A new home.(attn MoN)

[Mayleigh Aes Sedai]

After her father left, Leigh made her way into the white tower.  As she looked around she was in awe - she had never seen a place so beautiful. There were plenty of people milling about, from highborn ladies to rag wearing children. Leigh saw some women whom she thought might be these Aes Sedai that Markus had told her about. They had an air of sophistication and mystery about them - they looked so dignified. I can never be like that, I’m just a tailor’s daughter, she thought to herself. Leigh also saw a lot of young girls scurrying around in white and colour banded dresses. Must be some kind of uniform, she thought.

 

 

Leigh had donned her best dress to meet these Aes Sedai. It was very thin red wool, cut in the Domani fashion, and made by her father. She usually only wore it on feast days, but her mother had told her to wear it; she felt rather beautiful at that moment. Leigh hoped the Aes Sedai liked it; she had to make a good impression or they might not take her.

 

As she was looking around, a young blond girl all in white came up to her. “You look lost. Need any help?”

 

“I’m here to be an Aes Sedai,” Leigh told the girl. “Oh … follow me then and I’ll take you to the MON.  But don’t call her that - she doesn’t like it; her actual title is the Mistress of Novices.” As Leigh followed the girl, she wondered who this MON person was. Oh and she must remember not to call her that; first impressions are important, her mother always told her, and Leigh was determined to make a good one.

 

The girl eventually stopped outside a large wooden door and knocked.  “Enter” came a voice from inside. The girl opened the door, stepped inside, curtsied, and said “She’s come to be a novice, Aes Sedai.” and scurried off, leaving Leigh standing there.

 

As Leigh looked around, she noticed the woman sitting at the desk in front of her; she was wearing the most beautiful red dress. She obviously likes red - maybe she’ll like my dress, and then like me. Leigh stepped into the room, attempted a curtsey, which didn’t work very well and introduced her self. “Hello, I’m Leighandrin Kanwin, and I was told I had to come here to become an Aes Sedai.”

 

[Elgee]

Larindhra pinched the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger. It was good to have her report to the Amyrlin done at last, even though the speed with which it was possible to complete made for another worry. She looked at the page in front of her. One page. She wondered what previous Mistresses of Novices had done, in those glory years when hundreds of Novices were enrolled in the White Tower. Probably needed a few assistants, at the very least.

 

The Reds were pondering a similar situation, some with less trepidation than those who knew something about animal husbandry. The fact remained that fewer and fewer men who could channel were being found too. Anyone with any sense knew that the ability to channel was being bred out of humans. One of the Whites had even proposed that Aes Sedai should have children by those men. Larindhra snorted. All logic and no flaming sense, some of those flaming Whites!

 

Larindhra tsked at herself. If a novice used that kind of language, she would wash out her mouth with soap! Thinking it was just as bad, but a sign of her growing trepidation and frustration. The knock on the door was a welcome interruption, though she could not wipe the frown from her face in time to prevent the novice from practically squeaking. As it was, the child scurried out of the room too fast for Larindhra to reassure her.

 

She sighed and managed a warmer smile for the pretty young girl who curtsied to her a bit awkwardly. “Welcome to the White Tower, Leighandrin. Sit down, child, and tell me who told you to come here. Were you tested at all?”

 

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[Mayleigh Aes Sedai]

“Welcome to the White Tower, Leighandrin. Sit down, child, and tell me who told you to come here. Were you tested at all?”

 

Lieghandrin walked towards the woman, and sat down, where to start she thought.

 

“Em, well, my betroth, well the man my parents told me I was going to marry, Markus. He was the merchants’ son, who we buy our dyes off, He told us that I had to come here, that I had to be an Aes Sedai.”

 

Saying Markus’ name made Liehandrin feel strangely warm, but she didn’t know why. Lieghandrin put her hand to her cheek for a moment, until she realized she had been quiet for a while.

 

She looked up at the woman in red, and put on her best smile. “It was when he and my parents where telling me that we where to be married. I didn’t want to get married yet, and I was really angry and no one was listening to me. Then I don’t know something happened, and I start crying, then Markus told us about the white tower and that he couldn’t marry me, and that I had to come here and be an Aes Sedai.”

 

Leigh was out of breath, the story had all come out at once, she took a deep breath, and looked up at the woman sitting behind the desk. She was listening intently to Leigh, and it was only then that Leigh realized that she was sitting in front of an Aes Sedai. Liegh stayed quiet.

 

[Elgee]

“Your friend sounds like a sensible young man.” Larindhra gave the girl a motherly smile as she poured them both a cup of tea, handing one to Leigh. The test worked best if the subject was relaxed, she had found, and there was hardly anything more relaxing than tea and cookies. To this end, she now kept a tin full in the same drawer as the gem she needed. Retrieving both, she casually put the gem on the desk in front of her, then arranged some cookies on a plate, which she passed to Leigh.

 

“Help yourself to that, child.” She kept up a flow of casual conversation about Leigh’s journey until the girl put her empty cup down. “Before we go any further, I would like to do a quick test.” Larindhra raised the gem and suspended it in between them with a flow of Air, at the same time feeding a thin trickle of Spirit into it. “Breath evenly and relax, child. Just concentrate on the gem and forget about everything else.” Speaking soothingly, she continued to urge Leigh to relax, until eventually there was a resonating flash of light in the gem Larindhra held in front of her. Lowering the gem, she placed it back in the drawer and released the Source.

 

“Well done, child! Now, let’s get your details down.” She pulled the Novice Book towards her and entered Leigh’s name in the next empty space. “Where were you born, and what is your age?” Larindhra entered that too, then leant back in her chair while the ink dried. “Tell me what you know about Aes Sedai and channelling, Leigh?”

 

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[Mayleigh Aes Sedai]

 

Leigh watch as the Aes Sedai poured two cups of tea, and handed one to her. She relaxed at the smile from Larindhra.....Sedai?? She thought that’s how you said it?  Leigh watch with delight as the Aes Sedai took cookies! And a strange looking jewel from a drawer.

“Help yourself to that, child.”

 

Leigh needed no more encouragement then that, and tucked in while talking about her journey with her farther to Tar Valon.

 

“Before we go any further, I would like to do a quick test.”

 

Leigh nearly choked on her cookie, she didn’t know there was to be a test. Leigh hadn’t been in school for a few years........,  but all her panicky thoughts left her when she saw the Jewel, that Larindhra had earlier taken from the drawer with the cookies, suddenly float into the air. Leigh barley heard the Aes Sedai speaking.

 

"Breathe evenly and relax, child. Just concentrate on the gem and forget about everything else.”

 

Somehow Leigh began to feel more comfortable and relaxed . There it was, she felt a surge of power from within her and there was a flash of light inside the gem. The Aes Sedai smiled and placed the Gem back into the drawer.

 

“Well done, child! Now, let’s get your details down.”

 

Leigh let out a shriek of excitement, she felt great, she couldn’t contain her excitement.  When Larindhra asked her more questions, she answered them happily knowing that she had passed the test.

 

“I’m from Bandar Eban in Arad Domain Aes Sedai Oh and I’m 16.”

“Tell me what you know about Aes Sedai and channelling, Leigh?”

 

“Well not much really Aes Sedai, I know that your all very powerful women ,and have some great power. Markus told me that channelling is how you use your power, that’s about it.”

 

Leigh felt a little embarrassed by her lack of knowledge, but she was too happy to really care at the moment.

 

[Elgee]

Larindhra could not help but smile in return at the eager young girl. Had she ever been that wide eyed and filled with wonder? No – her own journey here had had a darker start. She repressed a sigh at the memories, hoping that this girl could hang onto her innocence just a little longer. Soon enough the Tower would start shaping her into something tougher and more hard-hearted, if she was to survive the dangers and pitfalls that Aes Sedai faced. But not yet.

 

“Do not worry about not knowing much right now, child – your first classes will be about this type of thing. But for now, come into the storeroom a moment, child, so we can get you some new clothes.” She led the way there and started rummaging around until she found a few sets of clothing she thought would fit. “Here, try these on. If they need adjustments, the seamstresses will see to it.” She went back into her office to give the girl some privacy. She knew just who to assign as Leigh’s mentor – Deanne needed something to build her self-esteem back up, and this child’s sunny disposition would cheer up a stone!

 

“Aah … done, I see.” Larindhra smiled as the girl fairly bounced out of the storeroom, now wearing a set of Novice whites. “Let’s get you settled into your new home, shall we?” She ushered Leigh out of her office and led the way along passageways and winding ramps to the Novice quarters. “All new novices are assigned a mentor to help them adjust to Tower life, and to teach them the basics. Yours will be Deanne Heillan, an Accepted. Now mind, child, you are to obey and respect her as much as you would an Aes Sedai!” She gave Leigh a stern look, before showing her into the room she would occupy for the next few years. “You will have the rest of the day to settle in, before you start classes tomorrow. The Light go with you, child.” She nodded to Leigh, then glided out of the room in search of Deanne.

 

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices