When she answered, she smiled over at him. "Not at the moment. You have told me a good deal about yourself thank you. I am surprised you want to learn how to use a staff I know those from Arafell are mostly swordsmen." After pausing, he could tell she was deep in thought, she said "Look for somewhere to camp we will need to stop soon."

She was silent then, and he did his job. He scanned the area, for another hour or so before he found one that he liked. There was a large rock to the side of the trail, and they would be able to be snug up against it, allowing for one side to be protected from any attack. When they got there, Rekinu silently helped her down from her horse, before caring for them first. He took off the saddles, rubbing the horses down quickly, before moving on to the fire. From his classes he knew what kind of kindling to make a fire that would have no smoke for the remaining light that there was. As he set up her tent, Taia walked the perimeter, Rekinu assumed that she was setting wards. Wielding a power such as what she did was a bit different to think of. He had seem the One Power used often enough, but he always wondered about what they felt, how it truly worked. He loved learning about the world around him... perhaps some day he would have to ask her. It always seemed too personal of a question to ask just any Aes Sedai.

As the night got closer, shortly after dinner was finished, Taia spoke up again. She was sitting across the fire from him, and she pierced him with her eyes as she spoke. "You asked me sometime ago what a bond was like. I should answer your question, and I will now." She looked across the fire at him seriously. "A bond is not to be taken lightly Rekinu Alasayaar" He started at that a little, as far as he could remember, she had not used his full name before. He wasn't even sure that she even knew it! She continued; "It will give you the ability to go longer without rest then other people, it will give you the ability to sense creatures of the dark one when they are near. Both things are very good in helping you protect your chosen Aes Sedai but," She paused again, she seemed to not like the direction that the conversation was going, but she pushed on. "When the bond is broken in death it is unpleasant." She hesitated again,and shook her head. "No that is the wrong word it is horrible. I have already endured it twice and horrible is a better word." She sighed, a deep sigh, full of emotion. "When a sister dies and her warder is left alive, he usually seeks death. The pain of losing your Aes Sedai is too much for most. When a warder dies, the sister usually grieves for a long time. If you have a wish to see a woman cry for long periods of time you only have to look for a sister who has recently lost her warder." She shuddered again, and Rekinu felt bad about her talking about these memories.

She continued, putting the hard part of the conversation behind her. "It can be worse. A sister could compel you to do what she wishes with the bond. Most Aes Sedai do not tell there warders this, but I believe you should know it is possible. You would have little say in the matter if you picked a sister who was more interested in your obedience then anything else. To answer a question you asked awhile ago about being bonded to a Green it is not easy. The Greens are the battle Ajah you could die protecting your sister at any time. We cannot channel to kill unless it is in defense of our life or that of our warder, so we are sometimes considered reckless as we rush into battle. It might be prudent for you to think of that before agreeing to serve." It was all a little fast. Usually Rekinu liked to think about things before going on to the next thought, but she just pressed onward, leaving him in a whirl. He soaked it all up though, so that he would be able to think about it later, and dissect it to better understand all the angles.

"You would have to meet the Ajah head of the Greens she would take your measure if you were found wanting your bond might be transferred to another sister in a different Ajah. So," Transferred? They could do that? His thoughts were a jumble. What would he do if that were to happen? He gritted his teeth a little, no, he would not let that happen. She stood up and walked to his side, sitting next to him. "Would you Rekinu Alasayaar consent to allowing me to bond you now here and protect me till such time as one of us dies? If you would like some time to think or ask a question you have it. However, not to long please." She stood again and walked toward her horse.

His mind was in a whirlwind. He had not expected an invitation to bond so soon. The few minutes she was gone gave him the time that he desperately needed to work through his thoughts. He pulled out the figurine that he had started doing the last time he was with Taia when they were hunting Darkfriends. He turned it in his hands absentmindedly, as his thoughts ran. By this time, it was very detailed. He had worked out the face, while it might not be master work, it was still good... or he thought so at least. Where to start... well. The bond itself was a perfect place to start. He was not against the idea of being bonded, but he was worried about what it was like to feel someone else in his head. The perks were definitively important, the one that gave him the ability to sense shadow spawn would have been useful just three weeks ago! He frowned, deep in thought. Breaking of the bond seemed to be a pretty serious thing. But that made sense. If Taia died now, he would die avenging her, Bond or no Bond. She was his friend, as much as, if not more so than any of the trainees, Torvus included. There were only two questions that he could think of that needed to be answered.

"What is in your hand?" Rekinu nearly jumped. His heart pounded so much that he was sure that Taia could hear it as well! He felt a little ashamed. He had been so deep in thought that he had not paid attention to Taia aproaching. She had sat down beside him, and seen the figure in his hands. He hesitated, not wanting to show off, but if they were considering being bonded, there would be no secrets from his end. She looked over it for a moment, before he spoke up. "I always like working with wood. I just love the way it can come to life some times. That there," he nodded to the statue "is my third or fourth try."

He looked at the fire, letting her examine it in its light. He took in a huge breath, before mentioning the first question that truly bothered him.

"You mentioned that you can compel a warder... err... that it can be done anyways. Could a darkfriend Aes Sedai, no do not look at me like that, even I know that evil people can be found as easily within royalty as well as within the impoverished. Could a darkfriend Aes Sedai compel a warder to do evil?" Taia clearly had much to say about the subject, but she responded with a clear and simple "No. They can push you a little, but they cannot FORCE you to become who you are not."

"Hmmm. That makes sense." Rekinu said. The hard question was over, and he went on to the other one. "You... mentioned having someone in your mind the other day... what is that like? I mean, them being able to know what you are feeling." She thought about that one for a time, before answering. "You are able to share their thoughts, but you can... close yourself off for some privacy whenever you want. Other than that, you just need to experience it to understand."

Now that the preliminary things were over, Rekinu was ready. They discussed many other things for almost an hour, and he was prepared. Or, at least he was as prepared as he was going to be! He stood up, and paced around the fire two times, coming to a stop before Taia. He was ready. He knelt down, placing his right fist over his heart, and looked directly into her eyes. It was the moment of truth, and he still had time to say no, until he actually did it. No, yes is the only answer that would make sense.

"Taia, I, Rekinu Alasayaar of Arafel, Tower Guard of the White Tower, would be willing, no, honored to be bonded to an Aes Sedai such as yourself. My life before yours, my blood before yours in every situation. I will stand beside you, and if we can fight together, that is all I ask. You say that the Green Ajah is all about being ready to be at Shayol Ghul, to fight at the Dragon's side, well if you are there, then that is where I belong as well. Together we can protect the weak, and spit in the Lord of the Grave's eye together. I will bond myself to you, mentally as well as physically, and be there for you until the moment I draw my last breath." He spoke with clarity. Never stumbling, never hesitating, he spoke with the true conviction that he felt in his heart and soul. There was only one time before in his life that he had spoken with such conviction. His Raising ceremony had elicited similar feelings, but this time, it felt more... right. Set the way that it is supposed to be.

Rekinu Alasayaar

Ready for change

Junoko looked at him, almost in a funny manner, but soon replied; "I know of none. We never used swords in the under ground of Illian."

"I see." Rekinu replied. In his mind, he thought well, we shall have to rectify that.

He motioned for Junoko to put one of his weapons down. "First we will go through a few starting threads, and then we will add in the second sword, alright?"

He stood motionless, and then achieved the void. After years of practice it was easy, like picking a flower. At least, when there was no distractions it was. Irregardless, the void achieved, he spoke, with out looking at Junoko. His voice was cold. As lifeless as the previous conversation had been with laughter. "The first ones to learn are how to pull, and return your blade to and from its scabbard." He first demonstrated pulling from above his left shoulder (in the Arafallin fashion), using his left hand to simulate the location of the scabbard and then returned it. After wards, he did it from hip height as well, swapping hands. "I did from both, as that is where I keep my swords. You try.now. Pull your practice weapon . The idea is that once you have your weapon drawn tou will be prepared to start any Sword Form."

We would be glad to have you here Rand!

After the execution, Rekinu was restless. He was however VERY glad to have it over with. For him, killing a man in heated battle was one thing, but as terrible as it might be, watching that same man's life almost twitch away helplessly due to poison was another. That would be a terrible way to go he decided rather quickly. After thinking about it this man was worthy of such a helpless death due to the comments that this particular man had said about Taia. Rekinu would NOT repeat them, but they were vile. Add the things that he had been doing to so many other innocent people, it was too good of a way for him to die.

Rekinu slept lightly. He was slightly bothered by the evening activity, yet still felt at peace to have made a difference in these people's lives. Yesterday had been an exhilarating day. The only other time that he had felt close to that was when he had assisted in saving some people's homes in a fire that had interrupted some training that they had done in Tar Valon.

When he woke, it was still quite dark. He quickly gathered his things, saddled their horses, and went to Taia's room. She was still asleep, so he gathered her things up, excluding her clothing. According to the stories some of the other Tower Guard told, women were very particular about their clothing, and they had many things that no man would ever understand... stick of some sort that they would apply to their faces. Rekinu doubted the existence of such an item. Well, better safe than sorry he mused to himself. In a short while, Taia woke, and Rekinu reported that everything was ready to go. She sent him away, and he went down to the main hall to grab some food now that the cook was up. Afterwards, he procured food for their traveling, and then went back to their horses, to await her.

As they were leaving, Taia was quiet. Taia seems to be in her thoughts, so I'll, I'll think of something to think of thought Rekinu. However, after an hour of little luck, he gave up. So, he settled into listening to the world around them as they traveled. After some time, Taia surprised him by asking a question. "Tell me about your family? Your training, anything?"

He was a little taken back, but since she asked, and he was feeling much more secure about trusting her, he decided to lay it all out there. "Hmm. The better question is where to start. Well, if you remember, a couple of years ago we talked a little, and I told you a small bit of my life, but there really isn't a whole lot to tell, and it is about as interesting as watching a wool headed lummox make yet another stupid decision, but since you asked, I will tell. My father was a son of a noble in Shol Arbela, and he... ermm... well, ahhh..." he cleared his throat, looking away "he spent a night... or perhaps several... with a serving woman in his favorite tavern. She became with child with me, and that shamed him. He began to volunteer for every campaign against the Trollocs, and it was only a matter of time until he died." Rekinu shrugged, the feelings were still a bit raw, despite him having not known his father the man's inability to fess up to the responsibilities to his child made him feel confused, angry, and depressed all in one. "As I am sure you know all Arafallins have honor, yet my father denied me even that by refusing to acknowledge me. I was seven when he died. His father, refused to honor me either to honor his son's wishes. However, he sent one of my father's swords to my mother, for her to give to me after the mourning period had passed" He drew his largest blade, his hand and a half sword that was on the longer side. When he had first met Taia, it had taken much of his control to wield it in a single sword form with two hands, and yet now, he could use it with ease. Odd about what the passage of a few years could do. He showed her the scarred hilt where the family crest was all but burned out of existence. "It is marked with shame. Yet, I have sworn an oath on this blade that I will regain the honor my father has denied me."

He re-sheathed his weapon, pausing in his narrative, lost in thought for almost a half hour. Thankfully Taia kept silent, allowing him to gather his thoughts and organize his feelings. After he felt he was ready, he continued. "A few years later, during a drought, my mother became ill, and died as well. For some years I begged on the streets, sleeping where I could. A baker took pity on me, and let me run errands for him in exchange of bread, it was around that time that I saw my first Aes Sedai. I was very small for my age, and was the... object of sport among other such homeless urchins. In a situation like that, being occupied with staying away from the current 'hunters' is paramount. Anyway, I was more worried about running from those behind me when I ran into her." He smiled at the thought. "I wonder why she did not snap at me, but she bent down to help me up from the paving-stones, and offered me some bread with a warm smile. Ha, it is a wonder she did not tie me up, or give me a sound spanking, but she set into motion my being here. Sadly, I do not remember anything about her today, all the details that a 13 or 14-year-old would have noticed are now gone. That same year I taught myself how to track and hunt, with lots of help from other locals. One day I had the opportunity to join a merchant train as a guard in training, and I took it. After a couple of years, our travels took us past Tar Valon, and one of the guards, knowing my promise to serve others and desire regain my honor suggested that I join the Tower Guard. I believe his wording was that 'If someone wants to make a difference, that would be the place to be able to do it.' So far, he has been right. Yesterday, with the people thanking us for helping them..." He blushed again thinking of the woman who had given him a kiss as he continued "I felt like I am in the right place, and that with time, I might be able to gain honor of my own. That encouragement and my remembrances of the Aes Sedai made up my mind about what I was going to do with my life."

After that, he continued, talking about the training he had received in the Bow, Sword, and mace; disliking blunt weapons except the staff. He spoke of his goals, of training with one of the masters of the staff, as he had yet to be officially trained with it. Oh, he could twirl it very fast, and move it in some pretty cool ways, but surely fighting with it would be different.

after a time, he trailed off, and looked kind of sheepishly to Taia. "I kind of rambled there... ha. Do you have any questions?"

"My name is Junoku. And what do you call yourself."

"Junoku, ehh? Mine is Rekinu Alasayaar. I hail from the Borderlands, Arafel if you cared to know." Rekinu stepped back for a moment, thinking. Junoku was fast, much faster than he had given credit for, but his attack had left him WIDE open.

"The first thing you need to think of is this. As a Tower Guard, we will need to be practiced in fighting many foes. Aes Sedai have many enemies, and on missions it is common, especially once you fight Trollocs to be in the minority in a fight. You fight with two swords, and while that gives you an advantage, it can be enhanced greatly by staying in the defensive as you move through different attack patterns."

Rekinu hesitated a bit more, weighing his options before asking a question. "Before we move on, what Sword forms are you familiar with?"

As they looked over the farm, when they first arrived, devastated would not suffice. The farm looked like it had been quite large, at one time, but now it was mostly a smoldering ruin, except for the main building. The bandits had left it alone.

Rekinu dismounted. and joined the search, looking for any clues. He wandered all over the place observing things about tracks, what animals had been slaughtered, and what had been taken. He talked with a couple of the villagers about what the farm usually contained, though there were only basic information to be had. He had glanced into the main building only to confirm his fears that the remains of the family were there. He did not know them, but the sight of such blatant disreguard of life made him sick. When he passed Taia, moved to join in looking around, and he shook his head in the negative. She did nor need to see that. No one needed to see that, but least of all a woman.

After one last pass, he mounted his horse, and nodded in the direction that they needed to go. He was unsure how many there had been, but they numbered more than 40. The poor family had not had a chance. Taia, trusting him, turned to the man in charge of the villagers. "Rekinu and I are leaving you now we will find the men who did this." She lifted her hand, and Rekinu took it as a 'move out' signal, so he spurred his horse forward to take the lead. He had been completely serious when he had told Taia that he would be there to ensure that she didn't get hurt.

As they moved, Rekinu did his best to push his thoughts and perceptions in front of them, and after a while, it started feeling more like normal rather than something that he had to strain himself to do. That was good. His training was starting to take effect. Taia was quiet again, so Rekinu kept his thoughts to himself. He glanced at her only twice, to not miss anything, and she had that far-away- look that she got sometimes.

All of a sudden, he sensed rather than saw the sentries, and one of them had smoked a cigar earlier that day, leaving its stench in the small pocket that they found themselves. It did protect from the wind, but that foul smell stayed in it as well. This was a dead give away, and Rekinu had them stop. After a couple of minutes he spotted the faint red glow from one of them smoking his foul stuff.

After pointing it out to Taia, and she smiled a grim, almost excited smile. She felt like he did about the waste of life, and uselessness of the reasoning behind what was happening because of these bandits. She observed for a minute the hill side, seeming to look under the surface, and then motioned him back. He did so unhappily, and then observed. She brought up a wall of earth before them as she caused rocks to slide down the slope. He could hear the sentries curse as they tried to figure out what was going on, and then yells as the rocks did the damage they were intended to do. After it was done, Taia motioned to him to move forward, and he did so, shaking his head slightly. He was always amazed at the things that Aes Sedai could do, and sometimes had a fleeting wish that he could experience it himself. Of course, if that were the case he would not be permitted to train with the Tower Guard, so it was for the best. He felt at home in Tar Valon, much more so than he had for years before arriving.

As they arrived at the top, they dismounted, and left their horses tied to a tree to keep them from running off. When they arrived to where they could see into the camp, they were surprised at the order. He had not seen many bandits, but Taia informed him that most camps were much more haphazard, and disorganized than this one, unless it was run by a military band. She also muttered about how she could destroy the whole thing all at once if she wanted to. He kept silent, though he agreed with the sentiment. Finally, she turned to him, and she ask "Mercy or no mercy for them?" He thought about it for a minute or two, and then gripped the dagger at his waist. His face grew hard when he thought of the family murdered over not being able to pay extortion money, and knew that these people must face the same consequences that they served themselves.

She pointed to the path that would take him right to the camp, and said "go on down. I will watch from here, You'll have a distraction, use it to find the leader, and bring him back alive if you can. I would like to question him some." He felt uneasy about leaving her there by herself, but he knew that it would be better for her to stay where she would have a great vantage point than if she were to come down with him. Still a little unhappy about it, he moved out, and down.

He made his way down the mountain side, and arrived at the outskirts of the camp. They must be sure that their sentries were very good, because they did not have a secondary set like Rekinu would have had he been the leader. He stored that thoughts, and most others as a huge fireball blew up on the other side of the camp. Leaving his sword sheathed as it might draw attention, he drew his long knife with his left hand, and tossed it to his right. "Keep myself hidden.. that is key." As he made his way through the camp, he hid from people as they went rushing around, as he listened to their words. A couple of times he caught people in tents, and killed them before they were able to get their weapons bared. Once he got caught by someone who tried to sneak up behind HIM, and he whirled when he heard a funny noise behind him. The man was dying, and Rekinu knew that it was Taia. It aggrivated him for two reasons. One, he should have KNOWN that the person was there. There was no excuse to not knowing. and two, Taia was busy enough and she didn't need to waste her time keeping an eye on him. He needed to train better... but that anger stayed with him. The next time he came across one of the men running around trying to figure out what was going on, they were both suprised as they came around a corner. Acting quickly, and funneling his anger, he threw himself on the surprised opponent, and Rekinu slammed his hand into his head, breaking his nose, and killing him in one hit. He shook his left hand. That had been surprisingly easier than he had been led to believe in his training. Irregardless, mere minutes later, he found the leader. He must have realized it at the same time that Taia did, because she caused the ground to shake, and and used the confusion to bury a couple of the men nearby. Rekinu stuck like a rattles at the leader from behind. His hand hit the pressure point, and the man slumped towards the ground. Rekinu used the motion to sling the man over his right shoulder, passing his blade to his left hand. He knew that Taia was watching him from above, and sure enough, he could see her clearing his way out of the camp. He ran at full speed, knowing when he left the camp that anyone left inside were going to be experiencing hell in a matter of minutes. When he got back to the top of the ridge, he was very tired. The man must be close to 250 pounds, more his own weight, and it was not all muscle. Taia allowed him to rest for a moment as she surveyed the remnants of the camp, doing things to finish up, and then she motioned for them to go. Rekinu picked the man up, and dragged him down to the horses. He was starting to wake, and so Taia tied the bandit to his horse. Rekinu led the way, heading back to the town.

It was getting dark, and Rekinu went at a fast trot. The moon was not out, but this portion of the trail had been beaten smooth by the passage of the bandits over the months that they had stayed there at that camp.

When the moon rose, Rekinu picked up the pace. He did not want to be traveling all night long, and Taia was safely on a horse. After an hour or so, they came upon a horse, that was grazing a couple of yards for where they were walking. Rekinu approached it, and found that it had a frayed rope that had once secured it, and it was slicked in sweat. It must be from the bandits. he told Taia, as he led it back to where she stood. She untied the man on Rekinu's horse, and he let out a spewage of such filth, that Rekinu hit his pressure spot again, causing him to go blessedly silent yet again. They positioned him on the new horse, and Taia re-tied him into place, and Rekinu gratefully got back up on his horse, to finish the trip to the town. Even with the horses for the majority of the trip, it was well past midnight when the got to the Inn.

When they walked in, with the bandit leader in tow, glowering for all he was worth, one of the patrons ran to get the mayor. Things went crazy from there. The patron must have told others, because people started streaming in, to ogle at the prisoner. Hours later, Rekinu convinced Taia, who was looking exhausted, to go to bed, and he stuck himself up against a wall, observing everything that was going on. She would want a complete report he was sure, when she woke up. He eventually went and took a nap himself, but Kayla woke him up early to look at him. She muttered about the new bruises on his left hand, but said nothing else, and leaving quickly. After she had gone, he decided to eat. The common room was still bursting with people, and he almost had to push to make his way to the kitchen, and snagged some breakfast from the cook, enough for two. He made his way slowly to the stairs, and was only stopped by the mayor as he went to go up them.

"Do we need to be worried about the rest of the bandits?" he asked him. Rekinu thought about it for a minute, and the responded "no, I do not think enough survived to do much. The most they could do is thieve, but you know now where their camp is, go and see for yourself."

Excusing himself, he went up the stairs, and entered Taia's room, setting the tray down. He picked the chair up, and set it next to the door, and sat down to wait. His mind was in a jumble. He was prepared to die for Aes Sedai in general, but was he really willing to tie himself so irrevocably to someone? The thought made him slightly uneasy. The last true connection that he had felt with someone was with his mother, more than 10 years ago. Since then, he had made a few friends, but none of them lasted very long, except with Torvus, but he was another story all together! His thoughts sobered quickly. Taia. He started to ask himself a few questions, Would he be willing to give his life for hers? Yes came the answer, fast enough that it surprised him. The next question was a little harder, what do you think of Taia as a woman? At first, he wondered at what he meant by that question before realizing that if he became bonded to her, he would be with her more often than not, and he needed to like her as a person. As he thought of that, he realized that though sometimes she had him more confused than a dog chasing its own tail, he enjoyed his time with her, and he felt that she did too. That is the basis of a good friendship, right? Concluding his thoughts, he was content. His mind was made up, and that made him feel at peace. He hoped that the question would come up, as there was much to discuss. He had not talked with any of the guards about how it was to be bonded, and it was only mentioned in passing that they would receive something as part of the bond as well as the Aes Sedai that they would be bonded to.

When Taia woke up, she glanced at him before standing up, pushing the tray to her, he nodded at it. The food was still slightly warm, and Rekinu started eating as well. Taia looked at him, and asked "Are you hurt?" He shook his head. His mouth was full, and he had received no lasting injuries. He thought that he might have pulled a muscle in his leg, but it had gone unnoticed by anyone yet, so he wasn't worried about it.

After she took a bite, she continued, "Are you ready to return home, ready to get back to your training so you can be ready to accept my bond?" He started. Did she know his thoughts? "Don't worry you are safe I would not do it now, no matter how much I would like too. There are other things you need to know about being the warder to an Aes Sedai especially a Green sister. We aren't all smiles and flirting. There are other things to know too, I would have to bond you before you knew them all. Although if you want to ask me anything now you may, we still have some time before they dispense justice and we can leave." She smiled at him and took another bite of bread.

He decided to think for a minute before answering so he chewed his food slowly while he thought. He took a swig of milk before beginning "I am not yet ready to return to the White Tower, though just like you said it I am far from a seasoned veteran. Yesterday was proof of that." He thought about that for a bit before going on, "What kind of things do you need to know about the Aes Sedai/Warder bond? I mean, we have been told that there is something there, but I do not recall being taught exactly what that is. The only part I know is that a warder shares a... connection to his Aes Sedai, and can sometimes sense her feelings?" He shrugged. "To be honest, I didn't pay too much attention to those lessons, as I was trying to focus on my sword training, or bow training. What is there different about being bonded to a Green rather than say, a Yellow? All Aes Sedai are sword to protect, and to work for the better good of all people, though each has a slightly different... calling in how to do that. The Green... they are the Battle Ajah, right?" He furrowed his eyes as he thought, trying to remember, and then he continued with his last question, "You mentioned having a warder before, and I do not need to know the specifics about them, but what kind of things do a Warder need to know to be the.. best warder possible?"

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They stayed in her room, talking about many things, and by the time they left, it was past noon. The whole town was bizzing with energy. People were excited about the prisoner, and giddy with laughter. Rekinu and Taia went for a small walk, and almost everywhere people thanked them, and showered them with praise. These people now had hope, which was now fanned. Before, they were opressed, even if they didn't know it, and they were excited to not have to worry about the farmers all moving away. In fact, one old woman caused them to stop, to kiss Rekinu on the cheek. He blushed as she explained that her nephew's family was one of the ones that had left their farm to hide in the city. He had left that morning to return to his farm and pick up where he had left off. They mayor had decreed that the town was going to assist each farmer that returned to their farm with a months worth of food, and four days help from the men in the village so that they would lose as little of the years harvest as possible. Rekinu was glad that things were looking up for the people of this sleepy little town.

They returned to the Inn that night, to be witnesses in the trial/execution of the bandit leader, and the place was packed to the rafters with people there to experience the whole thing. They made their way to the Mayor, with Rekinu leading to push their way though, though most made room without being asked. People were clapping him on the back, and thanking Taia again. They arrived to a couple of tables left, one for the prisioner to stand on, looking sullen, and one for the mayor to stand on. He held his hands up, trying to calm the people down.

"Please, please!" He shouted, "Quiet down!" He waited for them to be mostly quiet before he began.

Rekinu Alasayaar,

not looking forward to the trial

I will await doing an RP with you next week then!

He saw his trainee show up, and stand in the middle of the field. He watched him in silence, and saw him begin to fire some arrows at the marks. He was definately improving, though Shooting bows was not his thing... he would do well to take lessons from his friend Torvus.

When he walked up, Tris twirled toward him, and raised his fist in a salute, saying, "The Light favour your blade brother!"

"And may your sword find peace!" Rekinu responded in his Borderland fashion. This young man before him was all decked out with everything that he might possibly need... and then some. He smiled, remembering his first days in the training program.

"The first thing that we need to do is to remove some of the stuff you have on." He waited for a few moments, basking in the air, while Tris followed his direction. "Ok. You have used some of the sword forms, and now we are going to go through them again, slowly. Remember how slow you were when they first taught them to you? Right, like that."

After they had gone through them together for thirty minutes, Rekinu had them go faster, and faster. Being able to be unheard was part of being trained, and that was dependant on your ability to be repetitive. When you are sneaking around, you have to repeat the same type of movement over and over again.

Once they had done that, the took a small break while they drank some water, and Rekinu shared some bread that he had brought along. "Tris, what made you want to become a Tower Guard, and perhaps pledge yourself to an Aes Sedai?"

After a small conversation, they got back to work.

Curious,

Rekinu Alasayaar

Well, Rekinu is only WS 7 ATM (though in three threads ATM, so once they meet the reqs, that will go up) so yours will be better than mine... lol! I would love to have him RPing with you, but we gotta hear from leadership before we can do anything...have you PMed any of them? Devon and Visar are the leadership that I am aware of (unless I missed something somewhere-but I probably missed something!

Hmm... Leadership seems to be out on mini leaves at the moment, can you link the bio here, so that they have easy access to the link (might facilitate getting things done) what WS does he have?

Rekinu would be glad to join in with him, and help out in any way I can!

Rekinu slept fairly well, he only woke up a couple of times, but it was just Kayla coming in to check on him. That woman made him uneasy. She would stand there for minutes just looking, and then she would run her hands along his chest. He supposed that she was checking on his wounds, but she did it in such a way that he was sure that that was not the only thing on her mind. One time, after checking on him, she sat in a chair and Rekinu couldn't figure out what she was up to until he heard the rustle of pages at frequent intervals. He slept uneasily after that, nightmares of Kayla running after him no matter how far he ran to get away from her.

He woke from the middle of one of those dreams to hear the familiar words of Taia, as she spoke to Kayla with her best I-am-an-Aes-Sedai,-and-you-will-obey voice. There was a pause, and Rekinu could feel the room getting colder. It appeared that Kayla was not leaving. He felt uncomfortable, so he kept his eyes shut. However, Kayla's response had him madder than a hive of bees disturbed by being kicked by a passing foolish boy. "I'm sure you can see Aes Sedai that he is in no state to be talking to you right now. I am here to make sure he doesn't have more nightmares and if he does to sooth them." Her tone turned soft on the last words, and Rekinu's skin crawled. She would NOT talk to his Taia like that so he steeled himself to stand up- only to have Taia push air on him. She was quite firm, she would fight her battles, and well, the exertion of getting up while angry DID take out all his energy, so he wisely stayed put.

He watched the fireworks from his bed, as the scene played out in front of him and was shocked at the torrent of words that Taia spat at Kayla. She was like a mother bear, being very protective of a cub, "He is mine! I will not allow him to share your bed or you to share his. If he needs anything in the night I will give it too him." After a dangerous pause, she finished very slowly and deliberately, "Get out of here." After a much shorter pause she said in a much calmer voice, "You can see him only when I am here from now on. If you see him while I am not I will make you regret it. Get out."

After Kayla left, Taia released her hold on him, and he sat up. She turned to him, and stood there studying him for a few minutes. Rekinu though to himself, 'Did she just? I thought she would not want anything to do with me after my poor performance yesterday, Light!' His head was still spinning when Taia spoke again and said "I shouldn't have let her insult go this morning." She stared at him for a couple of minutes, as his thoughts running round and round, trying to understand them, and what she did next surprised him even more. She glided over to him, grabbed his face in her and and started to kiss him. He had kissed her before, to hold up the image they were conveying to a town many years ago, but that was nothing compared to this new kiss. It was filled with passion, and protection, perhaps even love. After only a moment, Rekinu put his arms around her as well, and pulled her to sit down on the bed next to him, and wrapped her in his arms. It felt, right. He only relinquished his hold on her after she pushed on his chest, and even then it was with much reluctance.

She stood there, looking past him, at the wall, but he had a feeling that she was looking at something that was far beyond that, perhaps even beyond time itself to another situation she had been in, or perhaps she was imagining the future. As for him, his mind was made up. If she needed him that much, that she was willing to kick the healer out, then he was sticking around. Even if she went back to her joking self about not needing anyone, he would not let that pusuade him again. He needed her too. He had precious few friends, and all of those were either in the Tower Guard, or long lost in the hive of activity in Shol Arbela. After several moments, she spoke again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. It was a reaction to the fight which was also silly. She had been disrespectful and to an Aes Sedai if you don't have respect then you have nothing." Sadly she backed away from him and picked up the chair that had fallen, and then nodded to the tray on the table. "I brought you dinner." She smiled when his stomach growled loudly, and continued, "I think you've been sleeping throughout the day. It will do you good to eat." She pushed the tray closer to him, and after he started to eat, he offered her some, and she shared his meal. She waited until they were mostly done, before continuing, "I learned a little today, there are no shadowspawn around here, which is good. I think you got your fill of that over the last weeks. I think we will find the bandits however, I think you need a few days still to heal up. Kayla will do her job." She paused there, and looked up at the cieling. She seemed to be weighing her thoughts very carefully, and apparently reached a decision. Her face tightened slightly, and she spoke, almost in a rushed manner. "Reki there is something you should know." She turned to him again, and continued; "I would like to bond you when you are ready. I am a little possessive of the people who I care for. I wouldn't be able to handle you sleeping with Kayla if you agreed to be my bonded." She pushed on again, "I lose my temper sometimes over silly things, I have a reputation as a flirt and I am quite a flirt when I need to be. I can easily morph into whatever the situation requires cold and heartless, or sweet and innocent. You know that I cannot heal, which is why you are being seen to by that woman." Her voice turned hard again at the end of that sentence, and then she sighed. "You don't have to answer me now. This is probably more then you wanted to hear right now. We have work to do, did you learn anything today?"

He kept silent for a minute, trying to figure out what she was thinking, This outburst of emotion, although very much appreciated, and enjoyed... was uncharacteristic of the Taia that he had always been shown. He was fine with it, but he wondered how she felt at throwing things out like that. Finally he spoke, however he answered the easier question first.

"I was able to talk to Kayla, before she went all weird... anyway, she told me that it is rumored that a man called Borch is the leader of the group. I found that they use scare tactics to force farmers to pay them for protection, burning their farms if they do not, or cannot pay the fees. The village sent for help from their capital, but there has been no word yet, and I would assume that they do not expect much being so far from there anyways. I would not feel right leaving these people to continue to be bullied by these thugs, so I agree that we need to stay and take care of them. Give me a week, and I should be healed sufficiently to go with you searching. But I want you to promise me to not go with out me outside of the village." He held up his hand cutting off her protest. "If I am to pretend to be your warder, then I will do it right. That includes keeping you close. I do not want a repeat of the last time." He looked down and said even quieter, almost a whisper, "The next time you are hurt, I had better be seriously wounded or worse."

Looking back up to her eyes, he took a breath, held it, and then released it slowly. "As to your other question. There is something that you should know as well. You are the closest thing I have to a friend. In the Guard you are encouraged to be companions, but we are taught that our companions might be pulled to be a Warder, or might perish in battle at any moment, and lasting bonds are not encouraged. The friends I had I left in Shol Arbela long ago, and that is fine. I am also very protective of those I like... so I guess we would make a good pair." He grinned before continuing, "about Kayla, she kind of creeps me out..."

Taia laughed heartily at that, and Rekinu was glad. She needed true laughter, and well, he was more than happy to oblige!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It had been a week. And what a week it had been. After spending the first couple of days sleeping, Rekinu had been ready to leave the room, and Kayla and Taia actually agreed that he needed to stay in bed. You can only sleep so much, and then your mind wanders. It is not good for it to wander, thoughts like that can get you into trouble...

So he had taken to practicing in his room when Taia wasn't there. The first time Taia had caught him, she had actually spanked him, and then she had taken most of his weapons away... she muttered something about men not taking care of themselves, but he just went through the forms without anything. Doing sit-ups was out of the question with his rib, but he was able to do push ups, and walk around his room. Two days ago, they finally let him leave his room, and walk around the village, and Taia accompanied him. Most of the men would not look at him, but they seemed to have their eyes on Taia. That was fine with Rekinu... she probably had flirted with several of them to get the information that they needed. He ignored them, but his chest constricted painfully as his body tried to prepare itself to defend her if any of them made any comments. One time a man was being more that open about how he thought of Taia, but she seemed to read his mind, and she took his arm, and gently led him a different direction. This time had been a very enjoyable time for Rekinu, and he hoped that Taia enjoyed it as well. They spent a lot of time talking about things, and Rekinu found himself telling her of his youth in Shol Arbela, of fending for himself after his mother died when he was 10, and the history of the prized sword that he carried, marked in shame. She was still a little reluctant to talk about her life, but Rekinu knew she just needed more time.

However, when Rekinu got up this morning, things were different. The air... felt different. Without thinking he packed his bags and prepared to go at a moments notice, and that was when Taia burst into the room. Without saying anything he knew that the time to leave had come. She didn't say anything, but her face was hard, and he collected both of their things. She would tell him when he was ready.

Once the horses were saddled, and they were an hour from the town, she told him what had happened. Another farm had been razed, and a young girl was the only survivor. She showed up in the village, her body clearly showing the signs of beatings and worse. They were headed to her farm to verify that her family was beyond help, and track down the bandits. The village mayor had asked Taia to check it out, and he would send a party of men to salvage what could be from the farm, and bury the dead.

Rekinu's face hardened at hearing of the abuse, and he agreed, avenging this abuse was the thing they would do first. Destroying this band was first... they had no idea of the opportunities that they would have to meet their creator, or the Dark One himself for their actions.

They were of the same mind, and purpose.

Determined.

Rekinu Alasayaar

(OOC: I dont think Rekinu has THAT many scars... *g* J/k)

IC:

"I want to learn everything."

Rekinu laughed heartily at that one... What a statement! Wiping his eyes, he chuckled and responded "Well, then you shall be learning for a long time!" Becoming more somber, covering the emotion everywhere but his eyes, he continued. "In truth, when you learn how to use the blade, you never stop learning. If you stop learning new things, it is because you are not challenged, and the next fight you will be beat." Picking up a training sword on the rack he was standing next to, he tossed it lightly to the young man in front of him. Upon quicker inspection, he threw another.

"Like to fight with two swords, huh? Alright, I shall work with you on your movements, speed, and overall actions. In return, you will fetch me breakfast after we are done... " staying serious only long enough to see the mans face harden, then he laughed even louder than he had before. "just kidding, just kidding!"

"Have you ever seen, or heard of the Game of Stones? It is all about moving your piece in opposition, yet in union with your opponent. Strike at me slowly, like you would if I were an enemy, and I will show you what I mean." Hesitating, the young man obeyed, faster than Rekinu desired for the action, and he threw up his sword to block instead of the maneuvering that he was expecting.to do. "Not like that! Slowly, like this." He mimicked striking at the youth, stopping before his blade could touch him. He stepped back, and motioned for him to try again, while saying, "Now you should tell me your name, as it is only proper for training buddies to know who each other are.

(OOC: have them do a couple of turns, Rekinu is going to correct your guys foot stance, and the way he holds his blade, and then will do some light sparring with him on my post.)

The day was cloudy, but that would not stop the Tower Guards from doing their training, and Rekinu was no exception. Actually, he felt slightly cold because Arafel is much farther north, and much hotter there. The training was doing him good, and he was working through his routine, keeping his actions slow and deliberate. He had decided to leave his shirt behind, it would get very warm while he was practicing and he would shower anyways afterwards... one less thing for him to wash.

As he went through his movements, using the practice sword from the rack, his movements became more fluid and his years of practice started to show through as he sped up.

about noon, he noticed that there was someone there observing him. He looked young, but his eyes spoke of experience, trials, and intelligence. Rekinu slowed, and stopped, his chest rising and falling with ease from the exertion.

Stepping over lightly, he extended his hand to the youth. "Good afternoon. May I help you with something?"

Eager to train

Rekinu Alasayaar

(OOC: This is BEFORE the Trolloc hunting thread BTW)

Rekinu was up early. Today was a sunny day, great for training. He had been at the tower for several year, and today was the year anniversary of his Raising to a Tower Guard. What better way to celebrate but to run through some exercises, and teach a couple of trainees how to be stealthy in moving around. It is one of the things that Warders need to excel in.

He had signed up for the class just yesterday when the regular Tower Guard came down with a fever, and was waiting for them to arrive.

This would be a fun experience!

She had that odd look in her eyes again when she looked at him as she blinked the woozyness out of her eyes. He could not for the life of him figure out what the look was to mean, but she sure had it plenty of times.

Touching his face, she said, "Be still I will try and heal your bruises." After a couple of minutes, she schooled her face into the Aes Sedai calm, and Rekinu could feel her looking through his body using the One Power to see his injuries. He vaguely remembered her telling him that she could not heal very well, but any help would be appreciated. He had more mobility, but through his training, he had learned how to understand his body's needs and how it acted. He knew that he was going to require either more specific help, or at least some rest to get healed enough to be of use to Taia. After a few moments she murmured, "Help me up we need to get out of here. I know there is a town close by." He guessed that perhaps she had been this way before, and nodded in agreement. Getting to his feet first, he offered his uninjured hand, pulling her to his. He supported her as she swayed with the effort, while he cursed at himself for allowing her to use the One Power when she was clearly not ready to be doing so. But what was done was done, and they had to push on. He left her calming her horse while he returned for his own, and did a quick search for the bandits horses. Finding none, he returned to Taia's camp and saddled her horse for her, grimacing when he used his sword hand(right), but had it done in almost record time.

Once they started, Rekinu regretted having a horse at all. Walking was not as jarring as riding a horse, and the left side of his chest screamed in pain. After less than an hour he was drenched in sweat forcing himself to go on, but on they had to go. After much deliberation, he took off his beloved chest strap that contained his swords, and tied them to the saddle awkwardly, ensuring that they were still well within reach should anything require their use. It alleviated some of the jarring, but after noon-time it made no difference. Taia was uncharacteristically very quiet, and Rekinu was very busy worrying about where they were going. By mid afternoon, he was already physically and emotionally exhausted. It was all he could do to keep quiet with every step, and his breathing was coming in raggedly. However, it was only when they got to the village, and the villagers seemed sympathetic to their plight that Rekinu allowed himself to stop focusing on every sound. Taia led them to the small inn in the village, and Rekinu sat on his horse for a minute longer, not comprehending that they had actually arrived until Taia told him to dismount. He did so, favoring his hand which by now was swollen, and made his way to help Taia dismount - not that he was much help at it in his condition.

When the inn keeper showed them the room where Rekinu was going to sleep, he promised that the healer would be there shortly, and Rekinu fell more than sat on, the bed. He closed his eyes in relief, and was drifting off into a haze of pain when the healer bustled in. After taking only a small look at him, she turned to Taia and she spoke, almost accusingly, "Your warder is in bad shape Aes Sedai. Although I have seen worse. He will need to have his finger reset, I can do it but it will be painful for him" As he heard the words, he tried to think of the sentence to reply. He would never assume that Taia would want him as a warder, much less need him as one... he couldn't even fight three bloody men without getting bloody hurt, but before he could formulate the reply and communicate that reply to his mouth, Taia responded first. "You must do what you think best, he needs to be healed and I am in no shape to do it." He groaned inwardly, were they not even going to let him rest first? Before he could ask that it wait until he rested some, the healer grabbed his finger without warning, and gave it a sharp jerk. Unable to stop it, pain flashed over his features. It wasn't much, but on top of the day that he had endured, well, it was too much to keep his features schooled like a Warder should. Afterwards, the healer added insult to injury by moving the finger in all the rotations that it should have to ensure that it was done properly, but Rekinu was not very appreciative. Once that was done, she applied some ointment saying something about the swelling, and then she took off Rekinu's shirt very gingerly. She applied some pultaces, for pain, and then wrapped him. Each touch on the affected area was like a firebrand being pressed into his flesh, and the pressure from the wrapping didn't help either. By the time he was about to shout at her to just leave him be, she stopped, turned to Taia and said "I will come back tomorrow to see how you both are doing." Rekinu frowned... that sentence was missing something, but he couldn't focus anymore. After only a moment he just lay there trying to figure out why he had been mad.

He was foggy, but sleep eluded him for a time until Taia approached his bed and told him "Sleep now and when you wake we will talk more. There is some to discuss." She turned then and left the room, and before the door closed, he was out. Never had a bed felt so good, but neither had his nightmares been like that before either. They were so vivid! Taia was in each and every one of them, being strangled or attacked and he always found himself too far away to keep her from harm. One time he awoke with a jolt of pain when he rolled out of bed trying to avoid an attack. It took him hours to get up. His body was extremely stiff, and the bandages on his chest restricted his movement, but once he got there, he was able to sleep without the nightmares, to his great relief.

He awoke, probably mid-morning, and he lay there, breathing. he kept his eyes closed, running through a wake-up exercise that his mentors had taught him in the Tower Guard. He used his senses to see what was going on. There was someone in the room with him, and there was bustling below them... probably a kitchen maid as he heard scraping from a pot or a bowl of some sort. Just as his exercise was completed, he heard steps approaching the room, and Rekinu kept his face schooled as if he was asleep. He did not hurt as much, well, except for his chest, but it was a large improvement. The door opened, and from the walk, Rekinu guessed that Taia was in the room, and the healer was the one that just entered. She approached him without saying a word, and lifted some of his bandages inspecting their condition. She applied some salve to his bruises, and felt the one above his ribs. That one smarted, and almost forced him to sit up in response, but he kept himself down, leaving the outlying muscles relaxed to not give away that he was awake. After Kayla left he Rekinu opened his eyes. Taia eyes had a smile in them again, for which he was grateful. But then, she seemed to shove whatever she had been thinking out of her head, and she looked to the door concentrating.

"I wanted to talk to you about what to do next. I am not ready to return to the Tower yet. If you hadn't noticed we aren't headed that way anyway. We need to decide what to do next. I know there are more Shadowspawn around, also I don't know if those bandits you killed were the last of them or if there were more. When you are feeling better we should make sure there aren't more. I would feel like I wasn't a servent of all if I let the rest of them roam around and waylay travelers and maybe kill others." As she spoke, he noticed the bruises on her neck, and he vowed to himself that the next fool to touch her would not get off so easily with just a knife to their ribs. She must have noticed what he was thinking as she pulled her hair over her shoulders, leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. "What do you think? Take a few days rest here and then move on?" The old twinkle was back again, as she smiled then mischievously and continued, "I think Kayla the healer will be sad to see you go sooner then that. You should see if she will let you spend the night with her sometime." She laughed before becoming serious again, "Come tell me what you think."

He wondered about her statement about the healer, but pushed it aside... she was like that with her funny questions and statements about spending the night with people he wasn't interested in. He might never understand that nature of her. However, he thought about the actual question that he had been asked. Responding slowly, he said "Well, I was unable to find horses from the ruffians that we... fought yesterday, so their camp should be less than a couple hours walk from where they ambushed you. I agree, ridding the area of filth that would go after an unarmed woman is terrible character, and something that the villagers would be grateful for irregardless. Have you told anyone what had happened to you?"

Taia seemed to think for a moment before responding, "No, I have not talked to anyone." She seemed thoughtful, and Rekinu continued with his idea. "I can talk with the healer, what is her name?" Kayla, he repeated to himself inwardly. I will talk with her about what had happened, and do not worry, I will keep up the front you put into place yesterday." He frowned, "What was the name that you used? I need to make sure to use it again instead of your real name to avoid trouble." Nodding to himself he continued, "So I will be your Warder for the villagers." That shouldn't be very hard, he was promised to protect Aes Sedai, and he always protected his friends, so in truth, he already was her warder in terms of his actions. Smiling wryly he spoke, "Do you think Kayla will let me out of bed?"

Taia laughed at that, and excused herself from the room to go look in the village for clues.

Once she was gone, it was only minutes before Kayla bustled back in. "How are you doing this morning..." "Rekinu, my name is Rekinu. Thank you so much for looking over my wounds. We were ambushed by a couple of vagabonds, and I let one get a little too close" He winced as he shifted in bed, and Kayla set down a food try on the table near the bed. He could smell the cheese and eggs, their smell intertwined together, and his stomach immediately growled loudly reminding him that he had not eaten since before starting to search for Taia a night ago. Kayla smiled at him and told him "You are more than welcome to eat, once I have looked at you." She took off the bandages, having Rekinu stand up so that she could look him all over without the bed hiding his back. She said nothing, but she was looking at the bite marks on his shoulder from the brutish man, and the odd shaped bruise on his back from when he had tried to crush him. Moving to keep the conversation going, and perhaps learn something, he spoke again. "I tried to wrestle with one, and as you can see, that didn't work out too good." She laughed at that, and then spoke "We have had a group form up, Borch is the leader, or so we have been told. They have left us alone, but they force some money out of the farmers that are too far away to expect some help. So far there has been little violence, but a few farms have been burned more recently. Others have been abandonded as well, when the farmers running them could not afford the protection money." She shrugged. "We petitioned for help, and the capitol has been silent about our plight. The Light willing, their messenger will arrive any day now with respect to what is to be done." She snapped her mouth shut, and hurriedly finished her work, leaving quickly. Mulling about it, Rekinu walked absently around the room until the smell assauted his nose again, and he ate ravenously. He ate every drop, even picking the crumbs off of the plain wooden plate, before sitting at the table. He was content. He had some information to tell Taia, and to top that off, he was no longer hungry.

He expected Taia to return again soon, but the drink that Kayla gave him for pain, sunk in and made him sleepy. By the time that he had decided to return to the bed, he was so exhausted, that he was asleep before he hit the bed. 'When Taia returns... she should *yawn* wake me...'

sleepy

Rekinu Alasayaar

OMMMNOMMMNOMMM!!! *g*

Taia had been acting oddly lately. The trip had been hard, yet successful, and Rekinu had enjoyed the opportunity to get to know some of the Tower Guard better as well as some of the Aes Sedai. He had not been able to do much with them before, and found it most invigorating and interesting. He now knew that his time with Taia was very different than how the other Aes Sedai in their group acted around the men.

She was fun, yet there were times that Rekinu was very worried about her. She would be fine with talking with him for a couple of days and then cool off.

The expedition had gone well, but just when Rekinu was getting the nerve up to be more friendly with Taia, as she had earned his complete confidence and support with the way that she had handled herself. Of course she was an Aes Sedai, so he couldn't expect anything different.

When she announced out of no where that she was returning to the Tower, he was halfway out of his seat to offer to escort her before her words had sunk in. She wanted to go alone. With out him, or anyone else. He was at first furious, but he reminded himself that she was in charge of herself, and perhaps she had received a message about some Tower business. He watched he leave towards TV, and then he returned to his rooms in a foul mood. He was sharing it with Torvus, though Torvus would probably be drinking till much later. At about midnight, by the time that Torvus had returned, he had made up his mind. Irregardless of how Taia felt about him, he knew it was his duty to protect her. He had made an oath, and she had sworn for him. The least he could do would to ensure that she was safe. In mere minutes, his stuff was packed, and the leader of the Guards was informed of his decision. With their main mission completed, there were no complications, and Rekinu was off on his horse after her. He knew that she rode her horses hard, and she had more than a day and a half of time ahead of him.

He rode hard all day. He would not stop to rest or eat until he found her and ensured that she was safe. The night was dark, and very cloudy, and towards the end of that night, he heard more than saw voices on the trail ahead of him. He instinctively slowed, sliding off his horse before tying it up. In areas as far between towns as this was, ruffians were more than likely.

Before he had even gotten close, his internal warning signs were going off like a barking dog warning of intruders.

Just as he was crouching through the trees, the overcast sky cleared for a minute to reveal Taia, being held in the air by the throat. He had heard of moments like this from some of the warriors, Tower Guards and Warders that had taught them back in the training grounds. With out thinking, Rekinu achieved the void and lunged at them. His fathers sword was drawn from over his head and he moved into Arc of the Moon attacking the first enemy that he reached. He fell with barely a cry as Rekinu's sword cut him from shoulder to mid waist. That was enough to inform the others that there was trouble behind them. The smaller of the two whirled quickly, and only the automatic Leopard in the tree saved him, and allowed him to block the mace that was swinging at his head.

"Attacking defenseless women?" Snarled Rekinu at his opponents. The last person had dropped Taia, and was grinning evilly. He was a large man, and Rekinu flinched inside the void as Taia's body hit the ground.

The two men circled different directions as the little one responded "Cuor was stupid. Me and Weol are plenty good enough to deal with you... and then we can take care of your lady friend, no?" Rekinu flinched involuntarily, praying to the creator that Taia would be alright. As they laughed at him, Rekinu pulled the void around him tighter, and put his focus at the problems at hand.

Weol lunged, and Rekinu spun out of the way, his sword ringing from the blow. He would have to be more careful of that one. Just at the time that he got turned back from it, the other was already halfway to him. Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose sprang automatically from his hands, dealing a killing blow. Shoving him to the side, the man grabbed the hilt of his sword in his agony. He only hesitated for a moment. He could get his fathers sword afterwards.

Just as he reacted to the situation, Weol slammed into him, knocking him to the ground in a bear hug attack. The man had strength! Rekinu's head swam as the man clamped his arms around his chest and squeezed. As he struggled, he knew that he needed to get to his knife. Weol grinned at him, sensing Rekinu's helplessness, and Rekinu reminded himself of Taia, lying there, possibly hurt badly. He had to make sure that she was ok. Thinking quickly, his mind was made up. First, he used his knee to hit Weol in the groin bringing Weol's head close enough to headbutt him. The pain was intense, but he gritted his teeth and used Weol's momentary... distraction to pull his knife. Seconds later, the fight was over.

It felt like hours before he was able to pry Weol's dead fingers apart to allow him to pull himself out from underneath him. Once free, he took only a moment to assess himself. One finger seemed broken/dislocated, his chest was very painful, and his head throbbed. His first priority surfaced, and he painfully crawled over to where Taia lay. As he moved he was able to ignore the pain, and finally leveraged himself to look at her. She was out cold. "At least she didn't have to see that" he mused to himself. Glancing about, he saw her water skin near her packs, where she must have been sleeping before the band had found her. He stood up, and made his way over to it and back.

Flopping to the ground, he gently used his sleeve to wipe off her forehead, but only managed to smear a little dirt on it, before switching sleeves using a little water to clean it up better. After a minute, her green eyes fluttered opened, and she muttered more than anything, "Reki, you're here." After a minute or two, she blinked and then asked, "why are you here?" he waited while she blinked away the cobwebs clouding her mind before she asked a final time, "What happened?"

"I had to know that you were ok, and the only way to do that was to come myself. By coming personally, I felt that I might be able to help..." He smiled wryly before finishing, "I am very glad that I did."

Relieved

Rekinu Alasayaar,

edited for spelling

I have done it dearest Elgee!

ok! I got two trainees that want to train, both are under WS 3, and Rekinu is WS 7 right now. We will be doing a weapons training for one, and stealth training in the city with the other... Amegakure (or something, sorry if I spelled it wrong) I have been talking with him about it in a PM... can add you if you would like. Unless I see a negative on either thread, then I will try to start them Saturday evening, so that they can get going. Thanks for the info!

Ok. I have asked if we can do a training thread, just waiting on a Warder leader to chime in to let me know if I can train you. (I think i can cause my WS is bigger than yours, but not sure, so we will wait for confirmation... then we can get down to business.)

Rekinu is WS 7, can I teach classes to a couple of the new guys?

Hey, its for your char to progress, so you get to pick! :)

We could, but that is not Rekinu's specialty... well, the subterfuge part anyways... lol

Did you not pick your weapons on your introduction thread upon arrival to the Tower as a new Trainee?

As far as weapon style goes, I think you just will develop your style through your threads...

goHERE for the official note on how things are to work...

Edited for weapon style..

Thats the spirit! *hands a sword over* lets get to practicing!

If you do not care for any of the threads that you already created, we could create our own... as Rekinu is a TG, he can give you a training session if you would like... or one of the following:

Conflicts - You will encounter two other members of the White Tower or the Warders Divsion. A conflict will arise and you will be challenged to resolve the conflict. The conflict may be between the two other PC characters or between yourself and 1 other PC with the third PC being the moderator. 7 posts minimum

Challenge - In this RP you will encounter one other PC member of either the White Tower or the Warders Division. In this RP you will show how your character over comes challeneges. What the challenge is is up to your character, it can range anywhere from someone challenging your knowledge of the game of stones to something more mundane as a challenge to drink competition. In the RP you must show your characters willingness to overcome the challenge. 5 posts minimum

Responsibility - You will encounter 2 other PCs. In this RP you will be tasked with some respnosiblity that you must carry through till the end. Remember you are not allowed outside of Tar Valon with out a Tower Guard, you MAY leae the city for this task but you MUST take a Tower Guard with you. 10 posts minimum

Survival - This is not to be taken as the survival elective. This is not city survival or wilderness survival but survival in battle. This will be a test of your skills as a warrior. In this RP you will encounter one other PC division member who maintains a higher weapon score than you do. You will test your skills against the person. You will show that no matter what happens you have the perseverance to survive and live on to protect the tower or your Aes Sedai another day. Whether you choose to flee or fight is up to you.

Electives - (only four can be used in combination with the above) Select from the list below...

Available Electives:

Weapon Selection and Care

Basic Fitness

Basic Movements

Wilderness Survival

City Survival

Basic Forms

Intermediate Forms

Horse Riding

A Prank (rp must be approved)

A Chore (rp must be approved)

Shadowpawn Class (by request only)

Secondary weapons training

Tertiary weapons training

An Accident

Growth

In Trouble

Shattering Myths

Susceptible

Stealth and Subterfuge

Mountain Climbing

Interpretative Dance

As long as it isn't Taia, you should be flattered...