Turning of the Wheel

[Hayl3y]

And this is what it is to be an Accepted. Myrrhi closed the book she had been reading and sighed. She passed her hand in her light brown hair, then tried to put some strands back into place. I am supposed to direct my own studies but how am I supposed to chose what I'll study? There are so many things i want to learn. She got up, pulled back her chair under the table and looked around. The room she occupied now was pretty different from the ones she had slept in as a Novice. It was more comfortable, more spacious and it contained more pieces of furniture. She regretted not being with Thayetta anymore. Her old roommate had become a real friend. They had shared so many tough moments... She still woke up at night, looking for the young woman to tell her about her nightmares, before going back to sleep. Then, she became sad to find herself alone. Thayetta was not that far though, she was only two doors away and often they still tried to spend time together. It was getting harder every day, unfortunately. Even if Accepted didn't have to do as many chores as the Novices, they still had a full schedule. They had to follow classes, to give lessons, to help out full Sisters. It seemed to Myrrhi that she had not had the time to stop and think about what she wanted to become. Time was advancing. At one point she would have to be tested to get the shawl... but before she had to pick an Ajah. And this was not easy, at least not now.
 
She read the title of the book she had been reading that day and smiled fondly. The Combat Weaves, Tome 3, it said. It had been pretty interesting. She loved to channel, more than anything else, and this series of books had given her many opportunities to try new weavings. I need to bring it back to the library, she thought as she grabbed the tome.
 
The Accepted corridors were quiet. There were only a few people around: a couple of other Accepted and two servants. It was late in the afternoon, a lot of girls were in their class rooms or doing chores. And so, Myrrhi tried to take advantage of her isolation to try to glide on her way to the library like a fully raised Aes Sedai. She had felt so clumsy at first but now she was getting the hang of it. She nodded to the servants who passed next to her and to the Novices  she met further on her way, feeling proud of her banded dress and her raised chin.

 

***
 
I won't go for the Grey Ajah, I am not patient enough. I won't go for the White, I don't like logic... it's pretty useless. Logic should be the domain of scholars who can't channel. If one can channel, she should take full advantage of it. I won't go for Yellow either. I am so bad at Healing. Myrrhi tried not to chuckle. And this leaves me the Blue, the Green, the Red and the Brown Ajah. Browns don't channel much nor do Blue. Will it be Green or Red...
 
The Library was very busy. Once Myrrhi opened its doors she heard the buzz of Accepted and Novices whispering to each other and smiled. She had been here so many times and it had been quite hard to keep her voice down. After taking a look around the room she advanced slowly towards the Green Ajah favorite shelves. There, she placed back The Combat Weave, Tome 3.  Biting her lower lip, she started to look for another book.
 
- Oh, is it my dear Myrrhi? Please tell me, now that you are an Accepted, what have you decided to study?
 
Myrrhi turned her head very surprised to hear someone talking so loudly to her. It took her sometime to recognize the friendly face smiling at her. It belonged to Deana Sedai, the Brown Sister who had accompanied her to the Tower. The young girl immediately curtsied. She felt very happy to see Deana Sedai. Myrrhi had shared a lot about her old life with the plump Aes Sedai.
 
- I am hesitating Deana Sedai. I have read many stories and there is so much I want to learn. I don't know how to make my choice. Myrrhi tried not to sound too upset by the question. She had so much on the heart. But it was not her place to treat the Sister as a friend.
 
- Child, you can study all of it. The Sister went on smiling. But that would make of you a Brown. And you are not a Brown, even if it pains me to admit it.
 
- How do you know, Deana Sedai? The Accepted replied with her eyes as wide as saucers.
 
- Listen, Child. I remember how you were on the way to Tar Valon. How excited you were about the  stories I told you, about war and battles! Don't you remember ?
 
Myrrhi bit her lower lip once more, this time thinking back about her early days in the Tower and about her old life. She opened her mouth to tell Deana Sedai about what she remembered but before she could say anything, the Aes Sedai had rushed to meet another Brown. Myrrhi shook her head and went back to the History section and took a book about the wars of old. Maybe this will help me to make up my mind.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Hayl3y

[Guest]

The Wars of the Age of Legend! What a book! Myrrhi placed the large tome on her nightstand. She still didn't know whether or not the story it contained was completely true. It probably wasn't since very little knowledge or documentation existed from the Age of Legends. But, invented or not, it had made her daydream for a whole week. She had read the book four times in a row and each time she had placed all her attention on different details. The ones she had preferred where the one describing how men and women who could channel could also fight in hand-to-hand combat. It was a completely new perspective as most of the Aes Sedai she knew, even the ones of the Green Ajah, had never held a sword or a dagger in their very long lives.

 

It was late, though. Myrrhi knew that she had to stop thinking and close her eyes. The next day would be a tough one. She would have to copy papers of Sirlya, a Sister of the Grey Ajah for the best part of the morning. Then, she would have to practice her healing weaves with the Yellow Ajah. It was something she was really not looking forward to. None of those two activities would help her know who she wanted to become. Sighing, she pulled up her blanked and rolled on the side. She closed her eyes, her heard full of war stories.

 

Her dream was one of the strangest one she had had so far, in the Tower. She was in a city without trees, without flowers, only big buildings of stones on each side of the street where she was walking. Suddenly, she felt that people were tracking her and her companion. They were both dressed in black but they were not darkfriends. The dark color of their strange clothes had been chosen so it would be harder to see them when they were hiding in the shadows. After a long stressful run, Myrrhi and her friend found themselves stuck in a blind alley. They didn't stay there alone for long. Enemies arrived, jumping from the sky. They laughed as soon as they hit the ground. When Myrrhi rushed at one of them, another threw a ball of fire towards her. She quickly responded with a shield of air to protect herself. Her companion whistled, signaling what technique they should use to get away. Immediately, she dropped in position and waited for her companion to attack. He didn't have her powers but abilities of his own, speed, strength, resistance to the Power. It didn't take him long to neutralize a first opponent. A few seconds later, Myrrhi had managed to take care of another of the enemies with her bare hands. Her companion's eyes met hers. He smiled, proud of what he had taught her. But, this was not the time to have a break. The two remaining enemies had stepped away, trying to find a way to make as much damage as possible. The first one sent a weave that made the ground explode right in front of Myrrhi who was thrown back. The other had used weaves of fire and earth as whips to keep Myrrhi's companion at bay. Using whatever he could find around him, her friend tried to distract his opponent and to close up the distance that separated them. It was not easy and it earned Myrrhi's companion a lot of injuries. Clenching his teeth and focusing past the pain, the man used his sword like weapon to attack. At the same time, Myrrhi managed to get up nursing her back. It hurt a lot but she still tried to summon her strength. In a blink, the man who had hurt her appeared right in front of her, wearing an ominous grin. She tried to open herself to the One power but it didn't work. The man had shielded her. Panicking she tried to grab one of the daggers she had placed at her belt but they all had disappeared. The man took advantage of her surprise to rush towards her wielding a sword made of fire.

 

.. and then Myrrhi woke up.

It was morning already. And she was not feeling rested at all. She tried to remember every image of what had happened to her in that strange world but it was getting hard. Some moments were getting blurry. She wanted to write everything down to analyze it all later but it was not possible. She had a full schedule to follow and she'd better hurry if she wanted to be in Sirlya's study on time. Jumping out of her bed, she hurried to get dressed and to wash her face. For once, she didn't leave her hair loose. She decided to braid them. It gave her some kind of warrior look, a bit like the one she had had in her dream.

 

I wish I knew more about the Age of Legends, she thought going out of her bedroom. And I want to know more about Aes Sedai who fight!

Edited April 7, 2016 by Chaelca