Crash of the Novices
Brileia, Written by Katie
Posted on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 21:01 pm
It had not been very long since Brileia’s admittance to the White Tower as a Novice, and yet it seemed to her like time was passing by very quickly. Festival time was already upon them, and free time was given to all. But the young Novice felt as though she might be the only one not looking forward to this time. With so much to learn and do, how could she possibly afford to take a day off from lessons? She knew that the Aes Sedai were expecting them to socialize and enjoy themselves during the festival. But during her short time here, Brileia had met several of the other Novices, and their ideas of a good time just did not mesh well with hers. The Domani girl with the room besides hers, Rahime Najat, was the epitome of everything Brileia did not want to become. The girl was lazy in her lessons, and yet seemed to think that she was the Creator’s gift to mankind. Even worse in Brileia’s opinion was that the girl seemed to chase after anything that was male. She simply didn’t understand how anyone could have time for such things with all the work that was expected of a Novice.
By the time the sun rose that morning, she had already made her decision. While her fellow Novices were no doubt off giggling over some half-naked trainee, Brileia would be taking the utmost advantage of her free time and doing some studying within the vast library. Quickly dressing in the typical white garb of a Novice, she took a moment to glance around the quarters she had been assigned. It wasn’t as much as she might have had back home in Maradon, but the young girl found herself liking it nonetheless. There was a great deal of white everywhere from the walls to the bed linens. Brileia found it to be a strangely soothing hue and did not mind the absence of color that seemed to bother many of her fellow novices. Her bed was small, but just the right size for the fourteen year old. In her opinion, it was more comfortable than the much bigger one she’d had back in her parents’ home. Her small desk was cluttered with various books and parchments from the lessons she’d attended so far. Every night before bed she would take the time to go over her notes and lessons until she was certain that she knew the material well. Her parents may have provided for her, but they never really understood her quest for knowledge and need to train as much as possible. Her room had become her new sanctuary in place of the small hidden glade she’d discovered back home. Here, in this place, there was no one trying to force her to become someone she could never be. There was no one trying to make her forget her most precious person. And most of all, there was no one trying to sell her to the highest bidder.
Marriage? That was a laugh. Brileia remembered quite clearly the conversation she’d overheard. She had been looking for her mother, hoping to gain permission to skip her dance lessons for the day and go out into the marketplace in search of a birthday present for her young nephew. Instead of finding her mother, she had discovered her father having a secret meeting with her uncles. Being the curious girl that she is, Brileia had lingered outside the door, eavesdropping. Apparently Uncle Rashmere had been in negotiations with the head of the Kandori merchants’ guild in Maradon, a man by the name of Alin. At the time the young girl couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could her parents think of using her to gain an alliance with another merchant family? She had been devastated at the realization that her family was trying to find a way to send her as far away from Saldaea as they could manage. She shook her head and smiled to herself, suddenly quite happy that she wouldn’t be marrying the guild leader’s nephew now. He was probably some hideous fat merchant anyways.
Bluish-green eyes glanced once more over her room before she finally took a step out the door and looked down the hallway. Taking the only path she had committed to memory so far, Brileia made her way towards the dining hall. Back at home, she might have just gone without eating in her excitement. But the last time she had skipped a meal to spend time going over her notes, she had ended up being dressed down by one of the Yellow sisters for compromising her health in such a way. She had no desire to get in any trouble on her free day. Getting a penance now would ruin her plans.
Placing a few pieces of fruit on a plate, Brileia settled down at one of the tables, making certain to put some distance between some of the other female novices and herself. She nibbled on a piece of fruit, trying not to listen to the whispers and giggles of the other girls. She tried to ignore the shrill voice of one particular Novice. But it was quite difficult to ignore Rahime when she was spouting such insanity. The girl was actually planning to sneak into some poor male Novice’s room tonight. Brileia couldn’t help but to feel sympathy for the poor man she got her hooks into that night. It certainly would not be easy to get rid of her.
Brileia wanted to gag in revulsion as the other girls continued to gossip, giggling over their plans to ogle half-dressed trainees in the yards. Really, did they have nothing better to do with their time? Did they have no inclination to actually succeed in Tar Valon? Perhaps they enjoyed the penances that would be assigned when they were caught by the piercing eyes of an Aes Sedai. And what about those poor men who were only trying to train? She could only imagine how frustrating and annoying it would be to surrounded by foolish girls staring at her like a fresh piece of meat. Finished with her meal, the petite Novice took her leave before the insanity either made her lose her breakfast or become infected with their silliness.
Now, if only she could remember where the library was, then things would be perfect. Shrugging lightly, Brileia just picked a direction and began to walk that way. She figured that she’d come across the library or someone who knew the way eventually. Despite having grown up in a well-off merchant family, the young girl was mesmerized by the different tapestries that decorated the hallways. The colorful threads depicted many a story that she had heard as a small child. Of course it also occurred to her that taking care of those tapestries would be a rather loathsome chore for any Novice. Beating the dust out of the heavy tapestries would be a punishment for anyone. So engrossed in her amazed perusal of each tapestry, Brileia didn’t even notice when she turned down an unfamiliar hallway.
Her small feet barely made a sound as she wandered through what seemed like a maze of hallways, never actually seeing another person. It was quite apparent by this point that she had managed to get herself quite lost. A frown curved her lips as it occurred to her just how much studying time she had missed in the amount of time it had taken her to even get to this point. Even white teeth dug into her bottom lip anxiously as she resumed walking, this time moving a bit faster than before.
Why was it that every hallway seemed to look alike? There was nothing that appeared even remotely familiar here, and Brileia was beginning to wonder if she should have left a trail of breadcrumbs just to find her way back. A small hand slid through silky, black curls, twisting the locks of hair around her fingers as she tried to decide what to do. She was all alone in this place with no idea of how to get back to something familiar. Each breath seemed to come faster and faster until she was nearly hyperventilating. Wide teal-colored eyes darted around as memories began to overwhelm her. The last time she had gotten so lost, it had nearly taken her life.
A little girl of only eight years, Brileia had been with her family during an outing in the countryside near the Arinelle river. A patch of wildflowers had caught her attention, and she had been pre-occupied with gathering as many of the pretty flowers as she could. Darting here and there, she had carefully picked each one that had caught her eye. Tucking a particularly beautiful violet into her bouquet, Brileia had looked up to realize that nothing looked familiar. None of her family were in sight, and she was much closer to the forest than she had originally been. The last thing she remembered from that day was a set of feral, yellow eyes gleaming in the shadows and the pain of sharp teeth and claws digging into tender flesh. When she awakened days later, her oldest brother had gone against their parents’ wishes and explained what had happened. Though he didn’t go into much detail, it was enough for her to know that she had nearly died after being attacked by a large wolf. Her brother had found her in the nick of time and saved her life, killing the beast before it could escape. Even now, eight years later, all she could see in her nightmares were yellow eyes and sharp teeth.
All sorts of illogical thoughts began to spring to life in her mind as she grew more and more anxious, panic beginning to set in. The sound of paws padding across the tiled floor echoed through her mind, a faint growl seeming to echo from the shadows that seemed to have grown in the short time she’d been in that hallway. A soft whimper escaped her as she stared at one particular corner, imagining that there were eyes gleaming in the shadows there. Grasping her white skirts, the petite Novice turned on her heels and hurried through the unfamiliar hallways as if the Forsaken themselves were nipping at her heels.
Lost within the illusions caused by her frightened mind, Brileia was completely oblivious. Breathless, she suddenly collided with someone much taller and bigger than herself. A frightened cry escaped her as she stumbled and fell, ending up on top of the person she’d knocked down in her haste to escape the demons conjured by her mind. Black curls tumbled over her face in a riotous mess, her hands pressed against a rather firm chest. Her head spinning, it took a few moments before she realized that she was sprawled across the lean form of a man. Eyes widening in shock and utter embarrassment, she scrambled to her feet in a flurry of white skirts and black curls. Visibly trembling, the young Novice stared down at the man she’d knocked down, stammering breathlessly in embarrassment. “Oh! I am so sorry! I didn’t see you there! Are you all right? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Before he could even answer her, she looked around in complete confusion. “And where in the Light am I?”
“You’re in the male Novice well, and no, I’m not hurt.” The man stared at her, a blank expression on his face. Only then did she notice the pristine white uniform of one of the male initiates of the Tower. Suddenly that blank expression on his face seemed almost dangerous. “I’ve been gawked at, flirted with, and stalked.. but never tackled before… Nor has anyone ever tried to sit on me before..”
At first, Brileia felt only relief that she had not hurt the man with her carelessness. But then she realized just what he was implying with the last part of his statement. Her jaw dropped in indignation, her slight body trembling in growing anger. “Excuse me? Please refrain from grouping me with those crackbrain girls. I have absolutely no desire to be stalking anyone, much less any of the males here.”
In reply to Thoughts with Impact (Brileia)[show]/[hide]
Sadrok started his Sunday the same as he would any other day. He set out to the Training Yards early, well before the sun was up, and began with a brisk jog around the Yards. Most of the Trainees he passed shook their heads at him, but exercise like this was required of them - it was not required of him. He chose to come out here every morning, and take time from his studies to keep in shape. More than once he’d been scolded by an Aes Sedai for what she felt was a waste of his time, but his polite reply was usually to say that he wanted to keep fit in case he ever needed to defend himself when the Power wasn’t an option. After all, he’d grown up in Far Madding. Even on this Sunday morning, a few of the more advanced Trainees joined him for a while, but most of them cut their exercises short while he continued on with his full routine. After his warm-up jog - while the trainees that had stayed with him went either to practice with their weapons or get cleaned up for the festivities - he found his usual place out in the Ogier grove to work through his morning routine of push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups. He'd now been out of the Tower itself for almost an hour, and given that it was a free day, a gaggle of female novices had followed him into the grove and were hiding in the bushes, giggling among themselves as they watched him sweat. Why they seemed to enjoy watching him work out so much would never make sense to him. They could have been fawning over any number of the Trainees. He’d been coming to this particular clearing in the grove for a few days now, and every time the girls found him he went on with his routine that day, and then found a new place to work out the next morning. Looking around as he counted into the fifties of his push-ups, Sadrok took stock of the clearing he’d been using until today. That log there had provided the perfect place for him to brace his feet while working his abdomen, and the thick tree branch over there was just the right height and thickness to hold his weight while he worked his arms. Next to it was another that he used some mornings, hanging upside down by his knees to work his abdomen. It was more tiring than using the log, but it was a better workout at the same time, since he had farther to go and was fighting his own weight the whole time. He wasn’t allowed on the Trainee’s obstacle course, or he would have spent some time there as well to work on his agility. Instead he settled for running around within the Ogier grove for a few minutes, all the while going over in his mind the different sword forms he’d learned in the nearly 6 years he’d been studying sword-fighting. Of course, now that he was moving around the grove, he had some freedom from the annoying girls that had been watching him. Every few weeks they managed to find his new hiding spot, or an Aes Sedai did, and he had to find a new one. He was more annoyed today than usual because he’d only been using that last one for a few days before it had been found, and if it was a bit smaller than he would have liked, it otherwise suited his needs perfectly. When he was finally done with his work out and the sun was beginning to rise, he returned to his rooms to gather a fresh pair of small-clothes and a towel, then went off to the baths. Most of his peers seemed to be sleeping in this morning, since they were being given the chance. Honestly, he couldn't blame them. However, he’d set it in his mind while he was a Guard back home to follow any morning routine he set for himself every morning - without fail. It had served him well then, and it had served him very well in his months since he came to the White Tower. Seeing that he had the baths almost to himself this morning, Sadrok took his time getting clean and shaving the stubble that had started to grow on his chin the last few days. Most Kandori grew a forked beard, but Sadrok hadn’t been raised in his father’s homeland, and he didn’t really follow any of their customs. His hair was beginning to grow longer though; he’d have to see about cutting it again, and soon. He liked to keep it shorter because it was easier to take care of that way, and it didn’t get into his eyes when he was training. Catching sight of the scar on his shoulder while he was shaving, Sadrok let his mind wander back to the day he’d gotten it, and the friends he’d lost that day. Captain Caeyl had been the one who Sadrok trained with every morning. The old man taught him the importance of setting a morning routine and sticking to it, even when he’d had too much to drink the night before. A Blademaster, Caeyl was very old for a swordsman - he’d once confided in Sadrok that he’d seen more than fifty winters. It was meeting Caeyl for the first time that had inspired Sadrok to become a guardsman in the first place, and given birth of his dream of becoming a Blademaster himself one day. Tower trained as a gaidin, Caeyl had left the Tower shortly after finishing his training to return home to his family to protect them during the Whitecloak War, and never gone back. Sadrok had never been able to so much as tap Caeyl when sparring with him, even when the captain claimed he was taking it easy on the young recruit. Caeyl had lived through the ambush with Sadrok, only to succumb to his wounds a few weeks later. Jaer had been the youngest in their patrol. Like Sadrok, it had been his first time actually out on patrol when they were ambushed. Jaer had come to Far Madding from one of the more distant farms, so it wasn’t his first time beyond the city’s walls like it had been for Sadrok. The least experienced of the patrol, he’d been the one everyone looked out for, though he had often resented the treatment. While Captain Caeyl had trained Sadrok, Sadrok passed on what he knew of swordsmanship to Jaer, teaching him the basics he’d need to know. Jaer had died in the ambush at some point, Sadrok hadn’t seen when his friend was run through; but, lacking a shovel, he had used the Power to dig the graves he’d buried his friends in, the three that had died that day. Maern had been the odd one. He was lazy and sloppy with his training, but he had such a winning attitude that none of them had ever really called him down for it. The same age as Sadrok, he had been a member of the guards for a year before Sadrok had managed to convince his father to let him join. Of the five in their squad, Maern was the only one who didn’t know how to use a sword, instead he favored a long poleax with a single crescent blade. Built like a blacksmith, he’d been able to wield the unbalanced weapon almost like a staff, though it was far more deadly in his hands than any quarterstaff would have been. Maern had been a light hearted man, always ready with a jest, and free with his coin. He’d owed Sadrok three gold crowns by the time he’d died. Funny, the things you remember, when you forget even the faces of your friends after they’re gone. Tadred had been about twenty five years older than Sadrok, a veteran of the Aiel War, and the battle at the Shining Walls. He’d shared stories with Jaer, Maern, and Sadrok about that war, where the Captain had always refused to talk about it. While Caeyl had later confessed he knew the trick, it was Tadred who had taught Sadrok, Jaer, and Maern of the Flame and the Void after he’d told them stories of how he’d been able to shoot Aiel with his bow from atop the high Shinning Walls. Initially they’d only used it for archery, but Sadrok had found it made the difference between himself and the Captain much smaller when he’d tried it while sparring. Tadred’s bow hadn’t done him much good.. it was probably the reason he was the first to die in the ambush, taken in the throat by an arrow. Shaking his head to clear it of the memories of comrades long dead, Sadrok told himself that they would want him to remember them, yes.. but also to enjoy the day. They’d all been aware that being a guard, any day could have been their last.. They had almost a soldiers’ mentality about it, really. Sadrok was the only one of them left, so he had to enjoy the day five times over, just to be sure he honored their memory. When he finished shaving off the stubble on his chin, he took a moment to gather himself before getting dressed and heading back to his rooms for a moment, then off to enjoy the festivities. He didn’t make it far down the halls though, before a young woman in novice whites came hurtling around a corner to slam into him at a dead run. If he hadn’t had his mind in the clouds, he wouldn’t have lost his balance, but since he wasn’t paying too much attention to where he was going when she came seemingly out of nowhere, he soon found himself flat on his back, with a wide-eyed petite novice pinning him to the floor, still within the male novice well.
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Replies to Crash of the Novices
- Seeking Knowledge — Brileia, Wed, Aug 18, 2010 16:13 pm
- You again?! — Novice Sadrok Rachin, Thu, Aug 19, 2010 23:46 pm
- Appropriated Caress — Brileia, Fri, Aug 20, 2010 19:17 pm
- A Reluctant Guide — Novice Sadrok Rachin, Sat, Aug 21, 2010 01:58 am
- Coerced Memories — Novice Brileia Narelleva, Sun, Aug 22, 2010 02:18 am
- Changing Perceptions — Novice Sadrok Rachin, Wed, Aug 25, 2010 20:01 pm
- A Cry For Help — Novice Brileia Narelleva, Thu, Aug 26, 2010 01:47 am
- Long Term Goals — Novice Sadrok Rachin, Thu, Aug 26, 2010 14:30 pm
- Accepted Challenge — Novice Brileia Narelleva, Fri, Aug 27, 2010 06:17 am
- Oops, we did it again (RE: Meg) — Novice Sadrok Rachin, Sat, Aug 28, 2010 21:04 pm
- What a Way to End the Evening — Perie Sedai (MuC), Sat, Aug 28, 2010 21:12 pm
