Wandering stars [attn. Laurent]

[silhouette]

As she rose from the chair behind her desk, none of the bones in Faerzyne’s body felt stiff. Her muscles didn’t ache, her joints didn’t creak. There was nothing in the motion that betrayed any sort of age. As she looked in the mirror she saw a woman whose hair was still full and shining. Her lips were still full and whatever lines existed around her eyes would fade when the last of the tension fled her body. Her skin was still subtle, seemingly eager to blush even though she hadn’t felt the urge to do so in such a long time. Such a long, long time and yet her face told no stories of those years.

 

Her body still looked like it had when she was no more than five and twenty, and it could still move in similar ways. Should she choose to do so, she could leap down the stairs, run through the halls and dance with a grace belonging to someone only a tenth of her age. Instead she walked slowly, serenely, at a pace belonging to someone of her age and stature. An age she felt, not in her body, but in her mind. In the very soul that she had pledged to the Great Lord almost two hundred years ago. Her soul made her steps heavy. Her soul was the thing that hushed the voices of novices as she passed, that urged younger Aes Sedai to bend their heads in deference. Not her treacherous body, that had allowed all those years to slip away without leaving a single trace.

 

Resisting the urge to sigh, for sighing was a wanton and pointless gesture, Faerzyne walked down the steps leading to the White Tower. She turned her back in the majestic building and allowed her feet to lead her forward. How long had it been since she had abandoned the safety of the White Tower? And how long since she had left the walls of Tar Valon behind? Too long, by far, if she had trouble remembering it. Perhaps it was time to leave again. Perhaps if she was immersed in the doings of the world, she wouldn’t feel as ancient as she did around her sisters of the White Tower.

 

“Youthful enthusiasm.” She mused as she followed a pair of children with her eyes. A boy and a girl, brother and sister no doubt, running hand in hand towards their favourite playing ground. On a whim she followed them, suddenly eager to watch their play. It didn’t take long for her to lose track of them, with their running and her serene gliding. She had a good idea of where they were heading though. The Grove seemed to hold a certain appeal to her now. A place more ancient than the White Tower itself, abandoned by the Ogier years ago. A great place for playing hide and seek. Smiling to herself, Faerzyne followed the trail into the Grove, intent on losing herself there for a couple of hours. If anyone desperately needed her, they would have to wait. They always did, for people like her.

 

~Faerzyne Grigory

Gray and Black sister

 

[Winter Mist]

~Laurent~

 

His muscles were stiff and sore, and trying to rely on the notion that this was the sort of thing a hero had to endure was not helping.  He rather thought that a long hot bath with a tankard of ale, now that would help in soothing some of the pain from the previous day’s training.  It was a free day for him, and although there had been instructions to consider the things taught in their last lesson to reinforce it, it could not be further from his mind.

 

The Tower was a large place, and there had to be some place to hide away from the hustle and bustle of Tower life.  A hero always had that little place to go, the place he could gather his thoughts and contemplate on large issues that faced the world, before going off to save it.  Since his arrival he had been looking for just such a place, either surreptitiously or openly whenever he got a chance and now, Laurent thought he had found just the place.  The walk was doing the long calf muscles in his legs good; the ache in those had almost eased completely by the time he reached the more forested area of the White Tower grounds.  If only the rest of his body did not ache so much!

 

Still, he thought as he entered the serene looking place, it could be a lot worse.  He could be doing those horrible chin-ups again, the ones that made every part of his shoulders and upper back burn with effort.  He could have sworn that his musculature had increased in the short space of time he had been enrolled with the other trainees at the Tower.  Some of his tunics were a lot tighter than they used to be, and the hard abdominals where his slightly soft belly had previously been were a definite indication that it was not down to soft living.  It was worth it.  He was starting to look the hero too. 

 

He went a little further into the glade, contemplating seeing if he could find a pool to look at himself in while he posed.  Laurent supposed that he oughtn’t call practising the forms ‘posing’ but it did give him a chance to see how good he looked in a reflected surface while striking heroic stances.  He could see what everybody else obviously could.  Well, he could keep his vest and breeches on to cover some of the more visible bruises his training had accrued on his body.

 

It seemed someone else had the same idea.  A short way away, a beautiful figure was sat in contemplation of something or other, totally at peace in the world.  Maybe she was communing with the earth to try and predict the future.  Laurent did not really know the ways Aes Sedai worked their powers, but he supposed it was entirely possible for the Wheel to weave such a powerful figure into his destiny.  The smile that had made many a maid swoon appeared on his lips, and he went over to introduce himself to the woman, who looked as lush and tempting as cool fruit on a hot day.

 

“Good morning, my lady.  It seems to be a good day for being here, and now you can rest easily because I can protect you, should it be necessary.  My name is Laurent, and I’ll be your guard for the day.”

 

 

[silhouette]

Finding a quiet place in the Grove was like finding an Aes Sedai in the White Tower. Easy as pie. Settling for a spot near a small pond, Faerzyne took a moment to contemplate the impulses that had driven her out of the tower today. While the weather was nice, it wasn’t something she hadn’t laid eyes on before, or travelled in. Besides, she had seen better weather. The restlessness that had driven her in her youth was long gone, replaced with a quiet acceptance of her fate.

 

Fate, it seemed, had some strange things in store for her today. But considering the urge that had lead her to the Grove in the first place, Faerzyne wasn’t entirely to find herself with a companion so soon after her own arrival. She turned her head slightly, observing the intruder of her peace with an expressionless face. Said lack of expression soon faded in a look of amusement as she took in the new arrival. A little taller than she herself, pleasantly dark and pleasantly built. It took a harsher person than Faerzyne was to say that the sight was unpleasant or unwelcome.

 

“Laurent, you say?” she mused after he had introduced himself as her guard of the day. She doubted the boy had the skill to protect her from some of her enemies, should they choose today to figure out and confront her with her true alignment. Still, it was a thoughtful gesture. And really, who was she to deny the company of such a delectable young man? Had that not been exactly what she wished for, a mere hour before being introduced to said youngster? The Great Lord worked in mysterious ways indeed.

 

“Do be seated, Laurent. Have you not heard that Aes Sedai don’t like it when people look down on them?” she said, smiling at the guard to take the edge of her words. “You may call me Faerzyne Sedai.” She waited patiently for her ‘guard’ to be seated, before observing him quietly some more. “Do tell me, Laurent… what brings you to this place, at this time?” Had he felt the tingling of fate, urging him to wander into the Grove? Or were such things reserved for her alone? Not that she complained… the results were rather appealing, after all.

 

~Faerzyne Grigory

 

[Winter Mist]

~Laurent~

 

He folded his legs casually underneath him.  At least, he hoped it would look casually done.  His thigh muscles were stiff and too sore for full movement yet.  Of course, he should have known that it was an Aes Sedai he was approaching, and Faerzyne Sedai could take care of herself even if she did not look able to.  Putting the smile reserved for special maids he wished to impress, Laurent cleared this throat to speak.

 

“I was looking for something, Faerzyne Sedai.  And, thank the Light, I believe I’ve found it.”  He had been looking for an Aes Sedai to take an interest in him and how he was progressing, and above all he was looking for the stuff of legends to be bonded to.  This quietly authoritative woman, who probably held more power in her little finger than Laurent had in his entire body (as much as it galled him to admit that) would be the very one.  He did not want to bond anyone of too high a stature in case it dwarfed his own glory.  As he stretched his long legs out in front of him, Laurent realised that his breeches were getting tighter across the front of the thigh too.  At this rate he was going to need new clothes.

 

“I also needed some peace and quiet to think.”  And that’s the other angle I wanted people to think about me – that I’m a brooding and thoughtful type.  These women put such stock in knowledge; it can’t hurt to say that I was looking for somewhere to think and to contemplate the universe, can it?    “There are so many problems in this world, it would be nice to be remembered for doing something good.  The stories only remember the good things, anyway.”

 

“What is an esteemed Aes Sedai of the White Tower doing out here, Faerzyne Sedai?  If you don’t mind my asking, that is.”  He noted the colours on her dress for the first time and realised that she was probably of the Gray Ajah.  What that meant, he wasn’t entirely sure of yet, but given enough time and some more flashing of his smile, he intended to find out all he could.