Llewelyn followed the man who presented himself as Elyan Keladirn down the hall and into one of the numerous room that had the exact same furnitures as any other room. Llewelyn moved toward what would be his bed and stretched his arms to lay his knapsack on the bunk ontop of Elyan's.

"Edana... Byron..." Llewelyn whispered to try to remember those names. So men and women share the same room alike... There was probably a scheduled time for Edana to change her clothes and things like that, and another time for the other men... Or so he thought...

Llewelyn embraced the room from one look. This would be his new shelter. He hoped he would get along with the others.

His look fell on Elyan now sitting on a trunk.

Llewelyn had seen his reflections numerous times on the tranquil surface of the waterpond near his village, and also once in a mirror, when he visited the fortress of Marado. Now looking closer, it appeared to him that Elyan shared a striking resemblance to his reflection. They had almost the same hair and eye colour, and though his eyes were not tilted in the saldaean way, they were definitely more almond shaped than most people's. If the two of them were to walk alongside, they could almost pass off for brothers. The thought was somehow comforting, like he had found something familiar in a place completely foreign to him.

He gestured toward the trunk on which Elyan was sitting."Which one of those should I use ?" As Elyan wavered to another one, Llewelyn began unpacking, when his stomach emitted a loud grumbling. He blushed, he remembered he had not eaten since morning. In a muttered voice, he said : "I don't know where the kitchens are..."

Welcome back and congrats ! I guess Addi's keg will come in handy once more..

In case you're wondering : I'm a new face around here, I'll be sticking in these parts. Glad to meet you.

Nothing can equal a good bowl of cider ! (alonside some crêpes... *tummy growling*)

*Raises hers in the name of the Grand Master*

((OOC : in my mind, it is still early in the afternoon, but whatever... Let's say it is indeed the evening !))

IC :

Llewlyn considered with his tilted green eyes the muscular young man that had appeared from nowhere. By his attire, he was obviously returning from training, and probably a Trainee like him.

"Good Evening... Sir" Llewelyn wasn't sure if he had to call Sir someone who was only a few years older than him, but being polite never hurt anyone, and the boy wanted to be careful around his new colleagues not to stir up any unwanted amenities right from the start. Still he was cautious not to sound obsequious either.

"As a matter of fact, I enrolled today as a Trainee. My name is Llewelyn Naese, I am currently searching for a place to sleep. Would you mind showing me the way to some vacant bed of your knowledge ?"

The woman who had taken him away from the merchant was a bliss from the Light. Llewelyn couldn't help but let out a loud sigh of relief when they stopped. It seemed to him he hadn't been breathing any air in during the whole incident, and was still amazed to discover that he hadn't succumbed to apnea, before he could notice that she was actually asking something to him.

"St... Stealing !? he spluttered, never under the Light, Ma'am ! I was only trying to bargain... a little." Maybe the price he had asked for was indeed much too low... He made a mental note to learn more about the trading prices in Tar Valon in the near future.

Then, the actual content of what she had told the merchant dawned on him. She had said she was acquainted with Warders, Tower Guards and Aes Sedai all in one sentence. Her warm smile encouraged him to be a little bold.

"Are you from the White Tower, Ma'am ?"  As she nodded, Llewelyn wondered how graded you needed to be to actually get to know a lot of Aes Sedai.

"I.. am too, he said hesitantly, I enrolled today as a Trainee, my name is Llewelyn Naese. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." And as the words flowed down from his lips, he immediately wished he could take them back. He was pretty sure that being the cause of such a scandal on his first day wouldn't be too good on his Trainee's record. Llewlyn became as white as a sheet, and he began chewing on his lower lip.

"I'm sorry I caused you such troubles." He said apologetically and he slightly bowed. "If I can repay you in any way..."

Llewelyn decided he would spend the rest of his day by wandering into town, getting to know the great city of Tar Valon. Also, after the long journey from Saldaea, given he would be fed by the White Tower (at least, the stern looking Dragar Baras had said so), Llewelyn still needed to replenish some of his stocks.

He quickly found some stores, but the prices seemed exceedingly high to his peasant senses of trade. Still, he was of dire need for some of these materials : oil for his lamp, thread for his needle, new soles for his holey shoes... He clumsily tried to bargain for reducing the prices, but soon got told off by the merchant he was dealing with.

"You thief ! Don't try to steal my goods right under my nose ! I tell you the prices, either you pay or you leave !" He shouted, making a scene and drawing a lot of passerbies' attention. Llewelyn was blushing furiously, he didn't expect his poor try at bargaining would lead to such a scandal. As Llewelyn, confused, didn't move an inch, the merchant went on calling him names.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't meant to..." was all the boy could say in his defense before the merchant interrupted him to keep on yelling about the young'uns these days that had no manners. Llewelyn didn't want to leave under the curses of the man, it would seem like he ran away, yet he didn't know what could be done to stop the savage flow of disparagement.

*Looks of awe all over*

Congrats !

One question, and two options as an answer.

That's quite generous from all of you, thank you all !

Then, I guess I'll let Sandre take his time to be promoted and accept JainFarstrider's proposition. Llewelyn will pop up in your room pretty soon. I'd say, right about now :

http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,39999.12.html

If you'd prefer, I can start a new topic...

I'm currently searching for roomies too... Is there still some place or should I have myself a whole new room ? If yes, I'll join Addi's thread with your permission.

Wow !

Impressive ! First time I get to score that kind of thing...

A thing to remember for sure... ^^

Llewelyn rose from his chair as he was dismissed. But before he crossed the doorstep, he glanced back at the man over his shoulder. Obviously, the man needed a rest from all this paperwork, and it was such a shame to be stuck in this office while it was such a bright day outside.

Llewelyn asked the man his name before stepping out, for future references. He then bid farewell to Dragar Baras from Tear, hoping that their next meeting wouldn't be in this stuffy office.

In the yards, Llewelyn headed to what he believed to be the Trainee's Barracks from Dragar's indications. In the building's corridor, he checked for open or ajar doors. When he found one, he simply knocked before slipping his head in the gap to see if there was anyone to welcome him, then ask whether there was some empty bulk. A lot of rooms were already full, so he kept doing this until he could find someplace where he could fit in.

What the dark skinned man stated about the odds of not becoming Shera's Warder had already downed upon Llewelyn. On his way from Saldaea to Tar Valon, he had thought about the myriad of possiblities that laid ahead once he would join the White Tower, and he had already considered things like Shera, getting thrown out of the Tower while he was obliged to stay, or refusing to bond him, or joining the Red Ajah... etc

For all he knew, she might not even be aware of his feelings for her. Well, he had given countless hints, but she neither turned down nor responded to his advances .

Anyway, he had thought about it. In the worst case scenario that Shera rejected him, he would still be trained by the White Tower, for becoming a soldier had always been how he considered his fate to be, and there would be none other : he might as well be the White Tower's man !

The Aes Sedai played a major role in the way the world revolved : counselling kings and queens, interfering in conflicts, preventing mad channeling men from roaming around... Such predominant figures had to be maintained to ensure peace and keep chaos at bay.

But the Aes Sedai needed people such as Warders to rely on. And Llewelyn wanted to be relied on. He wanted to be of use, to protect and to fight for a cause. If he couldn't devote himself to his country or to his love, then he would devote himself to the White Tower.

Still, Llewelyn did not tell this to the man. When he was asked about his final answer, he glanced over the window to see the other trainees in the yard and pictured himself by their side. The thought comforted him. Somehow, he was convinced that this was where he belonged to.

He turned toward the man back on his seat behind the desk and the piles of paperwork and proudly said : "Sir, whatever the lady's choice, I will not turn away from my own, which is the Warder's path. I will walk on that path until my flame is no more. My name is Llewelyn Naese, I come from Saldaea and I wish to join the White Tower as a trainee."

To his ears, this sounded like an oath, one he intended to keep, for sure. He felt exhilarated, and he was surprised to find himself nearly catching for his breath. Maybe he had gone a little overboard. He nervously jiggled, which made the chair under him produce a long and distinctive creak. Again he sensed the blood rush to his cheeks. All of a sudden, he wanted the man to be over with the registering as soon as possible, and get out of the room which gradually felt stuffier...

It seemed that being polite was the correct attitude to ease the stern man's mood, whose facial features visibly softened. Llewelyn sat when ordered to do so and noticed that the chair was creaking every time he squirmed a little, so he tried to sit straight up without moving an inch.

The man stood up, and walked until he reached the window where he just observed those training outside. There, he asked Llewelyn about his purpose in training at the White Tower.

Just like when he told Perivar, Llewelyn took a deep breath to ensure his voice would stay firm before answering : "I would indeed like to become a Warder, in some... distant future."

He would have liked to stop here, but the man would probably enquire about his reasons for becoming a Warder in his upcoming questions. There's no cutting through that one, is there ? "I know my goal is not so pure as that of many who wish to become Warders. But... There is this girl that I know who joined the Tower as a novice not so long ago. If she ever becomes an Aes Sedai, I want to be there to protect and help her."

Llewelyn's stare on the man's back was fierce, though he felt his cheeks were burning red. This was indeed bold. He expected the stern man to say that this wasn't the state of mind he should have when aiming to be a Warder and that he wasn't fit for training. He expected the man to tell him to go back to Saldaea and stop daydreaming. He anyway expected for the worse to happen now that the cat was out of the bag.

When Llewelyn entered the Mistress of Trainees' office, a man's brisk voice coming from another room motionned him to step forward, which he did. A dark skinned man was sitting behind a desk on which were piled up what seemed to be month of paperwork yet to be filled, Llewelyn could tell from the grumpy air of his host. Better walk on eggs with that one.

"Well state your business.  Are you here to train or do you have other business in the yards?"

The tone was fitting for the face : weary and unpleasant. Yet, Llewelyn tried to be as polite as ever, and concise, for he didn't want to stay too long and witness the man's mood to go from bad to worse. Greetings to you too, Sir. Indeed, I would like to train. A man named Perivar Tarigar sent me to begin here. So, what should I do ?

Would it be weird if I used the Shera character in another bio to apply for a novice in the White Tower ?

Llewelyn listened as the man, Perivar Tarigan, was warning him about the hardships that laid ahead. He was well aware of all that, and in no hurry at all to achieve his goal, but he listened anyway for it was comforting to have someone take him seriously. Llewelyn doubted that even his parents back in Saldaea  believed in his success when they sent him away.

Llewelyn saw the building Perivar was pointing, he bowed a little to show his gratitude and murmured "Thank you very much, Sir." before heading toward the office of the Mistress of Trainees.

He noticed a crowd not far on his left, not a sound emanated from those people who were silently watching two men fighting. One was an Arafellin, with bells tied to his hair and an eye patch, which didn't seem to bother him the least bit when parring with his two scimitars against the other one, wielding a sword and a shield. They were so fast that Llewelyn could only see silver blurs as they were swinging their blades.

Since he had come to the Tower, there were skilled fighters everywhere his eyes could see. He wondered if he could one day equal their level.

As he neared the office, he slowed down to allow him time to mentally prepare himself. He knocked twice on the massive wooded door, then put his hand on the handle, took another deep breath before going in.

OOC : I must admit I'm a little lost as to where is what and I haven't the books anywhere near me to look into and have references. Does anyone know of a White Tower's map ? Or maybe someone can summarize it to me ?

As he watched the people pacing in and out of the Tower's entrance, Llewelyn saw a lone man training with his sword. He seemed he was dancing, rather than practicing. Llewelyn couldn't help but being mesmerized at the grace of that man. Surely he had learned with the Warders, or he may be one himself. Maybe Llewelyn could ask him his way and his help when he would be finished.

As he was thinking that, the man suddenly sheathed his sword and headed in his direction. As the man approached, Llewelyn could better make out his features.  Light he was tall ! And hefty ! Yet he seemed to slide as he walked toward the young man. Wait a minute...

Llewelyn thought his jaw would drop as the man stopped just in front of him and said in a somewhat friendly tone : "The light illumine you, I couldn't help but notice you standing there.  Have you come here to train or do you have other business here?"

Llewelyn blinked. He looked around to see if there was someone nearby but the closest person was speeding toward the town center a good fifteen feet away. So that tall man (an Arafellin ?) was indeed asking Llewelyn who was too impressed to think straight out. He bluttered : "T...Train !"

Had he said that out loud ? That wasn't the proper way to address anybody, his mother would be ashamed if she had seen that. Llewelyn shook his head, and took a deep breath before looking at the man right in the eyes and starting anew. "May the Light be on you too, Sir. My name is Llewelyn Naese. I indeed came here from Saldaea with the purpose of training in the White Tower and I would like to become a Warder someday, if the Light is willing."

He paused to measure his words.

"I am... not very familiar with the ways around here, and I surely wouldn't want to offense anyone, least of all an Aes Sedai. But I must admit I don't know where to go from here to begin training. Since you were so kind as to enquire about me, may I be so bold as to ask you directions ?" Well, this would made his mother proud ! Llewelyn couldn't help but beam at the thought, but he immediately corrected himself, waiting nervously for the stranger's reply.

Thank you all for your warm welcome !  :D

I will wait, I'm in no hurry.

Besides, they say patience is a virtue after all...

And I won't hesitate in asking any stupid or stupider questions.

Following Raeyn' advices, I drop a post to say "Hi" to everyone in the Warder's Division and try to get to know some RPers.

Thing is, I'd like to get some experience as a RPer in the world of the WoT, since I've been asked to master some in Real Life but I've never mastered anything before and even though I have read the books a couple of times, I'm still not too sure about all this.  :-\ That's why I want to be a player myself before, so as not to be too harsh a master. And I'll need your guidance in this.

I'd like to start as a Warder first, because... Well, Warders rocks !  :D

I've already had a bio CC'd and posted an intro thread, I'm now just waiting for a kind soul to have mercy on foolish me...  ;)

OOC : If I did understand it right, I post the intro of my character here after having my bio CC'd to get to begin RP'ing. If I'm wrong in doing this, you can lash at me....  ;)

IC :

Llewelyn departed from his village fully packed with a kiss on the cheek from his mother and a pat on the back from his father. It was the end of winter in Saldaea but the roads were still frozen solid, and outside roads was a fifty cm layer of snow that made it hard to tread through. It took Llewelyn a lot of time and strength and it was already spring when he finally made it to Tar Valon.

He couldn't help but be bewildered by the magnificence of the White Tower. In Marado, the fortress was something to see in itself (even though Llewelyn had never entered inside it), but Light ! Ogiers's skilled craftmanship never ceased to impress him.

At the gates of town, two soldiers barred his way, and asked what his business was. Llewelyn couldn't help but stare at the pointy ends of their spears wondering if a lot of these would be aiming his neck in the near future.

"I came from Saldaea to meet with someone I know in town. I would like to rest in an inn before that."

Well, that was true after all, even though it was only part of the truth. He did come to meet with Shera but he doubted anyone in the White Tower would let him wander in the Novices quarters to search for her. And he wasn't sure what would be the guards'reaction if he told them he intended to become a Warder. He hoped that they wouldn't be more suspicious than that.

The guards eyed him from head to toe. His tilted green eyes confirmed his origin, his clothes were nothing from grand or rich, but they were clean and mended where there had been holes. His backpack started to feel heavy under their gazes and his palms were sweaty, he wanted to wipe them on his pants but he stayed still.

Finally, they let him pass with a "Don't go stirring trouble, we're keeping an eye on you !" And Llewelyn entered Tar Valon.

He immediately decided to skip the inn, he didn't come to sleep in an inn, but in the trainees' barracks. Besides, it was only a little past noon and he wasn't the nap type of guy. Still, he was at a loss what to do. Where does someone who wants to become a Warger go to begin training ? In the White Tower of course. But there ought to be guards at the entrance, what then ? Well, there's nothing wrong in asking them about where to go.

Llewelyn arrived at the entrance of Tower, but he couldn't come with enough courage to engage the conversation with one of the guards. He was determined in coming here when he left his village, but this was all too new to him and the encounter with the soldiers at the town's doors had already left him a little weak in the knees. So he decided to wait a little to calm himself, he sat out of the way and observed the people pacing in and out of the Tower's entrance, secretly hoping that someone might address to him.