A/N: I'm sorry for being late, I tried to update yesterday but apparently the site was down for some reason or another. But here we are, now, and there's a brief change of scenery ahead. This was supposed to be just a short starting-of-a-chapter story, but the infamous snowball effect took place as I wrote it and, well, here's the result. I hope it is good enough to tie some things together.

And the playlist song of the day would be Warrior by Demi Lovato

Aaand, just for you to know, I got fed up with shortening my chosen chapter titles because they're "too long", so I'm going to make a small change there. Don't know if anyone's interested but there, I've said it now. :D

Sara's POV
143 years earlier; Saldaea, Westlands

I was extremely excited. Today I was going to see my family for the first time since I started wearing novices' white ten years ago. I had exchanged letters with them all the time, but it wasn't the same as actually seeing them and talking with them, face to face.

We had been planning this meeting with Mother for almost a year now. She had suggested that we'd celebrate together my second anniversary of becoming Aes Sedai. I had fallen in love with the idea straight away, and now, over ten years after I had left, exactly two years after I had gained my shawl, I rode into my home village once again. I couldn't wait to see Mum and Dad again, and probably Joar and hopefully Clarice, Logan and Jonan, too. And even if I wouldn't see the latter three, I hoped I would at least find out why my sister had stopped answering my letters a year back.

I greeted people I recognized as I rode through the village and stopped couple of times to change a few words with some family friends. Yes, I was fine. I was on my way to visit my family, we'd celebrate my anniversary. I became Aes Sedai exactly two years ago. At that point most men began to feel awkward and soon found an excuse to let me go on. Women, on the other hand, congratulated me and asked more questions. Yes, training had been quite hard, but it was worth it. It took me eight years, three as novice and five as Accepted. I chose Green Ajah. No, I don't have a Warder yet.

It took quite long time but finally I managed to ride through the village and turned on the road that led to my parents' farm. The house looked exactly same as ten years ago, and I thought I could almost hear happy screams and laughter of three children, one boy and two younger girls, as they ran on the front yard. I smiled widely, imaging those three children in my mind; the boy and older girl had golden-coloured hair, boy's eyes deep turquoise and girl's sky blue. The younger girl had dark red hair and same turquoise eyes her brother had.

Childhood memories were a wonderful thing.

I led my horse into stables, where my horse's old stall was empty, as if waiting for me. There were four other horses in; I recognized three of them as Mum, Dad and Joar's horses, but the fourth one I had never seen before. So Clarice and her family wouldn't be here. It was a shame; I would've really wanted to see Clarice, and Jonan, my favourite nephew. Well, he was my only nephew, but that changed nothing.

I had seen Jonan only couple of times. He had been born few months before I went to Tower, and after that Clarice and Jonan had visited Tar Valon twice. Once when Jonan had been four and once when he had been six.

"Mum, Dad, I'm here!" I called as I entered the house.

"In living room, dear", I heard Mum's voice call and rushed through kitchen towards living room.

The moment I entered living room I was cut off from Source. I stopped abruptly, two steps into the room. Looking around I saw four people standing in front of me. Mum and Dad, my brother Joar and a woman I had never seen before. I could tell that she was Aes Sedai, the one who had shielded me; the glow of saidar around her was unmistakeable.

"What is this, Mum, Dad? Who is she and why has she shielded me?"

"There's something we need to talk about." Dad answered.

"But what is she doing here?" I asked, pointing at the Aes Sedai.

"She's making sure you'll listen to what we have to say." Joar replied.

I was confused, a thousand and one questions swarming inside my head. What wanted they talk about? Why did they think that I needed to be shielded? Who was she? Why was she here? Why did they avoid my questions about her?

"What do you have to say, then?" I asked slowly.

"Actually it is something that we need to ask from you." Mum said.

"We need to know that your… loyalties lie with your family." Dad continued.

"What… what does that mean?"

"It means", the unknown woman said, sounding dead bored, "that they want to know if you are willing to follow them and join Great Lord of the Dark."

I didn't realise I had darted towards the Aes Sedai before she tied me with Air, making me unable to move a single muscle below my neck.

"Mama", I whispered, using a twenty-five years old nickname, "please tell me it is not true." She said nothing, avoiding my eyes.

"Papa?" I asked, turning my pleading eyes to my father. He, too, turned his eyes away.

"Jo?" My brother didn't turn his eyes away. He looked straight at me and looking into those deep turquoise eyes, so much like my own, I knew.

In that moment my whole world, all I had believed in, fell apart.

"Well, do you?" Joar asked.

"How dare you?" I hissed. "How dare you? You are Borderlanders! Dad, you fought against Shadow in Saldaean army! You've got Malkieri blood in you! And this is how you honour your ancestors? How DARE you? I will never even consider joining the Shadow, and by the Three Oaths I've sworn you know that's the truth!"

"Seems like she's not willing", The Aes Sedai said coolly. Suddenly I realised that she must be a Darkfriend, too, if she was having this conversation with us. That made me feel dirty, knowing that there were Darkfriends among Aes Sedai, too.

"No, wait!" Mum cried suddenly. "We'll turn her around, we will."

"There's no need to worry, we won't… dispose her." The Aes- no, the woman said. I refused to think of her as Aes Sedai anymore. "There's a way to force her to serve, as she can channel, but it would always be better if she came willingly."

"Never", I hissed.

"Please, dear, don't say that." Mum pleaded. "I don't want to go through this again… I don't want to do it again!"

"Do what again?"

"We have already had this conversation with Clarice and her family." Joar said flatly.

"But what…" I trailed off as I got a horrible idea. "You… you… please say you didn't…"

If they had had this conversation with Clarice and Logan, too, Mum's reaction suggested that they had refused. And if they refused to join, they needed to be silenced, or disposed, as that woman had said it, so that they wouldn't talk. That actually made sense, even if it was horrible. That would explain why Clarice had stopped answering my letters so suddenly.

"You bloody BASTARDS!" I screamed, throwing myself against the bonds keeping me still. I could've as well tried to break through a stone wall with my bare hands. "How could you?! How could you do that to your own daughter?! To your own grandson?!"

"We had no other choice!" Mum cried. "They refused to join us, even little Jonan, we couldn't let them talk!"

"YOU HAD ALL THE CHOICES IN THE WORLD!"

While I screamed I studied the shield. It felt like glass, sleek and slippery. I could sense the Source behind it, just beyond my reach. There was an edge, but when I tried to get over it I slipped back to the centre. I tried again and again and again, and suddenly I found a spot that felt softer. Not much softer, but that much that I noticed it. That soft point didn't seem any different from the rest of the shield, but somehow I knew that if I was to break free, it was through that point.

Then I turned my attention on the woman who held my shield. She wasn't very strong in Power, more like average level, so I might already be strong enough in Power to break free. But I still needed a diversion so that she wouldn't notice what I'm doing before it's too late.

"I reckon it's time for me to fetch my sisters and Myrddraals. She needs to be Turned after all."

Turned? What was she talking…?

There's a way to force her to serve.

Oh, no, no, no! I won't become a Darkfriend, I WON'T!

She said she was going to fetch others. So I still had time, time to fight.

Then I heard a familiar voice coming from kitchen.

"Mr Vostovan? Mrs Vostovan? Are you alright? I was passing by and heard screams." It was Daer, our neighbour and my childhood friend.

"DAER, STAY THERE!" I yelled on the top of my lungs.

"Sara, is that you? When did you come?" Of course that bloody ox of a thimble-brained man didn't listen. He never did.

"Daer, leave! NOW!"

"Sara!" He yelled, obviously having entered living room behind me, that lummox. "What've you done to her?"

"Take care of him!" The woman shouted pointing behind me. Joar proceeded to obey her.

"Joar, what's going on?" Daer asked in a confused tone.

"Daer, for the life and the Light, RUN!" I screamed and threw myself against the shield with all I had. The shield bended, gave away under pressure. I could see the woman's eyes widening when she realised what was happening. I could only hope she had noticed too late.

"She's breaking free!" The woman yelled. "Knock her out! Knock her out!"

My eyes met Dad's sky blue ones. In that moment he seemed to realise what the situation was and, instead of obeying that woman, he grabbed Mum's hand and ran.

"Joar, she's breaking free! Run!" He yelled as he went. I could hear struggle behind my back. That was probably Joar and Daer.

"Joar, KNOCK HER OUT!" The woman screamed.

Suddenly the shield tore apart, as if it was just an old, flimsy cloth. I opened myself to saidar and let Power fill me. Only partly aware of what I did, I seized that soft spot of the shield and crushed it with Spirit. Then I cut off the weaves holding me still, just in time to avoid Joar's attempt to knock me out. I lost my balance as I turned around, but by the time I hit the floor Joar was already tied tight with Air.

Turning to look at the woman, I saw that she was on her knees, screaming and clutching her head with both her hands. It seemed like I had unintentionally stilled her. I just couldn't make myself to care. I was pretty sure she was harmless now but tied her with Air, too, all the same. I also gagged her so that I didn't have to listen to her screaming.

Turning to look at Daer, I saw him getting up, fingering tenderly a red chafe around his neck. His nose was bleeding and it looked like it was broken.

"You alright?" We asked exactly same time.

"I'm fine, you?" I said giving him a shaky laugh.

"Apart from my nose, yes."

"I can take care of that. Will you accept Healing?"

Daer nodded and I set my fingers against his forehead. He flinched when weaves sank into his skin, but then his nose was straight again, with not even a hint that it had ever been broken.

"Now that was really cool." He said fingering his nose.

I gave him a small smile before turning to Joar. I released him for long enough to push him to the floor before tying him up again.

"Just tell me one reason why I shouldn't kill you." I growled.

"Come on, Sara. You can still make the right choice." Joar said. "The Last Battle will come, and when it comes, the Dark Lord will take over the world and grant eternal life to those who follow him."

"I don't need any longer life than I already will have. I would've seen Jonan's grandchildren die."

"You wouldn't be bound by those oaths of yours." He tried. "You'd be able to channel whenever, wherever and whatever you'd want. No limits in using Power as a weapon."

"I already can channel whenever, wherever and whatever I want. I have to use Power as a weapon because there are bastards like you!" I swallowed hard, then, and when I spoke again I could hear the strain of unshed tears in my voice. "Why, Joar? Why?"

"Because Shadow will be victorious."

"Funny, it very much seems like I won this time. There were four of you and I was alone, and I won. The Light won."

Then I created a dagger from Spirit, Fire and Air. I made it very beautiful; the blade was made of flaming fire inside a bluish light.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I asked silently, showing dagger to Joar. "That Fire wasn't necessary, since it's completely inside Air and Spirit, but it makes this little thing more grandeur. And only the most grandeur thing is allowed to rob you from your immortality."

Joar's eyes widened when he realised what my words meant, but that was all he had time to do before I brought my dagger down and stabbed him twice, puncturing his lungs.

"You had all the choices in the world", I whispered close to his ear as he began gasping and wheezing, "starting from the choice not to become a Darkfriend. You made a wrong choice and now you pay for it. Say hello to the Father of Lies from me, and tell him he's a git."

I stared at him until the light of life disappeared from his eyes. Then I stood up and walked into kitchen.

"Sara, can you please explain me what's going on?" Daer asked but, for the time being, I ignored him. Taking one of Mum's kitchen knives, I returned to the living room and cut weaves holding that foul woman.

"Save us the trouble." I said bluntly, throwing the knife at her feet before walking out. Once outside, I let my tears fall. Soon I felt Daer wrap his arms around me.

"Sara, can you tell me what happened?" He asked gently.

I told him everything. All the way from when Clarice had stopped answering my letters to the moment only minutes ago when I gave that knife to that woman.

"Oh, Sara… I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." I said, wiping my tears away. "I have to go now."

"Go where?"

"After those two Light-forsaken bastards I used to call my parents."

"You have to wait for a moment."

"Why?"

"I have to pack my things and saddle my horse."

"Daer, you don't have to –"

"I know I don't have to, but I will come with you all the same."

I gave him a grateful smile.

"If you will come with me, would you like to become my Warder, too?"

"That would be an honour, Sarainya Aes Sedai." He said. He kept his face straight, but I could hear the old and familiar mirth in his voice.

Laughing, I laid my hands on his forehead and wove Spirit into the Warder bond.

"Now go pack your things, Daer Gaidin, and then come back here. Make haste, we have two Darkfriends to hunt down."