Faking It: Forsaken

One: The Candidates First Steps to Forsakenhood

Jahar Narishma is a Lightfriend Asha'man, personally trusted by the Dragon Reborn, Rand Al'Thor. In four weeks, he's going to have to try and convince a panel of experts that he's a genuine candidate to be a Forsaken. This is… Faking It.


Jahar Narishma is walking along the paths to Shayol Ghul where he will meet his two mentors that will help him convince a panel of three that he has dedicated himself to being a future Forsaken. From his wide pretty brown eyes darting about, he's nervous. Occasionally he runs his fingers over the sword pinned to his black coat collar.

Jahar: I would never even considered being a Darkfriend in my life, and never will. I was brought up in Shol Arbela with the 'Fight the Blight' mentality. But Merise brought me onto the show because when I found out she was Darkfriend, I wanted to try new things to try and keep a few things in common with her. So I guess it's a relationship builder more than anything, and plus I like to give myself challenges. This will be a real personal test and I hope I don't fail. (Laughs)

He continues to Shayol Ghul's entrance where his two mentors are slowly coming into view. One is a quite tall man with dark brown eyes and appears quite handsome, if slightly marred by his hawk nose. The other is an average height woman with an average appearance, her brown hair hanging to just past her shoulders and her blue eyes watching Jahar approach with a practical analytical assessment of her new pupil.

Jahar nervously smiles as he reaches the two and it's clear on his face he's unsure what to do. The woman comes forward and shakes Jahar's hand with a smile.

Mesaana: Hello, I'm Mesaana, and you must be young Jahar. It's nice to meet you!

Jahar: Um, hello Mesaana. Nice to meet you too. I must say, I'm pretty nervous about having to fake this. I'm not sure I can pull it off.

Demandred: Of course you can! We're teaching you after all. I'm Demandred.

Mesaana shuddered at the word 'teaching', but smoothed her face into a grimace as Demandred firmly shakes Jahar's hand, almost gripping it painfully tight and measuring the man up. When he retracts his hand, he doesn't look pleased.

Demandred: So, what do you know of us, Narishma?

Jahar tries not to fidget, but in the presence of two Forsaken, he clearly finds it difficult.

Jahar: Well, uh… I don't know anything much except the stories you get told as children to scare you to sleep. You know, Aginor will come and eat your bones if you don't sleep, or Mesaana will take you from your bed and teach you manners. But that's all really.

Mesaana's grimace worsens and Demandred's lips twitch into an almost smile at her reaction. The tall man motions for the three of them to walk away from Shayol Ghul and head back down the path Jahar had taken to meet them. They stroll in silence for a little while, but curiosity gets the better of Demandred.

Demandred: We were merely children's stories before we were released? What was mine?

Jahar: You hadn't touched the world in thousands of years, so you just faded into myth and became stories to scare children. Demandred, you were… mother always told me that you would almost get me, but more often than not she'd let me get away.

Demandred's face turns to thunder and he does not speak again. Jahar gets worried that he isn't going to make it through the four weeks training before getting killed. He turns to Mesaana instead, who seems the friendlier out of the two.

Jahar: So, Mesaana, why were you two picked out of all of the Forsaken to teach me?

Mesaana: Well, we're a little short of Chosen, not Forsaken, at the moment. And please, don't say teach. We're instructing you, mentoring and guiding you, not teach. Aginor's dead. Rahvin's dead. Be'lal's dead. Asmodean's dead, according to Demandred. (Glances at Demandred, who is purposefully ignoring them) Sammael's dead. (A half smile quirks onto Demandred's lips, brightening his demeanour) Lanfear's dead. So many dead… but the SemDemAana Connection lives.

Jahar: The SemDem… what?

Mesaana: The SemDemAana Connection. It's a pact myself, Demandred and Semirhage made over three thousand years ago saying that we will not kill each other until the rest are dead.

Jahar: And then?

Demandred can't resist.

Demandred: And then we see who stands last out of the three of us and becomes Nae'blis.

Jahar: Nae'blis?

Mesaana: The Last to Die. Head of the Chosen. I suppose we had better fill you in on some information about the Chosen or you'll never get past the initial background questioning by the panel. The Nae'blis at the moment is a Chosen called Moridin.

Jahar: There isn't a Forsaken called Moridin.

Mesaana: Well, he used to be Ishamael before he got…

Demandred: Foolishly toasted?

Mesaana: … An unfortunate run-in with the Dragon Reborn.

Demandred: He was an idiot. Three times and three failures. I'm surprised the Great Lord didn't forgo recycling him. He didn't deserve a new, young body and permission to solely use the True Power. The True Power, Mesaana! Have you seen the saa in his eyes last we saw him?

Jahar: Uh, can you explain-

Mesaana: I know, how wrong is that! I've failed as many times as he and I do not think the Great Lord would be so kind to me if I… but I'm not that foolish. No, I won't make any more mistakes. (Teary) Poor Be'lal… we were getting along so well…

Jahar looks about in confusion.

Demandred: Be'lal was too forward in his plot. An admirable quality of his, but ultimately his downfall. I shall never make a mistake like that. But I digress. We are at the Gateway point.

They arrive at a patch of rocks much like the rest. Jahar is still very confused, but decides that his mentors will explain in good time. He can feel when Demandred takes hold of saidin and makes a Gateway and steps through.

Mesaana: Come on before you catch your… just go on.

She gently prods Jahar in the back and he walks through to find himself in…

Jahar: Dragonmount? This is where I'm going to be… guided?

Demandred: Of course. No-one really comes up this high and the show had a little place built specially for your training.

Jahar: Oh. That's nice.

Mesaana follows Jahar and eyes the small brick building in the distance.

Mesaana: It's lucky you didn't get Graendal as a mentor. She would have had a fit if she had to train there.

Demandred: That, or she would have crushed his mind and filled it with all the necessary requirements for being a Chosen just to win.

Demandred and Mesaana: Stupid bitch.

Jahar raises an eyebrow at this comment, but keeps quiet.

Jahar: Shall we go to the building?

Demandred: Of course.

They set off and within ten minutes are entering through the stout wooden door to find a rather bare room with a table big enough for three and three chairs, which they sit themselves on.

Mesaana: The first most important thing you must remember is that you can't keep calling us Forsaken. Always refer to us and yourself as Chosen, for we are after all Those Chosen to Rule the World Forever.

Demandred: Or we'll take it in turns to bitch-slap you.

Jahar: (Annoyed) Right, got it. Anything else?

A wry chuckle escapes Demandred.

Demandred: Anything else indeed. Narishma, there is more than a lifetimes worth of knowledge you need to pass as a Chosen, but we have to condense it and fake enough of it so you'll do. And if you don't… (Laughs evilly)

Jahar: Can you explain what you two were going on about earlier?

Mesaana: I suppose. What didn't you understand?

Jahar: Um… all of it? Great Lord? Recycling? True Power and this saa?

Mesaana: (Slaps forehead) I forget how little you know. The Great Lord is what we call the Dark One. You must always refer to him as such. If you want to be really posh, you can call him the Great Lord of the Dark. He likes that. And if you think the Great Lord is getting grumpy, bring him fish pie. He's a sucker for the stuff and might overlook your non-Chosen-ness. Right, recycling is when we die and the Great Lord takes our soul and gives us a new body to carry on anew. It can be very handy for people like Aginor who can't go five minutes without dying. He was Osan'gar, but he died again. I don't think the Great Lord will be so kind this time, fool man.

Demandred: I'll take over. The True Power is power the Great Lord can lend us when we're in dire need of it… Unless your name is Moridin. (Mutters to himself angrily) True Power is like the One Power, but from the Great Lord himself. It has a heavy penalty I'd rather not go into, but suffice to say it isn't pleasant. Saa is a side effect to using the True Power a lot. Saa are black dots in the eyes that move from left to right. If you wield the True Power too much, a temporary blindness can occur from a mass of saa in the eyes. Moridin is a fool using the True Power solely, but let's not get into that. Enough learning today. What I want to do is test how strong a channeller you are. If you're not strong enough, you'll never fake being Chosen.

Jahar: What do you want me to do?

Demandred: Outside now.

Jahar traipses outside while Demandred and Mesaana perfect their regal stroll behind, quietly conversing out of Jahar's hearing. Eventually they come to a stop in a small clearing of relatively flat land. Mesaana and Demandred stand on the edge and direct Jahar to stand in the centre and he obliges.

Demandred: Jump.

Jahar: Huh?

Demandred's patience with Jahar finally runs out and he takes hold of saidin.

Demandred: I said jump, bitch!

The older man wraps flows of Air around the Arafellin and begins 'jumping' him up and down, though it looks more like Demandred is shaking the life out of poor Jahar. Eventually he halts and Jahar gracelessly falls to the floor.

Mesaana: You should not try his patience. Demandred doesn't suffer fools gladly.

Jahar mutters to himself and the two Forsaken exchange glances. They're clearly not convinced of their candidate's ability to fake it.

Demandred: (Ticked off) Touch your toes and then run around this clearing five times, then… channel a glass of water over. I'm parched.

Jahar: …

Mesaana: Make it a goblet of wine for me.

Jahar: When did I become a manservant?

Demandred warningly begins to channel flows of Air again and Jahar frowns.

Jahar: (Grumpily) Yeah, I'm touching my toes.

A series of ridiculous tasks ensue while Demandred and Mesaana sit on chairs (provided by their compliant manservant) while Jahar balances one legged on a chair without channelling. Mesaana is reading a book. Every so often Demandred or Mesaana give the chair a prod with a flow of Air and share a chuckle when he wobbles or falls off.

Jahar: I thought you were going to test my strength in the Power!

Demandred: I thought I'd have a few hours of peace and quiet first. I was strategising.

Mesaana: And I was reading a very good book I got from a stasis box. One of Elan Morin's if I'm not mistaken. He had such funny ideas. He actually explained why dogs can't fly – as if it needed to be explained! I did you a great favour, Jahar, in letting you stand on that chair because Demandred got think up a strategy!

Demandred: And you're in luck. I have a plan. Let's test his strength in the Power.

Jahar: You were going to do that before this manservant business!

Demandred: Well I changed my mind and I'm changing it again. Hold of much of saidin as you can and I'll judge you.

Jahar takes hold of saidin, still standing one legged on the chair, and the two Forsaken come over to take a look.

Demandred: Hmm, he's pretty sound – I reckon he could have taken down Asmodean given a chance.

Mesaana peers into Jahar's eyes, shining a saidar created small ball of light and then opens Jahar's mouth and stares inside.

Mesaana: He looks sound enough. Nice shiny hair. Hair can take you far among the Chosen.

Jahar fends Mesaana off and jumps off the chair.

Jahar: I'm not an animal or something!

The two Forsaken look at him with contempt as if he's an animal and Jahar frowns.

Jahar: I'm not!

Mesaana gives a broad smile and leans over to Demandred with a chuckle.

Mesaana: (Stage whisper) He thinks he's people!

Jahar: Hey!

Demandred and Mesaana look at him blankly.

Demandred: Run, bitch!

Jahar runs around the flat ground, looking ready to kill.

Mesaana: I think you've really got him in hand.

Demandred: (Smugly) I know.


But what is to come for our young Forsaken Faker, Jahar Narishma? Tune in next time to find out!


AN: I feel I owe an explanation about what just occurred. And an apology, most likely. This is my first stab at parody, but I don't like to make my stories insanely humorous, to the point of… I dunno… just wrongness. This is my warm up chapter – the next one is going to be way better! The explanation bits couldn't be helped otherwise it would have made no sense to Jahar whatsoever. Anyway… I wanted to keep it sort of within reason. So here it is. Hope you enjoyed it!