Rand and Co. are hanging out at the hotel swimming in the pool and taking advantage of the ice machine when the innkeeper arrives with two, count ’em TWO, more invitations from High Houses. Rand is disgruntled. He’s as far from gruntled as you could be.

Hurin points out that the invitations are from a Lord Barthanes the High and Holy and Flatulent, and King Galldrian himself! Rand intends to throw these bitches in the fire with the rest of them, but Hurin goes into detail about how this could really put him in the Great Game. Snubs could pinpoint loyalties and make him a target from others. In fact, there’s nothing he could do at this point that wouldn’t put a target on his head. Rand sighs and groans and rolls his eyes and decides to accept the invitation from Lord Barthanes of House Stark and/or Lannister. I haven’t decided yet.

Oh wait, that doesn’t happen yet. Rand makes a big show of opening the invitations in the common room so that everyone can see his chess move in the Great Game. That’ll hold ’em off for a couple days while he deliberates upon whose invitation to accept (spoiler alert it’s barthanes).

Rand and Loial saunter through Cairhien to the guardhouse where he inquires about Ingtar and Selene. The guard pretends not to know what he’s talking about. Rand is pissed, and he and Loial return to the inn where they find it on fire. They run up to the smoke-filled room where they discover their Horn/Dagger chest is missing. Also, Hurin is hella unconscious. Loial sacrifices his precious books in order to help Hurin out of the building. Rand has time to save his Dragon banner and Thom Merrilin’s flute case before the roof collapses.

Outside, just after it was discovered that the chest was missing, Ingtar, Mat, Perrin approach happily. All Rand can do is laugh. Like this: “hee hee hee ha ha ho ho ho”