Raeyn – Page 4 – A Writing Archive

I’m coming home……

Another sleepless night full of bad dreams.

Anything to escape the bad dreams. Even rising long before the sun itself rose.

And yet, that’s what Mariasha herself did. Of course, this came on top of her normally strenuous routine of training and drinking, so the young Andoran woman was left feeling flimsy, almost insubstantial.

Still, she stumbled through her morning ablutions and found herself outside before the raising sun felt the need to make an appearance. Some of the trainees were already hard at work under the eye of brighter-eyed instructors than herself; she preferred to run afternoon courses when Thera managed to corner her into teaching.

Climbing up to her accustomed spot on the fence, she settled into a brown study of the trainees. Pretty much everyone around the Yards knew it was her habit to spend some time watching the newer people train while she woke up enough to go grab a bite to eat, and especially considering the hour, knew better than to disturb her; she’d made it clear to many unwary folk that she was not a morning person.

So it came as something of a surprise when someone crossed through the sparse population of the Yard and came right at her… someone looking very familiar! Rubbing sleep out of eyes, Mari blinked, expecting the person coming towards her to vanish; her Aes Sedai had been gone for years, she had to be dead.

Which left her one conclusion – it had to be her Aes Sedai’s spirit come back to haunt her! Attempting to stand and warn those around her of the spirit, exhaustion and shock overcame her, and she fainted dead away, falling off the fence.

When she came to, Mariasha found herself in an unfamiliar room. Groaning softly, she could felt even weaker and more tired than she had before waking the first time that day. Suddenly, a face leaned over her; it was Taeadra’s spirit again!

With a gasp, she waved her arms feebly to try and drive the spirit out of her line of sight, and was very surprised to meet flesh. Blinking, she felt a small jolt of shock and pain in her head, “In… my.. head.. WHAT?!”

She fainted again.

——————————————————————

20 August 2008

As she came back to consciousness again, Mari continued to lay on the bed with her eyes closed, ”Okay Mari,”, she thought to herself as she attempted to take stock of the day, ”You’ve seen a wraith, fallen off a wall.. oh Light..”

Hesitantly opening her eyes again, Mari realized pretending she might still be out was in vain, considering that which had returned to her head. Still, even with that in mind, it seemed that perhaps Taeadra hadn’t quite realized that her Warder had come to. “Perhaps she’s as unused to having the bond back in place as me,” she though wryly as she tried to sit up, ”Or perhaps she’s preoccupied to the point she’s not noticed I’ve awoken.”..

Trying to push up feebly, she slowly wobbled her head towards Taeadra, “How… are… you… here?!” the weary red-headed woman attempted to demand. She managed to wobble a weak arm up towards Taeadra’s slightly startled face, though she had to wonder if the effort was worth it.

The part of her that was Taeadra went very still as the White Sister brought over two mugs of tea, “Sit and drink first. Slowly now.” Tae instructed firmly, as was the older woman’s nature. Shooting her Sister a mild glare, Mari weakly wrestled herself closer to upright, and as if putting her hand on the mug was a signal, was absurdly grateful to have something on hand to whet her even more parched-feeling throat with.

In spit of not trying to gulp it down, it was almost as fast as blinking; Mariasha pushed the mug back towards the woman sitting at her side to request a refill. Taeadra wordlessly put her mug down and attended to refilling Mari’s; the bond was still very still, as if the Aes Sedai were trying to hide something.

Sighing softly, Mari decided to take a belated moment to figure out where they were. It had seemed ages since she’d been here in her Sister’s rooms, but there was a sense of familiarity under the faint sheen of dust, “I guess the servants only bothered to poke their heads in here every few weeks or so,” she mused to herself, trying to think on anything but the strange events of the day. Not.. that she could really avoid them, with Taeadra’s return, and the growing thead of anxiety creeping in through the bond as the other woman returned with another mug of tea.

Murmuring gratitude, Mari blew on the tea briefly to cool it. She plunged her head through the wisps of steam and took a very healthy gulp of the fresh glass. Placing it back on the table with extreme care, she turned her attention back to Taeadra, “There… is a lot I could be asking right now…” she started, fighting down the urge to smile as the thread of anxiety expanded, along with a wave of concern, “But I don’t think that I’m going to be in any shape for this until I’ve had a meal or three… I take it I’ve been Healed?” Tae nodded assent, though it wasn’t as if she needed to.

Mariasha nodded back, and braced her flimsy arms against the mattress. Alarm raced into the bond as Taeadra gently pushed her back down, “I’ll go fetch you something. You’re not ready to be out of this bed yet, so stay here until I get back.” Command rolled naturally off of her Sister’s tongue, and Mari could only bend her head in agreement for the time being.

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25 August 2008

As Taeadra exited the room, Mari let herself collapse back onto the bed. “Riiight, show how sorted out you are… try standing, brilliant,” Mariasha muttered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut. She couldn’t remember a time she had felt so weak before, and part of her knew this wasn’t really the time to actually be in the weaker position!

Taking a deep breath, she inched herself backwards against the headboard, and feebly turned over. Grabbing onto the side of the headboard, she carefully levered herself back up into a sitting position; she leaned against the headboard with her legs dangling off the bed. Gulping air, she grumbled to herself and had a bit more tea.

As she leaned against the headboard sipping her tea, the young Warder let her frustration and annoyance melt away. In truth, she was still in too much of a state of shock to register it all, and found it much easier to focus on her weakened physical state. She had heard from some of the other Warders who had been on campaign with their Sisters that Healing did tend to make a person weaker, but that they were able to draw on the added strength the bond provided to continue on… so why couldn’t she?

Granted, Taeadra had been gone for so long… longer than the time before she left when the bond was still new. As it were, Taeadra’s presence was… almost uncomfortable in her head after all this time… had it been as such before?

She was musing on this when she felt Taeadra pausing nearby. Putting the tea down, Mari leaned away from the headboard; she felt it was important to at least look as if she weren’t as feeble as she felt, ”Even if all Taeadra has to do is pay attention to what’s in her head,” she thought wryly as the door opened.

“I am sure you have many questions, but I would suggest you eat your fill and gain some strength back,” Taeadra announced firmly as she carried the tray over. The White Sister flashed a stern glance at the younger Andoran woman as she placed the tray on the side table, and Mari scootched herself back against the headboard as she reached for the cutlery.

Taeadra had brought up a mountain of food, it seemed, but the famishment that followed Healing drove Mariasha through it all in short order. Squinting at the empty plates, she turned her attention to the White Sister. “Ask what you will, I will answer what I can,” Taeadra spoke, gesturing towards the woman sitting on the bed beside her. Opening her mouth, Mari started to speak… but was stopped when a yawn escaped.

“I… think…,” she started, punctuation each word with another yawn, “I think that I should maybe go back to sleep. We can try this again tomorrow.. mmkay?” Mari smiled at the touch of shock that rolled through the bond, but as she let herself slid back flat against the bed, her thoughts died off and sleep rolled over her almost instantly.

——————————————————————

04 September 2008

To sleep, perchance to dream…

To dream, perchance, but perhaps not to remember; at least, no memories from the latest sleep remained in the young Warder’s mind as she stirred towards consciousness. The bone-weariness and weakness of the prior day appeared to have sloughed off in the night, and Mariasha felt more rested than she had in some time.

In her mind, she could almost pretend that the last 2 years or so of solitude were all a dream; she could feel Taeadra standing off to the side deep in thought, and smell breakfast from the nearby table. ”She spends as much time as a Brown in studious thought, but hides it better,” Mari thought fondly as she easily sat up and swung her legs around to hang off the side of the bed.

She stood and stretched; the motion felt wonderful after having slept for a day! Her dear Sister still stood in deep thought staring at a painting above the mantle, muttering to herself. The Andoran woman couldn’t help but smile as she sauntered up to join Taeadra, accidentally brushing the other woman’s shoulder as she did so.

For all Tae’s outward reaction, the bond jumped briefly, “I trust you slept well. I have had one of the servants bring breakfast… I assume you are still hungry?” Taeadra gestured behind her shoulder, her gaze still intent on the painting. With a widening of her smile into an outright grin, Mari casually bowed before heading over to the food.

And Light, she was still hungry! Slathering butter and jam generously on some of the toast, Mari called out, “Why don’t you come join me for some breakfast, then, and tell me about this painting that you’re so intently staring at. I’m guessing that it’s something important to you, and I’ve never thought to ask about it before.”

——————————————————————

15 September 2008 (6:15pm BST)

Mari poured up some tea for both herself and Taeadra as the other woman settled into the chair across the table. The White Sister nodded distractedly as she began setting up some breakfast for herself.

Presently, Taeadra spoke, and spoke at length. Mariasha was sort of aware of what tests an initiate of the Tower went through, but obviously not the details thereof. Still, it perplexed her to have Taeadra open up like this. This was a woman who lived fully in control of herself and her surroundings, and it was almost frightening to feel the little pulses of fear that went along with her recollection of events.

Fear of the Dark One and his destruction though was something that anyone in the Yards would empathize with. She knew that her Aes Sedai opposed the Dark One fervently, so why was she so surprised by the fear?

Shaking her head, Mari speared another piece of ham onto her plate. Chewing thoughtfully for a moment, she swallowed and looked across the table. Taeadra had turned her attention to a piece of bread, and was buttering it with a studied fury; did she feel as if she’d said too much? “That sounds pretty… harrowing, Tae. I wouldn’t want to pit myself against such a test.. and yet, this is something expected of all of your Sisters, isn’t it?” The pain in Taeadra’s suddenly upturned eyes was answer enough, and Mari shook her head yet again, “But then, your lot carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. But cheer up – you have some support in your Gaidin, right?” A merry twinkle flashed in Mariasha’s eyes, and she poured another round of tea.

——————————————————————

15 September 2008 (9:14pm BST)

“Why is Taeadra so antsy? Why can’t she just be happy that things are back to normal?” Mari mused to herself, suffering a quick pang of irritation before joy smothered it again. It was truly hard to be upset about things at the exact moment, but Tae had seemed somewhat subdued and on edge since returning. Mari had initially attributed it to her Sister’s concern over her Warder’s well-being, but now the young Andoran woman didn’t know what to make of it at all!

“Tell me of lighter things Mariasha, anything.” Tae smiled across the table, seeming somewhat at ease for the first time since her return. Grinning back, Mari started to tell about some of the new arrivals to the Yards, and their amusing mess-ups during training, their misconceptions, and how it all rolled into a big ball of undignified fun for the more senior Tower Guards and Warders to chuckle at in remembrance. And speaking of remembering…

“I dare say, Tae, that I probably should report back to the Yards. I’m sure that Thera is wondering what became of me, and I should probably let the trainees I was going to help yesterday know what became of me so they don’t think I ran out on them a-purpose.” Flashing a grin, she patted Taeadra’s hand before standing, “I’m sure we can get back to our catching up over dinner.” She bowed formally, “Until then, Aes Sedai.” A smile flashed across her lips again, and Mariasha was out the door.

At the Baraka Manor (attn: Raeyn and Eqwina)

Staring at the mirror, Raeyn sighed resignedly yet again. “Why, of all people..” she started, cutting off in a tight-lipped glare at her reflected image. Fine dark-golden silk slashed with dark brown velvet in the skirts sheathed the Brown Sister; it was one of the few dresses she owned in the style of Andor, but one she relied upon when dressing to impress. Her normal wardrobe was fairly boring; plain if well-made velvets and silks with little to no adornment in the style of her native Saldaea made up the bulk of her clothing.

Still, having to dress up was the least of Raeyn’s irks this evening, nor her reason for delaying the meeting planned for the evening. She was quite looking forward to meeting this Master Baraka, truth be told. No one outside herself and the most senior members of the Ajah’s Council were aware of the size of the Brown Ajah’s network of Eyes and Ears, but they worked assiduously to expland said network whenever possible. And having a well-off merchant actually based in Tar Valon was too good an opportunity to turn down.

No, it was knowing who her companion on this visit would be for the evening that had the Brown Sister procrastinating. There were very few in the Tower who stood above her, very few, and tonight would be spent the only one of those who mattered. Eqwina was an extremely diminutive woman with a fierceness about her that had nothing to do with their darker affiliations, and caused Raeyn to have a grudging respect for the other woman in spite of her ‘cover’ Ajah.

Regardless of that though, the aged Sister was never really comfortable having to bow her head to anyone… and it really had been quite the shock to return to the Tower and find out how many hand bungled in and out of the job. This woman who was Head of the Yellows though… perhaps she stood a chance of doing a good job in service to their master.

Shaking herself, Raeyn patted down a hair and strode to the rack near the door. She decided to make due without her shawl, but took down a finely-woven dark brown raincloak. Settling it about her shoulders, she went downstairs to meet her Sister.

~*~*~*~*~

Unsurpisingly, she found Eqwina waiting for her in a carriage downstairs. The rain was picking up as she settled herself in across from the other woman. “My apologies for the delay, Eqwina,” Raeyn shot a quick smile to the other woman as she leaned back. Eqwina nodded and murmured a greeting before resuming her brown study of the interior of the carriage. ”Just as well,” Raeyn thought to herself, ”Much too rainy and much too short a trip to really worry about watching the city go by.”

In short order, the two Sisters found themselves pulling up to a stately manor. Nodding a her in polite greeting to the waiting footman, she allowed him to take her cloak and guide herself and the other Sister to his waiting master, Ahdam Baraka.

”Greetings, and welcome to my humble home. It is ever a pleasure to host such noble persons as those of the White Tower. Will you please have a seat?” the young master spoke warmly, bowing as appropriate.

Raeyn eyed Eqwina as they sat; she would follow the other Sister’s lead… for now.

Prepare for Pain–Basic Swordsmanship for Dreadies

”Trousers,” Rendra hrmphed to herself as she headed towards the room she’d been directed to for the class, “Why do they feel so.. indecent?!”

She had been very happy to hear that they were going to let some of the Adepts and Acolytes train in weapons, and had jumped at the chance to learn something about it. After all, she had hoped to become an Assassin initially before they realized she could channel and shoved her in with this lot. Even if the young Acolyte had come to terms with being able to channel, she took it to heart that one shouldn’t depend on that ability… ”Even if it means feeling a little indecent,” she continued to grump to herself as she approached the room the class was to be taking place in.

A couple of other Acolytes had lined themselves up along one wall outside the room, so she wandered over and joined them. A few were conversing quietly with each other, but as Rendra had thusfar managed to not get to know anyone that well in and amongst those training in the Fortress, she contented herself to wait. Which wasn’t terribly long; a voice shortly called out and bade them to enter.

As she stepped through the doorway, her eyes widened slightly; she didn’t know what was really different. There was nothing special about the room she could see; windows looking out into the strange sky of the Blight near Thanka’dar, which was always a bit disconcerting.

As she lined up where the instructor had pointed, she spent a moment looking at the man who was to teach them the sword – a plain man trying to look fierce; he didn’t strike her as anything in particular. Nor had Rendra seen him around the Fortress before, but that could mean anything; the Fortress wasn’t exactly a small place, so it shouldn’t surprise her if there was someone she’d not met yet leading one of her classes.

He spoke again, pointing at someone on the other end of the line, “My name is Sevrud Randra, and I will be teaching you how to not kill yourself with those blades you hold in your hands. First order of business, I want you to all hold out your dominant hand and tell me your names. Starting with you.” When it was her turn, she held out her right hand and announced her name, “Rendra Harella, sir.”

———————————————————————-

19 June 2008

Rendra patted her pinned back braids and listened to their mysterious instructor, or sir, as he deigned to not share his name. ”A bit rude that, but then, people here are a bit odd,” she thought to herself as the man started explaining that they would be using practice lathes instead of bare steel. ”Probably wise that, though; some of these people look as if they’ve never even picked up a dagger to cut their own meat!”

Their instructor showed them a few moves, and Rendra nodded along; she vaguely comprehended the point he was trying to make, but had a feeling it would make more sense once she got into it. The strange man noticed the nodding, stopped, and turned to the group and instructed them to pair off with the person next to them, gesturing for those who were confused. Nodding again, Rendra turned to her assigned partner.

A bit taller than her, and a bit slimmer, the other woman looked like a bit like the Domani tramps that passed for merchants she’d seen in the streets around Tanchico, “A short Domani, perhaps.. kind of pale too, but she could just be ill?” The young Taraboner had no real idea; she’d not really taken notice of any of the other Adepts around the Quarters – they were just other people, and as long as they kept their distance, she was generally content.

Rendra gestured towards the lathes, and started walking towards them. As he other woman followed to pick one out, Rendra introduced herself, “I’m Rendra.. you are?”

“Rebecca,” the taller woman offered as she took a lathe, and said no more.

Nodding, Rendra did her best to emulate the parry stance the teacher had shown, making sure her right hand was the hand closer to the ‘blade’. Holding it before her, she experimentally moved her lathe to a block position, noting how her arms (and especially her elbows!) moved as she slanted her practice blade one way or the other. She noted Rebecca doing the same, and spoke, “Did you want to try a spar, then?”

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14 July 2008

She stood there, posed and waiting for a response. The taller woman, Rebecca, appeared to be staring off at the distance. Raising an eyebrow, Rendra opened her mouth to speak again, but fell silent, “Maybe I should just pummel this hussy if she’s going to be inattentive,” she thought to herself, gripping the practice lathe more tightly.

Her mind made up, Rendra’s muscles tensed as she struck. To her surprise, Rebecca came out of her seeming stupor enough to parry the blow. Eyes narrowing, Rendra struck again… only to be parried again. As focused as she was on trying to strike the other woman, she didn’t notice the half-Domani girl’s change in stance, and yelped as Rebecca’s lathes swished towards her. Shifting backwards, Rendra managed to only just miss getting whapped as she got her lathe up in time to block.

———————————————————————-

28 July 2008

Glaring at the taller woman, Rendra’s stance was probably beyond sub-par as she did her best to keep from getting hit. “What is the matter with this insane woman?!” she thought, wincing as another blow landed.

Neither of them were that good, obviously; they were just learning, but this Rebecca character seemed like she was seriously out to kill the poor Taraboner woman. Rendra’s own swings were becoming more erratic to match the taller woman’s strikes, and her arms becoming leaden from being forced to continue through motions her body was unfamiliar with.

Her eyes widened slightly as Rebecca continued to press her; the other woman’s face was contorted in a grimace of concentration that the shorter woman was unaware of matching. Her breath was coming in laboured gasps as she strove for reach, to actually hit the other woman. Oh, she managed a few strikes, though not as many as the taller woman.

Rendra growled; a shriek escaped between her teeth as she attempted to advance on the other woman… someone needed a good braining, and it wasn’t going to be this Taraboner that got one!

Rendra
Put yer Dukes up, Hussy!

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August 12, 2008

Growling, Rendra has most happy to drop her weapon and grapple with the slightly taller weapon. For all the Taraboner wanted to learn the sword, she was already most familiar with pounding someone to a pulp bare-fisted!

So intent she was on trying to rip the other woman to shreds (and obviously, vice versa), it was an extreme shock when someone’s practice blade slammed into her back, causing her to shove Rebecca into yet another trainee. In short order, they were all on the floor; the severity of the bruising and pain started to become evident to all in the class as they stopped moving and turned their attention back to the instructor.

He had fetched his sword, this sir, and sat cross-legged in front of them. It seemed that the pummeling wasn’t enough, and now the masochist expected the lot of them to shift around practicing drawing and re-sheathing their swords! And to demonstrate it back to him!

Moving stiffly along with his demonstration, Rendra could understand what this sir person meant; if you couldn’t get your blade out in time, you might as well ask to be cut down in a sword fight. So she followed along assiduously, and did her best to demonstrate what she’d learned… stiffly, true, but at least she was making the effort.

Even so, it was a great relief to be dismissed; she had a date with a hot bath and a nap.

Reading/Writing Class for Dreadies (OPEN)

Poking her head out of her chambers, Rendra eyed the bit of paper affixed to the wall. Eying the man at the end of the hall, she raised her voice to call out and ask what it said, when he suddenly announced, “Attention all Acolytes! I, Dreadlord Michael, will be starting a class to teach reading and writing for those who have never learned and those who wish to improve. Everyday after breakfast in the North Library I will hold a two hour lesson for those interested. This will be a month long class with a test at the end.”

Blinking at the man, and the flier on the wall, she muttered, “I can only to be hoping that he wasn’t fool enough to put up fliers for a class to learn how to read… who would tell us what they said?!” She went back into her room, and closed the door behind her.

~*~*~*~

Still, the young Dreadlady-to-be was happy to have caught the announcement; in spite of her extremely common background, Rendra had always thirsted to know more… not that anyone had had the time to teach her, especially not her family! So it was with great pleasure she found herself in the Library the following morning, looking around the room idly. “I… I’ll be able to read all these books, if I did want to be reading them,” she thought with a small smile, somewhat oblivious to the other students filing in.

It wasn’t until several other pupils had settled in that Rendra turned her attention to the man in the front of the room. He was the same possibly daft fool who had put the fliers up in the Acolyte halls – “Thinking we could read them, perhaps… how some people take their skills for granted!” He looked to be a kindly, doddering old fool; sort of how one would stereotype any generic older shopkeep to look. Of course, appearances counted for nothing here – all had sworn their souls in service to the Great Lord, so the only guarantee was that they all had something go ‘wrong’ in their pasts to lead them to this path.

But still, the young Taraboner had to ask the question that was on her mind, “Michael sir,” she called out, her face hardening slightly as all the eyes in the room turned to her, “Why did you put up notes in the quarters if this is for a reading and writing class, if those of us that have come here can’t read yet?!”

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19 June 2008

Rendra bit back annoyance when their instructor held her with the Power, but the glower quickly went out the door with his backhanded compliment. ”He has a point though; I really should watch what questions I ask around this bloody madhouse,” she grumped to herself, smoothing down her latest and prettiest dress. It was a lovely deep blue that complimented her skin and was cut in the style of the Tarabon upper classes, and she almost felt nobility in such garb, even if it was only a very fine wool.

Almost yelping at a sudden pinch, Rendra jerked her head up. “Do I need to dance your hands like a puppet, girl? Do as instructed!” She was chagrined to notice that Michael had already started putting shapes on the board. She quickly reached for her quill, almost upsetting the ink pot in her haste and reached for a sheet of parchment. Having dunked the quill in ink, Rendra was having a difficult time figuring out exactly how to hold the bloody thing! Ink dripped from the quill onto a corner of the parchment as her hand hovered; her mind was working to comprehend the shape. Slowly, she started scritching it out; the shapes were very blotty from the excess of ink, and shaky from the woman’s lack of experience, but were kind of close to what was engraved into the board.

Her sullenness over the reprimand faded as the lesson continued; she was still putting either too much or too little ink on the quill, and so the letter-shapes ranged from splotches to hen-scratch and everything between… and all wavery. Michael stopped by several times, and gave her pointers, but it was still very slow going until she had something copied well enough to pass muster. “I think, child, you are going to need a lot of practice,” he said to her with a small smile as she continued her efforts while other students began to leave, “But you’ve already stated that you’re completely new to this, so we shall be patient; take your things back to your chambers as instructed, and make sure to put a few hours into this every night until the next class,” he further instructed, and gestured to the door.

Nodding, Rendra carefully stoppered the ink bottle; she prayed to whomever was listening that it wouldn’t muss up her fine new dress! Once that was done to her satisfaction and stashed in her belt pouch, she quickly gathered everything else and headed off; there was many a thing to do for this student Dreadlady, and now she had to find more time for this!

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14 July 2008

Rendra entered the classroom feeling slightly more confident than when she had left it the week prior. Although time had been short, she had practiced as much as she possibly could, even forfeiting sleep to some degree to work on scribing out the letters painfully by wan candlelight.

“It almost is like drawing a bit“, she thought to herself as she settled into her chair. Smoothing down her skirts, she arranged her writing materials and settled in to listen to Michael’s lecture.

“Today we’ll start with simple words then have a quick review of your letters and sounds. I want you all to come up one at a time and sound out each letter from your own writing and then turn in all your papers you wrote on. We shall begin those reviews as soon as I have finished today’s leeson. We will do twenty words today and Rendra, you shall go last.”

She started to open her mouth to protest all this singling out, but some hint of prudence clamored through and kept her silent. The young woman knew very well that she was probably having the hardest time of it, and that perhaps the teacher was only trying to give her a little help by seeing how everyone else in the class handled it.

~*~

The review of letters and sounds went well enough, and before the young Taraboner woman knew it, it was her turn to read the words on the board. She had taken special care scribing them out; thinking of it like drawing helped immensely.

Handing the paper to Michael with her work from the week before, she turned her attention to the board and began to sound out the words, “K… Kat… do.. dog… mmm.. maan…”

Rendra felt drenched in sweat from the combination of being the center of attention and the concentration required for her to make the sounds make sense together. By the time she had stammered out the last word (t..t-eee), she was quite ready to sit back down again.

This Was a New Dress! (Adept Test)

Rendra sat on her bed in her chambers working through a channeling exercise. In spite of her original reticence to ‘become a witch’, she had given in at the simple prospect of actually being taught something! That, and having come to accept that she could do so much more with the Power… and avoid getting messy.

Since coming in for her training, Rendra had been able to get some lovely dresses made. Blood-red silk cut in the style of the Taraboner nobility clung and folded about her form, and made her more conscious about how she walked and where she sat. In short, she was doing her best to emulate how she thought noble women held themselves, and wasn’t falling too short of it; not that Rendra would ever admit this – she still hated the nobility and their spiteful nasty ways!

Suddenly, she felt someone embrace Saidar outside her modest chambers, and gasped as her door was flung open on a weave of Air. As she dropped the One Power in her shock, a vaguely familiar Dreadlady entered the room, “Rendra Harella,” she intoned, “You are to follow me, ask no questions, and above all – do not embrace Saidar. You are to be tested for Adept status this day.”

Rendra gulped and nodded, biting back questions and retorts – to argue with your betters here was a sure path to the grave.

Eventually, they reached a great pair of doors elsewhere in the Fortress. “To be tested, you must enter here, and simply make it through to the other side.” The older woman’s eyes glittered malevolently, “Of course, you could die, as so many have before you. If you do make it through, you shall be raised to an Adept in the Great Lord’s service.” Her tone left no doubt that she expected Rendra to die.

What could she do, then? She could only go on.

Open the doors and face your destiny…

The heavy door slammed shut behind Rendra, plunging the Taraboner woman into darkness. Drawing on Saidar, she formed a small glove of light… only to be confronted with three different passageways standing open in front of her. ”Blood and bloody ashes!” she thought to herself, peering at each path in turn, ”A maze perhaps? It can’t be worse than the alleys in Tanchico… I hope.” Taking a deep breath, she started down the path on the right.

Some time later, she was yet again backtracking. At least, she was pretty sure she was. Rendra normally had a pretty good sense of direction, but this place was impossible! In frustration, she scooped up a rock and flung it at the wall. The sound echoed through the corridor as Rendra peered at the wall where the rock hit. There she noted a small mark from where the rock had struck. A thought entered her mind.. could she mark her way?

Drawing deeper on the One Power, she experimented. After a few minutes, Rendra found that a small fireball would leave just enough of a scorch mark on the wall to be a useful marker.

She turned to try another passage when she heard a furtive shuffling sound. Stifling a gasp, Rendra dropped her wave of light, put her hand against the wall, and listened carefully. Again, she could hear someone. ”Probably in an adjacent corridor,” she thought nervously to herself, and proceeded to carefully sidle her way along the wall.

Suddenly, the wall exploded where she had been standing. Unable to suppress a scream, she started running. She could see by the light of… whomever… was behind her, but she fully intended to get herself lost. ”Who was that?!” Rendra thought incredulously as she tried to run quietly without success, ”It HAD to be a man; I felt nothing!”

After some indeterminable amount of time, she finally slowed and stopped. Gulping air, Rendra slid down the wall to sit and gather her racing thoughts, ”Great, it’s a maze, and there’s someone channeling at me. What’s next, collapsing floors and sharp objects?!” Sighing softly, she picked herself up and continued walking. As she slid her hand along the wall, she came to a patch that was soft… warm.. and pulsating?!

Light suddenly flared into being, illuminating a smirking man. Screaming yet again, she managed to shove down fear and unreason long enough to slam up a wall of Air before fleeing again.

… … …

Of course, there has been plenty of fireballs, other close encounters, various pitfalls and pratfalls unmentioned until this point… but your mind can fill in those as you wish! But for now, let’s see some self-fulfilling prophecy.

… … …

Gulping air, Rendra’s steps dragged; the fingers of one hand traced along the wall, the other supported the smallest ball of light she could muster. ”No more,” she thought as despair snuggled deeper into her heart, “Will this never end?!”

Suddenly, her footing slipped as the paving stone she was half off of crumbled to dust, and opened onto a pit full of spikes. Rendra managed to grab the edge of another stone to keep from falling in. Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to lift herself up. She managed; the sound of her skirts ripping off echoed lightly through the passageway as she worked herself free.

Several turns later, Rendra was finally approaching a door similar to the one she had entered through. She stared stupidly for a moment before pushing herself to take those final few steps.

Open the doors and face your destiny…

The light was almost blinding as she stumbled out of the horrid maze and back into civilization. Rendra reached her hands out to try and catch herself as she began to fall, and was stopped from it by a wall of flesh. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up to see who had stopped her fall, only for yet another scream to cord in her throat – it was the same bloody man from the maze.

He stepped back with yet another blasted smirk on his face, “Now there, kitten, you’ve made it through and are now an Adept… nice legs, by the way.”

Biting back a yelp, she glared at the smirking stranger, gathered what shreds of skirt and dignity she had remaining in her hands, and attempted to glide off gracefully.

A Woman’s Touch – Attn: Saerythra

Saerythra grumbled at the pile of darning, “Light,” she muttered, “I don’t know why Marric even bothers with socks; I wish I knew how me manages to rip up every pair so!” As she slid the needle into the fabric in her hands, a loud knock sounded through the door. Yelping as she accidentally jabbed herself, Sari put her labor back in the basket on the table and went to the door.

Upon opening the door, she found a disheveled young woman standing without. Blinking, Sari stepped back and gestured that the strange woman should enter. She shut the door, bemusement painted on her face, and returned to her seat, pointing to a chair at the table for the other woman. After the other woman lowered herself down and leaned upon the table, Sari spoke, “I’m Sari, the local Wisdom. And you are obviously not a local, so I can only guess that you need my assistance.”

She picked the needle up and gestured with it at the younger woman, “At least, I’m hoping you’re asking for help for yourself, and that you don’t have a friend stashed somewhere in worse shape; I’d rather not be out in this weather sewing someone up, and looking at you, I’m guessing you’re going to need a fair amount of sewing up yourself!”

—————————————————————————–

08 June 2008

Sari’s eyes widened as the girl went even paler (if that’s bloody possible!) and asked for water. Taking a deep breath, she took the young woman by the arm and helped her get up, “Yes, you may have some water, but how about you come lay down on this nice soft bed?”

The girl murmured under her breath, but didn’t fight it as Sari put the beaten-up woman’s arm around her shoulder and lead her deeper into the house. It wasn’t a big house, but she kept it sparsely furnished and maintained her children’s old rooms for patients to rest in. So it was with not too much effort that she had the peddler woman laid out on top of a coverlet before she began to lose conciousness.

The girl had had the right of it though, and was in need of water. The Wisdom went back into the main room to fetch the pitcher and a mug, and sat herself next to the patient. “Child,” she said softly, laying a hand on her shoulder, “Here is your water…” She trailed off, realizing that the girl had most definitely passed out. Sighing, Sari put the cup down and once again to go to the kitchen to prepare what she needed to treat her unexpected surprise.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Altercation, she says. Minor, she says. Hrmph!” Sari thought to herself as she worked on her unconcious patient. The Wisdom had been working on her for some time, all while trying to coax some water down the poor child’s throat. Besides the numerous cuts, bruises, and the fever to attend to, there was at least one broken rib. The girl had moaned at being moved, but the plaster had to be set to keep those ribs from shifting!

Satisfied with her work, Sari allowed herself a moment to get a tea for herself before returning to watch the patient. She had already prepared a mug with the appropriate herbs for when the girl woke up, and had the pitcher on hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Some time later, the girl started to come to. She touched the wet rag on her forehead hesitantly, and weakly turned her head towards the Wisdom. Sari smiled and rose, “Well child, I dislike treating people without even getting their name, but you’ll mend with some rest. I am going to go put the kettle on, and will be back shortly.”

—————————————————————————–

11 June 2008

Shutting the door lightly behind her, Sari moved the kettle over the fire and made her way to her storage cabinet. As she waited for the water to heat, she checked her stockpiles of various things, ”I’m getting low on sleepwell root; I shall have to find time to harvest more after this girl is resting more comfortably,” she thought to herself, somewhat abashed to be running low on something so needed at this moment. ”But isn’t it always like that, running out of what you need when you need it the most?” she mused rhetorically, chuckling softly to herself.

Closing the cabinet doors, she turned her attention back to the kettle. Smiling in satisfaction, she grabbed the toweling hanging near the fireplace and carefully lifted the hot kettle.

Pushing the door to the patient’s room open carefully with her ample hip, the child croaked out her name. “Dilora Fashelle”, she said, trailing off and turning her attention to a bit of sunshine breaking through the clouds, “I cannot begin to thank you enough.” Saerythra smiled at the girl as she sat down next to the bed and carefully poured the steaming hot water into the cup of herbs she had prepared earlier.

“Have you given me something to make me sleep?” the girl Dilora queried. Sari put down the kettle, “I realize that I asked your name and forgotten the courtesty of mine. I am Saerythra Al’Thorin, and I am obviously the Wisdom, as my mother and her mother were before me.” Gesturing to the cup, the Wisdom spoke again, “I’ve not given you anything to help you sleep yet; your body already knew that it needed the rest and did the job itself this time. This cup contains sleepwell root, as well as a few other things to help speed your healing. When you wake again, we’ll see about getting some food in you – I don’t think you’re quite up to a meal yet!”

She smiled, took the cup from the table, and proffered it to Dilora.

Sepia Toned

”A woman’s work is never done,” Raeyn mused to herself. She sad in one of the Library’s backrooms, studying a stack of reports and chewing idly on the back of her pen. She had been drafting various letters concerning Ajah and personal matters, and was perversely glad to have the chance for even that!

Raeyn’s ‘pleasure’ at being able to handle her own affairs stemmed directly from the Brown Sister’s frustration with the Hall of the Tower. With the recent chain of disappearing or dying Amyrlins, it fell on the Hall to manage the affairs of the Tower and Tar Valon. ”It would help if the Hall would quit putting flighty young Sisters bent on foolhardy adventures up for the Amyrlin Seat… We need someone with sense as Amyrlin; perhaps a Red Sister.”

Sighing softly, Raeyn bent her head back over her work and continued to write.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Some time later, Raeyn carefully tucked her letters into a stiff folder. As she began to gather her things, the Brown Sister thought on her plans for the day, ”I shall run all of this back upstairs. I’ll seal everything and weave the normal traps, and then take them to my normal courier, Seth. Perhaps I’ll even have a nice meal in town before I come back!” Smiling, she smoothed down her dark brown velvet skirts one-handedly, and exited the small room.

Raeyn’s smile widened slightly when she saw one of the Sisters on duty. Sada was one of the newer Brown Sitters in the Hall, and was still very enthusiastic about it all, in spite of getting stuck on some of the most thankless tasks. Waving, Raeyn walked up to the counter, put down her burdens, and turned to the delicate Taraboner woman.

Before Raeyn could say anything, the other Sister on duty butted in. “Raeyn,” she started, gesturing across the room, “There is a Blue Sister… Rossa, I think she said her name was… looking for the texts on Keepings. I sent her to where they should be here in the Library, but I just remembered when I saw you – don’t you have them at current?”

She bit back an oath and replied, “Yes Maia, I do. I’ve been doing some research on the matter, and it’s still ongoing… and I had things that I needed to do today, at that.”

At this point, Raeyn noticed the aforementioned Blue Sister approaching. Suppressing a resigned sigh, she waited as the other woman walked up to the counter.

———————————————————————–

07 June 2008

“I am looking for texts on Keeping Weaves and was informed you could help me. Would you know of such pieces?”

Blast, blasted, and blood and bloody buttered onions.

Eying the Librarians and her folder, Raeyn stifled a sigh and turned her attention on the Blue Sister, “Hello… Rossa, isn’t it?” The other woman nodded, and Raeyn continued, “I actually happen to have them up in my chambers, as I was doing some research on the matter myself… not that she bloody needs to know about it! I’m loathe to let them out of my possession right now, as this is very important work…”

The Sister, barely a girl, really, appeared the soul of serenity to non-initiates of the Tower, but Raeyn had been an Aes Sedai long before this child had been born, if not her mother’s mother! The Blue’s eyes tightened slightly; her hands curled very slightly before relaxing back onto the counter. Yes, the child was had a muley streak, but then, didn’t most Blues?

“I understand you must be busy, Raeyn,” the child started, her eyes narrowing slightly, “But if at all possible, I have a great need in this.”

“Great,” Raeyn thought as she ostentatiously reached for her folder, “Bloody Blues when you don’t need them are always pests with their need, need, need and causes… I might as well let her have access to the material in the vague hope of getting anything done today!

“If your.. need.. is so great, Sister, then you may accompany me back to my chambers to peruse the materials avaiable,” Raeyn spoke, keeping her voice pleasant and kindly, “Follow me, please.”

Not checking to see if the Blue Sister was following, Raeyn glided towards the back exit to the Library. room, Raeyn lowered herself into one of her few comfortable work chairs, “Pull up a stool Rossa, and let us see what we can figure out for your.. research, I would surmise?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The back way quickly lead the two Aes Sedai up to the Brown quarters above the Library, and Raeyn’s chambers within. Opening the door, Raeyn smiled and motioned the younger Sister into the room before shutting the door behind them. She tossed the folder on the nearest table and headed over to the corner where the books on Keepings and other weaves were laid out. Gesturing to one of the many stools in the room, Raeyn lowered herself into one of her few comfortable work chairs, “Pull up a stool Rossa, and let us see what we can figure out for your.. research, I would surmise?”

———————————————————————–

27 July 2008

Raeyn quirked an eyebrow at the other Sister. Rossa had appeared to go into a sitting coma; the Blue Sister’s hands kept drifting to her belt pouch for no discernible reason. Shrugging to herself, the Saldaean woman patted her hair briefly while eying the pile of documents scattered across her desk.

Several untidy stacks spread across the large wrap-around desk. Everything was loosely heaped by subject of interest; papers and folders stuck out untidily from the heaps. The only other organization past that was that some of the folders were colored for various subjects… not that the Brown Sister could remember half the time what she had put in what color!

Thankfully for the other Sister, Raeyn did remember that the green folders were for her research on weaves, and that the folders to the top of the stack would more than likely be about Keepings. ”That is, unless I was researching something else since then… bloody, I’m getting as muddle-minded as a fluff-brained Novice from Far Madding.” Still, she stood and grabbed the top half of that wavering stack and took it back to her chair. A quick scan confirmed that what she had before her was indeed what she wanted.

Turning to the other Sister, Raeyn could help but widen her eyes at the still catatonic-seeming Blue. Rossa must have felt the older Sister’s eyes upon her, for she shook herself and finally answered the question Raeyn had posed minutes ago, “Yes, it is for my research. I am wondering whether we can work weave-based locks into barrels. A trigger system to enable food to be kept, sealed, for as long as the weave lasts – be it the duration of a harsh winter for a few years.”

Raeyn gestured to the pile of books she had pulled over, carefully taking her own personal notes and putting them to the side. She herself had been researching such weaves on orders from the darker side of the Tower.. but this child obviously didn’t need to know that. Rossa looked over at the Brown Sister, ”Do you think it would be possible? Do you think we could help people live longer, doing what I have in mind?”

Furrowing her brows thoughtfully, Raeyn stood and walked across the room to the fireplace. Servants had laid wood for a fire since she’d left her chambers, and she took advantage. A quick weave of Fire took the kindling, and shortly a merry blaze was burning. Her eyes flicked across the miniatures on the mantle; the images of her long-dead parents and siblings lined up neatly between various artifacts. Her hand twitched towards the one of her father before she remembered herself; it wouldn’t do for anyone to know of the pain she still felt at his loss more than two hundred years on.

Shaking herself minutely, Raeyn turned back to the other Sister. “Possible?” the Brown let a small smile twitch across her lips, “All things are possible, if the woman weaving is willing enough.”

Crossing back to the table, Raeyn leaned over and picked up one of her folders. Flicking through it, she pulled out a page covered in notes. She laid it in front of the Blue and tapped it, “Here is some theory on the matter I had been working on; a matter of Spirit, you see.” Embracing Saidar again, she demonstrated the weave she had been tinkering with. “I don’t know if this will work as of yet; my research and study on it is still in progress. As for the weave lasting, that would obviously be a matter of the Sister weaving it being able to tie off her weaves; by all accounts, it should last forever if it’s tied in place.”

The End is the Beginning is the End (Lillith’s Oaths (Complete))

She had been tired earlier, but Lillith wasn’t sure she’d be sleeping again for some time. Sure, she was exhausted, and all the more so for the trial she had just undergone and passed – the test for Aes Sedai.

Tonight was for reflection, she had been taught, and the young Domani was fervently about the task. Wan candlelight bathed her form – a ghost of a woman in the dress of an Accepted, curled up in the fetal position on her bed. Her fingers gripped rainbow-hemmed skirts tightly; her eyes lost in a faraway stare.

She had convinced herself over the years as an Accepted that nothing could hurt as much as the test for Accepted itself; the pain of being reminded that she had abandoned her father, her only family and the only person near her heart, had been too much to bear, and it still stung on some level.

A star of fire…

And yet, this… experience had been even more harrowing. One hundred weaves, one hundred scenarios, and all under a caveat of absolute calm. “I must have been mad to want this,” Lillith croaked in a voice sounding as old as the Wheel, “Mad to have wanted this… but I’m stuck for it now.”

Through that oval ter’angreal, she had been assaulted, accosted, and thoroughly harassed. Crowds formed around her demanding answers to questions she couldn’t give, and the star on their far side. She had found herself in a glass maze with observers on all sides. Men had tried to seduce her – Lillith had almost completely lost it then, if not for that faint whisper of a memory that she must remain absolutely calm.

Growling softly to herself, Lillith unwound herself and clambered off the bed, pausing only to smooth down the wrinkled coverlet. ”Bah,” she thought as she reached for a hairbrush, ”Fa.. Father always said I was a stubborn girl, and I shouldn’t waste it being stubbornly self-piteous. I mean.. I passed an almost impossible test, and in the morning I shall be an Aes Sedai.”

As she brushed her short hair, Lillith continued musing to herself, “But why did I ever choose this life? Even knowing that I’ll be an Aes Sedai in the morning doesn’t clarify or magically outline what to do with myself… even if my Ajah of choice accepts me.” For the young Domani woman, the choice hadn’t been too difficult. The Green, Blue, and Red Ajahs seemed too boisterous and loud when it came to their purposes. The Browns and Yellows were bad in that way too, but not to such a severe degree. As for the Grays? Law and its applications were useful, true, but she could never see herself mediating disputes or forcing kings and queens to agree on peace when they wanted bloodshed.

Which left the White Ajah. Philosophers, ‘ice queens’, and so on; these women were abstract thinkers whose mission dealt with Truths, pure and simple. The Whites had appealed to her from the very beginning, but she could never put her finger on the why of it. She wasn’t really into figuring out the world via maths, or a believer in ‘world as illusion’. She knew it was said that by the time a woman was ready to swear her Oaths, she had been carefully guided towards the Ajah that would be right for her… but Lillith still had her doubts – Brown Sisters sure had taken an unwarranted interest in her!

Putting down the hairbrush, Lillith snorted to herself and headed across the small room to her wardrobe. “It’s a bit too late to worry about whether or not the Whites will take me or not,” she mumbled to herself as she fished a cleaner dress and shift out of the wardrobe She laid them out on the bed, then turned her attention on the washbasin and pitcher. Embracing Saidar, she channeled a thin thread of Fire into the pitcher to heat up the water. Even knowing that she was as good as Aes Sedai, she caught herself checking around the room to make sure no one had noticed. Chuckling to herself as she stripped down, she then poured the water and reached for a clean washcloth. “Silly girl,” Lillith murmured to herself as she started washing herself off, “It’s not like anyone is going to spring out from under the bed and denounce you for heating a bit of water… especially not this night, and doubly so at this late hour.”

Suddenly, she sighed and stopped her ablutions. She knew that she was just trying to distract herself from the events of earlier that evening. A normal way to deal with shock and stress, she knew… but she was still ambivalent on the matter. Forcing herself to continue in her washing, Lillith mused, ”Part of me is going to want to curl up and cry for awhile… not a surprise; I have no idea how everyone ever raised to the shawl makes it through that! But on the other hand, my world is about to completely change and expand, so why should I waste my time moping?”

As she put down the washrag to reach for clean toweling, she stopped again, this time to laugh. That is, if she hadn’t bit down on her lip to prevent herself howling. Taking a couple of deep breaths, Lillith managed to get her laughter under control. ”I think I’ve just managed to justify myself as White Ajah material,” she thought, he eyes twinkling mirthfully as she finished drying off. With some fragile sense of self and balance restored, the young White Sister-to-be dressed. Morning and all it brought wasn’t that far off.

——————————————————————————————

Part Two: Daylight

——————————————————————————————

As a new day dawned over Tar Valon, Lillith had to stop herself from yawning yet again. In spite of herself, she had dozed off a couple of times. She stood up and began pacing again; it would be very bad form to be asleep when they came for her!

She was still reeling from the test, and feeling about as solid as mist; Lillith was unable to remember a time in her life she felt as emotionally drained as she did right then. Her mother had died when she was too young to comprehend what was happening, but the loss of a family member was the closest emotionally traumatic experience she could figure out. ”But you’re not really losing anything in the oval ter’angreal… more like a crash course on yourself and life,” Lillith thought to herself as she rubbed her eyes and resumed her pacing, “Perhaps it’s more that individuals shouldn’t have so many self-revelations thrust upon them in one day.”

She was shocked out of her review by a knock sounding through the door; three firm raps, and no more. Taking a deep breath, the Domani woman gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror, and forced herself to proceed sedately to the door. Outside waited a Sister from each Ajah, who formed a circle around her as she exited her room into the hallway.

The proceeded silently, down into the bowels of the Tower. Lillith forced herself to maintain a calm demeanor; she kept her breathing even, her hands were clasped loosely before her, and her face a mask of calm. Her mind was unnaturally still… until she remembered where exactly they were going.

Taking a deep breath, Lillith couldn’t help but stare slightly at the open door, knowing… that bloody ter’angreal was in there, and that she’d have to pass through it once again.

”Who comes here?” a voice demanded loudly from within the chamber.

Taking another deep breath, Lillith replied, “Lillith Izmorova.”

”For what reason do you come?” the voice demanded.

Feeling on firmer footing as the ceremonial lines continued, Lillith called out, “To swear the three Oaths and thereby claim the Shawl of an Aes Sedai.”

”By what right do you claim this burden?”

“By right of having made the passage, submitting myself to the will of the White Tower… for better or worse…”

“Then enter, if you dare, and bind yourself to the White Tower,” the voice intoned with a note of finality.

Steeling herself, Lillith entered the room. Keeping herself moving at an unhurried pace, she did her best to ignore the ter’angreal and focus past it. And so she did, her eyes focused on Karana Sedai, by the grace of the light, the Amyrlin Seat. Lillith felt a flash of… comfort… surge through her as she approached and knelt before the older Domani, but she kept herself from smiling at what was about to happen.

All of Lillith’s attention remained on Karana as the Amyrlin took the Oath Rod from her Keeper, laid it into Lillith’s upraised hands, and channeled a small thread of Spirit into it. She closed her hands around the Rod, took another deep breath, and began to speak, “Under the Light and by my hope of salvation and rebirth, I vow that I will speak no word that is not true.”

“Under the Light and by my hope of salvation and rebirth, I vow that I will make no weapon for one man to kill another.”

“Under the Light and by my hope of salvation and rebirth, I vow that I will never use the One Power as a weapon except against Shadowspawn, or in the last extreme of defending my life or of my Warder, or another Sister.”

Ouch! Talk about a pain in the rear, this!

“It is half-done, and the White Tower is graven on your bones.” Karana did smile then, and continued, “Rise now, Aes Sedai, and choose your Ajah, and all will be done that may be done under the Light.”

Rising as smoothly as she could (for one who felt tied inside a sack, that is), Lillith curtsied and kissed the Amyrlin’s ring. Turning, she walked slowly towards the cluster of White Sisters. She didn’t notice the rest of the Aes Sedai as they began to leave, so intent on her walk towards the aforementioned… towards, she hoped, her new ‘family’.

(retro)The Life of Women in the Yards

A cheery fire danced on the hearth at Salty Eye Lodge, where Mariasha had settled in for the afternoon to enjoy a bit of lunch. The Lodge, in spite of its rough-sounding name, was a well-appointed inn that catered to ship’s officers, and was located near enough the waterfront for those staying upstairs to have a nice view of the river and the harbor without being close enough to smell it.

“And they do serve a mighty tasty fish stew!”, the young Warder thought to herself as she called a girl over to order another bowl. She didn’t eat out that often, maybe once a week as a treat, but there were days when she felt the need for something that wasn’t barracks food.

Today, of course, had been one of those days. A few hours spent falling off of logs for balance training in icy wind had convinced her pretty quickly that a warm inn and a warm meal would be a welcome change of pace from the daily grind. “Of course,” she thought to herself in wry bemusement, “That doesn’t change the fact I’ve got other things to do today in that vein!”

Shaking her head, she waited patiently for her second bowl of stew, and turned her gaze to the flames twirling around the thick logs in the hearth. Which, of course, was interrupted by a human whirlwind named Thera coming in the door. Mariasha stood up and called out, “Thera! Come join me… erm.. what’s wrong?”

Mariasha Valnar
Bemused and Sore Warder

————————————

14 April (cont’d)

Mari blinked at Thera’s tirade and let out a soft whistle. The other woman was grumbling into the table now; her whole body spoke of wanting to stab something. Raising her hand, she waved over one of the serving girls, “A round of stout ale, if you would?” The girl murmured an acknowledgment and departed, and Thera raised her head a few inches off of the table.

“I figured you could use a stiff drink,” Mariasha smiled apologetically, “But… y’know… might relax you a bit and keep you from stabbing someone.” The other woman grumbled something incoherent, but sat up the rest of the way.

Eying her near-empty bowl, Mari pushed it aside and leaned closer to Thera. “Condescending men, you say?” she smiled softly, and dropped her eyes to the table. Mari considered for a minute, and spoke again, “Have I ever told you why I came to be a Warder?” Thera eyed her quizzically. “It’s not the normal reason, I assure you.” Thera grunted non-commitally before speaking, “Umm… why then?”

Mariasha leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, “My father was trying to marry me off in spite of what I wanted for myself in life, so I ran away from home and ended up here… how’s that for condescending?” She laughed, dropping her eyes back to Thera and letting a wry smile play across her lips, “But that’s in the past, and I’m my own woman now,” she sneezed suddenly and grumbled, “Even if I’m probably coming down with a cold from falling into the blood river.”

At that moment, the serving girl returned with the beer. Mari fumbled a few coppers onto the table and grabbed one of the mugs. Taking a healthy swig, Mariasha grinned again, “Besides, our problems aren’t so bad that a pint or two can’t sort them out!”

————————————

May 4th (cont’d)

Mariasha smiled as Thera pulled out her dice cup, “Nothing like a drink and a bit of a gamble to pass the time,” she thought to herself as she pulled out a couple of coppers and placed them on the table. Stacking them neatly, she nodded to Thera, who replied, “I always liked a girl who could gamble.”

”Is she flirting with me?!” Mari thought with some incredulity as the other woman tossed a copper onto the tabled and passed over the dice cup. Matching the bet, Mari eyed the cup and picked it up. As she began to shake it, Thera spoke again, “So, tell me Mari, now that you’ve escaped your condescending man, how do you like life at the White Tower?”

Tossing the dice onto the table, Mari groaned to herself, ”A three and a two; this isn’t off to the best start.. especially if she’s going to be flirting with me too!” She handed the cup back across to Thera and replied to the other woman’s question, “I quite like it here at the Tower. Things aren’t nearly as hard as I had envisioned, but not a cakewalk either… lots of training, but we all know that!”

She paused to push another copper onto the center of the table as Thera rolled again – a six and a four. ”Blood and bloody ashes, someone’s luck is in today, and it’s not mine!” Mari thought to herself as she scooped the dice into the cup and rattled it. “As for my father… I guess you could say that it felt like a betrayal of sorts.”

Another poor roll – a one and a three. Mari pushed forward yet another copper, and handed the cup back to Thera. Taking a healthy chug from her ale, she continued, “I was an only child, you see, so I had childishly hoped to take over the smithy from my father. He let me help him out, you know – sweeping up, pumping the bellows, and so on. Sometimes he’d let me make little things, that is, if my mother was away visiting her sisters or something!”

Mari made yet another poor roll of the dice and commented, ”I swear Thera, you’ve got all the luck tonight! But you know what they say about luck in gambling and luck in love, right?” The Andoran woman winked, and drained her ale. She gestured across the inn for more, and continued, “Anyways, I don’t even know whose ‘brilliant’ idea trying to marry me off was, and I obviously didn’t stick around to find out – marriage just isn’t for me!”

Her next mug of ale arrived, and Mariasha eyed it thoughtfully, “How many of these have I had now?”

————————————

14 July 2008

“What do you say Mari, care to raise a few eyebrows?” Thera stood up and held out her hand.

Mari blinked hazily into her cups, “Blood and bloody ashes, she really is flirting with me… what under the Light…” Biting her lip, she looked up at the other woman, “While the company has been more than fine, and I do like a bit of a dance, I have to say that my interests lie elsewhere.”

She stood up, pushing herself upright against the table, “I’m… sorry.. if you thought otherwise.” Mari watched as Thera’s hand drifted down to her side again, and clapped her hands across her mouth as a hiccup attempted to escape.

————————————

28 July 2008

Mari blinked fuzzily at Thera, “Woman keeps moving around too much,” she muttered under her breath, “Let’s find the bottom of the mug instead!” Happy with her choices, she proceeded to throw back the rest of her drink.

When she put the mug down, there was suddenly another person at the table. Leaning over carefully, Mari blinked, “Wh.. where’d you come from… C-cy?” She hiccuped and giggled, “Anyways, now that you’re here, mind buying another round? My drink seems to have vanished again.”

“Have a seat, we were just discussion our days of training, Unless of course you are feeling up to a dance?” Thera winked and smiled still feeling a bit fuzzy from the ale. Mari giggled a bit; what had Thera said about dancing earlier? No, no, it wasn’t important..

“Trainee again, you said?” Mari asked while innocently trying to filch Thera’s full-seeming drink. Thera whapped her hand, and the Andoran woman giggled again, “To be a trainee again… no, nope.. didn’t make as much as a trainee!” She grinned and lobbed a sloppy wink across the table as the barwench brought over another round, and Mari let herself sample a bit – just to make sure it tasted good. Satisfied, she unsteadily raised her head back up and grinned, “Though making more now, it doesn’t seem to last as long!” Another hiccup, and she leaned back in her chair… and fell over.

Snorting a laugh, she unsteadily set the chair back up, glared at the seat, and lowered herself back into it with all the dignity a drunk can have.

Enter the Storm (Jerinia’s intro)

Lillith unconsciously tightened her shawl about her shoulders as she walked back to the Tower. She had been in town putting her annual wages in the bank, and had hoped the relative cold would have kept people inside, instead of crowding the streets. “No such luck,” she thought to herself, “This town is always too crowded, too full of humanity…”

She shook her head; such thoughts were moot. Tar Valon would always be crowded, though for all the White Sister thought on it, she couldn’t understand why people would wish to live in such a boisterous environment. “At least the Tower is quiet and spacious; most conducive to thinking and observing without getting run over by an inattentive passerby.”

As she passed through the gate, she was suddenly stopped by a figure tugging on her white sleeve, “S’cuse me miss, but where do i go to become an Aes Sedai?”.

Lillith’s eyebrows raised sharply, “Child,” she began, and stopped. She sighed mentally, and looked up at the excited young woman standing before her, “Words fail me right now on how much you are in need of learning right now, and I am not the one to teach you.”

Her dark eyes tightened momentarily; how she loathed random people coming up to her like this! But at least she had a way to get rid of this child, “The one you seek to ‘become an Aes Sedai’, as it were, would be the Mistress of Novices. I will guide you there, if only that it is on the way to where I myself am headed. Follow me, please, and do not get lost.”

Nodding, Lillith spun on her heel and headed into the Tower proper. She was not terribly familiar with the new Mistress of Novices, but had heard good things about the woman in question. “I wonder how many.. children… come to the Tower like this; a bundle of excitement and energy ready to leap before they look,” the young White mused to herself as she continued deeper into the Tower, “Perhaps Larindhra would answer me some questions on the topic, or let me observe her initial interview with some of these children.

She continued to think on this line of thought until she reached the Mistress of Novice’s office. She knocked on the door, and turned to the young woman with her. As the Red Sister called out for them to enter, Lillith spoke, “Wait here for a moment child while I speak to Larindhra Sedai.” She stared at the young woman for a moment, and entered without waiting for a reply.

The Red Sister currently serving as the Mistress of Novices looked up at her entrance; a hint of question resting in her eyes, “Yes… Lillith, is it? What brings you to my office? Not in need of Mortification of the Flesh or anything of the sort, I’d hope?” Lillith ignored the bemusement in the older Sister’s eye and spoke, “No, Larindhra. I was stopped by a young woman on my way back to the Tower asking how to become an Aes Sedai.” The White shook her head in bemusement at the child’s audacity before continuing, “She’s outside. I don’t know if she’s been tested or anything yet, but I figured the quickest way to get rid of her was to bring her to you.”

Larindhra stood up and opened her mouth to speak, but Lillith cut her off, “I know this might seem an odd request, but might I stay and observe her interview? Her.. impetuousness sparked a few questions about peoples’ motives for coming and trying to join our number, and I’m curious as to what she has to say.”

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A small smile quirked to Lillith’s lips. She had heard that the women holding the position of Mistress of Novices were generally possessive of her charges, and Larindhra just proved that rumor. Still, the Domani woman was not one to give up on an idea when she had one, and was grateful that it wouldn’t come to a battle of wills with a Sister who was her elder, and serving the Tower in a higher capacity. “Thank you Larindhra,” Lillith smiled, knowing fully well that the show of obsequience would probably make the Red Sister chuckle, “for allowing me this whim. I will bring the girl in.”

Opening the door, she gestured to the young Malkerei woman to enter. With a nod to the Red Sister, she helped herself to spare writing materials and settled into the chair.

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“Ah, my apologies, Lillith Sedai. I never actually saw an Aes Sedai before.”

Light, but how this child was stepping on herself left and right! But still, the White Sister had agreed to sit quietly and let the Mistress of Novices do her job, and she was sticking to that. “And besides,” Lillith thought to herself, “I spoke truly when I said I was not the one to be teaching her these lessons… those will come from Larindhra, from her actual teachers, from her mentor… those people who choose to become involved in this child’s life, not me.”

Still, she scribbled on the notepad before her:

Child exhibits excitement and nervousness. Probably read too many stories about Aes Sedai while growing up, and romanticized the whole experience. Perhaps is starting to realize that whatever she was earlier in her life, she is truly a child again at this point.

And the young woman explained the colour of her ki’sain, Lillith added:

Tenancy towards ‘white’ lies. Need to ascertain degree of dishonesty, and how this has affected her decision-making process.

Taking a moment to clean and sharpen her nib, she waited expectantly for more of the interview.

———————————————————————————–

Lillith reviewed her notes on the new Novice as Larindhra puttered around the office preparing tea. At least, she was pretending to review the notes; her eyes obliquely followed the older woman. “She seems a bit agitated,” the young White thought to herself, “I do hope she’ll explain why.”

She was forced out of her reverie as Lari drew up a chair and poured the tea. Nodding her thanks, Lillith took the proffered cup and joined the Mistress of Novices in a few sips.

“So, what did you make of that? I must confess I lost my temper a bit; we Borderlanders are quite… serious about our traditions and heritage. Jerinia wearing the red ki’sain when not entitled to… well, that put my back up a bit.” The older sister smiled, and continued, “Not exactly proper Aes Sedai behavior on my part, I suppose, but then I’ve always been of the opinion that we all have our faults. As long as we recognize them and work on them, that’s what counts.”

Lillith smiled into her tea, “That’s an understandable reason for agitation… and her logic is sounder than anything I would have ever expected out of a Red. Still…

She looked up, “We do indeed have our faults, but I think that most people prefer to ignore them… Or can’t banish the bloody things; oh, these walls… I’d say you have a bit of a White streak in you, Larindhra, but then, most do… and wouldn’t dare admit to such.” Shaking her head, Lillith turned her eyes to her teacup again, “As for pride, one could say it’s the glue that binds a nation together.”

The White Sister shook herself again, and carefully set her tea aside. She picked up her notes and held them towards Larindhra, “Anyways, on this… impetuous child… I am thinking that she is one of those with an over-romanticized view of the White Tower, and that she’s in for a stiff dose of reality!” A small chuckle escaped Lillith’s lips, “And as for this lying business of hers, I think that we can count on your Shevara to straighten her out, if she’s even only a fraction as fierce as her reputation makes her out to be… I take it that this assignation was a-purpose?”

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14 July 2008

Dwindling…

Lillith frowned sadly; it was the most emotion she had probably shown in days, but she couldn’t help herself in this instance. “Yes,” she murmured in assent, “We are.. but what is there to do, really?” Sipping her tea, she continued with a bit of heat to her voice, “Those Sisters who are out in the world doing… whatever… should be making stronger efforts to test and find girls, but it’s not like we can make them deviate from their precious tasks.” Her voice held traces of unaccountable bitterness as she continued, “We do dwindle, with less girls found every year, and most of them who come seeking to be Aes Sedai being ungifted fools following romantic notions, as you so aptly put it.

Taking another sip of the tea, she put the cup down, picked up a biscuit, and idly fingered it as she went on, “I was one of those… reluctant ones myself,” Lillith spoke; her lips quirked into a small smile at the slight widening of Lari’s eyes, “I was the only family my father had, and while he might have been a reluctant parent at best, I still feel I did him a disservice by agreeing to come to the White Tower. But logically.. logically.. it seemed for the best to have my abilities trained to better serve mankind.”

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14 August 2008

Lillith almost jumped a mile in her skin when Lari reached over and patted her; she’d let her emotions run away with her in a manner that was… well, considered unseemly for one of her Ajah.

Still, if she thought about it, it made sense in a way that she’d let herself go with the Mistress of Novices, whomever the woman. Lacking a mother growing up, the young White Sister had been more open with the woman filling the position as she came up through the Tower. “I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that I find myself spilling my soul out to the woman filling the position now,” she mused ruefully, as she turned her attention back to what the woman before her was saying.

“…fear that if it is the centuries, we will have dwindled to nothing.” the older woman finished with a bleak look crossing her face. Lillith blinked again, and picked up her teacup to hide a small smile, “It seems that we’re both in a sharing mood, then,” she thought, taking a small sip before placing the cup back on the table.

Suddenly, a knock echoed through the door, and Lillith stood, “It seems your work calls, Sister,” Lillith smiled softly as she pushed the chair back in, “And as for Last Battle.. we will make due as we can.”

Crossing the small room, she turned back to the Red Sister, “If you wish sometime, perhaps, we could discuss this another time,” she said, “But for now, I bid you good day.”

She opened the door, and eyed the red-faced Novice without as she strode past; Lillith wasn’t sure what quite had happened this day, but it seemed that something had happened… and possibly something quite good.