Dueljewl: Hopefully this chapter is much better than the last one. I was
just in such a hurry to get it published and I really didn't double check
it. Enjoy.
**********************************************************************
As Mistress of Novices, it was Sheriam Sedai's duty to test novice hopefuls. A task she found tedious and yet, at the same time, oddly satisfying. There was nothing greater than seeing the expression of a young woman embracing Saidar for the first time.
At the moment, she stood in her orderly study with her back to the door, looking out a window. She was observing the daily goings on of one of the Towers' many courtyards. Two girls in the pristine white of novices were busy weeding the enomous flower beds that dotted all of the courtyards in tasteful arrangments, more sparse in those areas designated for novices or Accepted than the Aes Sedai. A third girl, this one Accepted with the seven bands of color around the hem of her dress, swept the pathways.
A loud know on her study door interupted her quiet reverie of her own days as a young novice. She remained looking out the window, wanting to savour the rich scene of the beautiful spring day.
"Enter." she called.
The door opened to admit a tall, gangly Accepted with straight blond hair and long, severe looking face. From were she stood, Sheriam was able to catch a reflectoin of the girl in the window. The Accepted fell into a curtsy that was only slightly wobbly, not as deeply as a novice would but no where near as shallow as a fellow Aes Sedai.
"Yes?" Sheriam questioned, turning from the window to gaze at the young girl.
"There is a young woman here to be tested for becoming a novice, Sheriam Sedai."
The girl had been looking at her but also looked as though reading something from a practiced script in her mind. She finished of the rehearsed rote with another curtsy. A small smile tugged at the corners of Sheriam's mout at the girls nervousness but managed to retain the perfect serenity Aes Sedai were famous for.
"Send her in then." Sheriam said calmly, gesturing with a hand to the large, wooden door.
The young girl bobbed yet another curtsy and hastenend from the door, making Sheriam wonder how she had ever managed to complete the Three Arches. Seconds later she appeared with a relatively young girl; she had seen no more than 17 winters at the most.
Sheriam smiled warmly as the girl entered; she could feel the spark in this one already. It was too early as of yet to find how strong she would become, but at the moment she was already relatively strong in the power. Sheriam felt sure she would become one of the stronger channellers they already had at the Tower.
"Sit child." Sheriam said, gesturing to a wooden chair in front of her desk. She clanced up to see the Accepted standing by the doorway, hesitating between staying and leaving. "You may leave us. I'm sure you have plenty of studing you have need of completing."
The Accepted bobbed a curtsy and left hurriedly, this time completly unnoticed by the Aes Sedai; she was focusing on the young woman before her.
A certain tightness encircled impossibly blue eyes, equally positioned in a face that was a mix of the Sealdean tilted eyes and high cheek bones and the Andoran paleness. Dark red hair tinged with gold highlights framed her face in small ringletts that spiraled down half of her back.
"Tell me child," The Mistress of Novices began, "have you started to channel yet?"
The girl hurriedly looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers nervously. Sheriam let the question hang in the air a few minutes more before movingon, being quiet used to frightened young girls in the prescence of Aes Sedai for the first time.
"If you haven't, you will; you have the spark in you girl. Consider yourself lucky child; most girls don't even realize they can channel before they try to take in too much of the power, burning themselves out or killing themselves in accidents."
The girls head jerked up at this and Sheriam was confronted by peircing blue eyes, practically pinning her to her spot. She blinked in surprise and tilted her head sideways, from any other woman as good as their mouth dropping open and eyes widening. Sheriam shook her head and attepted to put the girl at ease by another warm smile.
"I don't think I was ever told your name."
"Ayina Tal'avin, Aes Sedai." she answered, her voice somewhat reflecting that of a Cairhienin. Truly unique this one was; a blend of some of the most diverse cultures.
"The most important part of this test is going to be your ability to concentrate on my words. I will know some-what your potential, even if you are not sure yourself." Sheriam made sure that the girl was watching her, and opened herslef to the source then embraced Saidar gently. Immediately, her eyes widened.
"When a woman touches Saidar, this is what she looks like. You might not be able to see it around yourself, but I will. Don't worry about anything except the sound of my voice, and listen only to my words. This is an exercise that you will probably repeat a thousand times while you are a novice, and the sooner you are familiar with it, the better." Sheriam released her hold on Saidar and urged Ayina to close her eyes.
As Ayina closed her eyes, she was greated by a calming black that helped to soothe her nerves. A picture of Dameon flashed across her vision, his curly head of tawny hair stained with the sticky red blood.
"Clear your mind of all your thoughts, your worries, anything that keeps you from concentrating on the task at hand."
Sheriam Sedai's voice cut through to her, keeping her from thinking of her brother.
"Now, imagine that you are a flower, a lovely rose, and that it is dawn, moments before the sun comes up. Imagine your petals closed against the cool night air, but also imagine getting ready to meet the sun."
Ayina struggled for a few minutes, trying to clear her mind of everything but a simple rose. Eventually the mental image came, a simple crimson rose floating in black, waiting for the dawn light to come.
Sheriam's voice floated to her across her concious mind quietly, almost as from a great distance. "Now, the first fingers of the sun's light are climbing over the horizon, and you are beginning to feel the warmth on your outer petals. You are beginning to awake from the cold night, and as the sun climbs higher, you are warming, becoming more relaxed, nearly ready to open yourself."
As she spoke, Ayina felt herself relax gradually, feeling the first rays of days touching herself. Soon the light was everywhere, waiting for her to open herself and submit to it.
" ... you feel the sun's light on every petal, you begin to open, one petal at a time, allowing the sun's light to soak in, absorbing it into yourself as though it is becoming a part of your body... "
Sheriam's voice floated in and out of Ayina's mind. The feeling of light started building, growing around her, surrounding her entirely. A part of her yearned to throw herself into the light, to forever be a part of it and another part held back, not sure if it was the right thing to do.
"... open yourself, Ayina, submit to the sun's light!" Sheriam's soothing voice came suddenly and she no longer held back.
She felt herself opening, letting the light trickle into herself slowly. A feeling of the upmost joy overwhelmed her as she embraced the golden light, a joy greater than life. The small trickle increased until it became a great flood and still she wanted more, wanted to fill herself to bursting.
"That's enough."
Sheriam's voice cracked across her mind and abruptly everything was gone. She was no longer a floating rose, surrounded by the golden light. Once more she was in Sheriam Sedai's study, sitting in a large wooden chair. When she opened her eyes, Sheriam was beaming, her ageless face split with a large smile.
"Yes, you will become quite strong." she said, nodding her head absently.
She turned to a podium that held a thick, ancient book, open to a page with six other names on it. Picking up the quil that sat next to the book, she dipped it into a small pot of water, and then dabbed in in the powdered ink, blotting the nib on a small cloth that sat beside the water. With a skilled hand, she wrote Ayina's name in the Novice Book, and set the quil back down. She turned back to Ayina, her face serious.
"There are a few rules that you must learn for your own safety and the safety of your classmates. While you are a novice, you must never, ever channel without supervision; there is always a temptation to draw more and more Saidar into yourself, and you must learn willpower at the same time you learn to channel. Drawing too much Saidar into yourself can kill you, or still you."
Sheriam shivered at the thought and continued. It was important that every new novice heard this warning.
"When a woman is stilled, she can always sense Saidar, but she can no longer touch it. It can bring a form of madness."
Ayina bit her lip, never wanting to experience being able to sense Saidar but remain completly unable to touch it. Sheriam smiled to ease any sting from her words, her smooth face once again creased with a large smile.
"So long as you channel under supervision, you will not have to worry too much child, but the temptation will always be there. You must learn to restrict yourself and form a stern discapline against drawing too much, as much for your safety as others."
Ayina jumped slightly at the soft knock on the door and flushed, her pale cheeks tinged slightly red. The same Accepted who had led her to the study appeared at Sheriam's beckoning, smiling supportively at Ayina. She must have felt me drawing on Saidar, the thought flitted across Ayina's mind, almost going unnoticed.
"You may go with the Accepted, Ayina. She will take you to an empty room and help you find the proper white dresses required of a novice."
Ayina nodded shakily, rising to her feet slowly. The Accepted was standing by the door, waiting to lead Ayina to her new room. Life in the Tower was sure to be different from anything she had ever known.
**********************************************************************
As Mistress of Novices, it was Sheriam Sedai's duty to test novice hopefuls. A task she found tedious and yet, at the same time, oddly satisfying. There was nothing greater than seeing the expression of a young woman embracing Saidar for the first time.
At the moment, she stood in her orderly study with her back to the door, looking out a window. She was observing the daily goings on of one of the Towers' many courtyards. Two girls in the pristine white of novices were busy weeding the enomous flower beds that dotted all of the courtyards in tasteful arrangments, more sparse in those areas designated for novices or Accepted than the Aes Sedai. A third girl, this one Accepted with the seven bands of color around the hem of her dress, swept the pathways.
A loud know on her study door interupted her quiet reverie of her own days as a young novice. She remained looking out the window, wanting to savour the rich scene of the beautiful spring day.
"Enter." she called.
The door opened to admit a tall, gangly Accepted with straight blond hair and long, severe looking face. From were she stood, Sheriam was able to catch a reflectoin of the girl in the window. The Accepted fell into a curtsy that was only slightly wobbly, not as deeply as a novice would but no where near as shallow as a fellow Aes Sedai.
"Yes?" Sheriam questioned, turning from the window to gaze at the young girl.
"There is a young woman here to be tested for becoming a novice, Sheriam Sedai."
The girl had been looking at her but also looked as though reading something from a practiced script in her mind. She finished of the rehearsed rote with another curtsy. A small smile tugged at the corners of Sheriam's mout at the girls nervousness but managed to retain the perfect serenity Aes Sedai were famous for.
"Send her in then." Sheriam said calmly, gesturing with a hand to the large, wooden door.
The young girl bobbed yet another curtsy and hastenend from the door, making Sheriam wonder how she had ever managed to complete the Three Arches. Seconds later she appeared with a relatively young girl; she had seen no more than 17 winters at the most.
Sheriam smiled warmly as the girl entered; she could feel the spark in this one already. It was too early as of yet to find how strong she would become, but at the moment she was already relatively strong in the power. Sheriam felt sure she would become one of the stronger channellers they already had at the Tower.
"Sit child." Sheriam said, gesturing to a wooden chair in front of her desk. She clanced up to see the Accepted standing by the doorway, hesitating between staying and leaving. "You may leave us. I'm sure you have plenty of studing you have need of completing."
The Accepted bobbed a curtsy and left hurriedly, this time completly unnoticed by the Aes Sedai; she was focusing on the young woman before her.
A certain tightness encircled impossibly blue eyes, equally positioned in a face that was a mix of the Sealdean tilted eyes and high cheek bones and the Andoran paleness. Dark red hair tinged with gold highlights framed her face in small ringletts that spiraled down half of her back.
"Tell me child," The Mistress of Novices began, "have you started to channel yet?"
The girl hurriedly looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers nervously. Sheriam let the question hang in the air a few minutes more before movingon, being quiet used to frightened young girls in the prescence of Aes Sedai for the first time.
"If you haven't, you will; you have the spark in you girl. Consider yourself lucky child; most girls don't even realize they can channel before they try to take in too much of the power, burning themselves out or killing themselves in accidents."
The girls head jerked up at this and Sheriam was confronted by peircing blue eyes, practically pinning her to her spot. She blinked in surprise and tilted her head sideways, from any other woman as good as their mouth dropping open and eyes widening. Sheriam shook her head and attepted to put the girl at ease by another warm smile.
"I don't think I was ever told your name."
"Ayina Tal'avin, Aes Sedai." she answered, her voice somewhat reflecting that of a Cairhienin. Truly unique this one was; a blend of some of the most diverse cultures.
"The most important part of this test is going to be your ability to concentrate on my words. I will know some-what your potential, even if you are not sure yourself." Sheriam made sure that the girl was watching her, and opened herslef to the source then embraced Saidar gently. Immediately, her eyes widened.
"When a woman touches Saidar, this is what she looks like. You might not be able to see it around yourself, but I will. Don't worry about anything except the sound of my voice, and listen only to my words. This is an exercise that you will probably repeat a thousand times while you are a novice, and the sooner you are familiar with it, the better." Sheriam released her hold on Saidar and urged Ayina to close her eyes.
As Ayina closed her eyes, she was greated by a calming black that helped to soothe her nerves. A picture of Dameon flashed across her vision, his curly head of tawny hair stained with the sticky red blood.
"Clear your mind of all your thoughts, your worries, anything that keeps you from concentrating on the task at hand."
Sheriam Sedai's voice cut through to her, keeping her from thinking of her brother.
"Now, imagine that you are a flower, a lovely rose, and that it is dawn, moments before the sun comes up. Imagine your petals closed against the cool night air, but also imagine getting ready to meet the sun."
Ayina struggled for a few minutes, trying to clear her mind of everything but a simple rose. Eventually the mental image came, a simple crimson rose floating in black, waiting for the dawn light to come.
Sheriam's voice floated to her across her concious mind quietly, almost as from a great distance. "Now, the first fingers of the sun's light are climbing over the horizon, and you are beginning to feel the warmth on your outer petals. You are beginning to awake from the cold night, and as the sun climbs higher, you are warming, becoming more relaxed, nearly ready to open yourself."
As she spoke, Ayina felt herself relax gradually, feeling the first rays of days touching herself. Soon the light was everywhere, waiting for her to open herself and submit to it.
" ... you feel the sun's light on every petal, you begin to open, one petal at a time, allowing the sun's light to soak in, absorbing it into yourself as though it is becoming a part of your body... "
Sheriam's voice floated in and out of Ayina's mind. The feeling of light started building, growing around her, surrounding her entirely. A part of her yearned to throw herself into the light, to forever be a part of it and another part held back, not sure if it was the right thing to do.
"... open yourself, Ayina, submit to the sun's light!" Sheriam's soothing voice came suddenly and she no longer held back.
She felt herself opening, letting the light trickle into herself slowly. A feeling of the upmost joy overwhelmed her as she embraced the golden light, a joy greater than life. The small trickle increased until it became a great flood and still she wanted more, wanted to fill herself to bursting.
"That's enough."
Sheriam's voice cracked across her mind and abruptly everything was gone. She was no longer a floating rose, surrounded by the golden light. Once more she was in Sheriam Sedai's study, sitting in a large wooden chair. When she opened her eyes, Sheriam was beaming, her ageless face split with a large smile.
"Yes, you will become quite strong." she said, nodding her head absently.
She turned to a podium that held a thick, ancient book, open to a page with six other names on it. Picking up the quil that sat next to the book, she dipped it into a small pot of water, and then dabbed in in the powdered ink, blotting the nib on a small cloth that sat beside the water. With a skilled hand, she wrote Ayina's name in the Novice Book, and set the quil back down. She turned back to Ayina, her face serious.
"There are a few rules that you must learn for your own safety and the safety of your classmates. While you are a novice, you must never, ever channel without supervision; there is always a temptation to draw more and more Saidar into yourself, and you must learn willpower at the same time you learn to channel. Drawing too much Saidar into yourself can kill you, or still you."
Sheriam shivered at the thought and continued. It was important that every new novice heard this warning.
"When a woman is stilled, she can always sense Saidar, but she can no longer touch it. It can bring a form of madness."
Ayina bit her lip, never wanting to experience being able to sense Saidar but remain completly unable to touch it. Sheriam smiled to ease any sting from her words, her smooth face once again creased with a large smile.
"So long as you channel under supervision, you will not have to worry too much child, but the temptation will always be there. You must learn to restrict yourself and form a stern discapline against drawing too much, as much for your safety as others."
Ayina jumped slightly at the soft knock on the door and flushed, her pale cheeks tinged slightly red. The same Accepted who had led her to the study appeared at Sheriam's beckoning, smiling supportively at Ayina. She must have felt me drawing on Saidar, the thought flitted across Ayina's mind, almost going unnoticed.
"You may go with the Accepted, Ayina. She will take you to an empty room and help you find the proper white dresses required of a novice."
Ayina nodded shakily, rising to her feet slowly. The Accepted was standing by the door, waiting to lead Ayina to her new room. Life in the Tower was sure to be different from anything she had ever known.