The Blue Ajah and the Insane Bug War
Lady Moiraine Damodred was raised as the daughter of a High House in the Sun Palace. She had grown up immersed in the Game of Houses, a deadly current underneath the lives of nobles in Cairhien. Properly raised by her relatives in the proper way to be a lady she was sent to be a novice in the White Tower when it was found out that she could channel. She worked hard in her studies and made no mischief, at least until she met Siuan.
Siuan Sanche was raised a simple fisherman's daughter by the docks of Tear. Raised in a nation deathly afraid of the One Power, she was sent off to be a novice in the Tower before sunset the day she discovered her ability. A mischief lover with a hard tongue, she worked hard to achieve her shawl and ring step in step with Moiraine.
Both girls were raised to the ring after only three years in novice white and were raised to the shawl in another three. Both chose the Blue Ajah and learned all of its' secrets and customs, for example its' ability to repel and attract bugs.
Anyone you asked would say it was Siuan's fault, except Siuan herself, of course. When asked she just put it down to rumors, then changed the subject by commenting how shameful it was that even full sisters could put so much credit to gossip. Sadly, no matter how hard she tried, everyone knew the truth.
Moiraine settled into bed after weaving her ward to keep her dreams from affecting others' and quickly fell asleep. Once she was asleep a head poked out of the door to her sitting room before the body accompanied it to the foot of the bed. The silhouette embraced saidar, weaving a beacon to all of the bugs in Tar Valon to come into that one room of the Tower, biting the beds occupant once before disappearing again. Her weaving done, the silhouette slipped back out the door and into the hallway.
When Moiraine woke the next morning her whole body was a mass of bug bites. She quickly jumped out of bed, looking around for any remaining bugs, and put on her cloak before slipping out of her rooms and into Siuan's. Winter was fast approaching the city and Moiraine shivered at each hit of her bare feet on the unwarmed stone flooring of her room. Thankful that her new cloak covered her ankles, she drew it tighter around her furiously itching body as she traversed the short and empty corridor to her best friend's room. She entered the room with a small knock, not even waiting for the answer before opening the door and walking in. Siuan was still asleep, snoring lightly, and Moiraine wasted no time in closing the door and waking her friend up with a shake. When the other girl had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes she realized what time it was.
"Blood and ashes Moiraine! It's early." She complained.
"Yes but I needed your help. When I woke up I was covered in bug bites and it simply isn't possible that the beds are that infested with bugs. It must have been a prank of some sort and I figured that you could help me figure it out. You are good with puzzles after all." Siuan quickly adopted a pensive look that effectively kept the smile off of her face. With a small snap of her fingers she announced that she had figured it out.
"It must have been Sheriam. I thought that I heard her saying something conspiratorial about something the other day." She said as she leapt to her feet as if struck suddenly by a brilliant idea. Her acting skills seemed to pass the test as Moiraine's face relaxed with relief.
"Thanks Siuan. Would you mind Healing these bites before anyone can see them. I would hate for this to get around the Tower, it makes me seem like a novice all over again." Her friend quickly complied and Moiraine couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her lips as the urge to scratch every inch of her body vanished along with the ugly red marks that marred her pale skin. She practically skipped out of the room and Siuan let a giggle bubble out as she realized that she truly had the Carheinian fooled.
By the time the two friends met up for breakfast Sheriam was covered in the same red welts that had affected Moiraine that morning. The two watched from the shadows as Sheriam tried to glide gracefully down the corridor and resist the urge to scratch wildly at the same time. By the looks of it she wasn't faring too well.
She pulled a friend from the breakfast hall with a short conversation, not bothering to put up and ward against eavesdropping. After she was Healed the two Blue sisters started discussing who it could have been. Moiriane, by that point bursting with glee, chose that moment to walk by them, catching the tail end of the conversation.
"You know Sheriam," the other woman blushed at obviously being caught. "I heard Rafela talking about a plan that she had with some of the other sisters. She's probably the cause of your… irritation." Her face perfectly calm, the shorter woman was able to see the anger painting itself across the younger woman's face.
"What does that bloody Tarien have against Saldeans?!" she demanded. In response Moiraine just shrugged and continued serenely down the corridor.
By lunch rumors were circling around the Blue quarters that Rafela had caught an illness characterized by red, itchy bumps all over her body. After bringing in a Yellow she was told that it was just bug bites. Her roar of fury could be heard all over their floor. As she contemplated who it could be Siuan was marveling at how wonderfully out of hand her prank had gone, Moiraine was excited that she had successfully passed the blame to another, and Sheriam was congratulating herself at her successful revenge.
Siuan recognized the screech of anger echoing off the walls immediately as Lelain's. As the words came to her waiting ears her grin grew even wider.
"Just because someone pulled a prank does not mean that you have to pass the favor on to someone else Rafela!"
"You can't act indignant when you're the guilty one. I was just delivering retribution." The deeper voice floated down the halls, calm in the face of Lelain's fury.
"Indignant! Guilty!" she was so beside herself that she couldn't form a coherent sentence. After a few moments of soundless spluttering she managed a phrase. "I am not guilty of this prank." This bold statement, delivered with dead calm, had a large effect on Rafela. By the First Oath she knew that she had caught the wrong woman and started apologizing immediately.
Of course, the apologies didn't do anything to curb Lelain's sense of vengeance towards the one that had started the whole thing.
Moiraine and Siuan walked the halls with awed looks on their faces, both thinking the same thing. 'I am the one responsible for turning the entire Blue Ajah in to a bunch of sissies afraid that their own shadow is going to kill them'. A shudder ran through both of them simultaneously as the thought seeped into their brain again. All over there were sisters glaring murderously at other sisters while trying, and failing, to watch every possible angle of attack for just that: an attack.
It had spread around the entire Blue Ajah like a disease, moving on to the others before coming back to the Blue again. The attacks, sad attempts at retribution, had been running rampant with no help from either if the two women and had spread to other Ajahs as some of the more prank inclined Sisters took the opportunity to get back at their fellows for harsh treatment as novices. As it left the Blues it started to take on different shapes because of the inability of the other Ajahs to attract bugs but everyone knew that it was the same war.
Cetelia Delarme watched from the shadows as she tried to piece the puzzle together. As the head of the Blue Ajah's eyes and ears she was well informed and had pinpointed the exact person it had started with but was at a loss as to who was behind it all. As the sisters passed her hiding place she could see no difference in the scared, wary looks. As Siuan passed the halls with Moiraine the last puzzle piece snapped into place. She quickly detached herself from the shadows and hurried to tell the Head of the Blue Ajah at once.
"After a meeting with the Hall of Sitters a punishment has been found for the culprit of this so-called Bug War. It has been brought to my attention the identity of the mastermind and so, with no further ado the punishment will be given."
The Amyrlin stepped back as the Keeper read the charges. "The Hall finds Siuan Sanche guilty of starting the Bug War. She will be sentenced to suffer numerous bug bites until they go away of their own accord. No one is allowed to Heal her or do anything to ease her suffering." As the name rang out clearly over the crowd Moiraine almost fainted with disbelief. Siuan had started the whole thing! She allowed a small pang of remorse to hit her before she turned back to icy serenity. As Siuan stood before everyone the bug bites were inflicted on her, leaving the secret weave of the Blue Ajah to be known to everyone.
With a meek smile Siuan addressed the crowds. "Umm… It wasn't me."