Not Quite a Leaf on the Wind (attn MoN)

[Zentopia]

“I don't know what I'm thinking, bringing you here,” Islara Adsanisar Aes Sedai said, as she swept down the hallway to the Mistress of Novices with her potential novice in toe. “I know we need every woman who can channel in the tower, but you? What is the Tower going to do with a Tuatha'an?” The older woman shook her head, dark golden ringlets shaking, and readjusted her green-fringed shawl. Islara Sedai had been a full sister for twenty years, but she still felt naked around her fellow sisters in the Tower without it. Plenty of them still saw her as the petulant little novice. Which was just not fair!

 

She glared over her shoulder at the quiet little girl hastening to keep up with her, clad in a calvacade of colors that would put a mountainside of wildflowers to shame. Unfortunately for her, that combinaton of hues was considered eyeblinding in just about every country past the Spine of the World and garnered uncomplementary stares. Putting the child in novice whites would be a blessing for everyone around her.

 

This may not be the wisest thing, she mused. What under the Light can the Tower do with a girl who can't fight? Oh, wait, it's not can't, it's WON'T. She tsked under her breath, the quietest thing she'd done since coming within the Shining Walls. Tarmon Gai'don so close we can feel the Dark One's breath on all our necks, and they won't lift a finger to say boo to a Trolloc. That way of the Leaf is such a joke.

 

"...Yes, ma'am." Fianna Bashalde merely studied the floor, tapestries, and windows, remained silent, and did not meet the Aes's Sedai's gaze. She'd done pretty much the same for the entire trip. As a result, she'd managed to weather the Kandori Aes Sedai's criticisms and imprecations all the way from Tarabon to the White Tower; she could certainly suffer in silence a bit longer. For one, she was merely a child of fourteen compared to the woman sweeping along next to her. Secondly, and most important, everyone knew the uselessness of trying to debate with one of the sisters of the Tower.

 

She watched as the Green stepped up and rapped three times on Valeri Sedai's door. “Oh, Valeri Sedai,” she called, opening the door, “It's Islara. You would not believe what I picked up for the Tower, and I wish you so much joy of it. Perhaps you'll find her a challenge. Come along dear.” Fianna found herself gently taken by the arm by the Green, who walked her in and dropped her in the chair before the Mistress of Novices. “Now mind her, and get that silly Way of the Leaf out of your head, child. You'll never earn the shawl, else.” She paused, then added, "Which might be better for you all around, but who knows?"

 

She ignored Fianna's wide eyed stare, nodded to Valeri once, and swept out of the room, calling to her Warder. “Ffion! We're off!”

 

As Islara's footsteps vanished down the hallway, Fianna ducked her head slightly. “I'm so sorry, ma'am...I mean, Valeri Sedai, is it? I...she was not happy that I interrupted her trip...”

Edited October 3, 2010 by Chikara

[Amadine]

Valeri stood at the window, sipping her tea, watching the goings on in the gardens beneath her office. Here a servant hurrying with an arm full of laundry, there an Accepted shepherding a gaggle of chattering Novices. Seeing the Novices she sighed, the numbers of new girls coming to the Tower was dwindling. Something would have to be done about the situation.

 

Suddenly there were three sharp raps are her door and the before Valeri could call for the knocker to enter the door swung open revealing Islara.

 

“Oh, Valeri Sedai, It's Islara. You would not believe what I picked up for the Tower, and I wish you so much joy of it. Perhaps you'll find her a challenge. Come along dear.”

 

Islara pulled a child through the door by her arm. The child was wearing a garish mishmash of colours, her eyes downcast and respectful. Islara gave her a slight push towards the chair before Valeri's desk, “Now mind her, and get that silly Way of the Leaf out of your head, child. You'll never earn the shawl, else... Which might be better for you all around, but who knows?"

Islara nodded to Valeri and summoning her warder swept regally from the room. Valeri wanted to roll her eyes, it was not so long ago that she had Islara in this office warming her bottom with a switch. Valeri put thoughts of the young Green out of her head and turned to the lass sitting before her, the child ducked her head respectfully and said, “I'm so sorry, ma'am...I mean, Valeri Sedai, is it? I...she was not happy that I interrupted her trip...”

 

Valeri poured the child a cup of tea and moved around the desk back to her own seat. She sat the teacup in front of the girl and said, "Now child, let's start with your name and how you came to be in the company of Islara Sedai?"

 

Valeri Kinaea

Mistress of Traditional Novices

[Zentopia]

"Now child, let's start with your name and how you came to be in the company of Islara Sedai?"

 

The young woman blinked, but took the cup with a nod. Tea? But she was the younger one here; how could she let her elder get up and pour a cup of tea for her? That should have been her task! Fianna flushed with embarrassment, as her mother had raised her with better manners. She should have seen the little trivet before she sat down and asked if the lady wished her to pour her a cup. The girl did wait, however, until Valeri Sedai took a sip from her cup first. Only fair.

 

"F...Fianna Bashalde, Miss - I mean, Valeri Sedai. I'm sorry." The tea was good, nice and strong, and cleared her suddenly dry throat.

 

But she was asking about Islara Sedai. Fianna took a moment to choose her words very carefully. "Islara Sedai was traveling near our caravan," she explained, glancing up at the Mistress of Novices, then back down towards the cup cradled in her hands. "She...there were boys from a nearby village who decided to pester us. We might have been burned out had Islara Sedai not caught them in their mischief." There. That was polite enough. Thankfully her train had not lost much that could not be replaced, given time and work by the family crafters.

 

"Islara Sedai asked that she be allowed to test all the girls of the right age to see if any of us could channel the Power - " The Tuatha'an took a sip of her tea, but the warm, sweet beverage did nothing to counteract the sudden twinge of nausea in her gut at the idea of touching anything concerning the Power. "I was the only one. So she brought me back, but she was not happy about it. Much of the journey here was filled with her complaining that I would be useless to the Tower, only trouble, as I follow the Way of the Leaf."

 

Another flush came to her cheeks as she realized what she said could be seen as criticizing an Aes Sedai, and she dropped her head again, studying the teacup. But if she disliked the idea so much, then why did she do it at all? went completely unasked. That would be going too far.

Edited October 4, 2010 by Chikara

[Amadine]

"Islara Sedai asked that she be allowed to test all the girls of the right age to see if any of us could channel the Power - " the child's face twisted and she sipped her tea, "I was the only one. So she brought me back, but she was not happy about it. Much of the journey here was filled with her complaining that I would be useless to the Tower, only trouble, as I follow the Way of the Leaf."

 

Valeri's temper flared at the thought, her face remained smooth and impassive, but inside her temper seethed. If that Islara was still in the Tower when she finished here she was going to find out first hand how Valeri felt about Sister's who frightened and made their charges feel worthless.

 

"Child," Valeri saidly gently, "If you have the power to channel Saidar within you, you could never be considered worthless to the White Tower. If you choose to live by the Way of the Leaf, then that is your right and only you can find ways to adhere to that during your training."

 

"Child let me tell you, though Tower initates from the Tuatha'an are few and far between you are not the first, let that ease your mind some."

 

"Since you have been tested by Islara Sedai, there is no need for me to repeat the test, "Valeri slid open the large bottom drawer in her desk and withdrew from it a large leatherbound book and opened it to the most recently completed pages, she lifted her pen, "Child, can you tell me you full name, place of birth and current age please?"

 

Valeri Kinaea

Mistress of Traditional Novices

[Zentopia]

So there *is* a place for me? The downcast girl’s eyes widened at Valeri Sedai’s words; it was as if the had tossed a rope to a drowning man. “I don’t have to give up the Way?” She had no idea how she would do it, not yet, but if she could become Aes Sedai but not have to become Lost...

 

The Way means that much to me. Of course I will do it. There has to be a way, some path I can take… Fianna remembered how their caravan had mourned when one of the older boys, embittered at how the world had treated them, went off to learn the sword. He is Lost, they said, and since then not a soul in the caravan had spoken his name. He was dead to his family and the People now since choosing a path of violence rather than the Tuatha’an path of peace. No one even knew where he’d gone.

 

But the Mistress had more surprises.

” …though Tower initates from the Tuatha'an are few and far between you are not the first, let that ease your mind some."

The girl nearly dropped the teacup she was holding. Her people walked the Tower! No one had ever told her that! There were no stories about Tuatha’an with the ring and shawl that she knew of. Perhaps they knew the answer she was seeking. Or…had time embittered them and forced them to make choices where they became Lost as well?

 

She would have to find them, speak to them. A smile began to form, and the pink came back to her cheeks.

 

The scritch-scritch of the pen brought her back, and she repeated her name. “I’ve fourteen years, Valeri Sedai,” Fianna told her, seemingly more animated and happy now, thanks to the Mistress of Novices’ reassurance. “And…there was no city I know of near where I was born. Will the country do? It was Arad Doman, somewhere to the south. My da would know the exact place, I think, but we usually don’t keep track of such things.”

Edited October 4, 2010 by Chikara

[Amadine]

"The country is fine child," Valeri smiled as she wrote Arad Doman into the Novice Book, followed by the child's age. She finished the entry with her own signature and set her pen back down. She looked at the girl before her, for better or worse Fianna was now sealed to the Tower, aloud she said, "Welcome to Tar Valon Fianna Bashalde. Welcome to the White Tower Novice Fianna."

 

Valeri regarded the dark-haired girl seated before her and wondered how she would go incorporating the Way of the Leaf into her Tower life, as long as she followed the rules laid out for Novices, Valeri would allowe her to find her own way.

 

Standing Valeri moved to the cloest in the corner which held the Novice's garb. She pulled a pair of dresses, several shifts, stockings, slippers, a belt and a pouch from the closet and moved to place them in Fianna's lap.

 

"While you are a Novice Fianna, you will wear only Novice White." she indicated the pile of white she had placed on the girl's lap, "These will see you through until you can go to the seamstresses to have more made."

 

Fianna nodded her head, her mouth opened slightly before she closed it again.

 

"Child, would you like to ask me any questions now? Before i summon someone to show you to your new room?"

 

Valeri Kinaea

Mistress of Traditional Novices

[Zentopia]

She had seen the white dresses, of course, when she walked into the Tower. However, the idea that she would be wearing one of those herself had not truly occurred to Fianna until Valeri placed the bundle in her hands. The young girl had never seen that much white garb before in her life. Thinking back, Fianna had only worn white when mourning, and not even that much then.

 

The Tuatha'an were very accepting of death; most people thought they were accepting to the point of insanity. But, it was part of the Way of the Leaf.. Eventually the Creator would spin you back into life, much like leaves that fell to the ground eventually became part of the grass and all living things.

 

Fianna was used to color. Lots and lots of color. Color meant life. She was going to dislike having to shed the clothes she was accustomed to. I promise, though, she thought, I will take my colors back when I am Aes Sedai.

 

She shuddered visibly, but accepted the neatly folded clothes with a faint smile. "N-no. Not at this time, ma - I mean, Valeri Sedai. I’m ready to go.” The new novice walked towards the door, then remembered her manners at the very last moment, turned, and curtsied. “Thank you for your kindness, and I promise I’ll find a way to keep the Way. Thank you for letting me know I can at least try. Perhaps…perhaps if you could ask if one of the Tuatha’an in the tower would be willing to speak to me? It might help me with my answer.” Fianna was not sure how the Tower handled a novice wishing to speak to an Aes Sedai, but maybe there was an Accepted or two.

[Amadine]

"I will see what i can arrange Child" Valeri said in response to Fianna's enquiry about other of the Tuatha'an within the White Tower.

 

Valeri lifted the small brass bell on her desk and rang it gently. Presently a servant scratched at the door and Valeri gave consent for her to enter. "Please take Fianna here and see her settled into the Novice Quarters."

 

The serving lass nodded her head and beckoned Fianna to follow her out of the study. Fianna smiled at Valeri and pulled the door closed behind her as she left the Mistress of Novices' offices.

 

Valeri Kinaea

Mistress of Traditional Novices