Bringing the Rain, attn: Bella

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

What Haeden said was what Liaran had hoped to hear, though the Aes Sedai couldn't have quite said why. She nodded and smiled, dark eyes intent on him, though she did move them occasionally so she wouldn't be staring. "You'll find the right person someday, Haeden," she told him. Liaran meant what she said, and wanted Haeden to believe it as well. She wondered to herself how it was possible that he hadn't met that person yet, now that she knew it was something he wanted.

Liaran shifted in her seat, sitting up straighter. "And...." she continued, "when you find him, or her.....that person will be very lucky....because they'll have you." Liaran's voice grew a little quieter as she finished speaking, and she noticed she was feeling vaguely sad without knowing of any reason for it. She blinked as she felt her cheeks warm. She wasn't used to being quite that direct or honest with other people, but Haeden was a friend, and Liaran thought he deserved to know of her respect for him. With nothing else to say, Liaran turned her mind to the odd sadness this conversation had stirred up in her, wishing it would leave so she could enjoy this time spent with her friend.

[Bella]

Haeden wasn't actually sure what reply he was expecting, but he knew this wasn't the reply that he wanted. Every word she spoke of how lucky 'someone else' would be to have him still felt like a punch to the gut, even if it was technically a compliment. That part of it didn't sink in so much as that she was wishing him off on someone else.

He managed to force a faint smile. Details about her sunk into some place in the back of his mind--the pauses, the quiet--but it didn't penetrate the feelings at the forefront of his mind.

"Thank you...Liaran," he managed, working to keep his voice even. He wanted to ask her if she ever wanted to bond, and maybe the answer to that would help ease his mind, but he couldn't get the words out. "I'm, uh, I hope you're right."

Just then, the serving girl came over and asked them what they wanted to order. It spared him having to come up with any other terribly awkward replies for the moment, although his dry mouth had turned to the taste of ashes, so he hardly felt like eating anything. He almost ordered an ale, but stopped himself. He ordered food anyways, since he knew he needed to eat.

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

The bright smile Liaran gave Haeden was meant to be encouraging. "You'll find that person," she repeated. "I'm sure of it." She portrayed confidence for him, but in her mind, Liaran was far more unsettled. She let herself think, and was quiet while she did. It occurred to her that when Haeden did find his bondmate, he wouldn't be free to travel with her anymore, or probably to spend much time at all with her. She was surprised by the amount of disappointment that accompanied the thought. It made her irritated with herself, and did nothing for that odd sense of sadness she still felt. You're friends. That's all. Don't you want him to be happy? she scolded herself. He's a person, not a thing to be owned.

All of that was true, and Liaran did wish for Haeden's happiness, but the more she thought about it, the more strongly she felt that when that time did come, she would be left feeling....rather miserable. Liaran blinked and moved her left hand to the table to rest her forehead in it. Her thoughts were making her sadness worse, and she could feel her head beginning to ache from concentrating on them.

Would I ever want a Warder? she asked herself. The question was not new, and had been nagging at the back of her mind for weeks. She'd considered it, and wondered about it, and yet Liaran had no answer for it. Even after she'd talked to Sadira about it, the idea of the bond, sharing space in her head with another, still scared her, just a little. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to accept it, and did not understand how the subject had come to be in her thoughts much of the time.

She lifted her head from her hand when the serving girl came to take their orders, moving the hand back under the table. Liaran placed her order, but she wasn't sure she'd eat much of it when it came. She was suddenly feeling far less hungry than she'd been when they'd arrived.

[Bella]

I wonder what's on her mind, he thought idly, seeing the way she put her head to her hand, but he didn't ask. Maybe he should have, but his own mind was too full. It took him all his focus to remain the Gaidin now, and that was his first priority.

The serving girl came and went, the food came and went, brief awkward talk came and went, and then they chose to retire for the night...
* * * Haeden needed to get some air and clear his head. It had been a royal jumble since dinner, and he knew that he couldn’t continue like this.

Once he knew that Liaran was in her room and would be there for the night, he allowed himself the luxury of time away. No matter what had happened, or what had been said, he was here as her warder. He would serve in that capacity, even if it meant his life. He would continue to do so if she asked again, no matter how much he felt that stinging deep down.

He had to get a hold of himself. What had he really expected her to say? He didn’t know, but he knew what she said had not been what he wanted to hear. His own disappointment frustrated him, and he chastised himself for it. It was unreasonable, and it was unfair to her. She had every right to…

What? Not want him? Yes, she had that right. Maybe he couldn’t blame her.

Before he realized it, he had walked further away from the inn than he had planned. He was still within the town, but in an area they had not gone through yet. He wasn’t really sure where he was and he stopped to look around. Suddenly, the weight of his sword at his hip—which he was rarely without—was comforting. This area did not feel…wholesome, one might say. There was the prick of trouble on the air, so he immediately turned around and began his return.

It was only a few minutes before he felt that telltale shiver down his back that said he was being followed.

Haeden stopped and put his hand on the hilt of his sword but didn’t yet turn around. Blood and bloody ashes, he thought wearily. He was an idiot. No wonder Liaran didn’t consider him as worthy of a bond.

“We’ll be taking that sword, good sir, and whatever coin you have on you.”

The voice was rough, gravelly, but not uncultured. The use of the word “we” did not escape the Gaidin’s notice, nor did the sound of multiple pairs of feet. So, he had managed to attract the attention of a group. Fantastic.

He turned slowly to face the four men he saw spread out across the street he’d been walking on, and everyone was—of course—armed. None of them looked like they were hurting for income, so they either just made this a hobby or they robbed quite a lot of people. Taking in a slow breath, he let it out just as slowly and stared at the man in front, clearly the leader.

“Well?” that man prompted.

“No.”

The man didn’t flinch. This probably wasn’t unheard of, although likely every victim capitulated eventually. “I’m afraid that’s not the right answer, son.”

“I’m not your son,” Haeden said, drawing his steel.

Two of the men drew single swords, and one a pair of cudgels, and the other a pair of shortswords. Haeden risked a quick look around, but no glints hinted at an archer anywhere in the windows or dark alleys, so he had that going for him.

Haeden lowered himself into The Ox Lowers his Horns, and then he waited. Let them strike first, and he’d show them the error of their ways. He had some pain to work out after all, so why not share it?

Two came at him first, one of the ones with a broadsword and the one with the two swords. Lither than the first, Haeden ducked under his heavy swing and brought the hilt of his blade cracking into the back of the man’s neck. When that one stumbled forward, Haeden brought his blade back around to the man with the dual shortswords. That swing was blocked by crossed blades, but Haeden powered the block downward until the other man’s head was free. Haeden smashed his forehead into his, sending him reeling…and just in time for him to hear the first one making a clumsy lunge. He spun and blocked it.

From there, Haeden’s blade moved back and forth in a dizzying assault on the first man—Rain in the High Wind—who was already a little dizzy from the hit to the neck. Undaunted and seemingly unstoppable, Haeden surged forward with each strike. The strikes were blocked, awkwardly but blocked, but that that wasn’t the Gaidin’s plan. In driving the man backwards, he made the man lose track of his feet until he fell over. Landing hard on his back, Haeden drove his sword into the man’s shoulder.

The idea was to incapacitate rather than kill, though he did not know if they would be as good about that. Blood spurted from the wound, but Haeden was already whirling away into the next attacker.

The man was coming forward, but one eye was covered in blood from the broken nose. Haeden lunged. The two swords deflected the longer blade, but the apparent victory was short-lived. In thinking he had the Gaidin locked up, Haeden moved around him and used the locked blades to his advantage, as well as longer arms. He came around back to back with the shocked man, reaching back with his free arm to grab his jacket and forcibly spin him away, tossing him into the wall with a sickening crunch as his face rebounded off the stonework.

Of course, there was no time to waste because there were two more men. And they were already charging him. They had clearly hesitated. Were they afraid?

Turning to face the next two, he danced back a step to avoid the first swinging sword. As their blades locked, Haeden’s other hand snacked out to grab the collar of his leather armor and yank the man forward. Twisting around, he sent the man flying face-first into the ground and then leaped to meet the next one. This was the one with the cudgels which now, close up, looked like a pair of two-handed maces in the big man’s hands.

Haeden moved into Apple Blossoms in the Wind and began to circle the man, which allowed him to take a look at the others. Two were still on the ground, but a third looked to be getting up.

The big man was not particularly patient and only endured Haeden’s slow circle for a moment.

He bulled forward, swinging those hammers like he wanted to crush every bone in Haeden’s body, and perhaps he did. Haeden knew this one was going to be harder to dodge, but he had no desire to be pummeled to a pulp. Given that the big man’s intent was clearly broadcasted without being observant, Haeden was able to dance back a couple of steps to avoid being caught on the edge of one of those heavy swings. As one warhammer swung down from the left, the Gaidin shifted back but surged immediately forward again, coming around the left side where the arm was extended in the other direction.

Haeden moved into Cutting the Clouds and its quick horizontal chop as he moved in, but that big bastard was faster than he looked. Haeden scored a wound to the man’s size, but not nearly as deep as he intended. He jumped back to get out of the man’s range, swinging his blade as he did so and gaining another wound to the man’s arm.

This made his adversary drop one of his hammers, but he roared and rushed Haeden again. The Gaidin hurried back, but a thick arm shot out with speed he underestimated and got him around the throat. The grip was so tight that the world started to blacken almost immediately, and then his head was thrust back against a wall he hadn’t realized he was so close to.

Despite the stars he could see before his eyes, he pulled his sword-arm as far back as he could and stabbed forward. It was a shallow cut, but it drove into the hammer-man’s side. He roared again but dropped Haeden.

The Gaidin landed on his hands and knees, coughing just once before he summoned all of his stamina and lunged to his feet again. Now, he was angry. No common back-alley bandits were going to be his end.

Surging to his feet, he met the big man with the hammer head-on. The man didn’t have a chance as Haeden’s blade immediately surged through his unarmored midsection.

Haeden hadn’t wanted to kill anyone, hadn’t meant to, but they weren’t giving him the same courtesy, and he refused to die on the altar of good manners.

With the big man down, the third charged. Haeden didn’t have time to free his blade fast enough, so he lowered his body and rose fast, driving his shoulder into the man’s stomach. His attacker coughed and stumbled back a step, Haeden pressing his advantage and getting to his feet fully, surging into the man’s guard and grabbing his hair, driving his head down into the Gaidin’s knee before wrenching the head to the side.

He didn’t know if he was dead, just that he was out of the way.

Haeden moved quickly to pull his sword out of the man with the hammers, and just in time. The man with the shortswords was on his feet again.

At a moment’s notice, he blocked a swing with The Branch in the Storm. Deflecting it with a push of his arms, he followed immediately with a swipe of his elbow that caught the bandit by both surprise and the shoulder. It sent him back a step, though he was obviously well trained enough to not leave too great an opening. Haeden still took what there was in order to advance.

He aimed a strike for the larger man’s side and was blocked, but slightly awkwardly. His mind saw the man’s position and he moved swiftly for a second strike at the other side, knowing that the heavier set of the man would make him less quick to move out of the hard block and catch the other. He did, but barely, and was again shifted a step.

Determined to get back on better footing, the bandit shifted his weight and tried to reclaim the offensive. What followed was a series of powerful strikes but quick blocks and deflections. Some strikes made it through, but only glancing. It left Haeden with a few hair-thin slices to exposed skin, but nothing too terrible. He instead bore it while he evaluated his opponent.

Anger fueling his adrenaline, and the Void nowhere in sight now, he took back the advantage.

The Grapevine Twines sent one sword flying, and his opponent into a moment of shock.

The Dandelion in the Wind wove around the return strikes, then pressed forward mercilessly until Kissing the Adder finally overwhelmed the last of his defense. One last ditch effort to take back the fight set a glancing kick at Haeden’s leg, but it didn’t catch him enough to stop him and his sword-hand flew into the side of the man’s head.

When all was said and done, four men lay on the ground. And Haeden felt his emotion and energy flee him. He sagged slightly, blowing out a hard breath before staggering away. He had to inform the city guard, and then…then get back to the inn.

He just hoped he could do it before he collapsed.

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran couldn't sleep.

The Aes Sedai laid in bed, trying to at least rest, but her dark eyes were open, and she couldn't stop herself from thinking. The rest of the evening had been, in a word, tense, and Liaran didn't understand what had happened to cause it. It worried her. She'd been lying there for what felt like hours, trying to work out the problem, but had accomplished nothing except missing sleep. Liaran sighed, and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. It's no use lying in bed if I'm not going to sleep. She wanted to talk to Haeden, perhaps ask him if something was wrong, as she'd considered doing during dinner, but she was sure the Gaidin would be sleeping by now. She was not going to risk waking him and making whatever had caused the awkwardness between them worse. You can talk to Haeden in the morning, she told herself. Rising from the bed, the Aes Sedai dressed, and then left the room. She hoped that if she went downstairs for a short time, she might be able to quiet her mind enough for sleep to come.

Her footsteps were soft on the stairs. The hour wasn't that late, but it was late enough that Liaran did not expect to see many others still occupying the inn's common room. When she reached the bottom, she was not at all surprised to see the room nearly empty. She was pleased to see this, as it meant she could sit almost anywhere and be left alone to sort out her thoughts. She headed across the room, moving towards a group of chairs near the fireplace. From where Liaran stood, it did not look as though anyone sat there, but as she drew closer, she realized that she had been wrong.

Haeden was not asleep in his room.

Liaran froze for a moment, studying the Gaidin. He appeared to be exhausted, much more so than their long day could have accounted for. By itself, that didn't alarm her, but then she saw the number of tears in his clothing. What happened? She blinked, then gathered her skirts in her hands, rushing towards the chair where Haeden sat. Liaran stopped when she reached his side, letting out an involuntary gasp. Now that she was closer, she could see all of his injuries. He bore more than a few oozing cuts, but Liaran found the deep purple bruising ringing his neck to be more concerning.

The Aes Sedai reached out a hand, laying it on Haeden's arm, but was quick to remove it. She wanted to offer him Healing, but after the tension at dinner, Liaran felt quite uncertain of herself. Maybe he won't accept Healing from me. The thought hurt, but Liaran did her best to ignore it. She pulled over one of the nearby chairs so that she could sit beside him. Once she was seated, Liaran looked up, turning her head towards her friend.

"Haeden, what happened?" she asked quietly. Liaran was worried about him, and didn't quite manage to keep it out of her voice. She hadn't been able to resist asking, but didn't give the Gaidin a chance to answer her. Hesitantly, she asked, "I.......may I Heal you?" Still fearing his rejection, Liaran added, "If...you'd rather, I can make a Gateway for you so you can go to the infirmary."

[Bella]

Hers was the face Haeden most and least wanted to see.

Of course, the only reason he didn't want to see her was because he didn't want her to see him. He knew how bad he looked, given he had ushered away three of the inn's serving girls already. They had been cleaning up after another evening's revelry, which meant they were all in perfect hovering range.

And yet, the sight of her still made him smile a little, in spite of their dinner earlier in the evening. She touched his arm briefly, concern etched in her features although he could see she was trying to not let it show.

"Liaran," he said, his crooked smile becoming wry. "It looks worse than it is, I promise. I, uh... I took a walk and ended up in an area where a few armed fellows thought I looked like a good person to rob. I convinced them otherwise, but they made a strong case." He idly rubbed at the bruising on his neck, wincing.

Haeden was not a small man himself, nor a weakling, so it was particularly disconcerting to have had an opponent big enough to cause this sort of damage.

Dropping his hand, he went on, "After I convinced them of their error, I spent some time speaking with the boys of the city watch to let them know what had happened." He shrugged faintly. "There's no reason to return to the Tower, Liaran. I would accept your Healing, with gratitude, but don't feel obligated to waste your energy on me. You need to help this town more than me. I will be well."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran had no intention of allowing Haeden's injuries to remain, now that she had permission to Heal him. She had seen the way he rubbed at his neck, and worried that he was hurt more than he'd let on. That would end now. Liaran replaced her hand on his arm, though the physical contact between them made her feel a little shy. She gave Haeden a small smile before she began to weave, pleased to be able to do this for him. "Of course I will Heal you," she told him. "That's what an Aes Sedai does for her Warder. I'll have all night to rest." As an afterthought, she warned him, "You're going to feel a little cold." It wasn't that Liaran thought Haeden really needed the warning about the effects of the Healing weave, but it didn't feel right to her not to remind him.

The Aes Sedai reached for saidar then, first using Spirit alone to form the Delving weave. She saw nothing that she hadn't expected, and nothing that was beyond her limited Talent with the weave, so Liaran went ahead with the Healing. She drew strands of Air, Water, and more Spirit, braided them together, and let the completed weave fall over Haeden. As she watched the cuts begin to seal together and the purple shadow fade from his neck, it struck Liaran that she'd just referred to him as her Warder.

She hadn't meant to, of course, had merely misspoken, and Liaran hoped Haeden hadn't noticed. What surprised her more than her mistake was that the idea of it didn't scare her. Have I been asking myself the wrong question this whole time? She'd been trying to decide whether she might eventually want a Warder, but when she reworded it to consider whether she would want Haeden in the role, the answer was suddenly clear to her. Liaran blinked, grateful for her practice in keeping her emotions from her face.

Liaran quickly decided not to address the subject with Haeden just yet. He would be hungry, and tired, and in no condition to talk to her about it. Besides that, she had never thought to take a Warder, and did not have the slightest clue how she could possibly ask him to tie his life together with hers. She would have to think about it once they returned home, but for now she needed to focus on her current situation.

The serving girls were still clearing tables, and Liaran called the nearest one over. "Bring him some food, please," Liaran directed her. She did not take her eyes off Haeden, nor did she move her hand.

[Bella]

"That's what an Aes Sedai does for her Warder."

The words echoed in his mind, bouncing around so hard that he almost didn't even notice the Healing. Although he had been Healed several times over the years, so he was quite used to the sensation for minimal to moderate injuries. (No one ever got used to be healing from major wounds, but he was thankful to have experienced that only once.)

After a few moments, he admonished himself. He was here as her warder, for this trip, so of course that would apply. It didn't mean anything beyond that, he told himself.

Once the chill came, along with the hunger, he had to work a little harder to maintain his focus. What he did notice, however, was that she was still looking at him and her hands was still on his arm. His face was as schooled as hers, but he wondered at the look in her eyes. It wasn't anything, he was sure. He was simply tired.

Haeden laid his hand--so much larger and more calloused--over hers where it rested on his arm. It was very brief, not wanting to give unwelcome contact or offend her, but he did so for just a moment as he offered a small smile and bow of his head. "Thank you, Liaran," he said quietly.

Moving his hand off hers, he laid it on the table still close to where she touched his arm.

Silence reined for a long moment before the girl brought out a bowl and the end of a loaf of bread. "Sorry, sir, ma'am, but the kitchen is nearly closed so this is all we have left."

"It's just fine," he assured her, looking up with a brief smile as she put the food in front of him. "Thank you."

The girl didn't linger, and his attention didn't follow her. He turned back to the Aes Sedai, studying her eyes again for a moment before his fatigue and the aftereffects of the Healing forced his attention down. He left his one arm where it was, using the free one to begin to eat with as much slowness as he could manage.

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

The feeling of Haeden's hand covering hers startled Liaran, but she didn't mind it, and never thought to pull away. Still looking at him, her hand resting beneath his, Liaran returned the smile. "I'm glad I was able to help," she said. They were both quiet then until the serving girl returned with Haeden's food. Liaran eyed it, concerned that it wouldn't be enough for the sort of hunger caused by Healing, and might have said so if Haeden hadn't insisted it was fine.

While Haeden ate, Liaran turned away from him slightly, sure he wouldn't appreciate it if he felt as though she were watching him. She realized then that her hand was still on his arm, and quickly moved it to rest on the arm of her chair. She felt rather embarrassed, having intended to touch him only as long as she'd needed to while she wove. He doesn't seem to have minded, she observed. She knew Haeden could easily have moved away, and briefly wondered why he hadn't before forcing the thought from her mind. They both had work to do here, and Liaran did not want to let herself become distracted from that.

For a while, Liaran watched the flames crackling in the nearby fireplace, then turned back to see how Haeden was doing. He still ate, but slowly, and Liaran waited to say anything until she thought he could answer her. Her eyes looked up to meet his. "Are you feeling better?" she asked. It was not truly a necessary question, since she would have known if her Healing weave hadn't worked, but Liaran still felt the need to hear directly from Haeden that it had.

[Bella]

He felt almost bereft of...something when she moved her hand, though he didn't let it show. He imagined she was probably uncomfortable with having left it there for that long, and he wasn't going to increase the feeling. He finished eating while she remained in thought, looking off into the fire, most likely to give him a little space while he ate.

Finishing off the last bit of bread as she looked at him again and asked if he was better, he smiled a little and pushed the bowl away. "I am, thank you." He bowed his head again slightly. "I am sorry to have worried you. I just wanted to take a walk, get a little air, and I somehow landed myself in a bad part of town. And...well, here I am."