Nynaeve made her way back alone as Anders was making his escape through the servant's tunnels where he would then steal a boat and get off the island. She hoped he made it. He had to make it.
Whatever happened now everything had changed. The first thing she had to do was put Cullen's medallion in a place he could find it but couldn't blame her. She would drop it on the ground in the gardens, he probably hadn't even missed it yet; even if she thought he deserved not to find it.
His betrayal had hurt more than she cared to admit. Anders was right, all Templars were the same and none of them could be trusted.
Anders... she was going to miss him as much as she missed Min, more than, she had known him longer. Anders and Min. That may not have been a great decision. She trusted Anders - to a point - but if he hurt her sister in anyway... she'd kill him.
She would find them. She had to.
She would study and work harder than she ever had and in a few years she would make Enchanter, where she would be trusted to be sent on missions, and after that... well, she would think of something when the time came.
Nynaeve climbed the stairs out of the basements.
"Stop there! Don't move. And put your hands together and where we can see them." Nyn's heart slammed against her chest and stopped. Templars. And not just any Templars, the Knight-Commander. She clasped her hands together and held them before her. The same Templar moved forward and bound her wrists with a chain. She was terrified, everything in her urged her to fight back, to run, but she knew it would only make things worse for her. And Anders.
"You are charged with helping a blood mage escape," Gregoir came forward. "What do you plea?"
Nyn held her head up and looked him straight in the eye. "Innocent." She was. Anders was no blood mage.
Gregoir leaned in her face and gave her a cruel grin. "I will enjoy making you talk." He straightened and looked to the Templar behind her. "Take her to the interrogation room." She was shoved from behind.
It was hard enough to walk without being shoved from behind after every few steps but she managed, somehow, to stay on her feet. She was scared, but more than scared, she was angry.
They led her to a section of the Tower she had never been in. The Templars headquarters. There would be no escape. And she would find no help here. Now she wasn't scared; she was terrified.
She was pushed through a door that clanged shut behind her. And while one Templar held her still another conducted a search of her body. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see them. Ashamed of their touch on her, as though it were her fault. She felt sick and tasted bile in her mouth. When they were finished with her they pushed her down into the room's only chair.
Nynaeve looked around. The room was tiny and sparse. One table. One chair. No windows. Chains on the wall.
Gregoir stood on the other side of the table. "I am not going to play games with you, Mage," his voice was calm. "You were witnessed entering the basement with Apprentice Anders where you aided him in his escape. Things will go much easier on you if you tell me what I want to know. Where is he?" They hadn't found him yet! And if she had anything to say about it, they never would.
"I don't know."
Gregoir threw an object onto the table. It was an ugly cloth doll with dark blonde hair attached to its head. Her heart lurched in her chest. Oh, Anders, what did you get yourself into? "Do you recognize this object?"
"Never saw it."
"We found this in Anders' possession. Undeniable proof that he was practicing dark arts. Blood magic." The Knight-Commander was a fool. Why would Anders curse himself? "And you helped him escape." He tossed something else on the table. "How did you come to have this on your person?"
"I found it."
"Odd," he picked it up. "This is Lieutenant Cullen's, and he tells a somewhat different tale. He tells of how you have been following him, stalking his every move." She couldn't believe it! The nerve of him! "He tells of how you tricked him into being alone with you. How you then proceeded to try and seduce him. Luckily for him he was able to get away. Do you know what I believe? You and Anders are in this together. And you cast some kind of spell on Lieutenant Cullen, didn't you?"
She saw how it would be. No matter how she answered, no one would believe her over the Templar. The fool probably believed his own lies.
There was a knock at the door and one of the Templars answered it. The Templar who entered handed a small cloth bag to the Knight-Commander.
"We found this at the docks, ser."
Gregoir opened the bag and looked inside. He didn't look happy. What now? She wondered. "Continue the search," he ordered the other.
He dumped the contents of the bag in front of Nynaeve. Broken pieces of glass. Anders' vial. Nyn smiled. He had gotten away. He was safe. She started to laugh. "You find this funny, do you?"
That Anders was where they couldn't touch him? "Very." The Knight-Commander raised his armored hand and struck her across the face. It hurt; but the sting felt good.
The door banged opened.
"What is going on here?" The First Enchanter demanded. "You cannot take one of my mages without informing me of it."
"This mage is a criminal," Gregoir pointed.
"I will speak with her," Irving said. "Alone."
"I cannot allow it."
"You have no choice."
Gregoir surprised her by actually listening and leaving with his Templars. She didn't understand it. More games. And she felt like a game piece.
"Oh child, what were you thinking?" Irving wiped blood from her lip with his sleeve. "You should have come to me when you heard of Anders' plan. You were never supposed to get caught in this."
"You knew?" She jerked away from his touch.
"That he would try to escape? No. What Gregoir intended for him? Yes."
"How could you?" She cried. "You know Anders isn't a blood mage. You knew he was innocent."
"Yes," he admitted softly. "But some battles cannot be won."
"And some are worth fighting. Even if you lose."
"Perhaps you are right, child." He looked down at her. "Do you regret what you have done?"
"Never." The regret would be if she had done nothing.
Irving left and the Templars returned without Gregoir. They got her up and took her to a cell. They pushed her in and slammed the door shut.
Nyn sat on the ground. It was dark. She was cold. And she was alone. She closed her eyes. She didn't know how long she had been there. And when she woke, she didn't know how long she had slept.
The door opened again and bright light entered the dark cell. She propped herself the best she could against the wall; she was blind."Nynaeve?" It was Irving. There was another dark figure beside him. "You remember the Grey Warden Duncan?" Sure, she would shake his hand but she was a little tied up at the moment.
Irving came in and knelt in front of her. He untied the chains around her wrists. The skin was red and bloody. And they burned. "You're letting me go?" Her lips were dry and cracked.
"Not exactly," he answered. "You are to go with Duncan. He came for you." Came here to the cell? Or to the Tower?
"I did not only come for mages, Nynaeve," Duncan helped her to her feet. He was strong but gentle. "I have also come to recruit for the Grey Wardens. I wish to recruit you."
Nyn laughed, it hurt. "You want me?"
"You are here because of loyalty to a friend. I admire that."
"You would let me go?" She asked Irving. "What about Gregoir?"
"Let me worry about the Knight-Commander," he said. "You were right, there are things worth fighting for. And you are one of those things. Go. Become a Grey Warden. Make me proud."
Nyn teared. She hugged the old man to her. "Thank you."
Duncan took her arm. "We should be going before we are caught."
Nynaeve followed Duncan to her new life, and left the old one behind.
To Be Continued... ?
Probably. At some point. But I can make no promises. My plans are for two fics. One for Nynaeve. And one for Min. Although, they will go together. The first will be a Warden/Alistair fic. (Some readers may have caught a big clue to this in the first chapter.) The second (it should have been pretty obvious) is a Hawke/Anders fic. If/When I write the Warden's story I will add the chapters to this existing one.
Thank you for reading!
