Delivery for the Tower

[Ihvaron]

On the western edge of a small village, Ihvaron sits his horse and stares blankly around him. It has been three weeks since he watched his sister tortured and murdered, three weeks since he woke up in The Tangled Roses Inn, two since he left and the memories are still fresh, making his eyes burn with tears every time he closes them, his ears ring with her screams and cries for help when he tries to sleep, which explains why he looks like he hasn't slept in weeks, he barely has and on the occassions that he did, it was most often in a hayloft.

 

Where he sits atop his horse, Raidin, his current pace would have him in Shol Arbela in roughly five days or Fal Moran in seven. He could make either distance faster, but the fact is, since the last village he hasn't pushed Raidin above a walk. He has been in a state of shock. He has vague memories of speaking to an Aes Sedai, or more accurately, arguing with her. Having met a few Aes Sedai briefly in the past, it wasn't very hard to recognize this women as one the moment she walked into the inn. He had approached her and the man who must have been her warder cautiously, he told her his story and where he intended on going in hopes of gaining her companionship on the journey. What he got was a nondescript package, instructions to take it with him to Tar Valon and assurances that there would be a Tower Guard waiting to escort him in the next village.

 

Now outside that village, Ihvaron looks back over his shoulder towards where he left the Aes Sedai and shakes his head. He touches the package tucked into Raidin's saddlebag and froms. He looks southwest, towards his home, his mother and his grandfather, and his frown deepens. If they have heard anything yet, it is that he and Remerie are missing. He is not ready to face them with his failure, he can't face them yet. Turning back to the village in front of him, he takes a deep breath, blinks back a few tears, pulls his coat snugly around him with gloved hands, checks the swords crossed on his back, and urges Raidin forward.

[Liitha]

Liitha had arived in Shol Arbela drained in dust, the borderlands where as dry as any other it seemed, and it was hot. Her thougths had been that she could have been back in Tar Valon instead of taking a detour hadnt it been for her poor luck of runing into an Aes Sedai who sent her of towards Shol Arbela.

 

Arival in the city had made her anything but pleased as she had found she wouldnt be meeting another Aes Sedai there as promised afterall, instead but a note waited on her to get to a village about 3-4 days ride out of Shol Arbela. That was as much information she had, and now she had been siting in the inn for two days waiting till someone came with a new note for her this morning that there would soon be a boy ariving that she should escort back. She had but guessed he migth have the package instead. By all estimates he would likely arive this evening, or so she hoped.

 

Siping her beer she let her thougths drift, she had no worries anyone would bother her, a couple local bullies had tried to jest at her the first evning when drunk but had soon been spoked off when they realised the herons on her blade migth be genuinly hers. Closing her eyes she let herself see by the help of her ears, focusing on the sounds sorounding herself as she went for the void and a state of meditation. Soon enough she would be able to set pace for Tar Valon again.

 

In one way it was a wonder why she even longed back, since she had found herself more on the road then at home the last few years, and the litle she had been in the city she had mostly found it boring. But somehow she had a feeling it was time now to go home and stay there for a while, she felt less restless by every day, it was indeed time to setle down. And the break would be good on Yazi too, though the traveling had left the mare with her share of stamina. As the door to the inn opened, Liitha opened her eyes slowly, the air who seeped in where in no help to cool her down.

 

She looked at the boy standing in the door, hopefully this would be it. Raising slowly she walked over towards him.

[Ihvaron]

Standing in the doorway of the inn, Ihvaron examines the interior and clientele. Nothing in particular stands out in his mind. Shifting the package tucked beneath his arm to adjust his grip he notices the woman approaching him. Still walking in the same haze he has been for days he does not really see her. Were he to look away at that moment he would not be able to describe her any more accuratly then she was a women. Certainly not noticing her sword, he takes her for either the innkeeper or a waitress. Smiling a smile that is playful, boyish and appears completly unfit for his face, especially his eyes, he remembers a time when he would have worn that smile genuinely on a daily basis as he bows deeply to her. That time seems so very long ago now.

 

"Good evening mistress. Might I inquire the price of a room and a spot in your stable for my horse?"

[Liitha]

As she reached the boy he bowed deeply for her, and as he rose just about ruined whatever good impresion he had made by the bow. "Good evening mistress. Might I inquire the price of a room and a spot in your stable for my horse?"

 

Thoug most of all Liitha was amused, leaning back on her heels she scaned him up and down. "It migth not be my place to question the choise of messengers made by a sister, but surely there must have been someone bether then a halfblind welp to chose from. I'll let them know to give your horse a good rub down and get it some food and water, after i ordered some food, you go upstairs and get some dust of you." she handed him a key, "second room to the left, dont touch my gear its not toys. I'll see you down here in 15 min. Its still several hours off daylight we'll be on the horseback in an hour, I am dead bored of this place and has more important things to do then sit around twining my tumbs in this desolated place." With that she turned her back on him and walked over to the counter to order some dinner as well as some food to put in the sadlebags.

 

She hoped his horse wasnt in as bad a shape as the boy she wanted to get a good way into the wilderness before camping. The sooner they got to Tar Valon the sooner she could get off this duty.

[Ihvaron]

He stands in stunned silence for a long moment, his eyes bancing back and forth between the key in his hand and the woman's back. It is in this moment that Ihvaron sees her sword for the first time and is met with a pair of revelationsas her words replay themselves in his head. She is the Tower Guard that is to escort him to Tar Valon, and this trip, even if it is over tomorrow, is going to be very long and tiring.

 

Deciding it is probably best not to get any further on this woman's bad side then he apparently already is, he bounds up the stairs and into the room she directed, completely ignoring her gear so as not to be tempted to examine it more closely.

 

With his coat, shirt, gloves and swords laying beneath the package just inside his eyeline on the bed, Ihvaron washes his face and hands. He begins to fume so much from the thought of the woman referring to him as a halfblind welp that he is surprised the water is not boiling at his touch. After drying off, he puts his shirt, coat, gloves and swords back on, tucks the package back beneath his arm, and heads downstairs intent on telling that insufferable woman a thing or two about how things are going to be, he is after all the one who has been entrusted with whatever is in this package.

[Liitha]

Liitha checked the horse's legs herself before leting the stable boys rub the horse down. Returning inside she found that their stew was done and she setled down again, she had ordered a botle of wine, the food and outlook to finaly get out of this place and go back home had her mood pick up a litle.

 

She blew on the forck full of stew before tasting it, her eyes went to the stairs as the boy came back down again, maybe she had been a bit hard on him. As he reached the table she motioned for the chair.

 

"Sit and eat" she smiled, "the stew is good and will give you strength in the hours to come, there is wine too." She took up the eating again, feeling it fill her stumock, she looked forward to get out in the woods even if it where a high temperature outside. Brushing a hair out of her face she adjusted the left katana sheat so it wouldnt gnaw so much on her hip.

[Ihvaron]

Ihvaron stops dead in his tracks as he nears the table, his mouth hanging open and the words to what was about to be an angry tirade stuck half formed on the tip of his tongue. Her smile is disarming at the very least and as hard as he tries to fight it, her words do an excellent job of cooling his head.

 

Without really remembering sitting, he finds himself seated across from the woman, the package at his feet and a fork in his hand. He is slow in eating, staring at her between mouthfuls, trying to assure himself this is the same woman who met him at the door earlier.

 

His stew is half gone and his wine cup empty before he brings himself to speak, returning to his face that boyish smile that no longer fits his face.

 

"I am sorry, for earlier. I have not been myself lately. I did not mean any offense to you mistress."

[Liitha]

"I am sorry, for earlier. I have not been myself lately. I did not mean any offense to you mistress."

 

Liitha nodded in acceptance, "we will ride for a few hours and then make camp, i hope to be in Tar Valon in about a weeks time or so."

 

She finished her food and went outside to check that the horses where ready and pack their new suplies.

She heard him arive and turned "You ready?" as she waited for the answer she mounted Yazi.

 

--

 

The sun was finaly seteling and she was scaning for a good camplace, if she recaled corectly there should be a nice place off into the woods not far from here and she tugged the left rain of her mare tracking of the road and into the forest by a gametrail.

 

She smiled as it opened up some 5 minuites later, "we'll camp here" she jumped off and started rubing down her mare, then started gathering firewood, there would be only dry meat and bread for evening meal but she wanted some tea even if it was hot.

[Ihvaron]

With the camp set and the horses settled for the night, Ihvaron sits in silence at the fires edge. His coat, gloves and the package lay beside him and he holds his sheathed swords by their hilts before him. The hilts are raised level with his eyes as his thumbs slide absently along the subtle, nearly undetectable grooves in them but he is staring beyond them into the flames.

 

His mind drifts from moment to moment starting with being charged with the delivery of this mysterious package and moving quickly through the day's ride. 'Cold' wouldn't be the best word for it, but it wouldn't be that far from describing the mood between Ihvaron and his Tower Guard companion since they left the inn. Few words have been spoken and he can't recall being given the woman's name, not that he ever offered his own either.

[Liitha]

After finishing the light meal she left the boy to sit by himself staring into the flames, the creator only knew what he where thinking about where he sat gazing into the flames caresing the hilt of his sword.

 

She pushed it out of her mind as she flowed into the void and draw her own katanas to practise in a dance under the moonlight.

 

Her left katana goin into Boar Rhusing down the Mountain, before softly gliding into Tower of Morning. Then sliding it into a defncive stance as she moved her rigth sword into the cat dances on the wall, her feets moving quickly by rutine as her wrist flickered as she slashed, thrusted and parried with an imaginary foe. She kept up the dance loosing herself in rutines. She where unsure how long she danced under the moonligth before softly sheating her katanas and walk to her bagage to go to sleep.

 

Loosening the sheats from her back she tugged the blanket out of her sadlebag, morning would come soon enough. Looking around she saw the boy still staring into the flames. "Its time to catch some sleep if you want any, we will start early in the morning and snuff out the fire before you lay down, we dont want to draw anyone here while asleep." Not for that she would be only half asleep, staying alert enough to wake if any sound disrupted her sleep.

[Ihvaron]

Ihvaron only nods in acknowledgement of her words and continues staring into the flames. After a few moments, with his escort apparently asleep, he pulls his eyes fully away from the flames for the first time in what feels like hours, stands, snuffs out the fire and prepares his own bedding before drawing his swords and moving to the same spot where he watched her dance the forms out of the corner of his eye.

 

His movements are not as smooth or as graceful, and his lack of experience is blatantly obvious, but still he dances, and envisioned Trolloc after Trolloc falls to his attacks. In a distant part of his mind he remembers that it was nowhere near this easy with the few he killed, not even the one he took by surprise. This vague awareness does not stop his imagined enemies coming from all sides and it does not stop them from dying on the end of his slices and stabs.

 

Eventually the many are replaced by one, and Ihvaron dances the forms forward relentlessly as the Myrrdraal twists and bends away from his every advance, never being struck. The Fade spins away from a wild attack and when it turns back to Ihvaron it is not alone. Ihvaron’s sister, Remerie is in its clutches. Ihvaron falls immediately to his knees, his swords digging into the ground, his breath coming heavily and tears running down his cheeks. His sister’s dying scream pierces his ears and the visions are gone, leaving him alone to pound the ground with his fists.

 

“Why did you not listen to me? Why did you have to follow that fool and his dreams of being the bane of all shadowspawn? Why did you have to leave me Rem? Why?â€

 

Dragging his swords along beside him, he crawls to his sheets and barely manages to resheath his blades before collapsing and crying himself to a nightmare filled sleep, whispering “Why Rem?†quietly to himself over and over.

[Liitha]

Liitha used her shirt sleve to whipe sweat of her brow, it where geting close to midday, it would be time to stop soon and find some shadow for a couple hours. This heat where not healthy, she could have hid in the void, but the horses couldnt and so she needed to keep control of the temperature. "I think we should pull over, there should be some stream in the forest not far off the road where we can water the horses" She looked at her travel companion, after a bad start the ice had slowly started to break between the two the last couple days.

 

Waiting for his conformation she then pulled the horses off the dusty road into the shadowy forest, it was a relif and it would be good to eat as well.

[Ihvaron]

"I think we should pull over, there should be some stream in the forest not far off the road where we can water the horses"

 

Nodding his acknowledgement without actually turning to face her, Ihvaron waits for her to turn into the forest and then follows behind her. While the ice has begun to thaw over the last couple days, since his break down a few nights previous he has found it more then difficult to look at her. He may not cry himself to sleep every night, but he does come close, even so, that night was the worst he can remember since the first after Remerie was killed. Part of him wants to believe it's ok, that he's been through a rough time and this kind of thing is normal, but he is still filled with so much shame. How can he expect to train with the Warders if he can't even get through the night without tears in his eyes.

 

Sure enough there is a stream not far into the forest and Ihvaron dismounts and leads Raidin to the water so he can drink. Focusing his attention on Raidin, he calls back over his shoulder to his companion.

 

"How much farther, do you think?"

[Liitha]

"How much farther, do you think?"

 

Liitha looked up after cuping her hands and splashing water into her face. "I would think a few more days, we're making good speed." She setled down in the camp after diging out some food. "So where are you from" something where troubeling the boy she heard him cry himself to sleep more then once, and having a nigthmare as well.

 

It was not her buisnis to ask him rigth out about her troubles, but maybe opening for conversation would make him speak if he felt the need for it.

[Ihvaron]

"So where are you from?"

 

With his back to her, Ihvaron stiffens involuntarily at the question. He supposes part of him had hoped for a little more personal conversation to pass the time even if he couldn't get himself to start it, but he had never really expected her to start it either. He's silent for a moment before finally briefly looking at her over his shoulder.

 

"A little village in Arafel."

 

It's an odd thing watching him kneel at the water's edge unconcerned about muddying his pants, but pushing up his coat sleeves to keep them dry while he washes his face. Working on his father's farm all his life he's never been all that concerned with the cleanliness of his clothes, but the coat was a gift and next to his swords it's the nicest thing he's ever owned. He tries not to think about his mother and grandfather back home too much as he stands and retrieves some food from Raidin's saddle before taking a seat facing his companion.

 

"It is about two days west of the Mora River and Shienar, but it is not very close to any main road, so we don't see a lot of visitors. What about you? Where do you call home?"

[Liitha]

Liitha could see him beeing surpriced by the question thoug he answered well enough and the cap started to come of the botle. She listened, so a shienaran and aprently from a small village as she where.

 

"My home is in the yard, though i where raised in a village in the nowhere land next to Andor and Cairhien, the closest town where Aringil. Its where my mother placed me in foster to be raised with relatives. My father where from the borderlands. But my home has been the yard for the bether part of my life."

 

It was as much as she felt comfortable sharing, of course those who knew Corwin in the yard would know her fathers home country but it was not something she spoke open of, thoug it been just a year and a half since she visited there.

 

She setled down her back against a tree, "So why are you leaving your home then?"

[Ihvaron]

Ihvaron smiles a bit at her response before letting himself think to much on an answer for hers. He probably should have known she had the blood of a borderlander in her. His mind drifts quickly from that thought to her question and of course to his home.

 

"Originally, I left for the capital, for Shol Arbela, to join the army...me and my elder sister both."

 

He has a hard time continuing after that. The mention of Remerie, the thought of her brings the image of his horrid last view of her back to the front of his memory. His mouth feels suddenly as if it were full of dust, a stark contrast to the oasis preparing to spring forth from his eyes. He has to clear his throat twice before he can speak again, but he manages a small smile when he does.

 

"After our father died, my sister, Remerie, took up the sword. She trained at my side under our grandfather everyday."

[Liitha]

Liitha listened and nodded, she sliced meat of the ham silently, handing some over to him. Salt tasted good in the heat, and she swallowed it with cold water from the litle stream.

 

She didnt talk thoug, just let him do it without interupiting, spliting her attention to her past and her own problems.