Tall trees. [Attn. Sirayn]

[silhouette]

There was something to be said about climbing all those stairs in order to meet with the Amyrlin Seat. Brand appreciated the symbolism of it. The highest station of the White Tower. The tallest tree, so to speak. Not easy to reach, and yet when she summoned, people would climb those stairs, whether they could run up or had to crawl up. Less and less Aes Sedai crossed his path. That suited him just fine too. You’d think that they wouldn’t look at the Commander of the Guard with a little less disdain. He was the person keeping the bad guys out of Tar Valon, after all. Well, not just him. He had people to keep the bad people out. But he was sure that his station had to mean something in these halls.

 

Not where he was going though. Where he was going he was just one of many minions. Just one thing to distract the new Amyrlin Seat from her many duties. If he was honest with himself, Brand felt more than a little lucky to be summoned by her, and not her Keeper. Raised from the Gray Ajah, that one. Not that he had anything against that but the Amyrlin Seat had been raised from the Green Ajah. That probably meant that she was far more likely to see the need for Tar Valon’s finest to be in top shape. Not that Brand was going to ask for funds or anything, Light forbid. But perhaps, if he put his best foot forward now, he could do so later. The Shadow was creeping nearer, after all, and soon enough it would be on Tar Valon’s doorstep, whether it was in the shape of this… dragon reborn, or in the shape of a regular horde of trollocs.

 

When he reached the top of the stairs, where no Novice walked, unless she had a message to deliver, and where even the most arrogant of Accepted would tiptoe in fear of disturbing anyone, Brand checked his appearance one last time. Hair. Fine. Coat. Spotless and black. Cloak. Still red. The signs of his station were there as well, lest Sirayn Sedai, Amyrlin Seat of the White Tower, would mistake him for a common Tower Guard. That wouldn’t do. He cleared his throat, and knocked once. And once more, just to be sure he was heard. Then he waited for someone to call him in. Maybe the Amyrlin herself, or maybe the Keeper. Brand was as new at this sort of thing as Sirayn Sedai herself was at being Amyrlin. Perhaps that was a good thing to keep in mind as well.

 

~ Brand Ryota

Commander of the Guard

[Sirayn]

Ever since one had done their best to terminate her life untimely at a young age she had borne somewhat of a grudge against the Tower Guard. She had seen for herself that those wearing the red cloak banded together to present a single united front as soon as any one was threatened; no matter how great their crime, such as trying to kill a novice, just a tiny one with barely any control over the One Power and unable to defend herself. She had never forgotten that the punishment for attacking novices was a slap on the wrist, nor that everyone had forgotten it when she herself had remembered it vividly ever since. It was an injustice she had held onto for many years.

 

Master Corin Danveer personified another reason why she had little to do with the red cloaks these days. A liar and schemer of fabulous proportions, he had been the latest in a succession of improbably murderous Tower Guards, but she did not want to dwell over long on Corin Danveer; not on how much she had liked him, nor how bitterly she had been fooled, or how she couldn’t get the memories out of her head. She should have done exactly as they had both wanted -- let him beg himself hoarse, then taken the knife he offered and ripped out his throat with it, let him leak out all that bright red blood until the last spark of life left him. Only she hadn’t. Because that would require explaining to his Commander all about how yet another of his people had turned out to be an aspiring murderer. And she knew exactly how sympathetic the Tower Guard were when that happened.

 

She had neither forgotten nor forgiven. It had started years ago, decades even, long before her next visitor had been Commander. Perhaps even before he had put on the red cloak. So blaming him for everything was unfair, that much she knew, but she also understood that a culture of covering up the worst deeds remained whoever was in charge, and also that if the supposed best and brightest of the Tower Guard were willing to attack Aes Sedai so was anyone. It wasn’t that she expected him to go for her throat exactly. On the other hand, the implausible number of would-be Aes Sedai-killers under his command led her toward suspicion even with the best of intentions, and since the latest attempt had been so recent the insistent reminder that she could trust a Tower Guard about as far as she could throw them was impossible to ignore.

 

None of this had she communicated in any way to the Commander when she summoned him for a meeting. No doubt he already knew everything that was on the public record, and shame and self-preservation should have kept Corin Danveer quiet, stilled his lying tongue at least temporarily. There was no way any secrets could come out to blindside her now. Or so she hoped. Her patience was rather short when it came to members of the Tower Guard. If she just didn’t mention any of it this meeting would go off smoothly, merely an official diplomatic contact between leaders of their respective factions, full of courtesies and empty words. She was no longer the novice who had damn nearly lost her life over a stupid quarrel with a woman who couldn’t keep her lethal skills to herself. The Amyrlin Seat did not have feelings, much less resentment locked up tight for a long time, and she intended to treat her visitor exactly as an Amyrlin should.

 

All the same the knock at the door wound up her ever-present tension just a bit. She took a deep breath, smoothing her smart copper skirts, checking the lie of the seven-striped stole draped round her shoulders. It was near as long as she was tall and she liked the iridescent colours. Perhaps she should not have dismissed everyone. She had decided to receive the Commander by herself, uncommon enough but made more logical as a private audience, and the chill hand of warning was now telling her sharply that the last time she had been alone with a Tower Guard he had been planning to find out how long he could keep her under forkroot before she went irreversibly mad. Such charming men they gave the red cloak. Fixing her composure in place Sirayn Damodred went to meet her visitor.

 

Her door swung open at her touch to reveal a tall man, dark-haired and brown-eyed, smartly attired in Tower Guard red and black; easy enough on the eye, she supposed, though she had little interest in his looks. She unbent enough to smile for him, it seemed proper in the circumstances, and gestured for him to come inside. “The Light shine upon you, Commander.†She was calm itself, the surface of water, clear and unfeeling. She certainly was not thinking about Corin bloody Danveer. “Come in and be welcome.â€

 

Sirayn Damodred

Watcher of the Seals

Flame of Tar Valon

The Amyrlin Seat

[silhouette]

Brand walked in when the Amyrlin Seat invited him to do so. It occurred to him that Sirayn Sedai was rather… petite. In posture, he meant. Her presence was great though. Exactly what he’d imagined she was like. He bowed deeply before her, after which he followed her in. Her office was impressive, even though it still bore some of the things that he thought belonged to the former Amyrlin. He followed her to her sitting room, taking the seat Sirayn Sedai pointed to. The symbols of power were there. Sirayn’s back was to the window, and the sun seemed to work extra hard to give her a glow. Or perhaps that was the One Power. It was fascinating either way. Here he was, at the centre of the world, talking to the person who would command the armies of Tar Valon some day. The spider in the web of power.

 

“The light illume you, Amyrlin Seat.†He said, inclining his head once more. “Thank you very much for the invitation, Mother.†He was sure he just imagined that she seemed to flinch at that title. Maybe she wasn’t used to it yet. Maybe she wasn’t used to having anyone but her own former sisters call her that yet. Either way, he was sure that it meant very little. Surely it meant nothing about the way Sirayn Sedai felt about him. She had no reason to feel intimidated or spiteful around him, they’d never met before. Which was odd on it’s own, because Green sisters had a tendency to keep informed about the people who were in charge of the Tower Guard. He’d only been a Captain until recently though. Maybe that was why. Or maybe she just had other things on her mind.

 

He’d looked up her own history with the yards, and saw that she had some training behind her. As well as a bond, which didn’t work out. You heard a lot of that these days. Some times people choose too quickly, or people changed. That’s why he never bonded. Too much drama, for his taste. “Was there something specific you wanted to talk about, or should I just start with the way things are going right now?†he asked, eying Sirayn to get a nod of confirmation or denial from her. Perhaps there was something she really wanted to know. Or maybe she wanted to know about a certain tower guard? Stranger things had happened. He’d had a talk about one of his Tower Guards when he was still Captain, with a Blue sister who wanted to know more about this Guard before bonding him. He doubted this would be that kind of conversation though.

 

~Brand Ryota

Commander of the Guard

[Sirayn]

He seemed courteous enough, though being called Mother unnerved her all to hell, that title still belonged to another woman in her head. Lanfir Leah Marithsen: once Watcher of the Seals, Flame of Tar Valon, the Amyrlin Seat … now gone from the white city forever. She had never found out where Lanfir went after that mad night, when she had given her promises and let the woman find her lone vengeance, nor did she know now. Did the shade of the Battle Ajah’s most beloved legend wander the land even now? If she had believed in spirits, or anything she could not touch for herself, she might have been inclined toward that answer; these rooms did not feel like hers, she felt Lanfir everywhere she went, following in the footsteps of a better Ajah Head and Amyrlin by half. But superstition was as disloyal as a smile and in time she would come to terms with never knowing.

 

Good manners ordinarily went a long way toward smoothing any ruffled feathers she had, and she could say this for the new Commander, his behaviour was exquisite. The red cloak on his shoulders told her to place no weight on small tricks like that. Anyone could feign deference where in truth they had none, and she knew from bitter history how easily fooled she was, how she liked respectful young men so much she dropped all her defences for them. Not a good time to be reminded so sharply of Master Corin Danveer … not shut in a room alone with a red cloak and whatever hidden motives he had … and how good Corin had proven in the end, armed with all the skills she had taught him and his own knowledge besides, she hadn’t even noticed the poison when it came. Never again. She was on her guard now and she would never be caught unsuspecting again.

 

“There is something in particular I thought we might discuss, Commander.†Indicating for him to take a seat, Sirayn sat herself, arranging her skirts neatly. Diplomatically speaking she was obliged as the hostess to provide refreshments, which had occurred to her about thirty seconds after she realised she might be forced to accept something from his hands, thus providing her with an interesting little protocol problem: skip the tea and possibly cause offence or risk drawing attention to her sudden and unexplained aversion to forkroot opportunities? In the end she had deemed affronting the new Commander an unacceptable risk when she needed his co-operation not only in the future but very soon. The fix was to serve herself. Not exactly standard procedure for an Amyrlin Seat, but at least she could reassure herself that no mysterious substances were going anywhere near what she drank, and while she thought forkrooting the Amyrlin Seat when an unknown number of people knew the two of them were meeting would be improbably dangerous the consequences of getting herself forkrooted again could be huge.

 

“Tea?†Sirayn favoured her guest with what she dearly hoped was a serene smile. Showing nothing, saying nothing, that was the Amyrlin Seat: her Aes Sedai composure impenetrable to all attempts: at least that was her aim. Even with the memory of forkroot in her head and the red cloak keeping her on edge. Receiving his response she poured tea and set the pot aside, good Sea Folk porcelain, closed her hands round her own cup and let the warmth heat her through. Burn it, she hated these courtesies. If she’d grown up in a Damodred-ruled City of the Rising Sun as her half-siblings had … if she had been anything but a shy, awkward child … perhaps she would view these as opportunities rather than as fences to be negotiated. She wanted to work, not to play at court.

 

Having discharged her duties as hostess Sirayn finally got to the important part. “I want Kandor liberated as soon as possible.†She contemplated the Commander over his tea, steady grey eyes, measuring his reaction. “I have intelligence reports from my agents in the Borderlands. I have a Tower full of outraged Aes Sedai. I have the Hall’s backing.†It burned her that she needed permission from anyone to push back the Shadow, it was her job for the Light’s sake, but when the Hall wouldn’t even grant her that when it was desperately needed her frustration became something bitterer. Of course such a huge and cumbersome machine couldn’t be moved easily but why for the Light’s sake couldn’t they do as they were bloody told? She didn’t pass on information for her own benefit, she did it so the Hall could give her what she needed to set them on the right course for Tarmon Gai’don. Useless people.

 

“More importantly,†with some reluctance she diverted herself away from imagining herself dealing some serious wrath to the Hall of the Tower, “I have Aes Sedai ready and willing to head north. Soldiers and diplomats, healers, good women all and tested against the Shadow. Now I need the Tower Guard’s backing. What do you say?â€

 

Sirayn Damodred

Watcher of the Seals

Flame of Tar Valon

The Amyrlin Seat

[silhouette]

Though Brand had been quite willing to serve tea himself, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Sirayn Sedai, Amyrlin Seat of the White Tower did not think herself so far above the world that she could no longer be a courteous host. He’d been a little worried about that as he walked the many stairs to these chambers, but so far the events were all proceeding far better than he had expected. He took up the cup she offered, and almost choked on his first sip when it turned out that the time for civilities was over. To business it was, to battle. Kandor, liberate, now. Those were the words that stuck. Brand covered his initial surprise with another sip of his tea. While he had expected that the White Tower would want to make sure that the Shadow didn’t spread any further in the near future, he hadn’t expected the urgency in the Amyrlin Seat’s voice.

 

When she asked for his support though, he was ready to give it. “The Tower Guard has always had but one purpose, Mother, and that is to support the White Tower in it’s battles. We shall go wherever you direct us. I will order two companies to ready themselves for travel and then for battle as soon as I’ve returned to the yards. That should leave us with enough companies here to defend Tar Valon, should the need arise.” Brand thought on the reports he had received on Kandor. No doubt not as extensive as those the Amyrlin Seat received, but they were good enough. “Chachin has fallen, but that does not mean it cannot be retaken.”

 

Without realising it, Brand was staring at the little table, on which he had drawn the mental image of a map. Chachin was vital. It had strong walls, and it could harbour many refugees. It was a good stronghold for the Aes Sedai occupation of the Borderlands. “The trolloc hordes there are scattered, leaderless now that the Shadow took out one of it’s own generals for us.” He glanced up at Sirayn. “We have reports that Demandred has fallen. We can’t risk assuming that it’s the case, but if it’s true it would mean that the only thing driving the trollocs are Myrrdraal, and Myrrdraal get lazy when there’s no strong hand to guide them.” That was what growing up in the borderlands had taught him.

 

“Two companies should do. I dare not leave Tar Valon with less guards to keep it safe during these times.” He glanced up at the Amyrlin Seat again. “Unless you order it, of course. The Aes Sedai that set out to liberate Kandor will all bring their warders of course, and those without warders will get a few Tower Guard assigned to them.” He left out the ‘whether they like it or not’ that was on the tip of his tongue. Aes Sedai could be stubborn at times, forgetting that they could die from a trolloc arrow just as easily as any other person.

 

~Brand Ryota

Commander

[Sirayn]

In theory the Tower Guard lived to serve her will. Sirayn expected and if it ever came to it she would even demand their support in the military sphere. However, in practice the two institutions they represented had a more complex relationship, one that did not need an Amyrlin stamping all over it, and whatever she might think of their homicidal tendencies toward Aes Sedai she did not dispute that only the Green Ajah rivalled them for knowledge of war. Their obedience she had; it was their genuine support that she needed. So her customary composure hid a spark of relief to hear his immediate assent.

 

It gratified her to know that she had made a good assessment. If anyone could be counted on to back her ambitious plans she had expected it would be this man. She had made only a cursory investigation into his life and career, they had run through so many Commanders recently that she was wary of wasting her time on another short-term appointment, but everything she had found out told her that Brand should be a valuable supporter; a Borderlander himself, and a Kandoran no less, he ought to feel the same outrage as she did at the thought of Kandor under the Shadow’s sway and his high rank in the yards meant that he could help put her planned campaign into practice.

 

For all she knew this stranger was as murderous as various of his current charges had proven themselves to be over time. The thought had never truly left her, despite the civilised surface, a small dark fear in the back of her mind. But until he snapped and turned into a lunatic too Sirayn figured she could work with him.

 

Sipping her tea, she put on a polite smile. “Believe me, I have no desire to leave Tar Valon undefended.” Far from it: if it came to a straight choice between saving Kandor or even all the Borderlands, and defending her home, she’d take the latter like a shot. The great northern defence was a necessary part of her plans and she was counting on them to keep the Blight off her hands while she worked … but Tar Valon represented the Light & the Tower and she would not suffer it to fall. Not with all its knowledge, its priceless libraries and stores of learning, its Age of Legends artefacts and its unique place in the eyes of the world. Tar Valon would be defended as long as she could order it. “The city’s defence is a top priority for me.

 

“I’ll pick a campaign leader. Most likely a sister of the Green Ajah. The politickers will complain but you and I both know that a major campaign, especially this one should be run by somebody who knows what they’re doing. I want this show on the road as soon as possible. The situation is still deteroriating and the longer we wait the more difficult we make our own job. My people can be ready whenever you need them … and they will be if I have to drag them out of bed myself. That won’t be the problem.

 

“The real delay will be in mobilising all those supplies. We’re facing a long supply chain across a large expanse of contested territory. Bad weather, exposure, accidents, metal fatigue, bandits and outlaws, unhappy or corrupt locals, theft … and that’s without even mentioning the Shadow. If possible we need to occupy the south of Kandor so I suggest that with the consent of whoever lives there we use towns along the way to stash supplies, allowing us to maintain uninterrupted contact with our people, and forcing any Trollocs who are up for it to take on a walled Borderlander town if they want to cut off the troops …” momentarily abashed, she realised she was telling one of the world’s best leaders of men how to run a campaign, “but, obviously, as I won’t be going myself my role is advisory only.”

 

Light only knew she wanted to. It felt wrong to send people out to die in her place while she sat in the white city, amid piles of books and papers, moving her pawns on the game board as her plans dictated. But she had to obey centuries-old Tower Law at least for now and the Amyrlin Seat must not endanger herself even when she missed war. No, she still had work to do here, enough to convince herself that she was being of at least some use to the Tower. Work … and personal business. The kind of personal business she didn’t want to think about much less discuss with a complete stranger whose interests she did not know; not her ordinary kind of personal business, frequently shady and sometimes downright illegal, but something much closer to her heart.

 

Something only a fool would do and yet … might be her best and only choice. Efficiency was the key; she needed a fast, effective and totally private way of shelving what she was coming to realise was serious trouble. An old hand at denial, she knew everything went away if she worked hard enough at forgetting it, and she had come to realise that a method of doing just that might be at her fingertips. Sirayn contemplated the surface of her tea cup as though it might tell her some secrets and added, in a tone she hoped betrayed no change at all, “And when they leave for Kandor I want somebody to teach me the Flame and the Void. Quietly. No questions asked.” She couldn’t face yet another meddlesome Tower Guard prying into her private affairs. But if she learnt this well enough she wouldn’t ever need to fear it again.

 

In fact, she wouldn’t need to fear anything at all, ever. No shameful fear, no anger, not even a moment’s irritation. She would be as unfeeling as stone; the thought appealed to her no end. Aes Sedai were supposed to be dispassionate and while she’d never got the hang of that herself, she couldn’t afford to give it another two hundred years on the off chance that she discovered the knack, she had work to do and personal feelings only got in the way. So she watched the Commander with a particular intensity as she waited.

 

Sirayn Damodred

Watcher of the Seals

Flame of Tar Valon

The Amyrlin Seat