Shaky Beginnings

[Kael]

It was with some wary trepidation that Rion led his new bondmate, an Aes Sedai, through the farm towards the house that he had built for him and Jocelyn. His mind was filled with a storm of emotions, they ranged from fear and anxiety that were his alone, to a twinge of anger and triumph coming from the darkness inside of him. He didn’t even know the woman’s name as of yet, he had been too terrified to speak but he would need to learn something about her before he had to face Jocelyn with the news that he had…bonded another woman. The bundle of the emotions that he knew was Jocelyn in his head was tinged with worry for him, that he could tell. And from the woman walking beside him..well he wasn’t sure. He though hatred, for him most of all. Rion had only ever had one other person hate him, and he was terrified of Linten.

 

This was far from what his hopes of meeting an Aes Sedai would be like. Admiration for the women who wielded the One Power….but instead he was holding one prisoner, forcibly bonded. Rion had had no choice in the matter, but that didn’t matter. He had still made this woman little better than a slave with his gift, and he hated himself for it. Rion finally looked to his right, to his red headed Sedai, “My name is Rion, you will be living with myself and my wife Jocelyn for the time being. And ummm…”

 

Rion faltered and shook lightly as her gaze turned to him, his words faltered off and his mouth moved for a few moments with no words coming out. “For the time that you are here…I ummm..well more like my commanders tell me to say…that you will not channel while you are here unless I say you can. And that umm...as your bondholder, you will listen to what I….. say, and that extends to my wife as well.” Rion tried to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat.

 

He was afraid to ask anything of her unless she snap and begin to shout madly at him like he expected her to do, which would only scare him more. But his curiosity was also slowly overcoming the trepidation and forcing his mouth to move, “Will you at tell me about yourself...or if nothing else at least your name, I don’t want hostility between us you should know.” Rion twisted his mouth as he continued to walk towards his home, hoping for an answer but trying not to get those hopes to high.

 

 

 

Rion

 

[Jocelyn]

At last Jocelyn could feel Rion coming closer, hopefully coming home. She had been a bundle of nerves and fear, ever since she first felt the pang of Rion's own emotions through the bond. Instantly she had began to worry, when the feelings of fear had increased instead of disappearing, and pain had come searing through. She'd heard yelling throughout the farm, and vague word of a battle, but other than that she had known nothing. She'd contemplated rushing out to see for herself, to check on her beloved husband, but knew better than to interfere where she had no power. She certainly couldn't defend herself or her loved ones any better than Saidin could.

 

So instead, Jocelyn had had no choice but to sit pensively in the sitting room of their modest house, waiting anxiously for word to return, her own anxiety matching what she felt through the bond with Rion. There was pain too, but it was vague, hopefully not an injury. Fear and desperation was paramount. What was going on? She had felt so safe, despite being surrounded by male channellers. Despite everything they were training for, it seemed so distant. Well until now. Whatever was happening, she had a bad feeling about it.

 

And the bad feeling was only growing steadily worse, as she felt Rion approach. She stood, moving to the window so she would see him the instant he came near enough, heart pounding nervously in her chest. The tangle of emotions flowing through the bond were difficult to pick apart, the anxiety still there, along with something else. Nervousness? What was happening?! Face creased with worry and hands gripping her skirts, Jocelyn waited for Rion.

 

Jocelyn

 

 

[Lavinya]

Lavinya desperately wanted to run. But where? And what good would it do? She was a prisoner, bound by this excuse for a man who led her, who held her bond. She shuddered inwardly, hatred focusing at the raw emotions intruding in her head. She could sense the weariness, the worry and mingled anxiety, but didn't care one whit what he felt. She just wanted him out of her bloody head! Light, it wasn't supposed to happen this way! When she bonded, if she bonded, it would be a mutual agreement, not this, this...mental rape! It should have been Corin...

 

Anger returned as Lavinya forcefully redirected her thoughts. Whatever she had wanted before, well it was long gone. Better she simply forgot. What she needed to think on was how to escape this horrible mess. She was drained and weary, despite the healing, and no wonder. She had just witnessed death first hand, had seen her sisters taken down by these wild men. The smell of death and burning still lingered in the air, the screams and shouts of the battle still echoed in her ears. She should be running, as fast as she could in the opposite direction, not obediently following her captor. Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to run. The will just seemed to dissipate, and she found herself putting one foot in front of the other, again and again.

 

He broke the silence, and Lavinya turned her stony glare on him. She had lost all control on the battlefield, but burn him if she would cry and beg for him. She had her dignity, she was Aes Sedai. Her features were smooth, but no doubt he could still feel the hate flowing through the bond. This bond was a bloody nuisance, and it made a mockery of what a warder was. And it was just so wrong. So very wrong. And he was married! If it were any other day, Lavinya may have been shocked, but today, the impossible and unheard of had become the norm.

 

Not channel? The pain had to be evident on her face. Flushing hotly, Lavinya sought to embrace Saidar...and couldn't. Again she tried...nothing. Perhaps the strain of the day? Quickly growing pale, Lavinya practised novice exercises, all to no avail. The power seemed to just slip from her fingers, like sand filtering through her outstretched hand. Burn him, compulsion? That had to be it! Tears sprung to Lavinya's eyes, but she refused to give them free reign. She was to be held and caged like a rabid dog, while the real barbarians ran wild with their rampant destruction! This was worse than anything she had imagined. Being forced to heel grated Lavinya; being ordered to obey a male channeller and his clearly mad wife, unable to channel without permission...it was more than she could bear. Something akin to wildness entered her eyes as she looked back at Rion. Unable to muster any other sensible words, she replied to his question. "My name is Lavinya Morganen, Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah." She clicked her mouth shut and looked ahead; to what she did not know. Everything had been turned on it's head, and the fault lay at the feet of the man in black whom she followed like an obedient puppy.

 

 

Lavinya

Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah

Bonded by Rion

[Kael]

Gray..hmmm, I wouldn't have guessed that. Rion silently mused to himself as his  mind turned away from all other problems and memories for a few moments, a new problem had intruded and tacken over it in it's entirety. This one track absent mindedness had gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion but now it was a blessing in disguise. The pain's off battle were forgotten, both physical and mental. The hysterical fear and panic that had threatened to overwhelm him were forgotten in his lip chewing curiosty towards this Lavinya Sedai walking next to him. Even the self loathing dissapeared for a moment as he wrapped his mind around this single thing. "I've always wanted to meet an Aes Sedai...though truth be told I would have hoped when I did I would meet a Brown." Rion nodded slowly to himself and let the thought go for a few moments, leaving him strangely at peace though with each step as his newest bond took control of his thoughts once more.

 

So much hate...I healed her for Light's sake! Think about what happened today, you nearly beat her into submission, shielded her and then bonded her without her permission. You know what the Aes Sedai think of such a thing...you may not have taken her physically but they still think of it as rape. Rion chewed again on his lip trying to take in everything rationally, without emotion. Do you think it's possible for her to see reason? The she would stop hating me. Why do you do this boy? You have finally taken a step to become a man and here you are trying to take steps back? Why stop now, continue your dominion over this wench...show her, yourself, your wife...that you are not this sniveling excuse for  human being and maybe people will begin to respect you. Rion merely shook his head and forced that voice away from his head, to the back of his mind where it always stayed. No, not now at least. If you are to bridge this gap time as much as anything else will help heal the wounds that you have dealt without meaning too. For now you should be thinking about is your wife, you still have two bundles of emotion in your head.

 

That was very true, the knot that was Jocelyn was still filled with nerves and worry and his own up and down emotions were probobly not helping it any, they weren't very far from there house..he could just make out the top of it over the buildings they were walking next to at the moment. The pair rounded a corner so the front of his home was sitting in front of them. "Here is my home, you'll have a room to yourself that used to belong to Jocelyn before we were married." They had crossed half the distance to his home when the front door of the house opened and his heart lept and joy rose to the top of his sea of emotions as Jocelyn appeared in the doorway and began to move towards them.

 

He lost every other emotion and every cool and collected sentiment he had or had tried to show to Lavinya as he broke into as much of a run as Jocelyn had and opened his arms wide as she flung herself into him, burying his face into her shoulder and holding her for long moments, taking streangth in her presence as much as he had in their bond during the battle. Turning his head he caught her lips with his and kissed her right their in the clearing without hesitation for once nor any hint of a blush, he was simply too releived to see his wife to care this time. They broke and Rion rested his forehead against Jocelyn's still holding her tight, "I'm so happy to see you, I was afraid..." Rion couldn't bring himself to say that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to see her again.

 

Jocelyn smiled back but Rion couldn't help notice a small glance over his shoulder towards Lavinya who was just beginning to catch up with them and Rion let out a light "Oh..." And swallowed the lump in his throat. This would be an...interesting meeting. Don't forget you were the jealous one, do not lightly assume that Jocelyn may do that same. I may not assume but I can fear. "This is Lavinya Sedai, of the Grey Ajah. She's a umm...prisoner," Rion flinched, that word was certainly not going to help the loathing Lavinya held for him. "She is going to be staying with us until the M'Hael says different, she can't channel for now and will have to listen to us while she is here...we are um..." Say it already, it's only harder if you wait. "...bonded."

 

 

Rion Adamar

Brown Ashaman

Would Rather be Between That Rock and a Hard Place

[Jocelyn]

Finally! Heart in her throat, Jocelyn dashed out to meet Rion the second he came into sight, throwing herself into his open arms and clinging to him. Tears sprung to her eyes, the love and joy flowing through the bond almost overwhelming her as always. For the moment she was caught up in her relief at knowing he was ok, well as far as she could tell anyway. The thought that anything could take him from her was too much to bear. He kissed her, long and hard, and Jocelyn clung to him, pouring her heart into the embrace, telling him without words all that she was feeling.

 

"I'm so happy to see you, I was afraid..."There was no need for Rion to complete the statement, she already knew, had felt his fear through the bond. Indeed, it had been her fear too. She was about to tell him everything was alright now, when she saw a flicker of red over his shoulder. A woman? She had never seen this one before, she could see by her elegant lines that she was Domani...where on earth had she come from? And she was a mess, bloodied and her dress in tatters, yet that was silk...What was going on?

 

Looking to Rion questioningly, she didn't say a word as he gave her a halting explanation. Aes Sedai? Her Ajah meant nothing, nor did her name, really. Questions were bubbling to the surface but she kept them to herself for the moment, trying to ignore the hollow stare of the beautiful woman. Typical, she would be stunning. "Prisoner? What..." Jocelyn trailed off again as Rion's last statement sunk in.

 

"Bonded?" She whispered, hoping it wasn't true, but Rion's expression confirmed it. "Bonded!?" She said again, a little shrilly as she stepped back from Rion. "To her?" Jocelyn tried to pull back her hurt and her temper, knowing that Rion would feel it all through the bond, but it was difficult. She had been worried out of her mind for him, and he was off bonding stray Domani Aes Sedai? Wasn't one wife enough? Did he need a harem now? No, she was being unfair, but it was hard to stay calm when her emotions had been running so wild. Eyes blazing, Jocelyn folded her arms. "I think you better explain how you came to bond a stray Domani witch before I say something I regret."

 

Jocelyn

aka the Green Eyed Monster