AN: Please pretend that this chapter was posted last weekend.
Sheriam arrived in Siuan's quarters shortly after Leane had returned with the Oath Rod.
"You sent for me, Mother?" she asked, before looking around and having her eyes fall on Rand - a man who was not a warder was a rare sight in this part of the White Tower.
Rand took the initiative.
"We did. I am Rand al'Thor." He showed Callandor. "The Dragon Reborn."
Sheriam's breath hitched for a moment.
"Today, I seek to rid the White Tower of the Black Ajah," he continued.
The goosebumps on his skin told him Sheriam embraced the source, but he was ready and slammed down a shield, forcefully cutting her off and causing a rather louder gasp.
Rand whipped Callandor up and placed it against Sheriam's throat. "Leane Sedai will give you the Oath Rod and channel into it. You will unswear any oaths you have sworn, and then reswear the First Oath."
"What?" Siuan exclaimed as she caught up with the situation. "Sheriamis Black?"
"She won't be the only one you believe trustworthy that is Black," Rand said, keeping his eyes locked on Sheriam's. The redhead swallowed heavily.
"Do as he says," Siuan said when Leane hesitated, and she handed the Oath Rod to Sheriam.
"So, what do you want me to do?" Sheriam drawled.
"You've done it before, haven't you?" Rand challenged.
She met his eyes several seconds longer, then came to a decision and steeled herself. "I rescind my oaths."
She was clearly in pain, but didn't show it. Once she'd stopped biting her teeth, she spoke again. "I vow that I will speak no word that is not true."
Rand pulled Callandor back, and Sheriam placed the Oath Rod on the ground.
"Give me a single reason not to execute you immediately," Siuan growled.
"I feel no loyalty towards the Dark One or the Black Ajah," Sheriam responded, and Rand found himself surprised - as did everyone else in the room, no doubt.
"But you are a member," Rand said.
"I am," Sheriam acknowledged. She was pale, even more than usual, but had clearly decided on a course of action and was determined to see it through, knowing that she was currently headed for execution. "I sought to get ahead in the Tower, like everyone else, and asked questions where I should not have. We all have to make choices."
"Is that it?" Siuan asked, an undertone of anger and betrayal in her deceptively calm voice.
"Had I known the Dragon Reborn was about to announce himself, I would never have joined," Sheriam said desperately. "I don't want to get caught up in any of that!"
Rand met Siuan and Moiraine's eyes, and wove a weave around the three of them and Leane to avoid eavesdropping.
"She cannot lie right now," he said. "She spoke the oath."
"What's she getting at, though?" Siuan said.
"What she said must be true, but there are the things she didn't say. She clearly doesn't seem to feel any guilt over her decisions, and I'd say she has a rather utilitarian outlook on White Tower politics and life in general. She also no doubt knows execution lies in her future - even if you hadn't mentioned it. I think she's hoping she can switch sides again now that she has been found out."
"Well, I don't think so," Siuan said. "She's completely untrustworthy. She switched sides once, she now wants to do it a second time, who's going to stop her from doing it a third time? Blast it, I can't believe Sheriam of all people did this!"
Rand picked up the Oath Rod and gave it a contemplative look. "What if we give her an out, but ensure her loyalty?"
"That is a very dangerous precedent to establish," Moiraine said.
"There is only one way to deal with Darkfriends, in particular if they are also Aes Sedai," Leane argued. "Execution."
"Every channeler on our side at the Last Battle is invaluable," Rand said. "In particular those who already have experience. What if we strip her from her position and exile her from the Tower, and then allow her to swear loyalty to me? It seems to me that she likes to ingratiate herself with power as much as she seeks it for herself. If I give her a position in my court, enough that she can enjoy some power and prove her dedication to me, I don't think she'll be tempted to betray me. And of course, I will have someone trustworthy keep an eye on her."
"Mother's milk in a cup," Siuan muttered. "I don't want to sentence Sheriam to death. We've been friends since we were Accepted!"
Moiraine glanced over at the Mistress of Novices, who was fearfully watching their conversation. "I don't want to, either," she said. "She's… we've spent years together. Objectively, Leane is right, but now that Rand has offered an alternative… I want to take it."
"Leane?" Siuan asked. "What do you say? I don't want to make this decision unless you're willing to concede."
"Permission to speak freely, Mother?"
"Yes. Burn it, Leane, you always have permission to speak freely, that's why I chose you for this position," Siuan said with a measure of frustration.
"I fear that you are letting your emotions guide your decisions over reason," Leane said. "As you said, Mother, she's untrustworthy."
"And your thoughts on my proposal?" Rand asked. "She won't be here, in fact she'll be banished from Tar Valon entirely, and she can help get things running for me in Tear. The risk would be on me."
"What if she undermines your position, Lord al'Thor?"
"There will be plenty of people attempting to undermine my position," Rand said. "Most of them won't even be Darkfriends. I will have to trust the right people, and at least Sheriam would be a known danger. I also don't think she'll want to risk the chaos of undermining me. She's too likely to lose from it, instead of gaining."
Leane nodded. "I'll concede, Mother. I do not like it, but I understand the reasoning."
Siuan nodded her assent in return, and Rand removed the eavesdropping protection.
"Sheriam. The Amyrlin Seat has decided to be merciful based on your past relationship with her, on one condition."
"And that is?" the woman asked, almost begged.
"You will be stripped of your position, both as Mistress of Novices, and as Aes Sedai, and banished from Tar Valon. You will swear loyalty to me on the Oath Rod, and support me as I expand my seat of power in Tear."
"I accept," she responded immediately.
"Then the question is, how do we word the Oaths," Rand said. "And also, does Sheriam keep the First Oath?"
"Just an Oath of loyalty should be sufficient, right?" Moiraine said.
"I want her to swear three separate Oaths," Rand said. "This has to do with how the Oath Rod works, which is something I intend to discuss with the Amyrlin Seat and the Hall at a later date."
They debated the issue for a while before pinning down the final Oaths.
"I rescind my Oath," Sheriam said, clenching her teeth. Then, repeating Rand's exact wording - which he'd written down - she swore her Oaths.
"I vow that I will loyally serve Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, until his or my death, whichever comes first, or until he releases me from this Oath.
"I vow that I will not use methods that I believe Rand al'Thor would disapprove of to advance my position, in his ranks or any other.
"I vow that I will fight the Shadow to the best of my ability, within the constraints of my other Oaths."
Rand released his shield around Sheriam, and she gasped.
"Thank you, my Lord, for giving me another chance."
"You'll have to show me that you deserve it," Rand said sternly. "For today, that means assisting us in the removal of the Black Ajah as a whole from the White Tower."
"I only know a few names," Sheriam said. "Although I could tell you about the power structure."
"That won't be needed right now," Rand said. "Mother, could you call Verin here first? And, considering your recent interactions with her, perhaps Elaida too? I'll leave that to your judgement."
"She might be reluctant to acknowledge the existence of the Black Ajah," Siuan said. "But I do trust her. Leane, could you send for both?"
"Of course, Mother."
It only took a few minutes for Elaida to arrive.
"Good morning, Elaida Sedai," Rand greeted.
"Master al'Thor," she responded curtly. "You are a man full of surprises."
"I could say the same of you," he replied. "Well, you would be a woman full of surprises, of course."
Elaida glanced at the - unanimously Blue - audience. "I would rather not discuss sensitive matters among any more people than strictly necessary."
"Do not worry," Rand said. "After today, the Black Ajah will no longer have a presence in this Tower."
Elaida stilled. "Those are dangerous words to say, even for a man such as you, Master al'Thor."
Rand turned towards Sheriam. "Sheriam, do you know how many Sisters are members of the Black Ajah?"
"No," she responded. "But I would estimate certainly over one hundred."
Elaida wasn't the only one who let out a shocked gasp at that comment.
"And perhaps you could elaborate how you know that?" Rand prodded.
"Until I swore loyalty to the Lord Dragon earlier today, I was a member," Sheriam said. "While the identities of other Black Sisters were always kept very secret, dealing with the Black Ajah's Supreme Council has allowed me to estimate the number to a degree."
Elaida, now clearly even more disconcerted, turned to Rand. "Why is she still alive?"
"Because her true loyalty is to power," Rand responded. "And I hold more of it than the Shadow can provide her. Even people that I do not trust can still be useful to me. Also," he tapped the Oath Rod, "we did not take risks."
"But surely she receives a punishment?"
"She will be stripped of her position, both as Mistress of Novices and as Aes Sedai, and banned from Tar Valon," Rand said.
Verin entered Siuan's office at that moment.
"You sent for me, Mother?" she asked, distractedly looking around the group, although her eyes widened minutely when she saw Rand.
Rand, in turn, thrusted the Oath Rod into her hand and pointed Callandor at her - although not quite as threateningly as he had with Sheriam. "Verin Mathwin, rescind your oaths."
Now, Verin's eyes did widen in shock, and her absent-minded demeanor vanished. She gave him a calculating look, but this time when Rand felt the goosebumps of someone embracing saidar, he did not weave a shield.
"I rescind my Oaths," Verin said, making Rand lower his blade again. "You are the Dragon Reborn."
"I am," Rand said. "And today, the Black Ajah falls."
Verin's eyes shot to Sheriam for a second.
"Sheriam has elected to swear herself to me," Rand said.
"You'll have to explain to us what is going on," Moiraine told Rand.
"I do find myself curious as well," Verin said.
"I fear your curiosity must remain unsatisfied for now, Verin Sedai," Rand said. "Although perhaps you can interrogate me at a later time. As for the curiosity of the others present, you can probably satisfy it better than me."
"You are aware I have not quite completed my work?" Verin asked.
"It is more important to act now than to allow the Black Ajah to whisper in the wrong ears."
Verin nodded. "I understand." She turned to the larger group. "Several decades ago, my curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself in a situation where I had to choose between swearing loyal to the Black Ajah, or death."
"But Rand trusts you," Moiraine observed. "Unlike Sheriam."
"He did threaten my life," Verin pointed out, although she seemed slightly smug.
"Or perhaps that is merely how you interpreted it," Rand said with similar smugness.
"The oath of loyalty to the Black Ajah demands that we do not betray them until 'the hour of our death'," Verin explained. "I chose to interpret that the Dragon Reborn was intending to kill me, and thus deciding to rescind my oath would not constitute a betrayal of that oath, as it was the hour of my death until the Dragon Reborn changed his mind."
"Clever," Moiraine said.
"All members of the Brown Ajah seek to leave a lasting legacy," Verin continued. "For some, it may be to describe the many species of plants, or insects, or mammals, that our world harbors, or perhaps the history of a kingdom, all gathered into one place. For me, I have sought to compile a complete overview of the Black Ajah. It's inner workings, it's methodology… and it's members. All to be revealed at the perfect time."
"Such as after the Dragon Reborn announces himself, but before the news of this announcement has even made it's way out of Tear," Rand smirked.
"Indeed," Verin agreed. "You are correct that this is a wonderful time, although I still find myself mystified how you knew what I know."
"I have quite a bit of knowledge one might not expect me to have," he said. "How to cleanse saidin, for example."
"So that was you," Verin murmured. "I did wonder whether it might be a sign that Tarmon Gai'don was near."
"I imagine even my birth would already be such a sign," Rand commented. "But perhaps we should gather your notes so that we may outline a plan."
"How do you intend to move through the Tower to my personal quarters without notice?" Verin asked.
"By Traveling," Rand replied. "Moiraine, do you know the location of Verin's rooms?"
In response, Moiraine wove a Gateway.
Verin gasped. "How did you discover that?"
"I taught her," Rand said. "We linked up, Moiraine handed control of the circle to me, and I performed the saidar weave for her until she could reproduce it by herself."
"You know how to weave saidar?" Verin asked.
"In the Age of Legends, it was common for men and women to work together when using the One Power," Rand said. "All prominent channelers of the Age were proficient with both saidin and saidar."
Everyone who wasn't aware of Rand's memories gave him a flabbergasted look.
"I am the Dragon. Reborn," Rand said.
"And you… have his knowledge?" Verin asked.
"I do. But let's not delay. The more time the Black Ajah has to react, the more of them will escape."
They walked through the Gateway, finding Verin's Warder Tomas waiting on the other side, clearly surprised at what was going on.
"Verin?" he asked.
"Our plans just changed," she said. "This is…" she turned to Rand. "What is your name?"
"Rand al'Thor," he said.
"And he is the Dragon Reborn," Verin said. "He is being somewhat cryptic, but he clearly knew what we've been up to, and wants to act immediately."
Tomas took the shock surprisingly well. He studied Rand for several seconds, then turned to Verin. "What about your Oaths?"
"I rescinded them at swordpoint."
Tomas gave Rand a severe look.
"She was free to interpret it however she wished," Rand pointed out.
"Indeed I was," Verin mumbled as she removed her various protections - both physical and of the One Power - from a cabinet and liberated her notebooks. "This contains everything."
They made their way back to the Gateway, Tomas following them - Verin briefly explained what the portal was, leaving him as awed as any Aes Sedai who had learned of them.
"I have all information here," Verin explained, placing her notebooks on Siuan's desk. "This one contains the structure of the Black Ajah. Every Sister is part of a 'heart', which consists of three Sisters. Each knows the identity of both other Sisters in their heart. In addition, every Sister also knows the identity of one person outside their heart. Because of this, it is difficult for any one Sister to expose the Black Ajah."
"But you know more names, don't you?" Moiraine said.
"Were you… there's no way you were the Head of the Council," Sheriam said.
"That would have made things significantly easier," Verin noted. "No, I had to work with some compulsion weaves and memory altering weaves I'd cobbled together. Not great, but they did the job. I interrogated every Sister I could get alone, which is the majority of all current Aes Sedai. I would estimate I have found about one hundred and ninety members." That caused several more gasps, which she ignored. "Based on the number of Sisters I have not been able to interrogate, I would estimate the total number of Black Sisters is above two hundred, but not by much."
"Two hundred," Siuan breathed. "Out of merely nine hundred and fifty Aes Sedai total."
"That is… a ludicrous number," Elaida said. "How?"
"Power begets power," Rand said, glancing at Sheriam. "Aes Sedai are powerful simply because of the ring they wear, and the mindset that Aes Sedai are taught in the Tower encourages them to exert that power, and seek to multiply it. For the more ruthless ones, joining the Black Ajah is simply another method to do so. In addition, the Shadow would no doubt prioritize the recruitment of an Aes Sedai over the recruitment of, say, an innkeeper or a farmer. And to top it off, people who seek power are both more likely to join the Shadow and more likely to decide to have themselves tested for the ability to channel."
After a few seconds of silence, Verin continued. "All Black Sisters that I have found are catalogued by Ajah in this notebook. Of note are Talene, Sedore and Velina, who are Sitters of the Black Ajah."
"There is a fourth," Sheriam said. "I do not know their identities, but the Black Ajah Supreme Council can rely on four Sitters for important votes."
"Four!" Siuan exclaimed. "How much influence have they had?"
"A lot, and for a very long time," Rand said. "How else did you think they got away with murdering Amyrlin Seats?"
"What did you just say?" Elaida demanded.
"Tamra Ospenya died only a few months after she had heard the prophecy heralding the rebirth of the Dragon Reborn," Siuan said. "As did every single Aes Sedai she sent out to look for him. And I had my suspicions about Sierin Vayu's death too."
"Let's work out a method to capture as many Black Sisters as possible, first," Rand said.
It took them about half an hour to work out a plan everyone was content with, after which Siuan sent off a Novice to request the Blue Ajah Sitters to call for a meeting of the Hall.
Even such a simple action was a political decision, of course - part of it was simply that Verin was confident about the Blue Ajah Sitters not being Black, but the larger part of it was that Siuan had to keep the Blue Ajah happy after working together with Elaida quite a lot recently, and even using the Red Ajah to call a meeting just a few days earlier.
"And here we go," Siuan said, composing herself. "This was not what I was envisioning for the day I met you, Lord Al'Thor." She gave him a stern look.
"Nor was I envisioning everything that happened after I met Moiraine on the day I met her," Rand parried with hidden amusement. "Let's call it even."
They made their way downstairs as a group, not resorting to Traveling this time - Rand might draw some attention, but with a meeting Sealed to the Hall occurring, people would assume the two were related, and that more information would be revealed soon.
"You were seeking the Dragon Reborn, were you not?" Elaida asked Moiraine.
"I was," Moiraine said.
"The entire twenty years?"
Moiraine nodded. "Within months after we were raised to the shawl. And even before that we were involved, although we only knew what we were working on because we were present at the time of Gitara's prophecy."
Elaida remained silent, overthinking the information.
"I didn't know that," Leane spoke up.
"I'm sure you can understand the need for secrecy," Siuan said. "In particular considering even Sheriam turned out to not be trustworthy." She glowered at the freshly-demoted former Mistress of Novices, who was to be officially stripped of her positions later today.
Sheriam didn't respond, understanding full well that nothing she could say would improve her position.
They arrived at the entrance to the Hall after several minutes, with some idle conversation, and Leane walked in first, announcing: "She comes! She comes! The Flame of Tar Valon, the Amyrlin Seat."
Siuan followed immediately after, but the rest of their group remained outside for now.
Channeling saidin improved Rand's senses enough that he was able to listen in on the conversation going on inside.
"I am intrigued by your request, Mother," someone said - from Egwene's thread, Rand recognized the voice as belonging to the Blue Sitter Lelaine. "Before you requested that we call this meeting, I did not even know there was a man meeting with you. So perhaps you could answer the question we formally called it for - who is the man you are meeting with?"
"I would prefer to wait until all Sitters are present, so that I need not repeat myself," Siuan responded.
Two Sisters bustled past Rand - shooting him surprised glances - just then, making their way inside. Based on what Rand heard, both were Sitters.
"We are just waiting on Faiselle, Janya and Pevara, then," an unknown voice said.
Three minutes later, the last of the three had entered, and all attention was audibly back to Siuan.
"I would like to request that this meeting is Sealed to the Hall," she said, "and for my guest and the Aes Sedai accompanying him to be invited in so they may be present for the meeting."
"Only so long as it concerns them," another voice unknown to Rand spoke up. "Should we find ourselves discussing another matter Sealed to the Hall, they must depart."
"Of course," Siuan agreed.
"What is brought before the Hall of the Tower is for the Hall alone to consider," someone spoke up. Rand recognized the voice from Mat's thread - Teslyn. "Whosoever intrudes unbidden, woman or man, initiate or outsider, whether they come in peace or in anger, I will bind according to the law, to face the law. Know that what I speak is true; it will and shall be done."
A voice unknown to Rand spoke next. "There are those within earshot who are not of the Hall. What is spoken in the Hall of the Tower is for the Hall alone to hear, until and unless the Hall decides otherwise. I will make us private. I will seal our words to our ears only."
Sound cut out as she wove a weave against eavesdropping, but shortly after, Teslyn appeared and invited them in - Rand, Moiraine, Sheriam, Elaida and Verin.
Rand walked in front, the other four following right behind him, something that caused a few raised eyebrows among the Sitters, and he made his way first to the middle of the open space in the center of the Hall, in front of Siuan, and then further, standing on her side. It might not quite be decorum, but it wasn't a blatant breach either, considering Siuan was introducing him to the Sitters, as opposed to Rand being questioned - in which case he should have remained in the middle, with his back to most Sitters.
"Mother," Lelaine said. "Now that this man is with us, will you answer the question of who he is?"
"I will," Siuan said with the calmness of someone who was about to speak the words she had worked her entire life towards, and had to make sure she delivered them right. "This man is Rand al'Thor, the true Dragon Reborn."
Rand pulled Callandor from the sheath and placed it in front of him, the point resting on the ground.
Several Sitters outright gasped, all showed a physical reaction of some form or another, and at least one of them embraced saidar despite the rules against this in the Tower.
"He is also responsible for cleansing Saidin," Siuan continued, "although I wish to note…" She trailed off, recognizing that her phrasing would've allowed her to bypass the First Oath. "No, I am noting that I was unaware of this plan until after it was executed, and I did not meet with him or contact him before today."
The goosebumps on Rand's skin disappeared again, and based on several glares sent the way of one of the Green Sisters, she was the one who had embraced saidar - Rand didn't know what her name was.
"How?" a slender Brown queried. "How did you cleanse saidin?"
"Perhaps that is a topic best saved for a later date," Rand deflected. "While part of the Amyrlin Seat's and my own intention for today is to introduce me to the White Tower, we do have a pressing matter that we need to address."
"And what would that be?" one of the Red Sitters asked. Despite what Rand would expect from Reds, this woman was looking at him with more interest than apprehension.
"The influence of the Shadow in the White Tower," Rand said.
Several people sent suspicious looks his way, although he couldn't discern by reaction which ones were Black.
"As I have learned today - although not from the Lord Dragon himself - the Black Ajah is not only real, but it's influence is far beyond what I feared," Siuan said.
"Surely you have proof to back this up," a Grey Sister said, suspicion evident in her voice.
"I do," Siuan said, gesturing to Verin. "Verin has spent several decades as a mole among the Black Ajah, uncovering their secrets and members. She has provided an extensive list of Black Ajah members, and we have used the Oath Rod to confirm her truthfulness."
"And who does this list contain?" the same Red from before asked.
"A great many names, including ones of Sisters I believed to be friends," Siuan said. "As well as more than one Sitter."
Rand couldn't see saidar. However, he did not need to see saidar to read the body language of a channeler about to lash out in a desperate attempt to escape capture. A White and Yellow Sitter jumped up almost in tandem, but he immediately slammed shields onto both of them, easily cutting through their connection to the True Source with his superior powerand holding them in place with threads of Air.
Many other Sitters had been attempting the same when the two jumped up, and most looked around in confusion for a second or two before realizing what had happened and turning to Rand.
"Every Sitter will be asked to rescind and reswear the Three Oaths," Rand said, "in order to prove their loyalty to everyone present here."
"I will lead this, so that you know I am not deceiving you myself," Siuan added.
Verin provided her the Oath Rod, and Siuan went through the full process.
"I am not a Darkfriend," she spoke after finishing her Oaths. "Nor have I ever been a Darkfriend. Everything I spoke to you before now, I said while under the power of the Oaths I swore when I was first raised to the shawl."
She looked around the shocked Hall. "Who will go next?"
Silence reigned for several seconds.
"This is preposterous," a Green Sitter blurted out. She was tall and statuesque, with golden hair.
"In what way, Talene?" Lelaine queried, allowing Rand to identify the Green as another member of the Black Ajah, leaving only the one whose identity they were missing. "While this is certainly very unusual, I doubt Sedore and Velina suddenly sought to leave merely because they had forgotten something from their quarters."
Meanwhile, a Red sister - the one who had seemed interested in Rand more than anything - gestured for Elaida to walk over, and exchanged a few whispered words.
Both by Rand's gut and by the looks from several other Sitters, this wasn't quite according to decorum. However, the Red was the one who spoke up next.
"I will go first. Mother?"
Siuan nodded and walked over to her to hand over the Oath Rod. Meanwhile, Moiraine stood on the tips of her toes to make her best attempt to whisper into Rand's ear. "Pevara."
Rand nodded in thanks, having heard the name a few times before.
Pevara repeated Siuan's example of unswearing and reswearing the Oaths. "I am not a Darkfriend," she concluded. "And I do not see a good reason why any of us would refuse this simple action to prove our loyalty, when two Sisters among us felt the need to flee at even the suggestion that they might have to do so. Yes, it hurts to remove the Oaths, but it is nothing compared to the punishment a Novice would receive for minor misbehavior. Which I am sure we have all experienced at one point or another…"
She gave Talene a meaningful look in particular.
The Green looked increasingly agitated and flustered, seemingly losing control over the mental trick that allowed Aes Sedai - but also Rand - to remain composed and ignore their environment to a degree.
"I must admit that your reluctance is not doing you any favors, Talene," a White Aes Sedai said. From Egwene's thread, Rand recognized her as Seaine. "What if I go next, and you follow after?"
Talene didn't respond, and after a few seconds, Seaine went to collect the Oath Rod from Pevara. "I hope this is just you being stubborn, Talene…" she spoke quietly as she did so.
Then, she reswore her Oaths. "I am not a Darkfriend." She stood up from her seat again, and walked over to Talene, presenting the Oath Rod. "Your turn."
Rand readied himself further in case Talene would try anything, but she didn't. With visible hesitation, Talene spoke.
"I rescind my Oaths." She cringed visibly at the pain, but continued.
"I vow that I will speak no word that is not true.
"I vow that I will make no weapon with which one man may kill another.
"I vow that I will never use the One Power as a weapon except against Darkfriends or Shadowspawn, or in the last extreme defense of my life, the life of my Warder, or another Aes Sedai."
Then, she changed track from the ones who preceded her. "I seek to walk in the Light."
None of the Aes Sedai present needed more than a moment to recognize the hidden admission in her words.
"It seems rather late for that," Teslyn said acerbically.
"Talene," Siuan spoke. "Speak clearly. Were you a member of the Black Ajah?"
"Yes," Talene said. As Rand did not feel goosebumps on his skin still, he did not move to shield her.
"Then there is no just punishment other than execution," one of the Grey Aes Sedai said. Rand recognized her as Yukiri, again thanks to Egwene's thread.
"Lord Dragon?" Sheriam spoke, as if to remind Rand of her.
"Talene," Rand said, coming to a decision. "I expect you to answer my questions to the fullest, without omissions or attempts to mislead me."
"Yes, Lord Dragon."
"Why did you join the Black Ajah?"
"I sought to achieve a position of power," she responded.
"Why did you choose to do so by joining the Black Ajah?"
"I was approached by them when they became aware of my goals," Talene said. "I did not seek them out, and once they contacted me, I did not have the option to refuse if I wanted to keep my life."
"Would you have refused, had you been able to?"
"I… cannot say for sure."
"Is that an attempt to avoid answering clearly, or your genuine thoughts on the matter?"
"They are my genuine thoughts, Lord Dragon. I would have considered the offer, had it been one, but I cannot say without more thought whether or not I would have accepted."
"Lord Dragon," Lelaine interrupted. "Is there a purpose to this interrogation?"
"There is," Rand responded. "I will elaborate in a moment. Talene, have you ever harmed someone in any way for your own enjoyment, or simply because it made things easier for you?"
"I have not, Lord Dragon. I sought to live as if I were not a member of the Black Ajah in every way other than to gain political power."
"What if you were ordered to perform illegal acts by the Black Ajah?"
"I have performed tasks for the Black Ajah at times, but never violent ones. As I understand it, such tasks would usually be given to those members who either did not mind, or outright enjoyed them."
"Do you hold any loyalty to the Dark One?"
"No. I followed orders purely because it would improve my position and allow me to further my own goals."
"Did you attempt to deceive me at any point during this conversation?"
"No, Lord Dragon."
"Then I wish to make a proposal to the Hall," Rand said, now addressing everyone. "I am only just starting to build a base of power in Tear, and I will need to properly establish myself in the months and years to come ahead of Tarmon Gai'don. One aspect of this is that I need to have channelers at my side. Of course, I am seeking to cooperate with the White Tower, and I have full faith in our ability to do so. However, Aes Sedai would be allies, not underlings, no matter how highly regarded.
"My proposal is this. Instead of executing her, the White Tower will strip Talene of her position as Aes Sedai and exile her from Tar Valon. She will then swear loyal to me on the Oath Rod, and join me in Tear."
"Why would you need channelers beyond what the White Tower can provide?" the Red Sitter that Rand didn't have a name for asked.
"The White Tower is not nearly as aware of channelers around the world as it likes to believe," Rand said bluntly. "Even if there is full cooperation between me and the White Tower, there will be times in the coming years where channelers will be fighting channelers. And not all of those fights will be against Darkfriends. I wish to be prepared for this. In addition, with saidin cleansed I wish to start seeking male channelers to train, and it will be beneficial to have people who have experience as members of an organization of channelers."
"Even if that is true, I am certain we could find more trustworthy Sisters to aid you," the last White, her name unknown to Rand, said.
"We also, to put it bluntly, need every sword, bow, and indeed channeler we can get," Rand said. "If the loyalty of a former Darkfriend can be guaranteed - and indeed, with the Oath Rod it can be - that should be enough that we prioritize it above executing them. I will also add that there will be an additional punishment involved for their prior acts."
"And what would this be?" A pretty, Grey Sister asked - the same one who had requested proof for Rand's claim that the Shadow had infiltrated the White Tower.
Rand considered the question. He did not want to reveal the Oath Rod's side effect of shortening the life span of those who swore on it yet, as that would likely interfere with today's efforts, but the question was a sensible one that needed an answer.
"They will pay in years of their future life," he eventually said. "They will simply grow older more quickly than they otherwise would, although they still live well beyond the lifespan of someone who cannot channel. I cannot reveal the method for now, as we simply do not have the time today, but I can promise that you will know before midsummer."
"How does this interact with the current age of the person?" the Grey asked, seeming almost more like a Brown to Rand in that moment.
"It does not," Rand said. "It only affects the years of their life they still have left to live."
She nodded. "I would like to note that I object to having to unswear and reswear my Oaths."
Everyone stilled.
Rand, after a moment, went to collect the Oath Rod from Talene and gave it to the still-unnamed Grey and pointed Callandor at her throat. "I am not giving you a choice."
The Grey Sitter went ahead and unswore, then reswore her Oaths.
"I do not know which way the Hall will decide, but I prefer a chance over no chance," she stated simply.
"I will interrogate you before deciding whether or not you receive the same offer in the first place."
"Of course."
"This process is making me uncomfortable," a Yellow said. "Let's swear our Oaths so we can be certain there is no one else, first. If nothing else, I wish to clear my own name."
"I agree," Rand said. "Let's complete this first - I will say that based on our information, there should be no other Black Sitters, but I do not intend to take that for granted until we have it confirmed."
AN: As always, you can join my discord server here: discord . gg / xKJKNjY
All my writing is done live over on fiction dot live, with complete chapters uploaded to other platforms. As FFN hates links, I won't bother trying to put one here, I'm sure you know how to google someone's account on a website you know the name of.
