A detour or two on an Autumn day (Faile and Rossa)

[Evaida]

It was a typical Autumn day in Tar Valon, the sky was over cast but the sun peaked through a gap in the clouds. The air held a slight chill and Evaida drew her banded cloak around her to keep the out occasional cold breeze. She stood on the steps of the White Tower, she hadn't been there long and she did not expect to be their much longer. The novices she commandeered were probably just as excited to get out of the Tower as she was. As if they had read her mind, two girls in novice whites appeared at her side. “We best be on our way if we are to get everything with a few detours†she smiled slyly, clutching the list a Gray Sister had given her earlier in one hand and the pouch of coins in the other.

 

The items on the list were nothing unusual, material, yarn, cotton, quills, ink, parchment and a few other things. Sisters often recruited Accepted to run such errands to allow them to get out and take a break from study. Besides Evie was never one to pass up an opportunity to refine her bargaining skills. “Once we get to the main street it might be quicker if we split up. I will get the quills, ink and parchment and you two can start with the material†it would be interesting to see how they went with the task, Evaida remembered when she was given the task of buying material for the first time, it certainly was not as easy as it sounded. Being an initiate of the Tower meant that most people payed you the proper respect however being in novice whites sometimes gave people the impression of naivety. “Any questions?â€

[Guest Faile1987]

Faile

 

Shivering in the coolness of the windy autumn weather, Faile soon was grateful for having taken a warmer cloak than she had intended to bring for the tour to Tar Valon lying ahead of them. Shuffling her feet, she huddled a little deeper into her long white cloak, enclosing her rather short figure entirely and soon she had actually warmed up enough to forget the thoughts roaming in her head about how slack she had become during the months – or was it a year already? – she had spent in the White Tower now. In fact Shienaran autumn were reknown to be colder than most winters in nations in the middle of the world like Tar Valon or Andor were. Indeed she seemed to get very used to the way of living inside the White Tower, delighted about not losing her way half as often as she used to anymore.

 

Even her being punctual had improved, after more visits to the Mistress of Novices´study as she could or care to remember that was, but still she was amazed about how much she had changed from the naïve girl that had entered the White Tower a year ago, till now as she was standing in front of Evaida, the Accepted that was supposed to give her and another girl, who she believed had just recently come to the Tower today´s chore. A chore she knew a lot of young girls her age were looking forward to, to be let out of the stark seclusion of the Tower walls, going down to Tar Valon to buy ingredients or other things any Sister might need and had sent them on and errand to see to that for her.

 

Yet the first thing that had popped into her head when she absorbed Evaida´s instructions had been the memories about her last trip to Tar Valon, her first trip there on her own in fact. A trip that nearly had turned from the rather simple task of buying some herbs a yellow sister needed into desaster and her being punished severly as she wouldn´t only have not brought the herbs demanded of her, but also would have been back past curfew due to her getting lost in the long curvy streets of the city when she had left the herbologist´s shop she had bought the saplings that had been on her note. If she hadn´t met Corin Danveer on her way that was. A small cold shudder still trickled down her spine when Faile remembered that encounter though and how he had treated her, like a stupid little child that couldn´t think for itself. Yet what had happened after that before they returned late, but with the herbs in her basket, to the Tower, Faile would keep silence over. Even in her thoughts. Just as she had promised.

 

On Evaida´s aking them if they had any more questions, Faile shook her head. The only question remaining open for her was the matter of hoping that this trip to Tar Valon wouldn´t turn out to be as complicated as her last would be. Thus she was actually glad and somewhat reassured that she wasn´t about to go there on her own but had this other girl whose name Faile didn´t know yet with her. Even if she might even less know her way in Tar Valon than Faile did, she thought wryly that getting lost together after all wasn´t half as bad as getting lost on her own.

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

She seemed to be forever picked to run errands or do chores. In her short time at the White Tower it had been a procession of scrubbing floors, scribing from textbooks and other assorted chores interspersed with lessons. It built character, they said, gave a sense of wellbeing. Rossa privately thought that it was to stop you from thinking too much about what sort of things you could be learning, to keep the Novices and Accepted out of mischief. Still, it gave her ample opportunity to watch people, to meet new people. Her mind was all of a tumult this morning after a particularly vivid dream, a waking dream that had left her in a cold sweat. Dreams could not hurt her, she knew, but the remembered beams falling down around her, the pain and screaming from the other rooms and the crackling heat from the flames felt real enough to scare her. Tears had been rolling down her cheeks as she had jolted awake, her throat thick from sobbing and her sheets in a twisted mess as her hands had gripped the bed linen so hard her knuckles had been white and they had shaken when she had finally pried them free. The dreams came less and less, nightmares rather, but when they had a hold of her it was hard to accomplish much during the day at all, let alone how to concentrate on lessons.

 

The cool of the day was a sharp contrast to the remembered heat from the flames. Autumn had always been her favourite season though, even back in Ebou Dar when the autumn season had been fairly temperate Rossa had loved to run about in the falling leaves, the afternoon sun filtering through the red and gold leaves that still clung tenaciously to the trees; the branches casting shadows on the ground that resembled giant fingers to her child-like mind. She tugged the cloak around her, looking at the other Novice that had been brought along on her way to a lesson and spent a moment in silent consideration before the Accepted began speaking. So she wanted the two of them to go and buy material… good. That was something Rossa knew about. Going outside of the Tower walls did not faze her in the slightest; Rossa looked forward to the chance to see something other than white walls and tiled corridors, textbooks and the ageless features and white dresses – anything except white. Ebou Dar and Altara were full of colour, vivacious and shining with reds and greens and blues. Some of her mother’s petticoats would have rivalled one of the Travelling People in terms of the bright hues used, but always of the highest and best cut and quality though. One could tell a lot about a person by their garb, it was one of the first lessons learnt. The finer weaves of cloth and richer colours took more effort to make and consequently the price was pushed through the roof to the extent that only the nobility could afford the cost of importation or production. Some had clothes of the finest cut and quality, yet showing their age or a style that was no longer in fashion, sometimes out of date by decades, yet of good enough design to stand alone in the upper echelons of the social circles. Rossa knew the names of all the cuts, which fabrics were popular in which areas, how much to bid for the different levels of embroidery and how to deal with seamstresses, particularly the ones trying to gain a name for themselves by pricing themselves under everyone in an attempt to gain business from the more established ones. Today would be an experience for definite, to see if her skills held true in a different land.

 

The Accepted asked if they had any questions, to which Rossa shook her head. She did not know about the other Novice – they had never met before today. Rossa dropped a curtsy and stood waiting after saying a quick “No, Accepted.†Maybe today would yield more than floors to scrub.

[Evaida]

Niether of the girls had any questions so with the market near the North Harbour in mind, Evaida kept on the road the lead directly from the Tower to the Harbour. "I should probably make the introductions" she said as they kept walking, Evie remembered their names from when she singled them out for the chore "I am Evaida al'Marnae. If my memory serves me correctly this is Faile" she indicated to the slightly shorter young woman to her left and waited for a nod of confirmation before continuing "and this is Rossa" she smiled at the taller girl to her right. The two were definitely from different regions, opposite sides of the world probably but she could not pin point exactly where they may have originated from.

 

All the buildings they passed sat neatly along the street. The architecture here was the kind you could never grow weary of, every building was unique and not one looked out of place. Stopping outside a scribe shop Evaida turned to the novices “Now the Sister wanted some heavier material for a winter cloak and some silk for a dress†she spoke as she handed them a few gold marks each “it is up to you as to what colour, however the cloak should be reasonably nondescript and the silk is not to be too loud†some Aes Sedai insisted on wearing only the colour of their ajah but Evie could see how it would become as monotonous as wearing novice whites or the banded dresses she had grown sick of wearing. “You will find what you need in this street but try not to go any further than 4 blocks, if you get lost it will take me all day to find you so stay together. Once you are done meet me at the grocers a few doors up from here†with that she sent them on their way and went into the scribe shop. Evaida had considered giving them a tracking stone each, it was a weave she had experimented with not long after she was given a tracking stone herself to carry as a novice. She had not quite perfected it but it would have been enough to ensure the novices did not wander too far. She would just have to trust the girls and wait and see.

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

Evaida al’Marnae. Rossa would remember the name along with the face of the Accepted. Now, she watched the girl in the banded dress walk off into the scribe’s shop to fetch whatever she had been required to, leaving the two novices alone in the street. One to buy material for a cloak for winter and another for silk for a dress – that wouldn’t be too difficult. Faile. What a lovely name! It stuck in her mind and seemed to suit the shorter novice; it reminded her of something, tickled the back of her consciousness that she knew what the name meant, but for the life of her she could not remember it. It would be nice to have a friend here, someone to talk to about life in general, but she would not open up to anyone. Rossa did not think she could continue her private crusade for vengeance if more people knew about it than absolutely had to know – those that had found out because she had not been able to contain her weeping over her loss were already too many. Hugging the cloak to her against the autumn breeze once more, Rossa turned to the other novice and smiled.

 

“We should hurry if we do not want more chores for being late.†The other girl nodded thoughtfully, as though she had been in trouble before; a contrast to Rossa who had not been long at the Tower at all. There were so many white-clad girls around it was difficult keeping track of them all. Some had said that their numbers were far fewer than there used to be, something that Rossa had difficulty in believing, but the number of empty rooms in the Novice quarters spoke for that fact. When she had learnt all she could from the Tower and became an Aes Sedai, things would be different. Sometimes she felt as though she could feel her future stretching out before her, but it was just impatience; wanting to do things here and now so as to forget the present in a haze of daydreaming.

 

“Let’s go together, that way we won’t get into trouble for being out on our own. At least if we are with each other it looks more like an errand than if we had snuck off.†Rossa was used to taking charge, as she had been born to it, after all. Spying a likely shop not far from the Scribe’s shop the Accepted had gone into, she tugged on Faile’s sleeve and led off down the street towards an elegant white-fronted building with bolts of cloth in the window. They could always move on to another place that the other novice had pointed out in the opposite direction if they were not successful for one or both of the fabrics here.

[Guest Faile1987]

“We should hurry if we do not want more chores for being late.†Rossa´s voice came through to her, somehow shaking her out of the stupor she seemed to have been in, brining her mind and consciousness back to present. Shaking off the thoughts about that incident with Corin in Tar Valon and refusing to let a treacherous blush creep up into her face as she painfully remembered how much a fool she had made of herself, Faile managed a wry smile as she nodded to the other girl in agreement, smiling as she noticed that she nearly was dragged to the shop nearby promising to be the right place to find just what was required of them.

 

Grinning to herself, Faile was amazed at the other girl´s – Rossa was her name if she had caught that right, once again cursing her rather bad memory for names – eagerness to get started. Well, after all Faile knew what being slack about matters of being punctual and fullfilling her tasks to everyone´s satisfaction earned her. Not eager to experience a refreshing of those rather impressive experiences she had made, Faile resolved to quickly oblige to Rossa´s grip on her, more than willing to agree with her point of view to stick together to avoid possible trouble that being found on their own in the middle of Tar Valon could cause, would with a high percentage of inevitability.

 

Entering the outwardly rather small, yet promising shop, Faile immediately was reminded of the fact again, that outward looks all too often were rather deceiving and you had to look beyond a façade to see what treasures really lay behind it. What this one held in store was amazing and astonishing though. The shop seemed to be rather big despite his small appearance at first sight and its interios was literally covered in all kinds of cloth and fabric, holding everything in store that they needed, seemingly every piece and kind of spun material there was known in the World. Roll of fine silk and heavy wool, next to linnen or homespun stuffed the huge shelves until reaching the ceiling. Making the shop look like one great palace laid out with all kinds of material that the heart of a woman desired.

 

Still rather stunned and unable to look straight at anything to look for what kind of fabric would suit their needs or the needs of the sister that had given them this task, Faile needed some time to adjust her eyes to the variety of colours and patterns surrounding her. Casting a brief look at Rossa next to her, Faile could tell all too well that her companion was mirroring her own fascination. Fascination that was somehow drawn to a full roll of fine, unstained dark red silk, shiny and smooth to the touch as Faile´s fingers brushed along it. “What do you think about this one for the dress?â€, she asked Rossa without really looking up from the excellent material she was layng her fingers on, feeling it´s soft caress smoothly against her skin, a short daydream envisioning herself wearing such a dress flashed up inside her. Indeed it must be pure bliss to be able to wear something like that, making you feel like a queen yourself.

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

It was akin to the smell that permeated the laundry room back at their house in Altara, yet drier. Not quite dusty, yet it had a similar feel to a library with all the dry fabrics in rolls lining the walls. A small table at the back of the shop had a seamstress stood behind, directing the small group of girls with needles and pins in putting together some sort of creation in pale blue silk in the back room, just visible through a door in the corner of the back wall. Her companion, Faile, had a wondering expression on her face, and her fingers seemed to itch towards each bolt of cloth as if to feel its quality and substance. Rossa did not need to feel the surface; it would only remind her of what she had lost that fateful day. She was confined to two dresses now; where she had owned more than twenty before, each finer than the last and indicative of how well to do the family had been, and now reduced to the same state as everyone else. She did not really mind; it was just that it was a lot to adjust to in a short space of time. No matter how much she tried to throw herself into her lessons, Rossa was starting to get a little impatient. Things moved so slowly! The more meaningless chores gave her time to think, to dwell on potential outcomes for her personal investigation and then vendetta. Her ears pricked up on countless occasions when they heard other customers in the shop talking about matters happening in the world outside the shining walls, and even though the Aes Sedai were usually guarded themselves about talking of the rest of the world, Rossa always kept her ears open for little pieces of news that she could keep with her. Anything to find a clue as to what had happened to her parents!

 

The other novice had pointed out a lovely deep red bolt of dark red silk, the colour of blood, Rossa imagined. Her own cuts had been a similar shade to that on the rare occasions in her childhood she had taken a tumble, or suffered a cut or two, and in the recent weeks of travelling to Tar Valon, she had scraped and grazed herself in more places than ever before; some of which had still not healed properly and the scabs cracked once or twice. It was a lovely colour for a dress, one that Rossa herself would have loved, but something about it… something didn’t feel right. She thought about the Sisters she had seen in the Tower so far, and the colours of dresses they had chosen for themselves. Most had fallen into very specific categories – mostly reflective of the Ajahs. She had heard a little in her lessons so far about each of the Ajahs and how they were of a certain colour: Blue, Brown, Gray, Green, Red, White and Yellow. They also kept themselves to themselves for the most part, so if they presented one of the sisters in a shade different to her own Ajah then at the very least they would likely get chores for getting the colour wrong. No, it was far better to choose something neutral if they did not know the Ajah of the sister concerned. She voiced her opinion to Faile.

 

“That’s why I think we should go for something a little more… generic.†Her eyes travelled to a bolt of dark grey cloth that appeared to be relatively practical and darkly elegant. Even if it did not appeal to a sister’s individual taste, it was undeniably good flattering and the pattern along the edge, lightly scalloped in a silver thread that reminded Rossa of swirling, storm-tossed seas. It had a quality to it that appealed to her, and hopefully Faile would agree. She supposed at the end of the day it would come down to cost, as they still had to buy material for a cloak as well.

 

“What do you think? Should we go for red or grey?†Rossa had never been more grateful to her mother for teaching her about clothes and their effect on people, and that of first impressions as well. It was something that had stood her in good stead on the times she had been presented at Court, and was doing so now, here, in the White Tower. Clothing was a delicate matter alongside rank, one that should never be taken lightly, although she was not as pernickety about it as the Cairhienin were, as a whole. Quality mattered, though. Her eyes began looking around for likely materials for the cloak.

[Guest Faile1987]

Faile´s eyes flickered as she was stading amidst all those kinds of smooth, elegant fabrics and material that seemed to load the outwardly small shop, yet enlargening it in a way that also made it feel tight and packed with different goods to buy and even more to make clothes of. Clothes and especially dresses of a splendor and magnificence far beyond Faile´s own capacity of imagination.

 

She had seen such dresses before indeed. In books. Yes. In the tightness and preordinatory of her small farm life only lightened up by the books and adventurous stories she used to read, stories that somehow seemed to line out a bigger, richer life in front of her. Not richer of money, not necessarily, but enriched by experience and possibities to make them. Smiling faintly, Faile looked down on herself, the stainless white dress making her so clearly a Novice and aspirant to the banded dress and the shawl of the Aes Sedai later if she was lucky, a child of the White Tower, she remembered Corin call her, she unconsciously brushed over the smooth material her own dress was made of, somehow liking how it felt under her cool hands. In that very same moment though, she caught a brief glimpse at Rossa, smiling as the other girl seemed to mentally compare the light yet plain white material they were wearing with the rich and colourful fabrics layed out in front of them, all around them. Yet unlike Faile, a streak of sadness and regret had suddenly crept on Rossa´s dark brown-eyed features. Apparently she didn´t share Faile´s comfort in wearing the Novice white, but seemed to secretely crave for a dress, glorious in its splendor as these fine materials were promising to look after being transformed in a delicate pattern by deft and knowledgable hands.

 

Faile smiled unconsciously at the girl who hadn´t been as long to the White Tower as she had yet. Indeed, it took you quite a wee while to get used not only to the outstanding white, looking like everyone else, plain and insignificant, yet easily recognizable, but still you eventually got there, the same way as you got used to obeying orders or being in time to early lessons. A particular lesson Faile had to learn on the hard way as she remembered with clenched teeth, the vision of herself on one of her numerous visits to the Mistress of Novices´ study, just because of that little problem in adjusting herself to the rules, emerging in her mind.

 

Still her pleased, dreamy smile stole itself back on her lips, brightening up her face, making her eyes twinkle as she pictured herself and Rossa in finely cut dresses, hers red as the dark smooth silk she had just chosen, Rossa´s light and grey, somehow looking noble and serene as she envisioned them attending a ball, seeing herself in Danian´s arms and savouring the look he gave her as she appeared in that rather low-cut dress, emphasizing her slender feminine body rather nicely in a way that made her feel much unlike a girl in front of him with those dark eyes lingering on her, a very pleasant feeling indeed.

 

Faile´s smile widened as she felt herself dancing with him, enjoying his touch, her feet seemingly to float across the dancefloor as he was twirling her around to the beat of the harmonic tune playing in the background. Oh yes, that was a daydream worth her time and the knowledge of standing right in the middle of a shop, eyes gazing into nothingness, feeling detached from the world all of a sudden as she let her mind soar, indulging in the tthoughts and pictures emerging in her consciousness, making her heart beat happily. Light, how much she was longing to do just that, to feel him hold her, to just be with him and enjoying him talking to her, let alone the taste of his kiss on her lips as he softly caressed her. Light…

Faile was jerked back to the here and now rather abruptly and very thoroughly though as she nearly ran into a large shelf of balls of fabric, blushing in embarassment as she became aware of how foolish she must have looked just now, yet trying to cover her uncertainty with a quick nod and pointing towards the gray fabric. “I guess you are rightâ€, she said, frantically trying to keep a level voice and fighting back the blush stealing onto her cheeks. “Gray just looks more…regal than red…just fitting for an Aes Sedai, I suppose.†Faile nearly had to bite her lip against giggling at the thought that she would want to keep the red silk for herself. Later Danian would get to see her in that very dress she had just imagined. Light, Faile loved the notion of meeing him in that, how unrealistic it was not bothering her much.

 

Shaking off that very fancy idea though, Faile forced herself to concentrate on the task given to them though, having to try very hard to get that very vivid image and feeling of Danian holding her close to him, kissing her like he did before, into the back of her mind as she nearly stumbled over what seemed to be the ideal fabric for a warm woolen cloak. Elegant light grew woolen cloth, warm, yet smooth as well, somehow nearly appearing silver in the light the shopwindows were letting in, flooding the storeroom in bright daylight. “Isn´t that just the right thing we need?â€, Faile asked, her hands running over the pleasant surface of the cloak material. “It will fit to the gray silk perfectly, just a bit darker in colour and ideal for long cold days, don´t you agree?†Waiting for Rossa´s judgment, Faile was rather excited what the other girl would say, since Faile felt that she was rather knowledgeable in terms of clothes and dressing. Dimly she wondered how her companion knew all that, but she resolved to supress the question now. Maybe they would have some time to discuss that later in the streets as they would wait for Evaida. Faile really hoped they could do that. Her curiosity was nagging at her again and somehow the dark girl standing opposite her, judging the fabric handed to her with a measuring gaze, just had caught her interest.

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

It had a good weight to it. Her fingers brushed the surface of the material Faile had pointed out as being a good choice for a cloak. It was certainly heavier than the silk Rossa had selected for the dress material and its plainness was more than made up for by its good quality. Her mother’s dresser, a small, elegant woman with a sharp and narrow face, had always mentioned to the daughters about the importance of a good cloak. It shrouded the body and added mystery while travelling either by foot or carriage. Any Aes Sedai would be happy about wearing such a thing, and the fact that it was shaded a little darker than the other meant a good contrast and an understated elegance. Nodding at the other novice, Rossa lead the way across to where the seamstress was overseeing some younger girls in sewing hems.

 

“Good day to you, Mistress.†Rossa curtseyed precisely, her skirts spread wide and her head bowing down respectfully. “We have been sent from the White Tower to buy fabric for one of the Sisters therein. If it pleases you, may we purchase some of the grey silk over there,†She pointed and then directed the seamstress’ gaze to the heavier material for the cloak. “And some of that one, the darker grey material.†Giving the quantity of cloth required, Rossa dug out the coins she would have paid for the material back in Altara and then at the expression on the other woman’s face, she added more as required to make up the amount the seamstress had specified. It seemed expensive for that it was, but this was a completely different city to Ebou Dar, Rossa supposed. You did get what you paid for though…

 

She watched deft hands measure and cut first the silk, and then the heavier grey cloak fabric, bundling it up in a sheet of linen to make it easier to carry. Each of them took one of the bundles: Faile the silk and Rossa the cloak material, and they gave their thanks to the seamstress, bidding her good day and walking out of the shop onto the street. All that remained was to meet with the Accepted, Evaida, let her see the fabric they had chosen and then back to the Tower. It seemed a shame that this particular chore would soon be over – novices were seldom given the chance to leave the confines of the White Tower, even accompanied, and this little sojourn was almost at an end, meaning other chores or lessons would loom large in their agenda.

 

“How long have you been at the White Tower, Faile?†Rossa asked of her fellow novice as they walked up towards the grocer’s shop Evaida had told them to meet her at. It was good to find out these little details about your companions. You never knew when it was going to come in handy…

[Guest Faile1987]

Leaving the seamstress´ shop Faile noticed with pleasure that the sun had fully risen on the sky now as it was nearly afternoon and shining down on the wide streets of Tar Valon, buzzing with activity, it radiated a pleasant warmth so both girls didn´t need to huddle into their cloaks that tightly anymore. The warm sunlight was a nice change to the cool breeze from earlier this morning indeed. Walking along the street, each of them carrying one of the silk bundles, both safely packed into a roll of brown paper to keep it from getting stained by the dirt in the streets, even though the litter and depris in the streets of Tar Valon was very little and almost non existent compared to other cities. Cities like Fal Dara, Faile thought by herself, images of her childhood and youth she had spent on the small farm of her parents spinning through her mind. A dull life without many diversions it might have been, still it was a happy life and she wouldn´t have swapped it. Even if she had always been dreaming about having a more adventurous life, coming to the White Tower actually being what she had always dreamed of, she still was thankful for the life she had had, having been a happy if not very wealthy child.

 

With an absent-minded smile Faile thought back to the times she had spent nearly all day with her nose buried in a book, numerous ones she had borrowed from friends or people living close, being notorious for living in her own world as they had called it and still she had been very aware of what was going on around her. Same as now in fact, as Rossa asking her about how long she had been in the White Tower, jerked her back to the present, silently grinning at herself as she had gotten that distracted again.

 

“I´ve been her for two years now, I thinkâ€, Faile said, her tone rather thoughtful as she was still surprised that already that much time had passed by, two years that mostly felt like two months, making her still feel like she had to learn a lot and would take some time to receive the banded dress. Well, she would try hard and continue her studies to move on. “I´m from Fal Dara, Shienarâ€, she added and a little lower, almost shy to admit, she uttered “My parents had a small farm there, so I didn´t know much about city life till I came here you know…I-“, she suddenly cut off, wrinkling her nose and pressing her hand in front of her mouth as she suddenly found it hard to breathe in the thick grayish-black smoke that was blown over by a nearby blacksmith´s shop. Faile coughed, ushering Rossa to come along. “Let´s…let´s get…out of …here…this will….spoil the silk…â€, Light she hated those shops, pestering the air like they did. Her vision went all blurry in the heavy smoke stinging in her watering eyes. In the semi-darkness that had suddenly fallen across the part of the street they were walking through all she could make out of Rossa was a faint silhouette, shrouded in smoke even though she was standing really close by her. This was really odd, but in a few seconds they would be out of it.

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

Her nose had caught scent of the smithy over the other smells a city produced, even though one such as Tar Valon was less… fragrant… than most. Ebou Dar had been tidy, but it seemed like the Rahad in comparison to the white streets within the Shining Walls. Someone was burning wood, vaguely reminiscent of a large fireplace, and the only way something that large would produce a noticeable odour was if it was a blacksmith, producing either small knives or tools or small weapons. Walking towards it though, it seemed to get heavier; a miasma that hung around her and got into her head, her nose, and her lungs… Something must have fallen into the flames to give it that scent. It reminded her of something, something Rossa had not thought of since her first day in the White Tower, and she had been tested to see if she could channel the One Power. She had passed that test, and now she felt another arduous task ahead of her in just getting through the smoke.

 

Just the same as when she had looked into the Mistress of Novice’s testing gem, Rossa felt overwhelmed by a sense of painful familiarity. Curlicues of smoke wrapped around her face in a dangerous embrace, causing breath to shorten as the acrid tang seared her lungs anew. It clouded her mind. Thought became increasingly difficult as the remembered flight from her family’s burning mansion replayed over and over in her mind and agonised screams tormenting her. The lack of food partaken that day mingled with the nightmare from the night before, and she staggered, tripping over her own feet. The bale of cloth flew from her grip up into the air and burst free from it’s casing, the grey silk billowing and once more reminding her of the smoke rolling across her view, impeding her from freedom and life. Her eyes rolled up in her head, heedless of the cloth covering her face, as she lay on the ground, unconscious.

[Guest Faile1987]

Faile gave a start when she suddenly saw Rossa shirk back from the thick clouds of smoke, suddenly starting to stagger and wheeze for breath frantically. Light what was happening to her? Was it the smoke suddenly taking over that made her act like that or something else? Noticing the scared look on the other girls face, eyes as wide that the white of her eyes seemed to take over and her irises became small points reflecting sheer horror, her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head, becoming white slits as she toppled over, falling to the ground, the fine silk for the dress they had bought breaking free of its wrapping and covering her like a blanket would a dead body. Light that sight and even more the comparison involuntarily shooting through her mind mader her breath catch as she rushed forward in a vain attempt to catch the other Novice.

 

Yet she was too late, Faile knew already before being at her side, going to her knees beside Rossa´s limp body, not caring about the white of her skirts becoming dirty and stained as she hurriedly pulled the gray silken fabric from her fellow Novice to see if she was alright. “Rossa, are you alright?â€, Faile nearly exclaimed, already knowing how foolish her words were as the Altaran girl quite obviously was far from being alriht, the white of her eyes still visible in her pale, liveless face, yet feeling for her pulse, Faile found it beating rapidly, yet steadily which calmed her down somewhat. Shaking her carefully, Faile urged her to wake up, looking frantically for some help, yet everyone passing by on the streets didn´t spare a second glance at them but just hurried past, apparently not wanting to get into things that they didn´t regard as their business. “Light burn you allâ€, Faile snapped, dark eyes burning in rage even though the thick smoke shrouding her still made her eyes water, tears rolling down her face, yet she ignored that.

 

Knowing that the most important thing now was Rossa getting some fresh air, she carefully yet firmly seized her by the shoulders, dragging her under her armpits out of the black smoke that still oozed out of the smithery as though indeed intend on smothering them. Quickly collecting the gray silk after putting Rossa down gently again, Faile winced at the sight of the stained and crumpled material. Well, they would ow Evaida an explanation for that, yet it didn´t really matter now. What mattered was to get Rossa back to consciousness again and that she would try by all means. Shrugging and deciding that it couldn´t get much worse, Faile stuffed the silk back into its wrapper before, carefully putting the roll under Rossa´s head to make her as comfortable as was possible with her lying right beside a cobble-stoned street of Tar Valon, without anyone caring about what was just happening. Taking a deep calming breath to bring down her own neves, Faile suddenly glimpsed a small fountain nearby and making sure that Rossa was alright for now, she quickly went over to collet two cupped hands full of water to let it carefully run over Rossa´s face, dipping a tip of her cloak into the liquid to tenderly wipe Rossa´s face with the cooling liquid letting out a sigh of relief as the other Novice´s eyelids fluttered and she finally came around again.

[Evaida]

Surrounded by the feathers of quills and the jars of ink in all the colours of the rainbow, Evaida took in the slightly musty smell of the Scribe shop. She had always loved shopping, whether it be dresses or fruit, just the atmoshpere of life was enough to liven the spirit. Browsing through the various sizes of quills until she finally found what she was after, a good quality fine tip and a small jar of black ink. Taking it to the counter at the back of the shop she dropped a small curtsey to the withered shop keeper "Good day Master Talbot" causing a cracked small to appear on the old mans face.

 

"A good day for seeing your face dear Evaida. Still wearing the banded dress I see" he laughed as he took the items and began to pack them in a canvas scrip "Not for much longer I hope. Can I have ten sheets of heavy duty parchment as well please?"

 

The shop keeper shuffled into the back room before reappearing with a wad of parchment which he rolled up and packed in the scrip with the quill and ink. Master Talbot was one of her favourite shop keepers in Tar Valon, an honest man with a good heart and strange sense of humour. Handing over the coins Evie took the scrip and with a final curtsey made her way back out into the street.

 

It was only a short walk to the grocers and Evaida half expected Faile and Rossa to waiting for her after the time she took deciding on a quill. The novices were no where to be seen when she arrived so she purchased 3 candied apples and walked back up the street in the direction she had seen them go. Maybe they had as much trouble deciding on material as she did quills. Then again there was a chance that they had wandered off and got themselves lost. Either way if they were going to have any spare time at the market they had to get going.

 

Up ahead she saw a thick cloud of smoke emerge from a smithy. Thinking nothing of it Evaida walked towards it as that was the direction Faile and Rossa had gone. Using her cloak to cover her face she walked through paying careful attention not to bump into anyone only to almost trip over what looked like a body on the other side of the smoke cloud. She looked down to find Faile kneeling next to Rossa. "What happened here?" she asked immediatly kneeling down beside Rossa, taking the girl's head in her hands and Delving. She had not so much of a Talent for Healing but more a nack for picking up weaves just by watching them done. After a few sessions in the infirmary the more basic weaves of Healing came naturally. Releasing Rossa she waited for the Novices to explain...

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

Heat. Intense heat. Unable to breathe as though suffocated, her lungs taking in only searing hot air and smoke and then cold. So very bitterly cold, as though dipped in a river in the middle of winter in her shift. I have to escape! Her eyes fluttered open, mahogany gaze taking in the concerned face of the other novice, Faile, and the Accepted, Evaida, that had set them on the chore she had caused them to fail at. What had happened? Was the silk she had been carrying spoiled? Miraculously, Rossa did not have a trace of a headache that she usually woke with when she had fainted, but she was hungry. That kind of vision usually removed all trace of her appetite. Odd. Maybe she had been Healed…

 

The Accepted was still waiting for her explanation as to what had befallen the pair. Shifting somewhat weakly, Rossa tried to talk but realised her throat was dry, and she swallowed to generate moisture. Her head lay propped on some soft cushion, which as she sat up slowly Rossa discovered was the bale of silk cloth wrapped in it’s linen casing that Faile had thoughtfully used to make sure Rossa was comfortable. Bless her! Rossa vowed to make it up to her soon; help with lessons or chores, something, and it would be the favour repaid. Maybe even add the girl as a friend, as Rossa did not have many of those. She opened her mouth to explain.

 

“It is my fault, Accepted.†Her eyes flickered downcast as befitted the station of a novice, taking in an intrinsic study of her lap and her cheeks flushing crimson. Even back in Altara she had hated being wrong, even accidentally so; there were no false words in her manner at all. “We were walking to meet you as arranged with the cloth,†Her eyes went to Faile to make certain the second bale of fabric was still intact. “And we had to pass through the blacksmith shop to get there. The forge is running hot today, and the… flames…†Rossa faltered. She could feel the verges of another panic attack or fainting spell coming on, her throat starting to close at the thought of the remembered heat and choking tendrils of fume. Tears welled up in her eyes as the agonised screams reached her ears and the screams never forgotten nor would they be, of her family begging to be released from that tormenting prison. Hardening herself to iron, she swallowed and continued.

 

“There was a lot of smoke, and it overwhelmed me. I could not shield my face and my lungs are still tender from… before I came to Tar Valon.†She had said it. Rossa had not given any indication of what had happened in her past, only that smoke and fire were involved, and not told a single lie. Her mother had always told her that the best lies worked if they were omissions of truth or one part lie to two parts truth; that way the mixture was swallowed better as people had details to check up on. “I’m sorry, Accepted Evaida.†A second apology to reinforce the first, her eyes still studying her lap. If she gave away too many details about her past and her current mental state she would be hauled off to the Yellows to make sure she was sane enough to continue studying. That would not be the best way to proceed. As long as the fabric were okay… Rossa looked to Faile for comfort.

[Guest Faile1987]

Faile sighed in relief when Rossa´s eyes fluttered open after Evaida had touched her with the glow of Saidar illumining her kneeling figure. Light, she had never been able to actually witness the process of someone being Healed, yet right now, recognizing the wondrous pattern about whose marvels she had only read before, Faile knew exactly what the Accepted was doing. And her books hadn´t been lying about the magical effect the mysterious weave of Healing had. Only a blink of an eye later, Rossa´s formerly nearly lifeless body began to stirr and dark eyes were facing hers questioningly, then visibly widening as realization of what had just happened seemed to finally dawn on her.

 

Only now, as the shock of what had just happened was slowly fading off when Rossa spoke, answering the question that had been raised to her on the first part, yet somehow having been drowned in the torrent of what had just occurred so abruptly right in front her eyes, Faile seemed to completely understand what had been going on. Involuntarily a cold shudder rolled down her spine, making her shake briefly as though a cold breeze had just taken hold of her. Still as quickly as it had come, the clammy cold that had taken hold of her so abruptly had already left again, making room for a wholehearted feeling of relief well up inside her as she discovered that Rossa was alright.

 

Relief in which soon empathy and concern were mingled in as Faile listened to the other Novice talking, giving them the reason why she had reacted that drastically on them having to walk through the thick oppressive smoke of the blacksmith´s forge. Smiling faintly at Rossa, Faile laid a hand on her shoulder in a soothing gesture, feeling the need to comfort her as she sensed how much the reflection on what had happened in her past that obviously caused her so much pain and had brought her to that breakdown she was only barely recovering from. Although Rossa´s words had cindled a certain curiosity inside her to get to know more about the other girl´s past, Faile knew better than to inquire any further. The mere memory of what had happened apparently seemed to pain her strongly enough, she wouldn´t be the one who was even rubbing salt into a wound whose tender scar seemed to have just broken up again.

 

No, the last thing Faile wanted was to cause her any more pain than the Altaran girl had already felt. Somehow she even felt guilty for not having tried to avoid walking right through the clouds of heavy smoke filling the street like a dome of blackness shrouding everything it touched in the dark. Of course she couldn’t have known, yet the awareness of there having been a possibility to prevent all of this, made her cast down her eyes guiltily, only then spotting the ball of gray silk lying on the ground behind Rossa, the same silk the novice had dropped in her fall and Faile had used to rest her head on, praying to the Creator for help to come. Yet as it was now, she could already recognize single stains of soot and the dirt of the stree on the fabric they had been told to buy. Even it being the heavier material for the cloak didn´t make that much a difference for her now as the dark blotches on the formerly spotless fabric stood evident for their failure in completing the task given to them all too plainly.

 

“I-I´m sorry, Accepted Evaidaâ€, Faile stammered, feeling more like a fool than ever before as she jerked her eyes loose from the crumpled material on the ground. “But I didn´t know what else to do. I had to- I had to help Rossa somehow and the fabric was the only thing at hand….†Faile sighed, once more casting her eyes down, only dimly realizing that her own hands were blackened of the smoke she had been dragging Rossa out of and her formerly white skirts more looking like a grayish black than anything befitting a Child of the White Tower. “It isn´t Rossa´s fault…I…I should have known better… Forgive me for my foolishness…â€

[Evaida]

Looking at the two girls covered in soot desperately trying to apologize Evaida smiled. It seemed like another life time when she was in a similar delemma as they, messing up a chore and facing possible punishment for it. The sister that had caught her with the warder trainee had shown mercy and she would show the same mercy to Rossa and Faile, "What is done, is done. There is no use crying over spilt milk, let me have a look at that silk" she took the bundle and examined the fabric "A lovely choice, if a little stained" she winked "Nothing that can not be fixed" You were not meant to use the One Power to do chores but on a number of occasions Evie had seen sisters use this particular weave to fix their dresses - afterall an Aes Sedai must always look her best. They could not go back with dirty silk and they did not have enough coin to buy more so she figured just this one time it would be acceptable.

 

Using small threads of air and water Evaida combed the fabric and watched the spots dissappear, with a final touch fire to iron out the creases. "There, as good as new" she folded the silk carefully and tied it back in the bundle. "You are probably a little hungry after the Healing" she handed Rossa a candied apple "And all that rescueing must have you famished" Evie said as she handed Faile a candied apple as well, taking the last one for herself. "There are just a few more little bits and pieces left to get. We can't have Tower initiates wandering around like you have just been and a tavern brawl." she performed the stain removal weave again on their dresses until they were as white as freshly fallen snow "You are not to use this weave for chores, especially around sisters or you will be doing laundry for the rest of your time as a novice"

 

Taking another bite of her candied apple she looked the pair up and down, their dresses were clean but their faces and hands were still covered in soot "Best clean youselves up so we can head for the market, that is of course if you are feeling up to it?"

[Guest Faile1987]

Faile couldn´t possibly tell how relieved she was after not receiving the scolding she had been secretly waiting for, knowing how harsh some Accepted were if you didn´t fullfill your given task to their utmost satisfaction.

 

Smiling happily at Evaida, gladly accepting the candied apple, faintly wondering whenever she had seen an Accepted other than Elyith be that caring about the Novices under her tutelage, Faile watched what happened next with utter fascination. Already having resigned to the fact of facing some kind of punishment for ruining the expensive cloak material, she was once again surprised by the variety in which you could apply the One Power when Evaida just used a weave almost casually to remove the sooty stains from the precious fabric and even made the creases having wrinkled it before disappear as if they had never been there.

 

Watching all of this with a seemingly inborn interest and curiosity, Faile internally ached to try and used that weave by herself as well, yet inclined her head in an agreeing nod at Evaida´s strict instruction never to use this weave in chores, least of all in front of any Sister. No, she really could imagine a multitude of things she would prefer to a life of doing laundry or scrubbing floors, so she supressed her urge to try the pattern she had just seen and hopefully memorized well enough. Not for now, later maybe, she thought and almost stared at Evaida openmouthed when she asked them if they felt up to actually trying that weave on themselves to clean their still black faces and hands.

 

Her gaze travelling across their surroundings, Faile knew that they must look rather deranged even with clean dresses again and since there was neither a fountain nor an inn where they could wash themselves close by, there was actually no other choice left. Faile nodded and only an instant later the glow of Saidar illumined her figure. Yet she was so nervous all of a sudden, somehow feeling as though a sister was only lying in waiting to come round a corner when she was just about to apply the weave Evaida had show n them on herself that the first time it merely eluded her, feeling slippery like an eel.

 

The second try though she was more fortunate in accomplishing, once again thanking the Light for gifting her with a great skill in Water, Spirit and Air, most of those elements also essential for that very weave. Looking down at her clean hands, everything about her looking as if this incident had never happened at all, Faile shared a smile with Rossa when she looked at Evaida again. "Thank you for showing this to us. It was indeed very helpful and it feels much better to be clean again. But be assured that your admonition will be remembered." Winking at Rossa and exchanging yet another knowing look, Faile gladly bit into the cracking sweetness of her candied apple, content to have gotten out of this without taking any harm for either of them.

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

In a strange way, Rossa hated it when people did her favours. It meant there was the possibility of them calling in that favour at any time in a manner that risked being detrimental to her career or image, and again it usually carried the threat of punishment. Why else would someone call in a favour if they were unwilling to do it themselves? The Accepted had seemed honest enough though, and the candied apple had definitely sweetened the blow. It had not been her fault though, not really. There was no way to know how the fumes would affect her so and it had been a complete accident. Eager eyes drank in the way the Accepted wove barely perceptible threads of Air and Water together to lift the stains from the length of soiled cloth, noticing for the very first time how the older girl seemed to glow while holding Saidar. What a miraculous thing! For the first time she saw the aura of someone embracing the One Power and she smiled, teeth biting her lower lip shyly.

 

She kept the wonder to herself; not wanting to go any further into detail than she had to as her eyes were still stinging and the day had already had it’s fair share of emotion. Still, she had the kind words from Faile and the Accepted, Evaida, not to mention a clean dress and a sweet apple to eat. It was true, she felt famished. Apparently it was a common side effect that Healing took a lot of the person’s energy and that time and something to eat would return you fully to normal, although given that she was this hungry after a small amount, Rossa realised she would hate to be severely injured and then deal with the hunger. The hunger-pains must be as severe as the pain itself.

 

“Thank you, Accepted Evaida.†She must look a sight. Examining her hands, soot caked them in a sharp contrast to the stark white of her novice dress, only vague hints of her pale olive complexion visible through the mess. She took a handkerchief from her belt pouch and started to wipe her hands and face clean of the smoke stains and remembering how the Accepted had performed the weave for future use. Not for use in chores, although the thought had crossed her mind more than once, but the more she held the One Power, the more Rossa wanted to, and that was not a good thing. Use something too much and it lost it’s meaning, it’s sanctity. The dirty handkerchief she dropped into her belt pouch and closed it, vowing to wash it out later and dry it somehow.

 

The apple tasted sweet. Not just for the candy shell, which cracked satisfyingly under her teeth, but for the sweetness of the fruit itself. Everything in Tar Valon seemed to taste fresher, or sweeter. It could have been the fact that she had never tried such a confection before, having never been allowed to eat food that those apparently beneath her station would have indulged in, but here she was finding that there was so much more to life than status. She would not forget her family though. She could not. Rising to her feet, Rossa dusted off her dress irrespective of the fact that Evaida had just used a cleaning weave on it, and smiled at Faile’s conspiratorial wink. The market, and then back to whatever else they had her doing this day…

[Evaida]

Leading the girls towards the market, Evaida began to wonder what had cause the whole ordeal in the first place. It seemed that Rossa had fainted with all the smoke, Evie had practically grown up in her fathers smithy so such thing did not really bother her. Still she felt like there was more to the story, like the novice was holding something back. She could read between the lines and it was obvious that the girl did not want to talk about it so Evie decided to let it go.

 

Lost in her thoughts Evie found herself in the middle of the buzzing crowed of the market. It was an ordered chaos as nothing in Tar Valon was truley chaotic. Stall keepers shouting their weares customers bargaining, sheep bleeting in pens, and the odd horse and cart trying to push their way through the people. There was nothing like the excitement of the market.

 

"If you two would purchase a reel of strong cotten and a few balls of colourful yarn, I have some other business to attend to. Hopefully I won't be to long but feel free to browse the stalls for a little while as you wait" she handed them some more coin and plunged into the crowed. There was someone she wished to see and with any luck they would have what she wanted...

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

Small, even white teeth crunched through the hard sugary casing of the apple. Why had she never partaken in something like this before? Truly, those that lived in fabled white mansions with servants to wait on them hand and foot had never lived until they had experienced the everyday food that was not subject to mode or style, and supposed to be the best but often lacking in flavour. Fashion leant heavily on what other people liked, and it was the same with food; other people would have different likes and dislikes and given that flavour was a very personal thing, it often meant you sacrificed a lot of satisfaction for the sake of fashion. Rossa remembered the time that it had been the thing to do to eat food that was all white, as the brighter, more vivid colours were at the time associated with the peasantry and it was more difficult to make things that were completely free from those rustic influences, yet they had tasted as bland as the dishes looked. This was sweet and delicious. Another part of life I did not know existed…

 

Sights and sounds mingled irrespective of class and race in the marketplace at Tar Valon. Stalls stood in orderly rows with the owner crying their wares were the finest in sight of the Shining Walls, the sharpest steel blades, fresh fruit and vegetables and rows of gleaming fish from the river… It all seemed to be a fine procession of wares from all over the land, not just the immediate vicinity as would happen at Ebou Dar, and her eye caught the costumes of Tarabon, Arad Doman and once she even thought she saw a small, dark man with tattooed hands that could only have been one of the Sea Folk, the Atha’an Miere. Yarn and cotton, that was what the Accepted had told them to buy before she had handed over the coins to the pair of them and strode off into the throng. She certainly seemed to have a purpose there and perhaps she did not want to be hindered by a pair of Novices, and as Rossa examined the retreating back, she was once more grateful for her earlier lenience. All too easily they could have been ordered back to the Tower and set to scrubbing pots instead of having the rare chance at some freedom outside the walls.

 

All of the traces of the smoke had now cleared from her eyes and lungs, and Rossa felt almost back to normal if still hungry. Mealtime seemed a long way off as well, but it was not to be helped. Eyeing Faile with a hint of her former self and a half smile on her face, Rossa shifted her bundle of cloth and set off towards a stall that had skeins of yarn on the floor and big, rolled balls of wool in colours that would make a Tinker think twice, not to mention looped swirls of different coloured cotton and gut, and other, thicker stranded substances that looked as though they would make good rugs. She made a big display of looking at the multicoloured balls of wool and yarn in front of a round, jolly looking woman with grey hair pulled into a messy bun at the back of her head. Cheerful eyes peered out from her face, squinting slightly until the pair of them stepped a bit closer to her and she could focus properly.

 

“Ah, Novices from the White Tower. How might I help you today?â€

 

Rossa smiled. The woman was astute, but then anyone that ran a market stall in Tar Valon was likely to be shrewd. Rank and hierarchy was as important to traders as it was to the nobility, after all. Curtsying more out of habit than out of anything else, she turned to Faile and then back to the trader.

 

“We are here to buy yarn and cotton, but have not yet decided on the colours, as it please you.†Smiling serenely, Rossa bent her dark head forward to have a better look at the consistency of the yarn. The choices would have to be reasoned again, but she was sure they could come to an arrangement.