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Post by irishdragonlord on Oct 16, 2004 18:10:11 GMT -5
Leun was awoken to glimmers of light, just as the sun worked its way past the trees. Immediately, he could feel within the bond with Ariena, feel a sense of sadness, of remorse. She had been weeping. Leun felt a pang of guilt. It was a Warder's duty to protect the one to which he was bonded, and she had been weeping... Why had I not awoken? he thought to himself miserably. It was not a formal bond, but Leun felt that the duty still remained. Maybe there'd be some time to day to mention it to her and apologise. Ariena and al'Taren were already awake by now, though they both seemed tired. He had not had anything to eat but a hare the last night, though his appetite had been satiated, and still was. That was a token of being a Warder - he could go long times without food and rest. Shandalle, he thought to himself. He did not know what he would be doing there, but he did not care. It was halfway across the world between the Aryth and the Waste from his home, and he preferred it that way. He truly did feel sorry for Ariena, but really, now that he had time to dwell on it... he would rather his family had keeled over dead than them betraying him on a whim. "I think we should get started early," Leun muttered, just loud enough for them to hear. It seemed like spirits would be at a low for the entire day. Braendar nodded. His face was a mask. Great day today will be, he thought miserably. He was the only one who hadn't eaten and he was now hungry enough to eat a horse. Whole. Since there was nothing to actually pack - except destroy the fire and cover it with dead leaves and grass, along with getting rid of the hare bones - he brushed off and walked to the edge of what he decided was the camp. "Come on," he muttered sourly. "Leun is right, and the White Tower is going to start searching this side of the river when the realize we managed to cross it. In addition to that, we need to get food, and the hunting here is horrendous. So come on." He began to methodically walk away, one hand tightly gripping his dagger, the other twitching on his smallsword. |
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Post by TK on Oct 16, 2004 20:20:32 GMT -5
The ground was layered with dampen leaves, still slick from the rain of four evenings ago. They walked in silence, saying naught.
What they truly were in need of was a village, but did a village so close to Tar Valon even exist? Braendar and himself would need to find a forge of sorts to sharpen their blades, and Ariena needed new clothes. No, not just the gash in the shoulder - a colour-shifting Warder's cloak and a colour-banded Accepted's dress would be easily traced. His own clothes had been especially ratty since the escapades in the Erinin, and with such poor game here, a nice inn-cooked meal would do them all wonders. Ariena and himself could even pose as Illuminators to fetch some gold. But did a village so close to the island even exist?
"Ariena!" Leun said quite suddenly, startling himself, even. "Your village, the one where you said your dad lived... Where i--"
Light, how he was a fool. As soon as the words had come out of his mouth, he knew he had said something very wrong. He looked at Ariena warily.
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Post by Crystal on Oct 16, 2004 22:06:59 GMT -5
Ariena looked at her Warder... and her Aes Sedai - Light, how odd it was to say that - until he began to squirm under the clear, green-eyed stare. Without a change of expression, she turned and led them to the north.
"About two or three hours," was all she said.
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Post by Crystal on Oct 16, 2004 22:11:30 GMT -5
The village was quite small, but very neat-looking, nestled into the woods like a child into it's blankets. Ariena paused before it and took off the Gaidin's cloak she wore. She bundled it up and tucked it under one arm.
"I just hope no one's come describing me by now," she muttered. "We'll visit Mistress Rani. She's my friend and I told her what was happening last time I came."
Without waiting for the others, she turned and went directly toward a small blocky building on the outskirts.
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Post by irishdragonlord on Oct 17, 2004 10:38:26 GMT -5
The village was quite small, but very neat-looking, nestled into the woods like a child into it's blankets. Ariena paused before it and took off the Gaidin's cloak she wore. She bundled it up and tucked it under one arm. "I just hope no one's come describing me by now," she muttered. "We'll visit Mistress Rani. She's my friend and I told her what was happening last time I came." Without waiting for the others, she turned and went directly toward a small blocky building on the outskirts. Braendar touched Leun on the arm to stop him from following. "Look, uh... I think I'll... stay behind." No way under the Light would he tell Leun why. "I'll go get some food... vegetables don't work that well for me now, so I need some meat. I'll also scout a bit. Just go in the woods a little ways in about an hour if you need me. I'll find you." Braendar ducked into the forest and was gone. Loping along, he half-concentrated on finding a meal. He was glad they were a little farther from Shandalle - farther, because Ariena's village had been to the north, and now maybe they could bypass Shandalle entirely - but none too happy he was still within reasonably worrisome distance of the White Tower. He would rather spit in Captain Taendar's face than be this close to the White Tower. Looking at a small brown rabbit from behind a bush, Braendar decided that spitting in Taendar's face would actually be quite delightful, so that analogy was wrong. No, the consequences were what made him fear. The rabbit was dead in a flash, the dagger transfixing it's neck. Braendar believed in a quick death for all prey, and there was no point to hamstring a rabbit. Building a fire, he began to plan. Shandalle would be best - the capital was quite populated, and the entire coutnry had many villages. Instantaneously they could be lost in it. So long as he kept his head down and didn't act like he knew the place, they should be fine. Well, of course Leun and Ariena would have to refrain from channeling - ever - and get a whole new wardrobe, but that shouldn't be too difficult. No, the hardest part would be all him. Trying to get back to his homeland. A noise in the forest stopped him dead. He put down his nicely roasted half-eaten rabbit and took some tentative sniffs. People. Picking his rabbit back up, he threw dirt on the dead fire, stuffed the coals - they were still hot, and oh how they hurt - in his pockets, and covered the dirt covering the fire with leaves. He walked parrallel to the noise, and discarded the coals one by one in random directions, but kept the rabbit. No need to give as big a hint as that, or waste food. He heard voices, voices no normal person could have heard from this distance, and even then, at a strain. "Any signs?" "No. The tracks lead into the forest, but the tracks are scattered, so it'll take a while before we find the right one." The voices stopped and Braendar heard the voices' owners - men, it appeared - walk south-east from the village. Warders or he completely missed his guess. Braendar flew threw the forest to the village, sending a message to distract the two-legs in the forest to any wolf within five miles. He didn't bother to see if there were any wolves or any replies. He burst back into the village. At best it had been three quarters of an hour. Burn Leun and Ariena, but where were they?! |
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Post by Crystal on Oct 17, 2004 11:11:32 GMT -5
Mistress Rani was a plump woman with a motherly face, and she assured Ariena that no, no one had come lately describing her.
"Still," she said thoughtfully in her drawl, "I have a trunk full of things my children left behind when they married... you can have some. More likely you'd better not go out now. Or your friend either, though I have nothing for him." She cast a pointed glance at Leun.
"Friend...?" Ariena glanced around. "Breandar! Where is he? The Light burn him!"
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Post by irishdragonlord on Oct 17, 2004 11:58:34 GMT -5
Mistress Rani was a plump woman with a motherly face, and she assured Ariena that no, no one had come lately describing her. "Still," she said thoughtfully in her drawl, "I have a trunk full of things my daughters left behind when they married... you can have some. More likely you'd better not go out now. Or your friend either, though I have nothing for him." She cast a pointed glance at Leun. "Friend...?" Ariena glanced around. "Breandar! Where is he? The Light burn him!" Braendar rushed around town, trying to smell out his friends. He didn't know how many people liked Ariena, and smelling them out would be faster than looking. Of course, it was very difficult. He had never really attuned his sense of smell to locating different people - just following game, really. He then saw the two Warders - burn him, but he wished he had been wrong - come into the clearing before ducking there heads back in. "Blood and bloody ashes," he muttered, running full tilt in the other direction. They needed to leave, and NOW. |
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Post by irishdragonlord on Oct 17, 2004 11:59:11 GMT -5
((I'll be gone for Thurs-Sunday, and maybe Monday, just so you know. Vacation ;D ))
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Post by Crystal on Oct 19, 2004 5:50:51 GMT -5
((*originally decided to wait for TK* *kicks her Warder back to life* Stop ": P YOURSELF"-ing me and RP YOURSELF YOURSELF! ;D Sorry for god-moding you. If you want I'll edit it.))
"Leun," Ariena ordered, digging through the immense trunk of clothes, "Find Braendar. I've a bad gut feeling about this. We shouldn't have come." Stuffing assorted nondescript garments into the small, worn saddlebag Mistress Rani had provided, she jerked out some that had been cut for men and threw them haphazardly in his direction. "They'll know what you're wearing if they're after you - if that will even stop them. Still, you'd better change first. The sooner we get out of here, the better." She wasn't sure who exactly she referred to as 'they', but she was sure it wasn't good.
She shut the trunk, hefted it back into place and started to strip, heedless of the man in the room. Mistress Rani blandly stepped in between them without so much as a change of expression, shielding the Accepted's semi-naked body with her own plump one.
Leun hadn't been looking at her. He was looking out the small window instead, and muttered something inaudibly under his breath.
"What?"
"Too late."
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Post by TK on Oct 19, 2004 15:53:15 GMT -5
His face reddening, Leun turned to avert his gaze. Bloody Ariena... Leun could feel no embarrassment on her part through the bond. He stepped over to the window, if only to get away from that horrible Rani woman and her accusing face. Looking out the window, Leun saw two tall men clad in black cloaks that seemed to swirling with shades of black with each step - just like Ariena's.
"Warders," he murmured, his eyes widening. Light, how this was not good.
"What?" she asked him
"Too late." Leun pulled forth the curtains, though they did not glance his way. Of course! What a fool I was... the White Tower wouldn't send Aes Sedai and Accepteds to find us, they'd send Warders! Leun did not know if Warders had the ability to sense the bond of another - of course, though, he could not sense there's. Unless they had not yet been bonded.
They were from the White Tower, and that was all that mattered. The buttons on Ariena's dress had only been done part of the way up, but Leun grabbed her by the arm anyway. Blood and bloody ashes, they had to find Braendar! They would be looking for him, too, and they would most likely have a better description of him than Ariena or himself. He had golden eyes.
"Let's get out of here," Leun whispered.
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Post by irishdragonlord on Oct 19, 2004 17:56:59 GMT -5
Braendar ran through town. If the Warders hadn't made him in such a worry his senses were on the fritz he may have been able to find Ariena or Leun. But, they had, they were, and he hadn't.
He ran down a corner and doubled back on the other side of the houses to see the Warders, in their nauseating cloaks, heading right for him.
"Blood and bloody flaming ashes."
Braendar took out his twin blades. He had as much chance as a Myrddraal in the hands of the Questioners against one Warder - much less two - but they hadn't seen him yet, and if he joined with the wolf, he figured he had a good chance of knocking them off balance enough to get by.
Small Bear hurtled through the two two-legs who had three quarters of their swords already drawn, cutting through the cloaks a bit. Serves them right.
Sheathing his swords, Small Bear-Braendar - he wouldnt let that much wolf take over - he noticed Leun dragging someone by the arm. He in turn grabbed Leun and began to run faster.
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Post by irishdragonlord on Oct 19, 2004 19:47:28 GMT -5
((if you all don't mind, can we put the RP on hiatus for a while? The earliest post I can make after tomorrow will be Monday
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Post by TK on Oct 19, 2004 20:27:59 GMT -5
((Sure. How about if I make one more post, Crystal makes one more post and we set things aside until next week?))
No sooner had he stepped out of the small house than al'Taren came tearing by, grabbing him by the arm. The Warders were lying motionless on the ground, a lone wolf standing next to them.
Leun wrenched his arm free from the boy's grip. They're not...? Not wanting to get any closer to the wolf than necessary, Leun took to weaving Spirit. Very simple flows, but it was a very simple cause. The first Warder, a good twenty years younger than the second, was the first to be probed with Spirit. A small energy was left in the man, a faded one. Yes, he was only unconscious. Now he directed the flows to the second man - he was older, far more grizzled, and Leun did not doubt that he had been bonded for several years. He probed with Spirit, and then probed again, and then once more, not believing. But it was true.
"Light help us," he whispered, Ariena and al'Taren behind him. "The man's dead."
Bonded Aes Sedai can detect the nature and time of their Warder's death, and Leun knew he would be able to if Ariena died. If the Warder was dead, and if he was bonded...
"We have to leave! We have to leave now!" he shouted.
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Post by irishdragonlord on Oct 19, 2004 21:08:41 GMT -5
((Sure. How about if I make one more post, Crystal makes one more post and we set things aside until next week?))No sooner had he stepped out of the small house than al'Taren came tearing by, grabbing him by the arm. The Warders were lying motionless on the ground, a lone wolf standing next to them. Leun wrenched his arm free from the boy's grip. They're not...? Not wanting to get any closer to the wolf than necessary, Leun took to weaving Spirit. Very simple flows, but it was a very simple cause. The first Warder, a good twenty years younger than the second, was the first to be probed with Spirit. A small energy was left in the man, a faded one. Yes, he was only unconscious. Now he directed the flows to the second man - he was older, far more grizzled, and Leun did not doubt that he had been bonded for several years. He probed with Spirit, and then probed again, and then once more, not believing. But it was true. "Light help us," he whispered, Ariena and al'Taren behind him. "The man's dead." Bonded Aes Sedai can detect the nature and time of their Warder's death, and Leun knew he would be able to if Ariena died. If the Warder was dead, and if he was bonded... "We have to leave! We have to leave now!" he shouted. ((I have time for ONE last post...my homework kept me up reeeaaalllyyy late...   )) Braendar turned around when he heard Leun. Rockfur was standing there. Brother must run. Take the Hunter and the Black Cat - Cat seemed to be emphasized - and run. The Brothers will protect you. Now go! Rockfur began to glare at him. "Run!" yelled Braendar, motioning for his partners to do the same. ((See you all Monday!)) |
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Post by Crystal on Oct 20, 2004 2:18:52 GMT -5
((Sure. How about if I make one more post, Crystal makes one more post and we set things aside until next week?)) ((Sounds okay to me.)) "Light," Ariena whispered. "Oh Light." She sensed the results through the double bonding, the shock that could only mean one thing. Then she was running, leaving the body and it's unconcious companion behind, clutching her worn saddlebag in both hands. She didn't look back as she raced from the village. There was no way they'd be going back there. It didn't matter if she'd killed the Warder or not, but he was dead. The Light help them all. |
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