Uncharacteristic Behaviour

As Miranna began to untangle herself from the girl she’d ran into, she realised that the girl was probably at a similar age to herself: not quite a girl, not quite a woman. Especially where these Aes Sedai were concerned, calling even a woman who looked old enough to be their grandmother ‘daughter’ or ‘child’. Light!

Miranna immediately noticed the Saldaean features, having seen many Saldaean merchants dealing with her father and his furniture. Her nose, sharp, was not as bold as some that Miranna had seen, but it still proudly trumpeted her heritage, as did the tilted brown eyes that sat atop her nose studying the girl who had run into her. Miranna was glad to note it was not an Aes Sedai, and ashamed to think that she had been worried about running into an Aes Sedai and the punishment that such an error would incur. Light, Koralyn Sedai really had gotten into her!

As they both pulled themselves to their feet, Miranna noted that they were of a similar height – that is, average, bordering on short – and that the girl’s hair was not black as she had originally thought but a dark, deep red, similar to the rich mahogany wood her father sometimes worked with. Just as the other girl began to smooth down her dress, Miranna became aware that there was another woman watching her, and she realised that she certainly was an Aes Sedai, her ageless face a giveaway.

Hastily, Miranna dropped into a curtsey, disgusted at herself for doing so only because she was scared of another beating. Light, Koralyn Sedai had broken her! Her face flooded with blood and she blushed, but she pulled off the curtsey before pulling herself back up, offering an apology to an Aes Sedai and then, at the woman’s stare, to the girl that she had run into who had also apologised to her.

Light, Miranna Aedori curtseying and apologising!

“My name is Zerese Demenia,” the girl said, curtseying to her. She had curtseyed to her! Light, the girl was mad: for a moment Miranna watched her to see if she was being mocked for her willingness to drop to a curtsey for the Aes Sedai, but she saw no traces of mockery in the girl’s eyes. No, best just to assume that the girl was being unnecessarily polite, especially while that fierce Aes Sedai was breathing down their necks. Miranna suspected that it may be the first and last time that someone would curtsey for her until she became Aes Sedai. That seemed almost as likely as one of the servants curtseying to her, to be honest – Miranna was finding it hard to dedicate herself to something she held no interest for.

“I am Miranna Aedori,” she replied, under that watchful look of the Aes Sedai. Light, that woman seemed to have the fierceness in her eyes to match any other Borderlander that Miranna had ever come up against. “From Shol Arbela,” she added as the Aes Sedai kept looking at her. Would that make the woman look away?

“Oh?” Zerese replied, Miranna beginning to pick up the hints of a Saldaean accent. “I’ve always wanted to see the fabled city of Ten Thousand Bells.”

Miranna offered her up a sad smile; dare she admit that she was homesick? She did not miss her family, but she did miss her childhood home, which wasn’t much of a surprise considering how unhappy she felt with her new life. She had wanted to become a Gaidar, not an Aes Sedai and now here she was on her way to see a woman who would beat her for a misstep only because Miranna was scared another woman might punish her!

“I take it you’re on your way to see the Mistress of Novices as well, then? Perhaps we can make the trip together. Er, since you’re already on the way, that is…”

The girl trailed away and then flashed Miranna a dazzling smiling that she found rather forced, but at the same time comforting. Was this girl just as nervous about meeting the seemingly infamous Mistress of Novices as she was? Despite herself, Miranna decided facing this apparent beast of a woman would be easier if she was with someone.

So there is someone else for her to take her temper out on, Miranna thought, knowing full well that that was not the reason why she was comforted.

“Yes, I would like that, Zerese,” Miranna said, uncharacteristically softly.

The Aes Sedai cleared her throat and the two of them quickly stepped in front of her, continuing down the corridor. They moved quickly up the blue runner that lay atop red and green floor tiles, moving towards the large, plain door that was set in between two magnificent wall hangings, their thread looking recent and their colours fresh and vivid.

Steeling herself, Miranna looked across at Zerese and offered her a small smile of comfort – as much for Zerese as for her – and knocked firmly on the door.