Prologue [Chapter icon: The Flame of Tar Valon]
The Shawl
Nerleta paused before taking her first step towards her destiny.
Accepted of the White Tower for eight years, and novice for ten years before
that, Nerleta was now walking towards the final test she had to pass before
earning her shawl. She felt a thrill at the thought, but it was quickly
suppressed by a twinge of uncertainty. There was no preparation for this
test as there was for the test to become Accepted. All that was known to
any before taking this final test was that it required being able to channel
under extreme pressure.
Quickly pushing the thoughts aside, doubts were for those who would
never make it this far, she begin walking through the dim pools of light
offered by the sparse and evenly spaced torches lining the spiraled
stairway. However, the lower she went, the farther apart the torches
became. Nerleta tried to mentally judge how far down in White Tower she
was as she descended, trying to clear her mind of that uncertainty as she
twisted into darker and darker spirals.
She thought of what was waiting for her after she had passed -- and
she would pass! -- her test. Munasira, from Shienar and Accepted a year
longer, had been raised only a week earlier and had barely let the shawl
settle on her shoulders before plucking a Warder from the ranks of the Tower
Guard. Nerleta sniffed. Men were an inconvenience at best, and best to
avoid them. Before she had departed months earlier, Galina Sedai had many
fine talks with her and had shown Nerleta that the Red Ajah's task was the
most important of all things done by the White Tower.
Bright light flared into her eyes as she turned her last corner and
it obscured her line of thoughts as well as her vision. After taking a
moment to let her eyes adjust, she saw that she was in a large chamber that
was roughly 10 paces across and 10 paces wide. A golden arch cut the
chamber into equal halves. On the side opposite her, Nerleta saw seven Aes
Sedai. The Amyrlin Seat and one sister from each Ajah, distinguished by
the shawls they wore, gazed back at her with faces smoothed with identical,
serene patience.
A moment stretched in silence until it was broken by the soft
footfalls of the Keeper of the Chronicles arriving on slippered feet.
Nerleta's lips cracked open to ask a question, but a simple look from
Alviarin Sedai silenced Nerleta. It was the same look that Nerleta's
mother and aunts had used during her younger days in Murandy and it had the
same effect on Nerleta now.
After another silent moment and a small, satisfied nod by Alviarin,
the Keeper asked in a whisper, "Do you have any final questions, Accepted?"
Nerleta took a moment to compose herself, hands clasped together in
front of her at waist level, voice cool and composed, "I was just curious
why such a late hour was chosen for my test, Alviaran Sedai."
"The hour waits for no woman. This is your hour," replied the
Keeper in a whisper. Her voice rose and assumed the tone of ceremony,
"Sisters, we have one who has been Accepted who now seeks to join in our
Sisterhood."
The Amyrlin spoke, "Accepted, if you are ready, please join us."
Nerleta waited for something more, but the sisters stood quietly.
She looked to Alviaran Sedai who was bending close to whisper once again,
"You have but to walk across this chamber unaided and take up the shawl of
your choosing. If you refuse to do so, you will be put outside the Tower
with enough silver to support yourself for a year." Before Nerleta could
say anything, Alviaran Sedai continued, "This is why we are the true Aes
Sedai. This is what sets us above that rabble from Salidar." Alviarin
chewed scorn into each of the last three words before spitting them out
between nearly clenched teeth.
A moment later, Alviaran was serenely
composed, but that moment of heat almost made Nerleta forget that Alviaran
Sedai was once White Ajah. Alviarin's voice was as cool as her face as she
began again in an instructing tone, pulling Nerleta one step forward,
"Remove your clothing and leave it here. When you have finished you will
perform one last chore. You will wash the garment to prepare it for the
next Accepted, and to wash yourself out of the banded dress."
After making sure Nerleta followed her instructions, Alviarin continued,
"You only have to walk across the room, as I said before. However, when you
pass under that golden arch, your trial will begin. No one has been able to
go through the arch twice. Any who have tried simply walking through the
arches again simply pass through. If you succeed, you will be Aes Sedai.
If you fail, you will not return. Unlike the Accepted test, you must
channel during this test. Embrace the Source now, and begin walking."
Nerleta opened herself to the Source and embraced it as she walked
towards the arch. The Source was a comforting thrill that she clung to like
a branch in a swift stream. It wasn't strictly necessary, but that it was
there made her feel better. She didn't hesitate on any steps, not even the
one that took her through the golden arches. A white light and a roaring in
her ears consumed her world.
Hands roughly pulled Nerleta up as she missed a step and nearly fell
on her face. In a daze, she heard a voice that sounded familiar. Her sight
cleared up as she looked into the face of Munasira. "Nerleta! Be
careful. How are we supposed to observe Rahvin if you can't even walk to the
tavern he's known to frequent?"
Nerleta was confused. Rahvin? But then her memories coalesced and
her mission came to her. A sister had discovered a Darkfriend meeting and a
man claiming to be Rahvin showed up. That he channeled the leaders of the
gathering into cinders when they expressed disbelief only furthered his
claims.
The sister had been no fool. She sent reports to the White Tower
immediately and Aes Sedai were making their way into the city to prepare for
his capture. Having been Aes Sedai only a short while, Nerleta and Munasira
were chosen to keep watch on the Forsaken. Their features had not taken on
the agelessness of the Aes Sedai who worked many years with the Power.
The tavern they entered was not so much different from any other in
Caemlyn. The name of the tavern, The Bull Rose, was painted on the sign
that swung over the door. A swell of voices, laughter, singing and pounding
on tables was heard even before the pair of Aes Sedai pushed their way
inside the building. Never before had Nerleta seen so many men in a single
place before. She felt as though every man in the room was staring at her
in the daring dress that Munasira had loaned to her. Munasira laughed and
said they must blend in with the people at the tavern. She also shook her
head at the choice Nerleta had made. It exposed no flesh except for hands
and face, but Nerleta felt the dress clung to her far too closely. But when
she saw what her other choices were, she quickly took the dress she wore now.
Munasira tugged on Nerleta's sleeve and nodded towards a handsome
man with white streaks in his hair, then pulled her aside to sit at the long
counter that some patrons used to lean on. She whispered into Nerleta's
ear, "That is him. You stay here and make sure he doesn't walk through the
door while I move closer to him." Nerleta nodded and tried to keep her
breathing steady. She had been warned about embracing the Source around men
who could channel. A report from the embassy sent to deal with al'Thor had
said that somehow such men could sense when a woman held the Source.
Nerleta looked slowly around the room to find all the possible
exits. It appeared that only the front door allowed access into and out of
the tavern. She also noted that there were merchants from many lands, and
her heart sank when they all turned out to be men. She tried to avoid eye
contact, but one of them offered her a brief smile and stood. She looked
away, hoping he would understand that she was not looking for whatever he
was going to try to sell to her.
A shadow passed her and the merchant settled next to her at the bar
a moment later. He was dressed like no other merchant she had ever seen.
He wore no coat, and no cap or hat or any kind on his head. His shirt was
disgracefully unlaced and a medallion of gold laid on top of the chesthair
that showed through the open collar and laces.
"You are new here, yes? Such beauty as you have I would have
remembered seeing. You would like something to wash away the heat that has
plagued the land, yes? You have but to say the word and I will buy the
contents of the entire establishment to make sure a throat as lovely as
yours does not go parched."
Nerleta's mouth hung open. She had never in her entire life been
approached in such a fashion! As if she was a serving girl, no less. She
snapped her mouth shut with a click of her teeth and sniffed as she turned
away. She heard him mutter something and stalk back towards his seat. She
glanced back over to Rahvin and saw that he was talking to one of the
serving girls, and he had a leer on his face while he did. Munasira was
slowly making her way towards him with a smile for many of the men she
passed. Fitting in, indeed! She would have had her bottom switched in
Nerleta's household for the smiles she was offering!
Nerleta glowered and found that a dark skinned Tairen had made his
way next to her, and was smiling in much the same manner as Munasira was at
the men. She was about to snip the nose off of his face but he spoke first,
"Bless my soul! When I left Tear, I thought I left behind me the star that
has always guided me safely through the Fingers of the Dragon, but here I
have found it, and it is in your eyes."
Nerleta's tirade was halted on her tongue. What was this fool man
trying to say? He looked like an idiot. He wore the puffy sleeves common
to Tairen style, and the coat that was snug to the waist, then flared out to
the knees. His shirt was something she had never seen before. Made of a
blue fabric, the chest area was a mass of ruffles that extened down over a
stomach that had seen too many meals. She looked down to hide her eyes from
his gaze. His shoes were even more odd than his shirt. The soles of each
shoe must have added 5 inches to his height.
Nerleta had composed herself and was ready to tell the Tairen which
part of Shayol Ghul he could take himself when yet another man had put
himself between them. An Illainer by his beard and bare upper lip, he
he almost had the size of a bear. He was wearing a white jacket that
matched his pants. Under the jacket, he wore the blackest shirt she had
ever seen. The shirt's laces were undone and revealed a chest covered with
gold medallions dangling on a half dozen chains. He wore a ring on one of
his fingers that seemed to catch the light and change colors.
"Fortune abandon me, but if my aged grandmother walked out of her
grave to say different, I do still name you the most beautiful woman to ever
grace this tavern. It do be so obvious, even the fishmonger behind me could
see." The Tairen stiffened in indignation, but at that same moment
Munasira's pained wail spun Nerleta around.
"So, another one of these half trained children seek to disturb my
sport," said the man who must be Rahvin, sounding amused. He looked at the
Aes Sedai as the chief wolf of a pack looked at a cub biting at his ankles.
Munasira was held up in front of him by some force Nerleta could not see,
but knew was the tained half of the One Power.
Nerleta turned quickly towards her sister's captor, but behind her
she could hear the Illianer mumble, "I knew I did notice the smell of
fish. I did think it was the Tairen, but now I do realize it comes from that
one's breath."
Nerleta turned back towards the Tairen and Illainer with a confused
look on her face. They both brightened and began to run hands through their
hair. They advanced at her together with oily smiles and leering eyes. She
crossed her arms beneath her breasts and pitched her voice so that only the
Illianer and the Tairen could hear her, "Don't you see what is going on over
there? That man is using the One Power against that woman!"
The Tairen looked over and gave a casual shrug that hid a slight
shudder, "Burn my soul, but that's not the One Power. He claims to be a
gleeman of sorts, and everyone knows that gleemen can do things that seem
like the Power."
The Illianer took up the explanation, "He do claim to be searching
for a pretty girl to help his show. He do attract a great many of the
younger ones. Fortune abandon me if he do no. The screaming do be part of
the show, he do say it as true."
Her eyes widened in shock, then fixed themselves into a narrow
glare, "That woman is floating! How can you explain that?"
The Illianer looked at the Tairen who said, "Why, bless my soul,
that's just the light reflecting off of --what did he call it? -- swamp gas.
Yes, off of the swamp gas. It creates the illusion."
Nerleta nearly screamed, but managed to keep her composure, "Swamp
gas? You Light blinded fool! We're inside a tavern! There is no swamp gas
in here!"
The Illianer nodded and continued with a look that said he wasn't
sure he believed what he was saying either, "Aye, but he do also say that
atmospheric anomalies do spring up close to the surface of the planet and
they do be mistaken for tricks of the Power."
Nerleta considered her options of dealing with Rahvin by herself, or
continuing to speak to these two merchants. Without hesitating she opened
herself to the Source and embraced it. She readied flows of Fire and took
one step towards Rahvin, thought about the two men behind her, and broke
into a run.
Stumbling out from under the arch, Nerleta found herself face to
face with the Amyrlin, Elaida Sedai. She looked around with wild eyes for
Rahvin and Munasira, but her memories, her true memories, crashed back into
her skull. Her knees gave out and she sat down hard on the floor. The Red
sister stepped quickly to her side and helped her up. "You are nearly done,
daughter. Only one more task to be done."
Nerleta stood in front of the Amyrlin. In her hand was the Oath
Road. It was smooth, white and nearly a foot long. It looked to be more
glass than ivory. A few symbols were inscised on one flat end. She
extended one end towards Nerleta and spoke in a formal tone, "You have
passed beyond mere Acceptance and entered into full Sisterhood. Before
you may choose your shawl, you must grasp the Oath Rod three times and
speak the ancient Oaths that bind all Aes Sedai."
Her hands trembled only slightly as it moved closer to the Oath
Rod. Her fingers quickly closed around it, and a searing pain shot up her
arm. "Blood and ashes!" she yelled.
The Yellow sister spoke up, "You have spoken the first Oath. You
are bound to speak no word that is not true."
The Amyrlin extended the Oath Rod again, and simply waited. Nerleta
looked at the rod as though it were a viper. She had survived the first
Oath, she knew she could do the same for the second and third. She slowly
reached for the Oath Rod and closed hesitant fingers around it. This time a
chill passed through her arm and into her entire body. She feared that all
the skin on her hand would remain frozen to the rod if she pulled her hand
away, but pull it away she did with a loud, "Sweet mother of the Creator!"
The Gray sister spoke in a ceremonial tone, "You have spoken the
second Oath. You are bound to make no weapon with which one man may kill
another."
Nerleta hardly listened as she examined her hand. It was perfectly
healthy in appearance, she as soon as she let go the pain had subsided. The
memory of the heat and cold remained and her mind began to wonder what could
possibly be done next. As she looked at her hand, a whitish blur entered
her vision and the Oath Rod had been pushed into it without her being
prepared. She looked into the eyes of the Amyrlin. Her eyes made stone
seem as fragile as Sea Folk porcelain. Pain beyond any description flooded
into Nerleta's body. Before she should stop herself, the final Oath left
her lips.
"You bloody ill-gotten child of a spavined goat-kissing,
sheep-gutted farmer and Domani wench, burn your eyes until the Dark One
takes you to his realm as a trophy of the Wild Hunt!"
As suddenly as it was thrust into her hand, the Oath Rod was taken
away. The White sister began, "You have spoken the third Oath. You are
bound to never use the One Power as a weapon, except..."
The voice droned on as Nerleta sat on the floor, wide-eyed and
gasping for breath. That certainly did not go as she expected!
Chapter 1: In the Stedding [insert proper chapter icon here]
The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories
that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten
when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third
Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the
countryside surrounding Stedding Tsofu. The wind was not the beginning.
There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of
Time. But it was _a_ beginning.
The wind gave no relief as it swept through the heat-parched
hills. Instead of flowing over the odd pair walking towards the border
of Stedding Tsofu, it seemed to originate from them. One was a narrow
faced, pale-haired young man with a scrip, bundle and sword worn over
his blue coat. His face wore a look of long suffering, and it was
directed to his much larger companion.
"...so you see, Zhod, son of Kahlel son of Johrel's theories about
the end of the planet do have some merit," Loial finally finished and
suddenly, the wind was no more...
Rest of the book goes: Rand does stuff. Mat does stuff. Perrin does
stuff. Egwene and Nynaeve sniff and cross their arms under their breasts.
The end. Until book 9. Which I think has a working title 'Five Good
Looking Friends from All Walks of Emond's Field.' Pay special attention
to the chapter where Egwene and Nynaeve fight over who gets to be
Yellow.