Re: Two Sides of the Coin [attn; Bruce]
Posted: April 4th, 2016, 6:16 am
The flood of angry words began, and did not end for some time, accompanied by physical expressions of anger that surprised the much smaller Altaran. While Jaryd did not know as much about the Aiel as he would have liked, he had spent many years studying law and culture when he had thought he would be joining the Grey Ajah, and the Aiel had been a part of his curriculum. His memories of that, plus what he had observed of those few who had come to the Grey Tower, had indicated that the Aiel people prefered to keep their emotions hidden.
Jaryd listened without showing his reaction, however, dark eyes focused on the path ahead as he sorted information into a semblance of order. He had little reason to believe that Herarn would lie about what happened, but there were two sides to every coin, and anger bred misconception at unheard of rates. As bondmates to the same woman, and with the Shienaran’s protective tendencies, he and Ravak had spent a considerable amount of time in close proximity to one another over the last few weeks. The Gaidin had not shown himself prone to such outbursts; what had happened? Kaia’s state of mind certainly made sense, now. Why Ravak Darrow had lost his temper could be addressed at another time.
For the present, the fuming Herarn had to remain Jaryd’s priority. The Keeper remained silent for long moments after the Dedicated had finished speaking, as he considered where to start. “Thank you for describing what happened in such detail,” he said finally, without a trace of irony. He stopped short and faced the man, arms crossed over his chest and ageless face impassive. “It seems to me that there are several issues of relevance to you that need to be addressed.”
His voice gained a steely quality. “You are a Dedicated of the Grey Tower, and with that title comes specific expectations and guidelines for behavior. It is your duty to be familiar with those rules, to follow them, and to set an example for those below you at all times. It is not your duty or your right to be question order given by someone of higher authority than yourself, particularly in front of those of lesser rank.” One spidery finger rose in the air to forestall Herarn’s objects; to Jaryd’s silent relief, the younger man closed his mouth. “It is especially not your right to be insubordinate to the Master of Training, whose absolute authority over all our learning ranks is equal to that of Asha’man Soti and Mirin Sedai.” That did not sit well with the Aielman, Jaryd suspected, though of course he had no way of knowing for sure. He moved on.
“While your response to Ravak Gaidin’s behavior is of concern, more troubling to me is how quickly you lost sight of propriety and gave in to your temper- over nothing but words.” The Keeper’s voice was tinted with disappointment. “You are well along the path to become an Asha’man, and as such you are expected to maintain composure in the face of far worse than what you just encountered. You may some day lead men and women into battle -to dance the spears, I think you called it?- and if you allow anger to control your insight and thought, your followers’ inevitable deaths will lie heavy on your soul.” He fell quiet for a breath, allowing that to sink in.
“I do not entirely understand this “toh” that your people speak of, but I do see there are gaps in your knowledge of Tower policy and the expectations of a Dedicated. As your penance for both stepping out of line with those novices and for losing your temper at the Master of Training, you are to report to my office for an hour after lunch each day, where you will sit opposite me at my desk and copy the volume of Tower Law that governs the learning ranks- rules, expectations, desired outcomes, and the like.”
He smiled grimly. “I will speak to Asha’man Soti and Ravak Gaidin on your behalf- there will be no need to trouble either with this matter any further. If I hear you have chosen to go around my back to do so anyway, you will also be copying the laws regarding the consequences of insubordination in addition to whatever penance the Master of Soldiers sets you.”
Tilting his curly-haired head to the side, the Asha’man looked up at the Aielman with sharp black eyes. “Do you have questions?”
Jaryd listened without showing his reaction, however, dark eyes focused on the path ahead as he sorted information into a semblance of order. He had little reason to believe that Herarn would lie about what happened, but there were two sides to every coin, and anger bred misconception at unheard of rates. As bondmates to the same woman, and with the Shienaran’s protective tendencies, he and Ravak had spent a considerable amount of time in close proximity to one another over the last few weeks. The Gaidin had not shown himself prone to such outbursts; what had happened? Kaia’s state of mind certainly made sense, now. Why Ravak Darrow had lost his temper could be addressed at another time.
For the present, the fuming Herarn had to remain Jaryd’s priority. The Keeper remained silent for long moments after the Dedicated had finished speaking, as he considered where to start. “Thank you for describing what happened in such detail,” he said finally, without a trace of irony. He stopped short and faced the man, arms crossed over his chest and ageless face impassive. “It seems to me that there are several issues of relevance to you that need to be addressed.”
His voice gained a steely quality. “You are a Dedicated of the Grey Tower, and with that title comes specific expectations and guidelines for behavior. It is your duty to be familiar with those rules, to follow them, and to set an example for those below you at all times. It is not your duty or your right to be question order given by someone of higher authority than yourself, particularly in front of those of lesser rank.” One spidery finger rose in the air to forestall Herarn’s objects; to Jaryd’s silent relief, the younger man closed his mouth. “It is especially not your right to be insubordinate to the Master of Training, whose absolute authority over all our learning ranks is equal to that of Asha’man Soti and Mirin Sedai.” That did not sit well with the Aielman, Jaryd suspected, though of course he had no way of knowing for sure. He moved on.
“While your response to Ravak Gaidin’s behavior is of concern, more troubling to me is how quickly you lost sight of propriety and gave in to your temper- over nothing but words.” The Keeper’s voice was tinted with disappointment. “You are well along the path to become an Asha’man, and as such you are expected to maintain composure in the face of far worse than what you just encountered. You may some day lead men and women into battle -to dance the spears, I think you called it?- and if you allow anger to control your insight and thought, your followers’ inevitable deaths will lie heavy on your soul.” He fell quiet for a breath, allowing that to sink in.
“I do not entirely understand this “toh” that your people speak of, but I do see there are gaps in your knowledge of Tower policy and the expectations of a Dedicated. As your penance for both stepping out of line with those novices and for losing your temper at the Master of Training, you are to report to my office for an hour after lunch each day, where you will sit opposite me at my desk and copy the volume of Tower Law that governs the learning ranks- rules, expectations, desired outcomes, and the like.”
He smiled grimly. “I will speak to Asha’man Soti and Ravak Gaidin on your behalf- there will be no need to trouble either with this matter any further. If I hear you have chosen to go around my back to do so anyway, you will also be copying the laws regarding the consequences of insubordination in addition to whatever penance the Master of Soldiers sets you.”
Tilting his curly-haired head to the side, the Asha’man looked up at the Aielman with sharp black eyes. “Do you have questions?”