Long Term Goals

Novice Sadrok Rachin, Written by CJ
Posted on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 14:30 pm

Sadrok did his best to try to calm her, though at first he kept seeming to say or do something that just made her more upset. His offer to go with her was genuine; once he was Aes Sedai and had had the chance to train with the Warders for a while, he wanted to test his abilities against the Shadowspawn. Where better than in the Blight itself? Of course… first he had to become Aes Sedai, and then find a way to have enough time to spend training among the Gaidin to become a Blademaster himself. That was all certainly years in the future, and things could change long before then that would make this discussion pointless. But whether they liked it or not, they were betrothed. He might as well make the best of it, and she was both pretty and intelligent. He was already growing to like the idea of being betrothed to her.

He wasn't going to bring that up right now though, especially not with the way he'd been behaving before. He did decide that it wouldn't be a bad idea to let a rumor of his being betrothed float around; though he'd have to find a way to make sure it wasn't linked to Brileia.  That would just get them both in trouble even though it was from before either of them had fled to the Tower to escape the other. Instead, he softly placed a finger to her lips as she questioned him.

"I'm not about to let anyone go off into the Blight alone, Aes Sedai or not. You know far better than I how dangerous it is. But I understand your need to avenge your brother, Bri. I will go with you for that, if you wait until we are both Aes Sedai and have had plenty of time to prepare. I, for one," he paused for a moment, smiling down at her. "I would like to go there after I have become a Blademaster to test myself. And besides that, whether we like it or not, we are betrothed. I would feel responsible if you ran off to the Blight alone."

The smaller Novice just looked at him in confusion, obviously not quite understanding something about what he’d said. She tilted her head slightly before answering. “What does the betrothal have to do with anything? Obviously we won’t be going through with that. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want my family to benefit from anything having to do with me. Beyond that…I really can‘t ask you to come with me.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d already affirmed the trade agreement for it, but that can be dealt with later.” He was also certain there would be a way to make sure that whatever agreement had been arranged regarding their betrothal; if she agreed to it in the end, the two of them would be the only ones to profit from it. Especially considering that they would be Aes Sedai before that could happen if it happened at all. He reached up to wipe the last remnants of her tears from her cheek, then looked down to his chest, where she’d gotten his tunic soaked, and channeled.

The water from her tears seemed to lift right off his chest and drop to the ground before he looked back up to her, releasing the Power. “There… Now, I’m not suggesting you ask me to come with you, Brileia. I’m not going to let you throw your life away – if your brother was anything at all like me, he would not want that. Light, he might even have approved of the betrothal…” He’d let that little hint sink in, maybe it would grow into something more eventually.

A thoughtful look crossed her face as she pondered his words, teeth digging into her bottom lip once more. She looked pretty even doing that; though he still thought she was prettier when she smiled. As she spoke, he nodded softly, beginning to think she might put aside this foolishness after all.. or at least wait until he could go with her to protect her. “I don’t know. I mean, I suppose you’re right about what Uriel would want. But he’s not here anymore.”

“Would he want you to throw your life away in the Blight, Brileia?” He let her rest her head on his side again, putting an arm lightly around her shoulders as they talked. He was thinking by the seat of his britches, but he wasn’t going to let her throw her life away, even if it meant going to the Mistress of Novices in the end. “If he loved you as much as you say, wouldn’t he rather have seen you go about your own life, and be happy?”

Bluish-green eyes turned in Sadrok’s direction, growing wide with sudden realization. She shook her head slowly before answering. “I…no…no, he wouldn’t want me to throw my life away. He’d want me to be happy. He always did. But how can I just go about my life and be happy when he’s not around anymore?”

“You take things one day at a time, like the rest of us.” Thinking it was time for her to begin growing out of some of her naivete, He raised a finger to her lips again to forestall her from speaking when she opened her mouth. He was glad that she’d opened her eyes finally, but he wasn’t going to give her the chance to brood on this right now. “What do you say we go for a walk? Maybe you’d like to go dancing?”

Effectively distracted for the moment, Brileia blinked in surprise before laughing softly. “Oh…um…all right. A walk is fine with me. I’m not so sure about the dancing part. I might end up falling again with the way my luck has been going today."

“I’ll make sure you don’t fall..” He smirked, standing and offering her his hand. When she took it, he kissed the back of her hand gently, then helped her to her feet before letting go and heading off toward the sounds of revelry, looking forward to seeing if he could teach her how to dance without hurting herself. If she could learn that, she could learn swordsmanship, without any major problems. “To be honest.. I could go for a bit more food before dinner… They never serve enough in the dining hall, and the food is hardly fit for servants, isn’t it?”

Soft laughter escaped her as she walked beside him, shaking her head in amusement. “I’ve never really noticed a lack of options in the dining hall. It’s always seemed like enough to me. As for the quality, it’s not quite as bad as that, Sadrok.” Then she paused and looked him up and down and back up again. A playful pout crossed her lips. “Why are you so tall? It’s like standing next to an Ogier.”

“Just you wait until we meet an Ogier, even I will look short by comparison. At least, from what I’ve read, I haven’t met one myself yet. Though I imagine we might see one in Tar Valon eventually.” He laughed softly, smiling down at her. She barely reached his shoulders, in fact he thought she would fit quite nicely under his chin.
Sadrok watched her from the corner of his eye, finding the expression on her face to be very entertaining. Her pout became even more pronounced as she crossed her arms over her chest, her childish reactions making him laugh even more. “All right…so you’re not as tall as an Ogier. But still…I feel like a toddler standing next to you. It’s not fair.”

Sadrok shook his head softly, suppressing his laughter as they walked through the gardens. “Look on the bright side… Being shorter, you have an advantage in a fight. You’re harder to hit because you’re a smaller target.” He left out mentioning that her beauty also gave her an advantage – most opponents would underestimate her until she surprised them.. And if she learned well enough, that one surprise would be fatal for her opponent.

She cast a dissatisfied glance in his direction, idly rubbing her wrist. “Oh…yes, that really seems like an advantage…especially when I seem to end up hurting myself instead of the person I’m in a fight with.”

He smirked, raising a hand and forming a proper first with it. “You hurt yourself because you held your hand wrong. See? Like this.” He curled his hand into a fist a few times as they walked to show her how it was supposed to be done. Fingers curled and tensed, his thumb was tucked back so that the tip was behind his index finger’s second knuckle, but not covered by his finger.

She was watching him closely, he saw, as he showed her the proper way to position her hand. She kept at it for a moment as they walked along, stopping whenever someone else came into view until they were alone on the paths again before she’d resume. Finally, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she turned and punched him in the shoulder, surprisingly hard. She hit him well enough to make him shift sideways as he took his next step, and he shook his head thinking he may have just made a mistake to show her that. Well, it was over and done with now, and he’d deserved it.
“That was for stealing my first kiss.” He rubbed his arm gently, feigning being hurt for a moment, as she whispered to him.

He shook his head, giving her a sheepish grin.. Which only got her to try to hit him a second time. He was expecting that one though, and grabbed her wrist before she could hit him again. He responds in a whisper as well after he lets her hand go, his voice full of sarcasm. “Now, now… You keep that up, I’m going to know that you actually liked me stealing your first kiss..”

Her jaw dropped as she stared at him in disbelief. A bright blush colored her face as she shook her head, pulling her hand back from him. He let her go without a fight over it. “Unbelievable…you are unbelievable…

“Why thank you..” he smirked, continuing on down the path. He showed no sign that his shoulder still hurt.. she’d managed to hit him in just the right spot to make his whole arm go numb, but there was no way he would let her find out about that. Deciding he was going to have some fun with her after all, he muttered under his breath. “I do so love knowing that I am appreciated.”

She burst into infectious giggles as they walked along, making a few other people walking through the Gardens glance at them and smile. Sadrok too joined in the laughter until her small hand grasped his arm as they walked down the path. “You know what, Sadrok…I have just realized why the Creator placed you in my way this morning.” When he gave her a quizzical look, trying to decide what she’d meant as he removed his arm from her grasp, she gave him an playful smile in return. “You obviously need some help with that massive ego of yours. And who better to deflate it than me?”

He laughed again, shaking his head as they left the Gardens behind to appear next to the Gaidin’s training grounds. He spoke sarcastically, egging her on further. He’d been in the Tower for six months now, and rarely had the chance to relax like this and actually enjoy another person’s presence. That he was lucky enough to be able to enjoy the company of a beautiful young woman was icing on the proverbial cake. “And you think such a young little woman like yourself is up to that up to accomplishing such a magnificent challenge? If you can, I might just let you marry me after all. Once you’re old enough, little girl.”

In reply to A Cry For Help[show]/[hide]

Thrown off balance by the abrupt change of topic, Brileia answered him before she could even think to stop herself. "Because he’s dead." Then the blood drained from her face as she realized what she had just said, a small hand lifting to cover her mouth in shock. She couldn’t believe that she had said it so bluntly. Tears filled her teal-colored eyes as she leapt to her feet, ignoring the ache in her wrapped ankle. White skirts swirled as she turned and hurried towards the path heading back towards the Tower. The only thought in her mind was to escape and find some place to be alone for a while. She stopped short as she suddenly found her path blocked by Sadrok, his arms outstretched to keep her from getting around him. The diminutive Novice gave him a mutinous glare, her ashen face streaked with tears. She glanced around before moving to go around the taller Novice, trying to stay out of his reach. "Just leave me alone, Sadrok. I just want to be by myself."  But obviously he wasn’t planning on heeding her wishes; instead, he seemed to move into her way each time she tried to get around him. Brileia found herself growing more and more aggravated each time he physically stopped her from leaving. Her slight body was practically quivering with frustration and a plethora of overwhelming emotion. Delicate fingers curled into a small fist, knuckles turning white just before it connected with his stomach as hard as she could manage. It obviously wasn’t enough to make him double over in pain, but it did make him grunt…just barely. However, Brileia was not so lucky as she somehow managed to hurt her hand just by hitting him. She had ended up jamming her thumb on his sternum, sending a white-hot pain shooting through her hand. A pained whimper almost escaped her before she viciously bit it back. Her bottom lip trembled as she struggled visibly to keep from loosing her composure completely. Cradling her hand to her chest, she glared tearfully at him, her voice breaking just a bit, "What is your problem? Why won’t you leave me alone?!" The petite Novice just couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t let her go. No one ever stopped her when she was truly determined to be alone, not even her beloved brother. Usually her family would let her be to work out her issues on her own, as long as her alone time did not interfere with their plans. Occasionally Uriel would come to her after she’d had time to calm herself down, but he never pushed her to speak or stay in his presence against her will. Overwhelmed by thinking of her brother again, Brileia couldn’t maintain her self-control any longer. She burst into tears, her slight body swaying slightly with each sob. Tousled raven-black curls fell down like a curtain as she buried her face in her hands. Sadrok’s presence was completely forgotten in the face of her misery. That is, until he put his arms around her and held her gently to his chest, whispering in her ear. "It’s alright, Brilie... I’m sorry, I didn’t know about your brother... Here, come sit back down." She trembled uncontrollably in his embrace, soaking his shirt with her tears. Weeping silently, she was in no condition to protest as the man led her back towards the edge of the fountain to sit down. Just as they were sitting down, Brileia suddenly realized what was strange about his comment. She could have sworn that he had just used a nickname that only one other person had ever used for her. And that particular person happened to have been deceased for the past four years. The young girl lifted her tear-streaked face to look at him in confusion, her voice no louder than a hoarse whisper. "What did you just call me?" "Brilie?" he asked, looking puzzled as he sat next to her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. As much as she wanted to accept the comfort he was freely offering to her, she needed answers more and just stared up at him as he spoke again. "Would you rather I gave you a different nickname?" A look of complete confusion crossed her tear-streaked face, her misery pushed aside for the moment. She took a deep breath before speaking again, still whispering hoarsely. "I haven’t heard that nickname in over four years. Only one person has ever called me that before. H-how did you know that nickname?" "I didn’t. I just thought of it.." He paused for a moment, looking like he was in deep thought. His answer was nearly identical to the one her brother had given her years ago when she‘d asked how he‘d come up with that nickname in the first place. If that wasn‘t enough of a slap in the face, his next words seemed to hit her like a punch to the stomach. "It was your brother who used it, wasn’t it?" Brileia sat up straight, trembling fingers wiping blindly at the tears still falling down her pale face. Teeth dug into her bottom lip as her mind raced wildly, trying to figure out how he seemed to be so much like her dead brother. Bluish-green eyes still glittering with unshed tears lifted to his face once more. "…how do you do that? I swear it seems as though he is speaking to me through you." She shook her head, her hand lifting to tangle in her disheveled locks. "Um…yes, it was Uriel who gave me that nickname. I think I was about two or three when he started using it. It was just something special between the two of us." A small melancholy smile crossed her face as the young girl looked away from him, appearing as though she were lost in recollections of the past. She wrapped her arms around herself as if for comfort as she began to speak faintly, only loud enough for the man sitting beside her to hear her clearly. "You must think me a simpering fool with the way I’ve been acting just now. I’d apologize, but I’m afraid that I really can’t help it. Uriel was the only member of my family to truly understand me. Most of my family only tolerated my presence at times, even my parents and my other siblings. But Uriel…he really wanted me around. He went out of his way to make time for me, no matter what he was doing at the time. It was like the two of us were the ones that were family, and the others were just acquaintances. And with him gone, I’ve been so…alone…even when surrounded by people." A sardonic chuckle escaped her as Brileia shook her head slowly, lifting her eyes to the afternoon sun. "Uriel was a member of the guards back home in Maradon. In fact, he used to tell me that when I was old enough…he and I would leave home and come to Tar Valon. He wanted to become a warder, strangely enough, and he didn’t want to leave me behind. I was only twelve when he left for his last trip into the Blight. He never returned with the rest of his unit. I was…devastated, for lack of a better word." She was quiet for a moment, staring off in the distance. "My family didn’t quite know what to do with me after his death. I know that I didn’t handle it well. But what child would?" Finally remembering his presence, the sixteen year old turned a numb gaze in Sadrok’s direction. "In all honesty, that’s what made this whole…betrothal arrangement hurt the most. My parents would never have done something like that for any of the others. Me…they couldn’t wait to get rid of me. But I‘ve managed to thwart that plan at least. They won‘t be getting whatever it is they sold me away for now that I‘m here in Tar Valon. And even if I hadn‘t been able to channel, I still would not have accepted their plans. I would have figured something out to keep from marrying you…and I mean no insult to you by saying such." Shaking her head as if to clear it, she straightened once more, at least trying to make an effort not to appear as miserable as she felt. Out of the corner of her eye, Brileia noticed a look of concern cross Sadrok’s face, but she was too focused on her thoughts to question him about it. Her hand curled into a fist, a hint of fierceness creeping into her soft voice. "I can’t let him be forgotten, and I certainly will not let his death pass without getting some measure of vengeance for him. There is no one else who can do this but me. Uriel deserves to be able to rest in peace. I will give this to him, regardless of what anyone else thinks." He nodded softly, then tipped her chin back to look her in the eyes again. He remained silent for a while, obviously in deep thought, but he didn’t remove his finger from her lips and when she tried to speak again he pressed it more firmly against her. "Your best chance to do that will be to focus on becoming Aes Sedai now, right? Maybe when we’re both Aes Sedai, I can help you with.. whatever it is you think you’re going to do to avenge him." Brileia blinked in surprise at the rather generous offer, wondering why he would offer such a thing without even knowing her plans when he barely knew her. Bluish-green eyes examined his face closely before she spoke quietly, "That’s…sweet of you to even offer, Sadrok, but you hardly know me. And you don’t even know what I have planned. If anything, you should be running in the opposite direction." She touched his hand lightly before pulling away from him. "I have no doubt that my quest will be difficult and definitely dangerous. I cannot, in good faith, let anyone else accompany me. I couldn’t bear it if someone got hurt because of me." Of course what she neglected to say was that she really had a hard time hurting anyone herself, which would really make her plans that much more complicated. If she was honest with herself, she really wasn’t certain how she was even going to go about hunting Shadowspawn in the Blight. Yes, becoming an Aes Sedai would help…but not if she couldn’t hurt even a fly. Perhaps by the time she was ready to proceed, she would have gotten past that little quirk of hers. Apparently the man could read her mind because Sadrok just shook his head and silenced her with a finger pressed against her lips. Falling quiet, she blinked in surprise and looked up at him, immediately drawn out of her thoughts once more as he spoke. "You think I’d let you go alone? Into the Blight? Brileia, I know that you are smarter than that... Sure, you‘ll be Aes Sedai before you go.. You’d better be, or I’ll make sure someone drags you back here, but I doubt even they can protect themselves entirely while in the cursed Blight. You‘ll need someone to watch your back. That‘s why they have Warders, isn‘t it?" There was something in the tone of his voice as he was talking that really made her sit up and pay attention, as if he was trying to prove some point to her. The way he said her name sent warm feelings through her, and she wasn’t quite certain why. Brileia stared at him for a few moments before answering. "How do you do that, Sadrok? Seriously…do you have a Talent for reading minds? Because you seem to know every little thing I’m thinking. It’s rather unsettling." Shaking her head again, she gave him a completely serious look. "Beyond that, why would I even consider that you’d want to accompany me? You don’t even know me. We’ve only just met, and not under the best circumstances either. Why do you care?" She didn’t even bother to address the point about Warders. She didn’t really think that she’d want a Warder. Why would she? She wasn’t the most social person, if she was honest with herself. 

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Replies to Long Term Goals

  • Accepted Challenge — Novice Brileia Narelleva, Fri, Aug 27, 2010 06:17 am