Mary Sue, Mary Sue, wherefore art thou Mary Sue?
Mary Sue walked happily out of the classroom. Although she was good at her work, and liked it, she wasn't sorry to be going home. It was a sunny day in the London suburb in which she lived. She looked at her watch, wondering if she would catch the earlier bus. 2 o'clock. That meant that if she hurried she might just be lucky. Buses were always late anyway. Opening the doors that separated the college from the rest of the world, she fell into a light sprint. The sun's rays struck her long golden hair as it trailed out behind her, the light wind catching it and billowing it softly outwards. The bus was just pulling into the stop when she turned the corner. Frantically signalling for it to wait, she started pulling out her purse, trying not to spill the pages of neatly written notes over the ground. She panted slightly as she stepped on, gave the driver a grin and showed him her pass. He nodded her on.
Settling into a nearby seat, she hugged her bag and stared out of the window, slipping easily into a daydream about the book she was reading. That was the reason she wanted to get home so early, she wanted to carry on reading. To lose herself in that world again, become part of a world where the One Power was a reality and the threat of the Dark One was all too horrifying. She sighed, wishing that somehow that world was the reality, and that this one was the book. How much more exciting it would be, to be an Aes Sedai.
She shook herself a bit as the bus pulled into her stop. Fortunately another person had wanted to get off, or she would have sailed right past it. Scrambling out of the seat, rearranging her skirt slightly as she stood up, she made her way to the front of the bus. After saying her thank yous to the driver she started walking towards home. The trees down the road reminded her slightly of a forest track, if she stretched her imagination a bit. If she stretched it even further, she fancied that she could see people in the proper clothing walking along with horses, but obviously, that wasn't true. Her house was about halfway down this street and it should take her no more than two minutes to reach it. Then she could disappear and read.
Going through the back door she ran into her mother in the kitchen. Mary Sue looked incredibly like her mother. She had inherited the slim curves, long legs, golden hair and vivid blue eyes that nature had blessed her mother with. People joked that you could see how Mary Sue would look in 30 years if you looked at her mother, and she supposed this was true. If she aged half as well as her mother she would be well pleased. A nod and a smile at her mother was all that was required to move to the next step, the journey to her room. A few quick leaps up the stairs and she opened the door to her room. Throwing her bag in the corner she kicked off her shoes and bounced on the bed to read. Opening the book she eagerly scanned for the correct line.
She tried a few moments to see the line, but for some reason she couldn't focus on the words. The room seemed to have got suddenly dark as she looked down. The words no longer seemed to be in straight lines, they seemed to be creating a blurred kind of spiral. The movement swirled into the middle of the book, the words gradually changing to the wholes spectrum of colours, creating a whirlpool whose vortex seemed to be going deeper into the pages, but far deeper than the book, or even her bed, went down. Suddenly the noise started up. A howling wind seemed to be urging her to give in and let herself get swallowed up by the vortex. Her hair was whipping across her face as she resisted, terrified of what was going to happen. The pull got stronger and stronger and she felt herself being lifted from the bed. Screaming for her mother, the vortex pulled her into the book. Mary Sue carried on screaming, sure she was going to die. She felt herself spiralling downwards, being pulled along by a force she couldn't comprehend amid a dizzyingly swirling display of colours. Suddenly it stopped.
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Mary Sue sat up, slightly dizzy. The last thing she remembered was her eyesight going funny and being pulled into the book, but that couldn't have happened. Putting her hand to the floor, she suddenly realised that she wasn't sitting on the carpet. That meant that she hadn't just had a fainting spell and fallen off the bed. Mary Sue was suddenly afraid to look down, not wanting to see anything but her carpet. Still, she knew she couldn't deny it forever. She looked down.
Grass. She looked around her, she was in a forest of some sort, trees grew thickly around her, though she was relieved to see she had landed in a small clearing. The sky was mainly hidden by the denseness of the woodland around her, but she could just make out a blue sky. She lay down and started crying. She didn't want to be here. She'd been so happy at getting home and reading, and now she was in some strange woods which the book had brought her to.
Mary Sue sat up suddenly again. That the book had brought her to! Where else would the book bring her but into the story? She shook her head. That was a stupid idea. How could it bring her into the story? It didn't exist after all, only in people's imaginations. She scolded herself crossly and got up. She might as well have a look around, see if there was a way back. She needed to get home, her mother would be worried about her. She started walking.
After walking for what seemed like hours Mary Sue was losing heart. There was nothing here except more woods and a stream she'd been forced to drink from. She was stumbling and it was getting dark when she heard what sounded like voices in the distance. She made for them, hoping they would have some food she could share in. As she got closer she could see several outlines around a fire. The voices were definitely men, and by the sound of it they seemed to be having a good time. She crept forward to get a better look.
Just as she settled into a comfortable spot a hand grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her up. She started squirming but suddenly found she couldn't move. She looked up at the man, eyes wide with horror. He was regarding her with a curious look, the twin badges on the collar of his black coat proclaiming his rank to anyone with wits enough to understand it. She stared at them for a moment before gulping. She was face to face with an Asha'man.
He raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down. A small smile played on his lips as he contemplated something Mary Sue could only guess at. He let go of her, gently guiding her to the ground with air.
"Please, I don't know where I am. Can you help me?" Mary Sue looked as scared as she felt.
"You're in Andor. Come with me and I'll see what we can do for you." If Mary Sue had seen his smile as he turned away she wouldn't have been as happy as she presently was.
They walked into the camp, Mary Sue following the Asha'man, keeping behind him rather timidly. The other four we sat round the fire, laughing and eating. Mary Sue smelled the food and realised she was hungry. One of the men looked up. "What have you got there?" he peered at Mary Sue.
"A girl, what does she look like? She was hiding behind some bushes over there." He pointed in the direction he meant.
"What are we going to do with her?" The other Asha'man asked.
The others laughed.
"What do you think we're going to do with her?" The Asha'man who had found her grinned. "We're going to take her back to the Black Tower of course. I'm sure she'll be very comfortable there."
The others laughed again.
"Come, sit by the fire." Her Asha'man beckoned her over, holding out a plate of meat he'd taken. She came over, rather shy. She sat there and ate, while the rest of them packed up camp. She couldn't really take it in. These were Asha'man. They were taking her to the Black Tower. She was actually in the books, well, she was in the world of the books. This was Mary Sue had dreamed about for so long, never even contemplating that it would actually happen. She was here!
"Are you ready?" One of the Asha'man looked down at her, in a way that made her slightly uncomfortable.
She scrambled up. "I'm ready."
He smiled back at her. "You ever travelled by gateway?" He grinned again at her look of wonder. "I'll take that as a no."
The others were standing beside a gateway, obviously ready to go through. Mary Sue stared at it, looking through in amazement at the people she could see on the other side. The Asha'man behind her gave her a slight push towards it. As she got nearer to the edge she became reluctant to go through, scared at what would happen, even though common sense told her that they were perfectly safe. After all, she had read the books. The Asha'man who had caught her grabbed her by the waist and went through. She shoved her hand in her mouth to stop herself from screaming and making herself look foolish in front of them.
On the other side there were plenty of Asha'man and Dedicated moving around, but they all ignored the party with Mary Sue as they came through the gateway. The Asha'man she was with walked her steadily through the travelling grounds and took her into the Black Tower proper. Even though it was dark she could still make out enough by the various lights to see for herself just how impressive the Black Tower actually was. She couldn't get over the size, having imagined it much smaller when she read about it. Men and women were either doing jobs or going home, some could be seen eating through windows into halls.
She was so intent on looking around her and taking it all in that she at first failed to realise that two of the Asha'man had taken hold of her arms quite painfully and were quickly moving her through the assortment of buildings. They came to a stop outside a dark building and quietly slipped inside, pulling her through. One of them started lighting lamps, and the room was soon fairly well lit. The two Asha'man still had a hold of her arms, and she struggled a bit. This got her nowhere as it only made them tighten their grip on her.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Mary Sue was panicky, and her voice betrayed that fact. One of the Asha'man holding her turned at spoke in a low voice, "You'd better be quiet or it'll be the worse for you."
She blanched as the threat was delivered, and kept quiet. She was now terrified of what was going to happen.
Soon all the men had put away the things they had taken with them, leaving them just with Mary Sue. The Asha'man who had found her came forward. He touched her hair and when she tried to get away the two on her arms jerked her roughly, making her cry out softly. His hand trailed from her hair down to her face and lower. When it came to the top of the row of buttons on her shirt he brought his hand down hard, ripping the buttons off. Mary Sue opened her mouth to scream but as soon as she did found a gag of air in it.
"No screaming now, we can't allow that. If you promise not to scream then I'll take it out. Deal?"
She nodded as he looked at her. Suddenly the other two released her and she sagged slightly. She tried to make for the door but one of them caught her and roughly hurled her across the room to another of his companions. She had to bite down on her tongue as he slipped his hand up her skirt before passing her on to another of his friends. As she was passed from Asha'man to Asha'man she became more humiliated as her clothing was ripped and torn, her underwear being completely removed, her skirt now so short and shredded that it didn't cover her in the slightest.
She had just been pushed to the ground when the door opened.
"And just what do you think you are doing?"
The Asha'man abruptly stopped. Taim stood in the doorway, his hands behind his back, regarding them coolly. He walked forward and looked at each one of them in turn. "It seems to be a very good job that someone at the travelling grounds thought to inform me of your return. I thought it unusual that you would not come and give your report to me."
One of the Asha'man spoke. "We didn't want to disturb you so late, and had some business to attend to first."
Taim raised an eyebrow. "So I see. You will all come to me for punishment tomorrow morning, and now will return to your barracks and try to think up a convincing excuse. Though I'm sure you will all fail. Out."
The Asha'man needed no further telling, and hastily made their exit. Taim looked down at Mary Sue, who was sobbing quietly and trying unsuccessfully to cover herself with what remained of her clothes. He held out his hand to her.
"If you will come with me, I will see to some new clothes and a hot bath."
She took his hand, still trembling.
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She lay back in the tub, feeling a whole lot better as the steaming water swirled around her. Her knees were clear of the water, the tub not being quite big enough for her to lie flat. She sank down into the water until her hair was submerged, then began swishing it around. The slow movements caused by the water and the weight of her hair relaxed her. Those Asha'man had undoubtedly been going to rape her, and there would have been nothing she could do. Then Taim had come along. Her saviour. After helping her up he'd lead her back to the Palace and handed her over to one of the women there. Mary Sue wasn't sure whether this woman was Aes Sedai or not, and hadn't really wanted to ask, not that she'd been in a fit state to. Taim had said he'd come back with some suitable clothing for her when she'd finished. With this on her mind she finally decided to get out of the bath.
Gingerly stepping out she reached for the towel hanging over a chair. The woman, whoever she was, had left a robe for her until she got some new clothes. Drying herself off she slid into it, then wrapped the towel round her hair. Padding to the other room, she opened the door cautiously and peered out. Taim was standing there, his back to her, looking into the fire with his hands clasped behind him. Mary Sue was a bit startled when he spoke. "I trust that you enjoyed your bath?"
"I…I did, thank you." Mary Sue knew she shouldn't have been shocked, but she couldn't help it.
Taim turned around to face her. Hands still behind him, he motioned with a slight movement of the head to a pile of clothes resting over a screen. His face was still, and Mary Sue had trouble telling what he was thinking. She slowly walked over to the screen and went behind it. Taking the clothing off the top, she looked at it a while. She'd never worn anything like it. A full skirt with a sort of shirt and a shawl of some type. She supposed people from the real world would have worn these types of things a few centuries ago, but certainly not any more. She was thankful that her bra was still intact. After a few more moments staring she removed the robe and began putting on the clothes. They weren't anything fancy, being a creamy colour and made of some ordinary fabric, perhaps wool or cotton or something, Mary Sue hadn't ever really cared about the differences before. Whatever it was, it felt nice to wear. She realised what the shawl was for, warmth. It was fairly cold, and the fire had been lit when she had her bath. She pulled the shawl tightly around her then went back to the fire.
Taim was sitting in one of the chairs by the fire, but when he saw she'd come out he stood up. "Is there anything I can get you? A drink perhaps? Some food?"
Mary Sue nodded. "Something to eat and drink would be nice. I haven't had anything all day."
It was his turn to nod. He opened the door and sent someone off with curt orders for a meal to be brought up as soon as possible. He turned and looked at her again, regarding her with his cool gaze. "Allow me to apologise for the behaviour of some of my Asha'man, I assure you they will be strictly dealt with in the morning."
She gave a slightly nervous smile. "It's alright. Main thing was you came in before they could do too much. Thank you." She subconsciously pushed a few strands of her wet hair behind her ear. He gave a small smile that wasn't meant for her to see.
"What is it?" Mary Sue was suddenly afraid that he as laughing at her.
"I was just thinking how pretty you looked." He was looking at her with that impenetrable gaze of his. She blushed furiously. Fiddling with her hair, she looked down at her lap to hide the blushing. It didn't work.
"So tell me just what were you doing in the woods alone?" He was trying to spare her the embarrassment, but couldn't help the slight smile playing across his lips.
"I don't really know. If I told you what had happened, you'd probably think me mad."
"Would I? That's an assumption that has very little basis in fact. Why do you think that?" Taim raised an eyebrow.
"Because I'm not from round here." She whispered, not really wanting him to think her crazy.
"Neither am I." He'd sat down in the chair again and motioned for her to sit in the one opposite.
"No, but you're at least…never mind. I was walking and I got lost. I don't know how long I was walking for, but it was quite a while. I heard voices and thought they'd help me." At the memory of what happened she drew herself up tighter and clutched her skirt.
"The clothes you were wearing are unlike any that I've ever seen, and I would say that I've seen most fashions recently." He was challenging her to explain herself, even though he wouldn't push her about where she came from.
"They're not exactly in fashion. More what I could make do with." Mary Sue blushed again to remember what state her clothes had been in when he saw them. He must have seen considerably more of her than her clothes.
"They suited you, showed off your…" Taim realised that what he was about to say wasn't entirely proper, so stopped himself.
Mary Sue wasn't to be put off however. "Showed off my what?" She smiled coyly at him.
He looked at her for a few moments before saying, "I was going to say that they showed off your legs."
She didn't blush this time. She smiled to herself a little. "Thank you."
Just then there was a knock on the door. Taim got up and opened it. Watching him go she was struck at how handsome he was. His clothes fitted perfectly and showed off a lithe and strong body. He was very good looking, she especially liked the way his eyes were tilted. He'd protected her from those who wanted to rape her and had been nothing but charming to her. And he liked her legs. She found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss him.
When he brought the tray of food over to her it shook her out of her little fantasy. Looking up at him she had to try very hard to stop herself from going red at the thoughts she'd just had about him. She didn't quite manage it, but fortunately for Mary Sue he didn't mention it.
He sat there while she ate, watching her. She was very conscious of it, and it put her off eating slightly, but she was too hungry to stop. His eyes would remain on her face for a while before going slowly up and down her, when he didn't think she was watching. She felt a tiny shiver of excitement run down her back every time he did this. She hoped it wasn't evident.
"I haven't even asked you your name, though I suppose you know mine."
"Mary Sue. You're Mazrim Taim." She cringed inwardly, hoping she'd pronounced it right.
He thought a second then smiled at her. "Pretty name. It suits you."
She looked at him, tilting her head slightly, her golden hair catching the light. "I'm afraid I don't know what to call you."
"Mazrim."
They were silent for a few moments, Mary Sue eating and Taim watching her. She became increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze, scared in case he didn't like what he saw. She spoke to break the silence.
"So, what's it like in Saldaea?" She knew it was a stupid question, but she needed to say something and couldn't think of anything else.
He laughed. It was a rich, deep laugh. "Cold, or hot, depending on the time of year. Never been there?"
She shook her head.
"Maybe one day you will." He said this more to himself than to her, and she wasn't sure what he meant by it. How would she ever go there?
"What am I going to do? I can't get back home." She missed her home, but strangely found that she didn't want to leave. Well, she didn't want to leave him.
"You can stay here for as long as you like. Though you're free to leave if you want to." Was she imagining it, or did he sound slightly pained when he said that?
"I don't want to be near those men. Is there anywhere I can stay where I don't have to see them?" She whimpered a bit.
"You can stay in the Palace. They won't dare come near you now that you're under my protection." He gave her a reassuring glance and got up to stoke the fire.
She suddenly felt safer than she had before. She was under his protection. He'd said so himself. That by now familiar tingle had passed over her spine again and she looked at him, only to realise he was looking at her. He quickly turned when she looked at him, as if a little embarrassed. He got up and brushed himself down, his hands moving over his clothing and defining his form underneath even further. She blushed when she realised that she'd been thinking of what he looked like beneath his clothes. Turning away, she finished her meal, trembling slightly.
She reached for her glass only to realise it was empty. She got up unsteadily and walked over to the side where the crystal holder of wine was. As she was pouring more into her glass she shook so much that she dropped it. The crystal shattered against the floor and she dropped the glass as she clutched her hand in pain. Red was seeping form between her fingers. In an instant Taim was beside her. He took her hand and started inspecting it.
"I'm so sorry." She managed to stutter.
"Don't be. It was an accident." He gripped her hand in his and closed his eyes. Mary Sue felt a bit giddy as she watched the minor but painful cut heal over. She was overcome by the giddy feeling it left and dropped, only rescued by Taim, who caught her in his arms. He pulled her back up to her feet.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered as he looked into her eyes. She smiled up at him as he took her in his arms and melted into him as he kissed her softly on the lips.
The End