Chapter 8 Chapter 3 Tradition

After the first hour of captivity, Faile walked wearily through the snow-covered forest and began to fear that she would freeze to death.The biting cold wind came and went, and it was difficult to see a dead leaf on the branches, so the wind could pass through the trees unhindered, and even the weakest air current pierced her skin like ice needles .Perrin could barely enter her consciousness, and she thought of him occasionally, only wishing he knew of Mahema's secret dealings; and, of course, the existence of Shaido Aiel.It would be nice if only that lewd Berelain escaped and brought the message to Perrin.She hoped with all her heart that Berelain would escape the ambush, tell Perrin everything, and fall into a snow hole and break her neck.But she has more pressing issues to think about than her husband.

This kind of weather can only be regarded as autumn in Saldaea, but the autumn in Saldaea will also freeze to death.Now, all that remains of her is a pair of dark wool stockings, one used to bind her hands tightly behind her back and the other tied around her neck like a noose.No brave words were of any use in being naked in this weather, and the cold kept her from sweating, but her legs soon ached from running.The Shaido men and Maidens in their black masks slowed down only when the snow was knee-high, and if the snow was only up to their ankles, they immediately resumed running incessantly.They never seemed to know fatigue, and even the horses could not be faster than them.She was trembling, being pulled by the noose to run as hard as she could, clenching her teeth tightly to prevent the teeth from colliding, while trying to inhale as much air as possible.

The actual number of Shaido was smaller than she had estimated when she was attacked, and she believed there were no more than a hundred and fifty of them.Now they were all armed with lances or hornbows, ready for battle, and it was impossible for anyone to surprise them.Perpetually on high alert, they stalked the woods like ghosts, making only the faintest sound of their moccasin knee-high boots on the snow.However, their green, gray and brown clothing is fairly easy to spot against the white snow.Baine and Ziad had told her that green was added to Cadinser after the Aiel passed the Dragon Wall, to increase their concealment in green surroundings.Why don't these people wear white caddings in winter when it snows?Now, anyone can spot them from far away.She tried her best to observe the places she ran through carefully, trying to remember all the subtle features of the environment, in case they could use it when they escaped.She hoped the other captives were doing the same.Perrin would come to her, but she never expected to be rescued from outside.Those waiting to be rescued could wait a lifetime.Moreover, they needed to escape as soon as possible, and if this group of Aiel joined their main group, their chances of escape were even more remote.She hasn't thought of a way to escape yet, but there must be a way.The only good luck they could hope for was that the Aiel would not join their home team for a few days.This part of Amadeus was very chaotic, but if there were thousands of Shaido nearby, there was no way she wouldn't be without information.

She had wanted to look back at those who had been captured with her, but doing so had only resulted in her falling headlong into the snow.Her body was half buried in the snow, and the sudden cold made her cry out.And when the big Shadu who was pulling her picked her up, she couldn't help crying out in pain.This guy named Lu Lan was as broad in shoulders as Palin, and he was a full head taller than Palin.He grabbed Mayfair by the hair, lifted her up, slapped her bare buttocks hard, and continued to run forward with long strides, forcing Mayfair to follow closely behind him .His palm is enough to make a mule run wildly.Although she was naked, Lu Lan's blue eyes did not have the look that any man would have when looking at a woman. Mayfair was relieved by this, but she was a little unwilling... Of course she didn't want this man to stare at her with lustful eyes. Looking at her, I don't even want to see him have the slightest interest in her, but that indifferent look is an insult to her!After that, Mayfair tried hard not to fall down, but running for hours without stopping made Mayfair feel that even simple standing became more and more difficult.

At first, she was worried about which part of her body would freeze first, but as the sun moved from east to west, she gradually could only focus on her feet during the endless running.Fortunately, Lu Lan and the people in front stepped on a little path for her, but the hard snow scratched the soles of her feet like a blade, and red marks began to appear on her footprints.Even more frightening was the cold itself.She had seen frostbitten hands and feet before, how long before her toes turned black?She struggled to move her toes and move her fingers as best she could as she lifted her foot.The fingers and toes were the most dangerous, but any exposed skin on her body was at risk of frostbite.As for her face and the rest of her body, she was left to her own luck.Moving the toes caused pain, and the pain became worse when the wound on the sole of the foot was pulled.But any feeling was better than no feeling, and if it went away, there wouldn't be much time left for her body.Moving, running, moving, running, these things filled her mind.She kept moving with trembling legs, trying to keep her hands and feet from freezing, and she wanted to keep moving.

Suddenly, she bumped into Lu Lan's body, and was bounced back by his broad chest.She gasped, feeling dizzy.All the Aiel had stopped in their tracks, a few had turned around, and others were separately watching all other directions.They gripped their weapons as if anticipating an impending attack.When Mayfair had just observed these situations, Lu Lan had already grabbed her hair again, bent down, pulled up one of her legs, and checked her feet.Light, this guy really thinks she is a mule! Lu Lan let go of her hair and feet, and put her arms around her legs.Fei'er felt dizzy, she was carried on Lu Lan's shoulders, her head was hanging right next to the horn bow box on his back.Then Lu Lan casually held her on his shoulder a few times to find a suitable position.Faile felt extremely angry, but she quickly suppressed the anger.Now was not the time to be angry, the point was that her feet were off the snow, and she was finally breathing well now.But the Shaido should have at least warned her before he did it.

She tried to lift her head so she could see her companions, and was relieved to find that all of them were still there.Although they were all captives and naked, she believed that if they were left now, they would be nothing but corpses in the snow.They were all wrapped around their necks with stockings or rags, and most of them had their hands bound behind their backs.Alliandre was no longer bending over to try to hide her nakedness, and something more important had taken the place of Queen Haydan's majesty.She gasped and trembled, and if the Aiel leading her hadn't supported her arms as he crouched to examine the soles of her feet, she would have collapsed to the ground in an instant.Because the Aiel was squatting on the ground, Faile couldn't see how tall he was, but his shoulders were almost as broad as Lulan's.The cold wind blew Alliandre's black hair back, and her face looked haggard.Behind her, Mai Ding was in the same dire condition. She was panting heavily, her golden-red hair was disheveled like a bird's nest, and her blue eyes stared blankly ahead, but she still managed to stand up straight and did not lean on the person who was standing. Check out the skinny Maiden on the soles of her feet.Faile's maid seemed more of a queen than Alliandre, a disheveled queen.

In comparison, the condition of Bain and Ziad seems to be no worse than those of the Shaido, but Ziad's cheeks are swollen and a little yellow due to the heavy blow when he was captured; Bain's short fiery red hair The black blood on her face stretched down to her cheek, but it was frozen now.But that's bad, maybe she'll get scars from it.In any case, the two Maidens were not breathing rapidly, and they didn't even raise their feet to be checked.Among the captives, they were the only ones whose hands were not bound—the Aiel tradition was stronger than binding.They calmly accepted their fate and would become gaishi, serving their captors day after year.Bane and Ziad might have helped them escape, but they certainly wouldn't try to escape themselves.

The last two captives were Lychel and Ariela, who tried to behave like the Maidens of the Maiden, but of course they failed.A tall Aiel easily tucked the petite Lysir under her arm so she could examine the soles of her feet, her fair cheeks flushed like coals.Ariela was quite tall, but the two Maidens guarding her were taller than Faile, and they handled the Tyrian like a toy.When they looked at Ariela, a scowl flashed across her dark-skinned face.However, maybe she was angry because she couldn't understand the sign language of Maiden's fingers.Faile hoped at least she was out of trouble for now.All of Sapphire were trying to emulate the Aiel, living the way they imagined the Aiel would live.Ariela wanted to be a Maid of Guns very much, but Su Lin and the others refused to teach her sign language, which always made her angry.If she knew that Bain and Ziad had taught Faile a little sign language, she would be even more annoyed.Faile couldn't fully understand the sign language of the two Maidens of Maidens, but at least she could distinguish some of them.They think wetlanders have soft feet, and it's all because they're too spoiled and weak.If Ariela knew what they were talking about, she would be pissed off.

But Faile needn't have worried about Ariela, though she did look very reluctant when one of the Maidens carried her on his shoulders.The Maiden of Guns who carried her also pretended to be in a wrestling position, and then gestured with the other hand to her companion, who immediately burst into laughter behind the mask.This almost made Ariela furious.But when she saw Baine and Ziad groveling meekly on the shoulders of the Aiel, she finally hung her head sullenly.Laciel screamed when she was thrown onto her shoulder by the big man beside her. After that, she was completely silent, but her face was still terribly red.Their imitation of the Aiel had done Faile a great favor.

Mayfair originally thought that Alliandre and Mai Ding would never cause any trouble, but their situation was completely different from the two Shafei'er.When they realized what was going to happen, they immediately began to struggle desperately.The two women were completely naked and exhausted, and were tightly tied behind their backs from the elbows down. Of course, it was impossible for them to make any effective resistance, but they still twisted their bodies, shouted, and kicked anyone who approached them indiscriminately. people.Mai Ding even bit the hand of an unsuspecting Aiel viciously, but when he raised his hand, he was picked up like a big dog biting someone. "Be quiet, you two idiots!" Faile shouted at them, "Alliandre! Mydin! Obey their arrangements! Obey my orders!" Neither her maid nor her servants paid any attention to her words. .Mai Ding roared like a lion with prey in its mouth.Alliandre was pinned to the ground, but she was still howling and kicking vigorously.Mayfair had to call out the order again. "Those Fengyi will be quiet." Lu Lan muttered, and patted her butt hard. Fei'er gritted her teeth and cursed in a low voice, which earned her a hard slap!The guy had already stuck her dagger in his belt, and if she could reach it... no, she had to bear it now, she could bear it.She wanted to run away, not make any senseless moves. Maidin's struggle lasted a little longer than Alliandre's, and finally, two burly men finally broke her jaw from her companion's hand.To Faile's amazement, the bitten Aiel didn't beat Maggin, he just shook off the blood from his hand and laughed!But Mai Ding was not saved because of this.Mayfair's maid was thrown face down into the snow beside the queen. Before they could take a breath, they flopped twice on the icy snow. came out of the bushes, each holding in his hand a long branch he had whittled with their long daggers.A foot was stepped on each of the two women's shoulder blades, and a hand pulled up their tied arms.Afterwards, strips of red whip wounds burst out on their white and tender buttocks. At the beginning, the two women continued to struggle. Although they were stepped on hard, they still twisted their bodies. Of course, their struggle is even more meaningless now.In fact, all they could do was shake their heads wildly and shake their hands, but otherwise their upper bodies were almost completely immobile.Alliandre had been screaming that they couldn't do this, of course a queen shouldn't be treated this way, but it was a bit foolish to insist on it under the circumstances.The Shaido apparently could do that, and they're doing it. Surprisingly, Maggin screamed no less than Alliandre.Looking at her, anyone would have thought she was a nobleman, not a maid.Fei'er knew that Lini must have whipped Mai Ding before, and Mai Ding must have never resisted like this.In any case, this resistance did the two women no good.This methodical whipping continued for a long time, until they could only howl incoherently, and their legs continued to twitch without stopping.When they were carried on the shoulders like other prisoners, they could only hang their heads and cry, and they would never struggle again. Faile had no sympathy for them, and in her opinion, every whip these two fools received was justified.Aside from frostbite and cuts on their feet, the longer they stayed in the wild naked, the less likely they were to escape alive.The Shadu people will definitely take them to a place where they can escape the wind and cold, and the behavior of Alliandre and Maidin will delay their arrival there for a long time. Maybe they were just whipped for a little more than a quarter of an hour, but now The line between life and death may not be more than a few minutes away.Even the Aiel were sure to let their guard down a little if they built a fire at the resting place.Being carried forward in this way, they can rest and recover their strength.Only in this way, when the opportunity comes, they can seize it in time. The Shaido set off again with their captives.Although they were carrying people, their steps were no slower than before. In fact, Mayfair even felt that they were running faster.The hard leather bow case kept hitting Mayfair's ribs, and she felt dizzy for a while, and every time Lu Lan took a big step, her stomach would churn.She could only try to find a position so that she would not be hit so hard. "Don't move, or you're going to fall." Lu Lan whispered, patting her butt like a frightened pony. Faile raised her head, frowning and looked at Alliandre behind her.She couldn't see Queen Haydan's face, only the interlaced welts that stretched from the queen's buttocks to her entire thigh.If he could take a hard bite on this big man who swung her back and forth like a pocket, maybe even if it was a little time wasted, it would be worth being whipped a few times.But she would not bite his hand, but would bite on his throat.The idea is courageous, but also terrible and downright stupid.Although being carried by others, she knew that she still had to continue to fight against the cold.And she came to realize that this being carried could be worse than before.At least she also had to try to keep herself upright and awake while running.But as the night gradually thickened and darkness fell, Lu Lan's shaking seemed to have some kind of hypnotic effect.No, it was the cold that was paralyzing her consciousness and gradually coagulating her blood.She must fight back, or she will die. She began to move her hands and bound arms regularly.Tighten your legs, then relax; tense, then relax, forcing blood flow in the muscles.She thought of Palin, and began to think on Palin's behalf how to deal with Mashima, and how she could persuade him if Palin refused to listen to her.She began to think, if Perrin knew she was using Sapphire as a spy, how would she handle the quarrel that would break out between them, how would she deflect his anger.Channeling her husband's anger in the right direction is a skill a woman must master, and it has been taught to her by a master of the art—her mother.It must have been a wonderful quarrel, followed by a beautiful reconciliation. The thought of reconciling with him made Mayfair forget to flex her muscles, so she had to focus on the quarrel, on the various plans.But the cold made her thinking gradually dull, and her thoughts began to become disordered, so she had to shake her head and think again.At this time, Lu Lan's reprimand to her also helped her, allowing her to concentrate and stay awake, even his slap on her ass was useful.As much as she hated to admit it, every time she was slapped like that, she would be jolted out of her fading coma.After a while, she began to move her body more frequently, struggling to the point where she almost fell off Lu Lan's shoulders, all in order for Lu Lan to hit her a few more times.As long as you can stay awake, whatever you do is necessary.She didn't know how long it had passed, but her twisting and struggling began to become weaker and weaker until Lu Lan stopped scolding her, let alone slapping her.Light, she wished that guy would beat her like a drum! In the light of the day, why would I want such a thing?She thought vaguely.A desperate and vague consciousness told her that she was defeated in this battle.The night seemed darker than ever, and she couldn't even see the moonlight on the snow, but she could feel her sliding, faster and faster, towards a bottomless abyss.She growled silently and fell into a coma. Dreams ensue.She was sitting on Perrin's lap, his arms wrapped around her so tightly that she could hardly move.Before her, blazing flames roared in a great rock furnace.His curly beard scraped her cheek, and he pinched her ear, which made her feel pain.Suddenly, a strong wind blew into the room and extinguished the raging fire like a candle flame.Perrin turned into a puff of smoke that dissipated with the wind.In the agonizing darkness, she struggled with the wind, but it lifted her up, sending her somersaulting and somersaulting until she was too dizzy to tell up and down.Alone, she rolled into endless cold darkness, knowing she would never find him again. She ran across a frozen field, struggled through one snowdrift after another, fell to the ground, struggled to get up again, and ran in fear.Icicles hung from the dry branches around her, and a jagged wind blew through the leafless forest.Perrin was so angry she had to leave, she couldn't recall the details of the altercation, she didn't know how she'd pushed her beautiful wolf into that ball of rage, driving him completely out of his mind.But Palin wasn't losing his mind, and he was about to put her on his lap, just like he'd done before.That was a long time ago.Why is she running away?They will reconcile.Of course she would make him pay for his recklessness, and there must have been a time or two when she made him bleed a little with thrown bowls and pans.Of course she didn't really want to hurt him, and she knew that he would never really hurt her.But she also knew that she had to run, she had to go forward, or she would die. If he catches me, she thought feebly, at least a part of me will warm up.The thought made her laugh until the dead white earth swirled around her.She knew that she would die soon. A huge bonfire looked down on her, a mountain of log piles belching white flames.She was naked and very, very cold, no matter how close she was to that fire, she couldn't feel any warmth.Her bones froze to ice, and her flesh would crumble to the slightest touch.As she moved closer to the fire, she shrank from the heat, but the cold was still in her skin.Getting closer and closer.Oh light, it's hot, it's hot!But why is it still so cold inside?Get any closer and she starts screaming in the heat of the flames, but she's still cold.Get a little closer.She is dying.She screamed, but all she got was silence and cold. It was daytime here, but grayish clouds obscured the sky.The snow fell in clusters like large feathers swirling in the wind and flying over the treetops.The wind is not violent, but it keeps licking her with a cold tongue.White ridges rose from the branches, but soon they were blown away in the wind with the broken branches.The snow on the ground is getting thicker and thicker.Hunger gnawed at her stomach with blunt, powerful teeth.A bony man, very, very tall, with a white wool hood covering his face, was stuffing something into Faile's mouth, the rim of a large clay mug.His eyes were startlingly green, like a pair of emeralds surrounded by shrunken scars.He was kneeling with her on a large brown wool blanket, and another gray striped blanket wrapped her naked body.The smell of hot tea and honey wrapped her tongue, and she grasped the man's strong wrist with her weak hands, lest he take the cup away.Her teeth chattered as she tapped the glass, but she was already gulping down the thick, hot liquid in it greedily. "Don't drink too fast, you can't drink too much at once." The green-eyed man said softly.Such a strong face, such a strong voice, can be matched with such a soft tone, which surprised Mayfair again. "They violated your honor. But since you're a wetlander, maybe it doesn't matter to you." Mayfair gradually began to understand that this was not a dream.Thoughts were like blurred phantoms, emerging little by little, and if she tried to hold on to them, they would slip through her fingers.This guy in the white robe is a gaiter.Her noose and bondage had been removed.The man freed his hand from her fingers, only to pour some more brown tea into the earthenware cup from a leather water bladder on his shoulder.White steam and rich tea fragrance waft out from the cup. Her whole body began to tremble violently, causing her to almost fall to the ground.She grabbed the thick striped blanket and wrapped it tightly around her body.Severe pain came from the bottom of her feet, no matter how hard she tried, it was impossible to stand up.And she didn't want to stand up either, only in this curled up position could the blanket cover her entire body except her feet.If you stand up, your legs are exposed, and even more.Of course, all she could think about now was heat and no grooming, and now she had very little of both.Hunger still gnawed at her stomach, and its teeth had grown sharper.She couldn't keep herself from shaking, she felt that her body was surprisingly cold, and the heat of the tea had already been exhausted.Her muscles were like pudding that had been left for a week and then frozen.She wanted to see how much tea was left in the cup, but she ordered herself to find her companion first. They formed a line around her: Maiddin, Alliandre, and everyone else.They all knelt on the blankets, wrapped themselves tightly in snowflakes, trembling uncontrollably.In front of each is a gaiwa with a swollen water bladder on his shoulder and a cup in his hand.Even Bain and Ziad drank tea desperately like people who were dying of thirst. The blood on Bain's face had been washed away, but the two Maidens were quite different from before. Now They are as tired and weak as anyone else.From Alliandre to Lyciel, according to Perrin, they all seemed to be pulled out of a tree hole.But they are all alive, this is the most important thing, only if they are alive can they escape. Lu Lan and other spearmen gathered at one end of their row of captives, apparently keeping watch over them, five men and three women altogether.The snow was barely up to the knees of the three Maidens, their black scarves only hanging over their chests now, and they watched the captives and gai'ai with indifferent eyes.For a moment, Mayfair looked at them with a frown, trying to catch a thought that flashed through her mind.Where did the others go?If the others leave for some reason, it's much easier to escape.But this was not the only thought that popped out of her mind, there was another mysterious question that she couldn't figure out. Suddenly, there was movement in the distance, and the question and answer appeared in front of Mayfair at the same time.Where did these philistines come from?At a distance of about a hundred paces, Faile could see a procession of people, livestock, and vehicles moving forward despite the trees and snowflakes.That was not a team, but a flood of Aiel. What she had to deal with was no longer one hundred and fifty Shadu Aiel, but the entire Shadu tribe.Such a huge group passed Abila within a day or two without arousing anyone's vigilance. Although the place has completely fallen into anarchy now, it should still be impossible.And Mayfair was witnessing this scene with her own eyes, and her heart sank.Perhaps escaping was no more difficult than what the Shaido had just accomplished, but she wasn't confident. "How could they offend me like that?" she asked in a convulsive voice, before snapping her mouth shut so she wouldn't say anything else.When the gaiwa held the cup in front of her again, she couldn't wait to open her mouth and gulp down the precious heat in the cup.She choked and had to force herself to slow down.There is too much honey in the tea, if it were any other time, she would definitely not be able to drink such a sweet and greasy drink.Now, these honeys are just enough to relieve her hunger a little. "You wetlanders don't know anything," said the scarred man disapprovingly. "The gai can't wear any clothes until they get what they deserve, but they're afraid you'll freeze to death, so I can only wrap you in their coats, your weakness makes you ashamed. However, the people of the wetlands have no shame. Lu Lan and many others are milatins, but Ai Falin and the others should understand better Reason. Elphaline shouldn't have allowed them to do this." shame?Rather, it was anger.Faile couldn't bear to take her lips off the cup.She just turned her eyes and stared fiercely at the giant who carried her on his shoulders like a sack of grain and spanked her buttocks countless times.She vaguely remembered that she seemed to welcome the whipping like that, but of course it was impossible, it was impossible!Lu Lan didn't look like he had just carried a person on his back for a day and a night at all, and his white breath seemed quite leisurely.Power Latin?Faile remembered that the word meant no brother and no brother in the ancient language, which didn't provide her with any valuable information, but she noticed the contempt in the gai's voice when he said it.She'd have to ask Baine and Ziad, hoping it wasn't some kind of Aiel secret she couldn't tell the wetlanders.Even the wetland confidants of the Aiel have no answers when it comes to such secrets.And now, all the information might help her escape from here. According to the Fengyi, they were once wrapped in clothes by these Shadu people so as not to freeze to death?Of course, if it weren't for the appearance of these Shadu people, they would not have encountered any danger at all, but they still saved her after all.Of course, this is only a small kindness, but because of this incident, she might just cut off Lu Lan's ear, and among thousands of Shadu people, she seems to have no such chance at all.There may be hundreds of thousands of these Shadu people, among whom there are at least tens of thousands of spearmen.Anger and despair drove her almost insane.She'll get out, they'll all get out, and she'll take that guy's ear! "I want Lu Lan to pay the due price." She muttered.The gaijin had already taken the cup and filled it up again, and at the same time he squinted his green eyes and looked at Faile suspiciously.Mayfair hurriedly said: "As you said, I am a wetlander, and most of us are. We don't practice righteousness. According to your customs, those of us who don't practice righteousness should not be righteous at all. A gangster, isn't it?" The expression on the scarred face did not change, but one eyelid twitched.A vague awareness warned Faile that it was too risky to do so.Mayfair didn't know what the result would be, but her mind, frozen by the cold, could no longer control her tongue: "If the Shaido intend to break other traditions as well, what will happen? , they might not let you go." "Shadu has broken many traditions," said the gaiyi coldly to Mayfair, "but I will not break traditions. I still have more than half a year to wear white robes. Before that, I will continue to follow traditions." Do it. Now that you can talk so much, maybe you don't need any more tea?" Faile stretched out her hands and clumsily snatched the teacup from him.Fengyi raised his eyebrows, and Fei'er hurriedly grabbed the blanket on his body with one hand.She felt a heat in her cheeks.Of course he was looking at a woman.Light, she is as reckless as a blind bull!She had to think, she had to concentrate.Her brain was her only weapon, and yet at this moment, her brain was like a frozen piece of cheese.She sipped her hot tea, trying to figure out what advantage she could have, surrounded by thousands of Aiel.But she couldn't think of anything.