Fanfic:My Life as a Drin'far'ji/Chapter Eight
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Chapter Eight - Novice Nesra
The early morning sky had been painted with orange and purple - masterstrokes from the brush of the greatest Artist, as the young Aiel made her way to the eating hall less than an hour earlier. A few had stopped to admire it, as she had, sighing in wonder at such beauty stretched across the heavens. Most had been quickly pulled away by the gnawing in their bellies and the smell of freshly baked rolls waiting for their attention. After deciding the heaviness and moisture hanging under the tapestry of colour meant rain before the day was out, Miledha too, was drawn away. She was gai'shain to Caden Ives and it was her duty to serve his breakfast before eating her own meal. Although he no longer inspected her uniform on a daily basis, having found little fault with her appearance during the previous eleven months, she unconsciously smoothed imaginary wrinkles and polished specks of dust from her boots, as she approached.
All had gone well, from delivery of Master Ive's meal, to consumption of her own, and she was just making ready to leave when an Aes Sedai rose regally before the Learning Ranks and cleared her throat. Enhancing her voice to boom over the clinking bustle of glasses and butter knives, she began what was probably going to be an interminably dreary speech on the state of table manners in the hall. Miledha rolled her eyes impatiently. She had spent an entire month under tutors in the Library, learning enough manners to grace a Wetlander palace, under orders from the Master of Training. Every test had been passed more than acceptably and she was not about to suffer an unnecessary dressing down by a woman who probably had less eating finesse than she.
Slithering noiselessly and undetected beneath the long table, young Miledha avoided the multitude of shiny black boots and made her way towards the door. Most of her abilities had been gained as a child playing games in the Threefold land. Aiel children played as tiger cubs - serious games that trained them life as warriors, or in her case, at this time, how to escape a boring Aes Sedai. No one noticed as she fled for the open air and peace. The earlier display of glory had faded, leaving glowering clouds shadowing the Grey Tower grounds. There were few moments of solitude for a trainee Warder and Miledha relished this one as an opportunity to do something long overdue.
By the time Miledha reached the scene of one of her former crimes at the end of the sleeping hall, she suspected the other Learning Ranks would be filing out after breakfast. She only needed a few minutes though. The holes her arrows had made in the wall, gaped openly, like scars on the otherwise well maintained building. Tiny cracks rippled out from each one like stone tremors radiating in a pond. She had owned up to this, in her letter of departure, delivered just a little too soon, to Caden's office - soon enough for him to find her, preventing escape from the Tower until she was raised to Gaidar. Nothing had been done to fill the holes yet and she was feeling responsible to fix the mess.
Poking a finger absently into one of the holes, she considered her options. As she did so, her trained ear picked up the gentle footfall of a girl approaching. Miledha tossed her light red hair, flashed her bright blue eyes, and turned to meet the newcomer. It was a Novice - one she had never met before. The girl seemed hesitant as she approached, her light hair framing a smooth young face and wide green eyes. Leaning casually against the wall, Miledha hid the arrow holes and addressed the shorter girl. "I see you, Novice," she stated formally, "Were you looking for something?"
Awakening early as always, Nesra wondered a little what time it might be. As she had no window, it wasn't easy to judge if she'd overslept or not, and a frown creased her forehead as she hurriedly splashed some cold water on her face and neck. Brushing her hair, she picked a few golden strands from the hairbrush before returning it to the small table, lying straight in line with the table edge. Changing her shift for a new fresh one, Nesra opened her closet with a beaming smile and took out the white Novice dress. No one had taken it away from her yet, despite the obvious mistake it was, but she felt that the needed talk with someone in charge could wait just a little longer. She'd never worn anything as lovely as this, not even at Lady Valindren's estate. True, their clothes were of finer material, but they were green and grey, not shining white like this.
"Now do be moving, Nesra! You can't be standing around here all day!" Angry with herself for getting lost in thought, she donned the dress as fast as she could without wrinkling it, and slipped her bare feet into the pair of shoes she'd brought from Illian. She remembered the schedule well, and it was time for breakfast now. She had been doing chores in the kitchens for several days, after finally finding her way there, so she thought she'd be able to get there in time today.
As it was, she was not only in time but also among the first to arrive, and thus she could choose where to sit. Uncertainly biting her lower lip she looked around for a suitable spot, but eventually chose a seat near the end of a long table. She hoped she hadn't chosen the nobility table, but it seemed safe enough. There were a few others in white dresses near the other end of the table, and so she suspected it might be alright. Chewing on her delicious bread roll, Nesra reminded herself to thank those who had had kitchen duty this morning before she left. As it was though, she was thoroughly prevented from doing so by a stern-looking woman standing up and addressing all those in the Dining Hall. Listening closely, Nesra found the speech on eating manners very interesting, and she tried to practise a few of the tricks the Lady Aes Sedai spoke of during the speech. Light, all the Lords and Ladies must be so skilled to be able to do this right! Poor Lady Valindren, no one do be understanding the efforts she endures so that Illian will be safe after the Last Battle.
That thought saddened her a little, but it also made her own task more important. Firmly deciding that she would become the best at whatever it was she was supposed to learn, Nesra curtsied in the direction of the Lady Aes Sedai and left the Dining Hall to find the right room for her morning class. At least she'd heard there would be a woman teaching this one, thank the Light!
As she exited the Dining Hall and eventually made her way back towards her room to fetch paper and pen for the class, she found herself in an empty hallway she had not seen before. Confused, she turned around but saw no one to ask. Gritting her teeth, Nesra decided to continue and turn at the next cross section, for surely this one must lead into a more populated area. That seemed to be far from it, however. Walking softly as to not provoke any angry remarks from the Lords and Ladies of this place, the Novice approached what seemed to be a girl poking the wall. Wondering if she would be disturbing some important task for the Light, Nesra was very uncertain and put her hands to her belly.
Before she could come any closer though, the woman turned and addressed her, and Nesra had to hide a gasp. The woman was very tall, probably taller than Lady Valindren even, and her hair was cut in the most peculiar way. Nesra didn't recognize the line of greeting at all, but she knew how furious nobles could be if you addressed them wrong. Curtsying low, she spoke in a soft voice as to avoid any outbursts. "And I you, my Lady. Forgive me, but I do be lost it seems, and there was no one else nearby to ask. Would it be that my Lady knew the way to the Novice Hall? If it be of no trouble, of course?"
Momentarily abashed by the Novice curtsying to her, Miledha realised this was the first time in her eighteen years anyone had addressed her as a Lady. Even a chief among her people was no more than first among equals. The girl was close to her own age, with hair the colour of sunbleached clay, very like that of some of the Maidens back home. The drin'far'ji still found Wetlander customs such as bowing to superiors quite disconcerting, though necessary for survival in the Grey Tower. She shuddered to think what the consequences might have been, had she failed to obey Caden's command on that fateful day in the Gardens. After watching him prove superiority in fighting over both her brothers simultaneously, she had not dared to disobey, dropping to her knees at his word, for the first time in her life. Kanamai had later taught her to curtsy and expected a repeat of this performance every time they met. It was possible to bow the body though, without subjugating the heart.
Miledha was no Lady. The most she could claim was to be niece of a Sept chief. These connections meant nothing to the Taardad. Honour was earned through courage in battle, good character, or ideas that advanced her people. It was never passed down by birth. Miledha considered this idea foolish and likely to bring about the downfall of Wetlander nations through unworthy leadership. This Novice did seem in need of someone to guide her though, and leadership was something the young Aiel knew perfectly well how to provide. After some consideration, she nodded acknowledgment and agreed to the girl's request.
"As long as you don't mind a slight detour through the stables, I would be happy to oblige," she agreed. "Kanamai has asked me to deliver a newly acquired stallion to her Warhorse Class this morning, but we have at least half an hour before classes. Miledha left out the part about being obligated to train Tsorovanrei as part of her compulsory riding lessons. It was not necessary for the Novice to hear the sordid details of her latest riding accident, or become aware of the delicate line she trod between fear of horses and dangerous overconfidence. A brief frown creased her brow in memory of Tsorovan's recent escapade in the goose pond. One particular goose had honked its mirth far too loudly, and was already tasting delicious in her mind. The very next moonlit night, he was marked for dinner.
"You may call me Miledha," she allowed, with a haughty downturned flicker of her eyes and a furtive glance up the corridor to be sure no higher ranks were lurking close enough to notice her pretence. The drin'far'ji told herself she was merely practising what the librarians had taught her at Caden's order. Stalking uppishly along the corridor, she led the Novice within sight of her own room and halted at a safe distance from the door. "Wait here a moment," she said, and ducked inside, closing the door before the girl had time to notice the meagre furnishings. Shortly later, she reappeared, carrying a small arsenal, the equipment she needed to train with for the day. The Two Rivers longbow Miledha had confiscated from a criminal one night, hung over her back, and its matching quiver, at her hip. Two knives now graced the young woman's belt, and a spear, her right hand.
"Would you mind carrying these?" she said, placing a buckler and two three spears in the Novice's hands. "What was your name, by the way?" Only half listening for an answer, she headed in the direction of the stables.
At first the woman seemed stunned by her appearance, not speaking but rather studying her in a very strange way. Blushing furiously, Nesra was sure she had a big ink stain on her nose, or worse, had not bent her head low enough for the Lady. Debating whether or not another curtsy would be appropriate now, Nesra was cut short in her musings by the woman's firm voice.
Upon hearing the woman's name, Nesra nodded and bobbed another curtsy to be sure she had smoothed all rumpled feathers there may be. The woman spoke with the manners of a Lady though, and of course she had the right to be upset. To think that Nesra had just walked up to her and asked directions! That made her blush again, and she wondered what the Lady might think of her. Truly, she was shaming Lady Valindren, behaving like a new girl in a manor of one of the Nine!
Taking a breath, Nesra nodded attentively as Lady Miledha continued talking about a horse, and someone else -a stablegroom perhaps?- who had asked for a stallion. Nesra had never had stable duties, but her father had before he was sent away with the other men, and at least she knew they weren't monsters. Some weren't, at least, but there had been stories of beasts reacting in strange ways if tended wrong. Stifling a shiver, Nesra followed Lady Miledha and waited in the corridor while the woman went into some sort of storeroom to fetch things needed.
Apparently it had to be a weapons storeroom, judging by the amount of such items the Lady carried when she emerged. Nesra's wide green eyes grew even wider, and her mouth hung a little open as if she was about to speak. Before she could though, Lady Miledha had pushed three spears into her hand, along with a strange kind of shield. It seemed too small to protect anything, hardly your hand. Staggering a little to shift the balance of the short spears, Nesra scurried along as well as she could. She couldn't imagine how they would get to her room and then to class in time, but surely helping a Lady was more important than class. Especially that one which was taught by a man! Almost dropping the small shield, Nesra jumped and quickly changed her grip. Light but the Lady was fast!
Not able to catch the turns and directions they were taking, Nesra panted under her breath as she spoke. "Pardon me my Lady Miledha, but my class do be holding an indoor lesson today, and I would be thinking the stables a distance from there... I do be certain my Lady carries more importance than a simple class for servants, but if my Lady could be so kind as to speak with the teacher if I do be late?"
Stumbling a little as she found herself on different ground, Nesra blinked in the sudden brightness of morning as they exited the Tower halls. Looking expectantly at the Lady Miledha, she tried her best to balance the spears in her arms.
Miledha stalked imperiously towards the stable, feeling more than a little pleased with herself. It seemed incredible that a Novice could be so easily taken in by her manner as to think the young Maiden a Lady. She wondered at the seclusion, which must have dominated the other girl's existence. Most would find Miledha obviously Aiel and know immediately that no nobility was recognised in the Threefold Land. Since she had not actually named herself a Lady, merely failed to refute the girl's assumption, drin'far'ji decided to enjoy the joke. Doing a quick mental calculation, she decided there was ample time to collect the stallion, point the Novice in the direction of her class, and still make it to the beginning of her own lesson. "We'll be fine," she said calmly. "There is plenty of time to get you to class."
It is a failing of Aiel maidens, Miledha being a prime example, that they sometimes neglect to plan for every eventuality. Unfortunately, Miledha's day, having begun so pleasantly, was about to deteriorate. Her circumstantial descent began in the stables. The walk there had given no indication of disaster. Rain still threatened, but the heavy sky only accentuated the Spring flowers colouring the pathway's edge. Emond's Glory was sprinkled profusely amongst the green lawn. There were clumps of petite pink Tallowend, bright red Starblaze and carefully placed standards of golden roses. It was the kind of day Miledha could have spent wandering the Gardens terrorising squirrels with her spear or potting one of those rude squawky geese.
Lulled into a false sense of all going well with her world, the Aiel entered the stable from the Tower end, followed by Nesra, still dutifully toting three spears and a buckler for Miledha. Little more than two paces into the gloom, they were almost flattened by a hasty ji'alantin charging through the door as if the world was exclusively made for him and his horse. The drin'far'ji rolled her eyes and barely restrained the comments forming in her mind from being voiced. He was gone anyway. Typically horsy smells and sounds greeted them as they passed rows of stalls. There was Caden Ives' new stallion, Winterbourne, Deranih's mare, Autumnthorn, Janis's Tar, and Kanamai's Cuendillar. At last they came to Tsorovanrei's stall and found him already groomed, standing in fresh straw, with his saddle and bridle neatly in place. Miledha was pleased. The stablehands must have prepared all Kana's horses for the class this morning. She had only to lead him out. The stallion was tall and deep of chest, with a coat much the same colour as her own hair. There was fire in his step and intelligence shining from his eyes. The drin'far'ji studied the horse for a moment before turning her eyes to Nesra. "Stand back awhile, until I lead him out," she said. Then, with a wary look at his teeth, she took the horse by the reins and led him through the gate.
For several minutes after that, all went according to plan. They managed to exit the stable without incident and begin their walk back towards the serpent building, close to the Tower, where Nesra was to take her class. Entirely without warning, there was a sound of pounding hooves and the same ji'alantin reappeared, with no respect for anyone else's right to tread the path, galloping towards them with a vacant look in his eye. Without slowing, he charged in front of the girls, his horse rudely throwing a kick at Tsorovan's chest in passing. This was too much for the partly trained three year old, who had already decided Miledha was far from ready to be his mistress. Snatching the bit in his teeth, he jerked the reins from his hands and galloped gleefully into what Miledha was quite sure must be the Green Ajah courtyard. With a horrified look at Nesra, she sprinted through the hedge in his wake. "Oh do hurry up," she called worriedly. "We have to catch him before he does any damage.
Nesra was ready to actually throw all the spears and the small shield at the man riding past by the time he had squeezed past her on the narrow path, causing her heart to leave its designated place and leap up into her throat. At least the horse didn't kick her, though it wasn't far from it!
Gasping in disbelief at such manners -and towards a Lady!- Nesra turned to see what Lady Miledha would want her to do. Just then, the fiery horse this stablegroom Kana had asked for jerked his head free and galloped away, straight into the greenest part of the area. Standing dumbfounded, Nesra's eyes threatened to fall out of her face, and she didn't even remember to close her mouth around the Lady. Before she could even make a hint at moving, however, Lady Miledha had sprinted after the horse into the pasture. Only, by the time Nesra had put down the weapons carefully by the side of the path, and ran forward to help the Lady, she realized that it was no pasture. It was a very delicate garden, no doubt for the pleasure of the Aes Sedai nobility!
"Oh no!" she moaned, wringing her hands and looking around in a bewildered state. Flowers were broken where the horse had rushed through, and the soil had sprayed all over the nearby flowerbeds. Branches were missing from some bushes, elaborately cut in various shapes, now misshapen by horse teeth. Feeling tears well up in her eyes, Nesra wondered how under the Light anyone could let her stay at the Tower now. And that meant she'd failed the task Lady Valindren put upon her.
Staring wildly ahead, trying to see a glimpse of the horse behind slender trees and lush bushes, she finally spotted a pair of ears near the splashing sounds of a fountain. "There my Lady! I think he do be drinking! I will go around my Lady, and do try to catch him from the other side. Please my Lady, you must no let yourself be harmed, I will be handling this."
Feeling all tense, as if someone had leapt out from a closet and scared her, Nesra sneaked around the dense bushes by the fountain and tried to make her steps quiet and fast at the same time. When she finally found the opening in the circle of bushes, she spotted the horse standing with the reins hanging in the water, and the stallion relieving himself on the neatly raked path. Moaning again, imagining the horrible things that would await her for allowing this to happen, Nesra leapt forward to grab his reins. No sooner had she moved, however, than the stallion threw himself backwards and galloped the other way. Nesra had no time to adjust for the sudden lack of support, and with a loud splash she fell straight into the fountain.
Now there was no holding back tears, but she hoped Lady Miledha would not come to check on her and instead follow the horse. A crying servant was the worst you could have, they were of no use, Lady Valindren used to say. Light but she had failed in all ways possible today!
Miledha?s eyes widened considerably at the scene of destruction greeting them so ominously. Perhaps the only good thing about the whole situation was the lack of Aes Sedai in the garden today. This was probably due to two factors - the overcast sky and the early hour. Nothing was more certain though, than that this place would be crawling with higher ranks on their way to teach classes within the next ten minutes - all of them, Miledha was certain, dreaming up ways to make her life miserable. The most prudent approach, and one the average Wetlander would certainly have taken, was to run. There was nothing to link her and Nesra to the frisky animal delightedly sampling mouthfuls of the flowerbeds. Kanamai would know, of course. This incident had Miledha?s stamp all over it. But the most she could expect from that particular Aes Sedai was a switching and a lecture. What if the M?Hael descended from his rooms? And what if he was chatting to the Amyrlin at the time? Miledha?s heart beat faster. The Keeper might come down with them as well. Her reputation for terrifying the Learning Ranks was legendary. Various other scenarios played havoc with Miledha?s mind until it lit on the worse one of all. Caden Ives was bonded to a Green Aes Sedai. It was extremely likely he would walk with her, in exactly this direction, on his way to the Warder Yards. The drin?far?ji redoubled her efforts to apprehend Tsorovanrei. She couldn?t run. Ji?e?toh demanded her to fix the situation, but she had better do it quickly.
It was Nesra who located the animal first. "There my Lady! I think he do be drinking! I will go around my Lady, and do try to catch him from the other side. Please my Lady, you must no let yourself be harmed, I will be handling this,? she whimpered. Miledha had almost had enough of being ?my Ladied? by this time. The situation was far too serious for her to playact, but there wasn?t time to set the girl straight either. It was quite exasperating. As Nesra headed around the bushes towards the fountain in one direction, she began to circle the other way. Perhaps, between the two of them, they could trap the stallion before he ate too much more of once beautiful display. Before she could reach him, there was a loud splash, followed by a shriek and the sound of sobbing, the snort of a horse who had decided freedom was fun, and the thudding of steel shod hooves on the path - coming in her direction. Aiel Maidens are known for their bravery in battle, but when faced with a sight as fearsome as a charging horse, their knees are likely to turn to jelly. Miledha dived into a stout hedge, not a moment too soon. The green leaved branches parted to receive her, revealing their hidden thorns as they did so and creaking in accompaniment to the disappointing tearing sounds her breeches and coat were making. This was yet another reason to hope the Master of Training lingered over breakfast today. She was still his gai?shain for another thirty two days, and he expected her uniform to be immaculate.
Painfully extricating herself from the spiky hedge, Miledha noticed Nesra first. The girl was dripping wet and crying. ?Now really, Nesra, this is not the time for swimming.? As far as she was concerned it was never the time for swimming, and being in deep water was a perfectly acceptable reason for anyone to cry. ?Come on,? she urged, giving a despairing glance towards a smelly black mound on the garden path as she turned. ?The horse went this way.? Running in Tsorovanrei?s trail, she deftly avoided another of the mounds and followed the receding hoofbeats.
Suddenly, Miledha ground to a dead stop. The unthinkable had happened. She felt nervously at the tears in her clothing, some with blood seeping through from numerous scratches, and her mouth dropped open in horror. The chestnut stallion was making his way inside what he must think a clean, fresh stable. She clutched Nesra for support as the last of his tail disappeared inside the Main Tower building.
With an inward snarl of impatience aimed at her own cowardice, Ciona came to a sudden stop, halting Faidan with a hand on the tall man's solidly smooth forearm a short way before the doorway that led to the Green Ajah's courtyard. Her Warder turned to face her with eyebrows raised in question, and when Ciona looked up at his face her resolve immediately began to weaken.
This was ridiculous. Faidan had to know. How could Ciona ever hope to do what she needed to do if her Warder remained ignorant of her past? She needed to be able to trust Faidan completely; that was the entire point behind the Warder bond, after all. But even after five years of being bonded to the man, Ciona could not be sure that he would take the revelation as she wanted him to; she didn't know anyone who would.
She knew that Vendra, a fellow Green, her co-conspirator of years past, and Ciona's only friend, was having similar difficulties with bringing herself to reveal their shared truth to her own Warder, Baelin. But that no longer consoled Ciona. This was something she simply had to do, no matter the consequences. Her resolve strengthened once more, she began to speak.
"Faidan, I-"
Abruptly she was cut off by a thunderous pounding approaching down the corridor, and in the same instant Faidan's arms were wrapped around her, flinging her in front of him towards the wall. Ciona barely caught herself before falling, but even before she regained her footing she had embraced saidar, flooding herself with the Source. She spun on her heels, eyes wide as she searched for the source of the attack.
The pounding had continued on down the corridor, and as Ciona turned to follow the chaotic noise she saw what it was; a riderless warhorse galloping into the Tower proper. From the corner of her eye she glimpsed two figures stumbling into view in the doorway that led outside, and turned to face them. A tall woman, Aiel from her appearance, was leaning on a shorter girl who wore novice whites. Holding as much of the Source as she was, her sensitivity towards saidar was heightened, and she could tell in an instant that the Aiel was not a channeler; a Warder trainee, then.
It only took a few moments for an idea of what must have happened to form in her mind. As she regained control of her shock and her breath, rage rose inside her, threatening to spill out. "You, girl," she snapped at the Aiel, "you had better go and catch that creature before it manages to kill someone. Faidan, help her, if you would. Return to me as soon as the horse is caught." Her Warder nodded brusquely, sparing a frown for the trainee before running in the direction the horse had taken.
Releasing her hold on the Source, the Green turned her attention to the novice, her eyes narrowed. Ciona was diminutive in stature, shorter than both of the other women, but rarely had she been so furious. She folded her arms beneath her breasts at she glared at the novice, a girl she did not recognise; new to the Tower, perhaps. "Until your friend returns, child, you will explain to me what has happened. And I strongly suggest that you tell the truth."
Trying her hardest to stop her crying, Nesra sobbed as she climbed out of the fountain and tried to wring the worst out of her dress and hair. Which left lots and lots of wrinkles on the white cloth, of course, and that made her cringe even more. Following Lady Miledha at a run, Nesra realized in the last instant where the horrible Shadowhorse was going, and she squeaked in terror, putting her hands to her pale cheeks. Again, her wide green eyes filled with tears, and this time there was no stopping them.
Wondering how under the Light they could get the horse out without anyone noticing now that he was inside the Tower itself, Nesra closed her eyes and told her this wasn't happening. When she opened them, the situation had gotten worse.
A Lady and her... Warder, she had learned they were called, stood in front of them, radiating anger. Nesra whimpered and curtsied as low as she could without falling over. Her lower lip trembled as she fought back the sobs that threatened to rack her body if she let them. The Lady Aes Sedai sent Lady Miledha on her way with too sharp words for someone noble, in Nesra's opinion, and she reached out a hand as if to stop the harshness physically. Lowering her head as Miledha vanished with the man, Nesra hid a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't go mad and burn her to cinders, when he heard her story.
Bobbing another curtsy as the Lady Aes Sedai turned to her, Nesra thought she'd freeze to death from the gaze she received. And it didn't make it better that she was all dripping wet. At the Lady Aes Sedai's command, Nesra nodded and swallowed before telling the tale. It was important that she kept the blame to herself though, no Lady should be held responsible for this.
"Forgive me, my Lady Aes Sedai, but I do be fully responsible for all this. Lady Miledha is no to be held to blame, my Lady Aes Sedai, for it did truly not be her fault. I did come upon Lady Miledha on my way to class, and since I do be new to the Tower, my Lady Aes Sedai, Lady Miledha did be kind enough to show me the way. First, however, I did happily oblige to bring a horse to another class. When we did bring the mount out of the stables, LadyAes Sedai, someone -a man, the madness must have been taking him already, my Lady Aes Sedai- did come galloping past and scaring our horse from his senses. He did run straight ahead, where the gardens outside did happen to be, my Lady Aes Sedai. Before Lady Miledha and I could catch him, he had not only ruined the fine gardens but he did also trick me into falling into the fountain. Thus my horrible appearance, Lady Aes Sedai. And then he did see this entrance, and did gallop here before Lady Miledha or I could be moving. But please, Lady Aes Sedai, do no punish the Lady! I do be the servant here, despite my dress, and you may punish me however you wish, my Lady Aes Sedai."
Curtsying again, Nesra wondered if this was the moment when she would be sent home to Illian, to face those who knew she had failed. Her stomach clenched into a tight knot at that thought, and her lip quivered even harder.
As the pair tentatively followed Tsorovanrei inside the sparkling building, they stood out in stark contrast, filthy, wet. torn and bedraggled. Miledha hoped desperately that her eyes were deceiving her and the small woman ahead, rising from the floor, was not an Aes Sedai. The hope proved vain. Not only was it an Aes Sedai - the man helping her to her feet was a Warder. A look of stark horror crossed the drin'far'ji's face as she realised the horse she was supposed to be caring for, had caused this accident and gone on to see what other trouble he could get her into. Evil thoughts about the usefulness of pitchforks for disposing of fractious animals, surfaced in her mind. These were quickly subdued by the fiery gaze of an Aes Sedaiand the dangerously cold glare of a Warder protecting her. Miledha wished there was a shadow she could hide in, or even a clump of grass, but the Tower building offered no such comfort. All was open to the light. The Aiel Maiden's faults seemed to fly upwards in full view, like moths to a candle.
At the Aes Sedaicommand, she sprinted after the stray warhorse, flanked by a man who seemed ready to kill her and followed by the condemning words from Nesra's mouth naming her a "Lady" to the Aes Sedai. There were so many places a horse could hide in this building. Any open door could be seen as a stall and taken as a horsy refuge. Fortunately, most were closed. Faiden stalked like a hunting lion, following the little bits of dirt flung from steel shod hooves. The trail stood out as a beacon to Miledha - a smudge of green where grass from the once manicured lawn had been crushed on the marble mosaics, and a chip here and there, which she hoped even a Warder couldn't see.
Suddenly a welcome sound met her ears, and she froze, flattening against the wall and creeping forward. There were calm hoofbeats walking back towards them. Almost at the same instant, the Tower bells sounded clearly across the grounds, announcing classes beginning for the day. This had the uncalculated effect of opening doors up and down the corridor, spewing what could only be described as a crowd of Aes Sedai, Asha'man and Warders, forestlike into the previously almost vacant walkway. Miledha's heart sank to her boots. To her mind, the tears in her clothing had arrows of light pointing them out, and a label hung in the air announcing her as "Renegade Drin". She slunk closer to Faiden, hoping they would all think he had summoned her aid, and nervously trying to imitate his casual stride. Heads turned in their direction, with a few nods, and a lot of preoccupation.
As the horse rounded the corner, she adjusted her bow and quiver, trying to appear occupied under the curious gaze of the higher ranks. The sight drew everyone's attention and Miledha felt their disapproval. Walking at the stallion's head and firmly gripping the reins, was the regal figure of Kanamai Sedai. "Miledha!" she said, icy daggers dripping from her words. "Why am I not surprised? Surely there is only one drin'far'ji in the whole of the Tower who would pull this kind of stunt." Passing the reins to the quaking girl, she walked at the other shoulder, sandwiching Miledha between Faiden, the horse, and herself. The girl deserved to be the centre of attention.
Most in the corridor went their way with a horrified glare or twitching of the mouth, hinting at mirth. Miledha felt quite weak at the knees by the time they emerged from the corridors, joining Nesra and the Aes Sedai once more. "I see you are handling this, Ciona," she acknowledged. "What do you think we should do?"
Tsorovan sneezed violently, blowing horsy mucous all over Miledha and Nesra and adding the final touches to their dishevel.
Ciona ignored the Aiel woman as she sprinted past, Faidan practically pushing the girl along. Her Warder was usually a mild mannered man, gentle with a strong sense of humour, but when someone's stupidity endangered his Aes Sedai he could, Ciona knew, become as harsh as the worst of them. Ciona expected Faidan would make a point of making the child's life in the Yards as difficult as possible for quite some time.
As the bond subtly told Ciona that Faidan was moving away from her, into the Tower, the Green focused her attention on the girl in front of her. Lady Miledha, indeed. The child had a lot to learn; Ciona's suspicion that the novice was new to the Tower was all but confirmed. The girl had evidently been led along by the trainee in this case, and a small part of Ciona felt sorry for her. The girl's naivety would not have made the blindest bit of difference to Ciona if Faidan hadn't been there to haul her to safety, however, and the Green was not tending towards leniency.
"For a start, child," she said sharply, "there is no such thing as 'Lady' as far as the Grey Tower is concerned. You are to address me as Aes Sedai, and as for Lady Miledha..." Ciona let the sentence hang, shaking her head in disgust. "You need to wisen up, girl, and fast. You left your little life in Illian far behind when you donned those whites." The girl's origin was more than obvious from her manner of speech.
A clatter of hoofs accompanied by the quieter tapping of shoes on tiles announced the return of the horse. Even before she turned Ciona knew from the knot of emotions in her mind that Faidan was there, but she did not expect to see Kanamai Hukini. "Sitter," she nodded in respectful greeting, as Faidan left the small group to stand by his Aes Sedai's side.
The other Green had been raised only a short while before Ciona, but Kanamai's ascension to the Hall of Sitters immediately placed her higher, especially as they shared their Ajah. The woman would have been perfectly within her rights to take control of this situation, but seemed to be happy to keep Ciona in the loop. Ciona would not have been best pleased if Kanamai had not seen fit to do so.
"The novice, who has yet to introduce herself to me, has explained that the Lady Miledha enlisted her help in this little escapade." Ciona's gaze flicked contemptuously to the trainee when she emphasised the false title the Aiel had allowed the novice to assume she deserved. "However, I feel both have equal responsibility, Kanamai."
Ciona half turned towards the exit that led to the outside. "I dread to imagine the current state of the Green Ajah courtyard, from what the girl has said. Perhaps their first task could be to restore it? I very much doubt the gardeners will be thrilled at having to rectify the mess, and I don't see why they should have to."
Doing her best to keep her squeaks and sobs quiet as the Lady Aes Sedai spoke, Nesra wondered what had been wrong with her manners. She had done exactly like home, and been as courteous as she could around the Lady. Of course, she didn't look very appealing right now, as servants were supposed to do, but surely that couldn't upset the Aes Sedai so much? Listening to the sharp voice commenting her foolishness however, Nesra slowly began to realize that something was wrong. The Lady Aes Sedai Ciona mentioned the Grey Tower as if it was different from the rest of the world, and perhaps it was. Perhaps they had their own scales of rank and titles? Swallowing a big lump of tears in her throat, Nesra cursed her stupidity. She had probably offended Lady Miledha to no end with that title, and the woman had been kind enough not to correct her.
Nesra was bobbing into her fifth or sixth curtsy by the time Ciona Aes Sedai paused in her speech, and she managed to put in a "Yes my L... Aes Sedai" before she realized someone else had arrived. The horrible horrible man had brought Lady Miledha -Light, what title should she be using?!- and the horse back, and another woman came with them. Judging by the reaction of Ciona Aes Sedai, she was even higher in this strange rank system, and Nesra hurried to curtsy even lower for this woman. Sitter, was that it? Perhaps that was what Miledha was? But Ciona Aes Sedai didn't seem that deferring around Miledha, so... Shaking her head to clear it from all such thoughts -it could be handled later- Nesra waited for the birching she knew would be the result of this. For her, anyway. Lady Valindren hadn't seen reason to punish her very often, but when she had it had been harsh. Light, she wouldn't get to eat for days either. And probably she was to spend the days in a dark room with no one to talk to, like when she was little.
She was jerked back to the situation by Ciona Aes Sedai's voice again, and she blushed furiously when she realized the Aes Sedai had expected her to state her name. How stupid of her! She had no time to remedy this before the Aes Sedaicontinued with speaking of the gardens, however. Brightening, Nesra felt a pang of relief at not hearing the order about a birching in the courtyard the first thing, and she curtsied again before speaking.
"Oh yes Lady Aes Sedai, that do be wonderful! Of course I do be willing to repair what damage I did cause. My name do be Nesra Parden, my Lady Aes Sedai, and do let me compliment you on your wisdom, Aes Sedai. I do be ready to begin the task of restoring the gardens at this moment, if you do be allowing it, Aes Sedai, Sitter."
Adding a curtsy to the woman next to the horse, saying the last word a little awkwardly, Nesra hoped she hadn't blundered this time. She had not dared address Miledha again, for fear of making it worse. Light, someone would have to tell her how this worked!
Flickering a judicial eye towards the Novice, Kanamai could see she was in a highly nervous condition. Adding anything more to Ciona's punishment would be inappropriate in this case. Miledha, on the other hand, may very well benefit from something to remind her of how serious it was to let a Warhorse loose in the Tower, followed by something to keep her so occupied there wasn't time to dream up stunts for a month. She stared coldly at the bedraggled drin and decided the child had probably been sufficiently humiliated already. It was no small thing to be marched along the Green Ajah halls in full view of every teacher she was likely to face in her next year of classes. Every one of them would now have her face firmly fixed as potential trouble. Miledha's life would be difficult at best.
"Do stop your snivelling, Girl," she said to Nesra. "You are a Novice of the Grey Tower. It is the lowest rank among those with the ability to channel the One Power. Let me assure you ...." she shook her head in disbelief at the troublesome young Aiel. "Speak up, Child. It isn't like you to perpetuate falsehood. Explain to Nesra why you cannot be a Lady."
Dropping her best curtsy to Kanamai, and another to Ciona, Miledha inadvertently jerked on the reins. She was not to know that Tsorovanrei was in the midst of training to lower himself suddenly to the ground - a necessary piece of warhorse education, designed to help a hurt and fallen rider remount. Being only half taught in the skill, the chestnut stallion had not yet grasped the intricacies of kneeling just low enough to perform this function. With a resigned grunt, he lowered firstly his knees to the ground, and then his hocks, flopping with a horsy shudder akin to Miledha's reaction while entering water. His belly touched the cold marble floor, and there he stayed. Kanamai seemed to be rocking a little. Surely the woman wasn't laughing. Miledha just stared for a moment and decided the stallion was far less trouble like that. He could lie there all day as far as she was concerned.
Then she remembered there was some explaining to do. "It's true, Nesra," she said, wincing a little as she spoke. "I'm no Lady. I just played along with you because you wanted me to be one. I am, in fact, as low in rank as you are, but you are a channeler. When we are both fully raised you will be a little above me. For now though, we are looked upon as beginners and we are equal. I'm sorry I deceived you."
"Good, nodded Kanamai. "At least that much is clear." She gave the stallion an affectionate rub behind the ears and whispered a signal. It seemed he was to stay put for a little longer. "Now, let me attend to those scratches before they infect. She laid a hand on Miledha and delved briefly, checking to see if there was any other damage. Then she wove healing for the scratches - mostly Air, and slightly more Spirit than Water. The Air bound the skin back together, and Spirit would keep the skin from scarring. The Water healed deeply under the skin and protected against infection. Miledha shuddered and was whole.
"A minor healing like that shouldn't slow you down too much," the Aes Sedai said. "You may go for food when you need it though. Right now, I am late for my Warhorse Class. I believe you were to join us today, Miledha. Your lesson for today is to remember how you made the horse lie down and I expect you to duplicate the effect in class tomorrow. For today, though, gardening is on the agenda and perhaps ..." she gave a pointed look towards Ciona and another up the mud-tracked hallway.... "perhaps floor washing as well."
Smiling at Ciona she said, "Have a pleasant day, Sister," tapped the stallion to signal him to rise, flung a breechered leg over the saddle, and calmly walked the horse out the door on her way to class.
Utterly confused, Nesra found herself staring at Miledha as the big warhorse gently lay down at her side. When she spoke, it was in denial of her heritage, yet Nesra knew how a Lady behaved, and if Miledha wasn't one... Biting her tongue and offering a curtsy to no one in general, she decided to be quiet about it for now. Equal? They were probably trying to make her blunder and misstep, so they could send her away. That made her want to squeal, but she kept quiet by an effort of will and awaited the Lady in charge's disappearance with the horse. Once she was left with Ciona Aes Sedai and the horrible man who still hadn't spoken, Nesra looked at the floor. It was rather dirty.
Thank the Light, cleaning was something she knew how to do. "I do be delighted to be scrubbing the floors, my Lady Aes Sedai. No one will be knowing that it did ever be dirty, Aes Sedai. And the gardens of course, Aes Sedai, I will be doing my best to restore them to their original shape."
True, more than a few flowers were probably swimming around in the horse's belly by now, and some of the bushes would have to be cut into something else to hide the broken branches and lacking leaves, but still...
"By your leave Aes Sedai, I will be going now to see to this?" Curtsying again, Nesra hoped Lady Miledha would be given some easier chores. Despite what they said, she was not going to be fooled. Sending a discreet wink to the woman, which she hoped was not too much of a gesture to send to a Lady, Nesra awaited Ciona Aes Sedai's permission to leave.
Ciona narrowed her eyes at the girl. It appeared to her that this Nesra Parden was all too pleased to be cleaning the floors. It was quite clear by now that before coming to the Tower the girl had been some sort of servant, so cleaning was what she was used to. As far as Ciona was concerned that did not seem to be an adequate punishment.
What else could she have the girl do? She was tempted to send the child to the Mistress of Novices, most likely to be caned. But despite her anger, Ciona felt that would be unfair; it did seem that Nesra was, despite being so naive, the innocent party in this escapade. Perhaps the cleaning and the gardening would suffice, then.
"Yes, child, get on with it. And be quick about it; these gardens were created purely for the pleasure of my Ajah, and I will not tolerate them in this state.
"Tomorrow at noon you will report to my chambers," she added after a moment's thought. She had decided to take an interest in this girl's training. Nesra's innocence was almost tangible; perhaps, on some level, Ciona believed that by involving herself with her she could make good for some of the things she had done as a novice.
With a glance at her Warder, Ciona brushed past the novice and out of the Tower. She spared a grimace for the destruction she came face to face with in the gardens, but hurried on through. She still needed to have her talk with Faidan.
