h1 style="line-height: normal;"a name="_Toc171706274"/aspan lang="EN-GB"#*#23 INITIATE/span/h1
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"WoTtober 2023 #23 INITIATE/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moiraine stood in the middle of the room in wonder./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I'm sorry, sister, that you had to wait," Silvana Brehon said, entering and closing the door behind her. "But I have only just heard you were waiting for me. The novice had, apparently, a hard time tracking me down in my personal rooms."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Silvana Sedai," Moraine greeted her with lowered head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I guess you've been remembering your own time in this room?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine swallowed at the memory. Memories of many visits and punishments that came unbidden at that mention. She couldn't say if the comment was meant to throw her off or if it was just a remembrance. Silvana would remember how frequently she and Siuan were disciplined as Novices and Accepted and there was no doubt in her mind that news of their last prank would have made it around the Reds' quarters./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Please, sit, Moiraine Sedai." Silvana dropped on the plush chair behind the desk with visible discontent. "As you see I've been asked to resume this position. On short notice, I might add."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine sat down, unused to such activity, in this room. She's been here, after taking the shawl, only once and just for a moment with a small favour to ask of Sheriam. Sheriam, another one that turned out to be an enemy./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Do not be afraid, I'm not a Black." Was that a small smile she saw on the woman's face? "And I am not, I am told, responsible for your penance. Thankfully. A waste of time, really, even though probably well earned."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I accept whatever is expected of me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""And yet I hear you didn't agree to stay longer in the Tower." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""We both know Mother enough to know she would get her wish if she really wanted. And I am no catch."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""One of the two that accompanied the Dragon in sealing the Dark One? You might have lost your channelling ability completely and still kept your position in this tower. And," Silvana rested her back on the chair and added in a conspiratorial voice: "despite your Ajah and any obvious wrong in that, many would remember fondly your last evening before choosing Blue."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I guess I've never heard this."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Silvana nodded and Moiraine recognised now a deep weariness in her eyes. One matching her own./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""So, what exactly brought you to my office?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I've heard there is a novice in the Tower that has a talent for making cuendillar."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""There is."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"So Silvana was not going to make it easy for Moraine. Well, she wouldn't be herself if she did. "I might have a request for her in a way that would utilise that talent."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I will send her to you tomorrow after you're out of the kitchens."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I was thinking of doing this more in private."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Send that warder away for a night, sister. It's unorthodox enough that he stays in your room all the time. You're not a Green." Moiraine felt like she was poked and prodded but this was too important. "Very well," Silvana said after a while, "I will make sure Bodewhin is in her room in the evening, waiting for you and that she knows to follow your directions."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Bodewhin Cauthon?" Moraine froze. "From the Two Rivers?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Silvana nodded. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Thank you, sister." Moraine managed to choke out before heading to the door. "I will make sure to take as little of her time as possible."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Merean might have been a Black, but she was strong enough to push for what she believed" Silviana added as Moiraine was leaving. Why? That was a strange thing to mention. "She pushed for you two to be tested earlier than anyone thought right even with your level in the One Power. She saw strength in you and brilliant mind."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I killed Merean." Moiraine didn't know why but it flew out of her mouth and heart. And this admission felt good./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Good, sister."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"For a moment Moiraine felt like an initiate again, getting praised. A lone tear escaped her eye./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"WoTtober 2023 #23 INITIATE/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moiraine stood in the middle of the room in wonder./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I'm sorry, sister, that you had to wait," Silvana Brehon said, entering and closing the door behind her. "But I have only just heard you were waiting for me. The novice had, apparently, a hard time tracking me down in my personal rooms."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Silvana Sedai," Moraine greeted her with lowered head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I guess you've been remembering your own time in this room?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine swallowed at the memory. Memories of many visits and punishments that came unbidden at that mention. She couldn't say if the comment was meant to throw her off or if it was just a remembrance. Silvana would remember how frequently she and Siuan were disciplined as Novices and Accepted and there was no doubt in her mind that news of their last prank would have made it around the Reds' quarters./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Please, sit, Moiraine Sedai." Silvana dropped on the plush chair behind the desk with visible discontent. "As you see I've been asked to resume this position. On short notice, I might add."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine sat down, unused to such activity, in this room. She's been here, after taking the shawl, only once and just for a moment with a small favour to ask of Sheriam. Sheriam, another one that turned out to be an enemy./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Do not be afraid, I'm not a Black." Was that a small smile she saw on the woman's face? "And I am not, I am told, responsible for your penance. Thankfully. A waste of time, really, even though probably well earned."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I accept whatever is expected of me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""And yet I hear you didn't agree to stay longer in the Tower." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""We both know Mother enough to know she would get her wish if she really wanted. And I am no catch."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""One of the two that accompanied the Dragon in sealing the Dark One? You might have lost your channelling ability completely and still kept your position in this tower. And," Silvana rested her back on the chair and added in a conspiratorial voice: "despite your Ajah and any obvious wrong in that, many would remember fondly your last evening before choosing Blue."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I guess I've never heard this."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Silvana nodded and Moiraine recognised now a deep weariness in her eyes. One matching her own./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""So, what exactly brought you to my office?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I've heard there is a novice in the Tower that has a talent for making cuendillar."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""There is."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"So Silvana was not going to make it easy for Moraine. Well, she wouldn't be herself if she did. "I might have a request for her in a way that would utilise that talent."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I will send her to you tomorrow after you're out of the kitchens."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I was thinking of doing this more in private."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Send that warder away for a night, sister. It's unorthodox enough that he stays in your room all the time. You're not a Green." Moiraine felt like she was poked and prodded but this was too important. "Very well," Silvana said after a while, "I will make sure Bodewhin is in her room in the evening, waiting for you and that she knows to follow your directions."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Bodewhin Cauthon?" Moraine froze. "From the Two Rivers?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Silvana nodded. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Thank you, sister." Moraine managed to choke out before heading to the door. "I will make sure to take as little of her time as possible."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Merean might have been a Black, but she was strong enough to push for what she believed" Silviana added as Moiraine was leaving. Why? That was a strange thing to mention. "She pushed for you two to be tested earlier than anyone thought right even with your level in the One Power. She saw strength in you and brilliant mind."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I killed Merean." Moiraine didn't know why but it flew out of her mouth and heart. And this admission felt good./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Good, sister."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"For a moment Moiraine felt like an initiate again, getting praised. A lone tear escaped her eye./span/p