The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one age, called the Third Age by some, and age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Aiel Waste. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.
Westward the wind blew, billowing sand up in dancing clouds as it raced across the dunes. It passed into Rhuidean, the once deserted city of unfinished palaces surrounding the Tree of Life and shrouded in a dense, ghostly mist. The mist had long since lifted, and a lake of crystalline water now bordered the city. Few living Aiel had ever seen so much water in a single place. With water, the Aiel could once again call Rhuidean home. It was in one of Rhuidean's many palace-like structures that Rand Al'Thor felt the wind whistle through a window and break upon his youthful face. The wind billowed his red hair and ruffled his white coat and pants. He clutched the hilt of the sword on his hip and blinked with mild irritation as the wind entered his eyes. With a sigh, the Dragon Reborn pushed aside a velvet curtain and entered his personal chambers.
Standing before his mirror and washbasin was Aviendha, tall and muscular, naked as the day she was born. Her crimson hair hung loose past her shoulders and her pale skin seemed to shine in the dim sunlight. The apprentice Wise One's dress lay crumpled on the floor behind her. What was she doing here?
"Aviendha?" said Rand.
The former Maiden of the Spear turned. For a fleeting moment, their eyes locked. Then Aviendha put on a look of surprise and... shame? Rand couldn't tell. A silver line appeared in the air behind her, which opened to reveal a forest within a mountain pass. Before Rand could speak again, Avienda spun around and darted through the opening.
Blood and ashes! Rand thought as he ran into the forest after her. Their new surroundings strongly resembled the Mountains of Mist, but were somehow... different. The trees weren't as tightly packed together, nor were the mountains quite the same shape. But Rand didn't dwell on that train of thought as he needed to concentrate his full efforts on keeping up with Aviendha. The woman moved faster than a deer being chased by a wolf, and moved just as deftly. While Aviendha skilfully maneuvered around tree trunks and over jutting roots, Rand stumbled his way past the same obstacles. How under the Light had she transported them here? Where was here? Could they even get home? Panting with effort, Rand spotted Aviendha ahead of him, much deeper inside the woods. Suddenly she froze and flattened herself against a tree, then motioned for Rand to do the same, which he did, leaning beside her. Peering carefully out from their hiding place, Rand understood just what had caused Aviendha to stop running from him.
No more than twenty feet ahead was a steep ridge bordered by a pathway. Marching along that pathway... was an army. Rand and Aviendha, with their fronts to the army's right side, watched in silence. It was unlike any force that Rand had ever seen. A column of hundreds, maybe thousands of men clad from head to toe in black plate armor was marching through the forest. Their weapons, also black, loosely resembled crossbows without the draw arms. Metallic creatures on four legs walked among the soldiers like war hounds with their masters. Over a dozen men wearing black robes marched ahead of the soldiers. The stiff posture and menacing appearance of the robed men instantly reminded Rand of Myrddraal. Is that what they were? If so, why weren't any Trollocs with them? Had the Shadow gained an army of humans?
"Who are they?" Aviendha asked in a whisper.
"I could ask you the same," was Rand's reply. "They could be servants of the Shadow. Especially those men at the fore. Whoever they are, I doubt they'll be happy to see us."
"Let us be away from here."
Rand nodded in agreement. "Can you get us back?"
A helmetless soldier in white and red plate armor turned from behind a tree atop the ridge. He raised a tube-shaped weapon. Three bolts of yellow light flew from the weapon and exploded on the ground below, destroying several of the metallic creatures. Cries of pain and alarm rose up from the soldiers in black. A shout of triumph carried off from the ridge as dozens of soldiers in the same white and red armor jumped down into the fray, opening fire on the soldiers in black armor. Noise filled the air, overwhelming Rand's hearing. He hadn't heard such a racket since the last fireworks show at Emond's Field. The men in black robes all drew weapons that resembled swords with blades made of red light and charged the attackers. A battle had commenced.
Aviendha turned and ran from the battle, something she would never have done under different circumstances. As Rand followed, even more soldiers in white and red emerged from behind trees and rock formations, running in the opposite direction - towards the fighting.
"For the Republic!" one soldier shouted. "Down with the Empire!"
Republic? Rand thought. Empire?
"What were you two doing?!" roared another soldier, who stopped in front of Rand and Aviendha. He was a hulking man armed with a heavy tube-shaped weapon, much like that carried by the soldier who had started the fight. His face was obscured behind a helmet. "Couldn't wait until after the battle to procreate?" When Rand didn't respond, the soldier drew a weapon and shoved it into Rand's arms. "Take this blaster and come with us, Private," he said to Rand, then pointed at Aviendha. "Corporal, find some clothes and stay out of sight. Now let's MOVE!"
The soldier - a Sergeant, by his commanding tone - took off running towards the battle. Then Rand understood. The Sergeant had mistaken Rand and Aviendha for two soldiers under his command. Playing along, Rand hefted his new weapon and stormed after the Sergeant, following him into the pit of doom.
The scene ahead was one of pure chaos. The soldiers in white had flanked those in black on both sides, while the men in black robes were trying to break through the enemy lines. Bolts of red, yellow, and green light crisscrossed. through the air and the ground quaked with explosive detonations. Everywhere Rand looked, bolts flew, blades flashed, and men died. The Sergeant had unslung his weapon and was spraying numerous green bolts in rapid succession from it. He then spotted one of the men in a black robe running in his direction, light sword drawn. The man's hood was down, and Rand saw that his opponent had eyes. Not a fade, then, but an ordinary man. Expect for his blood-red skin. Rand sought the void, emptying all his emotions into the flame. With care he shouldered the 'blaster' that the Sergeant had given him, looked down the sights, centered on his target, and squeezed the trigger.
A bolt of green light shot out from the blaster. The red-skinned man raised a hand then knocked the bolt aside with an invisible blow. Rand felt goosebumps raise on his arms. The man was channeling! Hurriedly Rand threw down the blaster, drew his sword, and embraced the Source. Saidin flowed into him like a torrent, filling him with life. Curiously, and even somewhat alarmingly, Rand didn't feel the taint. Why wasn't saidin tainted here? No matter.
The red-skinned man charged Rand, jumping through the air and landing two paces away, swinging his light sword in a downward arc. Assuming a combat stance, Rand ducked the attack and countered with River Undercuts the Bank, which the man blocked. The light sword made a hissing noise when Rand's own metal sword made contact. Back and forth the two men dueled until their weapons locked, neither able to make a move.
"I am Sith," the red-skinned man spat. "And you will die here."
"I am the Dragon Reborn," Rand retorted as he lifted a nearby rock and sent it hurtling into the Sith's side. The Sith grunted and fell to the ground heavily, dropping his light sword. Rand stabbed his own blade downward, aiming for his opponent's throat, but the Sith rolled to one side and leapt to his feet, retrieving his light sword with a flow of Air. Rand raised his sword for another duel, but the Sith merely outstretched his hand then wrapped a flow of Air around Rand's throat. Rand panicked and released saidin, unintentionally leaving himself defenseless. He gasped in vain for breath as the Sith tightened his hold.
A sudden wave of Earth and Fire knocked the Sith off balance, causing him to release his grip on Rand. "Damn Jedi," the Sith growled as a third combatant joined the fight. Rand's unexpected savior was a raven-haired woman with pale skin. Selene? No. Selene wouldn't wear a relatively plain brown tunic and armored boots. Nor would she carry a light sword with a blue blade at each end. This woman was someone else entirely. Rand sheathed his sword, recovered his blaster, then watched as the woman engaged the Sith, the two of them dancing a deadly duel. The Sith's back was to Rand. That gave him an opportunity. Again seeking the void, Rand raised the blaster and looked down the sights. The Sith knocked the woman to the ground and raised his weapon for a killing blow. Rand fired.
A single green bolt struck the Sith square between his shoulder blades. For a moment, he froze, then collapsed in a heap as his life drained away. The woman stood up. "Look out!" she shouted, pointing behind him. "Droids!"
Rand spun around, weapon raised, and found himself facing a dozen of those strange metallic creatures. Before he could open fire, a stream of green bolts erupted from the right, tearing into the creatures. The Sergeant - or at least someone with a similar weapon - had come to his aid.
"Not the Car'a'carn!" Aviendha's voice bellowed, then Rand saw her. She was wearing a black robe over her nakedness and carrying a double-bladed light sword, likely taken from a dead Sith. Had she killed one herself? Rand wondered. The former Maiden of the Spear charged the creatures, slashing wildly with the light sword. Around her the mechanical creatures fell apart, ripped to pieces by the light sword's devastating blades. Rand joined in, firing on the creatures with his blaster. Within seconds they were all down. When the creatures were defeated, Aviendha gave Rand an approving smile. Rand returned the smile and waved as well.
Then the ground exploded beneath him.
"Get up, Car'a'carn," said Aviendha. "Mistress Satele wants a word with you."
Rand opened his eyes. Sunlight flooded in. He raised a hand to shield his face. He was on his back, still in the same woods where a battle had been raging just moments ago. His head hurt unbelievably, like he'd been kicked in the head by a horse. Rand groaned with pain as he sat up. Aviendha was kneeling beside him.
"Mistress who?" he asked, confused.
"Her." Aviendha pointed. Standing nearby was the woman that he'd rescued from the Sith earlier. She was talking with two soldiers, both of whom Rand recognized. One was the soldier who had fired the battle's opening shots, and the other was the tall, burly Sergeant who had directed Rand to join the battle. She looked his way, and motioned for him to join them. Rand stood up slowly, still dizzy from his head wound, but Aviendha steadied him. The woman bowed her head as Rand and Aviendha joined the trio.
"Hello Rand Al'Thor," the raven-haired woman said calmly. There was a serenity about her that would make any Aes Sedai proud. "I am Satele Shan, a Knight of the Jedi Order." With me is Sergeant Den Himelstos..." she motioned to the burly man. "...and Captain Jace Malcom." Both men saluted.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Rand said with a slight bow.
"Likewise, Mr. Al'Thor. Your lady, Aviendha, has informed me that she and you are not of this world. Is that correct?"
"It is," Rand answered with a nod.
"And that I mistook you both for Private Mercana and Corporal Janiss," Himelstos added, "a pair of lovebirds in my platoon."
"An unfortunate mistake, Den," Malcom remarked. "But it appears to have worked out for the best."
"Mistress Satele, I must ask," Rand continued, "where are we?"
She gave him a puzzled look. "Why, you're on Alderaan, of course."
Rand looked at Aviendha, who just shrugged.
"I sense the Force within you both," Satele went on. "In time you could both become powerful Jedi."
"Jedi?" Rand asked, still lost in translation. "The Force? What are you talking about?"
"Is your head full of sand?" Aviendha sneered. "Here they call the One Power 'The Force.' Jedi are Wise Ones to these people."
Rand nodded, starting to understand. "What are you offering, Mistress Satele?"
"I am offering you a chance to get home. Aviendha explained to me just how you arrived here. Unless you learn the ways of the Force, you will not be returning home." Satele extended her hand.
Rand sighed. He wasn't too thrilled about throwing his lot in with a stranger, no matter how pure their intentions might be. Look what had happened when he left the Two Rivers with Moiraine. Now he was about to go through a similar experience. But it was clear that he had no other choice. "Very well," he said, and shook Satele's hand.
A faint smile appeared on the Jedi's lips. "Welcome to the Jedi Order, Rand Al'Thor."
