Chapter 31 - Play for Your Supper

Summary

Rand and Mat continue their journey eastward toward Caemlyn, surviving on cold water, stolen food, and odd jobs to avoid the pursuers haunting them. Their travel is marked by paranoia and suspicion from the locals they work for, who often chase them away or provide meager supplies under duress. They eventually reach the farm of Master and Mistress Grinwell, where they are treated with more hospitality and allowed to sleep in the house after entertaining the family with juggling and music, earning Rand a moment of interest from the daughter Else before they depart for the next village.

Characters

• Rand — Rand travels with Mat, relying on Thom Merrilin's flute to earn meals and shelter from suspicious farmers. He plays for the Grinwell family, earning a warm bed and avoiding the dogs, though he feels the weight of Thom's memory and his own uncertain future.
• Mat — Mat accompanies Rand, displaying increasing paranoia toward locals and a strong desire to keep the dagger from Shadar Logoth. He performs juggling tricks to entertain the Grinwell children, helping to secure the group's hospitality.
• Master Grinwell — The sturdy owner of a farm with nine children who initially welcomes Rand and Mat, offers them old clothes to wear while working, and allows them to sleep in the house after being entertained by their performances.
• Mistress Grinwell — The wife of Master Grinwell who washes clothes for the boys and watches Rand closely during his flute playing, eventually insisting that he and Mat sleep in her daughter Else's room rather than the barn.
• Else (the eldest daughter) — The dark-haired, pretty eldest daughter of the Grinwells who watches Rand work and listens to him play the flute, is granted permission to share her bed with him for the night by her mother.