Tyanna felt him try to turn around to face her. She knew he was too weak to make a move against her. But she could not keep holding on to him like this forever. Silently Tyanna watched him with interest as he spoke of jumping been the only way. But then he changed his mind on what he was saying.
"Aes Sedai, I cannot... will not jump now. May I please come back onto the ledge?" Gently Tyanna let go of his shoulders and motioned for him to get down off the low wall.
"You think you are the only one who feels pain. I lost half my family to the blight before I came here. Even after I passed for Aes Sedai I lost the man who I had been promised to when I was 16. Let me guess you think that I have only been an Aes Sedai for a year, maybe less, but that is not true. I have been one for 6 years." Tyanna tried her hardest to keep her emotions under control. It had been a long while since she had spoken about her pain.
Even though Tyanna had let go of his shoulders she could not let go of Saidar. She felt that she had to be on the safe side. She could not have his death on her conscience not when she could stop him.
xxxx
"You think you are the only one who feels pain..." Lain listened to the Aes Sedai once more, so sure in her beliefs. What she had felt was nothing like what he had gone through...
Climbing back onto the balcony slowly and painfully, he turned carefully to face her. "I thank you, Aes Sedai," Of course he didn't. But he had to be polite. "I know now that would have been a dishonorable way to die. Mileni wouldn't have wanted it to be that way..." Tears filling his eyes, he ducked his head and cleared his throat. He was a man. He would not cry.
"I have lost family to the shadow, too," he said with sympathy. He knew how that felt. "My entire family was killed my Shadowspawn," he said with vehemence. "That is why I was driven to become a Gaidin in the first place," he explained. "So you see, I am no stranger to loss."
"But Mileni..." he cleared his throat again. "The bond was very strong..." He didn't bother explaining further.
"I would go to the Blight, Aes Sedai," he told her sadly, "But after... the incident... in which I lost Mileni..." He forced the words out one by one. "I'm too weak to travel that far and live to fight the Shadowspawn." A slaughter is what it would be. The simple truth; he hadn't even raised a sword since...
Realizing what the Aes Sedai had figured out, he bit his lip, apologizing with a stony face. "I didn't mean to imply you weren't... You were young..." Embarrassed, he stopped, striding- limping- away from the edge to soothe the young Aes Sedai's fears for him.
xxxx
Tyanna silently moved away from the ledge to allow the warder to move away from the ledge. She had known that he thought her young but she did not know just how young he thought she was. As she moved away she kept her green eyes fixed firmly on him.
Tyanna had listened to everything he had told her. She took it all in that he would have gone to the blight but he had been to weak. That makes little difference now. He seems well enough. Tyanna thought as she started to feel pity for the warder.
"I should tell you that I am not the kind of Aes Sedai who 'cures' warders when they have lost their Aes Sedai. So you have nothing to fear from me on that point." Tyanna smiled slightly as she looked at him. "I should tell you who I am. I am Tyanna." Tyanna stretched out her hand for him to take if her wished.
xxxx
"I should tell you that I am not the kind of Aes Sedai who 'cures' warders when they have lost their Aes Sedai. So you have nothing to fear from me on that point."
Lain heaved a sigh of relief inwardly, letting out a breath he didn't know he had held. Thank the Light. As she smiled and held out her hand, he took it in his left, kissing the back of her hand and bowing, not awkward despite his bad leg.
"It is an honor, Tyanna Sedai," he murmured, straightening gracefully. "I am Lain." He bowed again. Mileni had green eyes too... Stop that, he told himself sharply. Now was no longer the time for such thoughts. He truly didn't know why he had spilled so much of his past out to Tyanna- he always thought of them by their first names in his head- and told her all his thoughts. Foolish.
He paused, wondering what to say now.
"A lovely day, isn't it?" he said softly, gazing out upon the city of Tar Valon, in all it's gleaming whiteness.
xxxx
Tyanna could not help but smile slightly at Lain as he kissed the back of her hand and bowed to her. He seems relieved about something. Tyanna thought as her green gaze fell on the sight from the balcony.
"I am pleased to meet you Lain." Tyanna said softly in a voice that seemed to always sound happy even when she was not. Tyanna had chosen the Green Ajah mainly for the battle abilities Green Sisters had. Tyanna had grown up learning to use a quarterstaff but she did not think of herself as a typical green.
"Yes it is a lovely day. I sometimes come up here to get away from everything." Tyanna said as she looked up at the blue sky. It seemed peaceful standing there looking out at the sights of Tar Valon with no crowd of people pushing past.
xxxx
Lain stared out at the city alongside the Aes Sedai. Well, this is boring... and awkward... he thought with a sardonic smile. Not a typical Green... He pursed his lips thoughtfully, the action causing a particularly angry red scar to stand out. Many said the Green just had things for handsome men, and that was it... If that was so, why had she 'helped' him? Or perhaps she hadn't seen his face...
He sighed. Aes Sedai were too complex for the likes of him. As the wind whipped back his cloak, he considered things in general. He truly didn't know why he was so protective of them. They had caused his entire family to be murdered- not directly, but still- and had gotten him into his current position.
He knew what he must do. He would train, make his left arm as good- no, better- than his right had been. He would train so his leg made no difference in how he moved, or so little you didn't notice it. He would ask- no, plead- a yellow sister to see if she could Heal his arm or leg, just a little. The scars he wanted to keep, though. A reminder of the price of failure. He smiled, suddenly having a new outlook on life. He would protect the Aes Sedai once more.
He turned suddenly to Tyanna, his heart decided.
"Aes Sedai," he began earnestly, "Do you know of a Yellow Sister who enjoys a challenge?" His eyes brightly gleamed, no longer dull with anticipation of death.
xxxx
Dasa Sedorian was walking. Fuming, really. How dare that chit of a novice mouth off to her!! Just because she had no ageless face!!!! She was dark skinned, a sort of golden brown. Her hair, a dark brown so it was almost black, was curled up into an intricate bun. He eyes were large and green, with amber flecks scattered near the pupils. Her dress was that of the islanders that lived far across the Ayryth Ocean, ones no one had heard of.
She had lived there before being brought to Chachin when she was very young. The dress was red, of course, and tight, down to about six inches from her hips, where it flowed out gracefully behind her. The top was cut deep and wide, exposing much of a plentiful bosom, and all of her shoulders. She stormed out onto the balcony, pierced eyebrow gleaming in the sunlight and tattooed hands gripping the railing. She hated novices!!!
She looked around, at her surroundings. An Aes Sedai and a Warder were moving from the railing. The warder was a damaged man, badly scarred, but there was fire in his eye. It had a look of new rekindling. She curiously studied them, cocking her head in a way that she was well known for. She wondered if the warder had tried healing. Her healing skill was the greatest within the red Ajah, the yellow had been her second choice.
There were many others quite better than her, that surpassed her skill greatly, but she still had some interest in the art and a few secret friends in the yellow. Friendships outside the red Ajah were greatly discouraged. A pity.
xxxx
Tyanna looked at Lain carefully out of the corner of her green eyes. She had never known a man like him. At one moment wishing to harm himself, and the next becoming a different person. A sudden gust of air blew a strand of Tyanna's brown hair across her face.
"No, unfortunately I do not know any yellow that likes a challenge. I could help if you wish." Tyanna said as she finally took her eyes away from the sights around her. She calmly looked at Lain.
In his eyes she could see that he had chosen to fight again. That is good. He looks like he was a good Warder once. Maybe he will be again. Tyanna thought.