A New Arrival

[Myrenna]

Auriane shuffled along the candlelit corridor, her tired feet dragging on the floor. She cast a long shadow and the dimness made her feel even more exhausted. The journey to the White Tower must have taken more than a week. A week of travelling from dawn until dusk with little food in between -- it had seemed that the Aes Sedai Saira and her man had not packed enough food for another ten days' worth of travelling, especially with an extra mouth to feed. Riana's eyes were wide with confusion and shock -- she had never seen a city before, and coming to Tar Valon had frightened her. It was so loud and busy, and there was very little grass around. Her father's pony had been stabled... somewhere, and Saira had left her at the end of this corridor.

 

"Now, Auriane," she had said, "do you see that door over there?" When Auriane had nodded, Saira continued: "I want you to go and knock on that door, and you will be taken care of. Do you understand, child? Auriane?" After Auriane had nodded her head again, Saira stalked away haughtily, chin in the air and a serene expression on her face. She did not walk briskly, but Auriane had gotten the impression that she was wanted rid of, and quickly.

 

Now she stood in front of that dark wooden door, looming ahead of her. It was dark and grainy, and Riana thought it odd that she should find a door threatening, but she certainly did with this one. Its centre was dented by the many hands that had knocked upon it before her, and she wondered what great people of the past had entered here, if they had been as nervous as she. The door had to be older than any object she had seen before -- her mother had said that the White Tower had stood since before the Breaking, since before time began! Its plainness intimidated her: she knew the Aes Sedai had the means and money to make all their smallest details grander than any palace and it seemed as though this place had been left intentionally plain, as though they wanted to frighten people. Taking a gulp, Auriane looked side to side in the corridor, checked her skirts were neat, smoothed her unkempt hair and knocked weakly.

 

When no reply came, she opened the door, peeked her head through, and with eyes wide, asked: "Hello?"

Edited February 6, 2011 by Myrenna

[Amadine]

Valeri glided through the hallways of the White Tower, returning from her meeting with the Amrylin Seat. It had not gone well, the numbers of Novices in the White Tower were decreasing and it did not bode well for the White Tower to be a force to be contended with when Tarmon Gai'din finally arrived. Idly Valeri wondered if it would happen in her own lifetime.

 

As she approached the door to her study she could see a travel worn lass standing with her head poked through the door into her study. "Can I help you child?" she asked and watched as the child jumped in surprise then her face reddened.

 

Valeri Kinaea

Mistress of Traditional Novices

[Myrenna]

Riana leaped away from the door as though it had tried to bite her. She looked around to see if she had embarrassed herself in front of anybody else, and then turned back to the woman before her. She looked very serene, it unsettled Riana. “Yes, ma’am,” she began shakily, “somebody told me to knock on this door and that I’d be dealt with. I’m not sure what that means. She said her name was Saira, and she left me rather quickly, as soon as I was in sight of the door. Do you know if the room’s occupant is coming?”

 

With the woman studying her, Auriane began to get more nervous. She started wringing her hands and biting her lip. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I should be here. Do you know how I could get home? I’m needed there.” The harvest would be in a month, and her father would need all the help he could get, and that wasn’t even counting that she had taken one of his ponies. Actually, maybe the Aes Sedai needed labourers. That would make sense. “Ma’am, did Saira want to sign me up as a servant here? I’m very good at that, I’ve had practise with hard work my whole life. I’m sure I could help you here!” The woman seemed rather surprised by that exclamation, and Auriane supposed she must have said the wrong thing. She was just making a fool of herself here, she should really go home where she was needed.

[Amadine]

“Yes, ma’am,” the child began in a shakey voice, “somebody told me to knock on this door and that I’d be dealt with. I’m not sure what that means. She said her name was Saira, and she left me rather quickly, as soon as I was in sight of the door. Do you know if the room’s occupant is coming?”

 

Valeri studied the child in her dusty dress and before she could reply the lass spoke again, "I’m sorry, I don’t think I should be here. Do you know how I could get home? I’m needed there." she paused then rushed on, "Ma’am, did Saira want to sign me up as a servant here? I’m very good at that, I’ve had practise with hard work my whole life. I’m sure I could help you here!”

 

Valeri smiled at the girl, a servant indeed. Valeri wondered if the lass had been tested, Saira did tend to just drop potential Novices on her doorstep without explaining to them what was going on. "I am Valeri Sedai, child. This is my study."

 

The girl's eyes widened and she began to splutter an apology, "Here now," Valeri said, "None of that, come in now. I shal make some tea and we shall talk."

 

Valeri ushered the girl into her study and bade her to sit in the large chair before her desk. The fresh cream walls were off set by the darkened ornate timber furniture. Moving to the side table Valeri brewed a pot of fresh Saldaean tea and set it upon the desk along with a pair of fine Sea Folk porcelain tea cups. Pouring the tea she settled in her own comfortable wing chair. Valeri lifted her teacup and sipped the dark liquid. Holding the cup in both hands she smiled at the lass seated before her and said "Now child, why don't you tell me how you came to be at the White Tower?"

 

Valeri Kinaea

Mistress of Traditional Novices

[Myrenna]

After being invited inside, Auriane tip-toed inside and sat very lightly on the chair offered to her. The chair was a hard wood, and was quite uncomfortable. A mirror hung on the wall, its gilt fading and flaking, but the room was in good order. Riana was handed a cup of tea, and she took a sip, before spluttering at the heat and almost dropping it. It was so delicate, she decided she shouldn’t touch it lest it break. Carefully setting the cup down on the desk in front of her, she looked up at Valeri Sedai, smiling sheepishly.

 

“Well, Valeri Sedai, as to how I got here,” she began, taking a breath. “I was just carrying a basket of apples (my third out of five),” she held up some fingers, “to our village’s inn, for the innkeeper to make his Sunday cider for next year. You see, he starts making it a few months before Sunday, leaves it to mature and last year’s batch is ready for the celebrations, so he likes to get the apples nice and early so he’ll have time to make the cider before all the other preparations begin, you know, so it’s not too busy. Now, after that I had to clean my ma’s kitchen and then it’d be time for lunch. Well, I was just walking along to The Rusted Key, thinking about all the work I’d have to do before Sunday -- I’m quite a diligent worker, you see -- when I bumped into this big, scary man! He asked if I could take him to the inn, so of course I took him there, and he helped me carry the apples, which was awfully kind. So, when I got to the inn, there was this woman, she looked like a noblewoman, and she gave me this really funny look, like I’d stolen a couple of coppers from her purse or something, and asked me to take a seat. She was quite scary, more than the man. He was just scary because he looked like he could wring my neck out, but he didn’t look like he’d actually do that, but this woman, she did. So she asked for my name and said I had a pretty face, which was nice of her, ‘cause I’m no Elna Green, and she … she …” Auriane gestured emphatically, nearly knocking over her cup of tea again. “Well, after that, she said I had to come to Tar Valon, and within the hour I was gone. I had to take one of my da’s ponies (which isn’t right ‘cause he’ll need her for the harvest later on) and my spare dresses, and, gosh, we must have been travelling at least a week -- a week! Saira and her man didn’t look like they’d expected to be going to Tar Valon, so there wasn’t much food and they had an extra mouth to feed, too. I’m famished! We didn‘t even stop in the city for…” She trailed off, and her eyes widened as she looked at Valeri Sedai. “Oh, I’m sorry…”

 

Auriane looked down in embarrassment, straightening her shabby dress under the ornate, wooden table. She clasped shaking hands in her lap, like her mother had told her proper young ladies do, and waited for the inevitable tirade. She did tend to be too free with her tongue, a habit that had persisted through her childhood, and from which she had shown no signs of recovery as of yet.

[Amadine]

So, Saira either had not tested the girl, or had not explained what she was doing. Light but that Saira was confounding! Sure she found a lot of girls with the talent but she rarely explained anything to them.

 

Taking a green gemstone from her collection of focus stones Valeri stood and moved around to the front of the desk. Kneeling next to the girl Valeri held her hand out with the stone balanced in the centre of her palm. "Child i want you to concrentrate on the gem. Focus all of your thoughts and energy on the stone."

 

The weary lass nodded her understanding and gazed into the stone.

 

Valeri's knees began to ache as she knelt and just as she was about to stand and turn the girl away, a deep flicker of light emitted from the centre of the stone. Valeri smiled and stood, "Congratulations child, you can learn to channel."

 

Valeri Kinaea

Mistress of Traditional Novices

[Myrenna]

The Mistress stood up, and said to her: "Congratulations, child. You can learn to channel."

 

Auriane fidgeted a moment, pursing her lips, then stood reluctantly, imitating Valeri Sedai. The woman smiled while handing her a bundle of pristine white, explaining that it was her uniform now: she would never again wear a colour until the Aes Sedai let her leave, or raised her to their number. It was a daunting thought, and only now did Auriane begin to wonder if she would ever see her home again, if she would ever go back to the way her life had been. Auriane watched in silence, holding gingerly her new, white dresses, as Valeri Sedai listed her name in the book of Novices. The scritch-scratch of the Aes Sedai’s pen seemed amplified to Auriane’s ears, as those fateful lines were inked. She knew it would change the course of her life entirely, and was not sure if she liked that. All she knew was her farm and her village -- why would she want to replace that? Her life had been a candlelit corridor, leading in one direction, a straight line with no doors or decisions. The lights now winked out. She could not lament, however: she was made of hardier stuff.

 

When the Mistress of Novices finished writing, Auriane pushed her forgotten teacup away from the edge of the desk, perfectly aligned with the table’s other objects. Her stomach growled as she remembered the tea she had not drunk. She held the bundle of clean dresses close to her chest, aside her worn brown dress that she would never wear again. It was patched in many places, but could have lasted her years yet. It seemed such a waste of good fabric.

 

“I suppose I’d best be off, then, to wherever it is I’m going, Valeri Sedai,” she murmured, dazed, as she tried to force an optimistic smile onto her face, to match the Mistress’, and she wondered if she’d be allowed to keep her comb she had brought travelling. It was not white.