters. Rand asks Caldevwin what he knows about the magic crystal sphere out yonder. It’s part of a statue from the Age of Legends, and he and his men have been ordered to excavate it by some regal House. And hey, since he and his men are travelling to Cairhien tomorrow, how about they all join Rand and his fellow adventurers! Yippie!

Later, feeling like Caldevwin was acting suspicious, Rand gets some info from Hurin and Loial about Daes Dae’mar — the Game of Houses. It’s basically just Game of Thrones, all the rich elites fighting amongst themselves like a bunch of bratty children. Rand has no interest in partaking, even accidentally.

The next day, Selene is gone. She had left a note to Rand that they can meet up again in Cairhien. This confuses Caldevwin, who thinks that Rand and Selene are fucking, and Rand suspects that Caldevwin suspects that Rand suspects that Caldevwin suspects that something is going on. Some real Game of Houses shit.

Selene, of course, needs to go home and polish her devil horns!