The silver sword lowered almost infinitely slowly. The ground's rumbling
seemed to slow, and the chanting seemed to be underwater, thick and
boiling. The Warder shouted his command, and levers were pulled in a flash.
Snaps and whirring filled the air behind the walls. Masonry flew through
the air, cleared the walls, sailed across the river, and smashed into
Trollocs on the opposite banks. One or two smashed into the Trolloc
catapults, and they fell apart under the heavy stones.
Already men were shouting corrections and new directions down to the crews operating the catapults. As they reloaded, men made adjustments to the aim. Trolloc counter-fire smashed into the walls, making them shudder violently. In one or two places, the stones scraped across the top of the walls, throwing men off before their bulk before they smashed into buildings on the other side. The men already were returning fire as the archers drew fletching to ear and picked targets among the hordes sweeping towards them. The Power flared up on both sides, but the Aes Sedai outnumbered the Dreadlords; however, they could not find the Dreadlords among the masses. Raekal turned to one of the men there. "As soon as casualties get too heavy up here, get off the walls, you hear me? I'll need archer support below!"
With that, Elayne followed him down below to where the gate was shuddering under the Trolloc axes. Within only seconds, it shattered under the strain, and Trollocs poured through into the humans.
Pikemen slaughtered them by the dozens, and the rain of arrows only increased as archers turned to kill the Trollocs inside the walls. Raekal waded into battle himself, standing with the pikemen, protecting them from those few Trollocs that punched in too deeply.
He swept through forms, and his sword clove a black-mailed Trolloc from navel to jaw. He buried it in another's heart, and gave it a twist for good measure. All around him, men were fighting and screaming, their weapons of steel ripping the Trollocs apart.
He fought until time itself seemed to fade into nothing, and still Trollocs came. The archers had abandoned the walls. The wall was crumbling in places due to the Trolloc catapults. As fast as the guards smashed them, they brought up more, and their lethal rain continued to pour down.
He began to realize that more men were falling. He was fighting more and more Trollocs. There weren't as many pikemen as there had been, and bodies lay intermized in the dead now. He looked up to see an Aes Sedai loose her head and topple into the horde of Trollocs. Another grunted as a hole was burned through her chest and slowly sank to the ground. Elayne stood somewhere behind him. Lightnings of her make flashed all around him, striking Trollocs dead everywhere.
Then Raekal found a Fade before him. "Carai an Caldazar!" Raekal shouted, and launched himself at the Fade. For the honor of the red eagle . . . he realized that he had spoken the Old Tongue and blinked, hesitating. And nearly lost his life. The Fade's black blade swung at his head, Raekal barely bent back enough under it, the air from the blade's passing skinning his nose. His breath caught. That had been close. He stood back straight and staggered as the Fade punched him in the gut. He fell backwards, tripping over a man's body, and raised his blade just in time to catch the black blade.
There was a crash like thunder, and then Raekal was on his feet, his blade whipping at the Fade, dancing with death. The Fade staggered backwards, now desperately trying to defend himself. Raekal would have none of it. His blade cut through the neck of the Fade, decapitating the Shadowspawn, and it's body thrashed as it fell into a pile of dead Trollocs. But still it thrashed, unable to admit that it was dead.
Raekal looked around. A few men were trying to stem the flood of Trollocs. Not many were left. A horse with a bloody rider came thundering up. "My lord!" the man shouted, when he saw Raekal. "The Trollocs have punched through to either side! Retreat, my lord!"
He spun his horse and was gone. Raekal cursed and looked up to the wall. "Fall back!!!" he roared at the top of his lungs. "Fall back!! Everyone, fall back!!" He refused to say retreat. He was not retreating, not yet.
A Trolloc rose up in front of him and fell almost instantly, its head rolling on the bloody ground. The catapults were abandoned as the men ran from them, unsheathing swords to fight with. The archers broke into a full run back towards the inner walls. Elayne appeared at his side, with a compliment of a few hundred men, all armed and bloody. "Close up! Around the Aes Sedai!" he yelled to the men. A few archers joined with them instead of running on their own. Seven more Aes Sedai were with Elayne, all weary-looking.
"The Dreadlords should be dealt with," one told Raekal, and he merely nodded, shouting again for the men to close up. They formed a rough circle with the Aes Sedai and archers in the middle as the Trollocs poured around them.
"Make for the walls," Raekal ordered, and the circle began to move slowly, Trollocs throwing themselves at the men. They were completely surrounded, Fades and Trollocs swirling around them, the horde pouring inside Tar Valon through the three defeated gates. Raekal fought with the men again, his blade joining the rest of the defenders as they made their way slowly back. Again time faded into nothing as they fought. The Aes Sedai used the Power until they collapsed, and then men carried them, usually their Warders, if they were left alive. Elayne staggered along, occasionally throwing fire at the Trollocs.
Raekal found himself fighting another Fade, and cut that one in half at the waist. Men cheered as a few Trollocs fell with it, but not nearly enough. Not even close. He fought until he could think of nothing but the Trollocs coming at him, their blades starting to get through. More and more men fell. They would be overrun soon if they did not reach the walls. Raekal turned too late to avoid a scythe sword of one Trolloc, and his cheek was laid open. Pain poured into the Void, but he ignored it. It was someone else's pain. He continued to fight, continued to push the shrinking circle towards the walls.
Finally, he fell back inside the circle to Elayne's side. She was stumbling along, and winced when she saw the bloody gash across his cheek. He brushed her hands off of him and raised his sword. "No Power . . . remember?" She nodded slowly, and sagged against his supporting his arm.
"We're not going to make it," she whispered.
"We will!" Raekal replied vehemently. "We will make it, and then we will teach these Trollocs to invade Tar Valon."
She looked up at him. She was crying. Her cheeks were dirty, and the tears washed away clear little channels down her cheeks. "We're going to die, Raekal," she whispered, and all he could do was shake his head.
"No . . . not yet," he finally managed, and at that moment, they came in sight of the walls. They began to cross Trollocs that had fallen to the archers on the walls, and the archers with them hastily ripped free arrows and began to fire again. They had long since run out, but now, with more ammunition, hope began to rise again. Raekal waved his bloody sword at the walls. Flights of arrows flew around them, almost tracing the circle. A little opening appeared, and the men heaved huge breaths as the gates crashed open. Trollocs tried to flow inside, but met flights of arrows and were leveled. More took their places, and Raekal pointed his sword. "Charge!!!" he screamed, and the men reacted.
They roared and flowed at the Trollocs that were now effectively pinned in the gates. Archers from above raked the Trollocs with more organized flights, keeping more back. And then the gates closed, and Raekal and the few men left with him were safe.
They all collapsed almost instantly. It was relatively quiet with the gates closed, much more so that it was with a horde of Trollocs surrounding and attacking you. Raekal looked up at the Warder that had first sworn allegiance to him and shook his head. "You are the luckiest man I have ever met," the Warder said, with a shake of his head. "To survive that."
Ren suddenly ran up. Raekal had almost forgotten about him, in light of everything else that had been happening. Ren winced when he saw the gash across Raekal's cheek, but had one very similar across his forearm. "Raekal! Light, I thought you hadn't made it back!"
Raekal grinned weakly. He seemed to lack the energy to even raise his sword again. Elayne's eyes were closed, and she was sagged against his side. The only reason he was even sitting upright was the wall behind him. "No . . . still alive," he managed hoarsely.
Ren smiled. "That's good, man." He clapped him on the shoulder. Raekal blinked. He couldn't even think properly. "The Aes Sedai are all being looked after. You saved a good many of them."
With a start, Raekal saw twenty or thirty where he had only had seven before. More must have joined as he was fighting. Warders were with most. A few were bleeding badly, but as fresh Aes Sedai came around, they insisted on the Aes Sedai getting the attention first. Raekal looked at Elayne. All she needed was rest. Real rest. He touched the gash on his cheek. It wasn't really that bad, he decided, and pushed himself to his feet. "Help me . . . help me get Elayne to a bed."
Ren nodded, and picked Elayne up easily. Raekal staggered towards where severl cots were laid out, and went to an empty one. Ren laid her easily on it, and Raekal sat heavily with his back against the cot's legs.
Ren dropped down next to him. "The Trollocs are looting and burning the city. Several people seem to think that the battle is done for today. Myself, I don't know . . . those Trollocs seemed pretty determined to get through those gates."
Raekal nodded wearily. "There were at that. I know we killed hundreds. Thousands. Just at the one gate. And we killed a good many coming back."
Ren smiled. "You did at that. A path from here to there, I bet."
Raekal couldn't help but grin too. "Yes . . . a path." He barked a laugh. "Too many men have fallen to hold the inner walls, I fear."
Ren sobered quickly. "We've only lost three or four thousand."
"Which only leaves eight or nine to defend," Raekal pointed out. "While we may have killed well over 50,000 of them, they have the numbers. We do not. It is a matter of time." He shook his head slowly.
Ren jerked. "That is why we lost today."
Raekal looked at him. "Of course it is! We were bloody outnumbered!"
Ren shook his head. "No, because you will not look at the bright side. You think only about what bad has happened. About what did not go the way it was supposed to. The opposite of how you're supposed to think." He shifted to look at Raekal better. "Manetheren held out on the banks of that river for how long while outnumbered? They held out in the hope that help was on it's way."
"They held for nothing," Raekal pointed out again. "They fell in the end. They lost."
"They held because they would not stand aside and watch the Shadow rule. If you will do the same, the Trollocs would not stand nearly as good a chance. Right now they have us where they want us. Severely outnumbered, surrounded, and the leader demoralized. All of us are down. No one can see the hope anymore. But how did you fight your way here? You fought because you really did fight. Men were awed by you, they had hope. But for you to lose that hope now is to cast away the men that fell!"
Raekal looked away, although he knew that Ren was right. "Ren . . . men swore their lives to me. To me . . . because they all think that I am going to raise Manetheren."
"Not think—they know. They know because you have, Raekal! You rose Manetheren the moment that first man knelt to you and swore that his life was yours. Manetheren is born again. It lived in you, but it had been born again into the world."
Raekal swallowed hard. "I don't want to lead a nation. I . . . I don't know how, Ren. I can't do it. These people all think that I am someone I am not."
"The gate that you were at held longest, did it not?" Ren asked. After Raekal nodded, he added, "That was because the people there fought for more than the Tower. They fought for you. Make everyone fight for you. Make everyone hear remember Manetheren, my friend, and you shall see the true heart of men."
Raekal blinked. "You think?"
Ren nodded, a small smile lighting his face. "I know, my friend. Make us remember. Make us remember who we fight for. What we fight for."
Raekal nodded slowly, and rose slowly. An Aes Sedai appeared at his side in a flash. She bowed her head to him. To him! And spoke softly. "Milord . . . I offer you my thanks. You saved me from near death." She looked him in the eyes. "You are truly the heir." She looked at his gash. "May I?" she asked, and he looked at Ren, then handed him his sword and nodded.
She took his head between his hands and he gasped at the icy chill that sank into him, and felt his cheek knit itself back together. Right before it was done—it seemed to take hours, when in truth it was a couple of seconds—he pulled away, leaving a definite red welt and line. "It will still scar," the Aes Sedai said worriedly.
He nodded. "I know. And I thank you." He bowed his head to her, and walked to where a bowl of clean water waited. He wet a rag and washed his face and hands. The water turned brown. The Aes Sedai channeled, and somehow cleansed the water again, and he smiled his thanks as he took a new cloth and wet it. He walked back to Elayne and washed her face and wiped the dried blood from his sword before tossing aside the rag. The Aes Sedai washed away some of Elayne's weariness at Raekal's request, and she rose unsteadily.
He looked her in the eyes. "Come with me." Was all he said, but she nodded and touched his arm softly. He lead her and Ren back to the walls and walked up to where he stood above the gates. Outside was a mass of death. Trollocs and men alike were sprawled everywhere. He shook his head and turned back to address the rest of his army. Ren whispered something to Elayne, and she nodded. When he spoke, his voice carried across the Grounds, startling everyone into listening.
"I am Raekal Dunshain. I am the Master at Arms of the White Tower, and I am the heir of Manetheren, for those of you that did not know. We fought well today. Very well. For ordinary men. But we are not ordinary men!" he shouted the last, and people were gathering, staring up at him. Those on the walls crept off of them, to join the rest on the ground. Only Ren and Elayne remained with him.
"Many of you have already sworn your lives to me. To Manetheren. I ask that the rest of you swear the same. We no longer fight for just the White Tower, oh no. Much, much more is now at stake. Once the nation of Manetheren earned the nickname of a thorn to the Dark One. Let it be so again! If we defeat this army . . . this rabble that he has thrown at us, we shall have dealt a decisive blow to the Dark One!" He raised his sword slowly. "I fought by your side all this day. Now I ask you to fight at mine. We will defeat this army. We will save the White Tower, and we will successfully raise the nation of Manetheren!"
People cheered. They actually cheered. Even Aes Sedai forgot themselves enough to clap or let out a whoop. Raekal smiled grimly, and up the stairs suddenly the Amyrlin came running. "Raekal!" she called out, and he saw a bundle in her arms. "Catch!" she said, and tossed it to him.
He reached out and caught one corner of it in one hand, and a sudden gust of wind caught the cloth and billowed it out. It was a light blue, and in the center was a red eagle. He raised it high above his head, the wind catching it and snapping it.
"Hail Raekal, heir of Manetheren!" the call rose from somewhere below, and behind him, Ren and Elayne knelt, hands at their sides, heads bowed. Everyone followed suit. Everyone bowed to him. Even the Amyrlin dropped to her knees and bowed her head. "Raekal! Manetheren! Raekal! Manetheren! Raekal! Manetheren!" the cheer rose.
Raekal smiled again. He was the king of Manetheren. Manetheren had rose. And it would be feared. Slowly, people began to rise, and the cheer faded away. He raised his hand for one more thing to say. "Rest for the day. Prepare for battle again tonight."
The people began to disperse, talking excitedly. The air seemed to hum instead of being a sober quiet. Raekal walked to the Amyrlin. "You never told me your name."
She smiled. "Alys," she said.
He nodded. "Alys . . . easier to say than Amyrlin, isn't it?" She laughed, and he continued, "Alys, I need you to send word to Andor again for me. Tell them to send everyone that they can right now. I care not for numbers, just send whatever. And then send word to the forces in Shienar. Tell them that once they plug the Gap again to try to rebuild what they can. I'm sure they would anyway, but tell them that I'll be coming that way once these Trollocs are dealt with." She nodded. Obviously not used to taking orders, but she nodded and walked away to do as he had asked.
Raekal turned to Ren and Elayne. "Ren . . . thank you."
Ren appeared as if he would like to blush, but said nothing, only nodded.
He offered Elayne his arm, and she took it. "If you would excuse us," he said, with a sly smile that was reflected back at him. "This Aes Sedai needs to get some sleep."
Ren laughed. "I'll look after things for you. No worries."
Raekal lead Elayne back into the Tower, and up to her old rooms. As soon as the door was closed, she sagged onto the bed, pulling him down to sit next to her. "You are by far the most cocky, arrogant man I know," she said, with a mischievous light in her eyes.
"Me?" he asked, with a small smile.
"Yes you! You expect everyone to do as you say now."
Raekal arched an eyebrow at her. "Not everyone," he said, sliding a hand across her stomach and to her side. "Just some people." He tickled her soft spot on her side and she curled up around his arm laughing.
"Light help me . . . I must be insane." She laughed again, trying to pull his arm away from her side.
"Why is that?" he asked, falling backwards across her lap.
"Because you wool-headed mule . . . I must be insane for falling so hard for you." She smiled at him, a smile that he returned as she leaned over and kissed him softly. "Or maybe that's your fault."
He grinned slyly. "You never know." Twisting around, he pinned her down, and continued to tickle her for some time.
Already men were shouting corrections and new directions down to the crews operating the catapults. As they reloaded, men made adjustments to the aim. Trolloc counter-fire smashed into the walls, making them shudder violently. In one or two places, the stones scraped across the top of the walls, throwing men off before their bulk before they smashed into buildings on the other side. The men already were returning fire as the archers drew fletching to ear and picked targets among the hordes sweeping towards them. The Power flared up on both sides, but the Aes Sedai outnumbered the Dreadlords; however, they could not find the Dreadlords among the masses. Raekal turned to one of the men there. "As soon as casualties get too heavy up here, get off the walls, you hear me? I'll need archer support below!"
With that, Elayne followed him down below to where the gate was shuddering under the Trolloc axes. Within only seconds, it shattered under the strain, and Trollocs poured through into the humans.
Pikemen slaughtered them by the dozens, and the rain of arrows only increased as archers turned to kill the Trollocs inside the walls. Raekal waded into battle himself, standing with the pikemen, protecting them from those few Trollocs that punched in too deeply.
He swept through forms, and his sword clove a black-mailed Trolloc from navel to jaw. He buried it in another's heart, and gave it a twist for good measure. All around him, men were fighting and screaming, their weapons of steel ripping the Trollocs apart.
He fought until time itself seemed to fade into nothing, and still Trollocs came. The archers had abandoned the walls. The wall was crumbling in places due to the Trolloc catapults. As fast as the guards smashed them, they brought up more, and their lethal rain continued to pour down.
He began to realize that more men were falling. He was fighting more and more Trollocs. There weren't as many pikemen as there had been, and bodies lay intermized in the dead now. He looked up to see an Aes Sedai loose her head and topple into the horde of Trollocs. Another grunted as a hole was burned through her chest and slowly sank to the ground. Elayne stood somewhere behind him. Lightnings of her make flashed all around him, striking Trollocs dead everywhere.
Then Raekal found a Fade before him. "Carai an Caldazar!" Raekal shouted, and launched himself at the Fade. For the honor of the red eagle . . . he realized that he had spoken the Old Tongue and blinked, hesitating. And nearly lost his life. The Fade's black blade swung at his head, Raekal barely bent back enough under it, the air from the blade's passing skinning his nose. His breath caught. That had been close. He stood back straight and staggered as the Fade punched him in the gut. He fell backwards, tripping over a man's body, and raised his blade just in time to catch the black blade.
There was a crash like thunder, and then Raekal was on his feet, his blade whipping at the Fade, dancing with death. The Fade staggered backwards, now desperately trying to defend himself. Raekal would have none of it. His blade cut through the neck of the Fade, decapitating the Shadowspawn, and it's body thrashed as it fell into a pile of dead Trollocs. But still it thrashed, unable to admit that it was dead.
Raekal looked around. A few men were trying to stem the flood of Trollocs. Not many were left. A horse with a bloody rider came thundering up. "My lord!" the man shouted, when he saw Raekal. "The Trollocs have punched through to either side! Retreat, my lord!"
He spun his horse and was gone. Raekal cursed and looked up to the wall. "Fall back!!!" he roared at the top of his lungs. "Fall back!! Everyone, fall back!!" He refused to say retreat. He was not retreating, not yet.
A Trolloc rose up in front of him and fell almost instantly, its head rolling on the bloody ground. The catapults were abandoned as the men ran from them, unsheathing swords to fight with. The archers broke into a full run back towards the inner walls. Elayne appeared at his side, with a compliment of a few hundred men, all armed and bloody. "Close up! Around the Aes Sedai!" he yelled to the men. A few archers joined with them instead of running on their own. Seven more Aes Sedai were with Elayne, all weary-looking.
"The Dreadlords should be dealt with," one told Raekal, and he merely nodded, shouting again for the men to close up. They formed a rough circle with the Aes Sedai and archers in the middle as the Trollocs poured around them.
"Make for the walls," Raekal ordered, and the circle began to move slowly, Trollocs throwing themselves at the men. They were completely surrounded, Fades and Trollocs swirling around them, the horde pouring inside Tar Valon through the three defeated gates. Raekal fought with the men again, his blade joining the rest of the defenders as they made their way slowly back. Again time faded into nothing as they fought. The Aes Sedai used the Power until they collapsed, and then men carried them, usually their Warders, if they were left alive. Elayne staggered along, occasionally throwing fire at the Trollocs.
Raekal found himself fighting another Fade, and cut that one in half at the waist. Men cheered as a few Trollocs fell with it, but not nearly enough. Not even close. He fought until he could think of nothing but the Trollocs coming at him, their blades starting to get through. More and more men fell. They would be overrun soon if they did not reach the walls. Raekal turned too late to avoid a scythe sword of one Trolloc, and his cheek was laid open. Pain poured into the Void, but he ignored it. It was someone else's pain. He continued to fight, continued to push the shrinking circle towards the walls.
Finally, he fell back inside the circle to Elayne's side. She was stumbling along, and winced when she saw the bloody gash across his cheek. He brushed her hands off of him and raised his sword. "No Power . . . remember?" She nodded slowly, and sagged against his supporting his arm.
"We're not going to make it," she whispered.
"We will!" Raekal replied vehemently. "We will make it, and then we will teach these Trollocs to invade Tar Valon."
She looked up at him. She was crying. Her cheeks were dirty, and the tears washed away clear little channels down her cheeks. "We're going to die, Raekal," she whispered, and all he could do was shake his head.
"No . . . not yet," he finally managed, and at that moment, they came in sight of the walls. They began to cross Trollocs that had fallen to the archers on the walls, and the archers with them hastily ripped free arrows and began to fire again. They had long since run out, but now, with more ammunition, hope began to rise again. Raekal waved his bloody sword at the walls. Flights of arrows flew around them, almost tracing the circle. A little opening appeared, and the men heaved huge breaths as the gates crashed open. Trollocs tried to flow inside, but met flights of arrows and were leveled. More took their places, and Raekal pointed his sword. "Charge!!!" he screamed, and the men reacted.
They roared and flowed at the Trollocs that were now effectively pinned in the gates. Archers from above raked the Trollocs with more organized flights, keeping more back. And then the gates closed, and Raekal and the few men left with him were safe.
They all collapsed almost instantly. It was relatively quiet with the gates closed, much more so that it was with a horde of Trollocs surrounding and attacking you. Raekal looked up at the Warder that had first sworn allegiance to him and shook his head. "You are the luckiest man I have ever met," the Warder said, with a shake of his head. "To survive that."
Ren suddenly ran up. Raekal had almost forgotten about him, in light of everything else that had been happening. Ren winced when he saw the gash across Raekal's cheek, but had one very similar across his forearm. "Raekal! Light, I thought you hadn't made it back!"
Raekal grinned weakly. He seemed to lack the energy to even raise his sword again. Elayne's eyes were closed, and she was sagged against his side. The only reason he was even sitting upright was the wall behind him. "No . . . still alive," he managed hoarsely.
Ren smiled. "That's good, man." He clapped him on the shoulder. Raekal blinked. He couldn't even think properly. "The Aes Sedai are all being looked after. You saved a good many of them."
With a start, Raekal saw twenty or thirty where he had only had seven before. More must have joined as he was fighting. Warders were with most. A few were bleeding badly, but as fresh Aes Sedai came around, they insisted on the Aes Sedai getting the attention first. Raekal looked at Elayne. All she needed was rest. Real rest. He touched the gash on his cheek. It wasn't really that bad, he decided, and pushed himself to his feet. "Help me . . . help me get Elayne to a bed."
Ren nodded, and picked Elayne up easily. Raekal staggered towards where severl cots were laid out, and went to an empty one. Ren laid her easily on it, and Raekal sat heavily with his back against the cot's legs.
Ren dropped down next to him. "The Trollocs are looting and burning the city. Several people seem to think that the battle is done for today. Myself, I don't know . . . those Trollocs seemed pretty determined to get through those gates."
Raekal nodded wearily. "There were at that. I know we killed hundreds. Thousands. Just at the one gate. And we killed a good many coming back."
Ren smiled. "You did at that. A path from here to there, I bet."
Raekal couldn't help but grin too. "Yes . . . a path." He barked a laugh. "Too many men have fallen to hold the inner walls, I fear."
Ren sobered quickly. "We've only lost three or four thousand."
"Which only leaves eight or nine to defend," Raekal pointed out. "While we may have killed well over 50,000 of them, they have the numbers. We do not. It is a matter of time." He shook his head slowly.
Ren jerked. "That is why we lost today."
Raekal looked at him. "Of course it is! We were bloody outnumbered!"
Ren shook his head. "No, because you will not look at the bright side. You think only about what bad has happened. About what did not go the way it was supposed to. The opposite of how you're supposed to think." He shifted to look at Raekal better. "Manetheren held out on the banks of that river for how long while outnumbered? They held out in the hope that help was on it's way."
"They held for nothing," Raekal pointed out again. "They fell in the end. They lost."
"They held because they would not stand aside and watch the Shadow rule. If you will do the same, the Trollocs would not stand nearly as good a chance. Right now they have us where they want us. Severely outnumbered, surrounded, and the leader demoralized. All of us are down. No one can see the hope anymore. But how did you fight your way here? You fought because you really did fight. Men were awed by you, they had hope. But for you to lose that hope now is to cast away the men that fell!"
Raekal looked away, although he knew that Ren was right. "Ren . . . men swore their lives to me. To me . . . because they all think that I am going to raise Manetheren."
"Not think—they know. They know because you have, Raekal! You rose Manetheren the moment that first man knelt to you and swore that his life was yours. Manetheren is born again. It lived in you, but it had been born again into the world."
Raekal swallowed hard. "I don't want to lead a nation. I . . . I don't know how, Ren. I can't do it. These people all think that I am someone I am not."
"The gate that you were at held longest, did it not?" Ren asked. After Raekal nodded, he added, "That was because the people there fought for more than the Tower. They fought for you. Make everyone fight for you. Make everyone hear remember Manetheren, my friend, and you shall see the true heart of men."
Raekal blinked. "You think?"
Ren nodded, a small smile lighting his face. "I know, my friend. Make us remember. Make us remember who we fight for. What we fight for."
Raekal nodded slowly, and rose slowly. An Aes Sedai appeared at his side in a flash. She bowed her head to him. To him! And spoke softly. "Milord . . . I offer you my thanks. You saved me from near death." She looked him in the eyes. "You are truly the heir." She looked at his gash. "May I?" she asked, and he looked at Ren, then handed him his sword and nodded.
She took his head between his hands and he gasped at the icy chill that sank into him, and felt his cheek knit itself back together. Right before it was done—it seemed to take hours, when in truth it was a couple of seconds—he pulled away, leaving a definite red welt and line. "It will still scar," the Aes Sedai said worriedly.
He nodded. "I know. And I thank you." He bowed his head to her, and walked to where a bowl of clean water waited. He wet a rag and washed his face and hands. The water turned brown. The Aes Sedai channeled, and somehow cleansed the water again, and he smiled his thanks as he took a new cloth and wet it. He walked back to Elayne and washed her face and wiped the dried blood from his sword before tossing aside the rag. The Aes Sedai washed away some of Elayne's weariness at Raekal's request, and she rose unsteadily.
He looked her in the eyes. "Come with me." Was all he said, but she nodded and touched his arm softly. He lead her and Ren back to the walls and walked up to where he stood above the gates. Outside was a mass of death. Trollocs and men alike were sprawled everywhere. He shook his head and turned back to address the rest of his army. Ren whispered something to Elayne, and she nodded. When he spoke, his voice carried across the Grounds, startling everyone into listening.
"I am Raekal Dunshain. I am the Master at Arms of the White Tower, and I am the heir of Manetheren, for those of you that did not know. We fought well today. Very well. For ordinary men. But we are not ordinary men!" he shouted the last, and people were gathering, staring up at him. Those on the walls crept off of them, to join the rest on the ground. Only Ren and Elayne remained with him.
"Many of you have already sworn your lives to me. To Manetheren. I ask that the rest of you swear the same. We no longer fight for just the White Tower, oh no. Much, much more is now at stake. Once the nation of Manetheren earned the nickname of a thorn to the Dark One. Let it be so again! If we defeat this army . . . this rabble that he has thrown at us, we shall have dealt a decisive blow to the Dark One!" He raised his sword slowly. "I fought by your side all this day. Now I ask you to fight at mine. We will defeat this army. We will save the White Tower, and we will successfully raise the nation of Manetheren!"
People cheered. They actually cheered. Even Aes Sedai forgot themselves enough to clap or let out a whoop. Raekal smiled grimly, and up the stairs suddenly the Amyrlin came running. "Raekal!" she called out, and he saw a bundle in her arms. "Catch!" she said, and tossed it to him.
He reached out and caught one corner of it in one hand, and a sudden gust of wind caught the cloth and billowed it out. It was a light blue, and in the center was a red eagle. He raised it high above his head, the wind catching it and snapping it.
"Hail Raekal, heir of Manetheren!" the call rose from somewhere below, and behind him, Ren and Elayne knelt, hands at their sides, heads bowed. Everyone followed suit. Everyone bowed to him. Even the Amyrlin dropped to her knees and bowed her head. "Raekal! Manetheren! Raekal! Manetheren! Raekal! Manetheren!" the cheer rose.
Raekal smiled again. He was the king of Manetheren. Manetheren had rose. And it would be feared. Slowly, people began to rise, and the cheer faded away. He raised his hand for one more thing to say. "Rest for the day. Prepare for battle again tonight."
The people began to disperse, talking excitedly. The air seemed to hum instead of being a sober quiet. Raekal walked to the Amyrlin. "You never told me your name."
She smiled. "Alys," she said.
He nodded. "Alys . . . easier to say than Amyrlin, isn't it?" She laughed, and he continued, "Alys, I need you to send word to Andor again for me. Tell them to send everyone that they can right now. I care not for numbers, just send whatever. And then send word to the forces in Shienar. Tell them that once they plug the Gap again to try to rebuild what they can. I'm sure they would anyway, but tell them that I'll be coming that way once these Trollocs are dealt with." She nodded. Obviously not used to taking orders, but she nodded and walked away to do as he had asked.
Raekal turned to Ren and Elayne. "Ren . . . thank you."
Ren appeared as if he would like to blush, but said nothing, only nodded.
He offered Elayne his arm, and she took it. "If you would excuse us," he said, with a sly smile that was reflected back at him. "This Aes Sedai needs to get some sleep."
Ren laughed. "I'll look after things for you. No worries."
Raekal lead Elayne back into the Tower, and up to her old rooms. As soon as the door was closed, she sagged onto the bed, pulling him down to sit next to her. "You are by far the most cocky, arrogant man I know," she said, with a mischievous light in her eyes.
"Me?" he asked, with a small smile.
"Yes you! You expect everyone to do as you say now."
Raekal arched an eyebrow at her. "Not everyone," he said, sliding a hand across her stomach and to her side. "Just some people." He tickled her soft spot on her side and she curled up around his arm laughing.
"Light help me . . . I must be insane." She laughed again, trying to pull his arm away from her side.
"Why is that?" he asked, falling backwards across her lap.
"Because you wool-headed mule . . . I must be insane for falling so hard for you." She smiled at him, a smile that he returned as she leaned over and kissed him softly. "Or maybe that's your fault."
He grinned slyly. "You never know." Twisting around, he pinned her down, and continued to tickle her for some time.