Planting flowers

[Shareyn Terashima]

Giving life to flowers was no easy task. Of course, it was the ground that was doing most of the work but was not she the one who put them there in the first place? After all, it was she who had been planting what would be gorgeous white rose bushes for the past two hours. Does that make the ground a mother and me a father? Or maybe I am a mother, too? As the thought crossed her mind she felt a slight blush suddenly heating her face. Why, she had never imagined she would father something so soon! Her first instinct was to ask Ranai who was diligently digging a hole nearby, if that’s how she felt too, but quickly decided against it. After all, there were things one talked about, and many, many more other that Shareyn, in particular, was forbidden to as much as whisper in the presence of anyone else.

Content to keep this little revelation to herself she nodded briefly in approval, throwing one last glance at the other novice. Ranai, as usual, was doing a splendid job, digging the perfectly sized holes then placing the pre-soaked roots in the middle of the said holes. One and a half foot deep and two feet wide, was what the gardener had told them before leaving in a hurry and Ranai had followed his instructions as if she had done this before. There was no doubt in Shareyn’s mind that Ranai would be raised to Accepted in no time.

It was no more than several digs into what was supposed to be the new home for another rose, when the summons found her elbow deep in dirt. Technically, it was not even a summons. It was Kira, a plump and skittish girl from Illian who was couple of years older than Ranai. Always looking over her shoulder like a fox caught in a chicken coop, the chestnut-haired girl was gently tugging at her braid, visibly displeased at something. Which was nothing new. Among the other novices, Kira was the only one who had openly complained and whined about nearly everything since the day she had arrived at the Tower. Surprisingly, the extra chores and visits to Avyanna Sedai’s office did little to reduce her complaining, merely forcing her into learning how to hide it better in front of the sisters. And the Accepted. After all, an Accepted was just a step below the shawl and a novice would know better than to treat them differently. In front of the other novices, however, Kira spared no energy and to Shareyn’s disbelief, managed to whine twice more than the usual.

Clearly in a hurry, the Illiani girl parted her lips and snorted:

- Of course I would find you two together. – she nervously smoothed her white skirts and continued, - For what it’s worth, Shareyn, you should know that Avyanna Sedai is looking for you. She said that she wants you in front of her office right away. Or else …

The empty threat of Kira’s last sentence hung in the space between them and made Shareyn raise an eyebrow. Everyone knew how eloquent the Mistress of Novices was and that she would never make such a crude statement. Strict but just, Avyanna Sedai never resorted to or wasted her time with threats. No, it was Kira who had added the last couple of words for whatever reason. Besides, to the best of her knowledge she hadn’t done anything that warranted a visit to the office of Mistress of Novices. In fact, since her coming to the Tower, Ranai had played a pivotal role in the steady drop of Shareyn’s own transgressions. As a part of the same family and roommates, Shareyn had become close to Ranai, drawn by the younger girl’s resolve and passion. In turn, Ranai’s sensibility had rubbed of on the older novice.

- Thank you for telling me, Kira. I will go at once.

Satisfied with the response, the Illiani snorted for a last time and darted in the direction she had come from.

- Why would Avyanna Sedai want to see you?

- Who knows, - Shareyn carefully slid off the gardening apron over her head, - Mysterious are the ways of the Mistress of Novices... You know, because they are “mys”-terious and she is a “mis”-tress.

- Just don’t let her hear this. – Ranai was smiling.

Giggling at her own joke, Shareyn waved at her roommate and hurried in the direction from where Kira had come. It was unwise to make an Aes Sedai wait and plain stupid to dilly-dally when the Mistress of Novices calls on you. Making sure that her wavy locks are all in the right place and that no dirt got on her white skirts, the doe-eyed girl moved as fast as propriety allowed. Avyanna Sedai’s office was in a relatively busy place and while she did not want to make her wait, running in the halls would have earned Shareyn more than enough eyebrows.

Once she found herself only a turn away from the office, Shareyn smoothed her white skirts once more and stepped forward. In front of the Mistress of Novices’ office, Avyanna Sedai was talking with two girls. Were they new? They were standing with their backs at Shareyn so she could not see their faces but their colored clothes gave them away. So newcomers. How exciting!

- Avyanna Sedai, you have asked of me.

Shareyn dropped her crisp white skirts in a deep courtesy without even thinking. Some things the Tower impressed as early as your first week there.

- Ah, Shareyn, child, just in the nick of time.

The Mistress of Novices seemed in a good mood but Shareyn decided to bite back her tongue and follow Ranai’s advice against repeating her own joke.

- This is Milea Lanar and this is Ciawin Nelarme. - Aes Sedai nodded towards the two girls respectively, - They have just arrived and need to be shown around the Tower and to their room. It is on the second floor, the third on the left from the stairs. I trust that you can do it?

- Of course, Avyanna Sedai, you can count on me.

- Splendid.

Without saying a word more, Aes Sedai elegantly glided past the three novices and disappeared into her office. In turn, Shareyn bobbed her head, studying the faces of the two new girls. Resolve. Excitement. They seemed to be of Ranai’s age or close to it. Maybe she would made good friends with them too? The very idea of even her friend making friends made Shareyn smile widely, waving at them to follow her.

- Before we begin, I think that there is something you should know. – she took a short breath, - I can not tell you whether the Tower bridges the Gap up above and our ground. 

Her voice was unfaltering, unmistakably trying to imitate the tone of one of her Aes Sedai teachers.

- Shocking, I know. However, I plan to find one day and you are invited to my expedition once we all become Aes Sedai. If you like.

Bewilderment crowned the two girls’ faces. Of course, what else? To Shareyn it was only natural that her words are met with such a reaction. After all, she herself was still confused as to why none of the sisters had ever given her a straight answer. It had seemed appropriate and logical to want to know such things, considering that they all lived in the Tower.
What if someone from the Gap above crossed down to the Tower uninvited? That seemed like it would prove uncomfortable at best.

- Oh, and my name is Shareyn Terashima, by the way.
 

[Ciawin Nelarme]

Tar Valon was a strange place. Most places were strange, really, but Tar Valon especially so. Ciawin had arrived by ship, and immediately after stepping off the boat, it had been one woman after another escorting her to see the Aes Sedai. The way the men and women both had bowed and scraped around the White Tower, one would think it held the Empress herself, ~~may She live forever~~. Tar Valon was the most beautiful city she'd seen since leaving Falme, but its people were more...perhaps proper was the word. As though in each and every passing moment they might be seen by the Blood. As a child, she'd thought their neighbors to the east were braver, brasher, freer. Everyone had things that made them nervous, apparently...and though these strange people did not see the Aes Sedai as marath'damane, Ciawin detected an undercurrent of mistrust, or at least concern. Perhaps she was imagining it?

She stayed quiet as she was taken to the White Tower. Ciawin's tongue had gotten her in trouble before. Her minders on the voyage east had been less strict, perhaps, than her masters in Falme, but they'd chided her for not keeping a respectful tone, and she somehow did not believe the women of the Tower would be any more forgiving. She'd made her way in silence into the White Tower, and signed her name into the book presented to her the same way. Ciawin Nelarme, in honor of the woman who'd saved her life. Ciawin was taken, then, up and into the Tower itself. If she'd felt out of place at any time during the weeks since she'd left home, that feeling was compounded by the strangely claustrophobic halls and the women who walked within. There were women dressed in plain but well-made clothing not dissimilar to Ciawin's own plain blue cotton dress. They would not be da'covale, not here, but servants of a sort. But it was the other women who caught her eye. Girls and women of all sorts and shapes, almost all of them wearing white dresses. Some had a burst of color at the hem and sleeves, others were unadorned. Students, she gathered. Marath'damane.

It was hard to believe that they were here, learning to channel. That she was here to do the same. Whispered nightmares come to life, but in the end, was it so different from what they'd wanted her to do instead? Instead of forcing someone to do it for her, she would learn to channel herself. Ciawin would be free. But, as her escort left her before a door, Ciawin reflected that there would always be a price. The price here would be service and sacrifice, for a time.

Ciawin held her tongue before the short woman who somehow managed to be the intimidating Mistress of Novices. She had a hard time, though, when she heard Avyanna Sedai's accent. It was Tai'Seanchan--that there could be others here, who'd escaped and raised themselves, was a strange and hopeful prospect for Ciawin. There was another girl there, about Ciawin's age or slightly younger. They would be roommates, apparently? Ciawin was no stranger to sharing rooms, but it seemed odd for a place as prestigious as the White Tower.

Their new guide arrived to take them, and Ciawin followed with only some hesitation. She was proud of herself for keeping quiet this long; perhaps life as a novice would not be so trying, after all.

"Before we begin, I think that there is something you should know"

Their guide was older, and she moved in a way that was odd to Ciawin's eyes. It was strangely familiar, though she could not place it. But Ciawin put that thought aside and focused on her, curiosity suddenly burning. What wisdom could a resident of the Tower impart to them before their training began in earnest?

"I can not tell you whether the Tower bridges the Gap up above and our ground.

...What? Ciawin glanced at the other newcomer, wondering if perhaps this was some foolishness or insight that had yet to make its way to Falme.

"Oh, and my name is Shareyn Terashima, by the way."

Ciawin turned her gaze back, shrugging. The right side of her mouth twisted up in a half-grin.

"Hello, Shareyn Terashima. I can't say that I know much about this gap you mentioned...it, uh. Sounds interesting, yes."

Her words slurred and rolled as was common among her people, a sound that Ciawin thought would be strange but the presence of Avyanna suggested it might be more common than she'd considered.

"I am Ciawin Nelarme. Your Tower is...impressive, yes."

[Milea Lanar]

Being at the White Tower carried with it equal measures of excitement and trepidation. While channeling was not universally loved around the Westlands, Milea had often daydreamed what it would like to study at the White Tower. She really didn’t, to be completely honest, really understand much of what they did at all. It was mysteriously unobtainable though: none in her family had ever had the ability to ‘touch the true source,’ as they said she could.

Milea had touched the true source accidentally, and it had not had a pleasant aftermath. The illness was one of the worst she had, yet apparently with training that would not be an issue much longer.

Still, the White Tower. It was one of those fantasies she had played out in her head, imagining every moment, every step. Milea had been to Tar Valon once before, though it had been quite a few years ago now that she had. She hadn’t been in the Tower itself though. Now, she was standing inside, her name written inside a book, waiting in front of a lady - an Aes Sedai - that was the Mistress of Novices.

She had already given a smile towards the other waiting girl, yet standing still for so long was hard. Milea liked to be on the move, doing something, instead of not moving. She had to try though, very hard. The one thing she had heard about learning in the White Tower was they liked discipline.

A bob followed as the Mistress left, hurriedly copying Shareyn’s actions. Once she was gone, Milea turned back and gave a grin towards their guide. The first thing she said though was a little confusing. Bridge? Gap? She made a mental note to note that down, and another note to get some note paper to note things down.

Ciawin spoke first, and voiced the question that seemed to be on both of their minds. Hopefully they’d get an answer about it but, seeing as Shareyn said she didn’t know, it probably wasn’t going to come soon.

“Oh, I’m Milea Lanar, but you already know that?”

The grin stayed on her face. Shareyn had mentioned soemthing that sounded like what she did only a few months ago, getting into scrapes with the other local children in a village.

“Why not do the expedition now? I thought we were here to learn, after all!”

Was there a better way to learn than by doing? Milea couldn’t think of one. Especially if the older girl hadn’t been told up to now. Besides, she doubted very much that they would get caught. She was very, very good at avoiding detection. Milea gave a sidelong glance at Ciawin though.

“I don’t think she owns the Tower.” Milea’s eyes snapped back to Shareyn. “Unless you do? Could you even tell us if you did?”

That was the big secret the Aes Sedai kept all these years, that a Novice could secretly be in charge of the Tower. Milea was pretty certain it wasn’t the case, but she just wanted to make sure.

[Shareyn Terashima]

“Why not do the expedition now? I thought we were here to learn, after all!”

It was indeed an interesting question that had been bothering Shareyn since the moment she set her foot inside the Tower. She had, of course, asked Avyanna Sedai if she could start said expedition and count it towards her studies but the Mistress of Novices nipped that, as she had called it, preposterous idea in the bud. For Avyanna Sedai had her ways that worked on everyone. Even impressionable but clueless Novices like the doe-eyed Kandori. The older Novice opened her mouth to pour her thoughts on the matter into words when the other girl chimed in:

“I don’t think she owns the Tower. Unless you do? Could you even tell us if you did?”

Hazelnut locks swaying around, Shareyn nodded understandingly. A reasonable question, indeed. One she had asked herself many years ago. It had seemed to her that it was too big of a structure for a single woman to slip into and live inside like she had done so many years ago back at the house where she was raised. So, she had looked for the answer on her own. At first, it seemed logical that the Amyrlin, the mother of all mothers, would be the owner but not long after putting on the white, the girl had realized that it was not just the Amyrlin. Oh, no, no!. There was the Keeper of Chronicles, the Mistress of Novices and the Sitters, then the other Aes Sedai, the Accepted, and even the Novices. They all owned the White Tower. In varying degrees. In fact, Shareyn knew it to be true that even she, herself, owed a little, tiny itsy-bitsy bit of the Tower, and so did the girls before her. She smiled, revealing a perfect set of white teeth and nodded in the same specific way Sisters do before they are to announce a truth that the Novices never even dreamed about.

- Why, yes, I do! As in fact, do you. What do you think you signed your name in that book? It is there so that Avyanna Sedai can keep track of the Tower’s owners, of course!

It was a simple truth. The older Novice knew it in her bones just as surely as she knew that clocks can talk if one was to listen to them carefully. After all, did not an Aes Sedai own her own quarters and rooms once she was raised? And before that, did she not own her, albeit small, room as an Accepted, and before then her own little corner of a room as a Novice? It was not as complicated as people made it out to be.

- I am so glad you are asking such important questions, - she mused, nodding to herself, - Sometimes new girls are too confused and forget to think. Understandably so, of course. I, myself, also forgot how to talk which was kind of a hassle when so many asked me of my name. I tell you, it does not lead to good things, to forget your name.

Smoothing her white skirts in a manner learned from her stay at the White Tower, the Kandori turned swiftly and gave them a sign to follow her.

- Before we proceed with the tour, I will show you to your new room so that you can change into your new clothes. After that we have to tackle the Tower grounds, stables, the infirmaries, the Kitchens, the classrooms, the stairs to different Ajah sectors, the offices, and … hm, I think that’s it. I promise I will be as thorough as I can be once we reach a certain place of note and explain to you what chores you might have to do there. As well as the rules. Is this agreeable with you?

That should do, she thought to herself. Nodding, she strode ahead with a bounce to her step. To her, it seemed much more appropriate and probably more suitable than the instruction Shareyn was given when she first arrived at the White Tower. The girl who had shown her around did a sloppy job of it, just pointing the clueless Kandori towards the Tower grounds, where Shayren had stayed for hours, lying on the ground in between some flower bushes. The sun had been well on its way beyond the horizon when Idir found her and ushered her to her room. When confronted with the question of what was she doing lying on the ground all afternoon, Shareyn had simply answered that she was admiring the tall white structure she was about to call her new home. The response to a Novice shunning her duties even on her first day at the Tower was not too harsh, as Avyanna Sedai was both just and fair, but there had been a certain response. Thus, after that, whenever she was tasked with showing other girls around, Shareyn had made it her priority to do her job dutifully. Which, in turn, was perhaps why she got this assignment more than the rest of the Novices.

[Ciawin Nelarme]

“Why not do the expedition now? I thought we were here to learn, after all!”

Ciawin’s half grin deepened. She was not at all certain that this expedition made very much sense, but she appreciated Milea’s enthusiasm. The sidelong look she met with a shrug. She was used to getting in trouble, if nothing else.

“I don’t think she owns the Tower. Unless you do? Could you even tell us if you did?”

That was a silly question. Novices didn’t own towers, or palaces. The Blood did, and they’d be unlikely to let you forget it. The Blood here would probably be people like the Mistress of Novices and other high ranking Aes Sedai. They were an Imperial family unto themselves. It was a chilling thought, really, but Shareyn did not let her linger on it for long.

“Why, yes, I do! As in fact, do you. What do you think you signed your name in that book? It is there so that Avyanna Sedai can keep track of the Tower’s owners, of course!“

That...did not sound correct, to Ciawin’s ears, and she cocked her head in confusion. The older novice bulled on, looking somehow assured and confident despite reminding Ciawin of a ghost clad in her white novice dress.

“I am so glad you are asking such important questions. Sometimes new girls are too confused and forget to think. Understandably so, of course. I, myself, also forgot how to talk which was kind of a hassle when so many asked me of my name. I tell you, it does not lead to good things, to forget your name.”

Shareyn turned aside and began to walk away, gesturing them to follow. Ciawin did so, feeling bemused.

“I do not think I am the one who is confused,”

she murmured. Following Shareyn’s train of thought was taxing, and Ciawin wasn’t convinced it was only down to the cultural gap. She shot another glance at Milea, trying to gauge whether the shorter girl was able to follow any better than Ciawin.

“Before we proceed with the tour, I will show you to your new room so that you can change into your new clothes. After that we have to tackle the Tower grounds, stables, the infirmaries, the Kitchens, the classrooms, the stairs to different Ajah sectors, the offices, and … hm, I think that’s it. I promise I will be as thorough as I can be once we reach a certain place of note and explain to you what chores you might have to do there. As well as the rules. Is this agreeable with you?”

“Ah, chores and rules. It is good to know some things do not change. I am so eager to hear more.”

The words were more wry than bitter, accompanied with a roll of the eyes, but she followed after Shareyn anyway. This was the first step in a life away from Tai’Seanchan, and she’d follow that path regardless of what it took.

[Milea Lanar]

See, this is why tours were a fantastic idea. She was learning so much already. Though Milea doubted just by putting her name in a book she'd be able to walk away with a block of the tower that was her's, it was still a nice idea. Did that mean when they died they'd have to erase their name, or did the little stone they owned pass down to their children? If this really was true, she'd suppose that the tower would have been torn apart long ago. 

"How did you forget how to talk?" It was pretty much the only thing Milea knew how to do well. In fact, when she was worried or confused, she tended to talk more and not less. "People get confused by writing their name in a book?"

The conversation shifted to their own room. Milea had been used to living in the back of a caravan wagon her whole life, the idea of having four stone walls around her all the time was mystifying. Yes, she had been in tavern rooms before, large ones and small ones. She had slept in rooms with thatched roofs and once, ogier-crafted stone. Yet they were never her room, just a temporary room that her parents had paid for, that would be someone else's room the next night.

This was supposed to be her room. Maybe she couldn't steal the stones from it, but it wouldn't move at night. Probably. Who knew about the White Tower, to be honest. She followed after her guide, a strange twinge of excitement in her chest. Or maybe, growing pains. She'd have to get taller eventually.

"They provide our clothes, right?" If not, the first chore would have been making some new clothes. She glanced sidelong at Ciawin, a grin on her face. "You had to do chores lots where you're from? I helped my parents' trade caravan all day, that's pretty much a chore."

It did in her book, though she doubted she'd be doing anything as fun here. Milea bet it'd be like when she had to help out in the village after one of her escapades went poorly. That was when she got to experience the joys of sweeping, of washing dishes, dusting taverns. That last, she doubted, would happen here.