View source for The Dragon Reborn: Chapter 30

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''Author: Val a'Shain''
{{DiceIcon}}
{{Title|The First Toss}}
{{Icon|{{Dice}}}}
{{pov|Mat}}
{{Setting|the [[White Tower]], the city of [[Tar Valon]]}}
'''Characters: [[Mat]], [[Anaiya]]'''
==Outline==
Mat spends the night in Tar Valon, gambling and winning almost constantly.
==Summary==
After [[Nynaeve]], [[Elayne]] and [[Egwene]] leave him with the letter that will help him get out of Tar Valon, Mat starts planning his departure. There are orders to keep him in the City so sneaking out will be difficult. Mat decides to try another method. He will make it obvious that he is trying to escape. When one of the sisters that [[Heal]]ed him, Anaiya, visits him he makes her think he is planning his escape. He also starts asking for more food than he can eat. When the evening comes he simply walks past the Tower guards with all his belongings on his back.

He heads for the taverns to gamble and get money for his trip. He knows he is lucky but tonight he wins every toss of the dice. After a while he realizes it must be the influence of the [[ruby dagger|dagger]] that makes him lucky. He can't remember being this lucky before. A fever grips Mat and he gambles and wins more and more. After almost getting into a fight he leaves a [[The Tremalking Splice|tavern]] and realizes he's won a fortune.

It is now only a few hours before dawn and it is time to leave. On his way to the docks he notices he's being followed. Tar Valon is known as a safe city so Mat is surprised. He hides in a dark alley and the men following him lose him. Mat climbs on the roof of one of the buildings and starts making his way to the docks again. When he wants to descend from the roofs he is attacked again. This time he kills the man by throwing him off the roof. Mat's own fall is broken by the body of his attacker. Mat knows he should be on his way to the docks now. But he decides to sit down in an inn to steady his legs a bit before going to the dock. Mat enters an inn called '[[The Woman of Tanchico]]'.

==Notes==
{{Development}}
{{MatDev}}
*Mat is extremely lucky 
Is this a ''ta'veren'' effect manifesting or a side effect of the dagger and Healing?
{{Mysteries}}
*Who sent the Gray Men after Mat
===Places===
;First Mention
[[Southharbor]], [[The Tremalking Splice]], [[The Woman of Tanchico]]
{{Spoilernotes}}
{{annotated|
{{SMysteries}}
*Who sent the Gray Men after Mat?
While it is not directly confirmed, we later see Ishamael punish someone for letting Mat escape Tar Valon, so it seems likely he was responsible
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