Third Floor Common Room, Thursday Afternoon

[bitchprince]

This close to graduation, this close to his last final, this close to Break Week, which might have been a relief to most, but to Arthur simply spelled empty days with nothing but himself to rely on to keep himself busy.

Some of the jitters were already starting to set in - not that he'd admit it - and so on Thursday, his countenance may have been comparable to a caged tiger's. Again, not that he'd admit it.

In an effort to distract himself, he carried himself to the common room, where at least he wouldn't be tempted to spend the whole time pacing. He'd brought a book, of course, but reading calmly wasn't entirely for him right now either. He forced himself to do it anyway.

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[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat wandered into the room in search of something that wasn't a book on battles.

"Arthur," he said, nodding his head before walking over to the fridge.

[bitchprince]

"Mat," Arthur said, lowering the book with a speed that... well, he wasn't eager for conversation or distraction or something. Really. "Hungry, I take it."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"And tired of staring at the four walls of my room," Mat admitted with a smile. "I was thinking of taking Pips out for some exercise. I think if I stuff another battle into my head they are all going to leak out."

[bitchprince]

"Pips...?" Arthur replied, squinting for a moment.

Although dear lord, could he echo the sentiment. "Although outside sounds brilliant."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"My horse," Mat replied with a smile, "not some unfortunate younger student. I haven't exercised him as much this week as I should."

[bitchprince]

"I suppose my horses could do for a stroll as well," Arthur said, thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll whack Merlin about the ears and get him and the horses out into the fresh air for a change."

Not. Anxious.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat's eyebrow went up. "It's always important to air out the servants, too, I suppose," he teased. He found a few apples and held one up as a silent offer to Arthur.

[bitchprince]

Arthur took the apple with equal silence, and didn't bother to pay it much lipservice. Instead he took a bite of it. "I'm still trying to teach him how to hunt," he said, conversationally, "Though god only knows why."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"Because starving to death is a nasty way to die," Mat said, snagging another few apples and juggling them in a neat circle as he leaned against a counter. "There have been a few lean winters at home in the past and if the heat doesn't break soon, it's going to get worse."

He made a face. Not something he wanted to think about.

[bitchprince]

Arthur shot him a wary glance. "There's been no change in the harvests at all?"

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"The heat's bloody killing everything," Mat said flatly. "A horse goes for as much as a village these days, and not just for riding."

[bitchprince]

Arthur pursed his lips. "You haven't," he hazarded, because he'd heard of Mat's trouble back home before, "accidentally killed anything mystical lately, have you?"

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat thought about it, then shook his head. "Not that I know of, assuming Darkfriends don't count."

[bitchprince]

" ...Are they inclined to leave a curse if you kill them?"

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"Not at all," Mat replied. "They're inclined to try to kill me and die messy. I haven't missed that part of home."

[bitchprince]

Arthur had to give that one a snort with some vague sympathy. "Can't be that, then," he judged, and slanted a look at him. "When did the heat start? Is it natural?" Or was it saucery sorcery?

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"It's very unnatural," Mat admitted unhappily. "First we weren't sure winter would ever snap, then it got very warm very quickly. The Dark One's hand is plain in this, if folk are looking for it. Being nice, normal folk, most aren't."

[bitchprince]

"Your world is vastly different from my own in some ways," Arthur said. Saucery Sorcery was rarely far from anyone's mind, these days. "Or perhaps a few years away from it yet."

He put the book aside in earnest. "The Dark One is a sorceror, I presume."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat thought about it. "That's a bit like saying the sun's a bit bright," he finally replied. "He's the antithesis of the Creator."

Yes, Mat knew big words. Shh. He didn't admit it often.

"Referring to what he does as saucery sorcery is doing him a bloody disservice. He's not free of his prison and is slowly boiling the world to death in our own juices."

[bitchprince]

Arthur sucked in a breath of air. "My father dealt with... issues of this nature by exterminating all the wizards in my country," he said, "But that seems a little too weak for your situation... nevermind that's never been a... discriminating solution."

...That was as close as he was ever going to get to saying his father was maybe a little nuts on the topic. "He's imprisoned somewhere, then. Not... down in his own realm, or anything of the like."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"This will be a long tale," Mat warned, finding a spot to sit on the sofa. "According to the catechism, the Dark One was imprisoned at the moment of Creation, unable to touch the world. In the last Age, the Aes Sedai--sorcerers more powerful than anything folk now can comprehend--worked together, male and female, to create the world the way they wished. And in their arrogance, they dug a hole through the Dark One's prison."

He pursed his lips. "And for hundreds of years, there was bloody cataclysm as he fought to escape completely, remake the world in his image, and kill everyone and everything forever."

[bitchprince]

Arthur considered that story.

"Well," he said, finally, "That would put a dent in your day."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat snorted humorlessly. "You can see why I enjoy it here. The Dragon--the first one, not my friend Rand--led the Hundred Companions, all men, to seal the hole in the Bore. It was a temporary fix and the counterstroke of the Dark One before he was stuffed back into his hole doomed all men who wield the Power to go mad and die. The Hundred Companions, then all the male Aes Sedai, went bloody insane and broke the world. Literally. They moved oceans and razed mountains. They killed millions. Those they didn't kill wished themselves dead."

He stared at the apple in his hands. "And three thousand years later, the Dragon has been reborn, the seals are weakening, and the Wheel spins us out to do this whole bloody thing again."

[bitchprince]

"And there are no more wizards to seal it again," Arthur said, slowly. He darted a look Mat's way. "Your friend, Rand-- does he have a plan at all?"

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"He's making it up as he's going along," Mat said, "but right now the plan seems to be to get humanity to bloody stop fight ourselves and concentrate on the Darkfriends. Rand's gobbling up kingdoms like they're bloody figs. He's running," here Mat stopped to count, "Cairhien, Andor, and Tear, and has united the clans of the bloody Aiel for the first time in history. We were poised to move against Illian before I came here." He pursed his lips. "Because of course the Dark One has more than just himself and bloody minions. He has the Forsaken--thirteen of the most powerful Aes Sedai from the last Age who toss aside the hope of redemption in exchange for immortality. One of them is running Illian, and Rand won't allow that."

[bitchprince]

Arthur rubbed at his fingers, thoughtfully.

"You're not planning to stay here much longer."

You didn't need to be a touchy-feely type to get that.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat shook his head. "I can't. Rand uses the Power as well, which means it's only a matter of time before he goes insane. Half of the nobles he's working with believe the bloody cavalry charge is the only tactic there is, and that will get a lot of people we can't afford to lose killed." He frowned into his hands. "I'm can't believe I'm actually hoping for bloody Egwene to come for graduation so I can get out of here."

[bitchprince]

Arthur made a slight noise at the back of his throat, and didn't insult his own - or Mat's - intelligence by inquiring whether Egwene was some kind of wizard or whatever.

"How are the odds?" he said. "It can be... daunting, taking on something greater than yourself, even if you do have significant numbers. I'd be surprised if they didn't send for you - if nothing else, your return might well boost morale."

An educated guess, that.

"You're planning on tactical strikes, by the sound of it."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure Egwene told Rand I was gone," Mat admitted. "His temper is...volatile...these days. It would have taken me months to return to Andor with Elayne like I promised him, so I'm sure he just put me out of my mind. And since I like my skin in one piece and on me, I'm not going to tell him that I didn't immediately do what I promised."

[bitchprince]

Arthur granted him a skeptical look. "What happened to bring you here, Mat?"

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"Elayne made a hole in the bloody air," Mat said, "but instead of taking me to Ebou Dar with her, I ended up here. She ended up in bloody Ebou Dar. Somehow, I've been told, this is my fault."

[bitchprince]

"Women," Arthur said, sympathetically.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

He rolled his eyes. "Exactly. And even if she wasn't the bloody Daughter-Heir and Aes Sedai, she's been making calf-eyes at Rand. So telling her exactly what kind of a bloody idiot she is will just get me thumped."

[bitchprince]

Arthur tapped his fingers against his knee. "If there's any help I can give, you know where to find me," he said, eventually. "Even if it's just to give you some advice about women."

... Yeah.

"Should Rand unite them all, will you ride against the Dark One personally?"

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat flashed a quick, teasing smile at Arthur. "And yet I very rarely see you in the company of women..."

"And yes, I'll ride with him. I don't see how it can possibly end happily, but I'll go."

[bitchprince]

"I know a great deal about women," Arthur said, loftily, "Such as, as you've already pointed out, how to avoid them."

And see, if you were in the know, that would be skimming a little close to Certain Truths, but ahahahaha yeah it was Mat.

"Then you should have some faith in the ending."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat pressed his lips together. "I'll do my bloody best to make sure we're as prepared as we possibly can be, but I'm not going to think that we're heroes in a gleeman's tale."