A Reluctant Guide

Novice Sadrok Rachin, Written by CJ
Posted on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 01:58 am

Sadrok kept a protective eye on her as she stood, letting her walk on her own now as she got used to having the splint on her ankle. He was not pleased about being told to keep an eye on her, but he did have some curiosity about her; as well as a number of questions he’d buried in the back of his mind since deciding he would finally go to the Tower. “Did she at least do something about it hurting?”

“Yes… It’s bearable now…” She murmured quietly, looking as if she was being more careful as she walked this time.

Outside the infirmary, the young novice stopped, looking around for a moment with that familiar dazed expression he’d seen on the faces of each of the new novices he had brought to the Mistress of Novices office since he’d come to the Tower a little more than six months ago. Remembering that she’d claimed to be lost earlier when she’d ran into him, he waved a hand at their surroundings before speaking. “You haven’t finished getting used to finding your way around the Tower yet, have you?”

Her back straightened as she turned her head towards him, glaring at him defensively as if his question had been meant as another insult. “No, I’m not used to this place yet. It’s so much bigger than I’m used to, and I really haven’t been here that long.”

He nods softly. “It’s alright, Brileia. You wouldn’t be the first novice I’ve shown how to find his or her way around.. If you’d like me to, that is.” When she agreed, however reluctantly, he nodded and began explaining about getting to know the different patterns of the floor tiles – sharing with her the story of the first time he’d gotten seriously lost in the Tower, only to wind up in the Red Ajah’s Quarters…

He had been looking for the classroom for his first Seizing lesson with Asha’man Roran, but he’d started his search in entirely the wrong part of the Tower. Before long, he was treading on red floor tiles. He hadn’t gotten very far into their quarters before five Red Sisters had cornered him, their shawls draped over their shoulders – likely just to put the fear of the Light into him. They’d been pretty successful in that, and he’d been marched off under guard – and probably shielded though he hadn’t known how to tell back then – to the Mistress of Novices office. Candance had rescued him and told him how to find his classroom. He’d barely made it there in time for the class.

“Let me tell you, being surrounded by five women that all looked like they wanted to murder me… It was not in any way enjoyable. Not like present company.” He wasn’t flirting with her, exactly… Or so he told himself. just trying to undo some of the damage his earlier behavior had done of her opinion of him.

Bluish-green eyes widened at his story, a soft giggle escaping her before she could catch herself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh… It’s not really funny. I can only imagine how that must have been.” She shook her head slowly, looking around at their path intently. “So… Where are you leading me to? I don’t recognize any of this.”

“You should, we’re not far from your well… I’m taking you to where I think the most important room in the whole Tower is.” That’s right… the dining room. It was a just about time for the midday meal, after all. In fact, just as he thought that, High sounded through the Tower. “Hopefully we can beat the rush…”

She glanced around again, a smile suddenly curved her lips as she was looking at some of the decorations in the hallway. “Oh… That looks familiar…” She looked up at him and smiled before remembering who she was looking at and looking away quickly, as if she was embarrassed about how she was blushing all of a sudden. His smile grew wider when he caught her looking. When they finally reached the dining hall, he grumbled a bit about having to wait in the line, but he insisted Brileia go before him. She studied him for a while, and for a moment she looked like she was going to ask him something, then apparently thought better of it.

He remained quiet through their meal, answering any questions she had about the Tower politely. He noticed not a few numbers of jealous glances that were afforded her way from the other female novices, even one or two Accepted – glances she of course seemed never to notice. She seemed to be choosing her questions about the Tower carefully for some reason. In a way he was grateful, he didn’t need her inadvertently encouraging Rahime and her like.

Actually, as soon as he noticed that their attention had shifted off of him, he’d started wondering how he was going to keep things that way. When they finally finished eating, he took her queue and returned both their dishes to the kitchens, leaving them on the counter where the rest of the novices did and ducking back out before the head cook could draft him into service again. He found the grins the other male novices were directing his way ridiculous. Sure, she would be rather attractive when she was a few years older, but he had no intention of letting her stay around him any more often than he had to. He had an image to maintain if he was ever going to get those idiots like Rahime to leave him alone.

Returning to Brileia, he started showing her to other places in the Tower he thought she might find useful to know how to get to – the Mistress of Novices office, the doors to the Amyrlin’s study, and to the Hall of the Tower. Obviously they didn’t enter any of those three places – though he did explain the rules involved in when a Novice was allowed to enter the last two – which pretty much boiled down to when, and only when, they were told to by an Aes Sedai.

Brileia’s head swiveled around as she apparently was doing her best to memorize the paths and places that he was showing her, quiet for the most part as they walked carefully through the Tower. She bit her bottom lip – he thought the gesture was rather cute, actually – before glancing at him, speaking only loud enough for him to hear her. “Why are you being so nice to me now?”

He smiled at her as he lead her along the hallway, thinking hard about where he would show her next – he’d covered all the important places by now. Though it occurred to him that all this walking wasn’t going to be any good for her ankle, so he started heading to take her outside to the Reflection Gardens, maybe show her one of the places he’d used when he was trying to work out how to break his Bar. “Because you’ve turned out not to be one of those crackbrained fools after all.”

He looked down to smile at her as they walked. “That is what you called them, isn’t it?”

“You didn’t believe me when I told you that the first time…” She replied quietly, looking at him once more before quickly looking away again like before. She was walking slowly, idly twirling a finger in a lock of her hair. He assumed she was walking slow because of her ankle, and kept his pace slow to match hers.

“Well, yes, that’s what I called them, and that’s what they are. It doesn’t take a genius to see that they are close to being useless. I don’t ever want to be like that. I don’t understand why they act the way they do. Why chase after a man when it’s against the rules?”

“That’s probably a part of it, Brileia. That idiot Rahime.. She’s been here eight years already, and she’s the worst of them.” He smiled softly as they finally returned outside into the sun’s light. “And if you did ever turn out to be like one of them, I wouldn’t want to call you a friend..”

“I ran away from home to keep from being married off. I think you’re safe from me becoming anything like Rahime and her friends.” She paused just a moment, lifting her face towards the sun now that they were outside again. Either she hadn’t heard his last statement or had chosen to ignore it for now, he thought.

“And yet, you’re still stuck with me.. At least for the day, hmm?” He smiled for the irony of it, then lead the way around towards the gardens. Before they ventured in, he encouraged Brileia to rest her ankle for a few minutes.. not quite sure what to talk about now as he took a seat on a bench beside her.

“Well, it’s not like you’re going to suddenly have your wicked way with me. You didn’t want to marry me either. Suffice it to say, I think we’re both safe from the other.” She laughed softly, shaking her head at some passing stray thought.

“And what makes you think I wouldn’t change my mind about that now, after having met you?” He said playfully. Though, in all honesty, he doubted he would have minded so much – as long as she had let him continue to pursue becoming a Blademaster. And he even said as much, after a moment.

She watched him from beneath her lashes quietly for a moment. “It wouldn’t have bothered me if you wished to become a Blademaster. My only request would have been for you to teach me as well.”

He stared at her openly for a moment, surprised. Then he nodded softly, as if making a some sort of important decision in his own mind. The idea that she would want to learn swordsmanship surprised him, but it wasn’t like she’d ever have the opportunity to go off and use any of the skills he might impart to her, so he saw no real harm in it. Besides, like he’d discussed with Cassandra Sedai during his Fire lessons, she would benefit herself from being able to protect herself with a blade when the Power wasn’t an option. And then, there was also her being from the borderlands to consider. He thought about his response for a moment, before speaking hesitantly. “Perhaps someday, after we are Aes Sedai and I can resume training to become a Blademaster myself, I will have the opportunity to do so.”

Silky black curls slid over her shoulder as she tilted her head slightly, gazing at him in undisguised curiosity. “Why would you want to?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, giving her a look that in and of itself suggested a number of reasons why – two Aes Sedai working together with their Warders, all of them Blademasters, or nearly… that would be an amazing sight, he thought.

“You are a strange man, Sadrok Rachin. Why would you wish to teach me? What could you possibly gain from that?”

“Please.. Just Sadrok. I’ve met an Aes Sedai here already who knows how to use a sword herself. What are you or I going to do if we can’t channel? As for what I could gain.. I believe I could gain a companion.. Someone I could trust to watch my back, and who would trust me to watch theirs? Besides, teaching another is one of the best ways to improve your own skill.” Still, the way he was looking at her a moment ago had suggested a different sort of companion – if only for a moment. Or maybe that had been a trick of the light passing down through the trees as they walked?

“Oh…” She watched him, her eyes shining with curiosity, resting her back against a tree trunk to take pressure from her ankle. Again he thought it was cute when she dug her teeth into her bottom lip for a moment before speaking up again, casting a suspicious look at him through her eyelashes. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He knew exactly what she meant, but still he cleared his face by assuming the Void for a moment before releasing it and answering. “Like what?”

In reply to Appropriated Caress[show]/[hide]

The young Novice was dazed from the fall, bluish-green eyes blinking in slight confusion. Startled to see the same male Novice from earlier, she slowly sat up before carefully getting to her feet. Her lips parted as if to speak, but he had cut her off. With each word, her face steadily lost color, her eyes narrowing in anger. She took one step forward, a small finger poking him hard in the chest. "You…you muscle-brained cretin…how dare you? You knocked me over this time…not the other way around! You don’t even have the decency to apologize! Instead you insult me and compare me to that girl of all people! I am no simpering, milk-faced vixen to chase after some arrogant male who seems to think that he’s the Creator’s gift to women! Get it through your head! I AM NOT INTERESTED IN YOU!" One might have thought that the arrogant man would have let her leave in silence. But no, he once again opened his mouth to insult her, and even worse, he had the audacity to blame her for him knocking her down. An angry growl escaped her, though it sounded more like an angry kitten than anything threatening. If she could have physically hurt him, Brileia might actually have attempted it at this point. Small hands clenched into fists against her skirts as she glared at him. "You bloody ox of a thimble-brained man! I haven't been following you anywhere. After our unfortunate encounter this morning, I have been in the library all day, minding my own business. Until YOU knocked me down! Ugh...bloody arrogant man...I don't even know who you are. Why would I even want to stalk you?" Then she threw up her hands in exasperation, glancing up at the library ceiling, "Why am I trying to reason with an idiot?" Cursing him under her breath with a multitude of words she had once heard her older brothers using, she began to walk away...only to catch her foot on the book he'd knocked out of her hands when he'd run into her. A soft cry of pain escaped her as she stumbled, twisting her ankle in the process. A hand grasped her by the shoulder, keeping her from falling onto the floor again. It just had to be the arrogant male Novice again who grabbed her, introducing himself and insulting her once more. But it was really the introduction that caught her attention, the rest of his words being tuned out. Sadrok Rachin? Why in the Light did she had to run into him, of all people? Brileia jerked her shoulder out of his grasp almost as quickly as he grabbed her. The blood drained from her face, making her appear even paler than one would have thought was possible. The petite girl twisted around to give him a frightened look, her eyes wide as her voice dropped to a soft hiss. "I see. Well, you needn't worry, Sadrok Rachin of Far Madding. I have never had any attention of stalking anyone, especially you. I have far more important things to do with my time. You can rest easy because this is one girl who won't be falling at your feet. Just...just stay away from me." Biting her bottom lip, the young Novice forced herself to begin walking towards the designated door. Pain shot through her dainty ankle, making her limp with each step. Yes, it hurt, but she had no intention of giving Sadrok the satisfaction of her asking him for his help. As she hobbled painfully towards the exit, she whispered under her breath, "Just my luck. I came to Tar Valon willingly to get away from him, and he’s already here. Why me? What in the Light did I do deserve this nightmare?" A startled squeak escaped the fourteen year old girl as a strong hand grasped her slender wrist firmly. She suddenly found herself lifted off her feet with her arm slung over the muscular shoulders of Sadrok, her least favorite person at present. Bluish-green eyes widened in surprise as he spoke quietly, "You’re hurt. I can at least take you to the infirmary after knocking you down like that." Well, that was certainly unexpected in Brileia’s opinion, and unwanted, as well. She began to struggle in his arms, small hands pressing against his chest as she hissed like an angry kitten. "Oh, I'm supposed to believe that you care about that. You were just blaming me for it a moment ago, goosebrain. I don't want you touching me. Put me down right now! Just put me down! I can figure this out on my own." A fist lifted and connected with his chest as hard as she could manage in the position she was currently in; though he showed no sign of it even hurting him just a little. In fact, despite all of her struggling, it seemed that the pretty boy was actually strong enough to keep his grip on her. Brileia felt the sudden urge to wipe the arrogant smirk off his disgustingly handsome face as Sadrok lowered his head and looked her directly in the eyes for a moment. Then he had the audacity to kiss her softly on the lips. Still smirking down at her, he drawled in that irritating tone of his. "Just shut up before we both end up in the Mistress of Novices office. You can't walk straight on your own and I'm not about to try Healing you myself. Besides, I want to know what that was you were muttering about." Startled by the sudden kiss, Brileia froze in his arms, her eyes widening. It took her a few moments to even think straight, and once she could, she lifted a small fist and hit his chest again. "You...you...you...how dare you? Don't you ever do that again!" She couldn’t believe that he’d had the impudence to steal a kiss from her and not even look apologetic about it. That had been her first kiss, and he was certainly not the man she would have chosen or that she wanted to kiss her in the first place. And the thought of that kiss being lost to this arrogant man just made her lift a clenched fist and hit him again, just for good measure. Not that he seemed to notice. But then the last part of his statement finally hit her and she stiffened even more in his grasp, a bit perturbed that he heard her whispering to herself. Then it occurred to her that it was entirely possible that he didn’t actually know what she had said; at which point, she could always just say that she was complaining about him. He would never know the difference. But then that hope died as he spoke again, and she turned another shade closer to white. "Wait...you’re not the youngest daughter of the Narelleva family, are you?" Bluish-green eyes narrowed angrily before she crossed her arms over her chest, her mind racing frantically to find a way out of this mess. She turned her head away, silky black curls tumbling to hide her face. Trying her best to put forth an indifferent facade, she spoke in a cold tone, "That is none of your business, Novice Rachin. Let's just get this over with so I can be rid of your presence once and for all." The pair lapsed into a tense silence as the male Novice carried her through the Tower grounds and through the Tower itself towards the infirmary. More than once, Brileia was set down on her feet to satisfy the suspicions of passing Aes Sedai and Accepted, her pained look and whimper doing a great deal to convince them of the veracity of their claims. And every time this happened, they were told to hurry along to the infirmary. The petite Novice would have liked nothing more than to have already been at the infirmary and well-rid of Sadrok’s presence; but each time they were stopped, it just made everything seem to take that much longer. She was drawn out of her thoughts by the quiet voice of Sadrok, just as they were reaching the infirmary door. "You know, I had nothing to do with it." Brileia lifted her chin defiantly at his words before murmuring quietly. "Does it really matter? When I overheard my parents discussing the arrangements, I was devastated. I was very happy when it was discovered I could channel. It meant that I wouldn't have to stay home just to be sold off to the highest bidder." A soft, bitter laugh escaped her before she continued to speak. "I had this vision of you being some fat, balding merchant. Imagine my surprise to find out the truth. Somehow the truth is far harder to deal with than my imagination had been.." At this point, she didn't care how he took her words or what he thought of her. She had come here to get away from him, not be stuck with him. Something she said had obviously struck a chord with him. Brileia could feel the tension easing from the arms holding her up as he spoke just loud enough for her to hear him. "I'd known I could channel for some time. When I found out what they were planning - to marry me off for a trade agreement just to get me out of the Guards, that was it. The next day, I arranged with my mother to be on the next caravan on it's way north." Bluish-green eyes peeked up at him to catch a genuine smile on his lips just before he continued, "I wasn't expecting you to be so young, much less pretty. I'm sorry for my behavior earlier, I never asked the Creator for this face after all. What is your name? They never did tell me that before I left." The petite Novice nibbled on her bottom lip anxiously before answering him quietly. "Brileia." That was all she said as she wasn't certain that it was such a good idea to say more to him. His change in attitude had completely thrown her off, making her more anxious and tense than she had been before. By that point they were already within the infirmary and a Yellow was approaching them. She remained silent as Sadrok sat her down with a gentleness she would never have attributed to him. Her nerves only grew more frazzled when he remained beside her at the direction of the Aes Sedai. She had hoped that he would leave her be, especially after being so mean earlier. But his attitude had changed completely, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. For the most part, Brileia had been able to keep from doing more than whimper softly in pain as the Yellow sister examined her swollen ankle. Despite the pain, she watched in unbridled curiosity as the older woman took hold of saidar to attend to her injury. The young Novice had not yet had a chance to attend an Embracing lesson; and because of that, she was fascinated any time someone channeled around her. She couldn’t see the weaves nor the glow that surrounded a channeling female yet; but that didn’t stop her from being overly curious.  Whatever the Aes Sedai had done worked because her ankle no longer throbbed with pain, and Brileia really wanted to ask her how she had done that. As clumsy as she had always been, the young girl was certain that this would be something she’d need in the future, especially if she was going to fulfill the promise she’d made to herself two years ago. The Aes Sedai bound her ankle in a splint before cautioning her to leave it on to keep from re-injuring herself. Whatever she’d done with the Power, she knew this was far from the first time Brileia had hurt herself this way - which was why she put the splint on Brileia’s ankle. Brileia was dismayed to hear the Yellow sister charge Sadrok with keeping an eye on her for the rest of the day, to make sure she didn’t injure herself again, before dismissing them both. How was she supposed to get a moment to really think about all she’d discovered today if the main player in those discoveries was hovering over her all day? She glanced warily in his direction, biting her bottom lip anxiously before getting to her feet carefully. 

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Replies to A Reluctant Guide

  • Coerced Memories — Novice Brileia Narelleva, Sun, Aug 22, 2010 02:18 am