You can lead a witch to ruins

[Andular]

Nights stared down from high atop a ridge that looked down on the area known as the Two Rivers. The wind was brisk this morning and whipped his cloak out behind him as he stood vigil.

Further down the trail leading up to his perch Owen waited for their guest to arrive. How odd it was to be waiting to lead an Aes Sedai to the ruins they had found. In his wildest imagination Nights would have never envisioned this scenario.

 

Of course Quickening still wanted him to leave with her and go hunt rather than trust the Aes Sedai.

 

~Come away and hunt Nightsfire~

 

The image of stalking a deer floated through his mind and the Ranger smiled.

 

“I cannot my friend, my duty lies with the Wolfkin.â€

 

Quickening pouted if wolves could be said to do such a thing and stayed hidden in the trees not far off.

 

After the meeting with Adine had concluded Owen and Nights had made camp not far off and discussed the days events.

 

Over the next few days the two men spent time visiting friends in the area and gathering supplies. Now three days removed from the meeting with the Aes Sedai the two men waited for her arrival. Of course her Warder would be with her but that was of no concern to Nights.

 

Their journey to the ruins would be slow as they navigated through trails covered over with years of neglect.

 

With a sigh Nights put away the pipe he had been smoking and continued to wait. He went over their last trip to the ruins in his mind so that he could visualize the route they would take.

 

A whistle from down below told him that Owen had spotted the Aes Sedai and would be bringing them up soon. Their journey to the ruins and possibly a new way of life was about to begin.

 

As if reading his mind Quickening again urged him to forget this madness and run away with her.

[Kaylan]

Though she looked calm as they rode to the meeting place, Adine al'Thoram Torfinn was a knot of tension... and a little excitement. Daishell was close by, looking rather stone-faced and feeling so tense that she thought he might implode at any moment. He was being ridiculous about her security again, one hand on his blade as though he'd be able to do anything if they were riding into an ambush, and her brow furrowed in an almost perfect mirror of his when a whistle sounded.

 

Now the excitement was gone, replaced with wariness, and she looked around for the source of the sound just in case Owen and John had decided that they weren't so interested in Manetheren after all? She was still wound up tighter than a clock when the white-haired man appeared, but she greeted him smoothly and followed him a short while until they met with John.

 

She'd been doing her research - as much as possible - over the days she'd been waiting between meetings. Adine had marked out the approximate locations of all the larger cities of Manetheren on her little map, drawn from memory and was hoping that it would give them some clue as to exactly which ruins they had found.

 

She didn't believe that it was the capital. All of the stories could not have been incorrect, and every one told of the city's destruction brought about by Eldrene's sacrifice. If a detail like that had been forged... Well, suffice to say that it could mean more than just a few old stories being wrong. What if the descendents of Aemon and Eldrene were still living in the area, and didn't even know it? The nation's destruction was a tragic reminder of how one could only be so strong standing alone... If it had not truly fallen the way that the old stories told it, would it still have been such a powerful image?

[WhiteWolf]

For the time of year the weather was not as bad as it could have been, intermittent showers interspersed with periods of bright sunshine made the going relatively easy and the small party made good time. Their wolves, Quickening, Ice and Shadow, accompanied Owen and John but the presence of Adine unsettled the wolves and they were ahead of the group. This helped the group in ways the Aes Sedai would never know, but it also meant both Owen and John had to put up with the continual warnings from the wolves of travelling with an Aes Sedai, which at times could be very wearisome. Not that the two Rangers were exactly happy to be in the company of an Aes Sedai, but there was a greater need here and it was for a far nobler purpose, one that Owen hoped would come to fruition sooner rather than later.

 

After the last, and heaviest shower, Owen decided there was no point in continuing any further that day, it was growing dark and riding along narrow trails was not something that was prudent, not for Adine and her Warder, Owen and John had no trouble seeing where they were going. Quickly, and efficiently, Owen and John build three shelters, one each for them, and one for Adine and her Warder. Once they were finished, John went in search of water, and Owen started a fire, and started to prepare the ingredients for one of his stews, explaining to Adine and Daishell that his cooking abilities were adequate, but not up to the standard of his long lost partners. Owen still found it painful to talk about Iris, even more so since they had never been able to find any trace of her body, but the hurt had lessened over the last year.

 

When John returned, Owen quickly got on with the preparations and it was not long before he started to hand out bowls to the other three, Adine and Daishell taking theirs with cautious sniffs at the contents. It was obvious that they still did not trust the two Rangers, but Owen figured that was their problem and only they could resolve their issues. Whether or not they did would depend on how hide bound Adine was, and Owen realised they were asking a lot, but he also knew they were risking al lot. Once the meal was over, and Owen had cleaned the bowls and utensils, everything was packed away, and the fire was extinguished, Owen started to talk.

 

“It may come as a surprise to you Adine, but I have seen your White Tower, and the shining walls that surround it. A while back I travelled there in search of my sister, although at the time I did not know she was my sister, and she did not know I was her brother.†Owen noticed the interest in Adine’s eyes, the way they sparkled in the moonlight, seeming to gleam brighter at the mention of the White Tower. “For some reason Ehl was convinced she could channel and left her home, making the perilous journey on her own.†When he had learned of this, Owen had thought her mad, but she had her own reasons for doing so, and Owen had never faulted her for that. “Whatever happened there she sis not say, and it was only when she left the city that I found her.†Owen continued talking, telling the tale of his meeting with Ehlana and how she persuaded Owen to go with her to the Borderlands to join an army she had heard of. “ The result of her decision was that we were just in time to fight at Tarwin’s Gap.â€

 

At the mention of Tarwin’s Gap, Owen noticed how Daishell’s attention turned more to the conversation, and less to scanning their surroundings. Owen had hoped this might pique the man’s interest and continued on, retelling the tale of the great battle, and events after that that led to the forming of the Band of the Red Hand. “It would seem you have been involved in events that have shaped the history of this world Owen, what caused you to leave your sister?â€

 

Glancing briefly at john, Owen turned his golden eyes towards Adine. “Left her Aes Sedai?†Shrugging briefly, Owen let he question hang in the air for a while, bitter memories of that parting suddenly flooding back. “I had no choice in the matter, this happened.†Owen pointed to his eyes, and said no more on the subject. Sensing that this was something Owen did not want to speak of, Adine tried to change the topic. “So where is this sister of yours, it sounds to me like you were very close to her?â€

 

“What happened to her? She died Adine; those we have now come to know as Seanchan ripped her apart. I believe you may know of them?â€

 

Owen

 

The White Wolf

 

Ranger Leader