KellySedai

Kelly Rhoden

Email:  kellysedai@live.com

WT Character:  Kelleen Sudora (Accepted)

MSN:  kellydarrell@charter.net (inactive email)

Yahoo:  kellysedai

Skype:  kellysedai

Kelleen is still an Accepted, but once she reaches Sedai I wanted her to be around 120 or so if thats okay.  :D

She couldn't believe her luck! Not only could she come back and help, but Aramina Sedai actually acted like she wanted to get to know her. She almost pinched herself to be sure it wasn't a dream.

"Thank you so much Aramina Sedai, I'm at your disposal anytime. I would greatly enjoy getting to know you also." Keeping her eyes down respectfully, she curtsied and left to attempt to get some dinner before it was time for bed.

ooc: Thank you so much, this was a great chore and I would really like for our characters to become friends. Us too ;)

"Its a wonderful place, better then any I've ever seen yet but it is my home. We are a warrior breed in the Borderlands, even the women are usually good with a sword to some degree. Its cold most of the time, but not as much to me as to you Southerners." She wiped more sweat off her brow at that remark. "The only problem we ever have really is the Shadowspawn from the Blight. They are a constant threat. That's why I wanted to be Aes Sedai, to fight them and protect my home. To avenge my family. They were almost all destroyed by Shadowspawn in one way or another." Kelleen could feel the tears welling in her eyes and fought them down. Now is not the time for that. She continued to turn the spit and began ladeling juices onto some of the birds. "So tell me, why are you here?"

"Thank you for your time Kelleen. I hope I can trust to your discretion about this room?"

Kelleen stood up and said, "Of course, I can understand a want for privacy Aramina Sedai. If I wouldn't be over-stepping my bounds, I would like to ask to come back here and help again. I'm very fond of working with flowers and this seems to be my only outlet. Its very soothing for me, and as I'm sure you can understand, soothing is in short supply for a novice sometimes." She curtsied and waited for a response, hoping that she hadn't offended Aramina in some way. Some people could be very touchy about their private areas.

Sweating heavily now, Kelleen continued to turn the spit and answered, "I'm from Arafel, and yourself?"

"I'm a Mayener by birth, but I've traveled all over," Shanara said. "I've never been to Mayene, what's it like there? Where else have you lived?", asked Kelleen.

Hearing that from another Aes Sedai besides her mentor made her feel much better. She didn't think that Jaydena would lie to her at all, but hearing it from another made it more believable somehow. It was nice to know that she wasn't simply a failure in any case.

Kelleen and Aramina continued to plant all the flowers in the bed and Kelleen was really enjoying it. The simple actions and smells calmed her in a way nothing had in a long time. She also quite enjoyed her conversation with Aramina Sedai. There were only a couple of moments where Aramina reminded her that she was a novice, and the rest of the time it seemed as though they were equals carrying out a mutually loved task. It was refreshing. Kelleen could only hope that a good relationship could continue with Aramina Sedai on into the future from here.

Before she knew it the bell rang for the second sitting of dinner. She was feeling really hungry now that she thought about it, but she didn't say anything because she didn't want to ruin the good mood they were in at that moment. She would leave it to Aramina to dismiss her when she chose to.

"Some better then others I'm afraid, Aramina Sedai. I've always rather enjoyed books about history so I'm doing quite well in those classes, but I'm not doing so well in my classes on Healing. The classes on learning new weaves are my favorites though." Just talking about the One Power made her even more aware of it just beyond her reach. It felt like warm sunshine on her shoulder, and it took everything in her power to not reach out to it right then. She cleared her throat to try and calm herself before she continued. "I try to learn the new weaves as fast as I can Aramina Sedai, but it seems like some of them just don't want to work for me. Did you have problems like that?" Kelleen continues to plant more flowers while waiting for the answer.

Kelleen had walked into the kitchen to return her dishes for the late meal when she was waved over to the roasting spits by a fellow Novice. She thought her name was Shanara and she had seemed friendly from what little she knew of her. Shanara was kneeling by a short table and had a large array of spices and raw chickens roasting in front of her.

"Hey! Would you mind terribly helping me to turn these?", Shanara asked with sweat dripping from her face. Kelleen was not in the least looking for more chores to do, but she was free until bedtime for a change and she was trying to make some new friends. Maybe she could get to know this girl while she helped her. "Sure, I'd be happy to help.", she smiled and replied while kneeling down and taking hold of one of the spit handles. Turning away, she began talking to Shanara about idle things.

Aramina handed Kelleen an apron and a pair of gloves which she put on without question. If there is one thing she had learned in her short time at the Tower it is that there is never an excuse for a Novice's dress to be dirty.

She watched as Aramina used Air to lift a bag of dirt to the empty flowerbed in the corner, and as always Kelleen tried to take advantage and pay as much attention to the weaves as possible. She was not allowed to channel on her own of course, but she still tried to learn as much as she could when able.

"Do you know much about gardening Kelleen?", Aramina asked politely after she had begun distributing the dirt through the box. Kelleen picked up a small shovel and began helping her distribute the dirt evenly before answering, "I used to have a lovely flower garden on my family's estate, Aramina Sedai. It was my mother's and I kept it up after she died. It was always calming for me to just dig in the dirt and smell the flowers in troubling times." She could almost smell the fragrance of them now.

Aramina asked her what kinds of flowers she prefered and as she listed off several of her favorites she began bringing the plants over and helping Aramina plant them. It was so nice to do something with one of the Aes Sedai. It was too much to hope that Aramina thought of her as more then a Novice, but someday they may have the chance to become friends when Kelleen became Green Ajah.

It had been a pretty common day so far. Kelleen had already had two classes, one that she enjoyed immensely about history and one that she rather disliked involving healing.

The bell had tolled for noon and she was on her way to the dining hall. Coming around a corner she noticed that there were several servants carrying boxes of flowers through the main hall. Flowers were always a favorite pasttime of hers at her estate, but she hadn't thought of them in quite a long time. "I need you to come to my quarters after your last class today Child." Kelleen looked around and hastily curtsied without really seeing which sister it was first. She looked up to realise that it was Aramina Sedai of the Green Ajah. Kelleen had made a point to memorize the names and faces of all the Green sisters in the White Tower in her spare time. They were going to be her Ajah sisters in the near future, so she thought she should learn more about them. "Yes, Aes Sedai." she said without hesitation.

The sun was still high when she made her way to Aramina's apartments that afternoon. It was always a thrill to be in the Green quarters. She couldn't help her mind wandering to the time when her own apartments would be in these halls, her warders as well. She was sure to curtsy to all the sisters on her way and to see if there were any new faces she hadn't seen before. She knocked on Aramina's door once and within just a moment she answered the door with a smile. "Please come in." She said in a calm voice. "I am Aramina Sedai. And your name is?"

"Kelleen Sudora, Aes Sedai." Kelleen curtsied as she answered. Aramina closed the door behind her and began walking to the other room; Kelleen of course followed. As she entered the room a wave of flower scent wafted all over her. It was so calming and lovely, she almost sighed. The walls were covering with books and there were beautiful rugs and furniture. The flowers under the window drew her eyes though, and she looked at their beauty in a dreamy way while awaiting instruction from Aramina Sedai.

ooc: This is a great chore! Thanks Taea! :D

ooc: So when do you want to start doing classes? I've had 2 lessons with Perine so far in the One Power. One was Air, Water, and Earth and the other one was Fire and Spirit. I want to do more with Spirit since that is Kelleen's strongest. Just let me know!

Kelleen was absolutely shocked that Jaydena had not gotten upset at her for the outburst, but was very pleased all the same. It was nice to have someone show her some affection after all this time even if it did seem a bit forced. Jaydena probably was as unaccustomed to it as she was at this point.

"Would you like to have some tea with me, you can put the box down, I swear I won't take it back." She chuckled and with a glint in her eye, began to add honey and sugar to her tea. "How do you take yours my child?"

"I like honey in mine Jaydena Sedai, thank you very much" She set the box down next to her and took a seat on the chair next to Jaydena after her mentor waves her assent. It was a nice feeling, almost as if they were equals for a moment. Kelleen sipped her tea and it was very good, very sweet the way she liked it. Her mother had always laughed at her sweet tooth and that's probably why she had kept one all these years.

"Do you have any questions or concerns before you head off to your first day as Novice?" Jaydena said.

Kelleen thought for a moment, sipping her tea and said, "Actually yes, Jaydena Sedai, I was wondering what I need to do to make friends here. I know I haven't been here long, but I can't seem to find any girls that want to talk to me. I'm not that out-going I suppose and they seem to take that to mean that I don't want to talk. I'm not interested in any close relationships you understand, but it is nice to have someone to talk to on occasion... Besides you of course, Aes Sedai." "I was also curious about the One Power...very curious in fact. I've heard about it for many years and I hope that its as wonderous as I've heard the girls whisper...they say that its the most incredible feeling in the world." She waited in anticipation for Jaydena's answer and hoped that it really was all she had dreamed. Just to imagine a feeling that was stronger then even her longing for love as she had heard, seemed quite unbelievable.

ooc: *bumps thread* I'm still waiting!!! :P

Kelleen didn't know what to say... she hadn't been given a gift in years. It was almost more then she could believe at that moment. In a rush of emotion, she leapt forward and embraced Jaydena, even knowing that she might be punished for it. "You could never know what this means to me." Kelleen said, and then stepped back away from her. She wiped the tears off her face then and reached over to pick up the box again. She clutched it to her chest as if it were a baby.

Kelleen could only hope that Jaydena would understand and not punish her, but even if she did, it was worth it. She hadn't had a true friend in so long that it was worth any amount of punishment to express her appreciation. She knew that as soon as she was back in her room she was going to paint them all green. If she had had any doubts about what Ajah she should be, that gift had just abolished them.

"So tell me about yourself my child."

Kelleen wasn't real sure where to start...she also wasn't very sure how much she wanted to tell her new Mentor. It was very hard to think about her family.

She followed Jade to her apartments and, after Jade motioned for her to sit, sat on one of the carpets near the chair Jade was sitting in. The Accepted Jade had spoken to came with the tea after just a moment, so Kelleen got up to pour for them. "You're going to have to have more trust in me Kelleen. I am your Mentor now. I'm here to help you become an Aes Sedai, and to do that you have to be comfortable with your past as well as your future." Jade said after Kelleen handed her a cup of tea.

Kelleen resumed her seat with a cup of tea for herself, but she sat it on the floor in front of her instead of drinking any. She took a deep breath, looked Jade in the eyes, and began. "I have had a very troubled life up until now Jade Sedai. My father was a fur trader in Arafel, and we had a pretty prosperous estate because of him. I lost my mother when I was eleven...it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with." Kelleen realised her hand had drifted into her belt pouch and she was running her fingers across the medallions inside... feeling the faces of her loved ones. "My father died shortly after, he just couldn't live without her. I lost 6 of my brothers early on when I was young, so I was raised primarily by my youngest brother Jurin. He did the best he could with the situation we were left with. Most of the town's people believed our family was cursed because of all the deaths. They left us alone for the most part. I spent most of my time reading and watching the local guards and soldiers doing sword forms. Jurin didn't know it, but I was practicing those forms in secret. The guards thought it was ridiculous, but they left me alone and let me try. I suppose they thought it was funny that a girl would try to fight with a sword. You see, most of my brothers were killed by Trollocs and other shadowspawn... I was determined to never let that happen to me." Kelleen sighed, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "Jurin died about 8 months ago... killed by Trollocs in a raid on our town. I was left completely alone, and soon I lost our home, our belongings, everything...." The tears spilled down her face, but she was not ashamed of them. They were warranted. "I'd read about Aes Sedai in several books, and there were local women who talked about the wonders of Tar Valon. I decided that since I had no where else to go, I might as well come here. If I was ever to have real power, the power to destroy the shadowspawn who destroyed my family, I'd have to learn from Aes Sedai."

Kelleen lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at Jade Sedai. She thought that she almost saw a look of sadness on her face before it became cool and collected again. "I won't stop training until I have that power Jade Sedai. I don't care how long it takes... I MUST avenge my family." Kelleen pulled the medallions out of her pouch and laid them down in front of her on the carpet. "My family meant more to me then my own life. Now this is all I have left of them...my memory of their faces, and the memory of their love."

Kelleen couldn't really listen any longer. After Jaydena actually said yes all she could do was imagine herself doing the sword forms. It had been her dream since she was a little girl, and it was finally going to come true!

Suddenly another Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah came up very quickly to Perine and a shield sprang up around them. Jaydena said, "See the weaves, Someday you will be able to do a ward against listening with just that kind of ease." Kelleen could only stare in wonder... and in curiousity. What could be so important?? Kelleen remembered to curtsy and was sneaking quiet glances through her braids at the two Aes Sedai. Suddenly Perine had a look of worry come across her face, and Jaydena's eyebrows actually rose up a fraction as if in shock over seeing such an emotional response from her former mentee. Perine walked back to them and said, "I am afraid there is an emergency Jaydena and I must leave the Tower for some time. I have no idea how long I will be gone or if I will return. Since I won't able to mentor Kelleen, will you become her mentor?"

Jaydena thought about it a moment, nodded and said, "Good luck Perine Sedai, I hope the mission goes well. I will take your mintee and treat her as my own." "Well my child this is quite unexpected. Have you seen the Tower yet or the gardens?" Kelleen couldn't speak for a moment. She didn't know Perine very well yet, but she had seemed nice and even caring during some of their lessons. She hoped that she her again one day.

As Jaydena's words sank into Kelleen's mind she thought she might burst from excitement. I know she'll teach me the forms early now, but at the least I'll be able to watch her do them all the time! Jaydena's eyes seemed to be weighing her up from head to toe. Even more so then before, but she didn't really know Kelleen yet either.

Kelleen knew that she wanted to be Green Ajah and now the Light had given her a teacher to become just that. Maybe some good fortune was shining on her after all...

"Yes Jaydena Sedai, I have seen most of the Tower today, but I would be more then happy to see anything else you would like to show me. I'm very excited about getting to know my home better."

ooc: Well since Perine is leaving us, she asked me to ask you if you would take over as my mentor. I really think that Kelleen would benefit greatly from this, and I would love it too. :D Please let me know as soon as you can. *hugs* Kelly

"Well Kelleen, as a novice you are not allowed to work with the swords or to learn anything about defense. Your time is spent in learning to weild the one power and to scrub pots." She chuckled and then continued, "When you become an Accepted you will be able to learn sword forms, choose a weapon, work with the gaidin on defense. Usually only those Accepted who want to join the Green Ajah take this course but I have seen others who wanted to be able to defend themselves in case of the lose of the power, take these classes. When you reach Accepted I would be more than willing to help you this training you seem to so long for.

Kelleen was disappointed, but not entirely surprised. She really had only hoped that she could begin lessons soon, but she was willing to wait. She was going to reach Accepted soon anyways, she was determined.

"So how did you come to be at the Tower my child?" Kelleen suddenly felt very emotional, thinking about her family. She hadn't really thought of them with all the excitement the past day. They were always in her mind though, always her driving passion to avenge them in the only way she knew how. "I am the last of my family Jaydena Sedai, and I want to make them proud. I want to destroy the cursed Shadowspawn that took them from me if its the last thing I ever do." Kelleen knew there was a fever in her eyes because she could feel it in her heart. She wanted what Jaydena Sedai had, she wanted power. Skill with a sword, skill with the Source, she would be the best because she had to be to fulfill her vow.

"I don't care how long I have to wait, I want to train with you." Realising how demanding that sounded, she quickly dropped into a curtsy. "If you will allow me to that is, Aes Sedai." Kelleen could only hope that she had not just ruined it all with her cursed temper...

Kelleen watched in awe as they walked up to the couple dueling in the yard. They were both women to begin with, and they were both wearing pants like men! She was amazed at how fluent they were with their weapons. She could tell that they were probably blademasters which was unheard of for women, but she might just be exagerating due to her excitement.

Perine walked up to them, seemingly without any fear, and said "Jaydena, may I intrude for a moment. There is someone here who would like to meet you."

The woman that she had noticed most before turned around, completely at ease, and walked towards them. Kelleen was shocked to see a mask covering half of her face, but she had seen worse in the past. Usually it meant that that someone had earned it in a great battle, so Kelleen's respect for her rose instantly. Kelleen could also tell that she was Green Ajah from the predominant green colors in her clothing, and that made her respect rise as well because she thought that she might want to join the Green. The dragons around the short swords at her waist were quite uncommon, but beautiful, and Kelleen thought that she had an instant liking of this woman. She smiled, and Jaydena smiled back after Perine told her Kelleen's name and origin, her lips curving under the mask.

"Hello there my child, I am so glad to meet one of my own mentees charges. Though it has been some time since Perine Sedai was my mentee." Laughing softly she continued, "What can I help you with Kelleen?"

Kelleen was taken aback by how soft and pretty her voice was, almost musical. She had not expected that from such a tough looking woman. She shifted her feet, suddenly worried that she had bothered her, and said while staring at her feet, "I'm sorry to have bothered you Jaydena Sedai, but I was curious as to how you were trained in the sword forms. I have learned a few of them, and you are obviously greatly skilled. I was wondering if it would be possible to...learn from you?.... If you have the time that is...I wouldn't want to intrude..." She realised that she was stammering and blushing and kept staring at the ground. Nothing would make her happier then to be a blademaster someday, but she wanted to learn it all. The One Power, the sword, charm and grace, politics, history...she wanted to be the stuff of stories, and she had heard that the Green would let her achieve that goal. They would also lead her to battle against Shadowspawn to avenge her family, another of her life's goals. The thought of her family made her remember why she was here to begin with, and with almost a hint of defiance she raised her head and stared into Jaydena's eyes, daring her to refuse her. She would learn it all...one way or another.

Kelleen's head was definitely swimming after that tour of the Tower. The Library alone was enough to make her gape like a country girl.

Something at the practice yard caught her attention though, and even though she might get in trouble, she wanted to investigate it a bit further.

"Perine Sedai? I was wondering if we could go back to the Practice Yard for a moment. I saw an Aes Sedai there, and it looked like she was practicing the sword. I would really like to meet her if that's allowed." Kelleen said. She suddenly had a vivid flash of her practicing the sword in secret from her brothers. She had always loved the art of the sword, and if Aes Sedai could learn it too then she may be even happier in her future her then she thought possible.

ooc: That's okay hon, I understand. :D Hope everything is okay with you soon. *hugs*

Kelleen let out a breath that she hadn't realised she was holding. Thank the Light!

"Yes, I'm ready Aes Sedai." Kelleen said. The Warder's training ground did sound quite interesting. She was very appreciative of handsome men after all, but that was not her primary concern on this day by far. She really wanted to see the facilities for learning here. Libraries were one of her biggest passions. Her father had had a rather large collection of books, and she always looked forward to the peddlers who would bring more for her to read about the world outside Arafel.

From everything she had seen and heard so far, this was going to be something she would never forget...

Kelleen looked into the room and barely held back a grimace. Those had to be the smallest beds she had ever seen and she had had 7 brothers to share with. Well, what must be tolerated would be tolerated to reach her goal.

"Now, would you like something to eat before I take you around the Tower?" Kelleen dropped a curtsy and said, "No thank you Perine Sedai, I'm not hungry." To be perfectly honest, she could not have eaten a single bite. She had never been so nervous in her entire life. She knew very little about what each Ajah meant yet, but she had heard some stories about the Red...none of them good. She was not very sure about this woman as her mentor.

"Now I'm sure that Faerzyne Sedai has given you your new Novice dresses. Go ahead and change before we get started." Perine said. Kelleen picked up the small parcel beside her and went into the room with Perine on her heels. She took off her dress, shoes, and jewelry and had slipped her Novice white dress over her head when a sudden though occured to her. Will they let me keep my medallions? Surely they would not deny her keeping her last earthly possesions... "Perine Sedai? I know that Novices are not allowed many possesions... but I have some medallions that are very dear to me and I cannot be seperated from them. Could I please be allowed to keep them?" Her breath caught while Perine seemed to weigh the request... They cannot make me get rid of them. They cannot! Its all I have left of them...

No matter how hard she tried, Kelleen just could not keep still in her seat. I'm going to channel!! The thought just repeated over and over in her mind, and the smile on her face would not go away.

"Let's see about making your stay here a bit more permanent then, shall we?" The MoN's voice brought her abruptly back to reality. Wide-eyed, she stared at her and then the MoN said, "Can you tell me your full name again?" With all the pride she had ever felt, she held her head high and said, "Kelleen Sudora." "And your place of birth and raising?" Kelleen replied, "Arafel, Aes Sedai." Braids tinkling as she began slightly shaking again. This is really happening... its really happening!

"And finally your age." "The Feast of Lights will be my 18 naming day, Aes Sedai. Seventeen now." Kelleen replied. Kristen looked up at her with what she thought was a small smile and said, "Welcome to the White Tower." She arose from her seat and walked in front of her, and despite all her best efforts, Kelleen jumped from her chair and embraced her. "Thank you Aes Sedai, thank you... thank you... thank you..." Tears were welling in her eyes again, she had never been so elated in her entire life.

Trying very hard not to fidget on the chair, Kelleen was held frozen by the hard stare of the woman on the other side of the desk. She was more nervous then she had ever felt in her entire life. She had to pass this test!!

"Have you been tested?" Shaking her head she began to think of all the terrible stories she had heard about the testing for Aes Sedai. She knew that most stories were just that, but it was still unsettling.

Faerzyne rose from her desk and stepped out in front of her. She knelt down in front of her with a small shiny stone in her hand. Smiling she said, "Clear your mind completely, and focus on the stone." Was this going to be the test? Surely not...but she tried, hard as that was, to clear her mind. She looked into the stone and put all her concentration into something happening.

She thought she could feel the sands in the hourglass across the room moving grain by grain. Nothing was happening! This is not the way it was supposed to be... she had to be able to channel! Sweat began popping out on her forehead, running down her back, but she could not concentrate. All she could see were the faces of her family floating in her mind. Her hand trailed to her belt pouch and she ran her fingers across the silver medallions. Her only possesions that ment anything. Suddenly, she thought she felt warm...her breath caught in her throat and she saw the MoN's eyes widen in front of her as the stone seemed to flicker with light. Kelleen's eyes felt as if they were going to pop out of her head. She had done it! Didn't she?...

"Congradulations dear. You can learn to channel."

She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. Thank the Light! Her dreams would finally come true! She pulled out one of the medallions and stared at the face of her mother. She could swear she saw it smile just slightly... Jumping up she actually cried out with glee before realised where she was and who was staring at her with quite an appraising look. "Please forgive me Aes Sedai. I have wanted this my whole life." Her braids tinkled as she tried desperately to wipe the tears from her face. She knew she was blushing furiously, but she couldn't have stopped it had she tried. She was going to be Aes Sedai!

Trying her best to straighten her skirt, she sat back into the chair and waited to see what was in store for her next. She didn't really care if they told her to build a bridge with her bare hands. She could channel! Wiping the smile off her face was another matter entirely...