Leaving the Tower (Atten: Dante)

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Rasheta left Jaydena’s office; she had just gotten permission for both herself and her warder to leave the White Tower. Jaydena had wanted to make sure that she was aware where all her sisters were. It had always been a Green Ajah policy to tell the Captain General so if you died at least she would be able to tell the Ajah where you fell. She was going to return to the Blight where she would find someway to put Adrian to rest. She wasn’t sure how Dante was going to take it but she didn’t suppose he would argue either. This would be educational for him, she justified to herself. Patrolling the borderlands and going into the blight would help him become a better warder, although to those new to being a Gaidin the blight was more then just a training exercise it could be death. She shook her head and walked toward her quarters at a slightly faster pace, she had to show Dante the Vault so he would know where to take some things she would give him should she be killed. She also needed to know if there was anything he would want there should he die. Neither thought was a pleasant one but one never knew when one would meet the creator.

 

Rasheta pushed open the door to her quarters and went toward Dante’s room. She knew he was there as she could feel him close by in her head. She didn’t bother knocking, as she knew him to be alone, or at least not engaged in activities that were best done in the dark. She had many surprised nights recently where she woke up to feelings that were not her own. She had learned to mask the bond before she went to bed. She leaned against the door and just looked at the room for a moment. Dante seemed to be ignoring her, she wasn’t sure why but he took a rather more aloof stance with her more often then not. She spoke to his back. “We are leaving for the Blight soon, I suggest you stop ignoring me and come with me there is something I need to show you.” She waited a moment till he did give her his attention then she turned and walked from the room. She already had the small things she wanted placed in her cubby in the Vault with her she just needed to hand them to Dante. She pushed open the door to the Vault and waited till Dante came in. She told him

 

“This is the room where all the Green sisters and there warders are remembered if I am to die in the Blight you must promise you will live long enough to come and place this here or if you can’t promise that much. You must promise me you will live long enough to give this to Jaydena or one of the other Greens. It will be hard but it will give you something to live for at least for awhile.” She handed Dante a small bag, she didn’t tell him what was in it but she knew. A small ring with her family’s crest on it, a necklace of green beads that Adrian had given her and part of her Green Ajah shawl. All the things that made her, her were there. She added, “before we go I would ask you to do the same so I have something to put here should you be killed while we are away.” She was very matter of fact about this, she was before leaving the tower and always had been now she just needed to give her warder a chance to ask what the plan was. She turned and walked back toward her rooms waiting. “If you have questions now would be the time to ask. Otherwise be ready in the morning.” She waited.

 

[Sangreal]

Dante was training when Rasheta came in. Trying to train. His concentration was non existent and reading offered only a moment of distraction. He had taken women to his bed, something he said he wouldnt sink to. He lived with guilt every day and a longing that he fed the void. Yet there she was. The object of his affection. He nodded at her instructions. She had been nervous about entering his room of late and he couldnt blame her for that. The flame danced in her presence and he almost lost it. He fed his lover of her to it but the guilt... he just couldnt do all his emotions.

 

The vault as he expected it would contained mostly weapons, shawls, a few rings or broaches with house insignias. He was not sure what he would leave here. He did have the cloak pins with house insignias that he made for the family. He could have that brought here if he needed to. He shook his head at the thought. The vault was huge. You could almost count the years from the styles and items in there. His eyes were drawn to an area he figured must have been the Trolloc Wars. He wouldnt have been able to calculate that had it not been for Sandre pushing books on him, and there it was. A Black Smith's hammer and some other items. One he almost thought was a signet ring. He gazed a moment then turned and left the vault. He didnt want to put anything here. There didnt need to be something to remember him by. He would be remembered by those who loved him and that would be sufficient. As he passed her he let her know. "What you would put here to remember me by is in the drawer on the bottom of my armor stand." He didnt tell her it was empty. She would find out when he was dead.

 

He didnt have any questions. Just a lot to prepare. He had argued with his brother and needed to resolve that before he left and he needed to tell Edana good bye.  He wrote letters to his Father and Sister and of course Eldest. He was packed within an hour and was content to read in the common room Rasheta's quarters.

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Rasheta had been waiting for questions about why they were going, what they were going to do there and any number of other questions instead all she got was "What you would put here to remember me by is in the drawer on the bottom of my armor stand." She blinked and simply stared at Dante's back as he went into his room. She was surprised it couldn't be this easy could it? She had always been questioned before when she left the tower. She waited a moment and when Dante didn't return she went into her room to get ready she had started out wearing divided dresses when she was out riding but Adrian had changed her mind about that it was easier to ride and fight while you were riding if you were wearing a good pair of breeches and a swordsmen shirt. She had a pair of both and she put them on. She put her shawl and a dress away so that when they made it to the borderlands she would actually look like an Aes Sedai. The men there would never question what an Aes Sedai did but she still felt at least while she was one of the cities she should look the part. She was quickly ready to go and fixed her hair and twirled around in front of her small mirror looking at herself as best she could. She wasn't sure if the clothes fit her as well as they once had, she had been lazy here in the tower and that meant she would need to work out more. She tossed her head and sighed she wondered if she should get a male view point. She opened her door and saw Dante reading. She came into the room and asked, "do you think this is suitable for riding?" She twirled around and then sat down opposite Dante.

 

"I should tell you why we are going to the blight I forgot before because I wanted to make sure you knew the duty you would have to do should I die while we are there." She paused and then continued "I wanted to put Adrian to rest in my memory in order to do that I need to return to the Blight. I suppose you would call it facing your fears." She sighed and added "Its not fair to my current warder for me to carry around the memory and pain. I asked Jaydena if I could go a lone and she almost lost her temper with me." Rasheta laughed then "I guess leaving without your warder is simply not done." She shrugged and stretched "Although it would have saved you from seeing my pain when we get there. Are you fully prepared to go?"

[Sangreal]

Dante nodded that he was ready and put down the book. It was small and leather bound and consisted of small maps of the Borderlands and the Blight that Sandre had altered to show where there were hidden water supplies and places to hide or evade an enemy if needed. He was happy that Rasheta was going to put the past behind her but he had doubts of finding her former husband's body. Just the same he was duty bound to protect and protect her he would. It seemed rather a foolish thing to go into the Blight for though. He wondered briefly what Adrian had in the vault.

 

"The clothes will be fine." He was dressed rather light. A studded leather chest piece with iron shoulders, iron knee pads, heavy leather riding boots that were well worn. A wicked iron gauntlet on his left hand and leather bracers. Hidden about him were various weapons and tools and his clothes were browns and grays to blend with the land.

 

"You wished to leave in the morning did you not?"