I'll just go right into this one. Disclaimer. I don't own them. So :PPPPP
Chapter 4- An Unwanted Friend
"Nynaeve." Lan sounded surprised. Which meant she was the last person he expected to see.
Nynaeve's throat tightened. She tried to give a name to his expression. *Let me think…surprised, wondering…relieved. Why relieved?*
"How are you, Nynaeve?"
For what seemed like the hundredth time in the past few days, Nynaeve felt tears creeping from behind her eyes. Lan was the only one who had needed to ask. She had the feeling he knew already.
Neither of them spoke for the longest time. After a few minutes, Lan let a hand drift up to her cheek. It rested gently there, comforting and- loving. *He loves me in this world, as well.* The tears threatened to spill over.
Hearing her name called, Nynaeve spun to see Elayne standing there. "I- I have to go," she stammered hoarsely. Lan nodded and moved away slowly. Nynaeve turned from him and went to the Daughter-Heir.
"Nynaeve, your training is to start today. Do you think you can handle it?"
"Of course," she replied uncertainly. She did not know how anyone could be angry when they felt so sad, but she would never admit defeat.
They went to her room, where an Aes Sedai she recognized waited. Except, this woman had not been Aes Sedai eight years ago…rather, fifteen years ago. "Faolain. What a surprise."
Faolain glared down her nose at Nynaeve. "You will address me with the proper respect or you will pay the consequences. Sit, girl." She jerked her head at the floor.
Stubbornly, Nynaeve took a seat by the fireplace. Faolain raised an eyebrow, but said nothing on the matter. "Make a ball of soft red light- like this." Faolain embraced saidar, and at once a ball of light floated above her hand.
Nynaeve wondered what this could be about. Faolain knew of her block, and so obviously knew she had to be angry in order to channel. Nynaeve tried anyway. She opened herself to the flower on the blackthorn bush. Peeved at Faolain's attitude, she was able to make a tiny flicker before saidar escaped her grasp.
"That was unsatisfactory, Accepted. In fact, it was pathetic. You will do as requested." Nynaeve felt a sharp pain across her shoulders, the pain of being switched.
Though she knew she should not be goaded by Faolain's pettiness, she was full to the bursting point with stress and in no mood to put up with the haughtiness of *any* Aes Sedai. "Careful," she growled.
"Careful? Of an Accepted? You had better start acting more like your station requires. The Mother may think you are special because you have had recent trauma, but an Aes Sedai must recover quickly. If you ever want to rise to the highest station that can be bestowed upon you, then you'd better shape up."
Nynaeve, temper flaring, created a ball of light above her hand. It was not soft, but it most certainly was red. It grew in the air, filling the space between Faolain and herself. "Is this *satisfactory*, Faolain *Sedai*," Nynaeve spat.
Faolain's eyes widened briefly, but she regained control of her face quickly. "Quite, Accepted. But I do not like your tone."
She felt another sting, this time on her buttocks. Nynaeve had switched others many times as Wisdom, but she was not one to be switched. Her emotions already beyond her control, she wove a shield and placed it between Faolain and saidar. "You will not do that again."
"Remove this shield at once, Accepted."
"Address me by my name," Nynaeve commanded.
"Accepted must learn their place. You do not make demands of an Aes Sedai. Remove this shield and apologize. We can move on and I will forget what happened here."
Nynaeve rained blows on Faolain with her own invisible switch. "Call me by my name." Faolain's lips remained sealed.
Reaching for more of the One Power, Nynaeve looked around the room. The fireplace flared under her gaze, flames licking the edges of the stone. The water in the pitcher made razor-sharp points, aimed at the self-important woman. Flows of air held Faolain in place. One of the first things she had learned had been bonds of air. "I warn you one last time, Faolain. I may not be as trained as you, but there is no question who is more powerful."
"Nynaeve," Faolain said quietly. Her eyes were wide with fright. "Nynaeve, please stop this. We will continue with your lessons. I see this method does not work with you. We will try something else. But, please-"
Nynaeve let go the bonds on the fire and the water, which splashed to the floor. "What method?" The shield and air she held in place.
"We use pain to train some of the girls, if they need extra teaching. It works quite well, I have found. I should have known it would not work with you. The Amyrlin warned me many times, as did Elayne. She probably assigned me to you so we could both learn."
Nynaeve slowly let the bonds of air slip. Faolain moved around, glad to once again have use of her muscles. Nynaeve kept the shield there as long as she could, which meant that they sat there for about three hours, doing nothing at all.
"Have you ever handled so much of saidar before?"
"No. I have barely done anything." Nynaeve wondered why that mattered.
"We made some progress then. A lot of progress. You will be the most powerful Aes Sedai in thousands of years, I am sure. You need to get past your block, and then you will be able to do anything. You may even rediscover a lost Talent."
Faolain had probably never been so friendly in all her life. Nynaeve, though wishing she could doubt the woman, felt her honesty. She did not want a new friend, a confidante, or a motherly figure who coaxed her and stroked her hair. She wanted to be angry. She had never felt so alive as when she had held that much of saidar. Except when she was with Lan…but that had not happened. The things she did with Lan did not exist. She could barely remember her happiness anymore.
Her anger slid from her grasp no matter how she tried to hold on to it. The tears that tried to come out when she had seen Lan earlier overflowed, and Nynaeve could do nothing to stop it.
But Faolain stayed with her. They did not continue lessons. Faolain taught her something about the True Source here and there, but mostly they talked of their lives. Faolain told her secrets she never would have expected, and Nynaeve bore all about her time in the ter'angreal. Once she started to speak of it, she could not stop. The words refused to halt, sometimes overwhelming her and rendering her speechless. Eventually she got it all out. By the end of the night, she and Faolain understood each other very well. She now had a new friend and confidante. *Curse you, Egwene.*
Despite her reservations, it felt good to have someone to talk to. Egwene was constantly busy, the most sought after woman in Tar Valon. Elayne, as her Keeper, had almost as much to do. The only other person Nynaeve wanted to talk to was Lan…but every time she ran into him, she found herself unable to speak. That left an empty space, which Faolain eagerly filled.
They became the closest of friends, but Faolain was still her teacher. She pushed Nynaeve's limits to unprecedented extremes. Every method unthinkable was used to try to get past her block. Once, Faolain invaded her mind with images of torture, pain and madness, inflicted upon the ones she loved most: Egwene…and Lan. Nynaeve became so infuriated within the space of a few seconds, Faolain found herself on the ceiling. Nynaeve calmed down eventually, and gravity was restored for Faolain, who promised never to use Lan for this purpose.
Instead, she gave her visions of the children she never really had. Nynaeve's emotions thrashed out of her control, causing things to happen that none of them intended. Once, a hole three paces in diameter appeared in the wall after one of these episodes. That was when Nynaeve discovered balefire. That was when Faolain stopped using Nynaeve's *family* to bypass her block.
Gradually, Nynaeve learned a great deal about the Power and history pertaining to the White Tower. After a while, she was on a level in power and skill with most Aes Sedai. She merely needed to get rid of her block. But no matter what they tried, she could not channel unless angry.
It was hopeless. Nynaeve realized that she did not despise the Power, but what was the use accepting something so unsure?
When Nynaeve began studying saidin, sleeping ideas awakened. Her knowledge was becoming dangerous.
End Chapter 4
I hated Faolain in the books, and I like it when they make the mean characters cool in fan fiction. :P If you don't like it, you can write your own version of the stories. Cause it's not like *I* own them…
Chapter 4- An Unwanted Friend
"Nynaeve." Lan sounded surprised. Which meant she was the last person he expected to see.
Nynaeve's throat tightened. She tried to give a name to his expression. *Let me think…surprised, wondering…relieved. Why relieved?*
"How are you, Nynaeve?"
For what seemed like the hundredth time in the past few days, Nynaeve felt tears creeping from behind her eyes. Lan was the only one who had needed to ask. She had the feeling he knew already.
Neither of them spoke for the longest time. After a few minutes, Lan let a hand drift up to her cheek. It rested gently there, comforting and- loving. *He loves me in this world, as well.* The tears threatened to spill over.
Hearing her name called, Nynaeve spun to see Elayne standing there. "I- I have to go," she stammered hoarsely. Lan nodded and moved away slowly. Nynaeve turned from him and went to the Daughter-Heir.
"Nynaeve, your training is to start today. Do you think you can handle it?"
"Of course," she replied uncertainly. She did not know how anyone could be angry when they felt so sad, but she would never admit defeat.
They went to her room, where an Aes Sedai she recognized waited. Except, this woman had not been Aes Sedai eight years ago…rather, fifteen years ago. "Faolain. What a surprise."
Faolain glared down her nose at Nynaeve. "You will address me with the proper respect or you will pay the consequences. Sit, girl." She jerked her head at the floor.
Stubbornly, Nynaeve took a seat by the fireplace. Faolain raised an eyebrow, but said nothing on the matter. "Make a ball of soft red light- like this." Faolain embraced saidar, and at once a ball of light floated above her hand.
Nynaeve wondered what this could be about. Faolain knew of her block, and so obviously knew she had to be angry in order to channel. Nynaeve tried anyway. She opened herself to the flower on the blackthorn bush. Peeved at Faolain's attitude, she was able to make a tiny flicker before saidar escaped her grasp.
"That was unsatisfactory, Accepted. In fact, it was pathetic. You will do as requested." Nynaeve felt a sharp pain across her shoulders, the pain of being switched.
Though she knew she should not be goaded by Faolain's pettiness, she was full to the bursting point with stress and in no mood to put up with the haughtiness of *any* Aes Sedai. "Careful," she growled.
"Careful? Of an Accepted? You had better start acting more like your station requires. The Mother may think you are special because you have had recent trauma, but an Aes Sedai must recover quickly. If you ever want to rise to the highest station that can be bestowed upon you, then you'd better shape up."
Nynaeve, temper flaring, created a ball of light above her hand. It was not soft, but it most certainly was red. It grew in the air, filling the space between Faolain and herself. "Is this *satisfactory*, Faolain *Sedai*," Nynaeve spat.
Faolain's eyes widened briefly, but she regained control of her face quickly. "Quite, Accepted. But I do not like your tone."
She felt another sting, this time on her buttocks. Nynaeve had switched others many times as Wisdom, but she was not one to be switched. Her emotions already beyond her control, she wove a shield and placed it between Faolain and saidar. "You will not do that again."
"Remove this shield at once, Accepted."
"Address me by my name," Nynaeve commanded.
"Accepted must learn their place. You do not make demands of an Aes Sedai. Remove this shield and apologize. We can move on and I will forget what happened here."
Nynaeve rained blows on Faolain with her own invisible switch. "Call me by my name." Faolain's lips remained sealed.
Reaching for more of the One Power, Nynaeve looked around the room. The fireplace flared under her gaze, flames licking the edges of the stone. The water in the pitcher made razor-sharp points, aimed at the self-important woman. Flows of air held Faolain in place. One of the first things she had learned had been bonds of air. "I warn you one last time, Faolain. I may not be as trained as you, but there is no question who is more powerful."
"Nynaeve," Faolain said quietly. Her eyes were wide with fright. "Nynaeve, please stop this. We will continue with your lessons. I see this method does not work with you. We will try something else. But, please-"
Nynaeve let go the bonds on the fire and the water, which splashed to the floor. "What method?" The shield and air she held in place.
"We use pain to train some of the girls, if they need extra teaching. It works quite well, I have found. I should have known it would not work with you. The Amyrlin warned me many times, as did Elayne. She probably assigned me to you so we could both learn."
Nynaeve slowly let the bonds of air slip. Faolain moved around, glad to once again have use of her muscles. Nynaeve kept the shield there as long as she could, which meant that they sat there for about three hours, doing nothing at all.
"Have you ever handled so much of saidar before?"
"No. I have barely done anything." Nynaeve wondered why that mattered.
"We made some progress then. A lot of progress. You will be the most powerful Aes Sedai in thousands of years, I am sure. You need to get past your block, and then you will be able to do anything. You may even rediscover a lost Talent."
Faolain had probably never been so friendly in all her life. Nynaeve, though wishing she could doubt the woman, felt her honesty. She did not want a new friend, a confidante, or a motherly figure who coaxed her and stroked her hair. She wanted to be angry. She had never felt so alive as when she had held that much of saidar. Except when she was with Lan…but that had not happened. The things she did with Lan did not exist. She could barely remember her happiness anymore.
Her anger slid from her grasp no matter how she tried to hold on to it. The tears that tried to come out when she had seen Lan earlier overflowed, and Nynaeve could do nothing to stop it.
But Faolain stayed with her. They did not continue lessons. Faolain taught her something about the True Source here and there, but mostly they talked of their lives. Faolain told her secrets she never would have expected, and Nynaeve bore all about her time in the ter'angreal. Once she started to speak of it, she could not stop. The words refused to halt, sometimes overwhelming her and rendering her speechless. Eventually she got it all out. By the end of the night, she and Faolain understood each other very well. She now had a new friend and confidante. *Curse you, Egwene.*
Despite her reservations, it felt good to have someone to talk to. Egwene was constantly busy, the most sought after woman in Tar Valon. Elayne, as her Keeper, had almost as much to do. The only other person Nynaeve wanted to talk to was Lan…but every time she ran into him, she found herself unable to speak. That left an empty space, which Faolain eagerly filled.
They became the closest of friends, but Faolain was still her teacher. She pushed Nynaeve's limits to unprecedented extremes. Every method unthinkable was used to try to get past her block. Once, Faolain invaded her mind with images of torture, pain and madness, inflicted upon the ones she loved most: Egwene…and Lan. Nynaeve became so infuriated within the space of a few seconds, Faolain found herself on the ceiling. Nynaeve calmed down eventually, and gravity was restored for Faolain, who promised never to use Lan for this purpose.
Instead, she gave her visions of the children she never really had. Nynaeve's emotions thrashed out of her control, causing things to happen that none of them intended. Once, a hole three paces in diameter appeared in the wall after one of these episodes. That was when Nynaeve discovered balefire. That was when Faolain stopped using Nynaeve's *family* to bypass her block.
Gradually, Nynaeve learned a great deal about the Power and history pertaining to the White Tower. After a while, she was on a level in power and skill with most Aes Sedai. She merely needed to get rid of her block. But no matter what they tried, she could not channel unless angry.
It was hopeless. Nynaeve realized that she did not despise the Power, but what was the use accepting something so unsure?
When Nynaeve began studying saidin, sleeping ideas awakened. Her knowledge was becoming dangerous.
End Chapter 4
I hated Faolain in the books, and I like it when they make the mean characters cool in fan fiction. :P If you don't like it, you can write your own version of the stories. Cause it's not like *I* own them…