Place of legends (open)

[Thorfinn]

~Byron Assroth~

 

The day of the trial had been a busy one; he had spoken to the guard in his shining armour and well had been told it would be better if he came back the next day as the whole tower was involved in the Trial.

  Byron had been curious to hear what the trial was for, but he had chosen not to ask.  After all he was still just a commoner and asking such things were not his business.

  The guard had pointed him in the direction of an in not far from the stables he had Dara in.  He choose not to move Dara again as she would be settling in again and he could not be bothered with the moving and tipping again, gold didn’t go a long way here after all. 

 

The next morning had been a bright sunny day, the Inn had been accommodating and the beds were just pure luxury.  He never thought a bed could be so soft; he had settled his bill with the friendly innkeeper and had stopped off at the stables on the way to the Tower to check on Dara.

  She seemed to be content, even though the stable boys in there fear of the horse had just thrown hay over the horse box wall and the water hadn’t been changed.  Small facts but he would attend to them himself.  Once done he headed into the tower grounds.

  With the place empty now Byron could appreciate the training grounds, such great a space and all for training.  He had been trained in the back yard of his farm, used by many an Assroth in its day.  Occasionally he would see young women with dresses with a multitude of striped colours passing by, not quite sure who or what they were he bowed politely wishing them a good day.  Most of them just giggled and ran along.

  Trying to remember the guard’s directions he had given him the day before Byron looked for the points of interest the guard had mentioned would help him find his way.  Once he had found the first it was easy enough to follow his way.

 

After a fair amount of walking and searching Byron came upon a group of what he thought was trainee warders, they were all paired of and sparring.  He smiled for a bit and sat on a bench and watched them for a time.  One man with a wolf like aura about him barked orders and commands. 

Could he be a Warder?

All he had was a switch, Byron watched the trainees sparring. He could see some distinct disciplines, balance, path of water, speed, strength and a mix up of the other together.  What surprised him the most was he could not recognize any trainees using Thunder on the Ocean.  It was what every Assroth was taught from his first days with a saber in his hand.  What he also noticed was they all had different types of sword as well.

  As he scanned over the trainees he caught the eye of the Warder, Byron half thought he had a slight curious look but still couldn’t quite decide weather it was through his wolf like appearance.

‘Terribly sorry Sire I am looking for the Mistress of Trainees.’ He was on one knee as he said the whole thing.

  The warder pointed to his left and watched as Byron quickly moved off in the direction intended.

 

Once in the halls he saw even more trainees and guards, after some more confirmation he found the heavy looking door with the words;

 

MISTRESS THERA

 

MISTRESSOF TRAINEES

 

Byron tried to tidy himself up a bit, trying to make his robes a bit more respectable, and readjusted his saber belt.  With a last calming breath he knocked twice…….

 

OOC:did a bit od rp in the trial thread but no ones been there in awhile so I though to do this hope its ok.

 

[Eqwina]

With the trial over Thera prayed to the Light that her life would fall back into its old routine. Some would think it silly  to wish for structure and discipline, but the last 15 years of Thera’s life had been built around such and the last months without had been torture.

 

Sitting down at her desk she started making her way through the stack of papers on her desk. Even after all these years it still amazed her that her job would come with so much paper work. For not the first time she thought about hiring a secretary to help with the more mundane aspects of her day. Two sharp raps at the door made Thera sigh; no doubt it was another trainee come to add to her paperwork.

 

“Come in! and be quick about it! I have no time to waste with your foolishness.” Shrugging back into her coat she left it unbuttoned and remained seated at her desk. “Well, in with you!” she barked at the boy bowing in the doorway. “Didn’t you hear that I don’t have time to waste? Sit..sit.”  Gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk she eyed the boy up and down. By the way he carried himself she knew he thought himself a fighting man, and one of great honor, those were always a pain.

 

“Since I’ve never seen your face before, I will assume you have come to enlist. What’s your name and why have you come?”

 

[Thorfinn]

~Byron Assroth~

 

He heard a stern voice from the office.

 

“Come in! And be quick about it! I have no time to waste with your foolishness.”

 

Byron opened the door and bowed to the women shrugging on a coat. He felt his checks reddening as he walked in to the office and close the door behind him.  He gazed over the office and was quite surprised at the amount of paperwork strewn around the office. 

Surely this wasn’t Warder’s work?

 

“Didn’t you hear that I don’t have time to waste? Sit..sit.”

 

Byron started as he came out of his day dream, he sat down in the chair and repositioned his saber to sit comfortlly.  The women looked like she was about to pull one of the many weapons off of the wall and skewer him on the end of it. 

 

“Since I’ve never seen your face before, I will assume you have come to enlist. What’s your name and why have you come?”

 

He sensed a slight hint of irritation in her tone.  He stood up again and knelt down on one knee with his left hand on his sword and his right on the floor.

‘Thera Guidain,  I am Byron Assroth, I come from a small community of farms in Saldaea.  For centuries my ancestors have been sending there first born to serve the Aes Sedai of the White Tower,  I am the first born of my father and mother and I have been sent to serve as my forbearers before me.’

Had he said too much, he stayed kneeling facing the floor,  he wondered if any of his uncles or even an aunty  stilled served in the Tower.  He had waited a long time for this day.  His knowledge gained from only his parent's who had only been to the City of Maradon.  They had said an Aes Sedai hadn’t been seen in the region of there farm for 500 hundred years,  and here he was in the presence of what he hoped to be.

  He looked up slightly…..

 

[Eqwina]

“Oh for the love of Light!” Thera muttered under her breath to herself as the boy took a knee. “Not another of these.” She let him say his peace and then simply stared down at him, waiting. Several moments passed before the boy dared to glance up; when he did Thera’s face was dead pan.  “Do you intend to stay prostrated on my floor until morning? If so, I can give you a rag and you can make yourself of some use…Now get up!”

 

“Sit!” She pointed again to the chair in front of her desk and waited until he was settled. Walking around to lean on the corner she silently watched the child. Taking in and cataloging his every move; you never knew when knowing  a person’s little quirk could come in handy. Like lightening her hand darted out and drew the boys saber with a familiar metallic whisk. Without a word she walked it over to the weapons rack and set it in an empty place. “You can have that back once you have convinced me that you wont cut off your own foot. Tell me what you know of weapons.”

[Thorfinn]

Byron rose and sat in the seat again, he could hear Thera moving round the table.  As he sat down the women whisked his saber out and walked off with it.  Byron felt a mix of amazement and anger that this woman was treating him so.  He was not just any young lad; his family had served the tower for an age.  In fact he was quite taken aback with everything he had seen so far.

 

“You can have that back once you have convinced me that you won’t cut off your own foot. Tell me what you know of weapons.”

 

Byron tried to hold back a smile.  He had been given that saber at the age of 16 when he was big enough to wield a larger weapon, he still kept his staff at home everyone of the borderlands was trained to wield weapons.  If you didn’t you were as good as dead.  Byron went back in his memory and tried to remember his father’s words of wisdom he had been taught well before he was aloud to wield the saber.

  ‘My father told me that “a weapon was useless unless the bearer of it was willing.  After all a sword is but metal and leather unless it is wielded rightly.”  Some weapons are better than others; some suit other situations than others do.  But when it comes down to it you have to do with what you have.’

  Byron tried to keep eye contact with Thera but felt uncomfortable under her gaze.

  ‘My father has taught me how to fight since I was big enough to walk, we are from Saldaea and as I am sure you now Mam, if we don’t we are like lambs to the slaughter.  I understand that there is always more to learn but I am not unfamiliar with a sword’

  Byron placed his hands on his knees.

  ‘I do not say I am a master swordsman, and I would not compare my skill to any warder let alone a Tower Guard.  But I have to say I fell naked without my saber.’  Byron had been taught how to box and could handle himself but he would only need to defend for so long before he could find something better to wield.

  ‘I would be indebted to you if I got it back but if not I will understand.’  Byron wasn’t sure if this was some sort of lesson but he felt he was running out of things to say.  He could feel a sense of paranoia sinking in but he would have to adapt.

 

[Eqwina]

Thera shook her head as she listened. She was familiar with the Borderlands, more familiar than she cared to be by half. She and Serena had spent many months not too far from Saldaea fighting off Trollocs raids and helping where they could. It was a hard land and bred hard people, sadly that made the work she had to do that much harder.

 

Anyone was welcome to train in the Warders yard. Whether they meant to remain in the Tower or not. Obviously the goal was to make sure those that trained remained, as such it was half Thera’s job to make sure they all knew the right of things. Which for most meant breaking them down so that they could be remade into the Tower’s vision. It sounded harsh when put that way, but it was a fact of life and a fact of her job.  The young Borderland lads were always the worst, but she’d managed to succeed with Perivar, so there was no reason she could not with this one.

 

“I am sorry Byron, but it cannot be yours again just yet. You’ll not have to wait until you are raised. Never fear that it will be that long, but just not yet.” Her eyes cut to her own sword and she felt the child’s pain. She could not bear a day without her weapon.

 

“I understand that you will not harm yourself, but there are things you need to learn first. The first of which is to unlearn everything you’ve been taught. There are men and women here from every corner of the world and you will learn from them all. It is best if you walk into your training with a clear mind, not thinking you already know the way. For you will soon see that there is so much more than the world outside your parents home. Can you do that Byron? Can you be a newborn again? Go back to the basics and re-learn my way?”

[Thorfinn]

As much as it pained Byron to hear Thera words, he could understand what Mistress of Trainees was getting at.  After all even though he considered himself competent all Thera wanted was for him to be better and not show up the Tower.  He looked over to his sword, he would have to learn from the beginning again.

  Mistress of Trainees, I see what you say now and I completely understand what you want for me, after all if I go into training with cotton in my head of course I am going to find it hard.’  Byron bowed and removed his scabbered and offered it to Thera.

‘May I ask that my saber is kept in its scabbard whilst it resides here?’ 

  Thera took the scabbard and sheathed the saber; she had a quick look at the blade as she sheathed it and placed it on the rack.

  ‘Now Mam what would you have of me?’

 

[Eqwina]

After sheathing his sword Thera laid it gently  back on the rack. She knew how much a weapon could mean, she would not be without her own, and treated them all with it upmost respect.

 

“Tonight you will go to the Barrack house 1 and find an empty bed. I am sure you will be able to find roommates if you wish, or not. Then tomorrow you can come report to me which room you’ve chosen. After that your training will begin. We work from before sun up until…well, until your instructor is done with you.  If you wish a tour of the yards I can give you that now, or you can find your own way. The choice is yours.  Other than that, obey all the rules and you will do just fine.”

[Thorfinn]

Byron took in all Thera had to say, she said it as if she had said it hundreds of times before.  Of course she had Byron never knew how long she had had this post, he would never now.  Once she had finished he decided to ask for directions to the barracks 1 and thanked Thera for her time.  Bowing formally he left the room and headed down the hall following There’s directions.

 

OOC: thank you very much Eqwina, really enjoyed that hope for some more.