The Grey Tower

Mirin strode across the grounds towards the infirmary, ignoring stares and whispers. The banded hem of her dress marked her as an Accepted, yet a blue shawl draped over her shoulders and across her arms.

Aria Sedai looked her up and down, and raised a thin eyebrow.

"Congratulations," the Yellow sister said. "I'm not surprised that you joined the Blue."

There seemed to be an insult hidden in Aria's tone, but Mirin did not understand it. She nodded, her expression remaining neutral and polite.

"Thank you, Aria. Where can I find Betrys?"

Aria tilted her head and her eyes narrowed. "I think I saw her heading for the pharmacy. Why?"

Mirin did not answer. She could feel her newly sworn Oaths binding her tongue, preventing her from telling anything but the truth. Instead, she brushed rudely past Aria. As she did so, she felt a thrill of freedom. She would have never dared to be so rude as an Accepted. But today, everything had changed. They were equals, now.

She opened the door to the pharmacy. A familiar scene greeted her. Multi-colored jars of ointment lined the shelves from ceiling to floor. Packets of bandages and wraps stacked by the dozen, packed into every bit of free space. Dried herbs dangled from the ceiling, giving off a musty but pleasant smell. Although the room was crowded, every medicine was neatly arranged and labeled.

And standing there, searching among the cabinets, was her best friend. Betrys had blossomed in the years that they had been Accepted. Now, the young woman carried herself with quiet confidence. She sorted the medications with ease.

Their eyes met and a dreadful silence fell over the room. Mirin was rarely speechless, but all the words that she had rehearsed disappeared from her mind. The pressure of the Oaths on her skin tightened uncomfortably, and the test of the Great Stair stood out fresh in her memory. She felt an urge to run and embrace her friend; but something stopped her. No, it would simply not be proper for an Aes Sedai to seek comfort from an Accepted.

A similar parting had happened several years ago when she had been raised to Accepted a few days before Betrys. It had been resolved easily, and their friendship had not suffered. But the gap between Aes Sedai and Accepted was so much wider - and in the end, Mirin knew that they would always be the divided by Ajah.

She stared expressionlessly at Betrys. Although she had hoped that nothing would change, she was now faced with the truth. She knew, with a sinking feeling, that everything, everything had changed.

Mirin could see in the way that Betrys clutched at her skirts, almost as though she was resisting the urge to curtsy, that her friend could feel the distance as well.

"Yes, I'm -" but her tongue suddenly stuck to the roof of her mouth. Curse this blasted oath! She could not say that she was happy. She could not tell a lie. "-..well. I'm well," she choked out awkwardly.

"I'm happy for ya," added Betrys.

To Mirin's ear, the words sounded hollow. She found a stool and lowered herself gingerly onto it, wincing at the tightness of the oaths. As she moved, she embraced saidar and wove a ward of silence.

"I didn't come here just to chitchat. There's a few things I must tell you," she said. Her voice sunk to a near whisper. "I expect that we won't be able to see each other much from now on. Perhaps I should have told you these things earlier, but what reason did you have to believe me? Now you know that I cannot lie. I will tell you the pure truth."

Mirin took a deep breath. Time seemed to be speeding forward, as though she had started a single pebble rolling that would trigger an avalanche. This had not been approved by her superiors in the Black Ajah, yet this was the only chance she would ever have...

"The Black Ajah exists."

Mirin watched her friend carefully. She trusted Betrys to not lose her head and act rashly. Although she controlled her expression to maintain the appearance of calm, she could feel a bead of sweat trickly down her spine. Perhaps the Black Ajah was watching even now, she thought. If they were, then the two women would both be dead within a week. But this was a risk she had to take, to deliver a warning. A warning to keep both of them safe.

Mirin smiled thinly. "This isn't a prank, Betrys," she said gently. "Yes, I am serious. I swear to you now that I am not Black Ajah." At least not yet. "I'm telling you this because I want you to know to be careful. They're dangerous, Betrys. Please, stay out of trouble."

With these words, she felt a weight lift from her chest. The warning had been delivered; and the seed had been planted. She hoped that Betrys would listen. If worst came to worst, Mirin would choose to save herself, of course - she was too selfish to do otherwise - but she truly did not want misfortune to befall her friend.

"Now that I am an Aes Sedai," - she clutched at her Shawl as though for confirmation that she had truly been raised - ", you will be raised soon, too, I'm sure. But we will... well, unfortunately we'll grow apart. It is an inevitable consequence of time and distance," And I will stay away so that the eyes of the Black Ajah won't turn on you... ,"- and we won't be as close as we used to be."

Mirin tried to ignore the hurt in Betrys' eyes and hurried on. "But please remember, Betrys. You can trust me. I'll... always be your friend." The oath against lying was stretched to its limit, but every word she spoke was true. She reached for Betrys' hand.