A Bond of Hope: destination Cairhien (attn. Carys Sedai)

[keyholder21]

The morning was fairly pleasant – the tension that had formed between Carys and the Warder was completely gone. There was a friendly understanding that took its place. Though Elessar still seemed lost in his thoughts at times, as they broke camp they chatted amicably about the change in weather, the horses, and what lay ahead. Even the worry over what the farmhouse contained had lessened. She could almost believe that they were out and about for the mere reason of traveling instead of heading toward a place where there was sure to be more danger and possibly death.

 

As they left the small camp and headed up onto the road, however, that feeling changed. Unease settled in, her stomach cramping with nervousness. Elessar seemed to sense the same foreboding feeling. Had she not been preoccupied with her stomach, Carys would have found humor with the fact that they were certainly not bonded and yet had picked up on the feeling almost at the precise moment the other had. The darkfriend, his head bent low and facing the road, giggled ominously. “Good plans are bad plans lady witch and sir soldier.” The Yellow grimaced sat straighter, running through novice exercises in her head. The practices worked wonders to solve a problem of nerves.

 

 

It was slightly before midday when their tiny caravan reached the farmhouse. There was nothing to tell either of them that this was the farmhouse the letter had referred to, but as it was set in the middle of nowhere in this direction, it seemed obvious. She watched Elessar dismount, noting his apparently agitation. She supposed that some apprehension about danger was good, though he appeared tighter than a drawn bow. Nodding at his silent instruction to stay on her horse as he looked around, Carys reached into the leftmost saddlebag and reread the letter that had instructed her to this place. Something nagging in the back of her head told her that there was more information to be found from the letter – perhaps some kind of code? Whatever it was, her head ached at trying to figure it out. She had even requested assistance from the darkfriend, thinking that perhaps he or one of his...colleagues had sent it. Of course that hadn't helped. Merely sent him into a fit of giggles and then hawking a wad of spit at her head. That move had earned him an 'accidental' nudge in the ribs from Elessar. Who had apologized for his 'mistake' afterward.

 

 

As Elessar rounded around the corner of the house, Carys dismounted and handed him her mare's reins. The mare plodded along placidly after him, even nudging the packhorse carrying the darkfriend to follow the Gaidin. I think I will keep her. Cocking her head to the side, the Aes Sedai studied the captive for a moment. She thought he would grow more vocal now that they had arrived at the farmhouse, but he had done the opposite. He was quieter than he had ever been other than when asleep, which only fueled her worry more. Blinking, the Yellow stopped staring and moved with Elessar toward the entrance of the farmhouse.

 

Oddly, it stood ajar. The Warder pushed it open wide and with a look at her, entered the building first. She followed, a few steps behind. It didn't occur to her to embrace the Source as the house held that same emptiness as most of Skechid's manor – as if no one had inhabited it for years. On her next adventure, embracing the Source was something that Carys would do immediately, wrapping herself and her Warder in a shield of Air. A few more steps and Elessar was rounding a corner.

 

It felt as if a million things happened at once. One moment he was standing in front of her and the next, he was down on the ground – slumped in nearly the same position he'd been in two nights ago. She'd heard the snap of a string and something had tightened in her stomach. Embracing Saidar, Carys took a step forward attempting...to do something. To try and move him out of harm's way, or to try and stop whatever it was from striking true she wasn't sure. At the same moment, Elessar pushed her back gruffly, throwing her against the wall behind him. Power flooded into her, her joy from it dampened by the horror of what had happened.

 

The Warder tumbled to the floor, multiple knives protruding from his chest, bleeding hard. Carys brought a shaking hand to her mouth, gasping. Similar to last night, she couldn't form coherent thoughts, just stared at the blood seeping. Carys! MOVE! she screamed at herself, this is what you do. You can fix this. Nodding to herself, she blinked away the fog that had set in and Delved. The same poison from before coursed through his veins, this time working faster to shut down his facilities due to the knife sticking out of the center of his chest. Healing this...isn't possible. The shock would kill him. I can't fix this. “I can't fix this,” she stated in monotone, “I...can't....fix it.” Elessar blinked slowly at her, denial and then acceptance washing over his features. Carys wanted to scream. The Power could fix anything. Anything short of death; she was sure of it. “If there was just more...” she trailed off.

 

“Elessar.” Carys said, looking up suddenly, “Elessar.” She had to repeat it. “Actually, I can fix this. But I need...your consent. I can Heal you, but I would need to Bond you first and I won't do it without your agreement....but you need to hurry.” Panic raced across the Warder's eyes, followed by extreme pain. He coughed, blood dribbling out the corner of his mouth, and only when he was still again did he nod. It was nearly imperceptible, but it was enough. Weaving something she'd only been shown, Carys laid the Bond on his head and set to Healing – pain roiling through her head as surely as it was flooding through his.

Edited July 1, 2011 by keyholder21

[Elessar]

Elessar awakened to life.

 

He stared around him with wide eyes, his emotions tumbling over each other, his senses gradually returning. He felt very tired and it took a great effort for him to stand on his own. His whole body felt heavy but there was something which lightened his burden. The Bond! Of course! He could feel Carys - his bondholder now - in the back of his head just as he had felt Leandreen and Carrain years ago. It was a strange feeling and one that could not well be described in words to someone who had not experienced it. Through the bond he felt Carys’ exhaustion; bringing him back from near-death - he was certain that he had been lethally injured by those poisoned knives - must have cost her much. Even so, she projected some strength into him through the bond and he knew that he would have been even weaker without it.

 

He had been almost unconscious when she had brought him back to life. Plunging headlong into darkness, a never ending fall, his mind had somehow registered her voice. Somehow her words had reached him, pushing through the confusion and the excruciating agony. Panic had raced across his eyes as his feeble mind had understood what she was asking, followed by extreme pain. He had coughed, blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth, and only when he was still again had he nodded his assent. As far gone as he had been, his survival instinct had taken over. What she had to do, she had to do, to save him. That was enough. That had ended all discussions.

 

Flashes in his mind. That was what he remembered from the Bonding and the Healing that Carys had performed to save his life. Flashes. He had shuddered and had shaken like a leaf in a storm, swept away on ferocious torrents he could not control. Flashes of Light and Darkness. Time and again. An eternal spiral from which there was no end.. And then waking.. as if from a dream..

 

Elessar checked the farmhouse for more booby traps, walking ever so carefully around so as not to spring another trap - he had not been careful enough the last time, not alert enough - but found none. Returning to the where Carys rested he shook his head in explanation - to which she nodded - and then remained standing close to her.

 

Finally, after a period of silence, he spoke. “Carys Aes Sedai, I want to thank you. You have saved my lfe again.” He said. He was silent for a few seconds before he added. “We seem bound, you and I. We have walked into danger, time and again. Sometimes it almost seems that we are drawn to it. For whatever reason, perhaps a Bond is what we both need to stay alive.”

 

With those words he silenced all thoughts of protest inside him. He would not fail again in his duty, he simply would not! That was all there was to it.

 

The feeling of Carys in his head soothed him somewhat, gave him comfort. He respected her. Their short time together had shown him that she was a woman of integrity. Now it was his duty to protect and serve this woman - and that he would do to the best of his ability. Whatever mistakes I have made, I am a Gaidin! He straightened his back determinedly and his eyes got a spark of renewed purpose.

 

He was a bonded Warder again and this time he would not fail in his duty.

 

OOC: Bonded at last, yay! :D

[keyholder21]

Time seemed to slow and speed up at the same time. Blood continued to seep as Carys wove the strongest Healing weave she knew and placed it within Elessar. Half the weave was devoted to pushing out the poison; half of it was set to take care of the wounds. Even with the Bond, it very nearly didn't work. If she hadn't been as close as she had the Warder, her Warder, would not have survived.

 

It was over now, his body wound and poison free. Carys lay slumped on the wall next to him, her exhaustion making it difficult to do anything other than lie there and look around. Other than the hall wall where two other bolts had hit, there was no damage. The farmhouse looked as empty and as peaceful as an uninhabited home would. Sighing, the Yellow closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 

It took a great effort to open them again. To her left, Elessar was struggling to stand. She wanted to reach out a hand to help him, but it got a few inches above her lap before falling back down again. No matter, she could feel his strength through the Bond. He was also weary and devastatingly hungry, but now had the strength to move. Part of hers, she supposed, and for that she was willing to sit here quietly against the wall. Sleep threatened to move in, but Carys forced herself to stay alert as Elessar walked about the farmhouse. Determination filled her head.

 

As he returned to where she lay, he shook his head in explanation. She nodded, understanding that he had needed to check the rest of the house for any more surprises. Wincing, Carys attempted to stand, to move to a more comfortable – and convenient – place. Elessar reached down to help her and the pair half hobbled to the living area where cloth covered covered furniture sat. Gingerly placing her on one, the Warder took another seat close by.

 

Though she wanted to sleep, it was not feasible when they were so close to finding ...whatever information this place held. Another day away for them could mean another death for a Yellow E&E and Carys could not handle that on her conscious. She recited the letter from memory and after Elessar had retrieved water and some bread and cheese for the two of them, they carefully combed over the expanse of the house. She noted, after an hour of looking, that despite checking for traps already, the Warder was staying closer to her than he probably otherwise would have been. She quirked a small smile and then set back to checking.

 

A tiny slash of confusion entered the Bond as Elessar turned to look at her and Carys made a mental note to watch her emotions. As she'd never held a Bond before she was unaware of how much, or how little, was transferred. There will be time to reflect on that later Truth be told, she was still in awe of having another person inside her head. The best preparation could never touch on what it felt to share your mind with another person. Not thoughts, of course, but still – you would never be alone again.

 

Not a short time later, Carys uncovered the piece of evidence that she assumed the letter had been referring to. It was a piece of a note – the parchment torn. Only approximately a quarter of the message remained, but it was enough to read the names of several Yellow E&Es, women (and one man) who had already been killed. Each was scratched out with black ink and with a pair of initials on the end. Frowning, she stared at the initials. What kind of killer would ...sign his own list? Furthermore, where did he get the list? Shaking her head, she crossed the room to show it to Elessar.

 

His concern for the two remaining, uncrossed out, names mirrored her own and they fled back toward the city. She felt his displeasure that her exhaustion was their traveling companion, but the threat of innocent death was enough to quiet her aching body and her Warder. It was still odd to say – her Warder. The gray mare ran swiftly, her smaller frame keeping up with Elessar's stallion. Yes, I believe I will keep her. I'll have to think of name rather than horse number thirty-two or whatever the ridiculous name they've given her at the Tower.

 

It wasn't feasible to make it Cairhein before night set in, exhaustion notwithstanding. As much as Carys yearned to return to the city, she wouldn't be able to help the remaining man and woman on the list if she collapsed due to tiredness. Still, they rode until they reached the inn, only then dismounting and resting for the night. The Yellow felt as if weariness was one of her old friends, her body used to the feeling by now. She would have laughed if she wasn't so tired.

 

Of course the innkeeper was pleasant, though he kept looking over their shoulders as if the men who attacked them would again be right behind. Asking forgiveness, the man alotted her and Elessar rooms on the first floor that night, back in the corner. She murmured that was fine and then promptly went to her rooms. She felt herself amused again for a brief moment before drifting off to sleep. Finally a moment's peace as she'd requested the last time the pair had sheltered in this inn.

 

--

 

Ooc: yay! *g*. She'll reflect more on the Bond when she's not exhausted . Also, sent you a PM about where the Yellow string is going from here!

[Elessar]

They reached “The Golden Pheasant” in the evening, having ridden hard, as day was turning into night.

 

Thinking back, Elessar recalled how weary Carys Sedai had been after she had healed him. He had reached down to help her, when she had struggled to stand on her own, and the pair had half hobbled to the living area where cloth covered furniture had sat. Gingerly placing her on one, the Warder had taken another seat close by. She had recited the letter from memory and after Elessar had retrieved water and some bread and cheese for the two of them, they had carefully combed over the expanse of the house. He had stayed close to her and on one occasion in particular he had felt a strange emotion coming through the bond from Carys.. almost like amusement.. He had turned to look at her, a tiny slash of confusion in his mind, but the look she had returned had been unreadable.

 

Not a short time later, Carys had found a piece of a note - the parchment torn. Only approximately a quarter of the message had remained, but it had been enough to read some names. Carys had crossed the room to show it to Elessar. His concern had mirrored hers. When she had insisted that they return immediately to the city he had made it quite clear that she needed rest first. He had felt her exhaustion through the bond and had been far from happy when she had demanded they go at once. He had been weary himself, of course, but his concern had been all about her. In the end he had seen her logic and sense, seeing as others’ well-being might depend on their making haste, but he had grumbled inside at the need.

 

It was impossible to reach the city of Cairhien that night, it was too far to go and they were too exhausted. The horses also needed rest and so they stopped at the inn where they had stayed a short time earlier. Elessar took the horses to the back of the building to be taken care of and returned swiftly to join Carys. He studied the street and the houses around closely before entering the building right behind the Aes Sedai. The innkeeper recognized them immediately. He was pleasant enough though he kept looking over their shoulders as if half expecting the men who had attcked them to enter right behind. He asked forgiveness then, said again that they were welcome in his humble establishment, and allotted them rooms, this time on the first floor, back in the corner.

 

On the stage at the back of the sitting room a gleeman was playing the flute in front of an attentive audience of locals. The Warder recognized the man. It was the same talented middle-aged brown-haired gleeman who had entertained during their last visit. Nodding to himself, he joined his bondholder - it was still a little strange to think of her as his bondholder! - as she left to find her room. Once there, she told him that she was going to bed, she needed to catch up on sleep. He approved. Leaving his own things in the adjacent room he then returned to the sitting room. Rest would have to wait a little for him. He was ravenous after the healing and needed to get some food. He found a table not too far away from the gleeman and one of the serving ladies, a long-haired well-rounded lass with a sweet smile, brought him a hot stew and a pint of ale. He had a second helping before his stomack was content.

 

By this time the gleeman had begun on a story about a middle-aged nobleman of bad repute who had run off with a young local maiden and was pursued by her three angry brothers. The story did not end well for the nobleman. The locals showed their appreciation for the gleeman’s story by applauding long and well and Elessar joined in enthusiastically. Now and then during the performance the Warder checked the sitting room for potential trouble and turned his head in the direction of Carys’ room, alert and ready to act on short notice, but feeling calm through the bond he smiled, knowing she was well and resting. There were indeed advantages with having a bond, he recalled well.

 

As on the previous occasion the locals started shouting for a story. An old story! One they had not heard before! Some began banging their tables, wooing for his attention! The gleeman, basking in the limelight, bowed theatrically - making his cloak of many colourful patches swirl - and spoke up. “A story you want, a story you shall have!” A dramatic hand-gesture followed his last word. “Here is a story then from long, long ago..” He said. “A story and a song, from time immemorial..” He began, his voice pitch-perfect for dramatic effect. Soon everyone in the sitting room were spellbound, as the master-storyteller wove his magic..

 

 

Bygone Years

 

Let me sing of bygone Years

Time of heroes and of Fears

Of the Shadow and of Tears

Tales of war from Bygone Years

 

Let me sing of valour Great

Time of struggle , hardship`s Weight

Memories of land and State

Not forgotten , be it Late

 

Let me sing of hope in Heart

Time of yearning for a Start

To a peace for land and Part

Joy and laughter from the Heart

 

Let me sing of rose in Night

Scarlet-coloured, stunning Sight

Shining strongly, burning Bright

Precious beacon for the Light

 

Let me sing of Sword and Flame

Heart and soul, they sang his Name

From the northern hills he Came

Conquered darkness, purged the Shame

 

Let me sing of Southern Queen

Fairest Maiden ever Been

Lead her armies to be Seen

Washed her lands from evil, Clean

 

Let me sing of soldiers Brave

Hardened men with lives to Save

Honour great, for freedom Crave

Fought the Shadow to their Grave

 

Let me sing of bygone Years

Time of battles and of Tears

Of redemption and of Fears

Tales of war from Bygone Years

----

 

The words stayed in Elessar’s mind even through sleep that night.

 

OOC: Above is another poem (“Bygone Years”) I wrote some years ago. Enjoy! :) Received the PM regarding the Yellow string ok!

[keyholder21]

ooc: Lovely poem, as always :).

 

---

 

Carys dumped sand across the parchment, drying the dark ink so not a word would smear. The message was too important to be lost in translation. The coded letter looked like something a childhood friend would write to another that she'd lost touch with. The coding system was truly wondrous. The Sister who had created it had been dead a hundred years or more and it had yet to be broken – that she knew about. Signing the bottom with her code name, she sealed the envelope with a glob of red wax and pressed her thumb into the middle. To anyone else, it would appear to be a letter from someone unimportant enough not to have a House sigil. To Amadine, it would mean the code.

 

 

She felt a wave of relief as she sent the letter forward with a messenger. His horse snorted at her, nosing into her hand until she opened it to reveal the tiny carrot inside. Whinnying delightedly – or at least, it sounded delighted – he took the treat and swallowed it whole. He was a pretty thing, a famous Domani Razor. Well taken care of, and well treated. The messenger patted the horse's neck lovingly before mounting. He assured her that the message would be delivered swiftly and he would return hence.

 

Turning on her heel, Carys reentered the Inn. They had nothing to do but wait now. At least she was well rested – the bone weariness from yesterday swept away by a long night's sleep. It felt ...odd to be fully rested, as if it was something her body wasn't used to anymore. Knitting her brow, she puzzled over that, her fingers subconsciously twirling a string from her dress, their rhythm slow and steady.

 

So she sat as Elessar sat down on the bench across from her. Carys smiled, dropping her hands to the table. “I already ordered us breakfast.” She said, as he looked over at the innkeeper; hunger blazed through the Bond. “I could feel you coming over.” Before he could say anything, she continued, “It's feels ….different, and yet the same, as I expected. I've never held a Bond before.” The last sentence was lower than the rest; she felt almost shy. “In fact, this is the first time I've been out of Tar Valon since I was fourteen.”

 

A tray plopped down on the end of the table, steam from Elessar's breakfast mingling with the tangy scent of fresh fruit from hers. The innkeeper doled out the dishes and then placed the tray under his arm staring at them. Does he have a question? Does he need to tell us something? Carys wondered idly, while looking at the man. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, opened it again, and then finally closed it again before walking away.He looked like a fish, she thought with an internal grin.

 

They ate in silence, though congenial. The food disappeared faster than it had taken to arrive. Her tongue exploded into flavor as the sweet and tangy juice mingled in her mouth. I suppose that is an advantage to surviving an almost sure death – the food tastes exquisite. I'm sure I've had this same fruit a million times at the Tower, but it certainly tastes better this time. Dabbing at the corners of her mouth with a small towel, Carys cleared her throat and began talking again.

 

“I feel as if I should tell you a bit about my past Elessar, as you have told me so much of yours. It's not a story filled with nearly as much, or the same kind of heartache, but it's mine to tell.” She hesitated for a moment before launching headlong into her past. It was nice to have someone listen to her talk about something other than Healing. Not that she didn't love to talk about Healing, because she did, and she was glad that the other Yellows took her seriously with it, but no one ever listened about anything else. She hadn't had that since the Wise Women.

 

“I grew up in Altara, though I'm Andoran. The people who raised me as a young child were not my parents and never told me who they were so I've no idea. When I turned eight, they arranged for an apprenticeship with the Wise Women. I was never particularly good at anything, except when it came to herbal remedies and nursing people or animals back to health. There, I shone and I'm not shamed to admit it. The day my apprenticeship was official was the day my 'parents' kicked me out. They told me, disinterestedly, that the woman I had thought was my mother was with child, her first one, and that I was no longer welcome in their house now that they had their own.

 

I think would have died with the Wise Women. Those women truly became my family. They were happy to take me in and treated me as I was their daughter – all of them did. I had a small room to myself over the shop and there was always a Woman on duty that stayed with me.

 

Apparently, the shop was a...n affiliate of the Yellow Ajah.” Carys stumbled over the word, not sure how to describe and E&E other than that. Elessar would pick up on it anyway; that is what she'd been calling them since he'd entered her life by tackling her in the alley. What a whirlwind three days. “When I turned fourteen, an Aes Sedai stopped by to meet with two of the Wise Women. She found that I could channel and whisked me away to the White Tower the next day.

 

The Tower truly became my home as it was the only place in the world that I could fully and utterly devote myself to healing and Healing people and animals. That's all I've ever wanted to do and that is all I have done until this.” She barked a sudden laugh then, one of befuddlement rather than amusement. “Not that I even know what this is. All I know is that someone is killing innocent people and I've been charged to stop it. It's like the ultimate Healing, as if I'm bringing someone back from the dead, just a little earlier than necessary...” she trailed off, realizing that it made more sense in her head than said aloud. “Anyway. I just thought you might want to know something about me since you're in my head and all.”

[Elessar]

Elessar sat down on the bench across from Carys. She smiled, dropping her hands to the table. “I already ordered us breakfast.” She said, as he looked over at the innkeeper; hunger blazed through the Bond. I seem to be hungry all the time these days, the Warder thought with a small grin as he waited for the food. He nodded to her in appreciation. “I could feel you coming over”, Carys added. Before he could say anything, she continued, “It's feels ….different, and yet the same, as I expected. I've never held a Bond before.” The last sentence was lower than the rest; she felt almost shy. “In fact, this is the first time I've been out of Tar Valon since I was fourteen.”

 

He had talked to Leandreen and Carrain about the Bond sometimes and each had spoken of the wonder that it truly was. Leandreen - a Green - had had another Warder for a while at the time she had bonded Elessar and so had been fairly experienced with the sensations and emotions that a Warder-Bond entailed. Carys was new at this and Elessar understood that it would take her some time to get accustomed to having him in her head. Not that it was any the less strange for him; bonded for the third time he may be, but that sensation was still as remarkable for him as it had been the first time.

 

A tray plopped down on the end of the table, steam from Elessar's breakfast mingling with the tangy scent of fresh fruit from Carys’. The innkeeper doled out the dishes and then placed the tray under his arm staring at them. The Warder returned the stare, wondering what the innkeeper wanted. He saw the Aes Sedai give the man a questioning look as well. The innkeeper opened his mouth to say something, closed it, opened it again, and then finally closed it again before walking away. Elessar grinned wryly, shaking his head slightly, and then began on his breakfast. It was delicious.

 

They ate in silence, though congenial. The food disappeared faster than it had taken to arrive. After a while Carys cleared her throat and began talking again. She said that she felt that she should tell him a bit about her past, as he had told her so much of his. She said that it was not a story filled with nearly as much, or the same kind of heartache, but it was hers to tell. Elessar nodded and leaned back somewhat in his chair to listen. It would be good to learn some more about his bondholder. Their Warder-Sedai partnership depended on trust, on knowing each other well, for it to succeed. Now it was her time to share.

 

“I grew up in Altara, though I'm Andoran”, she began. He nodded to himself. From her fair complexion he had guessed that she might be from Andor. Then she told of her early years and of the apprenticeship with the Wise Women. Elessar learned a lot about the woman by listening to how she spoke about her past. It had not been an easy upbringing. We all have had our burdens to bear, he thought. “Those women truly became my family”. She said. From her voice Elessar could hear how much the Wise Women had meant to her.

 

She had had a small room to herself over the shop and there had always been a Woman on duty that stayed with Carys. “Apparently”, she said, “the shop was a...n affiliate of the Yellow Ajah.” Elessar understood what she meant. Leandreen had also spoken of such “affiliates” during their travels; not much since it was Ajah business as she had called it, but enough for him to get the picture. “When I turned fourteen”, she added, “an Aes Sedai stopped by to meet with two of the Wise Women. She found that I could channel and whisked me away to the White Tower the next day.” She spoke of how the Tower truly became her home as it was the only place in the world that she could fully and utterly devote herself to healing and Healing people and animals. It was all she had ever wanted to do.

 

Carrain had said much the same when she had spoken to him of her passion to Heal. It was why she had joined the Yellow Ajah. Leandreen on the other hand, a Battle Ajah-Sister to the core, had left him in no doubt from the very beginning that her mission in life was to fight the Shadow to the Last Battle and beyond. Your fiery hair matched your fiery spirit, Leandreen! he thought with pride.

 

Elessar understood how Carys’ life had been centered on Healing. In Tar Valon. In the Infirmary. And how her life had been turned completely around by recent events. No wonder she felt a little out of her depth. “All I know”, she said now, “is that someone is killing innocent people and I've been charged to stop it. It's like the ultimate Healing, as if I'm bringing someone back from the dead, just a little earlier than necessary...” She trailed off.., then added: “Anyway. I just thought you might want to know something about me since you're in my head and all.”

 

He met her eyes and nodded with a half-smile. “Thank you for sharing your story, Carys Aes Sedai”. He said. “A Bond shoud be based on trust and faith in one another, and to have that one must know the other person in one’s head.”

 

He thought for a moment, then said. “Let me tell you some more about my early years in Kandor. The years before I left the Borderlands for Tar Valon.” He had not spoken much of his childhood and youth to Carys before, focusing on his bonded years as a Gaidin, but since she was sharing, he felt it right to share this part of his life with her as well.

 

He spoke of how he, the second son of a minor Kandoran House, had been brought up by a harsh and unloving father and a kind but repressed mother-figure. His father, a proud man of dark skin with angry dark eyes and a hard face, had insisted he become a soldier and from an early age had started weapon’s training, and physical training, with him, pushing him hard and unrelentingly. Elessar had endured and in time had started to enjoy the physical exertions and had became better with the sword.

 

As he had grown he had developed a strong muscular build and good fitness and in the many staged spar-fights he most often had won against the other boys on the manor (boys of servants mostly). His elder brother Valdherien had been more politically minded, the heir to the estate and title, and had not cared much for the weapon’s training, while his younger brother Vehran usually had watched in awe while his older brother had fought. Elessar had not taken much interest in politics himself but had enjoyed reading and - at times - writing poetry, something his father had deplored (a waste he had said) but his mother had approved of. And then, at the age of seventeen, he had left to become a Warder of the White Tower.

 

“I’ve always enjoyed a good story”. He said when he was finished. “Stories and poetry have always been a secret passion of mine.” There was a small grin on his lips but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared. “We live in changing times. Perhaps someone will write our story some day”, he added musingly.

[keyholder21]

Continued here:

http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/60957-hunting-the-hunter/page__view__findpost__p__1891965