Returning from the Blight

[Eqwina]

The sickly hues of the Dark Lords power surrounded her, but Eqwina felt no fear. The days of knees shaking at the sight of the Eyeless were long past.

 

She led Nightlily with the gentle pressure of her knees, not really seeing what lay ahead. All her mind was focused on what lay behind her, getting farther and farther with each step. Eqwina had never once tried to resist when Drak descended on her, never once did she even think of refusing his charms. It was a ploy to gain power, she had told herself, but now as the distance grew between them Eqwina began to wonder. Had she truly grown so callused? Or did those nights mean something more?

 

Nightlily trod on slowly, feeling the heat more intensely than her rider. The mare’s lackadaisical stride did not bother Eqwina; she was in no hurry and felt no urge to push for speed.  Her orders would be carried out in good time.

 

The hours wore on with Eqwina still lost with in her own mind, and the horse setting her own pace. Slowly the land began to shift; the trees began to straighten and the grotesque heat faded to something more bearable, if still hotter than summer in Illian. With no urgent plans to set their pace Eqwina halted with the sun still its own height twice again over the horizon. It had been the broken Towers that drew her from her daze.

 

A mix of fascination and awe had made her stop here, in this place. Her ever changing emotions ran the gamut as she stood staring. Here was a place that showed the power of the Great Lord in all his glory, and yet as she reveled a tinge of sadness crept up as well. So much death…such destruction.

 

Giving herself a shake Eqwina began searching for the perfect spot to make camp. At times like this she regretted never making more effort to bond. She was a grown woman and years past her childhood fantasy with Nevin. Though even after all these years thinking his name still gave her pause.

 

With the camp made and Nightlily hobbled Eqwina spread her cloak on the ground by the fire and pulled the much crumpled note from her belt pouch. No matter how many times she read it, the words remained the same.

 

[Daegus]

The day had been calm for the most part.  If any day along the border could be considered as such.  Llugh's thoughts were ranging today.  There was much to plan and get ready for.  He had been out checking the routes through the blight that were used for the survival classes for the disciplines. 

 

Riding back from the blight he let Dazar have his head and was of at a slow trot.  Llugh's mind was full of memories.  He had been away from the Tower for a long time.  He had left to find something to test his limits.  There were few in the yards that could match him and most of them had students of there own and sparse time to spar.  At any rate sparring only did so much.  There was an edge in battle when one's life was on the line that was apparently lacking in a sparring session.  He remembered the gauntlet and how he had thought he was at the prime of his skills after completing it.  He snorted at the memory.  Little did he know then of just how far he would be redefining himself.

 

He had never been one that set much store in philosophy.  However Akira Gaidin had shown him the uses of it not just for battle but to test one's own mental strength and endurance as well.  However this was going to be a long ride so the exercise would do him good.

 

An owl hooted and brought him out of thought.  It was later then he had expected.  The sun was well into setting and he hadn't noticed the passing of time.  He shook his head and berated himself.  Something like that could get him killed.

 

He heard the snorting of a horse in the distance and looked around spotting a black horse and the light of what looked like a campfire in the distance ahead.  He turned his horse towards it and headed on.  As he rode up he saw a woman laying on her cloak reading a letter.  So not to alarm or scare her he made sure that he made plenty of noise coming up to the campsite.  He dismounted and took the reins of his horse walking the rest of the way to the campsite and bowed slightly.

 

"I hope I did not alarm you m'lady. I saw your campfire in the distance and was wondering if I might share its warmth?"

 

He watched the woman fold the letter up and put it away.  She was smaller then he had originally guessed.  He had thought it was simply because she was laying down but he realized it was her normal stature.  He shook his head and gave an apologetic smile.

 

"My apologies I should probably introduce myself.  My name is Llugh.  A tower guard from Tar Valon."

[Eqwina]

One thing Eqwina had not counted on was being disturbed, she had thought she was the only human for miles. Needless to say when she heard the horse approach she very nearly jumped out of her skin. Not the response anyone in her position would admit to having.

 

With methodical care Eqwina folded the note and replaced it in her belt pouch before she even looked up to see who had disturbed her evening. With night fast approaching and the shadows stretching long over the ground she could not see well enough to distinguish much more than the mans height. He stood head and shoulders taller than she was, and had the muscles to match. But it was not his size that made her cautious; she could handle him and two more like him like a babe.

 

Eqwina just did not want to answer too many questions about where she had been. The wrong questions could lead down a path she did not want to take. Oh, she would kill if it was necessary to preserve her own secrets, but she did not delight in it like some.

 

Raising her voice to carry she finally responded to the man who had disturbed her night. “Tar Valon you say? If you are a Tower Guard then why are you not guarding those shinning walls?”

 

Damn damn damn! The last thing she needed was interference from the Tower, as indirect as this may be. Unless she managed turned this man away he would know her for what she was once he got close. And yet turning him away could spark his interest and make her stand out in his mind. Eqwina had found herself faced with a double edged sword.

 

The towering man had begun a slow walk towards her and Eqwina thought fast to stop him in his tracks. “You have not answered my question just Llugh of Tar Valon, why are you here, so far from the Towers you are sworn to defend?”

[Daegus]

He stopped at the question and the tone of voice the young woman had and raised an eyebrow.  This was rather different.  Most young women would not use that tone.  That made him re-evaluate his earlier thoughts and re-examine the woman in front of him.

 

"And what would possess you to ask such questions?  One would almost think you had some authority within the Tower....?"

 

As he said this he noticed two things which had escaped him before. At first he had thought she was simply a young woman but her face wasn't young...it was ageless.  He immediately looked to her hands and saw the gold ring.  The two absolute signs.  He stiffened for a moment then bowed deeper then he had before.

 

"My apologies Aes Sedai I did not recognize you.  I am not at the Tower because I was checking a few routes in the blight that are used for training as I am a master of ren'shai.  Both the ren'shai and thunder on the ocean disciplines have training in survival in the blight."

 

His eyes narrowed only for a moment.  He knew that Aes Sedai left the tower all the time and a few of them traveled about the borderlands.  However none did so alone and this one was definitely alone he had not seen a warder or another horse suggesting another guard was about.  Though there were many reasons that it could be.  He had known a few Aes Sedai that were stubborn to think they could handle anything.  Though those had been of the red ajah.  Till he knew otherwise he would assume she was of the red.

 

"However I must point out that you are here and I find you without an escort.  As my duty as a guard I must act as and provide escort for you till you return to the Tower."

[Eqwina]

Eqwina had seen the light in his eyes and she knew it was too late. The urge to release a string of curses that would singe the lowest dock hands ears burn white hot. She managed to hold to her dignity by a hairsbreadth.  Still when she spoke her voice was strained.

 

“ I accept your apology Llugh, you could not have known who I was, but I am afraid I am going to have to decline your most generous offer. You see, it may be some time before I see the tower again and really I have no need of your talents.”

Most men thought with the hair on their chests and Eqwina did not need the light to know that Llugh would be one of those. She could see by the silhouette of his stance that he was about to protest.

 

“If only to forestall the polite argument you are about to launch, I will agree to allow you to share my fire for tonight, but in the morning I venture on alone.” 

 

How was it that men always managed to make her life harder?

 

Eqwina went through the motions of tending the fire and preparing tea, but really she studied as the Tower Guard hobbled his horse and made himself at home in her camp.

He was taller than she had first estimated and his eyes carried the weight of ten men. It seemed she had tangled herself with a man in who honor and duty ran deep. Any small scrap of hope that she had remaining faded; it seemed that Llugh’s name would be added to the list of those she had killed.

 

She finished the task of preparing the tea and poured two cups before she took a seat. The night was growing frigid and even ignoring the cold was not the same as being warm. Eqwina studied Llugh over the flickering flames. Like any good Tower Guard he was sitting quietly, keeping a silent watch on the night. It always amazed her what well trained warriors the Warders and Tower Guards were. Just like an obedient dog.

 

“Since you offered to escort me I suppose I could at least introduce myself. I am Eqwina Sedai. Tell me Llugh, what do you know of events back in our home? I have been gone a  very long time.”

 

She did not know why she held back her Ajah, perhaps the wounds were still to fresh or maybe secrecy had finally embedded itself deep within her bones.

 

[Daegus]

Llugh raised an eyebrow at her words.  Even a red knew better then to refuse a guard his escort duties.  To serve was ingrained in a Guard from the first day of there training.  The guards considered it a privledge and honor and got rather prickly when they were refused an opportunity to do so.

 

He grinned inwardly..he wasn't a master for nothing.  He had learned ways around the nature of stubborn Aes Sedai.  Granted it meant being devious but then the Guards were taught to use everything at there disposal to protect them.

 

He relaxed and formed a polite smile on his face.  It was poker time.

 

"I understand Eqwina Sedai.  I shall honor your wish and not burden you upon your journey however your offer of the campfire is most welcome and appreciated."

 

He got up and went looking for more wood for the fire while he thought and looked about the surroundings.  He noted where he could follow her quietly in the morning when the time came from a distance but close enough to where he could keep an eye on her.  He hated doing it this way but it was going to be alot easier then trying to bully or argue her into it.

 

He brought back the wood and stacked it near the fire so that it could be easily fed from the pile.  He noted that she was probably cold.  He went and got an extra cloak from his saddle bags and placed it about her shoulders.  He knew it was a little large for her but the fur lining and the extra fabric would ensure that she was warm.  He fed the fire a little more and sat down watching her as she went about making her tea.

 

"The Amyrlin is dead.  Her horse spooked and she was thrown. The Tower is in a state of mourning.  Other then that it has just been the regular day to day life of the Tower as usual..."

[Eqwina]

Very casually he announced the news of the Amyrlin Seats death. A fall from her horse? What a pedestrian way for the most powerful woman in the world to die. Idly she wondered if any of her sisters had taken part, and if so why had she not been informed?

Those were thoughts for another time.

 

“Sad news, I did not know Annais Sedai well, I have spent more time out of the Tower in the last few years, but truly a sad accident.” She had refrained from uttering a prayer, it seemed wrong to mock the dead woman.

 

“I am sure who ever is chosen, will be a more than satisfactory. Really I am away so often that I am rarely affected by Tower politics”

Eqwina’s stomach rumbled reminding her that she had not yet eaten. Letting the silence rein she bustled about, looking like a small child in Llugh’s oversized cloak. More than once she almost tripped and she glared in the Tower Guards direction daring him to say a word. Fortunately he did not seem to notice; perhaps since he had not pried to deep into her life she could let him live. He really knew nothing about her, and when they parted ways in the morning with a little luck he would forget about her existence.

 

Their meal dragged on in silence and Eqwina did not speak again until she curled up in her blankets by the fire. “Good Night Llugh, there is no need for your watch I have set wards around our camp”Even with her apparently sincere promise Eqwina had no doubt the man would stay awake all night. Perhaps for him it was better that he did, there were no wards, and while the creatures that roamed this close to the Blight wanted no part of what she was it did not mean he was protected.

 

The ground made a poor bed, but Eqwina was soon sound asleep. Drak, her dangerous Dreadlord consumed her dreams. She relived the torturous days she had spent with him, and the uninhibited nights. Over and over their time together played in her head. While her mind raced and small whispers escaped her sleeping body, Llugh stood guard.

 

 

Eqwina woke with the sun and began quietly breaking camp. She could feel his eyes on her as she moved and more than once she had to decline his help. “no really, I can do this myself”

 

Finally the camp was packed and Eqwina was mounted on Nightlily, the ordeal had taken far too long. The sun already stood its own height above the horizon, and while she was in no hurry there was no reason to delay either.

 

Llugh stood at Eqwina stirrup and she could see the words forming. Before he could speak she took his head between her hands and she embraced the source. Quickly, with deft skill she delved him and healed his small hurts, taking time to wash away his fatigue.

 

As she looked down at him Eqwina attempted one of her rare smiles. While her lips curled in the motion, the smile never grazed her eyes. “A small thing to say thank you for guarding my sleep. I will think well on you Llugh, perhaps our paths will cross again someday…..Light Bless.” The last had sounded hollow to her ears, but in her desperation to get away she had simply blurted it out. It was a proper goodbye after all.

 

With a final look at the Tower Guard she booted Nightlily and began her steady decent from the Blight.

 

[Daegus]

They awoke to a clear morning as he got up and stretched.  He helped as much as he could with packing the camp. However she seemed intent on doing most of it herself.  He helped her her horse.

 

Llugh stiffened a bit as he felt the power flow through him as his fatigue left him.  He had stood guard all night.  He knew the wards would have kept the shadowspawn at bay however there were things other then that to defend against.

 

"My thanks for the consideration Eqwina Sedai. However such is my duty and privledge."

 

He clenches a fist placing it over his chest in a small bow.  "To serve and protect Sedai."

 

He waited and watched as she rode off for a distance then went to his horse and mounted.  He took the trail he had scouted through the trees keeping a distance yet keeping her in his sites at all times.  Keeping himself and Dazar quiet so not to alert her to there presence or that he was following.  He did not know how far she was going or where.  But he would fulfill his oath that he took when he became a Tower Guard.  To serve and protect against the shadow with his dieing breath if need be.