Jump to content

DRAGONMOUNT

A WHEEL OF TIME COMMUNITY

Company


Leala Sedai

Recommended Posts

Novice Leala Gymorraine headed to her room. She had visited one of the seamstresses of the Tower for measurements that day. The dresses she wore were, as she had expected, too loose in the hips, and certainly had room for movement in the shoulders and chest area. The seamstress had given her two extra dresses that she felt would fit the girl better. She had even let Leala pick out a white cord to hold back her hair. The ribbon that Valeri Sedai had lent her did the job, but it would slip out of place with too much movement. She placed the ribbon in her belt pouch, though. It may have use later on. After trying the dresses on, much more satisfied with their fit over her lithe and still developing body, she had headed to the library. She had made quick work of her chores, without neglecting them, for the time being and had some time to read. In her hands, she carried the extra dress given to her that day with the dress that the Mistress of Novices had given her to tide her over, and a book that contained a brief history of Saldaea. She had read a bit about other countries, but stories about the Borderlands always held the mystery of the Blight and the strong people that defended against these threats.

 

The other Novices in the hall where her room was were giggling and chattering as they always did. Finally, she reached the solitude of her room. It housed an extra bed, but Leala was still the only occupant. She hung up her new dress and still kept the extra dresses, despite that they didn’t fit her as well. Taking off her shoes, she sat on her bed and leaned against the wall, her dainty feet dangling from the bed. She began to open her book when something caught her eye.

 

Looking up, she took note that there was a set of sheets folded on the other bed that had not been there before. Would she have a roommate soon? She rather liked being alone in this room. The ability to lose herself in her studies or her books took away from the drab surroundings. However, new company from someone that had nothing to do with the Palace at Caemlyn would be good for her, she knew. What would she be like? Where would she be from? Would they become friends after living in such small quarters together? Shrugging these questions off, Leala settled in again and opened her new book about a nation that thrived alongside the Blight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lyra de la Courcel, with her arms full of bland white clothing, and various other accessories, followed sullenly along behind a tall lanky novice, who was also in white. Rolling her eyes and sighing as quietly as she could manage she tried to drown out the chatter of the woman in front of her. One would think that a woman of her age would know better by now, she thought to herself. Many other thoughts were floating through her brain as she followed through many hallways of the large building, mostly concerns waring with curiosity. Now that she was out and about with out an Aes Sedai to question, she could see that there were quiet a few other girls and even older woman in all white and even some with colored bands on the bottom. What where the colored bands for? How did one get to have some color on their dresses? Why are some slaving over servants chores while others have arm loads of books? More and more questions kept piling up, until she thought she was going to die from curiosity.

 

At one point, quiet a few minutes into the walk, she even saw one of the Aes Sedai, Hanna she believed, who had taken her here. The woman was walking down the hallway towards Lyra and her guide when she glanced up and caught site of the pair, and much to Lyra's amusement, her eyes widened just a bit and veered off to a side hallway. Lyra chuckled to her self and glanced down the hallway she had gone but the Aes Sedai was already out of site. So much for being the rulers of the world, and powerful respected woman... and all it took was a little ice pepper. She thought wryly. Shaking her head, she brought her attention back to where she was walking and to what the novice in front of her was pointing out. So far she had been pointing out seemingly random rooms and names of people like Lyra was expected to know them.

 

"This is the main hallway in the Novice Quarters. Take this straight down and three hallways to the right and you will come to the Supper Hall at the very end. Be sure to listen for the bells that announce Supper time because the kitchens aren't open to novices except for certain hours," said Mirella in an exuberant tone.

 

Blinking at her tone and glancing at Mirella over her pile, she opened her mouth when she was suddenly drowned out by an almost herd of white girls leaving a large door. It seemed that they had finally reached the heart of the Novice Quarters. Looking down the hallway in all directions she could see, there were doors up on doors.

 

Sighing at how loud things were probably going to be during her time here. "Are we close to my rooms yet?" she asked in as neutral a tone as she could manage, despite her exasperation and annoyance. She hoped they were getting close because she really needed some down time and hopefully to gather her thoughts, or maybe a small chance to explore a little before supper was served and she would be forced to go "mingle" as her mother would call it.

 

As if on que, Mirella stopped in front of a door and knocked a couple times before opening it. "Wait?! Why would you have to knock at myyyy -" She cut off as the door swung open and she saw that is was indeed a two bed room, and not only that but there was already some one living in it. A mere slip of a girl at that!

 

"Here is your new roommate Leala, this is Lyra, just new come from Valeri Sedai's office. Well, I must be going, I have my errand to finish, see you two at supper!" Mirella said before either of them so much as said a word, and was half way down the hall. Lyra felt her anger come to a boiling point and flung her pile of clothing down on the bed furiously and slammed the door before twirling to face the still unmoving form on the bed.

 

"Look, I don't know what they mean by shoving me in this tiny room with some slip of a girl barely old enough to be off her mother's apron! How ever, stay out. of. my .way." Lyra fumed out before turning to her now strewn white clothing on the small bed. With out a care as to the young girl who was still in the room with her, she began to undress muttering not so nice things about the White Tower, Aes Sedai, and milk sops.

 

 

Lyra De La Courcel

Novice of the White Tower

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leala was enjoying her book quietly, relishing in the stories that it told. In the Palace, she would have had to study this and write a report on it. Still, she was studying in the Tower as well, but it was nice to enjoy the stories that history told. She liked the personalities described of the women in Saldaea. They were opinionated and were not afraid to speak their mind and show their anger. In Andor, everyone kept their emotions reserved. They certainly were not as reserved as the Aes Sedai in the Tower, but they were rather narrow-minded compared to the women of western most Borderland nation. She wondered where she would be if she had been born a Saldaean girl. Just as she was thinking about this, she heard a few knocks on the door. "Come in," she intoned politely. The door swung in, revealing Mirella, a Novice she had exchanged pleasantries with, and a shorter girl who seemed rather surprised about her circumstances. Mirella explained that Leala would be the girl's roommate and mentioned that her name was Lyra. She left and Leala laid her book on her lap to welcome her to their room. However, she was caught rather off-guard.

 

Lyra, who seemed as small as a Cairhienin, but seemed stronger than her size, slammed the door shut and immediately threw her belongings on her bed. Leala furrowed her brow and blinked at this strange reaction and before she could ask if she was alright, her new roommate spoke.

 

"Look, I don't know what they mean by shoving me in this tiny room with some slip of a girl barely old enough to be off her mother's apron! How ever, stay out. of. my .way."

 

For perhaps the first time in her life, Leala was struck completely speechless. She had no idea how to respond to Lyra's anger or her apparent prejudice against her for being younger than she. The slim Novice returned her attention to her book and relaxed again when she saw Lyra making moves to undress. "Very well, Lyra," she said in her tone she reserved for the most sensitive of situations. Perhaps if she called her by her name, the other Novice would see that she was willing to compromise. When her mind returned to her book, she realized that while Lyra resembled someone from Cairhien, and possibly had some Andoran features in her face, she behaved like a Saldaean woman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The travel worn and dusty dress was half way over her head when Lyra heard in a muffled way, "Very well, Lyra," in a calm young voice. Lyra continued to dress in the new, slightly rough clothing, when her braid caught on her button, causing her to yelp in pain. Once freed and untangled she gave up in it being out of the way for the day and let it loose despite that it was about to become a terror in it's own right. Glaceing at Leala to see if she had noticed and seeing nothing Lyra went back to trying her best to ignore the other presence in the room. She decided that if she didn't answer or encourage the other girl to speak, the young girl realize Lyra wasn't here to socialize. Lyra herself was questioning why she was here, after what she had seen in the hall ways, and the people she had seen, she was rethinking.

 

When the last stocking was pulled on and her slippers added to her feet, she dropped her arms to her side and glanced down at the dress. It was a little to long, a little too wide, and a little to white for her tastes. She felt like a white sack and she was not pleased about it; as a fairly prosperous merchant's only daughter, she didn't have exquisite things, such as nobles might have, but she sure had fine dresses. They were perfectly tailored, great for long days of travel, or any other random activity that Lyra saw fit to do through out her travels. Thinking once more that this new dress was bound to give her a rash at some point, she huffed and turned to drop onto the bed, only to find that wasn't the best thing to do. Her bottom started smarting all over a again from the travel earlier this morning, and caused her to frown in displeasure, but it deepened almost to a glare once she caught site of the figure opposite of her with a book in her hands.

 

So much had happened today, and she felt like it had been a whole week since they had ridden up to the White Tower and all it's glory. She had so much to think about and she wanted to fume in peace and mentally figure out what was going on and why she had agreed to this. She knew why at the time, but now other things kept popping up and not being able to vent properly made her cranky, and being cranky and now with the reminder of her sore bum, she had just about had it.

 

Lyra sullenly crossed her arms across her chest and stared at her roommate. The young girl was tall, taller than Lyra to be sure, which wasn't a hard measure to beat, and very prim. She also had long blonde curly hair, which was kept out of her face by some simple white twine, at which Lyra couldn't help but think that looked so much nicer than having to braid it ever day. Her own main was mostly straight, until you got farther down and it was what looked like a tangle of dark curls. Shaking her head, she took in the rest of her appearance and decided that the girl must be from Andor. Her own father was a proud Andoran and had started the business he and his brother now run there.

 

Having concluded she knew the location the young girl had come from, she began to wonder why she wasn't out like the other girls in white, the ones whom appeared to be doing servant work. Not caring that she was breaking her own rule she asked, "And why aren't you out there working, doing "chores" as they call it around here, before this supper bell?"

 

Lyra De La Courcel

Novice of the White Tower

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leala continued to read in relative silence. She could hear other Novices talking amongst themselves through the door and the rustling noises of her roommate changing into her new Novice dress. She had been working on chores for most of the day, and even when she wasn't working, she was still running errands. This was the first time she had time enough to herself to read and enjoy something similar to solitude. A small part of her mind was distracted by Lyra's presence, but she knew that if she were to become an Aes Sedai, she would have to become accustomed to living with so many people in the Tower. The White Tower was much bigger than the palace or her family's home on their grounds. The library alone was enough to make her forget any small inkling of homesickness she may have experienced. And as she unlocked her hidden potential in the One Power, she had more and more to look forward to. As she thought of all this, she realized that she had not comprehended the last few sentences she read. Going back to read them, she read of the prosperous horse trade system of Saldaea.

 

Again, the Novice was caught off-guar by her roommate. Lyra had spoke to her. Her tone of voice almost sounded like she was reluctant to do so. Looking up from her book again, she listened to what she had to say. "And why aren't you out there working, doing "chores" as they call it around here, before this supper bell?" she had asked.

 

"Ah," Leala began. "I finished my chore perhaps an hour ago. Then I went to the seamstresses for measurements. I probably won't have chores until after supper or tomorrow morning, so I stopped by the library for a book afterwards." She glanced to her door, wondering what it would be like to mingle with the other Novices. It still didn't seem very appealing. She would rather sit in her room and either read or perhaps converse with her unwilling roommate if she wished it. She hesitated for a moment to ask another question due to Lyra's initial outburst, but she knew that if they would be living in such close quarters together, they would have to speak eventually. "Do you like to read?" she asked sincerely. At least she hoped it sounded sincere. She tried to recapture the tone she used with her father or her younger sisters. Every other tone she used was reserved for dealing with other nobles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"I finished my chore perhaps an hour ago. Then I went to the seamstresses for measurements. I probably won't have chores until after supper or tomorrow morning, so I stopped by the library for a book afterwards."

 

After hearing this Lyra merely arched an eye brow. The girl had worked like a slave all day, and then gone to get a BOOK? And they had chores after supper as well? How horrid it would be to work on a full stomach, and she surely hoped to avoid such things. She was more of a morning person any ways, since merchant trains traveled with the light no matter the time of day.

 

The girl continued though and ask, "Do you like to read?"

 

Laughing out loud at the girl's question before she could contain herself, she quickly managed to get her self back under control. Seeing the girl's bewildered expression, Lyra chuckled again and explained.

 

"Why would I read? Of course I Can read, however there are so many far more exciting and more important things than a book in this world. Like traveling, and bargaining, and bartering with people, and haggling! Oh haggling with some one and getting what you want, or even some times more, while letting the other merchant think they got the better end of the deal is most satisfying. And that is just the life of a merchant, I would much rather be hunting, or hawking, or training dogs, or learning daggers. Things that are active and adventurous! Who would ever need a silly little thing like a book!"

 

Realizing she had gone on a tangent, she glanced at her fellow occupant to see what her reaction to this was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leala could tell that her new companion would perhaps not take to Novice life in the Tower as easily as she did. This life was certainly different than her life back in Caemlyn, but if she wanted to complete her journey to become an Aes Sedai, she would have to adjust accordingly. The same was for Lyra as well. The expression on the other girl's face was clear that she did not like the idea of doing chores each day, even after supper. When Leala asked about reading, Lyra's burst of laughter surprised her yet again. This was certainly a fresh change from nobles who kept their emotions and hidden agendas to themselves so much that even their faces were unreadable at the best of times.

 

The vivacious young Novice began to explain her philosophy on life as a merchant and why she would rather not read a book in her spare time. The young noble agreed that her roommate's life did indeed sound more exciting than the life she had lived for the past fourteen years. Her speech made her smile, though. Perhaps they could somehow relate to each other in a strange way, then. "I read books, especially histories like these," she began, showing the other girl the cover of the book that lay in her lap while keeping her spot with the tip of her forefinger. "Because while I've traveled to many places because of my parents, there will always be something I don't quite know about a place. The last time I was in Saldaea, I was only four years old, and I don't recall many things. So, I like to refresh those vague memories and learn new things if ever I happen to return there one day," she explained.

 

Her gray eyes turned away from Lyra for a moment when the Supper Bell sounded. Tentatively, her gaze returned to the other Novice. She had made it clear when she first entered that she wanted little to nothing to do with her, but perhaps... "Would you like to sit next to me in the Dining Hall for supper?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Massive bells ran through the White Tower's Halls, and Lyra assumed those where the supper bells. About to get up, she hears, "Would you like to sit next to me in the Dining Hall for supper?" from the girl across from her.

 

Arching an eye brow Lyra replied, "Thank you for the offer, but I am hardly an invalid to not be able to seat myself in the supper hall, and I would much rather take the time to have some peace and quiet to myself before facing the... tasks... placed up the novices here. Now if you will pardon me, I wish to get some food while it is hot, and I am not the one who has to cook it for once."

 

Finally and gingerly getting up off the low mattress, she begins fixing and smoothing the horrid white dress. She didn't intent to rely on any one but herself, especially a small girl child, who apparently was a book worm. Opening the door she took the same route that the chatty novice had taken with her and back tracked to the proper hall, only this time instead of one chatty novice, it was a herd of them.

 

Growling to herself and muttering about noisy and talking girls, she also silently cursed herself for letting Leala keep her tied to her room when Lyra had planned on going out to explore more before this next trial on her nerves and patience.

 

She had no choice but to go with the flow, which eventually took them to the wide double doors of the supper hall, and to Lyra's next challenge.

 

 

Lyra de la Courcel

Novice of the White Tower

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...