Fanfic:Amayani Gaidar

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Amayani Gaidar
Author(s)
  • Marit
Character(s)
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It started as any other day, with morning exercise, breakfast and then straight off to the Archery Range for the regular rounds. Routines helped keeping her mind of the things that hadn't happened, the things she wouldn't allow herself to dwell on. She was just adjusting the thumb ring, ready to shoot through her quiver a third time when she heard the silent footsteps of a Gaidin approaching; only they were that silent, with a few exceptions when it came to certain ji.

"Gaidin," she greeted with a slight bow as she turned around. The Gaidin didn't acknowledge her greeting, only presented a letter, and left without a word when she took it.

Confused, Yani looked down at the letter, turning it over. It carried no writing or seal in the wax. Casting a quick glance after the Gaidin, she popped the seal and scanned the letter quickly.

Your presence is required at the south edge of the Training Yard.
Please be prompt.

It had no signature except for the seal of the Master of Arms. What is this? she allowed herself to wonder quietly, though she wasted no time. Quick with years of practise she unstrung the bow, twinning the string around the bow so it didn't fall off, and slipped the thumb ring off her thumb and into her pocket.

The Training Yard was only a short distance away from the Archery Range, giving her little time to wonder about the note before she's there, and being met by another Gaidin. He doesn't give her a chance to speak, only beacons for her to follow and sets off at a brisk pace. She follows in silence.

By the time they reached the Channeling Yard, realization was fighting with doubt in her mind. The note, and this, it could only mean one thing: that she was to be tested for the fancloak, to see if she was worthy of joining the rank of Gaidar. It was due time, a part of her mind told her, while another almost screamed the opposite. Was she ready? She could be mistaken also, that this was just another mission of some sort. Yes, it had to be that, couldn't be the test. Or could it?

Her mind was arguing back and forth even as they walked into the Channeling Yard; she barely even paid attention to the Aes Sedai until a flash of silver light spun open into a portal in front of her. The portal brought forth the memories she had tried to push aside, and they overwhelmed her so that she didn't pay attention to the hand on her shoulder, giving her a push through the portal. Cursing herself for being caught unaware, she stumbled from sandy ground to stone floor, spinning to find the portal snapping shut and facing a bare stone wall.

A quick scan revealed a small, sparsely furnished room. In truth, the only furniture worth mentioning was a table pushed up against the wall to her side, and on it lay a stack of clothing and two swords which she recognized as similar to those she'd trained with against Riven Sedai. Leaning against the table was a quiver bristling with arrows. She didn't see a bow, as she stepped up to the table, but then again, she already had one in her hand. She pulled out one of the arrows by the table, noticing by the tip and fletching that these were a far more lethal type of arrows then those she trained with. These were meant to penetrate armor.

With trained fingers she removed the belt on which her quiver hung, and sat the quiver up against the wall. Hanging the belt over the new quiver, she started on the bundle of clothes on the table. On top was a sturdy, woolen cloak, dark grey the same color as her uniform. Underneath the cloak lay a set of armor; a gambeson, a light mail shirt and a thin leather tunic to go over, and a skullcap. She picked the pieces up to get a feel of them. They were solid enough to give good protection, and still light and thin enough to not restrict her movement too much. Whatever reason they had for bringing her here - she was quite certain it was the raising test by now - it would be dangerous. Without any ceremony she stripped off her training uniform and donned the armor, strapping the quiver and both swords to her hip.

Then she waited, spending the time checking over the swords, both the long, slightly curved blade of the katana, and she shorter wakizashi. When she was satisfied, she went on to check the arrows in her new quiver, controlling their fletching and heads, as well as looking for defects in the shaft. A defect arrow could prove more dangerous for the archer then for the target.

When the door opened, she picked up the cloak and bow, and followed the Gaidar out into a courtyard. The view around her revealed what she had guessed, that she was in the Citadel.

In front of her she saw four familiar figures, each known by the whole Yard; the Warder Council. A little to the side stood an Aes Sedai she couldn't recognize, but she guessed from her clothing and appearance that she was of the Brown Ajah. Great, a bookworm, she thought before she could stop herself, though she still offered a gracious bow to the Four and to the Aes Sedai.

“Who comes before the Warder Council?” the Gaidin Captain intoned, an she could feel that she was required to reply in a certain manner. But how was she supposed to know how? The raising test was so mysterious that none of the trainees knew anything before they came here. She could feel a slight panic rise in her chest, but when she opened her mouth, the words came out naturally.

"I, Amayani do Ciresh a'Sorene, Ji'dar of the Grey Tower, come before the Council." The three Warders nodded, and at last, the Master of Training stepped forward. She hadn't worked with him for a very long time, but at that moment he seemed to symbolize her time in the training ranks, and it felt appropriate that he supplied her final test.

"You have trained in our ranks and have been deemed worthy of a final assignment," the Master of Training said. "Ji'dar, you are called to prove yourself worthy of the fancloak in the wilds of the Blightborder. You have three chances to approach this task. If you choose to step down today, you may come before us twice more. Once you agree to continue your test, however, you may not turn back without immediate failure. Once you accept your test, you must complete the test or you will be put out of the Tower permanently. Do you wish to continue?"

"I do," Yani replied without much hesitation. She felt the silence lay over the Citadel as she uttered those words. She wasn't sure if she was completely ready, but she knew she wouldn't become more ready over time. This was it, this was her final test as a trainee of the Yard. She could do it.

"You are called to protect this Aes Sedai, the symbol of your desired duty," the Master of Training continues. "Return with some token of your struggle; do not return to this fortress until you can bring some proof of your protection before the Council. If you should return without such proof, or if you fail in your protection of this Aes Sedai - if she falls under your defense - you will be put out of the Tower permanently."

Yani nod solemnly, feeling the weight of responsibility, the responsibility she'd been trained for for years, settle on her shoulders.

"Light guide your bow, and may your test be one of enduring strength."

The departure came quickly after those final words, and in no time she and the Aes Sedai were beyond the battlements of the Citadel, the thick oaken doors shut behind them, on a horse each with the necessary supplements for several days in the saddlebags. In front of them lay the Blightborder, and leading the way, Yani set course straight into the depths of it.


The journey into the Blight went slower than Yani would've liked. The Brown Aes Sedai, a domani named Toria, would've stopped to study each rock they passed if Yani hasn't pressed them on. She wondered in the Warder Council had chosen a Brown just to irk her, though she knew that was not the case. Still, the woman and her obsessiveness, as she viewed it, to study everything around them annoyed her. She wondered how a domani had ended up with the Brown.

That was also another thing that distracted her; both her domani figures and her name reminded her too much of Thoia, and try as she might she couldn't push the thought of her old roommate and beloved friend out of her mind. She knew she needed to be on her toes, especially in this place, but her mind betrayed her and distracted her. So far nothing bad had happened, but that was part luck and part thanks to the Aes Sedai, and her horse, who both warned her when she strayed too close to one of the trees. How can even trees be deadly? Bloody place.

On the third day it almost went bad. Thankfully, her horse was more aware of her surroundings than she were, and its sudden nervous movements snapped her mind back to the world around. She held up a hand to stop the Aes Sedai, who rode right behind her, and stood up in the stirrups to see if she could see anything.

It was eerie quiet around, and the sky was ominous in the way it threatened a coming storm, as it had for the entire time, but she couldn't see or hear anything. She didn't know what had alerted her horse, but she could feel that something was out there. She checked the quiver at her hip and unhooked the bow from the saddle; it was strung, as it had been since they entered the Blight. She'd checked the string each night and changed it the night before, keeping it ready to fire in case something surprised them.

"We need higher ground," she said low to Toria Sedai, and looked around for a suitable location. There was a slight breeze coming from the west, and she had a feeling her horse had smelled something coming with the wind, meaning they were downwind from whatever was there. Not far off she could see the land rising to a small hill, and from scanning the land around she had a feeling that the land dropped again behind it, maybe in a small cliff. She steered her horse towards that.

Still not feeling comfortable shooting from horseback, Yani slid off the horse as they neared the hilltop and handed the reins to the Aes Sedai. She noticed in the corner of her eye as she started moving, that the Aes Sedai tied the reins to the saddle and elegantly slid off her own horse, leading both by the first's reins. Yani held up a hand again to tell the Aes Sedai to wait as she crouched lower and moved as silently as she could towards the top.

She had been right in her assumption, the land dropped rapidly on the other side of the top, and in the distance below her was a band of beasts heading towards the hill. Twisted men with the head or body or feet of a beast, she recognized them as Trollocs, and felt her tummy churn at the sight of them; they were revolting, and scary, she had to admit that.

The band was still some distance off, but she could make out their numbers; two hands, and she couldn't see a Fade among them, luckily. She would have enough trouble with two hands of Trollocs, she didn't need a Fade among them to make it worse.

She noticed the movements behind her and turned her head to see the Aes Sedai moving up to her. She sighed in silence, slightly annoyed that the Aes Sedai didn't follow her order, but she had to agree the woman at least moved silently. She turned her head back to watch the band of Trollocs as the Aes Sedai moved up to her side.

"Two hands, no Fade among them as I can see," she said in a low voice; she'd found that she made less noise if she spoke in a soft voice compared to a whisper; the wheezing sound of a whisper carried quite longer than one should think.

"They seem to be moving to this hillside to camp," she continued, "I don't think they know we're here yet. We're downwind from them for now."

The Aes Sedai nodded, but offered no word of advice. They sat in silence for a little while, watching the Trollocs grow larger as they came closer.

"I can take out several of them with my bow once they're within range," Yani said softly. "And they will have to move around there," she continued, nodding to their right where the hill sloped down, "to get to us up here. If we're lucky, there's few if any left alive by the time they get up here." She didn't like to sound like she was bragging, but she did feel quite sure of her skills with the bow, after training with it daily for so many years.

The Aes Sedai gave another nod, and they sat in silence for some excruciating minutes, waiting for the Trollocs to come into range of her bow. Yani spent that time scanning her surroundings as well as keeping an eye on the oncoming band, to make sure nothing surprised them with an ambush.

"Those are Dha'vol Trolloc." The voice of the Aes Sedai startled her more than it should. She didn't know how the Aes Sedai knew that; the Trollocs were too far away still to see more than their shapes; but she didn't ask, simply nodded in response.

The Trollocs didn't seem to be in a hurry, taking their time in coming into range. It had already been late evening when they first noticed them, and at this rate darkness would begin to fall on them before they came close enough. Yani hoped she was a good enough shot to get them in the dim light. The Aes Sedai had stealthed down the hill again to care for the horses, and to calm them; they were getting restless from standing still in this land, and the approaching enemies weren't helping. Toria Sedai had expressed a worry they might give them away before going down.

When the Aes Sedai came up the hill again, dusk had come, and the horses were as calm as if they'd been in a safe stable. Whatever the Aes Sedai had done to them, Yani was thankful. The Trollocs below were close enough to be heard quite clearly, and nearly within range.

Yani moved into a good position, readying her bow and arrows for quick shooting, pulling six from the quiver and holding them in her bow hand. She left the thumb ring in her pocket, as it would be mostly in the way if it came to a close combat. Nocking her first arrow, she selected one of the Trollocs in the group and took aim. The bow half-drawn, she fixated on his chest. He didn't appear to be wearing any armor, and a shot in the torso would harm greatly even if it didn't kill straight away. Her goal now, when they were that far away, was to cause as much harm and confusion as she could. More precise shots would be called for when they were closer, even if moving targets were harder to hit.

With a single move, she drew the bow fully and released, barely letting the arrow fly clear of the bow before she pulled another arrow from those in her hand back, through the bow, nocking it, drawn and release. She didn't take her eyes off the targets as she shot the first six arrows in quick succession. The next six were stuck closely together in the ground before her, and the yanked them up in a quick motion, grabbing them with her bow hand and nocking the first arrow.

By this time, the arrows had struck their targets, the first three striking true and then chaos broke out below. Guttural screams rang in the air as three Trollocs fell, one not moving, and two more grunted from being hit, though non-lethal. Though chaos resided, there was purpose to some of their movements. Four broke off, one limping with an arrow in its leg, steering to the right side of the hill where the slope wasn't as steep, and the remaining three pulled out crude bows with an amazing speed.

Yani took aim at one of them and released two arrows in quick succession, taking him down as the other two let their arrows fly. Biting off a curse, she dove to the side to avoid them, only to find them deflecting mid-air a little above where she'd been.

"I'll take care of the arrows, you take them out," Toria Sedai's voice rang from close by. Yani looked at the arrows, and then at her in slight confusion before snapping back to the Trollocs as two more arrows bounced off an invisible barrier in front of her. Pushing aside any worry of the barrier hindering her own arrows, she nocked the next and drew, allowing a second for aiming as she fixated on the boar-faced Trolloc's eye. Letting it fly she drew another from her hand, nocking it and sending it after the first, adjusting slightly for the movements of the Trolloc. She nocked the next arrow, ready to take aim at the last archer below, an eagle-faced thing, when she caught movement to the right.

"Get down!" she called to the Aes Sedai, twisting around and aiming at the Trolloc coming up the slope behind her, too close already for comfort. The Aes Sedai looked in her direction before realizing the danger, and crouching down. In that instance, Yani let the arrow fly and nocked the last arrow in her hand, sending in the same way. The Trolloc dropped with an arrow sticking out of his head, a head eerily human compared to the rest. As he fell, another stepped right over him, with two more in tow.

Yani pulled another arrow from the quiver at her him; there were only a few left there, as another stack of six were stuck in the ground, and she'd moved away from them to get away from the oncoming arrows. She aimed for the chest on the first, a Trolloc with a horned helm; or were the horns part of his skull? She started moving toward the Aes Sedai as she released and nocked another arrow, this carrying her closer to the Trollocs as well.

The Trollocs were yelling a guttural call and charging towards her. Flipping the bow over the shoulder, Yani drew the sword at her hip, readying for close combat. The closest Trolloc had the head of a bear, and goat legs, and a large, dualbladed axe in its hands. The one behind had twisted horns, an eagle's beak sticking out of a furry head, and feathers down its arms. It had a limp, the broken shaft of one of her arrows sticking out of one leg, but it was the spiked mace she was worried about.

The bear Trolloc swung its axe in a wide swing, a devastating blow if it hit, but slow and easily dodgeable. Ducking out of the way, Yani flipped the sword down and in a low, horizontal arc towards the belly of the beast. She could feel the tip slicing flesh, but the beast kept moving, twisting the axe around for another swing. She sidestepped, throwing her sword up to block the oncoming mace that she came into range of. Wooden shaft against steel blade rang and shook up her arm, and she used the force from the mace to twist around to the right and bring the blade into a stab in the right side of the creature. She followed the momentum through, pulling the blade free and bringing it up in a defensive position as her eyes read the situation.

The feathered Trolloc, already injured by her arrow, dropped its mace as it clutched its side, but still somehow managed to regain its footing. The axe-wielding bearface didn't give two cents about its companion being hurt, and charged on her again, axe in another wide swing. Yani dodged to the side, bringing her sword around in another swing, and stumbled as pain shot through her buttock. A string of curses flooded out of her mouth as she tried to regain her footing, but putting weight on her left foot caused the pain to flare. The bloody big axe coming at her made her forget that, and she hobbled out of the way, sheathing the sword and flipping the bow off her shoulder and into her hand again. She was really too close for archery, but she was not mobile enough for the sword anymore. Deft fingers pulled the second to last arrow out of her quiver and nocked it. The bear-faced Trolloc swing around and raised its axe in a downward chop as she raised her own bow and fired off an arrow, hitting it straight in the eye. The Trolloc fell forward, and she had to roll to the side to avoid getting trapped underneath it. Pain flared in her whole behind and leg as the arrow's shaft snapped, and she cried out in pain.

Trying to regain her focus, working on adrenalin only by now, she got her right foot under her, moving up in a crouching position as she pulled the last arrow from her quiver. Her arm shook slightly as she nocked it, and her heart took a leap when she looked towards the last Trolloc, only to see an arrow bending off in the air right before her face. Taking a deep breath, then another, trying to steady her heartbeat and her arm, she lifted her bow and aimed. The arrow flew true, sticking out of the Trolloc's feather-covered neck.

A surge of pleasure and relief flushed through her as she realized the last Trolloc was down, and then the pain and exhaustion took over. She fell back to the ground, careful to land on her right side, and felt like dying for a moment. Her whole left side hurt, from waist down. Apart from that, she was surprisingly unharmed. And through the pain she knew she couldn't lie there. The Trollocs were down, and some of them were quite dead, but there might be some left alive, only wounded. And she had to check on her Ward. Being actually bonded would've made this so much easier, then I could have felt if she was wounded.

Gritting her teeth together, she propped herself up to a crouching position again using her arms, and pushed herself up until she stood, her weight mainly on her right foot.

"Are you ok?" she heard Toria Sedai's voice and saw the woman rushing to her.

"I should be asking you that," Yani replied, trying not to let the pain shine through her voice too much, and failing. "Are you unharmed?" She scanned the woman up and down, relieved to not see any scratch, and barely any dirt at all on her dress.

"Yes, I am well. Though you should not be standing," the Aes Sedai said, and Yani followed her eyes to her left hip, where the broken shaft of an arrow stuck out from under the armor. Now she noticed how sticky her left leg was, and her breeches were turning a different shade than grey. "Sit down and let me take care of that."

"I can't, I need to make sure the rest are dead," Yani replied in a weak attempt of stubbornness. The Aes Sedai's suggestion was very tempting, and she knew she needed to take care of the wound.

"You're not going anywhere with that arrow sticking out," Toria said in the stern voice of an Aes Sedai not accepting any excuses. But this wasn't an excuse, this was necessity.

"It's my job to protect you." With that Yani hobbled over to the last stack of arrows, where she could look down on the Trollocs below; the ones on the hilltop were already dead. She could see some movements, twitching in two of the bodies below, though none had regained any footing. Nocking two arrows in succession, she made sure both were dead with a well-placed arrow in each. That done, she succumbed to the pain and crumbled to the ground. The Aes Sedai was at her side in an instance.

"Be quick about it," Yani said through gritted teeth, trying not to sound unfriendly. "We can't stay here long, there might be more around… OUCH!" The last came as an involuntarily loud yell as the Aes Sedai yanked the arrow out of her buttock. causing the pain to flare again. She felt hands laid upon her, and then a coldness that flushed through her, making her shiver uncontrollably. It lasted only a short while, and when it receded, the pain was almost gone, at least compared to how it had been.

"I am not skilled in Healing, but that should hinder you from bleeding out on me," Toria Sedai said.

"Thank you," Yani replied, and felt weak. A ravenous hunger crept its way into her stomach, even here in the stench of dead Trollocs. She pushed herself up on shaky legs, and pulled the remaining arrows out of the ground, returning them to her quiver. "We need to get going."

"Don't forget your proof," the Aes Sedai said, and Yani realised she'd almost forgotten that part. On stiff legs and a left leg that still hurt every time she put weight on it, she half walked, half hobbled to the closest Trolloc and looked at it, wondering what kind of proof she could bring back. Then she saw the badge with a horned skull. Using the shorter sword, she sliced off the badge and went to the next. With the five badges in her pocket, she went down the hill to collect from the five dead down there. She also collected the few arrows that had missed or were still whole, yanking them out of the dead bodies and wiping the blood off them before returning them to the quiver.

As she rose from the last Trolloc, dreading to ascend the hill again, she saw the Aes Sedai coming down, leading both horses. She offered the Aes Sedai a smile and something between a nod and a bow.

"Thank you," she said as she took the rein of her horse. Taking care of one problem first, she dug into the saddlebag for food, taking out a piece of dried meat to chew on. With that in her mouth, she looked up on the horse, wondering how in the Light she would survive three days up there with the arrow-wound in her buttock. That was a problem for the road, literally. The immediate problem was mounting. She was still not overly comfortable around horses, and had always mounted from the left side. Giving the horse a stern eye, daring it to move, she stuck her right foot into the stirrup and hoisted herself up, gritting her teeth as she swung the left leg over the saddle. And gritting them even more as she sat down on the saddle. This would be a long journey home.

"Let's head home," she said to the Aes Sedai, determined to get all the way without complaining. The look in the Aes Sedai's eyes were knowing, and she knew she couldn't fool the woman.


The journey back was thankfully uneventful, if painful, and a surge of relief filled her when the stalwart shadow of the Citadel rose up against the bleak horizon. She glanced to the Aes Sedai at her side, nodded quick and spurred her horse forward. The fast gallop was painful, though not nearly as much as a trot was. The heavy gates of the Citadel opened up as they reached them,, allowing them to continue the speed into the Citadel itself. It was a wondrous feeling, that of completion, of success.

In the courtyard stood the same quartet, the Warder Council.

"Dismount, Ji'dar." The Master of Training stepped forward, and Yani complied, dismounting on the right side, only will keeping her from grimacing as she swung the left leg over and lands on it.

"Do you come bearing proof of your success?" The Master of Training asked, and Yani pulled out the badges from her pocket, ten of them in total. The Master of Training nodded and stepped back. Her hard-won proof was collected, and she was led away by a silent servant, clad in the livery of the Tower. The Warder Council remained in the courtyard, as did Toria Sedai. Yani cast a last glance at the Aes Sedai to make sure she was safe, even though she knew she could be no safer than within the Citadel, surrounded by the Warder Council, before allowing the servant to usher her away.

The servant led her to a small, bright room, clean and warm, so different from the last week. The most lovely thing was standing in the middle of the room, a large bath, the hot water sending wisps of steam towards the ceiling. She shed the armor and the dirty, blood-soaked clothes, and approached the bath simply, quietly and reverently, remembering the purification rituals learned in lessons past.

When she came out of the bath, clean of all the dust and blood, she was presented with a white tunic, a red robe and a black doubled, the small sign of the Grey Tower embroidered on each. Donning the clothes, she was led back out to the courtyard once again.

The Gaidin and Gaidar of the Citadel had assembled themselves in a wide semicircle. At its center stood the Master of Arms now, having taken the place where the Master of Training stood earlier.

"Come forward," the firm voice of the Master of Arms sounded, and Yani complied. "Kneel." Yani complied again, kneeling down, holding her face stern as not to show the pain that shot up her left buttock.

"Do you come before your assembled brothers and sisters with a noble and just heart, wishing to join us as a Gaidar of the Tower?"

"I do," she said, her voice firm.

"Do you promise to uphold the Light in all you do, to live a life of duty, thrust and goodness?"

"I do," she said again, her voice steadfast.

"Do you swear to serve and guard the Grey Tower faithfully?"

"I do," she said, following the ritual.

"And finally, do you vow to devote your life to this cause, to swear yourself to the Light, the Tower, and the pursuit of justice?"

"Under the Light, and by my hope of salvation, I do," she said, meaning it with her whole heart and body.

The Master of Arms was handed her bow. Taking it in both hands, he paused for a moment. "May the Light bless this bow and its bearer, and may the Light illumine the path of this warrior." And then he handed her the bow.

"Rise." She complied as the Master of Arms was handed another bundle, this one from the Warder-Channeler Representative. Yani recognized it immediately; the fluid fabric looked almost weightless, reflecting a myriad of colors and shadows. The Master of Arms unfurled the fancloth cloak, a mirror immage of the ones all Warders wear.

"I grant you the title of Gaidar; you are a Sister of Battle, and a Warder under the banner of the Grey Tower." With great gravity, he draped the cloak over her shoulders and hooked the clasp at her neck. "Welcome."

And for a moment, the stony faces of the surrounding Warders relaxed. The Warder-Channeler Representative stepped forward.

"By the power vested in me by the Amyrlin Seat and the M'hael of the Grey Tower, I acknowledge and witness the raising of this Gaidar of the Grey Tower. You are entrusted to protect one Aes Sedai or Asha'man of your choosing to fulfill your destiny."

Tired, sore and weary, but triumphant and proud, Yani closed her eyes and bowed graciously to the Warders and the Warder-Channeler Representative. Then she rose to stand tall and proud, a small smile in the corner of her mouth. Inside she was grinning like a kid. The deed was finished, she was now a Gaidar.