More than the serpent ring suggests

[Armina Terrac]

The early morning light had yet to reach over the walls of the tower itself, it was early, very early. Even the birds were mostly silent in the morning. Many of the people who were active this early were servants and those about their studies, but the training yard itself was mostly empty save for a few Gaidin and soldiers. It was a quiet place, a good place to think, a good place to center oneself for the early day. A good thing for one like the kind hearted but temperamental green who stood there now in a dark green blouse and skirt.



Armina could hardly believe they were letting her teach the first few weeks back. She had half expected to be on more menial tasks for at least a year, maybe even being forced to pay penance before the hall before she would be allowed to roam freely again. She had certainly not expected what she had been told. Instead of any further punishment or humiliation she’d been told to keep in mind what she had learned and go about her business as if it had never happened.



As if I can simply forget everything that has happened.



She took a deep breath of crisp morning air and shook her head to push the thought from her mind, red hair shaking loosely around her as she did so. She didn’t have official ‘eyes and ears’ like the ajah’s or many of the older Aes Sedai might, but she did have many friends from her time in the tower. Some were women older than her who’d cradled her in their arms as she cried her eyes dry during the first week, others were once girls she’d held in her arms as they cried about their families or the fact that they wouldn’t be able to hold themselves at the tower. All had agreed to help her, even as she’d sat at that farm for all those years none had forgotten about her, a few had even gotten their relatives or own children to come visit her and ask questions.



I will find him, for now however, I must remember what I promised myself I would become.



The tower training grounds were much the way they had been before she was raised to the shawl, though many of the faces had changed. She had seen only one or two of the young men who used to volunteer to help her train, and the Master of the Yard appeared to be a young man who had been training at the yard when she herself had been a novice, Yet when she’d approached him about the idea he’d been, well receptive to it. Certainly not what she was expecting, and she certainly hadn’t expected anyone in the upper levels of the white tower to actually allow her to teach such a class, let alone to a whole family of novices!



Armina attempted to smooth imaginary lines on her skirt as she waited for her class to arrive. A nervous habit she had never quite shed from her years as a novice, but something she could just as easily brush off as trying to look the part. After all, an Aes Sedai had to present themselves as more than a ruler, and if someone just saw a woman in disheveled clothes and unkempt hair they were more likely to brush you off as nothing. Useful at times, but not for when she was to instruct these girls in the basics of self defense with a blade.

[Ciawin Nelarme]

The White Tower was a strange, and strangely familiar place. For all that there should have been no place more different from Falme, Ciawin found life in the White Tower was more similar than not. It came down to work, day in and day out. Life as a novice meant plenty of work to be found, as well as lessons and study that consumed her every waking moment. The uniform and the schedule may have differed, but it many ways it felt surreally similar.

That said, Ciawin knew without a doubt that she preferred the novice white to the da’covale’s. The lessons were fascinating, hinting at an entire world she’d never guessed at. Those times when she was allowed to handle saidar were the most interesting; they shared some similarities to the early lessons she’d received while training to be a sul’dam, but knowing that the rush of the One Power was all her own made all the difference.

Life hadn’t exactly been easy, though. Ciawin was accustomed to work. She was also accustomed to talking back, sarcasm, and stubbornness. She worked hard at her studies, but that hadn’t stopped her instructors from sending her to Avyanna Sedai more than once since she’d arrived. She’d wondered the night before if this “lesson” Avyanna Sedai had permitted was another, more subtle punishment.

The day Had started even earlier than usual, and Ciawin already felt exhausted. That was becoming a common feeling. She’d changed into the white dress all novices wore in the predawn darkness of the room she shared with Milea, then hustled down to the training grounds. The training grounds. Light, what sort of twisted mind had settled on blade lessons for novices?

It was more properly morning when she arrived at the training grounds, the warmth of summer beginning to creep in despite the lack of direct sunlight. A woman was there, clad in dark green, and it took Ciawin less than a second to place the woman as Aes Sedai. In Falme, it was often repeated that the women of the White Tower were lost and directionless marath’damane, as dangerous to themselves as they were to others. It had not taken long for Ciawin to dismiss that bit of common wisdom entirely.

That it was an Aes Sedai who would head this lesson surprised Ciawin, and it showed by her widened eyes. She’d expected perhaps a Warder, but there were none in evidence. Instead, somewhat awkwardly, she stepped onto the training ground and curtsied politely and waited for the Aes Sedai’s acknowledgment. There was no sense in starting the day with another early trip to the Mistress of Novices.

[Ranai Destine]

Ranai had been up earlier than usual this morning to help Avyanna Sedai with her hawks. This was a new and welcomed responsibility, only bestowed upon those Novices who had been at the Tower for at least a year. One on one time with the Mistress of Novices that wasn't a punishment was one of the biggest treats Ranai could imagine. The only thing better was the One Power. Ranai was a fan of the soft spoken Aes Sedai and was thankful to have such a progressive Mistress of Novices during her time at the Tower.

Case in point, she was now making her way from the hawk cages to the training grounds, and this wasn't even her first time there. She had already been trained once by the Master of the Yard himself. Ranai didn't think anyone else would be able to boast the same, but wasn't going to brag about it anyway. Just because she had a few lessons from her brother before coming and one lesson here at the Tower a year ago, didn't mean she was good.

The fact that these lessons were allowed at all though, was extremely exciting. There was no reason for a woman not to be trained in swordplay and why should an Aes Sedai's power come only from the True Source? Ranai didn't want to rely on channeling so completely that she was helpless without it.

As she approached the training grounds, Ranai recognized one of the two figures already there. Ciawin was with an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah, and Ranai rushed to curtsy along side her "family" member. Ciawin wasn't really family of course, but Novices who shared a wing on the same floor were grouped in "families" to help them acclimate to their new lives. Ranai liked Ciawin, who was Tai'Seanchan just like Avyanna Sedai. She had secretly been wanting to bombard the girl with questions about her culture ever since they had first met, but Ranai's manners prevented her from doing so.

Ranai shot Ciawin a smile as they came up from their curtsies. Though she would remain silent until spoken to, her eyes communicated her excitement loudly for all to see.

[Armina Terrac]

Armina watched as two of her new students arrived, both were younger than she had been when she donned the novice white. It was always a surprise to see women, girls really, who wore the white when they were barely old enough to be out from under their fathers house for more than a few hours. She supposed it was fortunate that these two had been found as early as they had been, she had only heard tales of the poor girls they couldn’t find. Armina had been lucky in that regard, she hadn’t been born with the spark. If she had she would have likely been dead from the results. Aes Sedai had never come to their little village, the only outsiders they had gotten were travelers headed between the Waste and the rest of the continent.

As the two curtsied to her Armina nodded to both in acknowledgement. As she nodded she moved over to a rack with the practice blades that had been laid out. Quietly she took two blades, one in each hand. The blades themselves were swathes of reeds with a core of wood, all surrounded by cloth. They were well weighted, heavy enough to carry some striking power but light enough that the two young ladies shouldn’t have any problem swinging them for the time they were going to be down here. She would have to thank the yardmaster for making these available, when she had been training as a novice she would be lucky to get one she could swing comfortably. She passed the two blades to the young ladies.

“Good morning children. Here, while we wait for the rest of your family why don’t you two start by getting used to the weight and feel of these swords.”

Armina stepped back to observe the two young ladies, she was starting from square one here. Many Novices in her own time had thought her strange for practicing with a blade when she had the time, even several of the Aes Sedai who had tried to tutor her as an accepted had tried to discourage her from practice with a blade. Antiquated notions of the one power being some sort of ultimate stopper, none had ever given her an answer to her satisfaction of what to do if she found herself in a stedding and ambushed. She didn’t expect these girls to understand, but she hoped at the very least they would find some use for the lesson.

“We will begin shortly.”

[Milea Lanar]

Milea felt the White Tower was still like a maze. Which was hard to imagine, because it was just one building. She had been in towns with way more than one building and they had not been as confusing as this. Well, no matter. She wasn't going to be late for class, the Sword Class, that was for sure.

Or. Well. She took three wrong turns and had to do her best to not run into one of the Aes Sedai sisters as she took a fourth. This one though was by a window, a view down onto the training yard. Perfect, all she had to do was keep that in mind as she spiralled her way down the tower. Down. Down. 

Light. 

It was the front entrance. Not exactly where she wanted to be, so Milea decided to do something else. As she ran off again, she made a decision what way to go and then went the opposite direction. After three turns, she was in the training yard. 

Milea ran over to the small group of Novices at the Aes Sedai. She gave a grin towards Ciawin and Ranai, before giving a belated curtsy to the woman that was teaching them. That was the part she always forgot, which was why she spent longer in the kitchens than she would have liked. 

[Ciawin Nelarme]

The other members of her little family were quick to join her in the training yard, mostly. Ranai Destine was the first. She was friendly, if slightly more composed and proper than some of her novice family. Including me Ciawin reflected, a bit ruefully. She was certain that she'd been sent to see Avyanna Sedai more since arriving than Ranai had at all. The Mistress of Novices even seemed to like Ranai; there was, perhaps, a lesson there. Ciawin returned Ranai's smile, which was surprisingly infectious. This girl was excited to be up and ready to swing a sword around. Light preserve us.

She didn't have long to wait. The Aes Sedai was already moving, returning their curtsies with a curt nod and the gift of...some sort of practice blade, Ciawin was sure, though she couldn't possibly explain what it was made of. Wood and cloth, probably, but as Ciawin took hers she found it surprisingly light.

“Good morning children. Here, while we wait for the rest of your family why don’t you two start by getting used to the weight and feel of these swords.”

Ciawin raised the practice blade with a skeptical twist to her mouth, though she kept herself from saying the first smart reply that came to her lips, just barely. Careful to put enough space between herself and Ranai, she swung the thing halfheartedly, finding herself again surprised by the weight. There was enough there for some serious momentum, she discovered. This was not how she'd seen her time in the White Tower, or her time anywhere at all, for that matter. Even as a child she'd had better things to do than swing sticks around, but there was nothing else to do now. She raised an eyebrow at Ranai, only to be distracted by the sound of running feet and the arrival of Milea Lanar, her roommate. Ciawin winced, lowering the blade as she chanced a glance at the Aes Sedai. Perhaps she should have waited for the excitable girl after all, but hopefully, this was close enough to 'on time' for the still nameless Sister. Well, at least it would be time to get started, now. The sooner they got to thrashing one another, the sooner they could leave. Ciawin flashed Milea an apologetic grin, then turned to face the Aes Sedai, leaning and forth while holding the practice blade gingerly in both hands. The unspoken question obvious in her impatient stance. Well? Are we going to get on with this, or what?

[Ranai Destine]

“Good morning children. Here, while we wait for the rest of your family why don’t you two start by getting used to the weight and feel of these swords.”

Ranai’s fingers itched to snatch the blade from the sister but controlled the urge with steady breaths. In and out. In and out. She was a picture of poise and grace as she slowly stretched her arm out to receive the practice sword. The cloth felt scratchy and she wondered if any of these were ever covered in silk.

She licked her lips as she curtsied again, barely noticing Ciawin swinging in her peripheral. She rotated her wrist, twisting the weapon this way and that. Then, suddenly, both hands gripped the hilt tightly and she pointed the tip of her blade down, in an approximation of the pose for entering into the Falcon Stoops.

She thought this very clever of herself, and appropriate after her morning duties. She would have felt significantly less clever however, had she realized she had positioned the wrong hand on top and her feet were nowhere near where they should have been.

The latter would have bothered her the most had she known. Emmyt had shown her lots of poses and they had fooled around swinging pretty much everything besides actual swords at one another. Her “real” lesson however, which had been with Avyanna Sedai’s warder, had concentrated mostly on footwork.

Ranai relaxed her grip and stance and returned Milea’s grin as she joined their group. She then shot a nervous glance at their instructor. The Green hadn’t seemed impatient, but sometimes their tempers could be like quicksilver.

[Armina Terrac]

Armina watched her charges, noting that one of them came almost late. She didn’t initially bother with the curtsy, but Armina wasn’t here to dwell on formalities. She simply floated over a practice blade to the latecomer as the other two were already taking their time to get a little more familiar with the blade. She noticed that one of them seemed to have a practiced grip, and sure enough before long the girl was going through some sort of sword form, though her stance was somehow ridiculous. It took a moment before Armina realized she was practicing the falcon stoops. An interesting choice for an opening, though not one Armina would have chosen to start with.

When she was certain they had all had a minute to get used to the weight of their blades she produced one of her now. Unlike the girls before her, Armina had chosen actual steel to practice with, and made sure to keep her distance from the young ones. It would not do to be banished again merely for injuring someone while demonstrating a simple drawing of the blade. Just to be certain she moved to a cleared away space that was closer to the grove than the yard. She did not care for the looks of those Gaidin who were already starting to grace the yard with their presence. She could only hope she wouldn’t have to ask any of them to leave, she wasn’t feeling very generous with adults.

“Now Children, I would like to thank you all for coming to this lesson. I suspect some of you might wonder just why an Aes Sedai would bother with a weapon, and if any of you doubt, allow me to demonstrate.”

Before anyone could respond with a statement Armina had drawn her blade in a flash of steel, and had started to move through the forms. It was simple but quick enough in her movements, she was no blademaster but she wouldn’t be caught off guard. As she moved she felt the focus start to settle in, Armina could feel herself slipping into that semi-focused state. It was supposed to be a natural thing with all practiced hands of the sword, she’d even heard master Menethil say it was a mark of a competent swordsman. Well, she wouldn’t have described herself as such but she knew what it meant for her. She moved between Lion on the Hill to Arc of the Moon to Tower of Morning before sheathing her blade. In her mind each cut was against one who had wronged her, perhaps not proper for an Aes Sedai to dwell on, but it was impossible for her not to imagine the blade cutting down those who had taken her life from her.

“What you just saw” she paused for a moment to let her demonstration sink in “would have cut down three attackers had they not had the presence of mind to think.”

She moved her hand away from her blade.

“Most men will not think you much of a threat, even if you draw steel they will think you are nothing. This effort will not only make you more capable, it will make you safer against our enemies.”

[Milea Lanar]

Milea was glad the rest of her family was there. No, not her real family, they were off somewhere else. No, her Novice Family, which was a really confusing distinction sometimes and she would have to come up with a better way to think of it. Later. She gave both of them another grin as she wasn't given a meeting with the Mistress of Novices. 

Yet. There was always time later. The practice sword was floated to her and she grabbed it out of the air. Swinging it felt weird, heavy in ways that she didn't expect. Whenever she had fought before, practice play-fights with boys who's names she had long forgotten, it had been with sticks or staves. Lighter, longer than a sword. Easier to twirl around or, in her case, try twirling and lose it in the bushes five feet away. 

Swords had certain advantages though, as the Aes Sedai showed. The way she twirled could have been like the One Power, flowing in ways that she had seen when she had spied on Warders practicing. As well as she could tell, anyways. Her practical knowledge with swords really did match a slug in more ways than one. 

It made sense though. Milea knew that people always overlooked girls with sticks. Having a sword would look even more ridiculous at times. But she liked being surprising. It's why she sometimes liked to jump out and surprise other Novices when they were walking down the hall, unless they were carrying something heavy. 

Milea had a question, sitting on the tip of her tongue like a knife aimed at a wall post. She wanted to throw it, but she also knew if she did she'd probably get in trouble and, more likely, it would miss its mark entirely.

[Ranai Destine]

Relief swept over her and Ranai allowed herself to enjoy the sensation of the rough cloth in her grip again. Milea seemed safe from a scolding, which bode well for a pleasant lesson. She lifted her arm again and this time raised her blade in front of her face and pretended to peak around it.

It went down to her side again as soon as the sister pulled out hers. Ranai watched in awe as the woman flew through forms before she could figure out what they were with a deadly grace.

She raised her practice blade as if in triumph at one point in her excitement during the demonstration. Sometimes it was very difficult not being allowed to speak until spoken to. This was thrilling and she wanted to cheer.

Looking around the young Novice suddenly realized they had an audience. It wasn't quite a crowd per say, but the yard was noticeably less empty than it had been when she first arrived. She even thought she spotted the Master of the Yard a little ways off. That made her sweat. Would he be proud of his one-time pupil, or embarrassed? She would do her best to make sure it was the latter.

She stood at sharp attention, her eyes focused once again on her instructor, determined to do her best.

[Ciawin Nelarme]

The first one to catch Ciawin’s eye wasn’t her instructor, it was her classmate. While Ciawin toyed with the practice blade, Ranai had taken up a stance that seemed like the shorter girl might actually know what she was doing with it. Ciawin wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Did everyone outside of Tai’Seanchan learn to fight with one of these things? The exercise still felt pointless considering the other lessons they were at the White Tower to learn, but it raised even more questions. Milea, at least, didn’t seem to be some sort of warrior in disguise.

Their instructor moved deliberately when she drew her own weapon, which most certainly did not look like a practice blade. To Ciawin’s eyes it looked odd in her hands even though the Aes Sedai moved like she knew how to use it. She still couldn’t shake the sense of this being somehow pointless (what need did a marath’damane have for a blade when she could tear you apart with the Power?), but obviously that hadn’t deterred their instructor.

They were starting to attract an audience, men curious at their intrusion, when Ciawin’s pressing question received at least a partial answer. She looked on in astonishment as the woman before them flowed from cut to cut without hesitation. Ciawin herself wasn’t familiar with fighting in the least, but her jaw still dropped as the demonstration came to an end. Was that good? It certainly seemed good!

“Most men will not think you much of a threat, even if you draw steel they will think you are nothing. This effort will not only make you more capable, it will make you safer against our enemies.”

That made Ciawin take another look at their audience and her jaw snapped shut. There were looks of amusement out there. She’d caught at least one. Her jaw snapped shut and set, chin jutting out. The muscles stood out for a moment as she clenched her teeth to prevent something rash from slipping out. Ciawin could not stand being dismissed. It set off every one of her worst instincts. She looked back at the Aes Sedai, eyes narrowed, hand tightening around the hilt of the weapon. If they wanted a show, Ciawin was willing to oblige...right after she figured out how to fight.

[Armina Terrac]

A crowd had started to gather to watch the novices who were practicing, some were Gaidin trainees, others were accepted who were supposedly going on a morning walk, many really were just looking for an excuse to ogle the gaidin trainees. She wanted to snap at them all, but she knew better. Members of her own ‘family’ of novices who had been raised to accepted had done much the same, and there were days when Armina herself had chosen not to focus on her swordwork but instead just watch those present. She had always told herself that her motives were more self-improvement driven, working toward getting better with the blade rather than watching the trainees work out. The rest were looks she was all too familiar with outside of the borderlands, a woman with a blade. The way the men acted you’d think the world had come to an end.

A harsh bark erupted across the training yard that sent the men scurrying like a novice caught slacking on chores. She smiled to herself, the yardmaster had scolded his charges into moving. The young ladies might still get looks from those who were taking minor breaks, but no crowd would gather to heckle them about how they were doing this or that wrong. They would have a chance to practice in peace, necessary if they were to build their confidence with a weapon.

“Now that we are free from distractions, I would like you all to practice this one motion. Go slowly, do not overextend yourself or you will end up tripping over your dresses, and I would hate to have you be late to your next class because you had to scrub your dresses after we are done here. Now, watch.”

Armina moved once again through Lion on the hill, into Arc of the moon, and finally through to Tower of the Morning. This time she was much more deliberate in her movements, pausing after each stroke so her students could see where her blade stopped. It was true for the best swordsmen and women the movement would strike as if in one fluid motion, but her motions were meant to be observed, learned. It would do these young women no good to try to mimic her motions without basic understanding first.

“What you saw was a far slower and more deliberate motion of what I showed you, yet if you are to study and work towards mastering this discipline, or any discipline, you must begin with the basics. Now, move a little farther away from each other and move through the motions as I did. I will move through them one more time while counting, make sure your movements match mine.”

Into Lion on the hill.

“1”

To Arc of the Moon

“2”

Finally into Tower of the Morning “3, and again.”

[Ranai Destine]

Reassurance washed over her as the crowed that had formed dispersed. She was sure she was going to make a fool of herself, so the fewer witnesses the better.

Ranai watched fully entranced, and a bundle of nerves, as their instructor went through the motions at a much slower place.

She checked her grip, trying to make sure her own hands held the practice sword the way the Red’s grasped her steel. The wrong hand was on top again, but she adjusted herself. Her heart jumped a bit when she realized it was to be their turn now. Oh the feet, she hadn’t watched the feet! Luckily, the Aes Sedai assured them she would be doing the motions with them again.

Ranai glanced at the others as she put one foot forward slightly, shifting her weight to the leg behind. She wasn’t sure if she had it right, but hopefully that was just her nervousness.

She followed the strokes of her teacher’s sword and tried not to trip over her own feet. Ranai's eyes were so focused on the movements of arms that her legs shuffled beneath her on autopilot. Her lips moved as she counted with the Aes Sedai, though no sound came out.

When it was over she finally remembered to breathe. That was something to work on. She allowed herself a small smile though, and glanced at her classmates to see if they were enjoying this as much as she.

[Milea Lanar]

Ciawin had made a lot of sense. She normally had, Milea had thought. There weren't that many women that walked around carrying swords but there were lots (at least here) that could use the One Power. Not that she was ever planning on being in a situation where she needed to pull out a sword and start swinging it at people! It was just good to have that in her back pocket, as long as she could find a pocket large enough to hold it.

The crowd was not something she was used to. At least, not a crowd looking just at her. Relief flooded through her, an emotion she thought was mirrored in Ranai. It was time that she focused though, on the way the old (if an Aes Sedai could be called old, she just did that for anyone over 20) instructor moved her sword. They were simple, yes. Just moving the sword in one direction, then the other. 

It was supposed to be simple though, Milea figured. If it wasn't, how could they teach it to boys? They seemed like steps in a dance. Individually, they didn't mean anything at all. Yet together they probably meant something. Probably. Milea hadn't gotten to that point yet. She was just at the spot where she was trying to copy the moves. Which she did. Lips puckered like she was sucking on something sour, biting on her lips as she went through the motions. One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three.

Who needed air anyways?

[Ciawin Nelarme]

Ciawin watched Armina closely as she demonstrated the stances they were expected to take. Though their audience had been dismissed, she found herself strangely driven to prove them wrong. She took the steps slowly, as Armina had suggested, the movement unsteady as she held the unfamiliar practice blade in her hands. Every bit of it felt strange, unwieldy, and complicated as she moved from strike to strike. Ciawin had assumed that simply swinging around a blade would be simple enough, but every bit of it was strange, from her grip to her footing, to even where she was supposed to keep her eyes. After a few attempts to clumsy attempts, Ciawin was beginning to realize, a sheepish grin crawling onto her face involuntarily, that this was a great deal more complicated than she'd expected. Not unlike the One Power. That parallel was striking, because for years Ciawin had assumed both were simple matters of will for those gifted in their use. She was still learning, it seemed.

Ciawin's form didn't rate much above sloppy, despite the few attempts she managed. The strikes required controlled, free movement, but from a young age Ciawin had been trained to move precisely and without any extraneous movement. Perhaps that would be useful to the sword one day, but for the time being Ciawin found herself ending her strikes early a frustrating amount of the time, as though suddenly embarrassed by such ostentatious displays. That, if anything made her interested in continuing--any little thing she could use to spite the teachings of her homeland was worth doing. So, despite her clumsy attempts, Ciawin settled in to continue trying. She'd come to this lesson skeptical, but now she was invested.