You'll have someone's eye out with that repost

[Elyssa]

Dafydd took the early watch, so that he could get some sleep and still wake early enough to catch fish for everyone's breakfast. Four days since they had left Tar Valon and nothing of any note had happened. He had ridden, proud, at Elyssa's side, watching the suroundings constantly for any sign of a threat, although there had been none. Elyssa had been uneasy about something, or perhaps lacking in confidence. He knew that there were other sisters from her Ajah with them, and she had mentioned, in a roundabout way, that she felt a little like she was still only Accepted in their presence. He had done what he could to reassure her, but it had made little difference, although it did make her smile a little more.

 

Before dawn had always been his favourite time for fishing. He always caught bigger fish, and more easily then, and today was no exception. Inside half an hour he had pulled half a dozen large trout from the river, and once he had scraped and washed them in the chilly water, and gutted them, leaving the entrails by the river for other animals to eat, he strung them together in a bunch and began to make his way quietly back to the camp. The sun was just coming up, and the others would be waking soon. As he made his way through the sparse wood he had his eyes open for wild herbs, which he picked as he went. A little wild garlic and a few other plants that he knew of pressed into the space where he'd gutted each fish would be perfect, he'd wrap each one in a thin layer of clay and put them in the fire. That way, once everybody was awake and had done what they needed to do, the fish would be ready to eat, and these were large enough to make a good breakfast for everybody in the party.

 

When he'd been a younger man, living rough in the hills and woods of Western Andor, he would've whistled, or hummed to himself, but he was a trained man now, and his training had been so ingrained that it was instinctive now. He moved as near to silently as possible through the wood, and he wore his colour-shifting cloak as a habit. The river was quite a way from the camp, at least, the part where he'd fished was, and when he was about halfway back, he heard a clacking noise, the sound of wood on wood. Curious, he ducked low and crept closer to where the sound was coming from, until he could see who or what was making it. The sight made him smile. Elyssa, fully clothed in a large dress, divided for riding, and a cloak, was hitting a tree with her staff. He supressed a chuckle as he watched her, swinging the wooden staff from side to side striking the trunk of a large oak.

 

Her movements were clumsy, it was clear she'd never even been shown how to hold the thing properly, although some of the way she stood suggested that she'd perhaps paid some attention when she'd watched him practising the forms. It wasn't perfect, but perhaps it was something he could work on, and perhaps the knowledge he could give her would give her a little more self confidence - it had certainly worked with him. She was puffing and out of breath, and grunted each time she clumsily swung the staff, and although he didn't know how long she had been practising, it can't have been very long, because she was fast asleep when he rose to go fishing.

 

He put the fish down carefully next to a tree, and crouched low to the ground, creeping slowly and quietly across towards Elyssa. So wrapped up in swinging her staff was she, that she didn't hear him, and he had trouble not laughing as he crept closer and closer. Finally, when he almost upon her, he reached out and grabbed her ankle, pulling it backwards. She squealed, and dropped the staff, falling backwards. He was ready for that, of course, and caught her in his arms as she fell, holding her gently but firmly. Her face was red and her eyes were wide with shock as he smiled down at her, still trying not laugh. He stood up, helping her upright as he did so. He allowed himself a little chuckle then.

"You should be careful.", he said, "You could trip yourself up and hurt yourself trying to use a staff like that."

"Dafydd!", she exclaimed, "You nearly startled the life out of me!"

He simply smiled and held up a finger.

"First rule of fighting,", he smiled, "at least half of your attention should be on the area around you and your opponent, otherwise someone could easily creep up and, erm, attack you from behind."

She began hitting him with her hands on his chest, not really hard, but persistently.

"That's not fair, and you know it!", she said, almost sounding angry, "How would I know such things?"

 

Dafydd took hold of her wrists, gently, to stop her from hitting him, as he thought about it for a moment.

"You're right.", he said, "You couldn't know things like that. That's why you have a Warder. But still, a weapon in untrained hands is as more dangerous to the person wielding it as to their opponent. Anybody with half a day's training would be able to see, just by the way you stand, and hold that staff, that you haven't the first idea about what you're doing with it, and then you might as well be a dead woman. You might be able to use the One Power to wrap the man in front of you in air so he couldn't harm you, but his friend behind you could slide a knife between your shoulder blades before you even knew he was there."

She paled a little at that, and it was good, he thought, that she should be a little scared, it would make her more careful. But at the same time he could feel a little sulkiness through the bond. He realised then, that by his actions, and his explanation - necessary though it may have been - he had made his Aes Sedai look foolish, and that was not a thing he had planned to do.

 

"Look,", he said, finally, "if you want to carry that staff properly, and attack trees without tripping over your own feet, I can teach you. It'll be hard work though, and you'll have to follow my instructions. When we're training, you're not Elyssa Sedai of the Blue Ajah, you're just Elyssa, my trainee. If those rules suit you, then I will gladly train you to be a danger to people other than yourself with that staff.", he smiled again, and waited while she considered the rules he had set out.

 

Dafydd Llewellun

Gaidin to Elyssa Lliet of the Blue Ajah

 

 

 

 

 

Ely had gotten up early to train with her staff. No one had ever shown her how to use it but she was determined to figure it out. Sometimes you need more than you had to get by. Ely was hitting a tree swirling and flourishing. She wasn't sure she was doing anything right but was sure it would hurt if she were to hit someone. Just as Ely was about to hit the tree again she felt someone's hands on her ankle. Before she could react she was falling. She landed in Dafydd's arms furious. Did he think it funny to scare her witless. She would show him what she thought of him scaring her that way. Dafydd stood and helped her up as he did "You should be careful" He said with a smile on his face "You could trip yourself up and hurt yourself trying to use a staff like that" This only made Ely more furious with him.

 

"Dafydd!" Ely yelled, "You nearly startled the life out of me!" Dafydd smile at her and held a finger up. "First rule of fighting" he said smiling,"at least half of your attention should be on the area around you and your opponent, otherwise someone could easily creep up and, erm, attack you from behind." Ely was so furious now she began hitting Dafydd in the chest. How dare he make a fool of her like this. At least she was trying. "That's not fair, and you know it" Ely said almost in tears, she hated being embarassed "How would I know such things?"

 

 

Dafydd took her wrists gently in his hands to stop her from hitting him. You're right, you couldn't know things like that. That's why you have a Warder. But still, a weapon in untrained hands is as more dangerous to the person wielding it as to their opponent. Anybody with half a day's training would be able to see, just by the way you stand, and hold that staff, that you haven't the first idea about what you're doing with it, and then you might as well be a dead woman. You might be able to use the One Power to wrap the man in front of you in air so he couldn't harm you, but his friend behind you could slide a knife between your shoulder blades before you even knew he was there." Ely knew he was right but was still angry with him.

 

Look,", he said, finally, "if you want to carry that staff properly, and attack trees without tripping over your own feet, I can teach you. It'll be hard work though, and you'll have to follow my instructions. When we're training, you're not Elyssa Sedai of the Blue Ajah, you're just Elyssa, my trainee. If those rules suit you, then I will gladly train you to be a danger to people other than yourself with that staff." Ely thought for a moment and she did want to learn to use this staff. She was still angry and a little sulky about being tripped but she knew Dafydd could teach her to use the thing. " I would be honored if you would teach me. Just don't embarass me again." Ely was looking forward to learning the staff and knew she was in good hands.

 

Elyssa Lliet

Sister of the Blue Ajah

Bonded to Dafydd Gaidin

Mentor to Allie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As she spoke, Dafydd realised that it wasn't so much her sulkiness that he was feeling through the bond, it was anger. He had made his Sedai angry, and that shamed him. He would find a way, in time, to somehow redeem himself with her, he was sure of that, but for now, she was accepting his offer of teaching. She had taught him so much since the first day they had met - not just reading and writing, she had taught him about self respect, about who he was, and who he could be. He had thought that Sasra Sedai had a keen eye to have seen it in him back in what he now called his old life, but it seemed that Elyssa had been able to see it too. Perhaps that was something to do with the One Power, a kind of second sight that most normal people didn't have, or maybe they were just very similar women. He didn't know Sasra Sedai very well, they had only met a few times - when he first arrived, Urien had gone to great lengths to keep him from seeing her, even when all he wanted was to thank her for this opportunity.

 

"Well.", he said brightly, burying his shame at angering Elyssa, "There's no better time to start learning than right now. It's barely dawn still, the others won't be awake for a while, they can wait a little while longer for their breakfast.". He indicated the collection of large trout which he had caught resting against a tree stump.

"You should go back to the camp and tie your hair up.", he said, "those locks you have are far too long for using a staff, they will get in the way and trip you over."

 

Elyssa was clearly in no mood to be told things, despite her acceptance that while he was teaching her she was simply his pupil.

"I shall manage perfectly well thank you.", she snipped, "I have managed these years without tripping over my own hair, and I'm sure I shan't trip over it now."

 

Dafydd looked at her and nodded thoughtfully. She did walk with a certain amount of poise and balance.

"Happen you might not, at that.", he said quietly stroking his chin.

 

"The first thing you must learn is how to stand.", he said, striding to the clearing in front of her, "If you stand and hold your weapon as if you mean business, 8 times out of ten it'll save you having to use it. Even Urien agrees that it's often better to avoid killing if it can be done. If an opponent sees that they may not be facing a defenceless woman after all, they may think twice about challenging you. Only a fool risks a broken leg or a cracked skull. Now, stand with your feet like this.", he demonstrated his stance. "See how well I'm balanced now, and how easy it is for me to move. Try to come at me from different angles."

 

For a few minutes Elyssa dodged to the left and right of him, but he was able to pivot to face her each time. On one occasion he deliberately spun the wrong way. She thought she had him, and lunged forward to lightly punch him on the arm, but she had underestimated him. Her balled fist simply met the palm of his outstretched hand with a slap, his arm as immovable as a tree, and a smile on his face.

 

"When you are practised, it is easy to be that quick.", he said, "Now, it is your turn, see how much easier it is to turn from side when you begin with the right stance."

 

Elyssa lifted the hem of her skirts slightly, and imitated the way he had placed his feet. He nodded approvingly, and then walked from side to side, not really trying to catch her out, but more showing her how easily she could now turn to face him. As she got the hang of moving her feet, he began to speed up, and each time she turned with him.

 

"You are lithe,", he said, nodding and smiling, "If we ever stop at an inn, and they have a gleeman, I should be honoured to dance with you.". She returned his smile, and he wondered if that was perhaps a little pride that he was feeling through the bond.

"Now, pick up your staff, and show me how you would hold it were you to face me for a challenge."

 

Elyssa walked to where she had left her staff, and picked it up, returning to face him. This time her feet, at least, were in the correct stance, but the way she held the staff was all wrong. It was an attempt at a guard stance, but it left her wide open, with little opportunity to switch to any of the forms.

 

"My dear Elyssa Sedai,", he said, "I hate to say it, but although that is perhaps a fair attempt, only a complete novice would feel at all threatened. You are open to attach here, here, here, here, and here.", and he indicated each with a short thrust of the tip of his own staff. Nowhere near her really, although the thrusts that went either side of her head made her blink and tilt her head back a little.

"Turn your left hand this way.", he said, taking her hand in his and placing in a better position on the staff. Her hand was so soft, so gentle, it was hard to imagine that when he had finished she would be more than competent wielding her staff, and might even be able to cause serious harm to an unwary opponent. He realised he had held her hand for rather longer than he had needed to, and let go, He stepped back, slightly embarrassed, and returned to his own guard stance.

"Now, most of the forms that you will learn have names. They are silly names, really, because they were intended for use with a sword, and with that they make sense. The forms are altered slightly for the staff, but they keep their names. However, I shall teach you some of my own forms too, things which I have done since I taught myself to fight with a staff as a boy, living alone in these very hills and forests. This one, for example, is little use for fighting, but it is a good way of showing that you know what you are doing. It's what I call an avoidance move - one which you use to avoid needing to fight."

 

He swung his staff in a wide horizontal arc in front of him, releasing it with his right hand as it crossed to the left side of him, He twisted his wrist, and the staff passed behind him, making a low whoosh noise as it slid through the air. He caught the open end in his right hand again, releasing his left, and swinging the staff in front of himself again, caught it with his other hand and returned to his guard stance. Elyssa looked as if she had barely seen the staff move, so he performed the move again, this time much more slowly. He did that a few times, and when Elyssa started to nod, he did it a few times quickly.

"You see?", he said, "A simple move, but one which looks complex, and impressive. Now, you try."

 

He stood back, at a safe distance, as she assumed the guard stance, holding the staff confidently in her hands. That was good, she was looking confident already, a head-start. She performed the motion slowly and a little clumsily at first, but after a few minutes she began to speed up.

 

And that was when it happened. For Dafydd, it seemed to go in slow motion. She smiled broadly as she spun the staff across her back, pivoting to the side at the same time. Her hair whipped up as the staff spun, twisting itself either side of it. As she spun the staff her long hair knotted around it. He saw it happen before she felt it, and dashed forward in a futile attempt to grab the staff before it became any more entangled. He was too late. As he lunged he called her name. The hair caught in the staff pulled her head back, and she lost her balance, stumbling to keep standing. She screeched as the staff, with it's own momentum, pulled her head back, tugging at the roots of her hair. He caught the staff in an iron grip, preventing it from pulling any further, and caught Elyssa as she fell with his free arm.

 

"Don't move.", he said, as she lay in his arm, "your hair is all tangled, I'm going to try and free it. You should've tied it back.", he didn't need to tell her that, of course, it was just the kind of thing one said in that kind of situation. Elyssa leaned against him as he tried to disentangle her long locks from the staff, but with little success. She twisted in his arm as he pulled and picked at her hair, but it was too badly twisted.

"Hold still.", he said, drawing his belt knife, "There's no choice, I'm going to have to cut it free."

 

Dafydd Llewellun

Gaidin to Elyssa Lliet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elyssa was seething when she had agreed to do what Dafydd told her while he was training her. She could tell that he felt bad for upsetting her and that calmed her a little. "Well.", he said brightly, "There's no better time to start learning than right now. It's barely dawn still, the others won't be awake for a while, they can wait a little while longer for their breakfast." He pointed to a pile of trout that he must have caught that morning.

 

"You should go back to the camp and tie your hair up.", he said, "those locks you have are far too long for using a staff, they will get in the way and trip you over." Ely didn't want to bother with her hair she was still upset and what did he know about long hair he'd never had hair that long before. "I shall manage perfectly well thank you." Ely snipped."I have managed all these years without tripping over my own hair, and I'm sure I shan't trip over it now." She was in no mood to go back to the camp she just wanted to take some frustration out on the tree she was standing next to.

 

Dafydd only looked at her and nodded. "The first thing you must learn is how to stand.", he said, striding to the clearing in front of her, "If you stand and hold your weapon as if you mean business, 8 times out of ten it'll save you having to use it. Even Urien agrees that it's often better to avoid killing if it can be done. If an opponent sees that they may not be facing a defenceless woman after all, they may think twice about challenging you. Only a fool risks a broken leg or a cracked skull. Now, stand with your feet like this.", he demonstrated his stance. "See how well I'm balanced now, and how easy it is for me to move. Try to come at me from different angles."

 

Ely tried to catch Dafydd off gaurd for a few minutes but he always managed to catch her and she couldn't get a hit in. "When you are practised, it is easy to be that quick.", he said, "Now, it is your turn, see how much easier it is to turn from side when you begin with the right stance."

 

Ely lifted the hem on her skirt and did exactly like Dafydd showed her. Dafydd walked from side to side showing her how easy it was to turn when you stood the right way. It was easier than what she had done all her life. He was still too quick for her it would take some practice to get it right. He started to speed up and it began to get easier for her to turn with him.

 

"You are lithe,", he said, nodding and smiling, "If we ever stop at an inn, and they have a gleeman, I should be honoured to dance with you.". She returned his smile, and felt a little bit of pride at his statement.

"Now, pick up your staff, and show me how you would hold it were you to face me for a challenge." Ely did as she was asked and held the staff out in front of her. She could tell by the look she was getting that it was all wrong.

 

"My dear Elyssa Sedai,", he said, "I hate to say it, but although that is perhaps a fair attempt, only a complete novice would feel at all threatened. You are open to attach here, here, here, here, and here.", and he indicated each with a short thrust of the tip of his own staff. He didn't really come anywhere near her, although the thrusts that went either side of her head made her blink and tilt her head back a little.

 

"Turn your left hand this way." he said while showing her where to put her hand. "Now, most of the forms that you will learn have names. They are silly names, really, because they were intended for use with a sword, and with that they make sense. The forms are altered slightly for the staff, but they keep their names. However, I shall teach you some of my own forms too, things which I have done since I taught myself to fight with a staff as a boy, living alone in these very hills and forests. This one, for example, is little use for fighting, but it is a good way of showing that you know what you are doing. It's what I call an avoidance move - one which you use to avoid needing to fight." Ely watched as he showed her his move and was amazed at how well he weilded the staff. She didn't think she would ever be able to do anything as well as that.

 

Dafydd performed the move more slowly so Ely could really see what he was doing and she watched intently. He swung the staff in a wide arc in front of him and released it with his right hand. As it crossed to his left side he twisted his wrist and the staff went behind him making a whooshing noise. He caught the open end in his right hand and released the staff in front of him and caught it with his other hand and returned to his stance. Ely was amazed at how fast he had done it even going slowly so she could see.

 

You see?", he said, "A simple move, but one which looks complex, and impressive. Now, you try" Dafydd stood back so he wouldn't accidently be hit as Ely started to try the move. She assumed her gaurd stance and held the staff the way Dafydd had shown her to. Ely began slow and unsteady but began to speed up once she got the feel of it. Just as she thought she could do the move a little faster disaster struck.

 

Everything happened so quickly Ely didn't know what hit her. Smiling proud of herself for getting this move down so quickly she spun the staff behind her back pivoting like Dafydd had shown her at the same time. Her hair swung fast as the staff spun and twisted itself around the staff. She couldn't stop the staff due to the momentum of it and her hair knotted around it. Before she realized what had happed Dafydd was running to her. He lunged and called her name and caught her before she could fall to the ground. In his other hand he had ahold of the staff. The pain was horrible.

 

The staff was pulling at her hair and it felt like it was coming out of her head by the roots. "Don't move.", he said, as she lay in his arm, "your hair is all tangled, I'm going to try and free it. You should've tied it back.", he didn't need to tell her that Ely knew she should have. This is what she got for being stubborn.She leaned against him as he tried to disentangle her long locks from the staff, but with little success. She twisted in his arm as he pulled and picked at her hair, but it was too badly twisted.

"Hold still.", he said, drawing his belt knife, "There's no choice, I'm going to have to cut it free." Those words seemed to come out of his mouth in slow motion. Ely had not cut her hair other than trims since she first came to the tower. It was her memorial to her mother and father. Now she had no choice but to cut it and it broke her heart. "Dafydd please do your best to keep it as long as you can" Ely said the tears flowing. She would keep what hair she could and wear a lock of it around her neck.

 

Elyssa Sedai

Blue Sister

Bonded to Dafydd Gaidin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the sight of his belt knife, Elyssa began to cry, mumbling some words through her sobs that he could barely make out.

"It's your hair I'm going to cut, not your neck.", he said, trying to smile, "Now hold still and don't make a fuss."

 

"Please do your best to keep it as long as you can!", she said, in a half-sob.

 

"There won't be any left at all if you don't hold still.", he said, trying to get the knife as near to the staff as possible. She relaxed a little, but her body was still shaking slightly as she continued to cry. It was going to be far from neat, and she'd be lucky if he was able to cut it long enough to reach her shoulders.

 

In the end he managed to draw the edge of the knife carefully along where Elyssa's hair was caught under the staff - it was the longest he would be able to manage. As she was able to stand, he stuffed about half of the cut hair up his sleeve. She stood up and turned to face him, holding the rest of the hair in his hands, and she burst into fresh tears.

"Aes Sedai don't cry.", he said curtly, regretting the words and his tone as soon as he'd spoken. She turned away from him, but he could still see her body shaking as she continued crying. He stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. She kept her face downcast, but with his fingertips just under her chin he tilted her head so she was looking up at him.

"It quite suits you, actually.", he said softly, smiling, "It frames your face nicely, and you have beautiful features. Perhaps we could get one of your sisters to tidy it up a little, and then you'll rival the finest beauty in the Tower."

 

She smiled unsteadily, and her sobs began to subside a little. He picked up her soft riding cloak and with the edge of it, dried her tears, wiping the streaks from her face.

 

"We should get back to the others, before the come looking for their breakfast.", se said, steadying her voice remarkably quickly. It always impressed him the way she did that, the way all Aes Sedai seemed to do that. Apart from just now, he'd never seen an Aes Sedai show any real emotion. It must be hard to live like that, keeping everything hidden - like spending the whole time wrapped in the Void. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. They both knew, without speaking, that he wouldn't mention this to anybody. She got her hair tangled, he had to cut it short, that was all there was to it. As far as anybody else would know, nothing else had passed between them other than an accident, she was, and always had been, perfectly composed, every inch the Aes Sedai that he knew her to be.

 

She picked up her staff, a little gingerly, in one hand, and the remnants of her hair - at least, the hair he hadn't hidden in his sleeve - while he shouldered his own staff and picked up the fish, and they made their way quietly back to the camp.

 

 

Dafydd Llewellun

Gaidin to Elyssa Lliet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ely saw the knife come into Dafydd's hand and began to cry. " You can't cut my hair" She couldn't talked it came out in a mumble. It's your hair I'm going to cut, not your neck.", he said, "Now hold still and don't make a fuss." Ely couldn't help but shake with her sobbing. She had grown her hair for so long. She didn't want to lose it.

 

"Please do you best to keep it as long as you can!" Controling her sob just enough to tell him. She hated to have to lose it. "There won't be any left at all if you don't hold still." Ely calmed when he said those words she really didn't want to lose anymore hair than she had to. Ely still couldn't help but shake while she cried though it wasn't as bad.

 

Once Ely could feel the weight of the staff lift Ely stood. She did not want to see what was cut but she made herself turn and look. She knew it was going to be a lot and refused to touch her hair as that would just be too much for her right now. She looked at what Dafydd had in his hands and began to wail it was so long it nearly touched the floor. "Aes Sedai don't cry" He said it so curtly Ely had to turn away from him. He knew what her hair meant to her and this was the way he was going to talk.

 

Dafydd put his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him but Ely would not look at him. "It quite suits you, actually" he said softly. "It frames your face nicely, and you have beautiful features. Perhaps we could get one of your sisters to tidy it up a little, and then you'll rival the finest beauty in the Tower" Ely felt a little better but she still didn't want to look up. After a minute Ely looked up to Dafydd and slightly smiled and stopped crying. Dafydd handed her the riding cloak she had totally forgotten about and dried her eyes with the edge of it. He always knew how to make her fell better.

 

"We should get back to the others, before the come looking for their breakfast" Ely knew they had spent enough time here and wanted to have one of the sisters fix her hair for her. Maybe Sasra knew how to do it? Picking up her staff and composing herself some more her and Dafydd walked back to camp. She didn't have to tell him not to tell anyone exactly what had happened.

 

Elyssa Lliet

Blue Sister

Bonded to Dafydd Gaidin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dafydd didn't get the chance to speak to Elyssa for the rest of the day, but he saw her emerge from Sasra's tent with her hair looking much neater. She still looked upset though, and her felt the pouch inside his cloak that contained some of the hair he'd had to cut off and gave it a squeeze. He felt responsible, he shouldn't have let her practise with the staff until her hair was tied up. He'd warned her, he'd suggested she tie it up, but he should've taken the staff away until she did it. Of course, sometimes there was no talking to Aes Sedai. They ate together that night - he'd been out in the afternoon and caught a couple of rabbits and some fish - but they barely spoke. He could sense that she was still upset through the bond, and decided that quiet was better than saying anything which might upset her. Her hair suited her, cut short like that, it brought out her eyes, but he thought she probably wouldn't welcome the compliment.

 

He crept over while she was asleep, laying on her side curled up with her blankets wrapped around her, and left a note by her face, so she'd see it when she woke up.

 

"One mile due East of here, there is a clearing. I will meet you there. Surprise me."

 

He left then, and walked to the clearing he had found earlier on while he was hunting. Dawn was still a little way off, and the air had that wonderful stillness that the early morning has, when it seems to be somehow darker than the middle of the night. He practised forms in the dark, not even using the void, just keeping his limbs loose. The colours around him changed again and again, the trees seeming to come alive as the sun began to cast it's weak morning light into the woods. He stopped practising and leaned his staff against a tree, waiting for Elyssa to arrive.

 

He heard her coming from half a mile away, lumbering through the woods like a runaway horse. He crouched close to the ground with his back to the camp, so she would be approaching him from behind. By the time she reached the clearing, he could hear virtually every footstep, although it was clear that she was trying to approach him as quietly as possible. He waited until she was about ten feet away from him and then, without turning around, said

 

"I just got a message from Shienar. They wondered if you could make a little more noise, there are some people in Fal Dara who weren't woken."

 

He turned around in time to catch the scowl forming on her face. He smiled then, a broad smile, bordering on a laugh, and her scowl began to crack too.

"Dafydd! I..." but he held up a hand to silence her.

"You have to learn to move around more quietly. It's like dancing, you'll find it easy. Being able to move properly and quietly is very important. It's about balance, and control. It'll make it easier to use the staff too."

 

He stood up, and looked at what she was wearing. Typical Aes Sedai, full floor-length skirts, no wonder she made so much noise.

 

"First things first.", he said, before she could offer any protest, "You'll need to hitch your skirts up to your knee. Just pull them up and knot them so that they don't fall down and catch on the ground."

 

 

Dafydd Llewellun

Gaidin to Elyssa Lliet

 

 

 

 

 

Elyssa hadn’t seen Daffyd all day not since the dreaded event that caused her to lose her most precious possession, her hair. She had gone to Sasra’s tent and Sasra had taken care of it. She trimed it even so at least it looked neat. Ely was still upset when she left the tent and she saw Dafydd sitting by the fire cooking dinner. She sat with him while she ate but didn’t say anything. She had talked enough with Sasra for the day and knew that if she said anything to Dafydd she would only start to cry again. So she sat there and ate without saying a word. She would sneak an occasional glance at him hoping he wouldn’t see and try to start a conversation. She knew he wouldn’t he could tell she didn’t want to talk. She could tell through the bond that he was blaming himself for what happened. It wasn’t his fault though of course. It had been she who hadn’t wanted to put her hair up. She didn’t know why she had refused she just had. It didn’t seem all that important to her at the time. Now she knew she had been stupid and stubborn and she vowed to herself not to let that happen again. When he was training her she would do everything he asked without question.

 

She finally rolled over on her side and curled up into her blankets exhausted from the days activities. She was asleep by her third deep breath. She didn’t even sense when Dafydd crept up beside her. When she woke she saw a note right by her face. How could she not have noticed him come up to her and place that note there. She would have to be more careful just because he was her warder did not mean she could sleep that deeply when outside of the Tower. She quickly read the note "One mile due East of here, there is a clearing. I will meet you there. Surprise me." It seemed he wanted her to try and sneak up on him. She thought she was pretty good at sneaking since she had done it growing up with her brothers but that had been such a long time ago. She wondered if she could still do it. She quickly got dressed in one of her traveling gowns at least it was split at the sides for riding it would make it easier for her to move about in.

 

She did her best to sneak up on Dafydd when she got closer to the clearing. With the dress on it was making it difficult. She had hiked the skirt up to her knees to try and keep it from moving anything she didn’t want moved but it didn’t help. She knew she was making far too much noise and that Dafydd had probably heard her coming by now. What she didn’t expect was the comment he made when she finally got to him.

 

 

"I just got a message from Shienar. They wondered if you could make a little more noise, there are some people in Fal Dara who weren't woken."

 

When she finally realized what he was saying she began to scowl at him. He turned with a huge smile on his face and she knew he had only been joking. She was still a little touchy because of the day before and she should have realized he hadn’t meant anything by it. She smailed herself to let him know she was not upset with him anymore “Dafydd! I…†was all she was able to get out before he began talking again.

 

"You have to learn to move around more quietly. It's like dancing, you'll find it easy. Being able to move properly and quietly is very important. It's about balance, and control. It'll make it easier to use the staff too." He was right if it was like dancing she would find it easy. She loved to dance and she was quite good at it. She hoped it really was easy to learn to move like he did.

 

He looked at her and she could tell he was looking at what she was wearing. She hadn’t known what he wanted and at least the skirts were divided for better movement.

 

"First things first.", he said, before she could offer any protest, "You'll need to hitch your skirts up to your knee. Just pull them up and knot them so that they don't fall down and catch on the ground."She started to protest but then remember the vow she had made herself the night before. Without argument she lifted her skirts and tied them just above her knees. She found that she could move tons better when she did that. She was a little red in the cheeks at having to show that much leg but it was for the best and she didn’t want to have another accident like the one the day before.

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Elyssa Lliet~Blue sister Bonded to Dafydd Gaidin

Mateo Ashden~Tower Guard

Pencari Angin~Windfinder