As usual all speech in italics is in the Old Tongue.
Interlude X - Tel Makes a Speech
Approximately 3,000 years ago
Tel stood up from his seat in the Grand Council Chamber. Columns of white marble surrounded the room, tiered balconies looking down on it. The Sun bathed the chamber in naturally coloured light through the gigantic stained glass dome that rose above it. The three hundred seats of the Grand Council were filled with other aes sedai in their official white. Aides and watching aes sedai milled around the columns at the edge of the chamber.
He took a second to straighten his formal, high-collared coat. Like the others, it was the white of a member of the Grand Council, the symbol of the aes sedai prominent on his left breast, sinuously divided circle on a red background. On each collar he wore a golden circle representing the globe, to show he had earnt his third name, something even many of members of the Grand Council couldn't boast. The interlocking blue-red weave of a general wound its way round his cuffs and he wore the crimson sash of a Defender of the Light across his chest.
He took a deep breath, scanning the viewing galleries on the lowest balcony. There she was. Taija was sitting in the front row, surrounded by other viewers, fidgeting uncomfortably. Her own formal coat black and unadorned other than the badge of the aes sedai and golden circles on her collar.
As soon as she realised he was looking she stopped fidgeting and gave him an encouraging smile along with a thumbs up. He knew she hated being here, hated the stiff formal clothes, the politics, brown nosing and manipulation. But he'd also known she'd come to support him. She was very aware of how important this was, to him and to the Light. He hadn't asked her, she hadn't said anything, but of course she was there, shifting around trying to make her little-used coat more comfortable when she thought he wasn't looking.
It was just what he needed, that little boost as he made his way to the podium, knowing she was there cheering him on.
The podium felt like a thin shield against the eyes of the audience when he stood behind it, but he'd prepared, practised and rehearsed this speech endlessly. Taija had already told him if she had to hear him recite it again he was sleeping alone for a week.
Taking a deep breath, he began. "Friends, companions, comrades, aes sedai. We are losing this War. The Shadow seeks to destroy everything we hold dear. Every day thousands of innocents die at the hands of the Forsaken, the Dark One's minions, the disgusting shadowspawn."
"However, we are stronger than the Shadow. The Light holds with it the ideals dear to us. Peace, democracy, freedom, unity. Together we outnumber the servants of the Shadow, we have industrial might, we have population, we have the strength and skill in the Power. And yet we are losing this War. Every day the Shadows pushes our lines back further. Good people die spitting defiance in the face of the shadowspawn, but nevertheless they die. City after city is lost. Their inhabitants enslaved, or worse fed to the trollocs to fuel the Shadow's nightmarish war machine. I ask you, why? Why are we losing?"
"The servants of the Shadow can barely work together. They will as soon fight each other for scraps of power as work together to defeat us. Those of you that have fought on the front lines," he resisted the urge to scowl at the thought of those who hadn't fought, wouldn't fight, "will have seen the way they fail to cooperate."
"Unity, cooperation, friendship, these are core values of the Light, they should be core strengths. Working together we can shatter the Shadow. Logistics, strategy, coordination, these should be our foundation. And yet…" He paused and scanned across the room, trying to judge people's reactions.
"And yet… Our forces are uncoordinated, regional fiefdoms answering to individual generals, at the whim of local political leaders. Those unlucky enough to be at the front lines fight and die, throwing themselves into the night just to slow the Shadow with bravery beyond anything that could be asked of them."
"And yet the safer regions, those far from the front, hoard resources. Dole out reinforcements like the stingiest of misers. They play political games, demanding concessions to do their duty to the world while we fight and die to protect them. Every step we are pushed back makes the Shadow stronger and brings more regions into danger."
"And yet they continue to vacillate. Empty promises are made, but never fulfilled and all the time we fight and die, watching the Shadow extinguish more and more of our cities, our homes, our treasured friends. We spit defiantly into the Dark One's eye, but it feels like we can do little more." Angry rumblings were rising from some parts of the chamber, but Tel continued unperturbed, the webs around the podium letting his voice ring out over any interruptions.
"People tell me things are changing, they're getting better. Maybe they are. We have appointed a supreme leader of the Light's forces. The honourable Lews Therin, the Dragon as he is now known. Our military coordination has improved." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand towards where Lews Therin sat and gave a small, polite bow in his direction.
It should have been him. He knew he'd have done a better job than Lews Therin, but he could accept it. Lews Therin had the political power, just as many victories, just a few more accomplishments to his name. He didn't like it, in fact he'd been furious when it had been announced, but Taija had talked him down. Someone had to be appointed and there were many who would have been worse than Lews Therin, he couldn't help but glance towards Latra Posae sitting in the front row with a scowl of disapproval on her face. If he was fair, and he always tried to be a fair man, Lews Therin was a good appointment, not as good as he would have been, but a solid choice nonetheless.
"We have the Dragon in control of our forces and we are able to work together better. Crushing defeats have been inflicted on the Shadow through his strategic acumen." He paused.
"And yet we are still losing. Lews Therin asks for more resources, asks for what we need to defeat the Shadow. But instead of working together to give him what we need, every region tries to hoard what it can for itself. Undermining the war effort, consigning their fellow citizens to horrific death."
"I believe in democracy. I treasure the values of our system. Whatever my opponents say, I am not calling for dictatorial powers to be granted to Lews Therin or anyone else. However, we are fighting a desperate war for the very survival of our civilisation. If we do not win there will be no system left to protect. That is why I am urging you to vote to grant overriding powers to the Inner Council. Regional authorities must not be allowed to impede the war effort any longer. Our central government is democratically elected, the Inner Council is supervised by the Grand Council, we can allow it to take control for the length of the War. We need it to take control if we want to have anything left by the end of this War."
"For the good of the Light and for the good of the men, women and children dying every day at the hands of the Shadow."
He took a breath, "thank you honoured Councillors." He bowed low to the room and returned to his seat to the sound of both applause and angry shouting.
It took a while for the Chair to bring the chamber back into a semblance of respectful silence, but once he did Lews Therin stood to take his own place at the podium. His face expressionless.
Tel couldn't help but watch with baited breath as Lews Therin began to speak, his smooth charisma instantly captivating the room. "Honoured members of the Grand Council," he began. "I thank Tel Janin for his passionate words. He made many valid points in his speech and we should all consider them. He is right that unity, cooperation and friendship are true values of the Light, and among our greatest strengths."
Something was wrong, his words were positive, but the tone… "And yet," he dropped the words like a tombstone, "Tel Janin forgets that democracy and freedom lie at the very core of what we stand for. His proposals for reducing regional autonomy come from the his heart and he is correct that the war requires more from us. I respect his passion. However, his proposals are a recipe for dictatorship. I do not suggest that this is in any way his intention. But, we have seen how the Shadow will corrupt any system. We need checks and balances to protect the very values we believe in. Otherwise we walk blindly towards dictatorship and oppression, every small step forward seeming reasonable until one day we look in the mirror and no longer recognise ourselves for all we see is the Shadow itself."
Tel sat there, trying to keep his face neutral as Lews Therin continued. He'd thought the man understood! Thought he would be one of his strongest supporters, but there was no chance of his proposal passing now, not with Lews Therin speaking against it.