Dancing with death (Attn: Cor)

[Arath Faringal]

Finally, a decent lead.  Esanoma had better be there this time.  Esyndor Renethil left the common room of the Shady Rest Inn and strode off into the evening.  The information had been expensive, but was well worth it.  Esanoma would finally pay for his crimes.  If nothing went wrong of course.  So long as no Aiel or thiefcatchers stumbled onto him before he could finish.

 

Making his way through the emptying city streets, Esy sought out the small manor that Esanoma was supposedly staying at.  It seemed that the noble also had reasons to avoid the Aiel, and was very dificult to track down.  If not for a servant that was tired of the abuse she recieved at his hand, Esy might never have found him.  Luck was finally with him.

 

It took a while, but eventually Esyndor found himself standing in front of the 'small' mansion house where Esanoma should be hiding.  Small was a relative term it seemed.  Not as large as some of the mansions in the city, but still larger than most of the buildings around.  The imposing structure was surrounded by a large wrought iron fence, which seemed very well constructed.  Esy stood in the shadows across a side alley for a moment, trying to figure out how to approach.  "Right over the top I suppose," he murmured to himself.  Taking a deep breathe, he prepared to make the jump.  This would probably be the easy part.

[Myth]

Cor walked along blissfully in the night. The book Shaneevae el’Edware had given him was filled with interesting insights and examples. She said it was from before the Age of Legends, and that it was exceedingly rare. But after he had read it the first time, he knew how truly valuable it was. The author Szunn Szuu was a brilliant strategist, and his theories could be applied to more than just the battlefield.

 

Cor soaked up the wisdom on the pages like the Threefold Land soaked up blood. He had already begun to try and apply the lessons the book contained, but it was difficult at times. Many of the teachings went against what he had always held to be true, but he could see where he had been wrong. It was truly an engrossing read, and he couldn’t wait to collapse in his tent tonight and focus more on the mysteries it revealed. Perhaps, if he were fortunate, his wetlander gai’shain Alianna would come by to help make him more comfortable.

 

He still couldn’t believe the thiefcatcher was his gai’shain. Even inside his head it felt weird, but the Wise Ones had spoken, and both he and she were trying to fulfill the obligations that honor required.

 

An unusual sound caught his ear, and he looked up just as a man started to heave himself over a tall fence. There was no gate nearby, so obviously he was trying to enter unexpectedly. His instincts suddenly alerted, the Aiel warrior called out.

 

“Who goes there?!?”

[Arath Faringal]

Blood and ashes! he cursed mentally as the voice rang out.  His grip slipped on one of the metal bars and only a lucky twist kept him from impaling his arm on one of the spear points running the top of the fence.  Dropping back down into the alley, Esyndor looked toward the source of the sound that had so startled him.  There at the enterance of the alley, silhoueted in the moonlight was a very tall man with a set of spears, watching him intently.  Bloody Aiel!  How could such huge people sneak up like that?  He'd been paranoid about running into any Aiel after his mishap with the thiefcatcher Alianna, so if figured that the moment he let his guard down one would happen upon him.

 

Knowing that there was no story good enough to explain his odd behavior, Esy took a brief look at his surroundings.  No rooftops to jump onto in this part of town, and he wasn't sure where the alley led.  But the only other way out was past the Aiel man who was now advancing toward him.  It seemed he would have to brave the unknown in the alley.  The worst part about all of this was that his opportunity was now lost.  Even if he did get away someone would be watching this area more closely to prevent a repeat performance.  So close ...  "Blood and bloody ashes," he murmured to himself as he turned and sped off down the narrow street. 

[Myth]

OOC: sorry for the delay in my response, mate. could you maybe re-post your last post after this one?  ::)

 

Cor walked slowly towards the man in the distance. The dark shadows from the moonlight playing in the night prevented him from getting a clear look at the man’s face, but instinctively the Aiel knew something was awry.

 

Tucking his book into his pack without taking his eyes off the man, the young Aiel warrior had a sudden hunch that his boring evening was about to change. He’s going to run. I know it, he thought to himself as he saw the man’s quick look around and his posture stiffen.

 

He ran.

 

With a smile that was bright enough to light up the darkness even without the moonlight, Cor flew after him. Only a person with a guilty heart would have run, so Cor would catch him and see what he could learn from this nighttime sneak. Besides, a good run was always welcome. The idea that he might wake from the dream at any moment because of the uncertainty of the situation was understood, but the Threefold Land had killed all the fearful Aiel long ago. There was no need to worry. What would come, would come, and for now he had the chase!

 

The fleeing prowler ducked into a narrow street, and Cor followed hot on his heels. He could hear the man’s rapid footsteps in the otherwise silent night here where no other people tarried at such a late hour. Looking ahead, the Aiel saw no way out of the alley unless there was an unlocked door or some other escape route that wasn’t visible from his vantage point. If that were true, this would be a short run.

 

Pulling his veil across his face as a precaution, he pursued the man into the darkness.

[Arath Faringal]

The alley was narrow and winding, and Esyndor charged blindly ahead, cursing himself for not preparing an escape route beforehand.  He heard the Aiel giving chase behind him and knew that it would only be a matter of time before he caught up with him.  The alley split ahead of him and he hastily chose the left fork.  Fifty feet later he rounded a corner and found ... a wall.  A dead end.  He stumbled backward a step or two and closed his eyes.  So close . . . and it would end here.  Even if this Aeilman didn't kill him, he would be taken prisoner.  He would find out who Esyndor was, find out that he had drawn steel against another Aiel only days before, and then he would be executed. 

 

Looking back up the alley he laid eyes on his pursuer and almost laughed.  It was the same man.  The aiel, Cor.  He didn't even bother to draw his dagger to fight, knowing that it would do no good.  Esy sank into the wall behind him and slowly slid to the ground.  He rested his head in his hands, not sure if he was laughing or crying.  Five years, all leading up to this.  All for nothing.  "Make it quick," he murmured softly. 

[Myth]

Cor looked around suspiciously. This didn’t make any sense… Why is he giving up without a fight? he thought to himself.

 

Quickly scanning the rooftops that overlooked the alleyway, the young Aiel Stone Dog saw no subtle movements, no unusual shadows, no telltale signs of a trap. The submissive shape of his prey just sat their forlornly in the dust, his head held in his hands without the slightest hint of resistance. Well, so much for a merry chase, he thought reluctantly. Still, he had a job to do, and he needed to find out what he was dealing with. But it didn’t appear that there would be any death dealt today, so he lowered his veil.

 

He approached the man without the slightest hesitation, but he kept a careful eye out for any hint of a threat. When he was within a few feet, the man sighed and muttered helplessly, “Make it quick.”

 

Wondering what under the Light the man meant, Cor nudged him with a toe. A bit of honor gained, in an otherwise dismal turn of events, he joked with himself. Touching an armed enemy earned more honor than killing him, but the nudge was more of a joke with himself than any real achievement. This fellow seemed ready to wake from the dream for some reason.

 

“Look at me, prowler,” Cor commanded. “I won’t kill you without reason. But I will take you before the magistrate to see that justice is d---” The caught cat burglar looked up at him balefully, and the face Cor saw momentarily stunned him to silence.

 

“YOU!”

 

Smiling broadly at the unexpected turn of events, Cor urged him on to his feet. “I think I’ve got someone you would like to meet, my would-be-killer. We’re going to the tents!”

 

The strange pair walked through the night toward where the Aiel were camped, one with despair apparent in his slumped posture, the other with a bounce in his step that broadcast happiness. There was a certain young lady that was often in Cor’s tent that the young Aiel was suddenly very eager to talk to. This night turned out to be pretty interesting, after all.

 

The Aiel’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously in the moonlight.

[Guest Estel]

Who would have thought Alianna would find herself humming as she washed laundry in one of the nearby ponds the Aiel seemed so fascinated with.  The tune was one she had heard the Aiel singing the night after the battle with the Sons of Cairhien; it being a song of mourning, there was a haunting beauty which captivated her.  Surprisingly, very much like she was finding these people.  There was far more to these Aiel than just warriors.

 

Hefting the sodden basket of laundry onto her head to carry it, Alianna hardly noticed the sun's heat anymore despite her heavy robes.  She let the dripping laundry leak over her head, washing away dust and sweat as she made her way through the camp, a woman among giants.  A group of children ran across the dusty path in front of her, chasing each other with wooden sticks that they poked at each other like spears.  Keeping her face respectfully downcast, none saw her smile.  Henrik would have been their age, running, playing, stabbing at the air with a fake sword.  'My baby...'

 

For the first time since the fall of Kandor and the subsequent destruction of not only her family but everything Alianna had ever been, the widow and former mother finally felt a part of something here.  Even in Caemlyn with Dilora and Anton, she hadn't felt this sense of belonging.  This was a new sort of family, if distant and even if most of them hated her for who she was and where she had come from.

 

Arriving back at the tent, she was just in time to watch Cor push a peculiar hunched figure through the tent flap.  Making sure that he could not see her looking, Alianna pretended to go about the business of hanging the clothes on the low tent rook to dry but before she could start, Cor motioned her inside.  Curious, but outwardly exuding acquiescence, Alianna ducked into the tent.  She fought to keep a smirk from her face as she practically felt Cor's eyes on her protruding bottom, not that she wasn't sticking it out purposely for this very purpose.  What was that expression she had heard the Maiden's use?  Teach him to sing?

 

Her smugness was immediately overpowered by shock when the snivelling figure in the tent wore neither cadin'sor nor the white robes of a gai'shain.  He wasn't Aiel.  He wasn't even Cairhienin!  He was Andoran and Alianna's heart plummeted when she recognized him.  Not daring to speak, lest she be punished by the Aielman later, the gai'shain simply stared at the ground to avoid the uncomfortable situation.

 

Suddenly though, the heavy cowl that had hidden her anxious face was gone, pulled back by a strong hand.  Recognition lit the Esyndor's eyes and Alianna winced at the awkwardness that was likely to ensue

[Arath Faringal]

Esyndor followed behind Cor, knowing that running at such a short distance would be futile.  At least this way he was moving under his own power, not being dragged behind the aiel on a rope.  One long, quiet, and uneventful walk later, Esyndor found himself in the middle of a sea of tents that made up the Aiel camp.  And with every step, his already slim chance of escape became less and less.

 

When they finally arrived at their destination, Cor shoved him inside unceremoniously and motioned for someone else to join them.  Esy sat in a dark corner of the tent brooding, silently bemoaning his fate.  He doubted he would leave here alive.  A few moments later someone in a heavy white robe stepped inside and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw him.  The robed figure was immediately followed by Cor, who pulled back the hood on the robe to reveal ... Alianna?

 

Several thoughts raced through his mind in a single moment.  Why hadn't she escaped?  She'd had a few days to do so.  Was she a slave here?  Was that to be his fate as well?  A slave to the aiel for the rest of his life?  Why did Cor want to speak with them both?

 

There was silence in the tent for a moment, Esy and Alianna both looking miserably uncomfortable, Cor looking as though he'd just heard the greatest joke in the world.  Finally, Esyndor spoke up.  "What do you want with me?  Why bring me here at all?"

[Myth]

Ignoring the prisoner’s outburst, Cor couldn’t help but look as happy as a Shaido with one goat.

 

As the two wetlander renegades, well one renegade and one wetlander-turned-gai’shain, looked at one another, the young Stone Dog felt happy for the first time since the debacle of a few days before with the Rogues Guild and all the associated happenings. But looking at the two other people who occupied the tent, he easily noted that they weren’t nearly as happy to see each other as he was to see them brought together. It’s time I spoke up, I suppose, he thought to himself after several long moments of silence past.

 

“Andor man, you recognize her. Good,” he spoke firmly, but succinctly. “It is because of her that you have been brought here, and your life is not yet forfeit. Her story was very strange, and she has hinted in the past that yours is, as well. I would hear her tell me the truth of things, before I take you before the Wise Ones for judgment.”

 

Pausing to let those words sink in, he added, “If her words reveal that you are wrongly accused, your life will be spared.”

 

The sudden look of surprise on both their faces was much like his own had probably looked the first time he had stood on the shore of the sea.

[Arath Faringal]

Esy's jaw dropped.  His fate was in her hands?  But they barely knew eachother.  He supposed she must know something of him if she had hunted him down from Caemlyn, but there was no way she knew all of his story.  Esyndor cringed a little.  He hoped she didn't want him dead for not helping her escape.  Really he had done all he could, but people tended to look at results, not efforts.

 

Fortunately for him, Alianna seemed to think the same thing.  "I know nothing beyond what I've already said about this.  If you want to know the truth you'll have to hear it from him."

 

Cor looked thoughtfully at the gai'shain then back to the captive, who stood there gaping like a wetlander fish on a riverbank. Dropping down to crouch on his heels, a comfortable position he could hold for hours, he motioned to the would-be assassin.

 

"Tell me, Andorman. I will hear your story, and then we will see what happens next."

 

Esyndor closed his mouth and swallowed nervously.  "There isn't much to tell.  Five years ago, Esanoma murdered my family over some squabble with an Andoran noble, and I've been seeking justice ever since.  Nobody else will do anything, so I've tried to take it into my own hands."

 

The young Stone Dog society leader listened, then thought in silence for a moment...

 

"Wetlanders can't tell a scarlet puffer from a red adder, though one is deadly and the other is harmless. How am I to tell which you are? You wetlanders speak out of both sides of your mouths like a Shara man selling silk."

 

Esyndor shrugged and moved on, deciding to go into a little more detail on his story.  At the very least it would delay the headman's block a few minutes.  Or whatever these Aiel would do instead.  Let him believe what he wanted.

 

"Look.  Five years ago I worked in my father's forge, making a good living.  One day he sent me into Caemlyn for a few supplies, and when I got back that night, Esanoma had murdered my parents and burn down the house and shop.  What was left of my father was found inside the forge itself, and my mother was nearby with a molten silver mask on her face."  He paused for a moment ot calm and steady himself.  His voice was starting to rise, and it woulnd't help his cause to shout at his captor.

 

"Nobody would help me after that.  The Andoran noble my father worked for wouldn't even see me.  Had me arrested when I tried to force an audience with him.  No other smith in the ciry would take me on after that, so I went to Murandy.  A few months ago I got some information that led me to a man in Caemlyn.  I had to ... coerce the information from him, but he told me about Esanoma.  How he had personally done it.  I should have killed him too, but I didn't.  Which is how she got on my trail."  He indicated Alianna who gave a confiming nod.

 

"I'd been searching for a couple of weeks when you ... when we met for the first time.  And today, I found him.  I was just climbing over his fence when you saw me."

 

Esy finished his story and dropped his gaze to the floor.  "I'm no warrior or murderer.  Just a blacksmith in over my head.  But I won't stop unitl he pays for what he's done."  He glared back up at Cor.  "So what does Aiel justice call for in this case?  What would you have done in my situation?"

[Myth]

“A blacksmith?” Cor paused, the odd twist in the man’s tale causing him to re-think his next step. “You’re a blacksmith?” Asking a second time merely earned him a nod from the Andorman and a few more moments for the Aiel warrior to ponder the situation.

 

He had never heard of a blacksmith doing such a thing, but these Wetlanders turned everything upside down. In the Threefold Land, blacksmiths were held in special regard. They couldn’t be taken gai’shain, nor would anyone harm them. It was almost akin to harming an infant or a Wise One. This new development created quite a dilemma…

 

He doesn’t follow ji’e’toh, thought the young Stone Dog to himself as he looked at nothing in particular while he searched inside himself for the proper thing to do. But if he IS a blacksmith, and he has stumbled across my path with a problem I can help solve… If he is what he claims to be, then really there is only one thing I can do…

 

Rising in one fluid motion, Cor waved the blacksmith-assassin out of the tent. “We will see if you are what you claim. I will take you to an Aiel blacksmith. If he says you know the work, then I will help you find this so-called noble, and kill him for you. If you are not a blacksmith…” The tall, lean Aiel’s cold blue eyes got even colder. It was unnecessary to make threats.  “Let us hope you are telling the truth, and that justice will soon be served.”

 

Watching the man duck out of the tent, Cor turned to look briefly at Alianna, wondering what she made of all of this, but there was no time to talk. Perhaps later. Pulling his favorite knife out of its sheath on his boot, the one he had carried since his initiation into the Stone Dogs, he wondered at the trials of man.

 

Looking once again at the lovely thief catcher-turned-gai’shain, he spoke softly to himself as he exited the tent.

 

“Sometimes I think there can be no justice in this life… just us, and the knife.”

[Arath Faringal]

Esyndor stared blankly at the tall man for a moment.  After all of that the man seemed to care more about his being a blacksmith than his family being murdered.  Bloody Aiel, he thought.  Better off trying to understand an Aes Sedai.

 

As he walked out of the tent and was steered toward another area of the camp, he wondered about this interesting turn of events.  At least I'm not dead.  Yet.  When they arrived at the makeshift forge area, Cor explained the situation to another tall Aiel who wore a blacksmith's apron.  The man listened for a moment, eyeing Esyndor all the while, then laughed as though Cor had told him a great joke.

 

"Tell me wetlander," said the Aiel smith, "what needs to be done to this blade."  He handed Esy an unfinished dagger and waited expectantly.

 

Esy turned the blade over in his hands, testing the balance and peering intently at the surface of the steel.  Running his fingers lightly over the blade he found it.  A tiny flaw that would cause problems when the blade was put under any stress.  "There's a flaw in the metal about an inch above the hilt.  Any stress from twisting or any excessive pressure at all will cause it to snap there.  It might be possible to save it, but I would probably scrap it and start over.  You could make two more in the time it would take to fix that one."

 

The Aiel smith scowled and snatched the dagger from Esyndor's hands.  He examined the blade thoroughly and grimaced as he found the minute fracture Esyndor had pointed out.  Placing the tip of the blade between a grinding stone and a workbench, he gave it a sharp twist.  Just as Esy had said, the blade fractured with a resounding crack, leaving the hilt and a jagged inch of blade in the other smith's hand.

 

OOC:  Sorry this took so long.  Test him however else you want.  It's fun :)

[Myth]

Cor sat on his heels. He knew nothing of blacksmithing, but it was apparent that the Andorman had passed a test of some sort. Waiting patiently, as only an Aiel can, he sat and observed as the Aiel blacksmith looked at Esyndor Renethil more carefully, as if trying to decide what next to do with the smaller man. A smile might have painted Cor’s lips, or not, but the mischievous look in his eyes was easily visible.

 

If the Andorman proves true, then I have toh to him. The thought was almost enough to make the Stone Dog laugh out loud. The Wetlands turned the world upside down!

 

The night wore on, the ringing of the men’s hammers on anvils loud in the stillness of the night. In the background, Cor noted that most Aiel were already gone to their tents, and the few figures about were white-robed gai’shain making preparations for the following morning or catching up on un-finished tasks from the day. Looking up at the stars, the young Aiel warrior saw that it was far later than he had realized, engrossed in the work of the two men as he had been.

 

The testing had long since passed, and the Aiel blacksmith and the wetlander one were now arguing as equals, debating on the strengths of various methods compared to others.

 

I don’t have a clue what they’re talking about, but I have seen more than enough. He is what he claims.

 

Admitting the fact to himself, Cor stood and spoke up, teasing as he did so. “You two are arguing like old women. And you’re the ugliest women I’ve seen outside a Maiden’s roof!” Laughing out loud at the joke, and echoed by the Aiel blacksmith, Turc, Cor motioned for the wetlander to come with him. The wetlander hadn’t laughed at the joke at all. He just looks confused as a Shaido that needs to count past five. Cor laughed even harder at that.

 

“Wetlander, you have proven you are what you say. Now, I have toh to you, and I would serve it. Would you have the noble dead? If so, I must speak with the clan chief, but I can do this for you.”

 

OOC: no worries, Arath. Sometimes real life interferes with our fun. If you want to have a lot of tests, then please write them up. Otherwise, we can keep moving forward.

[Arath Faringal]

The hours passed fleetingly as Esyndor somehow slipped back into his natural element.  As much as revenge had consumed him, blacksmithing was still as natural to him as breathing.  The initial tests and trials that Turc had given him had long since passed, and now they argued over the correct proportions for mixing the highest grades of steel.

 

He almost jumped in surprise when Cor finally spoke up.  He had forgotten that his Aiel captor was still there, and that this was supposed to be some test of his truthfullness.  But the tall Aielman's next words were something even less expected.

 

“Wetlander, you have proven you are what you say. Now, I have toh to you, and I would serve it. Would you have the noble dead? If so, I must speak with the clan chief, but I can do this for you.”

 

The aprubt change in Cor's attitude astounded and confused Esy.  "I want nothing else in this life.  But why?  Not a week ago you were about to slaughter me on the rooftops.  What's changed?"  He immediately regretted second guessing the Aiel, but this simply felt too good to be true.  And in his limited experience, if it seemed to good, it always was.