With nowhere else to go {Attn MoN}

[TaiDashan]

After a Journey that had seemed to last forever, Evanen and the Sister finally entered the gates of Tar Valon. The sky was a heavy, leaden color that threatened more snow. The Sister’s warder had materialized suddenly as they approached the city, the same way he had every night before camp, and spoken softly with her before glancing at Evanen. The man was stone faced and quiet, but he seemed the kind sort. The Sister on the other hand, had been mercifully loose with her tongue when it came to Evanen’s questions. She had explained briefly the One Power and answered as many questions as Evanen asked. While patient, the woman was firm and brooked no nonsense.

 

It was not long before Evanen had forgotten all about the journey here, caught up as she was with the sights. She trailed her horse behind the Sister and her Warder, eyes nearly falling out of her head. The only thing they had back home that even came close to the sweeping structures of white was the bridge that gave the town its name. Thoughts of home turned to thoughts of her family and the way they had treated her. Sadness settled itself like a weight in her chest, as she remembered the fear on their faces. They had begged, begged! the Aes Sedai to take her away, revulsion clear on their faces. Oh they were very respectful of the Aes Sedai. But Evanen had heard the way they had spoken of them before. Manipulators, dangerous women to be trusted no farther than those besides maybe the Tinkers.

 

Evanen was pulled from her reverie with a start, as they entered what must be the courtyard of the White Tower. The Tower reached for the Heavens in pristine majesty, the sheer height of it causing her to crane her neck. Their horses were taken and after a brief whispered conversation, the Warder headed off to the Light new where, leaving her with the Aes Sedai. The woman looked her over for a moment.

 

“Not having second thoughts are you? Good, come with me. It is time to get you to the Mistress of Novices.” Evanen nodded weakly. She felt as if she might faint! Instead, she pressed her hands to her middle and forced her legs to follow the Aes Sedai. After too much walking to want to remember, Evanen was thoroughly lost. The beautiful tapestries and empty hallways made for quite the journey. Eventually the Sister stopped at a heavy oak door. “Here you are child." She said, handing Evanen a sealed letter. "Knock, go in when asked, and give her this note. ” With a small smile and a nod she glided off down the corridor leaving Evanen alone with the door.

 

Suddenly she was terribly nervous, Light, she felt as if she was going to sick up! She was far from home, starting her journey to be Aes Sedai, without a clue as where to begin. That was not entirely true... Hesitantly she raised her hand to knock. She mentally chided herself. She was 16 for the Creator’s sake, and here she was acting like a child. Firming her resolve she knocked firmly on the door. Hearing a request for her to enter, she pushed the rough oak door inward and shuffled inside. Closing the door behind herself and smoothing her skirts, she found herself facing a somewhat stern looking woman with a dark brown bun. She was not much taller than Evanen, a fact that provided some comfort.

 

“H-hello ma’am, er…Mistress. Um, my name is Evanen Phaedrein.” She punctuated her stammering sentence with a curtsy.  Silently berating herself she took a deep breath. “I am here to become Aes Sedai. I channeled a few times.” She swallowed hard before hurriedly adding, “I didn’t mean to though.” Although the sister that had brought her here had assured her it was ok, it still felt like her accidental touching the Source was a misdeed. Clamping her jaw shut to stem the flow of nervous words, she smoothed her skirts again unnecessarily; waiting for the woman to speak.

 

OOC: She had forgotten in her nervousness to give you the note in her hand ;)

[Elgee]

“Enter!” Larindhra called briskly at the tentative knock on her door. She regarded the girl who entered hesitantly, in a not unkind way. Vivid blue-green eyes stared back at her nervously, flickering over her as the girl introduced herself with a few stammers.  A Wilder? That could cause problems. Larindhra made her smile a touch warmer and waved to the chair in front of her desk. “Sit down, Evanen. My name is Larindhra Reyne. The customary way to address an Aes Sedai is by her name, followed by Sedai.” She smiled warmly to take any sting out of the slight rebuke. “I presume you were brought here by an Aes Sedai?”

 

The girl nodded, and Larindhra held out her hand. At the confused look on the girl’s face, Larindhra chuckled softly. “She gave you a letter for me, yes? The one you are crushing in your hand?” A furious blush followed and the letter was handed over with all haste. Larindhra read through the note from the Blue sister quickly before returning her gaze to the slight girl before her. Burned down a barn … I hope the event was not so traumatic that the girl has built up a block.

 

She pulled the novice book towards her and dipped her quill in the ink. “Your full name, place of birth and age, child?” Larindhra wrote the details down then leant back in her chair while the ink dried. “Laraa explained in her letter what had happened, but why don’t you tell me in your own words? How did it make you feel?”

 

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

 

[TaiDashan]

The woman's smile did a bit to calm her nerves, and Evanen sat when instructed to do so. The room was decorated with books and papers, among other things. While it was not the most richly decorated room she could imagine, it had a comfortable, home-like feel to it that somehow helped her relax.

 

"...The customary way to address an Aes Sedai is by her name, followed by Sedai." Evanen mentally cursed herself for a fool. The Sister she had come with had told her this, but her nerves had made her forget. "I presume you were brought here by an Aes Sedai?" Evanen promptly nodded. Then Larindhra Sedai did something confusing, she held out her hand.

 

What in the Light...She thought to herself before the Mistress of Novices chuckled. "She gave you a letter for me, yes? The one you are crushing in your hand?" With a start Evanen realized she had terribly crumpled the long-forgotten note. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she hurriedly smoothed the note against her bosom, and thrust it into the woman's hands. Larindhra Sedai quickly perused the note before returning her gaze to Evanen consideringly. She pulled a large leather bound book towards her and dipped her quill.

 

"Your full name, place of birth and age, child?" Evanen resolved to show more backbone now that she had already made a fool of herself twice. "Evanen Phaedrein, Larindhra Sedai." She added meekly. "I was born in Whitebridge Andor. I have just recently made it to my 16th nameday." The woman wrote in her large book, leaning back in her chair without sanding the page. "Laraa explained in her letter what had happened, but why don’t you tell me in your own words? How did it make you feel?"

 

"Pardon Larindhra Sedai, but how did what make me feel?" Evanen asked, slightly confused. When the woman made it clear that she was referring to channeling, Evanen's eyes went wide. She almost protested once more that she didn't mean to. However, with Laraa Sedai's reassurance in her head , she took a deep breath.

 

"Honestly ma'am, um...Larindrha Sedai," She said softly. "I don't remember much. You see, my Grandmother died." her tone grew sad as she mentioned the death of Romarlata. "I was just so sad...I felt, so alone without her. I felt the sadness just welling up inside me with no where to go." she waved her hands about in a helpless gesture. "Then I got upset..."

 

Images of that night flashed through her mind. This was the first time she had spoken of it to anyone since that night, not even her parents. The Mistress of Novices's presence just seemed a calming, comforting thing. Insomuch as she felt almost compelled to talk about it. Years of stored grief propelled her words outward, almost as if something had given way inside. The next part was what had kept her from speaking of that night, it had frightened her and she had been sure she would be punished.

 

"You see," She said, staring through the woman at some unseen night two years in the past. "It was like..it was like..." She floundered for words for a moment, it was something not easily described. "All my anger just lashed out sort of.." Her eyes focused on the woman in front of her once more as if suddenly remembering she was there, and a blush warmed her cheeks. "I was so scared of what I had done...I didn't mean to" she finished softly, meaning the barn. A single tear glimmered at the edge of her right eye and she dashed it away apologetically.

 

Evanen Phaedrein

Novice of the White Tower

Lonely and Anxious

[Elgee]

Judging from the letter the Blue sister had written her, as well as the girl’s own words, it seemed certain that Evanen was afraid of the One Power and the damage it could cause. Hoping to show her that it was not necessarily always a destructive force, Larindhra wove flows of Air to lift the tea tray to her. Another flow, this time of Fire, heated the water until steam rose from it. She directed a reassuring smile at the girl as she busied herself with making some tea and arranging cookies on a plate.

 

“It is quite natural that you would be afraid of some of the things which can be done with the One Power. In fact, it speaks very well of you that your are!” She handed Evanen a cup of tea and the cookies. “Luckily you are now in a place where you can be taught and guided properly. If you listen to your teachers, and do as they tell you, your control of Saidar will grow as your strength in it does, so that you will never again do something that you did not intend with it.”

 

She sipped her own tea calmly. “And should an accident happen, there will be an Accepted or Aes Sedai supervising you. They will be able to prevent anything dire from happening. Just be sure never to even attempt to embrace the Source without them present, yes?” She waited until she was sure the girl had taken in her words, then rose and gestured her towards the little storeroom which lead off her office. “Let’s get you some new clothes, child.”

 

She took a few sets of novice whites off one of the shelves and handed it to Evanen. “Try these on, my dear, and dress yourself in the set that fits you best. Anything of value which you would like to keep, you can either leave here for me to send to your room later, or put in your belt pouch. Please make a bundle of the clothes you were wearing and bring that with you.”

 

She went back to her desk to finish her tea as she waited for the girl to dress in the pure white all novices wore.

 

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[TaiDashan]

Evanen watched amazed as the tray of tea floated over to the Mistress of Novices as if on invisible hands. A second more and steam rose from the spout of the tea pot. Larindrha Sedai smiled at her and Evanen realized she must be channeling the One Power.

 

"It is quite natural that you would be afraid of some of the things which can be done with the One Power. In fact, it speaks very well of you that your are!" She assured her before handing her a cup of tea and the cookies. She took one from the plate and held the cup of tea by the tiny handle. Larindrha Sedai continued, explaining to her the safety of learning tho wield the One Power here in the Tower.

 

For the first time since her journey from home, Evanen felt the full weight of what she was here to do. Oh she had known, but with the homesickness, the excitement of a journey, and the prospect of seeing more of the world than her little town, Evanen had simply not given it too much thought. Now the realization crashed in upon her like a heavy fist. She could channel the One Power, the force that was said to drive the very Wheel of Time! Larindrha Sedai's words floated through the shock and Evanen struggled to recall what she had said.

 

"Just be sure never to even attempt to embrace the Source without them present, yes?" Wide eyed she nodded. She could not even imagine doing so. It was hard to believe what Laraa Sedai had said about her channeling. What had happened sure didn't seem like it. "Let’s get you some new clothes, child."

 

As they stepped into the storeroom, the Mistress of Novices took a few dresses from the shelf and handed it them to Evanen. "...Anything of value which you would like to keep, you can either leave here for me to send to your room later, or put in your belt pouch..." With that she walked into the other room, leaving Evanen alone. The only things that she had of value were the ring her grandmother had given her on her left hand, and the ivory comb she had gotten for her fifteenth nameday. The small amount of gold she had already nestled in her pouch with her comb.

 

Peeking out the door briefly to make sure she would not be disturbed, Evanen removed her belt and pulled her dress over her head. The first dress of pure white was too snug around the hips and made breathing difficult. The second set fit better than the third and so she settled with that one. Setting the two dresses back on the shelf, she bundled her dress and belt with her belt pouch leaving her grandmother's ring on her finger. She was not sure that was allowed, but she had not taken it off since her grandmother had died. She would only do so now if specifically told to do so.

 

Gathering her things she stepped out to the room, and handed the bundle to the Mistress of Novices. For a moment she stood there looking at the woman holding all she had owned, wondering if she would notice the ring and tell her she must remove it. She took a deep breath and tried to smile.

Evanen Phaedrein

Novice of the White Tower

Hoping

[Elgee]

Whilst Evanen was trying on her new clothes, Larindhra sipped at her tea and pondered on who to assign as her Mentor. I wonder … too many look down on Wilders, but maybe …  There was one young woman who had learned a valuable lesson about the pitfalls life could throw at one. A young woman who needed to be given responsibility in order to find her sense of self-worth again. She looked up at Evanen with a smile as the girl re-entered her office, now dressed all in white. “Accepted Deanne will be your mentor – she will explain the rules to you, and guide you through your first months in the Tower.” 

 

“Before I take you to your new room, there is something we have to do first. Come with me, child, and bring your old clothes with you. And oh – you will have to remove that ring, child. You can keep it in your belt pouch.”

 

Silently she led the way down to a secluded courtyard, where she ordered the new novice to place her clothes in a bundle in the middle. “What I am about to do is a symbolic gesture of the end of your old life. Once this is done, you enter a new life, breaking all bonds with the past. The White Tower is your life, your future.” Her face solemn, Larindhra looked Evanen in the eye as she spoke. Embracing the Source, she channelled a Weave of Fire at the clothes, setting them alight. Quietly they watched until everything was burned to ashes.

 

Larindhra placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Welcome to the Tower. Welcome to your new life.” She waited a few moments more for the child to regain her composure. “Come, let’s get you settled into your room.” Larindhra continued as they walked along the passages and winding ramps leading to the novice quarters. “There are many rules and customs you need to learn before it will be safe for you to venture out into the Tower, but your mentor will explain all of that to you.” She would make sure Deanne went gently with the child. “Well, here we are at your room. Remember that you are to keep it, and yourself, clean at all times. I will see you tomorrow morning in my office to assign you to classes. Good day, child.”

 

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[TaiDashan]

"Accepted Deanne will be your mentor – she will explain the rules to you, and guide you through your first months in the Tower." Larindhra said, smiling at her. Evanen almost breathed a sigh of relief as the woman for her to follow. She was going to let her keep the ring. Her relief was cut short however as Larindhra added as almost an afterthought. "And oh – you will have to remove that ring, child. You can keep it in your belt pouch."

 

Evanen simply stood there for a moment, struggling with herself. She was fully aware that this was the first test of obedience here in the Tower, and that this was not the time to get off on the wrong foot so to speak. Removing the ring she placed it in her belt pouch alongside her comb. It felt like tearing a part of her away...she truly was a part of the Tower now.

 

Somewhat dejected, Evanen followed the Mistress of Novices down to the courtyard where she was instructed to place her bundle of clothes on a large stone. Larindhra explained the symbolic gesture behind what they were doing and her belongings caught fire. Evanen's thoughts drifted to the ring in her pouch along with her hand and a tear escaped to roll down her cheek in silence. Larindhra gently laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

 

"Welcome to the Tower. Welcome to your new life." She said simply. After a moment she guided her back into the Tower and down ramps and hallways. "There are many rules and customs you need to learn ... but your mentor will explain all of that to you." She said, bringing her at last to a rough wooden door that looked like all the others.

 

"Well, here we are at your room. Remember that you are to keep it, and yourself, clean at all times. I will see you tomorrow morning in my office to assign you to classes. Good day, child." Taking a breath she attempted a smile and opened the door to her new room, her new life, and to new beginnings.

 

Evanen Phaedrein

Novice of the White Tower

New Beginnings