Comming to the Tower Attn: MoN

[meauxwalk]

Ameline was exhausted. She, the Aes Sedai (who happened to be a brown) and her warder has traveled long and tedious hours for days upon days at a time though Kandor and into Arafel until they reached the River Ernin. There, the Aes Sedai bought them passage on a sturdy and rather uninspiring river boat called the "Lady Swift." True to her name and despite her appearance, the "Lady Swift" carried her passengers faithfully down stram ever neearer to theri destination; ever nearer to what Ameline saw as her cage, her doom.

 

The Sister rarely interacted with Ameline and on those rare occasions, it was to call her down for not curtsying deep enough, rolling her eyes, speaking too loudly, too softly, too rudely...for any of the numerous shortcomings she seemed to find in Ameline. What was even worse in Amelines opinion was that the Sister had outright refused to teach anything interesting saying only that there would be plenty of time for that later and that Ameline had better spend her remaining free time preparing herself.

 

As they neared Tar Valon, Ameline's mounting dread was replaced by an overwhelming sense of curiosity. She began to pester, rather foolishly, the Sister relentlessly about what she would learn, where she would stay, how big the library was and a multitude of other questions. Though the Aes Sedai was spare on many topics, she did temporarly satiate Amelines thirst for knowledge about the library: one topic that the Sister seemed passionate about.

[meauxwalk]

On their forth night, Ameline was woken by the Sister's warder looming over her in the dark. She realized that the ship was stopped and a great rustlin and stamping could be heard from above deck. All the warder said was "We're here, get your things," before turning and leaving.

 

Ameline's heart began to pound and it was all she could do to collect her small bundle and trudge upstairs. There was seeming chaos, but it all faded away in the sight of the city. Ameline had never before dreamed of such tall and majestic buildings, out of which rose a bone white shaft that shimmered in the fading moonlight. Looking around, she realized that the Sister and her warder had already left. Not knowing what else to do, Ameline asked for directions from the nearest deck hand and made her way to the tower grounds.

 

At the gate, looking as though she had not just been woken in the middle of the night was, unmistakably another Aes Sedai. Ameline curtseyed as best she could and instroduced herself. "I am Ameline Fordasha, Aes Sedai. I am here to become an Aes Sedai." Until that moment Ameline did not realize she had become decided on this course of action. Though somewhat starled with herself, she became resolute and added, "the Light willing." It was less a blessing or hope and more a demand.

[meauxwalk]

The woman Ameline took as an Aes Sedai upon closer study did not have the ageless quality she had come to recognize in the brown sister with whom she had traveled. What was more, the woman, though young, was wearing a white banded dress. She jjust looked at Ameline and replied, "Follow me. I'll take you to the Mistress of Novices."

 

They walked through a maze of cooridoors and stopped at a door that was one of many. The woman knocked and then left Ameline standing alone.

[Lavinya]

Faerzyne comforted the whippet of a novice seated in front of her as best she could. Her position as overseer of the White Tower initiates meant she more often handed out correction and punishments, yet there were times when she also offered a shoulder to cry on, for those in need. It was disconcerting at times, Faerzyne herself had never been one prone to tears or 'female' outbursts of emotion, yet to some of these girls, she was the closest thing they now had to a mother.

 

Offering the sniffling girl a handkerchief from her pocket, Faerzyne patted the girl's back lightly, from where she was kneeling in front of her, bells in her braids faintly tinkling with the motion. "There now child, dry your tears." She said softly, soothingly. The girl nodded, dabbing at her moist cheeks. She had been in the office now for some time, crying with homesickness, though now at least it seemed she was feeling better, her sobs subsiding. Faerzyne could hardly recall the words she had spoken to soothe her, but they seemed to work as the girl mustered a shaky smile.

 

"Thankyou, Aes Sedai." The girl managed as Faerzyne stood, awarding her with a smile as a tingling sensation passed over her, a sure sign that one of her wards had been set off. As if on cue a knock sounded on the door. "Off with you now girl." Said Faerzyne gently, leading her to the door. Opening it, the novice dropped a curtsey and scurried past, leaving a bewildered looking girl in her wake. Not clothed as an initiate, she had the appearance of an outsider, a petitioner perhaps.

 

"My name is Faerzyne Grigory, Mistress of Novices." Toned Faerzyne, waving the girl into the office and closing the door softly behind her. "How can I help you?" Waving to a chair, she moved behind her desk, looking over it curiously at the newcomer.

 

~Faerzyne, MoN

[meauxwalk]

"My name is Ameline Fordasha. I was told that I have the ability to learn how to channel. I am here to become Aes Sedai." She looked defiantly at the stately woman behind the desk, thinking that someday, she could--she would-- be an aes sedai too. "I was brought to you, though I do not know why. Could you please tell me what I need to do first?"[/i]

[Lavinya]

Faerzyne gestured to one of the chairs in front of her desk. They were uncomfortable, but that was for a purpose. After all, those who spent too much time in them would deserve the discomfort. Those who did not were merely reminded of the fact that they should not misbehave, in order to avoid the discomfort that came with the chairs. The young woman, who had identified herself as Ameline sat down. Faerzyne folded her hands in front of her on the desk, and studied the girl intently for a moment. Not that she could judge if the girl would be worth anything just yet, but at least she would be able to see how nervous the girl was. Those who were most nervous often were the ones who wanted it most.

 

So the girl had already been tested. 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 shifted in her seat, as if she couldn’t quite believe that she would be asked to stay, despite the boldness of her gaze. This one had spirit, it seemed. Whether or not she kept it after many years of hard work was yet to be seen. 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’ve been tested already. How fortunate.†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. “Can you tell me your full name again?†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 Ameline‘s stay more certain with every letter, every curved or 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

[meauxwalk]

Ameline stiffled a sigh of relief as the Mistress of Novices, a stern lady by the looks, asked her to repeat her name, place of birth and age as she copied them into a ledger. For an instant--and a long one at that--Ameline thought she was going to be in trouble, or worse, turned away.

 

In reflection, she realized that was exactly what the purpose of this particular Aes Sedai was: to keep the initiates in line. And by the feeling she gave Ameline, she was very good at her job.

 

When the Mistress of Novices finished entering Ameline's information, she responded with a half ominous, very final, "Welcome to the Tower."

 

Ameline's new life had only just begun.

[Lavinya]

Finally the book was closed again. Faerzyne took a moment to write down the name of the girl’s mentor on a piece of parchment, as well as a summons. The mentor she had selected would be with them soon enough. After she handed the note to a servant that passed in the hallway joined with her office, she returned to the new Novice. With a smile she walked over to one of the many cabinets. She pulled two novice dresses from the cabinet, and handed them to the girl. “These are yours to wear during the years you are a novice. You must tend to them well, mend them when they’re torn, wash them when they’re dirty. For the next years, you will not be allowed to wear anything apart from these dresses.â€

 

She settled behind her desk again, telling the young woman in front of her a little about the rules novices lived by. She went from the curfew to the restriction on venturing into Tar Valon, to the repercussions that would follow if she chose to venture into the yards without a good reason. “But you look like a sensible young woman, so I’m sure I won’t see too much of you here.†A knock on her door told her that the mentor of the girl had arrived. “Enter.†The mentor revealed herself to Faerzyne and Ameline. “I trust that you’ll tell her all she needs to know.†Faerzyne said. Her tone was dismissive. She glanced at the sun, and notice that it had shifted slightly. A while had passed since the young woman had entered her office. A while, but there was still a lot of time left. As the new mentor and mentee pair left her office she sighed, wondering if this day would end any time soon.

 

~Faerzyne, MoN

[Jaydena]

Jaydena Mckanthur glanced down at her green dress and snorted at it. It was a satin dress with roses embroidered over it, another sign of the group she belonged to. She had always liked roses but they had become so much more, a symbol to those from the group that she belonged to Sirayn Simeone, Amyrlin of the White Tower. Over the roses which were embroidered in silver, was a thin veil of cream colored fabric. The bodice was low cut and her body was still lovely and hour glass shapped, she saw to that with constant toning. Her emerald eyes followed the curve of her breast, up her neck, and looked at her face in the mirror. That has changed so much, so much that it often hurt. A hand trailed up to the right side of her face and she touched the scared and twisted skin there. How she wished she could feel smooth skin there instead of the burned mass. At least she could see out of the eye, that was something at least.

 

Adding green shadow to her eye she placed the green mask of her face, it covered half her forehead, curved the inside of her nose and half her cheek. The burn hadn't taken her chin or her nose. Another blessing in a life with not so many blessing these days. She cursed the day she had ever picked up that horrible angreal that's burns had been impossible to heal, she turned from the mirror and slide her feet into green slippers of satin. Jade wore a simple silver rose necklace around her neck and no other jewelery, save her serpant ring and her water angreal ring. That was it, the bonded ring, had been passed to Sirayn some time ago. Wandering into the living room, she was about to sit down at her desk when she heard a knock at her door. Her eyebrows lifted, the ajah knew she wasn't to be disturbed midmorning, they could come to her while she ran at dawn, at breakfast, but not midmorning. That time of day was for her paperwork and duties of the ajah head. Being ajah head was trying at the best of times and she had to put her foot down or she would never get any of her duties done. Since her ajah seemed to mostly listen to her, especially since they knew she answered to Sirayn now. Her lips twisted at that but she refocused herself, those thoughts were not for now. So the person at the door must be someone not of her ajah and unaware of her rule. She walked to her door as her gaidin were gone already and opened it. An accepted stood at her door and quickly curtsied and handed her a note. She glanced at the seal she vaguely remembered and wondered who it was from.

 

Jade shut the door to her room and opened the letter, inside was a note, letting her know that she had a mentee. She had been given a mentee a short while ago and so that was where she had seen the seal before. The note requested her attention and so she shrugged and with a last glance at the the mound of paperwork on her desk, she left for the Mistress of Novices office. Her long legs made quick work of the tiled halls and she reached the door in no time. She pated her thick auburn hair and then knocked on the door. “Enter,†she heard from within the room, she pushed the door and stepped inside. Nodding to the MON she waited for her to speak, ignoring the look the girl at sent her at the mask on her face. “I trust that you’ll tell her all she needs to know.†Jaydena nodded in return and motioned for the girl to follow her. The MON hadn't introduced them so she spoke, "Hello my child, my name is Jaydena Mckanthur, that will be Jaydena Sedai to you, you must always remember to call a Aes Sedai by her title and an Accepted by hers. What is your name my child??" She continued to walk toward the novice quarters as she waited for the girl to answer...

[meauxwalk]

Ameline waited anxiously for her mentor to come, barely listening to the Mistress of Novices' speech concerning rules, regulations and the workings of the Tower. Then, pulling her out of her overwhelmed stupor, a knock rang through her consciousness. The Mistress of Novices called for the visitor to enter and in swept a finely toned woman in a georgeous green dress. The only odd thing was that she wore a matching mask that covered half of her face.

 

Rising and following the Aes Sedai out of the office, Ameline waited for her to give some clue as to what she was do to next; thinking, rightly, that she was to be seen and not heard until instructed. The Sister introduced herself as Jaydena Sedai, then asking who Ameline was.

 

"I am called Ameline Fordasha, from the Plain of Lances in Saldea," Ameline stated proudly before adding a respectful, "Aes Sedai" and trying to curtsey as they walked. Ameline realized that she would be doing a lot of curtsying in the next years.

[Jaydena]

"I am called Ameline Fordasha, from the Plain of Lances in Saldea, Aes Sedai." Jaydena looked back at the novice and saw her curtsing to every Aes Sedai who walked by. She smiled at the girl and said, "You are not required to curtsy to an Aes Sedai unless she adressed you, is teaching a class, giving a chore, or makes direct eyecontact with you. If you did you would never make it classes on time and then you would be in a alot of trouble with the Mistress of Novices. Nodding at the girl she spoke again, "Welcome to the Tower Ameline Forsasha, I hope it is okay for me to call you by your first name. You may call me Jaydena only when we are in private, the rest of the time you must refer to me as Jaydena Sedai or Aes Sedai. Come I will take you to your quarters." Jade walked quickly, her long legs eating up the ground in front of her. They reached the novices quarters which was extensive and two leveled. These days most of the room were empty and sat waiting for the time when they had the amount of novices they had had once so long ago. Personally Jaydena was of the bent that they were culling the lines out by having all the male channelers kill themselves after having been cut off from the source.

 

She walked up to the room she had been told the girl would live in these next years. Opening the door she led the girl in and swept her arm around the room. The room was small with two beds in it, she remembered from her novice days that the beds were totally hard and paiful to sleep on at first. Of course you got to the point that you were so tired you didn't care about how hard the bed was. The room also contained pegs to hand clothing on. A small dresser on each side of the room, each with a wash basin, picture, and very small mirror on them. This room did not contain a window, in fact most windows did not. There was one small desk at the far end of the room and that was all the small room had. "This is your room Ameline, you will live here until you get raised to Accepted, when you will get a slightly bigger room with a rug and a bigger bed and no roomate. She smiled and turned to the girl, "Would you like a tour of the Tower or would you like some rest?"

 

Jaydena Sedai

[meauxwalk]

"I think I will rest for now, thank you Aes Sedai. I am very tired from the journey; we traveled most day and night since leaving Saldea and I feel as though I have been put through a meat grinder. Maybe some other time if you are still willing, I would be much appreciated then...." Ameline stopped herself mid sentance, realizing that she had been running on as though Jaydena was a woman from her village, not an Aes Sedai to be respected and feared. "Forgive me, Jaydena Sedai. I forget my tongue at times."

[Jaydena]

Her mentee gave a big yawn and then spoke, "I think I will rest for now, thank you Aes Sedai. I am very tired from the journey; we traveled most day and night since leaving Saldea and I feel as though I have been put through a meat grinder. Maybe some other time if you are still willing, I would be much appreciated then...." Jaydena smiled and nodded, remembering her own journey, drawing pictures to make money and sleeping in hay barns. "Forgive me, Jaydena Sedai. I forget my tongue at times." Jade smiled at her mintee and spoke, "You rest, you will need it for soon they will be working you to the bone. We will view the Tower some other time my child." She walked from the room and headed into town, she had to have something made for her new mintee.

 

Days later she returned to her mintees room while the girl was out doing classes and left a large wooden box on her bed. A note lay on top of it.

 

Dear Ameline,

My mentor Kaylan Sedai gave me one of these many years ago and I added some things to it, to make my own special welcoming girt for my mintees. As you can see the box is made out of maple with a tear shape carved onto the top with you name carved in the middle. If you open it you will see several drawers and two lids that flip open in the middle. In the first drawer are seven small glass bottles. Inside the colored bottles are seven different colors of paint. Brown, Green, Red, Yellow, Grey, Blue, and White. At the end of the row is a bottle full of a clear solution. I will explain these to you later. The next drawer containes a small jar which has a tray on the inside made out of wood and a small brush inside the jar with fluid. Several small squares of fabric are also in this drawer and a brush that matches the one in the liquid but is larger. In the third drawer you will find a velvet pouch, which containes 3 charms done in silver, one is a tear drop like on the box, the second is a serpent eating it's own tail, and the last one is a intial, the intial A. If you open the doors you will find two more velvet pouchs. The first pouch contains a pendant shaped like the upside down teadrop which has an outline as though something is supposed to go on the inside of the ridge. The second pouch containes a long chain also in the sterling silver of the pendent. Now that you have seen what the box contains I will explain it to you. This box has been stained or veneered all over except for the Aes Sedai sign as you can see. If you look at you necklace and the charm that match you will notice that it is the same design. The necklace is what Kaylan gave me so long. The paints in the first drawer are what you can use to paint the box, the pendant, and the charm when you decide what Ajah you have chosen. The paint should stay good for at least 15 years so don't worry about it drying out. Keep it sealed and it won't dry out. The clear bottle contains a varnish to put over the paint, so it will shine. The second drawer contains, jewelry cleaner you can use it for these and then when you get your ring you can also clean that. The clothes and brushes are for cleaning also. You of course can't wear the charms unless your in your room, and the necklace will have to stay under you dress out of sight till you are raised. I hope my child that your time in the Tower is going well and may the Light Bless you.

Love,

Jaydena Mckanthur

 

Jaydena Sedai