Deanne's Evaluation and Arrival [attn MoN & Muirenn]

[Kara_J]

Deanne was not happy, nothing would change her parents mind. She was being sent to Tar Valon because the Aes Sedai said she had to go and that was that. They'd never stood up to her for this long before, even the tantrum she threw didn't work and that had never happened before...it was a rare occasion that Deanne had to resort to that tactic but it usually worked when she did so she was perturbed when her parents didn't budge. She tried to get her mother on her own so she could plead with her and when that didn't work she tried getting her father alone to try the same with him but that hateful Aes Sedai was always there, looking at her with that disdainful expression, making her feel so small.

 

In no time at all Deanne found herself bundled into a small carriage with a tiny bag containing not even half of what she wanted to bring along. The Aes Sedai barely spoke, just sniffed at Deanne when she tried to gain sympathy by turning on the waterworks as the carriage left. During the course of the journey all Deanne could extract from the taciturn woman was that her name was Edwinea Sedai of the White Ajah, that Deanne would be enrolled as a Novice on her arrival and that the Mistress of Novices would find her "a handful to say the least". Not certain what to make of that statement, Deanne lapsed into a sullen silence for want of anything better to do.

 

It was over a week into the journey when a thought occurred to her. Aes Sedai attend courts and Royalty and Nobles didn't they? They are rich and move in higher circles than a mere merchant could ever hope to..no matter how good he was! That thought brightened Deanne's mood considerably and she started to look forward to her enrolment. In her minds eye she was already Aes Sedai and had her pick of whichever noble she fancied...she would be a Green of course!

 

Late in the afternoon they arrived at the White Tower, the beauty and splendour of Tar Valon and the White Tower were not lost on Deanne as they disembarked. The vision of her future grandeur was foremost in her mind as she was swept through the long corridors. Eventually Edwinea stopped outside a door, told Deanne to knock on it and wait for a reply, sniffed at her once more and strode off.

 

Scowling after her, Deanne straightened her skirts, patted her hair to make sure her braids and bells were in place and then knocked, opened the door and strode into the room. Seeing a woman bent over a desk at the far side of the office, Deanne walked purposefully up to her and spoke confidently.

 

"I am Deanne Heillon from Shol Abelar in Arafel. I am here to become Aes Sedai, I assume this is the place to sign up? Edwinea just left me here and told me to come in and enrol. I am looking forward to becoming Aes Sedai now, but I didn't at first. I was going to marry a rich merchants son, I hadn't met him yet, but it was just a matter of time." Deanne flicked her hair back over her shoulder and flopped into the chair behind her. "But then Edwinea came into our shop and told me I had to come here, I wasn't too happy about that as you can imagine!" Deanne looked down, frowned and brushed a speck of lint off her dress then leaned back and stretched her feet out. "Especially as I had my life planned out already. Still when I'm Aes Sedai I will get the pick of the nobles won't I? Though of course I'll have to choose the Green Ajah first. Every other Ajah just seems so stuffy, especially the Reds and the Browns. How in the Light they get members I can only wonder at! But I'm here now and I suppose I'd better make the most of it." She paused to look about her, before turning back to the woman seated in front of her. "So where do I sign?" 

[Elgee]

Larindhra frowned at the list on her desk.  No matter how she tried to re-arrange the names, it wouldn’t work. Of course, even if she found the perfect combinations, the novices were likely to kick up a fuss; which would defeat the purpose.  Kiyisalle and Esther were the newest novices, and since both were quiet and withdrawn, she’d thought it best to put them in together. The problem was, neither was going to be able to draw the other out of her shell.

 

A knocked sounded on her door, which opened before she could say a word.  One eyebrow rose at the girl who walked in confidently and started to chat to her as if to an … equal.  She got no chance to interrupt as the words flowed from the girl’s mouth.  It wasn’t long before she had to almost bite her lip to stop it from twitching – in a smile.

 

At last the flow of words trickled to a halt.  Larindhra dipped her quill in the inkpot and hastily wrote the necessary details in the Novice Book before passing it across her desk.  “You may sign right there, child,” she indicated with a slight smile. “You say Edwinea Sedai brought you here? I must remember to … thank her properly.”

 

“There are a few things you should learn right away: In future, you will address me as Larindhra Sedai or Aes Sedai.  I am the Mistress of Novices, and will be overseeing you for the next … few years.”  Larindhra’s lip threatened to twitch again, but she carried on before Deanne could ask exactly how MANY years.  “In fact, you will make a point of learning to recognise every Aes Sedai in the Tower and address them as such, or by their name followed by Sedai. There are a few more rules, but I will let your Mentor explain them to you.”

 

Larindhra knew exactly who to send the child to; it had been over 150 years, but she’d finally found the perfect revenge for that time Shevara had run off and left her to take the blame for loosing a bag full of toads in the Aes Sedai dining room. She was hard put to keep the grin from her face as she took a sheet of paper and started to write a little note to her old friend.

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

 

 

[Kara_J]

Deanne listened to the woman in front of her with half an ear, she was too busy surveying her surroundings to concentrate on the woman's witterings.

When she registered that the woman, this Larindhra Sedai, had stopped talking and had begun to write a letter, Deanne grew quickly bored. So, without asking, she got up and wandered around the room. A shelf of objects quickly caught her eye so she moved across to examine them more closely.

 

A quick check over her shoulder assured her that Larindrha was still engrossed in the letter she was writing, though she had a strange smile across her lips as if she was secretly amused at something. As she was still free to browse, Deanne picked up the first thing she saw. It was one of a pair of silver pewter candle holders, very pretty, though simply made. Turning it over Deanne saw the makers mark and recognised it from some dealings her father had made. The red stones glinted in the light from the window, as she turned the holder studying the engravings.

 

In her minds eye she already was Aes Sedai, after all that woman did only say a few years and everyone knows they cannot lie. She had an office much the size of this one, though she'd fill it with nicer things and a lot more of them too. She glanced around the room again. It was too simply decorated for her taste, no, she would need something more grand and imposing, with lots of pretty ornaments to show off her prestige. She nodded as she redecorated the room in her minds eye, there was far too much red in here, she'd have to redo it in Green of course, to reflect her Ajah of choice and of course she'd have to get a desk much nicer than that one and.......

 

Her musings were abruptly interrupted as something ran over her foot. With a shriek that almost rattled the windows, she leapt into the air, dropped the candlestick she was still clutching, hiked up her skirts and ran to stand on a chair. She saw a mouse scuttle across the floor and disappear under a sideboard on the opposite side of the room. Nervously she checked to floor for signs of other rodents and absent-mindedly checked her hair and braids for any damage the sudden activity might have caused.

[Elgee]

Larindhra watched Deanne from the corner of her eye as she started flitting about the office, but at least the child was mercifully quiet so she left her to it.  Besides, it had been a very long time since I last enjoyed writing a letter so much, she thought with a quiet chuckle.

 

Her reverie was abruptly interrupted by an ear shattering scream that made a Draghkar’s mating call sound melodious. Aes Sedai learnt to control their reactions, but it seemed she had lost her edge somewhat, since being cooped up in this office.  Larindhra bit off a pungent oath at the ink smear oozing over the letter, channelled a flow of air to catch the mouse and put it in a glass jar for later disposal, then lifted one finger at Deanne.

 

“Not one further word from you, child.  Get down off that chair, sit still and … not … one … word.”

 

Larindhra inspected the page closely, finally channelled to remove as much of the blotch as possible, then wrote a little explanation that brought another half smile to her lips.  She saw Deanne’s mouth open, and raised the finger again.

 

She sealed the letter, then wove an intricate little trap around it.  She had Deanne’s measure, and there was no doubt in her mind that the girl was going to take a peek.

 

“I want you to find Shevara Edosian, Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah. Give this letter to her, then wait for her further instructions.” Larindhra handed the letter to Deanne. “Do try to remember your curtsy, child,” she added wryly.

 

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[Kara_J]

Nervously and with many a glance for other vicious rodents that may leap out at her, Deanne got off the chair and sat down, breathing hard. The speed at which the mouse had flown across the room and had ended up in a jar on the desk had unnerved Deanne more than she cared to admit. The Mistress of Novices' admonishment for Deanne to keep quiet was, for once, heeded to. This was in way of being a Calendar event.

 

Deanne sat there with her feet drawn up off the floor and anxiously scanned the floor for more rodents and then stared in horrified mute fascination at the mouse now frantically scrabbling around in the jar. Finally tearing her gaze away, Deanne saw that Larindhra had finished writing her letter and went to ask what she intended to do with the mouse, but was forestalled when Larindhra raised an peremptory finger.

 

Sullenly Deanne subsided and waited impatiently until the Mistress of Novices spoke again. She took the proffered letter and stood up, but not without another few quick glances around the room...after all where there was one there could be more.

 

"Well where do I find her..I mean, Shevara Sedai then?" Deanne responded, sulkily emphasising the Sedai. Curtsying indeed..it's not as if they are royalty! She added in the privacy of her own head. Then the image of people curtsying to her flashed into her head and she smiled at the thought. Fine I'll curtsy, it won't be for long after all Larindhra only said it would be a few years and everyone knows they can't lie!

 

Deanne studied the letter, turning it this way and that as she awaited the reply. Curiosity burned at her. What did that woman write about me? I hope it was good!

[Elgee]

Larindhra flicked Deanne’s bottom lightly, but sharply, with a flow of Air before she could restrain herself.  “Pay attention when I talk to you, child!” She sighed; she had wanted to send the girl to Shevara as she was, but she supposed not even for a joke over a hundred years in the making could she let this little … miss … loose on the Tower totally without manners.

 

“The correct response would have been a curtsy, and: Yes, Larindhra Sedai.  Where might I find Shevara Sedai, if it pleases you?”  She eyed the child up and down, then sighed again.  “Turn right when you leave this office, descend 3 levels down the ramp, turn to your left.  When you reach the double doors with a Red flame on them, tell the Aes Sedai guarding it that you have been sent on an errand to Shevara Sedai.”

 

She perked up a bit at the thought of what awaited Shevara.  “You may leave now, child.”  Even the ramrod attempt at a curtsy and the pouty lower lip could not dampen her ever growing glee.

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[Kara_J]

Pouting sullenly, Deanne dropped a stiff curtsy and stalked out of the room, only rubbing her backside once she was sure that she was out of eye shot.

Once in the corridor she set off in the direction Larindhra had mentioned I'm going to call her Larindhra in my head, even if I'm not allowed to elsewhere and gave herself a self satisfied nod as she went.

 

She trudged through what seemed like endless miles of corridor, her legs aching from the unaccustomed exercise and the constant curtsying she was having to do, her face growing more and more sullen as time passed. Eventually she reached the huge doors marked with a red flame. Sighing heavily, she dropped what felt like her thousandth curtsy and spoke to the Aes Sedai at the door.

 

"Please, Aes Sedai" she said, biting off each word succinctly "I have a letter for Shevara Sedai, where may I find her?"

 

The response was quick. "Go through the first three sets of doors you find, her room is the second door on the left. And if I were you Child, I'd watch that mouth of yours or else you will find yourself on the receiving end of a very sharp lesson! Now go before I give you a penance myself!"

 

Curtsying yet again Deanne gritted her teeth and darted through the door before the Aes Sedai could say anything more, muttering to herself about how unjust it was, after all she had followed Larindhras' instructions on how to speak to Aes Sedai to the letter!

 

She found the door she was directed to and hesitated outside. She glanced at the letter in her hand again. What did it say? A quick glance around showed a little alcove set back from the corridor. Quickly dashing into it, Deanne pulled the curtain to hide herself from anyone passing and attempted to open the seal. There was a loud popping noise and and Deanne was covered with a shower of what appeared to be Soot. Coughing and standing up sharply in surprise she tried to brush the soot of the best she could but it seemed to want to cling to everything. The more she brushed the more mess she seemed to make.

 

Eventually, almost in tears, real tears for once, she gave up and walked dejectedly to Shevara's door and knocked quietly hoping that she was out and she could go and get changed and washed before anyone saw her.

[Muirenn]

Tossing the edge of her dustcloak across her right shoulder, Shevara Edosian glided through the halls of the Red Ajah upon her return from visiting Edwyn.  The man was giving her fits now, it had been six years since he had been gentled, and in the past month it had been increasingly difficult to lift him from his despair.  But she was not ready to give up on him yet.  She pulled off her gloves and tucked them neatly into her belt, then brushed a loose strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear.  It would have to be dealt with, and that was that. 

 

She was stopped rather abruptly when she saw a grubby scullion standing outside the door to her rooms.  No, not a scullion.  That dress was certainly silk.  But so covered in ash as to make the fabric nearly impossible to make out.  What was this?

 

"Girl!  What business do you have in the Red Ajah quarters?" Shevara asked as she stalked up to the door of her own rooms.  She would have to get an actual scullion up here to get rid of the mess.  "Speak up, I've other things to do than hold the hand of a lost child.  And a dirty one at that."

 

-Shevara Edosian

Red Sitter

[Kara_J]

Deanne jumped guiltily at the sudden appearance of an Aes Sedai. Tears threatened to spill down her cheek, real tears for once, not the crocodile tears she was so fond of crying.

 

"Please Aes Sedai, I am new to the Tower and I was sent by the Mistress of Novices to give Shevara this letter." She paused and then, before she could stop herself, she burst out with "I only fiddled with it, I wasn't going to open it...honest!!" The last word was more of a wail than speech. Deanne hung her head, she could already see her visions of grandeur fading from reach. She was going to be sent away, she just knew it. She'd have to make do looking for a rich merchants son again. The thought was enough to make her cry!

 

Miserably, as she waited for the Sister to respond, Deanne brushed again at her dress. The silk would be good for nothing now and it had been one of her best. She sniffed loudly, hoping that the Sister would show pity, take the letter from her and let her be on her way. After all, Shevara was probably busy, Deanne could go and find her room, get cleaned up and come back later and she'd be none the wiser.