Chapter 13 Truths
Egwene felt as it she had been in this prison before. The walls of the corridor she walked down were cold grey and almost all the cells were occupied with wretched looking men.
Egwene averted her gaze to look worriedly at Elayne, who still did not stir. Something familiar caught her eye. One cell had a strong wooden door instead of the usual metal bars. It suddenly struck her that this was the cell from her dream. She decided to take a chance.
"Who's in there?" she asked the jailer.
"No one really knows," he said, "one of the Ladies, I don't remember her name, used to visit there every day. There'd be screamin and shoutin," he continued. "Then it just… stopped and then the Lady Yana turned up. Lovely she is," Egwene noticed his eyes glaze over. He snapped out of his trance and he gruffly told her to keep moving.
They halted outside a cell and Elayne was dumped on the floor with Egwene shoved in after as the door was locked.
Egwene scurried over to Elayne and gently shook her but the Queen of Andor remained still. A nasty looking bump had appeared on her head and her face was stained with blood.
Egwene glanced up as the door open to admit Nynaeve, her hair in a thick braid, carrying some water and a cloth. She came and squatted beside Egwene, looking down at Elayne. She reached out her hands and placed them on Elayne's head, deftly weaving the Healing flows. Elayne shivered but soon settled into a peaceful sleep.
Nynaeve dipped the cloth into the water and proceeded to clean Elayne's face.
"Why are you doing this?" Egwene asked.
"Doing what?" Nynaeve questioned innocently.
"You know exactly what I mean, Nynaeve," Egwene said. "Why are you with the Black Ajah? Why did you capture us?" She took a deep breath. "How did you survive?"
Nynaeve chuckled dryly.
"Why does everyone think that is my name? My name is Yana. I have been with the Black Ajah for as long as I remember. I don't know who you are. I wasn't even meant to capture you but, seeing as Velina made a right mess of it, I had to. Lastly, I recovered with the help of Healing and I don't know how you know I was ill. Now, seeing as you know everything about me tell me who you are, who she is and where, in the Light, have I seen you before." Nynaeve nearly shouted as she stood up.
"What have they done to you?" Egwene uttered, searching her old friend's eyes. "You are Nynaeve al'Meara of the Yellow Ajah, former Wisdom of Emond's Field, where you watched me, Egwene al'Vere, grow up," Egwene gripped the other woman's shoulders. "Don't you remember? Rand, Mat, Perrin, me, we grew up together. Lan, your husband. Elayne," she gestured to the woman on the floor, "Queen of Andor. You were there at the coronation. At my raising to Amyrlin."
Images flashed in Yana's head. A new baby with the name Egwene, country dancing, a coronation. Yana angrily shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images and tried to break from the now crying Egwene.
"I thought you were dead," Egwene sobbed, "I promised you I would take care of them. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Lan, Elayne, I tried but I can't." Egwene saw her old friend breakaway looking shocked as she pulled out of her friend's grasp.
Nynaeve quickly changed the subject, away from the images dancing in her head.
"I'll give you a choice," Nynaeve said holding up two vials. "I can give you the true forkroot which will render your body useless or I can give you this one. My own blend, it will leave you weak, unable to touch the True Source but you'll be able to walk a bit and even talk." Egwene numbly choose the second option and seeing no other choice she drank it quickly. Nynaeve bent and forced some past Elayne's lips. Egwene felt her knees go weak and sat down heavily on the floor.
"I'm glad you choose that option. I wouldn't want to talk to someone who couldn't talk back." Nynaeve said as she left the cell.
JJ
Yana strode around the corner and to the cell where Lan sat. Vlad the jailer followed in her wake and allowed her to enter the cell door. Lan rose as she entered.
"What is this nonsense about me being your wife?" She demanded.
"You are my wife. Please Nynaeve, remember me," he pleaded.
"How do I know your name? I've never met you before," she continued, ignoring his answer as she paced up and down the small cell. Lan laughed at the site.
"What? What is so funny? Don't you laugh at me." Yana protested.
Lan stopped in his mirth, "You never did like being laughed at."
Yana sat abruptly down on the floor head in her hands.
"What is wrong with me? Ever since you've arrived nothings been clear." She whispered. "I'm getting these images, which I'm sure are memories, but I have never had them before," she looked up. "You're in many of them. You insist that I am your wife and Egwene tells me I watched her grow. My head tells me we are strangers but my heart tells me I know you."
"Listen to your heart," Lan said. "I have loved you ever since we met but I tried to push you away. I gave you this," he continued slipping off his gold signet ring, worn with age and large enough for Yana to fit both thumbs through. It had been carefully decorated with a crane flying over a lance and a crown. The ring of the Malkieri Kings. "To tell you, you would always hold my heart. I give it to you again to tell you, you still hold it." He placed the ring in her hand and closed her fingers around it.
"I can't take this," she said. Lan laughed.
"That's what you said the first time I gave it to you," he said.
Yana opened her mouth to argue but she felt someone enter the fort by gateway someone powerful. She quickly stood and rushed out of the prison to greet the Great Mistress. She still clutched Lan's ring in her hand.
Egwene felt as it she had been in this prison before. The walls of the corridor she walked down were cold grey and almost all the cells were occupied with wretched looking men.
Egwene averted her gaze to look worriedly at Elayne, who still did not stir. Something familiar caught her eye. One cell had a strong wooden door instead of the usual metal bars. It suddenly struck her that this was the cell from her dream. She decided to take a chance.
"Who's in there?" she asked the jailer.
"No one really knows," he said, "one of the Ladies, I don't remember her name, used to visit there every day. There'd be screamin and shoutin," he continued. "Then it just… stopped and then the Lady Yana turned up. Lovely she is," Egwene noticed his eyes glaze over. He snapped out of his trance and he gruffly told her to keep moving.
They halted outside a cell and Elayne was dumped on the floor with Egwene shoved in after as the door was locked.
Egwene scurried over to Elayne and gently shook her but the Queen of Andor remained still. A nasty looking bump had appeared on her head and her face was stained with blood.
Egwene glanced up as the door open to admit Nynaeve, her hair in a thick braid, carrying some water and a cloth. She came and squatted beside Egwene, looking down at Elayne. She reached out her hands and placed them on Elayne's head, deftly weaving the Healing flows. Elayne shivered but soon settled into a peaceful sleep.
Nynaeve dipped the cloth into the water and proceeded to clean Elayne's face.
"Why are you doing this?" Egwene asked.
"Doing what?" Nynaeve questioned innocently.
"You know exactly what I mean, Nynaeve," Egwene said. "Why are you with the Black Ajah? Why did you capture us?" She took a deep breath. "How did you survive?"
Nynaeve chuckled dryly.
"Why does everyone think that is my name? My name is Yana. I have been with the Black Ajah for as long as I remember. I don't know who you are. I wasn't even meant to capture you but, seeing as Velina made a right mess of it, I had to. Lastly, I recovered with the help of Healing and I don't know how you know I was ill. Now, seeing as you know everything about me tell me who you are, who she is and where, in the Light, have I seen you before." Nynaeve nearly shouted as she stood up.
"What have they done to you?" Egwene uttered, searching her old friend's eyes. "You are Nynaeve al'Meara of the Yellow Ajah, former Wisdom of Emond's Field, where you watched me, Egwene al'Vere, grow up," Egwene gripped the other woman's shoulders. "Don't you remember? Rand, Mat, Perrin, me, we grew up together. Lan, your husband. Elayne," she gestured to the woman on the floor, "Queen of Andor. You were there at the coronation. At my raising to Amyrlin."
Images flashed in Yana's head. A new baby with the name Egwene, country dancing, a coronation. Yana angrily shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images and tried to break from the now crying Egwene.
"I thought you were dead," Egwene sobbed, "I promised you I would take care of them. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Lan, Elayne, I tried but I can't." Egwene saw her old friend breakaway looking shocked as she pulled out of her friend's grasp.
Nynaeve quickly changed the subject, away from the images dancing in her head.
"I'll give you a choice," Nynaeve said holding up two vials. "I can give you the true forkroot which will render your body useless or I can give you this one. My own blend, it will leave you weak, unable to touch the True Source but you'll be able to walk a bit and even talk." Egwene numbly choose the second option and seeing no other choice she drank it quickly. Nynaeve bent and forced some past Elayne's lips. Egwene felt her knees go weak and sat down heavily on the floor.
"I'm glad you choose that option. I wouldn't want to talk to someone who couldn't talk back." Nynaeve said as she left the cell.
JJ
Yana strode around the corner and to the cell where Lan sat. Vlad the jailer followed in her wake and allowed her to enter the cell door. Lan rose as she entered.
"What is this nonsense about me being your wife?" She demanded.
"You are my wife. Please Nynaeve, remember me," he pleaded.
"How do I know your name? I've never met you before," she continued, ignoring his answer as she paced up and down the small cell. Lan laughed at the site.
"What? What is so funny? Don't you laugh at me." Yana protested.
Lan stopped in his mirth, "You never did like being laughed at."
Yana sat abruptly down on the floor head in her hands.
"What is wrong with me? Ever since you've arrived nothings been clear." She whispered. "I'm getting these images, which I'm sure are memories, but I have never had them before," she looked up. "You're in many of them. You insist that I am your wife and Egwene tells me I watched her grow. My head tells me we are strangers but my heart tells me I know you."
"Listen to your heart," Lan said. "I have loved you ever since we met but I tried to push you away. I gave you this," he continued slipping off his gold signet ring, worn with age and large enough for Yana to fit both thumbs through. It had been carefully decorated with a crane flying over a lance and a crown. The ring of the Malkieri Kings. "To tell you, you would always hold my heart. I give it to you again to tell you, you still hold it." He placed the ring in her hand and closed her fingers around it.
"I can't take this," she said. Lan laughed.
"That's what you said the first time I gave it to you," he said.
Yana opened her mouth to argue but she felt someone enter the fort by gateway someone powerful. She quickly stood and rushed out of the prison to greet the Great Mistress. She still clutched Lan's ring in her hand.