Fanfic:Elan's Three Arches
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The First Arch
Elan stepped up toward the Arch with Jerid behind him, and the cold stone beneath his bare feet. So this is how the Aes Sedai did it in the Tower, he thought to himself as he mentally prepared to step through. He knew what he was to face inside the Arch because his mother had detailed her experiences in these very arches thoroughly.
Stepping through the arch, he felt as if the entire White Tower and all the female Forsaken had embraced the One Power right before him. The amount his skin tingled, it almost felt as if it was trying to peel itself from his body. Then, his vision was engulfed in nothing but a great white light that not even closing his eyes could shield, and the words rang out in his mind, "The way comes back but once, be steadfast". When he opened his eyes he was in his home, but it seemed larger. It was the same as he remembered, but out the front window he could see the house extending out further than he remembered, "The way back comes but once."
Way back? He thought, puzzled. I'm home where I belong, with Mother, Father, Sarayne and our daughter Rose.
Yes, everything was well in place. He helped locals and nobles through the woods between Fal Dara and Fal Moran, and his aged parents helped Sarayne care for the little one.
"Elan, come out here and help me lift this" Sarayne called from outside.
Walking outside with his Father's sword strapped to his belt, not even a farmer went far from a sword in the Borderlands, he stepped out the door and smiled towards his wife, who was wrestling with a large basket full of their linens. As he neared her, a loud piercing howl rang out in a mile or so to the north.
"Trollocs! Take Rose and go inside. Barricade the doors, keep father in the house, and I'll try to lure them away." Just as his wife dropped her burden and was going for their daughter, the first Trolloc scouts burst through the tree line.
"RUN!!" he screamed as he drew his sword. He was about to charge into the oncoming threat, knowing it was extremely perilous. Just as he took a step, an arch was suddenly standing to his left, away from the Trollocs... and his family. He looked into their eyes for one last moment, whispering barley loud enough for him to hear "I'm sorry," and dropped his sword as he jumped through the arch. He stumbled to knees in the chamber deep below the Tower, naked, in a wordless scream of anguish and despair.
The Second Arch
The splash over his head helped a little, but it still took him a moment to steady his racing mind. He looked up at the Asha'man holding the chalice and followed as Jerid motioned him to stand and follow him towards the next arch, What is... Elan thought as they approached the silver arch, What horrors wait for me inside this one?
The feeling of stepping through the arch was much the same as the first one except this time when he opened his eyes he was in the forests surrounding the Grey Tower.
"Elan! No! Don't! HELP ME! No. Elan! No. HELP!!!"
The scream, that was ..Sarayne.
Running in the direction of the screams, Elan unknowingly formed the Oneness in his mind and embraced Sadin. It filled him with life, almost to the point where the pleasure of channeling the One Power became pain. Suddenly, as his enhanced vision settled, shadowy figures appeared dashing between trees in the distance. One figure being dragged along, and the other a larger man, who was also holding Sadin.
Just as he noticed, Power fueled lightning shot down from the sky. It was simple for Elan to deflect because it was done so erratically. He had to quickly divide his flows to block the man's attempts to shield him, Spirit meeting Spirit the flows snapped back at them as they were severed and renewed on both sides.
In front of the man, a vertical white slash appeared in the air and turned forming a Gateway, as the pair were jumping through, it started to close. Not knowing exactly what he was doing, Elan wove air and spirit into the gateway and held it open. He dove through, and just as he did, a shield was slammed onto him, cutting the threads he had on the Gateway, which snapped closed.
Looking up, he could see Sarayne pushing herself into a large boulder. She seemed to be trying to push herself through it. The horror and confusion on her face was apparent.
A maniacal laughter came from the shows near her and suddenly a small globe of fire appeared illuminating the man's face, and Elan could see why she was confused. She wasn't screaming for me to help, but at me.. to stop.
"Hi," the man began, snickering slightly, "...me." That last word sent him into a torrent of mad wheezing and coughing that Elan could only take for laughing and maybe crying at the same time. When the man stepped into the light, Elan got a better look at him- he was his twin. He was a perfect replica of Elan, except for the fact that he looked like as if he hadn't changed his cloths or bathed in months. His face also looked quite mad- twisted in a sneer and a smile at the same time.
Elan didn't want to ask any questions, and when he reached for his sword at his side, he snatched at air.
"Looking.. for ... this?" The mad man asked in a broken manner as he was constantly trying to hold back his snickering between each word. As he spoke, the man drew his father's sword, which had apparently appeared on his hip.
"Now watch," he snickered, "Her insides... they want to be .. outsides." He laughed hysterically at his own comment and turned towards Sarayne.
Elan put a hand on the ground to push himself up, and found a large rock beneath it. Looking down at it, he saw a silver arch between two trees. He looked from the rock, to the arch and back to ... himself. He made up his mind and sprinted for the arch, screaming he was sorry as he ran. He came through the arch at a full sprint, mid-scream and had to stop suddenly to keep from trampling Jerid.
The Third Arch
Elan followed Jerid's instruction and walked out of the puddle of water and sweat that had pooled around him toward the third and final arch of the test.
What will be? ...
The thought bounced around his skull as he took in the silver arch, it looked almost menacing now. Stepping up to it he took a deep breath and took a step through and came out the other side almost falling off his horse.
"My Lord Shagoi are you well". One of his men asked from beside him.
Glorin was only wearing the pin a Dedicated, he so wanted to be a Green, Would he live through the day?, he thought to himself.
The way out comes but once be steadfast.
The voice rang out in his head he shook it off ignoring it, he had a battle to win.
"Yes Dedicated I'm fine. Now take you place in the ranks be ready this Dreadlord is tricksome, and we need to be ready."
The young man nodded and he moved off towards the front lines to take his place near Sarayne's Channelers. Thinking of them reminded him of her presence and he turned to look over his wife he almost had half a thought to smile, but the smell of charred earth and flesh brought him back to the moment, and flash of white hot anger flashed through him as he saw Sarayne's left arm in a sling all but useless because they did not have anyone with sufficient talent nearby to heal it.
Elan drew his Heron marked blade and moved his mount beside Sarayne's, the rhythmic thud, thud, thud of the enemies troops approaching began to get louder, Minutes now.
"Stay behind me my heart and guard my back and will watch over your women." Sarayne opened her mouth no doubt to reply that her women did not need watching over when what she said was lost to the screeching of several Draghkar swooping over the men, the wind from their wings ruffled the hair in Elan's top knot.
Immediately he and Sarayne began to pull bolts of Lightning from the black clouds that rolled over the battlefield, the first of the frail black bodies had just began fall among their soldiers when the white bolts started to hit nothing several feet above the Draghkar and also began to fork down towards the men and women in the front lines. Dedicated, Accepted, Aes Sedai and Asha'man started there circles and began to hurl molten earth and their own lightnings at their enemy.
Their left flank broke first, the right immediately followed. The first Eyeless came charging toward Sarayne his horse gone. Elan leapt from his mount and turned an attack aimed at Saraynes leg that would of sheared it off mid thigh. There was a flurry of blue sparks as Thakan'dar wrought steel met an ancient Aes Sedai forged blade. Elan turned attack after attack away as he took steps forward forcing the Myddraal to retreat. He took its sword arm off between should and elbow, then sent its eyeless head tumbling into a small puddle of water.
Puddle of sweat and water? He thought. The way comes but once be steadfast.
"ELAN!"
The scream brought him back to the battle, whirling around he saw Sarayne being dragged from her mount by two burly looking darkfriends, and just to his left was a silver arch. Tears leaked from his eyes as he watched Sarayne beat at her attackers with a short steel plated club he had had made for her. His sword slipped from his fingers as he turned toward the arch and slowly walked through, coming out the other side his face wet with tears but with displaying as much emotion as the stone walls of the chamber.
