Power and Anarchy
By Gahzskul
[Author's Note] You'll have to excuse any errors on continuity between the prologue and the following chapters, as it's been several years between he prologue and this
point. Thanks.
Chapter Five – Bloody Everything
Teron sat in a chair in the Inn, Leslin standing in the corner glaring at him and Kura sitting across the table from him. Gendal leaned against the wall, but his eyes bored into Teron like a hawk's. Or a leopard looking at a nice meal. Kura spoke. "Light, man! How long have you been channelling?" Teron spoke not a word, but kept a level gaze on her. "Speak up!" Again nothing. "Do you have any affiliation with this 'Black Tower' we hear of?" Teron looked her in the eye. His gaze was cold, calculating, and seemed completely docile and hostile at the same time. His words made her shiver. "If you mean to ask if I am an Asha'man, the answer is yes. I'm one of the strongest in the Black Tower, though I have not been there for some months." "So you lied to us!" Snapped Leslin, her eyes burning like the hottest fires. "I never once spoke untruthfully to you, Leslin. I was on my way to my brother's wedding. He does live in Arafel." "And this is what you meant when you said there were certain circumstances?" "Yes." He said, in a voice that was level and calm. He made Aes Sedai look flighty. Leslin looked both confused and hurt, though he didn't know where the confusion came from. Kura studied him silently. She had known Leslin had an interest in bonding the man, but now... Now was a different playing field. The man could channel. Word was that the 'Rebel' Tower was in negotiations with the Black Tower. Could those possibly be true? And what of the taint? This man would go mad. Had he already started? Words flushed through Kura's head. Questions she couldn't answer. "You're wondering about the taint..." said Teron, breaking into her thoughts. She looks surprised. "They always wonder about the taint when they find out." "Who does?" "Everybody." Well... wha..." "You want to know what it feels like." "Yes." "Plague. Sickness. Rotting within. When Saidin fills you, you feel like you're more alive than ever, yet like you would rather be dead. The taint makes you stagger. Makes you want to sick up. Makes you want to keel over and vomit your very being out. And Saidin is not what your Saidar is like. You do not guide it. You wrestle it. You fight to control it. You push it. It constantly threatens to overpower you. It's strange though, today, earlier, the taint seemed to..." Teron trailed off, not knowing how to continue. "Seemed to what?" Leslin spoke this time. "To... I don't know... disappear. It's just gone. You still feel queasy from the struggle, but the taint is not there anymore. It's just.... vanished." The two sisters exchanged glances, and Teron wondered if their looks of consideration and concern related to that large blast of Saidin he'd felt. Had they felt something? What could have caused something that... enormous? It boggled Teron's mind.
It was late, and so the sisters decided to simply ward Teron's room to prevent him from leaving, and Gendal stood watch over the door. Teron paced his room for an hour, then decided he'd need his rest to fight if he needed to. Light but he hated this! As he lay there in his bed, he stared at his ceiling. Then he heard the door creak slightly as it opened. The intruder came closer, stepping lightly on the floorboards. Teron embraced Saidin. Still closer they came. His weaves of air gripped them suddenly, and he heard a woman's voice gasp as he lifted her into the air. He rolled over to see Leslin floating ridged in the air. He left the weave go and she fell to the floor. He stared at her, and she at him. "Come to gentle me in my sleep, have you?" snapped Teron, hostile and on edge. "No..." "Then why in the bloody name of the light are you here?" "I...I..." "You...you... you what?" "I wanted..." "What did you want?" "I wanted to talk." "About?" "Bonding." Teron stared, taken aback by what she said. She still wanted to bond him? Light! "And they say I'm going to go mad..." Teron muttered, "But you're already there, lass." "I'm not mad," said Leslin, "But I've noticed a pattern. Once an Aes Sedai and a Warder are bonded, if the Aes Sedai dies, the Warder always loses his will to live, and doesn't usually last much longer than his Aes Sedai. Much the same can be said for gentled men. They lose their will to go on. I though that if we replaced Saidin with the bond, they might just replace each other and not drive you to your death." Teron blinked. She wanted to save him from death? A bit late now. He was locked by Saidar in a room with a Warder guarding outside. He could channel. He was an Asha'man from the Black Tower. He was sworn to the Dragon Reborn. And she wanted him to be safe and live. Light! "You're a fool girl on a fool's errand..." muttered Teron. Leslin rose and he rose to face her. "If you think I'm letting you..." he began, but was cut off as she grabbed his head. He shivered, convulsed, and felt extreme cold rush over him. He stumbled back against the wall, putting his hand out to steady himself on the small desk in the room. He shook his and... light... he could feel her in his head. Kura rushed into the room, woken by the weaves of Saidar. "You didn't..." "Kura, this is none of your..." "You bonded the man against his will! You've broken a grave law of the Tower!" "The Tower is broken right now, and they're ready to kill each other. I'm not so sure they'll notice." "Well, I..." "You're not going to say a thing, are you?" Kura sighed. "Please, Kura..." "Alright," her shorter friend agreed. Teron's eyes were still bulging out of his head. Bonded! Blood and Bloody Goat-Kissing Sheep-Gutted Ashes! The bloody woman had bloody bonded him! Leslin turned to Teron. "Teron... I..." "You bloody what?" "I know what you're thinking..." "Unless what you think I'm thinking involved tearing this entire village apart piece by piece and making a monument dedicated to the message of not trusting Aes Bloody Sedai, then no, you've no idea." "I..." "Listen you fool girl! In the name of the Light! I'm not sure what the taint leaving Saidin means, but there's still the chance of my going mad! And no one knows how that will affect you now. For all we know you might go mad as well!" "But..." "But nothing! You'd have been better off killing or gentling me!" "No, I wouldn't." Kura interrupted. "The bond makes you aware of the other person. You can draw on their strength if needed. You can tell their feelings and pains. But it does not transfer things such as madness as far as we know..." Teron looked form one to the other, then cursed profusely and sighed. Bloody Aes Sedai... Bloody Everything!
By Gahzskul
[Author's Note] You'll have to excuse any errors on continuity between the prologue and the following chapters, as it's been several years between he prologue and this
point. Thanks.
Chapter Five – Bloody Everything
Teron sat in a chair in the Inn, Leslin standing in the corner glaring at him and Kura sitting across the table from him. Gendal leaned against the wall, but his eyes bored into Teron like a hawk's. Or a leopard looking at a nice meal. Kura spoke. "Light, man! How long have you been channelling?" Teron spoke not a word, but kept a level gaze on her. "Speak up!" Again nothing. "Do you have any affiliation with this 'Black Tower' we hear of?" Teron looked her in the eye. His gaze was cold, calculating, and seemed completely docile and hostile at the same time. His words made her shiver. "If you mean to ask if I am an Asha'man, the answer is yes. I'm one of the strongest in the Black Tower, though I have not been there for some months." "So you lied to us!" Snapped Leslin, her eyes burning like the hottest fires. "I never once spoke untruthfully to you, Leslin. I was on my way to my brother's wedding. He does live in Arafel." "And this is what you meant when you said there were certain circumstances?" "Yes." He said, in a voice that was level and calm. He made Aes Sedai look flighty. Leslin looked both confused and hurt, though he didn't know where the confusion came from. Kura studied him silently. She had known Leslin had an interest in bonding the man, but now... Now was a different playing field. The man could channel. Word was that the 'Rebel' Tower was in negotiations with the Black Tower. Could those possibly be true? And what of the taint? This man would go mad. Had he already started? Words flushed through Kura's head. Questions she couldn't answer. "You're wondering about the taint..." said Teron, breaking into her thoughts. She looks surprised. "They always wonder about the taint when they find out." "Who does?" "Everybody." Well... wha..." "You want to know what it feels like." "Yes." "Plague. Sickness. Rotting within. When Saidin fills you, you feel like you're more alive than ever, yet like you would rather be dead. The taint makes you stagger. Makes you want to sick up. Makes you want to keel over and vomit your very being out. And Saidin is not what your Saidar is like. You do not guide it. You wrestle it. You fight to control it. You push it. It constantly threatens to overpower you. It's strange though, today, earlier, the taint seemed to..." Teron trailed off, not knowing how to continue. "Seemed to what?" Leslin spoke this time. "To... I don't know... disappear. It's just gone. You still feel queasy from the struggle, but the taint is not there anymore. It's just.... vanished." The two sisters exchanged glances, and Teron wondered if their looks of consideration and concern related to that large blast of Saidin he'd felt. Had they felt something? What could have caused something that... enormous? It boggled Teron's mind.
It was late, and so the sisters decided to simply ward Teron's room to prevent him from leaving, and Gendal stood watch over the door. Teron paced his room for an hour, then decided he'd need his rest to fight if he needed to. Light but he hated this! As he lay there in his bed, he stared at his ceiling. Then he heard the door creak slightly as it opened. The intruder came closer, stepping lightly on the floorboards. Teron embraced Saidin. Still closer they came. His weaves of air gripped them suddenly, and he heard a woman's voice gasp as he lifted her into the air. He rolled over to see Leslin floating ridged in the air. He left the weave go and she fell to the floor. He stared at her, and she at him. "Come to gentle me in my sleep, have you?" snapped Teron, hostile and on edge. "No..." "Then why in the bloody name of the light are you here?" "I...I..." "You...you... you what?" "I wanted..." "What did you want?" "I wanted to talk." "About?" "Bonding." Teron stared, taken aback by what she said. She still wanted to bond him? Light! "And they say I'm going to go mad..." Teron muttered, "But you're already there, lass." "I'm not mad," said Leslin, "But I've noticed a pattern. Once an Aes Sedai and a Warder are bonded, if the Aes Sedai dies, the Warder always loses his will to live, and doesn't usually last much longer than his Aes Sedai. Much the same can be said for gentled men. They lose their will to go on. I though that if we replaced Saidin with the bond, they might just replace each other and not drive you to your death." Teron blinked. She wanted to save him from death? A bit late now. He was locked by Saidar in a room with a Warder guarding outside. He could channel. He was an Asha'man from the Black Tower. He was sworn to the Dragon Reborn. And she wanted him to be safe and live. Light! "You're a fool girl on a fool's errand..." muttered Teron. Leslin rose and he rose to face her. "If you think I'm letting you..." he began, but was cut off as she grabbed his head. He shivered, convulsed, and felt extreme cold rush over him. He stumbled back against the wall, putting his hand out to steady himself on the small desk in the room. He shook his and... light... he could feel her in his head. Kura rushed into the room, woken by the weaves of Saidar. "You didn't..." "Kura, this is none of your..." "You bonded the man against his will! You've broken a grave law of the Tower!" "The Tower is broken right now, and they're ready to kill each other. I'm not so sure they'll notice." "Well, I..." "You're not going to say a thing, are you?" Kura sighed. "Please, Kura..." "Alright," her shorter friend agreed. Teron's eyes were still bulging out of his head. Bonded! Blood and Bloody Goat-Kissing Sheep-Gutted Ashes! The bloody woman had bloody bonded him! Leslin turned to Teron. "Teron... I..." "You bloody what?" "I know what you're thinking..." "Unless what you think I'm thinking involved tearing this entire village apart piece by piece and making a monument dedicated to the message of not trusting Aes Bloody Sedai, then no, you've no idea." "I..." "Listen you fool girl! In the name of the Light! I'm not sure what the taint leaving Saidin means, but there's still the chance of my going mad! And no one knows how that will affect you now. For all we know you might go mad as well!" "But..." "But nothing! You'd have been better off killing or gentling me!" "No, I wouldn't." Kura interrupted. "The bond makes you aware of the other person. You can draw on their strength if needed. You can tell their feelings and pains. But it does not transfer things such as madness as far as we know..." Teron looked form one to the other, then cursed profusely and sighed. Bloody Aes Sedai... Bloody Everything!