Fanfic:The Long Nightmare

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The Long Nightmare
Author(s)
  • Crysthia (player)
Character(s)
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Crysthia had hoped she wouldn't be gone long when she left the tower. She'd left a hastily scrawled note to the Amyrlin apologizing for the sudden departure. She hoped Amora would understand, and she did not look forward to facing the woman upon her return. She also hoped she wouldn't be removed from her position as Keeper. Perhaps if she hadn't been gone so long, but she would never be sure of that. But she'd had no choice, she knew that. Somehow she knew it.

She'd received a message late in the night from one of her contacts. The request was urgent and she knew she needed to respond immediately, she also knew she was risking much to do so. The message was one Crysthia hoped she'd received, and yet one she never truly expected to receive. She'd been searching for an artifact from the Age of Legends since she'd been raised to the White. Based on her research she felt this artifact might make some difference in the Last Battle. She'd found writings that indicated the thing would in fact be crucial. Although she wasn't sure of the validity of the writings she did know the artifact was important and Crysthia knew she couldn't trust another Aes Sedai to retrieve the item she had to do it herself.

The artifact, she knew, was concealed in a remote cave, the location of which was revealed in the message she received, and protected by many traps. She knew would have to rely on all of her logic skills and Aes Sedai training to get through it, and having to argue every move with someone was inconceivable to her. So Crysthia set out alone on her quest.

Crysthia Traveled as near as she dared to the location of the cave before heading out on horseback. She found a meadow near the cave where she left her horse to graze. She didn't know how long this would take. She knew there would be ter'Angreal traps, and she had some inklings as to the nature of some thanks to her research. She could only hope nothing was too nasty.

It took Crysthia nearly two weeks to sort through most of the puzzles and traps protecting the artifact she sought. The cave was damp and cold, but she barely noticed as she worked to get through the traps. She ate from the rations she brought only when her stomach protested to the point that it could no long be ignored. She slept only when exhaustion drove her to it.

The final ter'Angreal though was nothing she was prepared for. It spun her mind into a world of horror and pain. It played one scenario after another until she was sure she'd go mad. Then suddenly she was flung out, back into the world. The ter'Angreal lay broken on the ground. It was a small figure of a raven. She didn't know how she'd gotten through it, perhaps it had simply run out of horrors to put her through?

As it turned out the artifact she'd sought, in fact paid a terrible price for, was a Stasis Box. She hoped someone in the tower would be able to open it. She got what she came for and a lot more. It was time to go home. She left the cave and went searching for her horse. The beast was nowhere to be found. No matter, she could weave a gateway back to the tower from here.

Opening herself up to saidar, Crysthia suddenly began to scream. It was agony! She fell to her knees, panting, saidar fled from her. She was shaking all over. She couldn't channel!

Ok Crys, calm yourself. You don't know what the fool ter'Angreal did. Rest. It will come.

She knew there was a village about a day's ride from where she was. She supposed it would take her two days walking. Stumbling might have been more accurate as the journey went on, but she didn't care. She was remembering all the things she'd experienced while that ter'Angreal had her trapped.

One day, she told herself, she would bring herself to write down the experiences in detail for the Brown and Indigo Ajah's benefit, but even with her cool emotionless White Ajah logic, she needed time to work through some of those horrors. And now was not the appropriate time.

Collecting herself as she entered the village, she sought out the Inn. She asked for some food and rooms. While eating her meal in the common room she chatted idly with some merchants. It was during the conversations that she discovered she'd been gone nearly ten years.

TEN YEARS!! Light! The Amyrlin is going to skin me alive for disappearing so long! At that thought her memory flashed briefly and she shuddered. Well perhaps best not to think in those terms.

Her dreams were troubled that night, but she expected no less. She wasn't sure she'd ever sleep properly again. In the morning she tried cautiously to channel, only a thin thread, to light the candle. No pain. She drew in more, slowly, expecting pain to come. None did. Sighing with relief she wove a gateway, right there in the Inn room, back to the Grey Tower. It was time for her to go home!