Hi everyone!! I know, it's been forever since I updated. The truth is, I completely forgot about this story. *feels guilty* To anyone who has been waiting a long time for chapter 6, I'm sorry. I'll try to update more often. In the meantime, here is the chapter you have all been waiting for.
Chapter 6- The Cleansing
"Nynaeve, I do understand, but we can't-"
"I cannot do this if he is wearing that thing. He will only be in control of the flow for a few moments. Then I will have the flow."
Nynaeve was arguing with the six who wore the bracelets attached to the ugly metal contraption holding Rand. Sighing resignedly, she waited for Egwene to arrive, to order them to take it off him.
Egwene arrived, and the rest of the Aes Sedai bowed low to the ground. Nynaeve stood with her arms folded impatiently, and Rand stood looking around himself obliviously. "Egwene, will you please tell them to take that hideous thing off Rand?"
Looking fearful, Egwene nodded to the others, who slowly and gingerly removed the dark metal from around Rand's neck. For the second time since coming back, Nynaeve saw Rand aware of his surroundings. He felt his neck for what felt like ten minutes. Finally, Nynaeve asked if he was ready.
"Probably more ready than you are," he replied. Nynaeve bit back her sharp retort. Taking up Callandor, she worked up her temper. It did not take much, as she was already on the verge of anger at the way the Aes Sedai surrounding them were looking at Rand. Thinking of the black metal thing lying on the floor, Nynaeve embraced saidar.
"Rand?" She turned to him, asking if it was ready. He nodded. Before she took hold of his flow, she saw Lan, standing in a corner by Myrelle, the Aes Sedai to whom he was bonded. Then, she felt saidin in her, and had no more awareness of anything outside her.
Rand had been accurate in his description of what embracing saidin was like. Embracing, no. That was not the right word. It was more like Riding. Yes. She had never thought that two parts of the same thing could be so different. She felt pain and excitement all bundled into one, and a fear that she would fall into the current sweeping underneath her.
Once past the taint, which left the feeling of slick oil on her skin, she began to find her balance. The taint made her feel sick, but she tamed her stomach out of the need to control. She found it extremely difficult to keep her hold on saidar while trying to hold saidin. This made her angry, and her hold became stronger, but saidin began to slip away. She was not strong enough.
"Nynaeve, you can do this. Start to make the weave, and it will be easier to hold."
Rand's reassurance helped her. She manipulated the flows, twining them together, and directed her weave directly to the True Source. She did not even know how she found it, but she knew that they were flowing into the male half of the source. She scoured it, using a flow like healing, but completely different. And the taint began to peel. She could feel it, peeling sickeningly off the top, detaching from saidin slowly due to it's stubborn clinging. With one last burst, she pulled more of both saidar and saidin and pulled the taint away. It disappeared then. It had nothing to taint, and so it existed no longer.
Nynaeve let saidar go first, and then no longer had the strength to hold saidin. She felt strong arms catch her as she collapsed to the floor.
*************************************************************************************
When Nynaeve awoke, Faolain was standing next to the window in her room. She stirred, alerting the other woman of her consciousness. She rushed to Nynaeve's side. "Nynaeve, thank the Light, you're awake! We thought you would- you almost-" Faolain took a deep breath and began again. "You were so exhausted from your feat, you just passed out. You've been sleeping for almost ten days now." She smiled mischievously. "Lan was here. He visits you every day. He was the one who caught you when you fell, and he carried you here, ignoring Myrelle. Some of the others were delighted, some were scandalized."
"Faolain, what are you talking about?"
"Lan was so obvious in his feelings. Warders almost never fall in love."
Nynaeve sighed and leaned back against the pillow. "Lan is not in love with me."
"Are you kidding?"
At that moment, Egwene walked in the room. "Finally, you're awake. Get up, you only have about an hour to eat and get ready." A novice had just walked in, bearing a covered tray.
"Ready for what?"
"For the ceremony. You are about to become a full Aes Sedai."
Nynaeve glanced at Faolain, who was beaming proudly. "But…why…my block…" Nynaeve could not form any coherent sentence. Egwene understood nonetheless.
"What you did proves you are ready. You know what you are doing. There is no reason to keep you as Accepted. Not one woman in the tower could have done what you did. You will get around your block in time."
"Then it worked." Nynaeve felt a swelling sense of pride, and then sense of dread. The test for Accepted had been horrible. How much worse would she have to endure to become an Aes Sedai?
Half an hour later, Nynaeve followed Faolain down a long hallway. The woman turned and gave her an encouraging smile before continuing down the hall, leaving Nynaeve in front of a large door. Taking a deep breath, Nynaeve pushed it open and stepped through.
End Chapter 6
*Sigh of relief* Ok, so review. You might get a present. But if you don't, you might get a plague on your house, a compass in your eye, and etc. and so on and so forth.
Chapter 6- The Cleansing
"Nynaeve, I do understand, but we can't-"
"I cannot do this if he is wearing that thing. He will only be in control of the flow for a few moments. Then I will have the flow."
Nynaeve was arguing with the six who wore the bracelets attached to the ugly metal contraption holding Rand. Sighing resignedly, she waited for Egwene to arrive, to order them to take it off him.
Egwene arrived, and the rest of the Aes Sedai bowed low to the ground. Nynaeve stood with her arms folded impatiently, and Rand stood looking around himself obliviously. "Egwene, will you please tell them to take that hideous thing off Rand?"
Looking fearful, Egwene nodded to the others, who slowly and gingerly removed the dark metal from around Rand's neck. For the second time since coming back, Nynaeve saw Rand aware of his surroundings. He felt his neck for what felt like ten minutes. Finally, Nynaeve asked if he was ready.
"Probably more ready than you are," he replied. Nynaeve bit back her sharp retort. Taking up Callandor, she worked up her temper. It did not take much, as she was already on the verge of anger at the way the Aes Sedai surrounding them were looking at Rand. Thinking of the black metal thing lying on the floor, Nynaeve embraced saidar.
"Rand?" She turned to him, asking if it was ready. He nodded. Before she took hold of his flow, she saw Lan, standing in a corner by Myrelle, the Aes Sedai to whom he was bonded. Then, she felt saidin in her, and had no more awareness of anything outside her.
Rand had been accurate in his description of what embracing saidin was like. Embracing, no. That was not the right word. It was more like Riding. Yes. She had never thought that two parts of the same thing could be so different. She felt pain and excitement all bundled into one, and a fear that she would fall into the current sweeping underneath her.
Once past the taint, which left the feeling of slick oil on her skin, she began to find her balance. The taint made her feel sick, but she tamed her stomach out of the need to control. She found it extremely difficult to keep her hold on saidar while trying to hold saidin. This made her angry, and her hold became stronger, but saidin began to slip away. She was not strong enough.
"Nynaeve, you can do this. Start to make the weave, and it will be easier to hold."
Rand's reassurance helped her. She manipulated the flows, twining them together, and directed her weave directly to the True Source. She did not even know how she found it, but she knew that they were flowing into the male half of the source. She scoured it, using a flow like healing, but completely different. And the taint began to peel. She could feel it, peeling sickeningly off the top, detaching from saidin slowly due to it's stubborn clinging. With one last burst, she pulled more of both saidar and saidin and pulled the taint away. It disappeared then. It had nothing to taint, and so it existed no longer.
Nynaeve let saidar go first, and then no longer had the strength to hold saidin. She felt strong arms catch her as she collapsed to the floor.
*************************************************************************************
When Nynaeve awoke, Faolain was standing next to the window in her room. She stirred, alerting the other woman of her consciousness. She rushed to Nynaeve's side. "Nynaeve, thank the Light, you're awake! We thought you would- you almost-" Faolain took a deep breath and began again. "You were so exhausted from your feat, you just passed out. You've been sleeping for almost ten days now." She smiled mischievously. "Lan was here. He visits you every day. He was the one who caught you when you fell, and he carried you here, ignoring Myrelle. Some of the others were delighted, some were scandalized."
"Faolain, what are you talking about?"
"Lan was so obvious in his feelings. Warders almost never fall in love."
Nynaeve sighed and leaned back against the pillow. "Lan is not in love with me."
"Are you kidding?"
At that moment, Egwene walked in the room. "Finally, you're awake. Get up, you only have about an hour to eat and get ready." A novice had just walked in, bearing a covered tray.
"Ready for what?"
"For the ceremony. You are about to become a full Aes Sedai."
Nynaeve glanced at Faolain, who was beaming proudly. "But…why…my block…" Nynaeve could not form any coherent sentence. Egwene understood nonetheless.
"What you did proves you are ready. You know what you are doing. There is no reason to keep you as Accepted. Not one woman in the tower could have done what you did. You will get around your block in time."
"Then it worked." Nynaeve felt a swelling sense of pride, and then sense of dread. The test for Accepted had been horrible. How much worse would she have to endure to become an Aes Sedai?
Half an hour later, Nynaeve followed Faolain down a long hallway. The woman turned and gave her an encouraging smile before continuing down the hall, leaving Nynaeve in front of a large door. Taking a deep breath, Nynaeve pushed it open and stepped through.
End Chapter 6
*Sigh of relief* Ok, so review. You might get a present. But if you don't, you might get a plague on your house, a compass in your eye, and etc. and so on and so forth.