Dueljewl: This is my first WoT fic so don't go too hard on me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Chapter One ~~ ~ The Lost Ones ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dry, dusty wind of the Three Fold Land whipped the veil of Lathes shoufa, pressing it against his sun-darkened face. Dirt stuck to his dry, cracked lips and beat against his cadin'sor, the cut identifying him for a Rahien Sorei, a Dawn Runner, of the Stones River sept of the Goshien Aiel. Next to him his near-brother, Daelin, of the Black Rock sept of the Shaarad Aiel, sat back on his heels, idly playing cats cradle with a piece of string.
Together they watched the horizon for the unlikely intruder, guarding the Three Fold Land from unwanted visitors.
"Scud duty again." He commented to Daelin, leaning forward over his short spear.
Daelin nodded in agreement, folding the string up and rising fluidly.
"If we're lucky, we might find some lost treekillers or Tuath'an."
Lathes lips curled into a disgusted sneer as he thought of the Lost Ones, bound to touch no weapon like the gai'shain. There was no ji' in running from your enemy; only cowardice.
Daelin tensed suddenly, drawing the veil of his shoufa up and crouching low, a short spear grasped in his hand. Lathe followed suite, dropping to the ground silently, lifting himself up only enough to see over the skyline and draw his veil across his face. At first all he saw was the red sky, tinged red and purple with the setting sun.
There.
One . no two people, one leaning heavily on the other. Lathe stiffened slightly, waiting for the two strangers to come closer.
Tuath'an.
The glaringly vivid colors of their clothes could belong to no one else. Lathe cursed under his breath, moving sinuously to the approaching intruders. Daelin, as always, followed close behind, scanning the land for any attacks that might come from behind. They melted silently into the land, waiting for the wagon to come closer.
As they drew nearer, Lathe could make out the shape of a young man - possibly younger than himself - supporting a young woman with the same pitch-black hair and pale white skin, tinged slightly red with sunburn. The two looked exactly the same, as if they were mirror reflections. The girl seemed to be suffering from the sun sickness, as the wetlanders often did.
Kail held onto Keita desperately, not willing to stop until they reached some sort of shelter. He had always been told that the Tuath'an were allowed passage across the Three Fold Land; he just didn't know how far that small hospitality would last.
"Just a little bit further, Keita." He pleaded, noticing how shallow her breathing was becoming.
She moaned silently, her head rolling lifelessly back and forth in nightmares from the sun sickness.
"So cold," she whispered, shaking softly, "I'm so cold Kail."
Kail bit his lip in silent thought, trying to think of a way to cool her down. They had been separated from the wagons for three days now and hadn't seen any water except for that in their leather water skins, and that long gone.
Out of nowhere, two shapes parted from the dry ground taking the form of men so tall they could only be Aiel. Kail bit down harder on his lip, his head swimming from lack of water and shade. If the Aiel attacked, the only thing to do was run. But he couldn't run; with Keita like she was, she wouldn't last an hour in their hands. He slowed his pace, watching them warily. They might mean them no harm, but that was unlikely at best.
Lathe and Daelin circled the two Lost Ones slowly, examining each of them closely. The girl wouldn't make it another day without the help of the Wise Ones; the sickness had her too firmly for anything but their herbs to heal her. The young man, most likely a first-brother, was starting to show the same signs of severity.
"It seems the Lost Ones are more lost than usual." Daelin jeered, his short spear tapping the ground as he circled clockwise.
Lathe, circling counter clockwise and also tapping a spear against the ground, knocking it against Daelin's when he passed, nodded his agreement, eyeing the two Tuath'an suspiciously; he did not trust these people who would rather run away than help protect their fellow members.
"Caught in the sun, their soft wetlander flesh burns easily." Lathe assented. "The Three Fold Land is not easy on those who wander into it aimlessly."
"We didn't wander here on purpose." The young man snapped, surprising both of the Aiel. "We were separated from our wagons." He continued.
He looked up at Lathe, a mixture of fear, hate, and plea swimming in his eyes. Lathe was startled by the hopelessness he saw there, and at the same time the fear made him abhor this man who would run if they attacked instead of standing his ground and fighting like any real man.
"Please," he begged, looking alternately from Lathe to Daelin and back again. "My sister needs help. We'll do anything; just help her. Please."
Daelin looked across the two of them to Lathe, hesitation and indecision playing across his face. The last thing Lathe wanted to do would be to help these Lost Ones, but they had no choice. To leave them here to die in the hot sun of the Three Fold Land would give them such an outrageous amount of 'toh that the only way to make it up to them would be to take the gai'shain white for the rest of their lives.
Lathe sighed loudly, placing his short spear with the rest and lifting the girl from the young man's grip easily, as though taking a toy from a sleepy child. Daelin shot Lathe a glare at leaving him with the heavy one put lifted the strange Lost One onto his back easily. Lathe did the same with the girl and started off, running as fast he could and not jostle the girl too much. Daelin kept up easily, though slightly behind to guard from the rear, Lathe taking the lead as usual.
So much for uninteresting scud duty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dueljewl: Hope this wasn't /too/ much of a horrible first shot at WoT fanfics. Anyway, if you liked it please review. I need four reviews before I publish the next chapter. R&R! ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Chapter One ~~ ~ The Lost Ones ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dry, dusty wind of the Three Fold Land whipped the veil of Lathes shoufa, pressing it against his sun-darkened face. Dirt stuck to his dry, cracked lips and beat against his cadin'sor, the cut identifying him for a Rahien Sorei, a Dawn Runner, of the Stones River sept of the Goshien Aiel. Next to him his near-brother, Daelin, of the Black Rock sept of the Shaarad Aiel, sat back on his heels, idly playing cats cradle with a piece of string.
Together they watched the horizon for the unlikely intruder, guarding the Three Fold Land from unwanted visitors.
"Scud duty again." He commented to Daelin, leaning forward over his short spear.
Daelin nodded in agreement, folding the string up and rising fluidly.
"If we're lucky, we might find some lost treekillers or Tuath'an."
Lathes lips curled into a disgusted sneer as he thought of the Lost Ones, bound to touch no weapon like the gai'shain. There was no ji' in running from your enemy; only cowardice.
Daelin tensed suddenly, drawing the veil of his shoufa up and crouching low, a short spear grasped in his hand. Lathe followed suite, dropping to the ground silently, lifting himself up only enough to see over the skyline and draw his veil across his face. At first all he saw was the red sky, tinged red and purple with the setting sun.
There.
One . no two people, one leaning heavily on the other. Lathe stiffened slightly, waiting for the two strangers to come closer.
Tuath'an.
The glaringly vivid colors of their clothes could belong to no one else. Lathe cursed under his breath, moving sinuously to the approaching intruders. Daelin, as always, followed close behind, scanning the land for any attacks that might come from behind. They melted silently into the land, waiting for the wagon to come closer.
As they drew nearer, Lathe could make out the shape of a young man - possibly younger than himself - supporting a young woman with the same pitch-black hair and pale white skin, tinged slightly red with sunburn. The two looked exactly the same, as if they were mirror reflections. The girl seemed to be suffering from the sun sickness, as the wetlanders often did.
Kail held onto Keita desperately, not willing to stop until they reached some sort of shelter. He had always been told that the Tuath'an were allowed passage across the Three Fold Land; he just didn't know how far that small hospitality would last.
"Just a little bit further, Keita." He pleaded, noticing how shallow her breathing was becoming.
She moaned silently, her head rolling lifelessly back and forth in nightmares from the sun sickness.
"So cold," she whispered, shaking softly, "I'm so cold Kail."
Kail bit his lip in silent thought, trying to think of a way to cool her down. They had been separated from the wagons for three days now and hadn't seen any water except for that in their leather water skins, and that long gone.
Out of nowhere, two shapes parted from the dry ground taking the form of men so tall they could only be Aiel. Kail bit down harder on his lip, his head swimming from lack of water and shade. If the Aiel attacked, the only thing to do was run. But he couldn't run; with Keita like she was, she wouldn't last an hour in their hands. He slowed his pace, watching them warily. They might mean them no harm, but that was unlikely at best.
Lathe and Daelin circled the two Lost Ones slowly, examining each of them closely. The girl wouldn't make it another day without the help of the Wise Ones; the sickness had her too firmly for anything but their herbs to heal her. The young man, most likely a first-brother, was starting to show the same signs of severity.
"It seems the Lost Ones are more lost than usual." Daelin jeered, his short spear tapping the ground as he circled clockwise.
Lathe, circling counter clockwise and also tapping a spear against the ground, knocking it against Daelin's when he passed, nodded his agreement, eyeing the two Tuath'an suspiciously; he did not trust these people who would rather run away than help protect their fellow members.
"Caught in the sun, their soft wetlander flesh burns easily." Lathe assented. "The Three Fold Land is not easy on those who wander into it aimlessly."
"We didn't wander here on purpose." The young man snapped, surprising both of the Aiel. "We were separated from our wagons." He continued.
He looked up at Lathe, a mixture of fear, hate, and plea swimming in his eyes. Lathe was startled by the hopelessness he saw there, and at the same time the fear made him abhor this man who would run if they attacked instead of standing his ground and fighting like any real man.
"Please," he begged, looking alternately from Lathe to Daelin and back again. "My sister needs help. We'll do anything; just help her. Please."
Daelin looked across the two of them to Lathe, hesitation and indecision playing across his face. The last thing Lathe wanted to do would be to help these Lost Ones, but they had no choice. To leave them here to die in the hot sun of the Three Fold Land would give them such an outrageous amount of 'toh that the only way to make it up to them would be to take the gai'shain white for the rest of their lives.
Lathe sighed loudly, placing his short spear with the rest and lifting the girl from the young man's grip easily, as though taking a toy from a sleepy child. Daelin shot Lathe a glare at leaving him with the heavy one put lifted the strange Lost One onto his back easily. Lathe did the same with the girl and started off, running as fast he could and not jostle the girl too much. Daelin kept up easily, though slightly behind to guard from the rear, Lathe taking the lead as usual.
So much for uninteresting scud duty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dueljewl: Hope this wasn't /too/ much of a horrible first shot at WoT fanfics. Anyway, if you liked it please review. I need four reviews before I publish the next chapter. R&R! ^_^