Nesra Parden

This article is anachronistic and refers to the original Wheel of Time world of the novels. Please be aware that the contents within refers to a different continuity from the one that currently exists for the Grey Tower.

Nesra Parden
Nessra Paahrden
Created by	Revelin Alder (player)
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Accepted
Affiliation	The Grey Tower
Nationality	Illianer

Nesra Parden is an Illianer Accepted of the Grey Tower.

Description

Having been a servant to Lady Valindren of House Bagdaron in Illian for as long as she can remember, Nesra Parden is well-mannered and eager to serve whoever might be of higher rank. Tidiness and correct behaviour is very important to her, and she might be seen murmuring to herself over a crumpled table cloth, or shaking her head at a pair of dusty shoes left unattended.

Though her mannerisms might seem old in a way, she is a kind girl who will take any piece of joy to heart and embrace it fully. On the other hand, she frightens easily and eyes already too wide might be bulging if she encounters something out of the ordinary. That includes men, Aes Sedai, people from far away, fine dresses... Nesra has lived a very secluded life, sticking to cleaning and ironing inside the manor rather than being sent on errands into the City.

Nesra is short and slender, hands marked by many years of working but her face smooth and her hair very light despite the common dark colour of Illianers. Her accent is clearly audible however, but along with her wide green eyes it might make her seem a bit silly at times.

Biography

Carefully folding the last pair of stockings and putting them neatly into her bag along with the other two, Nesra wiped her hands on the bleached apron and nodded to herself. At the age of seventeen, she was already adopting the mannerisms of an old woman –murmuring to herself, nodding and tilting her head and watching for wrinkles hiding in folds of cloth. Being a servant did that to you, some supposed, but none made a move to tell her or take it out of her.

Nesra Parden was a kind and friendly girl, the sort you'd rather have around for cleaning and ironing than travelling people searching for hire. A little bit too wide-eyed around anything that broke schedule or what was not of the servant world, Nesra was mostly kept inside the manor to do simple tasks. It would not do to have a servant of House Bagdaron standing in the street gawking at some Hunter or gleeman in a corner. Which of course Nesra was perfectly happy with. Lady Valindren's word was law, and she was as eager to obey as the first day the Lady had told her of her duties and of her future.

Having had her mother and father as servants at the manor had been comforting at first, for a child as young as Nesra was when she entered service of House Bagdaron, guidance was needed in every step. Now, her fingers moved swiftly through the hanging shifts in the narrow wardrobe, and she picked two of those she thought best fitting the new location she would be living in. She had been told to bring only sparse clothing, and next to no personal belongings, but Nesra was not going to be caught unprepared. She would not cast shame upon her Lady's House by seeming untrained or unaware. Humming to herself as she plucked a few hairs from her plain brush, she put it down next to the needles and thread. The Aes Sedai had said that they would not be travelling for even a day, but branches grew everywhere and could rip your hem to shreds before you knew it.

A knock on the door sounded, and Nesra quickly strapped her bag close. "I do be ready in a moment, my Lady Aes Sedai!" she called out, her voice quivering a little with nervousness. She had never seen an Aes Sedai before this day, though of course her father had told her tales of their ageless faces and gazes that could silent a crowd of Hunters in a heartbeat. This particular Aes Sedai hadn't seemed very menacing, in fact, her stout motherly appearance had made Nesra smile towards the woman before she could stop herself. Cebriana Sedai, she had named herself, of the Brown Ajah. Though Nesra had no idea what an Ajah was –perhaps something like a House?- she had curtsied deeply along with the other women lined up in the courtyard. Lady Valindren had seen to it that all the women in her household be tested for channeling, in these days of dire need.

Eyes beaming as she slung the bag onto her back, Nesra adjusted the sudden weight to regain her balance. The Lady was so brave, and so wise! A few years ago she had sent all the men on the estate away, be they servants or kin, telling them that with the Last Battle drawing near, the Dragon Reborn would want all men he could muster, and that she was not to stand in his way. By releasing them and sending them out in the world, she had made sure they would find their own ways of serving the Dragon Reborn and the Light. Now, as there were only women in service of Lady Valindren (except of course the men she kept as entertainment and for warmth in this sudden chilling winter, but they didn't count. They were of fine birth, and must not be endangered with facing the raving madness of the world), the entire household stood facing the Brown Sister as she moved from one to another. Nesra barely remembered to close her mouth as she stared at the Aes Sedai at work, and at her Warder pacing the ground.

She had begun to feel uneasy around men, as if they were all already struck by madness and could lash out at any moment to those in the immediate surroundings. Lady Valindren warned them every day that they must stay away from men, to be alive still when the Last Battle came and they all would make their sacrifices for the Light. Nesra felt more alive than ever before today, wanting to leap and sing with joy at every step she took. Cebriana Sedai had gently placed a hand on her forehead, and after a strange tingling sensation rose in Nesra's body, had told her that she could be taught to channel the One Power. Nesra, along with five other women, would go to the Grey Tower with this Aes Sedai and thus serve the world. Lady Valindren held a marvellous speech in which she told them all to be brave, that sacrifices must be made, and only she knew the full impact of those words. Going to this Tower, she had told them, was a small task compared to what she as a Lady must face every day. Nesra had had to fight very hard not to cry.

Shaking her head and muttering at her own dimwits, Nesra took a step forward and reached out for the doorknob when it turned, and the door opened. Gasping, eyes threatening to pop, Nesra stumbled backwards and nearly fell. The Gaidin standing in the doorway moved before she could see it, catching her arm and steadying her. In a trembling voice she spoke, praying the Light that she would live to fulfill the sacrifice her Lady had put upon her. "Do not kill me, my Lord, for I do be but an ignorant fool compared to you and my Lady Aes Sedai. Do forgive me if I have made you wait, I pray that I have not caused trouble." That earned her a strange look from the man, and then without another word he pushed her throuhg the door and sent her scurrying for the courtyard. The others were already there, but Lady Valindren and the rest of the staff were nowhere to be seen. A pity, Nesra would have wanted to say farewell to her mother. Sniffling, and going to stand behind the other women, Nesra wondered where all this would lead.

Through a hole in the air, it turned out, after the Aes Sedai had done something to her to make her recover from her dead faint. Blushing furiously and biting her lip not to cry, Nesra brushed off her dress as well as she could and all but leapt through the hole before the Warder would kill her with fireballs of saidin. Standing trembling in a clearing with the rest, Nesra found her neck bent backwards as she tried to make out the top of the Tower. The Grey Tower. And the Light willing, she would one day leave it and put down her life for the Dragon Reborn and her Lady Valindren at Tarmon Gai'don.

Career History

• Novice
• Accepted