Rahiendazar enters Tar Valon, attn: Evaida and MON

[rahiendazar]

Sunlight glinted off stone, and glass, and Rahien didn't know what as she paused on the road. Tar Valon, a city she was vaguely aware she would have been awed by just a couple monthes back. Now she felt nothing. She had never seen a city before starting her journey, and she had still never seen one as great as Tar Valon, but somehow she cared no more for seeing it than she had for any of the towns, villages, or the city of Carhien she had passed through to get there. Feeling had left her shortly after setting out on her journey, and then it had been pain.

 

The glare was almost blinding. Rahien nudged stepper forward. She had had Stepper since she had been 10, and now Stepper no longer went quickly. she had chosen stepper though, because somehow the familiarity was comforting. she thought about Stepper for a moment, and about the day she had been given Stepper by her mother. Dad had said she was being spoiled. Mom had stated that every lady should have her own mount. Mom always won the disputes. Somehow the memory did not hurt, as it would have a month ago, She didn't feel anything from it. what did any of it matter anyway?

 

It wasn't long before bridges, towers, and what she could only consider great manor houses passed slowly by. the streets of Tar Valon were overly crowded, and uncomfortable. Vaguely she wished for the wide open grounds of the manor, and for her dad crossing the feild to tell her it was time to stop picking flowers and come in for dinner. Even this was not so much painfull, as melancholy.

 

Rahien brought her thoughts to the present and looked arround her, not to admire the architecture, but rather to gain her bearings. It wasn't difficult. In Carhien she had gotten lost several times just trying to find an inn (ending up in one she normally would have never gone near... but what had it mattered) and then several more times trying to exit the city. Here she thought she should have no trouble finding the Tower. There was only one building it could be, and only one street that could possibly lead to it. She followed the street through the slowly thinning crowd. Some, afterall, seemed to be avoiding the structure at all costs, taking roads that would take them twice as long as just going straight where they were headed. Large imposing gates loomed before her. this was where they would have taken her to had an aes sedai found her channeling. she was positive that was what had happened. trolocs did not just go up in flame in a normal situation. she sighed deeply and rode into the stables.

 

"Take good care of her" she said softly as she handed the stableman something silver. she didn't know if it was a crown or a penny, she didn't care. "She deserves it." she payed no attention to the response as she pulled her cloak arround her, drawing her small waist pouch a bit behind her. Solomly she walked into the front door. the interior was, she was somehow aware, as impressive as the exterior. She didn't care. There, that looked like the description the woman at the last inn had given her. the woman had claimed to have been to the tower, a claim which Rahien was not sure was true. it didn't matter though. "Excuse me" she said softly behind the woman in the banded dress, watching the girl jump. "I can channel, i would like to be taken to someone who can enroll me"

 

Eyes widened in surprise at er and she sighed inwardly once again. "Please" she added in a soft tone.

[Evaida]

Today was like every other day in the Tower, busy. There was never a dull moment for an Accepted such as Evaida and today she had the pleasure of greeting visitors in the main hall. It did not matter what time of day or what the weather may be there was always a petitioner wanting a dispute settled, a mother with a sick child to be healed or a girl wanting to be tested – although those were few and far between. Yes today was no different to any other day, or so Evaida thought.

 

Having just settled a disagreement between two rather fervent shopkeepers Evie was just about ready to have a break. Men always seemed to think they knew best and trying to reach a compromise between two of them was no easy task. Glancing around the room all the visitors seemed to be taken care of. She was just about to head to the kitchen to get something to settle her ravaging stomach when a small voice came from behind her.

 

"I can channel, i would like to be taken to someone who can enrol me… Please" the girl practically whispered

 

It was hard to hide her surprise, it certainly wasn’t everyday that a Wilder walked into the Tower let alone by herself. Evaida smiled warmly “Of course, follow me†there was no need to test the girl to be sure Evie could sense her ability, what made her wonder was how the girl knew. A Wilders ability could manifest itself in many different ways, often unbeknownst to the girl herself. Evaida had the spark inborn and did not find out until she came to the Tower.

 

The young woman followed silently behind as Evie led the way to the Mistress of Novices office. Slowing her pace a little she drew level with the girl. She seemed… solemn, which was unusual, most girls were ecstatic when they found out they could channel, depending of course on the circumstances. Originating for Tear, Evaida could understand a fear of channelling but somehow she felt there was more to the story.

 

Deep in thought she almost missed the corridor that led to Faerzyne Sedai’s office, taking a quick left she continued down the hall, their destination only a few doors away. “What is your name?†she broke the silence as they approached the door, taking a mental note of the girl’s reply, “I’m Evaida, and this is the Mistress of Novices office, Faerzyne Sedai will take care of your enrolment.â€

 

Knocking on the door, Evaida entered at the Gray sister’s summons. She had a great deal of respect for the Sister particularly because she was of the Ajah Evie aspired to but also because the Mistress of Novices was a woman that demanded respect. “Please excuse the interruption Aes Sedai, I have a young woman to be enrolled†curtsying deeply she ushered Rahien in and waited outside by Faerzyne’s instruction.

[rahiendazar]

Rahien followed the accepted through halls as beautifull as any he had ever immagined, more beautifull in reality, but it was a beauty she hardly even noticed as she passed rainbow carpets and tapestries of various scenes, she supposed in history, though she didn't know. Even the thought of what the scenes in the tapestries were of was distant.

 

It startled her a bit when a voice broke her thoughts. "What is your name?" she blinked, "Rahiendazar" she responded after a moment. "Or Rahien if you wish" she hadn't been called Rahiendazar since her mother had died. the memory twisted her stomach. she hoped the woman did not wish to call her by her full name.

 

" I’m Evaida, and this is the Mistress of Novices office, Faerzyne Sedai will take care of your enrolment." she noded slightly this would be an important door to remember, and impotrtant to remember how to get there. she didn't think she would need to know how to get there from the front door for a long while. that was a good thing. she couldn't remember how they had gotten there. The idea that she had no way of knowing how to get out didn't even faze her. she didn't care. afterall, she wasn't leaving anyway.

 

Rahien listened and watched as an invitation to enter came, and curtsied as she had seen the accepted, Evaida, she had thought the name was... as she had seen Evaida do then straightened awaiting whatever was comming with no emotion whatsoever. they could do what they wanted to her. it didn't matter anymore.

[Lavinya]

Countless times Faerzyne Grigory had glanced at the sun already, and before the day had ended, countless more times would be added to that. She sighed softly, and inclined her head a little, causing the little bells attached to her braids to tingle softly. Yet even the bells sounded a bit weary, as if they too suffered from a lack of sleep. The Mistress of Novices stifled a yawn, and turned her attention on the book of Novices again. Everything was recorded in there, after all. Everything that mattered at least. Last night another Accepted had ventured into the rings, and passed through them free of everything she had been before she became who she was now. In her fine handwriting Faerzyne made a note of the raising in the book of Novices. Today the girl would choose her Ajah, and her fate would become truly entwined with that of the Tower. Her choice was no secret to Faerzyne, the way very little that happened among the novices and accepted of the White Tower was a secret to her.

 

She closed the big book after she was done. The book looked a little old, but the preservation wards that were set on it worked well. It seemed as though it would never get full. Faerzyne had once paged through it, and found her own name, as well as that of the Mistress of Novices before her. It was interesting to learn how long some of her sisters had been here, and how long they had taken to get themselves raised. Wistfully Faerzyne peered at the sun again, only to find that it hadn’t moved a bit. The day was still young, and she would be tired and aching by the time it was done. Not that the work of the Mistress of Novices ever truly ended. There were wards on the door to the office that told her people were waiting in front of it. The wards would wake her, even if someone tried to sneak in when the night was at it’s darkest.

 

Just as she thought of the wards, a tingling sensation crept over her skin, telling her that someone was about to knock on her door. Soon enough the sound of knocking followed. The sound of a knock often told her a lot about who wished to enter. This was the hesitant knock of someome who came to her with a request. Faerzyne took a moment to school her expression into something a little less depressing than the look of fatigue she had had. “Enter.†She said, her voice calm and low as usual. The door opened as she channelled a thread of air to it. To whomever entered it might seem as magic. Two young women greeted her gaze, Evaida, and another young woman dressed in clothing that suggested she was not of the Tower. Yet. Things might change soon. Nodding to the Accepted in recognition of the curtesy paid, she turned her eyes to the newcomer. “You have come to become a novice?†The girl nodded, and Faerzyne waved the two to be seated in the chairs before her desk.

 

“Tell me, child…†She started, deliberately using the word child. She would become accustomed to it before she was raised to Aes Sedai, and Faerzyne saw no point in shielding the girl from what would be her reality during the next twenty years of her life, if she turned out to be worthy of staying. “Have you been tested?†The girl shook her head, indicating that she had not been tested, or perhaps that she didn’t even know what the test entailed. Faerzyne smiled reassuringly at the young woman, and opened one of the drawers of her desk. There was only one item in the drawer. A gray, clear gem that she had received from the former Mistress of Novices.

 

Slowly she rose from her seat, and walked to the other side of the desk. Though she was by no means the tallest Aes Sedai within the White Tower, she imagined that she must come across as being a giantess to the young woman sitting in the uncomfortable chair. She knelt in front of her, trying to relax the young woman a little. The test would be hard enough as it was without Rahiendazar being terrified of her. “Clear your mind completely, and focus on the stone.†She said. The girl did, staring at the stone intently. Time passed, and Faerzyne worried that her arm would cramp up before the girl showed any sign of potential. Just as she thought there would be nothing, Faerzyne was certain she could feel a resonance from the girl, if faint. Yet no light appeared in the stone. Perhaps she had such little potential it was all but unnoticed...or perhaps there was another reason.

 

Rising, she resisted the urge to stretch her back as she crossed back to sit behind her desk. "Tell me child, have you ever suffered from unexplained illness, fever or chills, that lasted several days? Perhaps it has occurred more than once?" Her tone was light, but she watched closely as the girl answered. If her hunch was correct, the girl before her was a wilder, channelling whether she wanted to or not. And if so, she likely had a block, most did.

 

~Faerzyne, MoN

[rahiendazar]

Rahien almost blinked as the great wooden door opened in front of her, and her eyes took in her surroundings without thought, from the desk and chair, to the mirror on the wall. She took a seat when instructed to do so, her eyes finally resting on the woman behind the desk.

 

At first glance, she would have said the woman was young, perhaps no older than she herself. On second glance, she would have said, by the look in her eyes, her grandmother's age, before her grandmother had gone to the creator's embrace, and then neither age. There was no age that Rahien could put to the woman. this must be what they meant by ageless aes sedai look. she wondered vaguely if she would ever look like this.

 

Rahien didn't flinch at the use of the word child, it didn't matter what the woman called her, she listened to the woman's question about testing. she didn't know what this testing would involve, but she was pretty sure she hadn't been tested for anything. she shook her head slightly, not a bit of emotion showing.

 

her eyes followed the woman as she took out a small polished stone. it was not a stone of any worth, and she wondered at why anyone would keep it.

 

Rahien looked at the stone as instructed, wondering why she was doing this, but then, it didn't really matter, did it? she focused on it as required. perhaps this was to see if she could follow dirrections. Nothing happened. There was silence for awhile before she looked back up at the mistress of novices again, the next question taking her a bit off guard.

 

"Tell me child, have you ever suffered from unexplained illness, fever or chills, that lasted several days? Perhaps it has occurred more than once?"

 

"Twice Aes Sedai, but only the week following having channeled"

[Lavinya]

"Twice Aes Sedai, but only the week following having channeled." The words caught Faerzyne by surprise, though her serene features altered not a whit. So the girl already knew she had channelled, and more than once. It seemed she had arrived just in time, though the words confirmed the gray's suspicions - the girl before her was a wilder, and since she had not done well on the testing, she had a block. An irritating hinderance, to be sure, but one that would be dealt with.

 

So the girl had already channelled. This meant she had to know, somewhere deep down inside of herself that she would be accepted within the White Tower. That she would learn to channel to the best of her abilities. Still the girl remained impassive in her seat, and Faerzyne wondered if it was because she couldn’t quite believe that she would be asked to stay, that the reality of the admission had not sunk in yet. Faerzyne decided to relieve her from the tension that was building. She opened the book of Novices which was still in front of her. “So you can channel, how very interesting.†Her voice was flat and emotionless as she picked up her pen, and prepared to write. “Let’s see about making your stay here a bit more permanent then, shall we?â€

 

She didn’t have to look at the young woman to see that there was a change in the tension that had kept her in it’s thrall, though whether it was relief, excitement or trepidation, she did not know. “Can you tell me your full name?†As the girl replied, she wrote it down in the book. Another life sealed to the Tower, for better and for worse. “And your place of birth and raising?†again she wrote, making Rahiendazar‘s stay more certain with every letter, every curved and straight line. “And finally your age.†She finished with a dot behind the age, which felt as heavy and important as any signature from any high lord or lady. “Welcome to the White Tower.â€

 

~Faerzyne, MoN

[rahiendazar]

Rahien nodded impassively as the aes sedai decided to let her stay. she could have gone home, she would have liked that. it just wasn't safe though, and she knew it. Still, staying here for perhaps the rest of her life was not something she looked forward to. still, she would be aes sedai. someday she would be aes sedai.

 

"Rahiendazar Hardan", "Carhien, near the Northern Border", "18" the answers came with no more emotion than her first signt of the city had, and Rahien cared no more about them than anything else, she simply watched as the answers were written down, a feeling of finality filling the room.

 

"Thank you, Aes Sedai, where must I go now?" she went wwhere she was dirrected, and left the small office, not expecting to ever return to the office. She would not be in trouble, and unless classes were held there, which, by the size of the office seemed unlikely, she would not return. She just wanted to finish what she had came here for, and perhaps, someday she would go home.

[Evaida]

Standing outside the Mistress of Novices office Evaida watched as novices and accepted alike scuttled past the dreaded door. There were only a few reasons why you would go to this office and most of them weren't pleasant. Just when she thought she would be waiting all day Rahiendazar came through the door.

 

"Well, I guess I can officially welcome you to the White Tower" she said cheerfully hoping to liven the girls spirits to no avail “It looks like I will be your mentor. Come this way and I will show you to your roomâ€. They did not even reach the end of the hall when a novice came bursting out of Faerzyne’s office at an alarming pace headed for the stables, no doubt with instructions as to where Rahien’s belongings were to be taken. “Best pay close attention so you know where to go, the halls are very much alike and it is not hard to get yourself lost. So Rahien where do you hail from?†by the looks of her she was from the East, she was far to fair to be from as far south as Tear. Only a tad shorter than Evie, Rahien looked as though she could be Caihienen if a little tall.

 

“It is really not that bad here once you get use to the busy schedule. You won’t get a lot of spare time but you will get a free day every two weeks. What do you do with your spare time? Any hobbies…interests…?†Evaida glanced at the girl walking beside her whose face remained emotionless, there had to be something she could do to get even a hint of a smile from Rahien.

[rahiendazar]

Rahien blinked, and answered the accepted's questions dirrectly. It didn't take much, just a word or two. She didn't know what to think. the woman seemed... very talkative. She hadn't ever minded talking, just... it didn't seem right for anyone to be hapy. but then, she didn't feel upset as she should, just empty. perhaps she was blighted somehow.

she turned her thoughts from that to the corridors they passed through. she thought at least that the woman was right, in that she could easily get lost in these coridors. she paid attention to the turns they made. She blinked in surprise at the accepted's question. was it interest? or did the tower need to know her hobies as well as her name and homeland? she didn't know.

"I garden, and embroider" she said simply, still no emotion on her face. "And read"

[Evaida]

Coming to a halt outside the novice quarters Evaida considered Rahien's answers. A budding brown perhaps? It was far too early to tell. "This will be home for the first few years at least" she looked up at the levels of novice rooms. The top level hadn't been used in years, standing as a symbol of the dwindling numbers in the Tower. "The rooms are not big but they are quite cosy and you will spend most of your time out and about with classes and such".

 

Turning back to the corridors Evie headed towards the library via the kitchen and dining halls. Still the new novice followed solemnly. Evaida paused just a moment to poke her head in the door of the kitchen before she could get dragged in to scrub some pots. “Hopefully you won’t have to spend much time in there†she said before moving on “The dining hall is one place you don’t want to be late for if you want to get a decent helping at meal timeâ€. Winding through the corridors Evie stopped outside a pair of large doors “You said you liked reading, well then you may like what lies behind these doors†she pushed the door open quietly to reveal the library “this is probably the largest collection of books in the world today, you could read one a day every day until you were a hundred and never read the same book twiceâ€. She perused over the masterful bookcases stacked with book and scrolls between glances at Rahien, there had to be some way to get the girl talking.

[rahiendazar]

Rahien followed along as the accepted showed her arround, keeping carefull note of where things were and how to get there. She supposed all of this was life now. it was the way things were. The hallways changed, and they made turn after turn. Rahien was afraid she would be lost for awhile, whether she tried to remember where things were or not.

The Dining room and kitchen seemed hardly worth note at all. she planned on staying out of trouble. as for food... well, she hadn't been hungry much for monthes. she did make herself eat some, but she was not hungry.

the library on the other hand... the pure number of books. she blinked, her eyes widening as she looked at them. For a moment she thought she felt something. it was the first time in a long time, but then it was gone. still, she realized, she would not have a hard time finding something to read...

[Evaida]

There was something, if only for a brief moment, that changed in Rahien, a slight twinkle in her eye when they settled on the rows and rows of books. But the second Evaida thought she saw something it was gone. With a short walk through the book cases pointing out the different sections Evie headed back into the corridors with one more place in mind. Her favourite place in the whole of the Tower.

 

Taking the quickest route to the nearest exit brought them out into the gardens. Following the paths that she knew like the back of her hand Evaida lead Rahien towards the back of the Tower grounds. "Some of these trees are as old as the Tower itself and you will find that even though the gardens are a popular place to study there is always a quiet corner to be found. Through there," Evie nodded at a gate just to their left that was framed by two large stone herons "is the heron garden. My mentor took me there when I first came to the Tower. It hold alot of memories. In fact I discovered my block in there. I am a wilder too." she smiled at Rahien "But there is one more place I would like to show you."

 

Continuing down the path they found themselves in the stable yard. Taking in the smell of horses and hay, Evie followed the rows of stalls until she came to the one she was looking for. "This is my favourite place. If I am not studying or in class I am here." she produced a sugar cube from her belt pouch and fed it to the grey stallion reaching over the stable door "This my my horse Akai. He brought me to the Tower and I will retire him when I become Aes Sedai" she stroked old stallion on the forehead "Do you like horses?"

[rahiendazar]

Rahien looked arround at the gardens. they were well tended, and actually beautifull, though the beauty of them effected her no more than had the beauty of the architecture of Tar Valon, nor the decorations in the White tower. None of it made any difference. Not all the beautifull architecture, fine tapestries, or perfect roses could have saved her father. nor could they bring him back. for this reason they did not matter.

They passed through the gardens, and to the stables. there were many horses from different bloodstock, there was even a razer in a stall. Rahien looked at all the horses. she was a fine judge of horses, but this did not excite her either. she meerely looked them all over, and looked at the one the accepted was talking about. "He is a good horse accepted, i am sure he did very well bringing you here"

[Evaida]

Evaida could not help but be a little disappointed. She still had not managed to cheer Rahiendazar up, she had tried everything she could think off.

 

"He is a good horse accepted, I am sure he did very well bringing you here"

 

“Yes he is a good horse, of the top Tairen bloodlines too†her voice held a hint of sadness, Evie knew she would have to give him up eventually, he would be happy in a large field with plenty of grass but she couldn’t help but feel like she was loosing her best friend. “Anyway, I am sure you will want to be getting to your room and settling in†she said as she lead Rahien back into the Tower “If you need anything or even just someone to talk to my room is on the second level of the Accepted quarters right in the very middle and any interruption from study is usually a welcome one†Evaida hoped that the novice would one day accept her new life in the White Tower and perhaps even come to enjoy it.