((Sorry that I took so long to get up a new chapter but I was working on my
other stories. Zarkot and Lyrenna talk to trees because it is their Talent.
Like Jeriana's truth seeing. Oh yeah, I changed my pen-name in case you
can't tell!))
Jeriana struggled as the object in her hand began to pulse and give off a faint violet light. She was falling through a tunnel of black, the only light coming from the object she held. In the distance she could have sworn that she heard Jeaine calling out for her to wake up. ~But I'm not sleeping am I?~ she wondered as she continued to fall. Then she stopped falling, she was standing on a floor of red marble.
"Where am I?" she wondered out loud. "How did I get here?" To her surprise the small object she had touched in the box was around her wrist. It was made of a dark green glass-like substance and had small black and white opals all around it. Try though she might it would not come off.
"That object brought you here," a voice said from the shadows. Jeriana whirled around, embracing saidar as she did. "I put that one in the box so that you would come here when the time was right."
Jeriana felt her throat tighten as she remembered the image she had seen when she touched the box. "My mother gave this to me," she said, touching the bracelet. "Through Sierin Vayu she did."
"Indeed I did," the voice said. "I determined that I would far rather meet you here then your twin, you seemed to be the stronger and he was taken away by that Aes Sedai, Lyrenna." There was a feeling of hate that surged forth when she mentioned Aes Sedai, as though she hated nothing more in all the world. Then the woman who had been speaking stepped forth to stand about a foot away from Jeriana.
Tears filled the girl's eyes as she looked upon the face of her mother. It was a beautiful face. Her hair was long and midnight black, her eyes were dark brown, no, black. Her skin was perfectly smooth and white. She was wearing a dark blue dress with sparkles all over it. "Mother?" Jeriana asked in a trembling voice.
The woman nodded and smiled gently. Then she held out her arms. "Come here my Jeriana," she said. Jeriana ran right up to the other woman and hugged her tightly, crying with joy. "It is all right," the woman muttered as she stroked Jeriana's hair. "It is all right."
After a few minutes Jeriana stopped sobbing and looked up at the woman. "Are you truly my mother?" she asked. "Did you leave that box for me?"
"You are a truth-seer," the woman said gently. "See for yourself."
With a shaking hand Jeriana reached forth and touched her mother's forehead. An image of thoughts and feelings assaulted her. More then she had ever felt before, almost as though this woman had lived for more years then anyone possibly could have. She saw people serving the woman with black-hair willingly and then unwillingly. The woman discovered something horrible and yet wonderful in her eyes. Great cities that made Jeriana want to cry when they vanished; things that could not have possibly existed. A great war that caused so many deaths, a wrenching feeling of pain as someone turned her away. The woman then was sleeping, for so long. When she awoke the world had changed so much. She walked around and found a man who reminded her of someone she had once loved. Then she gave birth to Jeriana and Zarkot; then she fled.
Jeriana pulled her hands away, panting. There had been a feel of evil in that woman that flashed for a brief moment and was gone just as quickly. She wiped sweat off of her face and looked at the woman who said she was her mother. "What are you?" she demanded. "I have never felt things like that, I've never seen things like that! And I felt..evil. A greater evil then I've ever known."
The woman took a step closer to her and Jeriana fought down the urge to run away. She might get lost; after all she had absolutely no clue of where she was. The sense of evil was growing greater as the woman smiled. "Evil is only what you make it out to be," she said gently as she brushed back a strand of Jeriana's silver-gold hair. "Some people even think that evil is better then good. If evil and good are truly in existence as we think they are."
Jeriana asked, "Where am I?"
The woman smiled and spread her arms around her. "We are in Tel'aran'rhiod, my daughter," she said with a grin.
Jeriana gasped. She had heard of Tel'aran'rhiod of course. She had read about it in many books and even taken a class on it once about a year ago. But she had no Talent for Dreamwalking. And unless one could Dreamwalk or had a ter'angreal that would allow them access to the World of Dreams they would only briefly flicker in this place. "How?" she asked. "I am no Dreamwalker!"
The woman smiled again and reached forward to touch the bracelet. "This is a ter'angreal," she said softly. "That brings the wearer to Tel'aran'rhiod whenever she sleeps. But I added a little something. The first time you touched it it brought you here automatically. From now on though you will control when you do and do not come."
Jeriana's jaw dropped and her lilac eyes widened with shock. Such a gift was beyond pricing and no Aes Sedai would approve of a mere Accepted having in her possession. "Such a bracelet," she stuttered. "Is too great for a mere Accepted to hold." She then began to attempt to remove it.
The woman stepped forward and took both of Jeriana's hands in her own. "Listen to me Jeriana," she said. "This bracelet is yours. As is the box it came in. I will not tell you what that does, it is for you to discover on your own. Tell no Aes Sedai that you have this bracelet, no one!"
"Why is it so important?" Jeriana asked.
"It is the only way I can see you Jeriana," the woman said with a smile. "In the World of Dreams we can meet. I can teach of this place and you will learn well. In addition to your other lessons at the Tower of course."
Jeriana nodded, she felt a touch of anxiety coming from the woman. "May I ask you something?" she asked quietly and the woman nodded. "What is your name?"
The woman's eyes went wide and her face paled slightly. "My name," she said in an unsteady voice and Jeriana felt the woman become awash with feelings of fear, anxiety, and a slight tinge of anger. Suddenly a thought occurred to Jeriana, her mother was like an adult version of that girl from the Tower, Mierin. She was about to say so when the woman said, "My name is Lanrin, and I am your mother."
Jeriana didn't say a word. It was almost like her mother was lying; only she wasn't. "Lanrin," she repeated, savoring the name. Trying to push the feels of evil that she had felt from the woman earlier she embraced her. "My mother."
Lanrin stroked Jeriana's silver-gold hair as she held her. Her eyes were distant. When Jeriana pulled back from her she lifted Jeriana's chin up. There were tears in both sets of eyes. "Jeriana," she said. "You must leave Tel'aran'rhiod now. You may return tomorrow night when you sleep. I will be waiting for you right here and we will begin your lessons."
"May I tell Zarkot?" Jeriana asked. "May I tell him that I have met our mother?"
"No!" Lanrin said. "Tell no one of our meeting Jeriana. It will raise too many questions about how you managed to enter Tel'aran'rhiod. Now go, they are waiting for you."
Jeriana hugged her mother one last time before she pulled the bracelet off and held it tightly in her hand. Her eyes popped open and she found herself looking into the worried pale green eyes of Jeaine.
"Jeriana!" the coppery-skinned woman said happily, hugging her so tightly she though her ribs would break. "You're awake!"
"Yes Jeaine," she said, gasping for breath. "I am awake."
"I was just about to send for a Yellow sister," Jeaine said as she let go of Jeriana. "I thought that thing you grabbed had harmed you."
Jeriana opened up her hand and found that she still clutched the dark green bracelet tightly. "I'm just fine," she said. "Are you all right?"
Tears returned to Jeaine's eyes and she shook her head, biting her lip. Jeriana hugged her again as the sobs started back up. "I thought they were gone," she said. "I thought the memories were gone."
Those words made Jeriana remember and she cried too. "They'll never be gone," she said softly. "But for now we can get through it."
It was around three in the morning when the two girls finally fell asleep, faces wet with tears.
((Sorry again that I took so long for an up-date! I can tell you then won't be another one for at least a week 'cause I'll no internet access!))
Jeriana struggled as the object in her hand began to pulse and give off a faint violet light. She was falling through a tunnel of black, the only light coming from the object she held. In the distance she could have sworn that she heard Jeaine calling out for her to wake up. ~But I'm not sleeping am I?~ she wondered as she continued to fall. Then she stopped falling, she was standing on a floor of red marble.
"Where am I?" she wondered out loud. "How did I get here?" To her surprise the small object she had touched in the box was around her wrist. It was made of a dark green glass-like substance and had small black and white opals all around it. Try though she might it would not come off.
"That object brought you here," a voice said from the shadows. Jeriana whirled around, embracing saidar as she did. "I put that one in the box so that you would come here when the time was right."
Jeriana felt her throat tighten as she remembered the image she had seen when she touched the box. "My mother gave this to me," she said, touching the bracelet. "Through Sierin Vayu she did."
"Indeed I did," the voice said. "I determined that I would far rather meet you here then your twin, you seemed to be the stronger and he was taken away by that Aes Sedai, Lyrenna." There was a feeling of hate that surged forth when she mentioned Aes Sedai, as though she hated nothing more in all the world. Then the woman who had been speaking stepped forth to stand about a foot away from Jeriana.
Tears filled the girl's eyes as she looked upon the face of her mother. It was a beautiful face. Her hair was long and midnight black, her eyes were dark brown, no, black. Her skin was perfectly smooth and white. She was wearing a dark blue dress with sparkles all over it. "Mother?" Jeriana asked in a trembling voice.
The woman nodded and smiled gently. Then she held out her arms. "Come here my Jeriana," she said. Jeriana ran right up to the other woman and hugged her tightly, crying with joy. "It is all right," the woman muttered as she stroked Jeriana's hair. "It is all right."
After a few minutes Jeriana stopped sobbing and looked up at the woman. "Are you truly my mother?" she asked. "Did you leave that box for me?"
"You are a truth-seer," the woman said gently. "See for yourself."
With a shaking hand Jeriana reached forth and touched her mother's forehead. An image of thoughts and feelings assaulted her. More then she had ever felt before, almost as though this woman had lived for more years then anyone possibly could have. She saw people serving the woman with black-hair willingly and then unwillingly. The woman discovered something horrible and yet wonderful in her eyes. Great cities that made Jeriana want to cry when they vanished; things that could not have possibly existed. A great war that caused so many deaths, a wrenching feeling of pain as someone turned her away. The woman then was sleeping, for so long. When she awoke the world had changed so much. She walked around and found a man who reminded her of someone she had once loved. Then she gave birth to Jeriana and Zarkot; then she fled.
Jeriana pulled her hands away, panting. There had been a feel of evil in that woman that flashed for a brief moment and was gone just as quickly. She wiped sweat off of her face and looked at the woman who said she was her mother. "What are you?" she demanded. "I have never felt things like that, I've never seen things like that! And I felt..evil. A greater evil then I've ever known."
The woman took a step closer to her and Jeriana fought down the urge to run away. She might get lost; after all she had absolutely no clue of where she was. The sense of evil was growing greater as the woman smiled. "Evil is only what you make it out to be," she said gently as she brushed back a strand of Jeriana's silver-gold hair. "Some people even think that evil is better then good. If evil and good are truly in existence as we think they are."
Jeriana asked, "Where am I?"
The woman smiled and spread her arms around her. "We are in Tel'aran'rhiod, my daughter," she said with a grin.
Jeriana gasped. She had heard of Tel'aran'rhiod of course. She had read about it in many books and even taken a class on it once about a year ago. But she had no Talent for Dreamwalking. And unless one could Dreamwalk or had a ter'angreal that would allow them access to the World of Dreams they would only briefly flicker in this place. "How?" she asked. "I am no Dreamwalker!"
The woman smiled again and reached forward to touch the bracelet. "This is a ter'angreal," she said softly. "That brings the wearer to Tel'aran'rhiod whenever she sleeps. But I added a little something. The first time you touched it it brought you here automatically. From now on though you will control when you do and do not come."
Jeriana's jaw dropped and her lilac eyes widened with shock. Such a gift was beyond pricing and no Aes Sedai would approve of a mere Accepted having in her possession. "Such a bracelet," she stuttered. "Is too great for a mere Accepted to hold." She then began to attempt to remove it.
The woman stepped forward and took both of Jeriana's hands in her own. "Listen to me Jeriana," she said. "This bracelet is yours. As is the box it came in. I will not tell you what that does, it is for you to discover on your own. Tell no Aes Sedai that you have this bracelet, no one!"
"Why is it so important?" Jeriana asked.
"It is the only way I can see you Jeriana," the woman said with a smile. "In the World of Dreams we can meet. I can teach of this place and you will learn well. In addition to your other lessons at the Tower of course."
Jeriana nodded, she felt a touch of anxiety coming from the woman. "May I ask you something?" she asked quietly and the woman nodded. "What is your name?"
The woman's eyes went wide and her face paled slightly. "My name," she said in an unsteady voice and Jeriana felt the woman become awash with feelings of fear, anxiety, and a slight tinge of anger. Suddenly a thought occurred to Jeriana, her mother was like an adult version of that girl from the Tower, Mierin. She was about to say so when the woman said, "My name is Lanrin, and I am your mother."
Jeriana didn't say a word. It was almost like her mother was lying; only she wasn't. "Lanrin," she repeated, savoring the name. Trying to push the feels of evil that she had felt from the woman earlier she embraced her. "My mother."
Lanrin stroked Jeriana's silver-gold hair as she held her. Her eyes were distant. When Jeriana pulled back from her she lifted Jeriana's chin up. There were tears in both sets of eyes. "Jeriana," she said. "You must leave Tel'aran'rhiod now. You may return tomorrow night when you sleep. I will be waiting for you right here and we will begin your lessons."
"May I tell Zarkot?" Jeriana asked. "May I tell him that I have met our mother?"
"No!" Lanrin said. "Tell no one of our meeting Jeriana. It will raise too many questions about how you managed to enter Tel'aran'rhiod. Now go, they are waiting for you."
Jeriana hugged her mother one last time before she pulled the bracelet off and held it tightly in her hand. Her eyes popped open and she found herself looking into the worried pale green eyes of Jeaine.
"Jeriana!" the coppery-skinned woman said happily, hugging her so tightly she though her ribs would break. "You're awake!"
"Yes Jeaine," she said, gasping for breath. "I am awake."
"I was just about to send for a Yellow sister," Jeaine said as she let go of Jeriana. "I thought that thing you grabbed had harmed you."
Jeriana opened up her hand and found that she still clutched the dark green bracelet tightly. "I'm just fine," she said. "Are you all right?"
Tears returned to Jeaine's eyes and she shook her head, biting her lip. Jeriana hugged her again as the sobs started back up. "I thought they were gone," she said. "I thought the memories were gone."
Those words made Jeriana remember and she cried too. "They'll never be gone," she said softly. "But for now we can get through it."
It was around three in the morning when the two girls finally fell asleep, faces wet with tears.
((Sorry again that I took so long for an up-date! I can tell you then won't be another one for at least a week 'cause I'll no internet access!))