Daenerys'es arrival take two ( MoN )

[Ghaul]

  Was it really necessary for them to go down South by boat? Daenerys watched at changing scenary as passed arround them and was left behind. So many good opportunities lost. Had they went on foot, she would have had the chance for some small pranks. Being ants in the sleeping back, or some berries with certain effects on the human digestive system or in case inspiration left her - the good old poison ivy. But no, they had to take a ship and now Daenerys had no choice but to watch how opportunities went and she did not had the chance to take advantage. And on top of all, the Aes Sedai, Dany never bother to remember her name since the woman insisted on Dany addressing her by her title, kept lecturing her on how a Novice should behave, how should he address Aes Sedai, that she should curtsie to Aes Sedai, follow their instructions, and those of the Accepted leading a class without questioning them and so on. And worse of all, the woman refused to teach Dany anything about the One Power, not even how to grasp it until they were at the White Tower, until then, Dany could familairize herself with the list of tasks and rules Novices had to follow. It looks like the list of how a Novice should behave, act and the rules they had to follow had no end. Daenerys wonder how long will it take for all those rules to drive her insane, provided she followed them all. Which of course, she won't do. There was the fine art of bending the rules and not getting caught, and Dany was quiet adept at it. Well, adept enough not to get caught too often ...

 

  Well the White Tower and the city itself was now in sight, and the captain said that they will be in Tar Valon in an hour or so. Well this made Dany even gloomier. She had not been able to to pull a single prank during the whole trip! She must be losing her touch. Well truth be told she did not had an opportunity until now, and she thought she never will until unexpectedly opportunity present itself. One of the deckhand, a young boy, her age at the most slipped and spilled the bucket of tar he was carrying. Laughter consumed the crew and the deckhand was sent bellow deck to for new bucket of tar. Later he would have to clean the mess he's made, but as the senior crewmen said, only after he has done his original task. Dany suspected that this was to give the tar a chance to get into the deck, making cleaning it a very difficuilt task and thus teaching the young deckhand to be surefooted next time. However, that thought was quickly pushed away by an idea that quickly took shape. Finally she had the opportunity she was waiting for. Dany quickly ran to the cabin the Aes Sedai shared with her warder. She knocked and after the reply she went in. Perfect! The warder was not here!!

 

  "Aes Sedai, Aes Sedai, the Tower is now visible, and Tar Valon too!!" - Dany said in excitement. And she did not need to put on an act. The sight of the city and the Tower was indeed awe inspiring. - "Aes Sedai, I know you must've seen this a thousand times but, please, come with to the bow. The view is simply too good not to share!"

 

  With a maternal smile, the Aes Sedai told Dany to lead the way. Dany almost leaped out of the cabin and ran to the bow. Well, she actually leaped, her excitment was genuine and was getting the better of her at the moment, though she was not sure was it because of the prank she was about to pull or because of the sight of Tar Valon and the chance to finally learn about Saidar.

 

  "Oh Aes Sedai, look out," - she yelled as the woman neared the dangerous place - "That spot is slippery and ... "

 

  Well it was too late. As usual, the woman did not pay much attention to her surroundings. She slipped and fell down, getting tar on her dress. Dany turned arround just in time to see the big man, her warder, comming to the fallen Aes Sedai's assistance. Dany also ran to help. Well true, her plan was to pretend to slip and push the Aes Sedai onto the warder, thus sticking them together, but still, for all it looked like she ran towards the woman to help.

 

  Well, as it turned out, Dany did not had to pretend. She did indeed slip. Tumbling at full speed, she crashed into the Aes Sedai who had just gotten back to her feet, sending her and herself crashing in turn on top of the warder. The three of them tumbled together and when hey came to rest second later, the two women were piled upon the warder. Dany quickluy jumped back to her feet.

 

  "I appologize, Aes Sedai" - she began. - " I did not mean to push you down again. I wanted to help but I guess I was too excited and slipped"

 

  Dany offered her hand to the Aes Sedai to help her stand, but when she tried to pull out the woman back on her feet she found out that her little plan had worked. The Aes Sedai and her warder were now stuck to each other. And all of this with the ship now entering the dock! If it was possible, Dany would give herself a pat on the back. It took the now glued together pair a while they got back up, and as they slowly made their way into their cabin, the ship has made port and the landing board was in place. Quicky picking up her baggage, which was already on deack along with the baggage of the Aes Sedai and her warder - the crewmen had taken it out of their cabins for them, Dany disembraked the ship and looked around for the woman the Aes Sedai described to her. Finding her quickly, Dany curtsied

 

  "Darienna Sedai, I am Daenerys Stronbow. I was found to be able to channel and was brought here to be trained."

 

  The woman look at her than she spoke.

 

  "Welcome to Tar Valon, child. Once we get to Tower your name will be written in the Book of Novices. However, where is the Aes Sedai who found you, and her warder?"

 

  "Oh, they will be here as soon as possible, Darienna Sedai" - the woman turned her eyes to ship just in time to see how the glued pair entered one of the cabins. - "There was an incident on board the ship just as we made port."

 

  Daenerys Stronbow

 

[Wayfarer]

Normally, Darienna wasn't to be found waiting at the northern dock of Tar Valon.  In fact, it wasn't often that she was found in the city at all as she was usually busy with her work or using her spare time to get her own projects and exercise done.  There were so many hours in the day after all, it came down to what was more important and in the end, her work as the Mistress of Novices was and it required her to be on hand in case she was required at any day of the week.

 

But, she was here nevertheless because she'd been asked to ahead of time and it had been good to go into the city for at least a little while.  It had changed since she had ventured out a couple of months earlier, not much, but enough that it was noticable.  Or maybe it was simply because the trip was a novelty, light how her life had changed.  Once she was an ambassador in Mayene, she'd traveled, and now her life was contained within the inner walls of Tar Valon.

 

Not that she regretted it.  She might have missed some of her old life, but being the Mistress of Novices was rewarding in its own way.  After all, one could complain about what went before all they wanted, but if they didn't make an active attempt to change things when they could it was as much their fault for doing nothing.

 

But such thoughts were stilled as a ship, or rather a boat, came into dock.  Yet there was no Marian or her Warder to be seen, something rather odd in itself.  If she'd disembarked then there was going to be words to be had about not having sent word ahead of time.

 

One of those who disembarked, a young girl, curtsied and introduced herself.  Darienna sighed inwardly in relief, that meant that Marian was about.  A brief exchange revealed that something had happened, but it couldn't have been an emergency because otherwise an explanation would have followed.  There was little to do but wait in that case, since she wanted to see Marian.

 

"Then we will wait for them."

 

It was a little under ten minutes before Marian and her warder made their appearance.  Nodding at the greeting she was offered, Darienna returned her own before they began making their way back to the White Tower.  In the meantime, she decided she might ask the new Novice a couple of questions.  "I don't believe I caught where you are from, Daenerys.  Also, what can you tell me about yourself?"

 

 

Darienna Ceradin

Mistress of Novices

[Ghaul]

  The wait for Marian and her warder, Lachlan turn out to be a lenghty one. Well, Daenerys was not surprised - tar used on ship had remarkable adhesive qualities. Those two will be stuck for quite a while, before changing their attires to one that were not tarred. While there were waiting Dany's gazed moved to the defences of the city. The entire island was walled, and from what she has seen, the Tower grounds were walled as well. The walls seemed formidable, and no wonder, from what Marian Sedai has told her, Ogier have built most of Tar Valon and the Tower, the walls not being an exception. Watching these defences, her mind drifted back in time, way back. So at first she haven't noticed that the Mistress of Novice had asked her a question.

 

  "Huh, what?" - a quick pause to search her memory. - "Oh, that! Well I am a Shienarian born Malkieri, Darienna Sedai. I was born about two years after the fall of Malkier. Since the fall of Malkier, my family has bought and ran an inn in Fal Dara, that's where I grew up. As for me - well there is not much to say,rather than I am more curious than a cat and sometimes I have the habbit of drifting of. Oh and my father says I have the tact of a trolloc's axe - I always say what I think."

 

  Her look turned back to the defences of the city. Yes, they were indeed formidable as Lachlan Gaidin has described them. Those fortification have held even Artur Hawkwing at bay, though there was a heated discussion about that during their trip. And while Marian Sedai did not quite agree with Dany's theories, perhaps this Aes Sedai will

 

  "You know" - she begen. - "There was an interesting discussion while we were on board the ship. About the siege of Tar Valon by Artur Hawkwing. Marian Sedai said that the siege began in 975 FY and lasted until the High King's death in 994FY. Seeing the defences for myself I can see what the High King has chosen a siege to an assault. Though there was an interesting thing about it. Marian Sedai said that the siege did not succeed because the city was supplied with food via the river. Though when I said that a blockade of the river would have ment victory for the High King's forces, she disagreed with me" - that was putting it mildly. - "What do you think on the matter ... Dairenna Sedai?"

 

  She had the habbit of forgetting who she was talking with when she got carried away in thought.

 

 

  Daenerys Stronbow

[Wayfarer]

Listening as the girl spoke of her background, Darienna managed to suppress a twitch at the mention of Malkier.  Malkieri sisters that she had known in the past and knew now could be a handful of trouble.  While sisters cut ties with all nations, most of the Malkieri sisters had proven they hadn't done so entirely with the fall of that nation.  Every second one of them with a hair brained scheme to take back that which was already lost and unwilling to let go of the matter, it had been the cause of enough trouble within the Tower and now they would be taking on another.  But, that was a problem only if it happened, there was little point in inventing trouble.

 

The mention of the siege of Tar Valon by the forces of the High King was not an expected topic.  Most children, especially of modest background and the girl's clothing and bearing suggested such, did not have much in the way of a depth of knowledge on the subject.  This was primarily because most sources of such information were only to be found in the great libraries of the nations, and they were not open to simply anyone.  Not books beyond the most basic substance at least, except maybe for a few scattered copies carried by traveling scholars.

 

The proposition made by Daenerys that a river blockade would have resulted in the victory of the High King's forces was a common one.  It was little wonder that Marian Sedai had refuted it, it was the mistake of many to make assumptions about what had been by what was.  It was also a common misconception to underestimate what Aes Sedai could do that did not contravene their oaths, and how much the Aes Sedai had held back despite the threat against their home.  The earlier Aes Sedai of the age were wise in that respect, just because someone held the power to make a thing happen, that did not mean that it should be used.

 

"I think to say that a river blockade would have won the siege is a simple answer to a complex problem.  As a friend of mine is wont to say, each problem is a question and the best answer is not always the easiest.  At the same time, one should never make a simple problem a complex one, the wisdom is in being able to correctly discern which is which."

 

It was still a few minutes till they reached the Tower Grounds.  "Is there anything else you would ask?"

 

 

Darienna Ceradin

Mistress of Novices