The Grey Tower

Posted: **October 5th, 2019, 7:58 pm**

The evening air was cool as Dianlin walked down the dim halls of the White Tower. She had been one of the last to supper, a disappointing affair of semi warm stew and the burnt crust ends of the bread. She now knew she needed to get to the dinner halls earlier, as to be fed the better food, and not what was almost left over. She sighed, and realised she missed her Mothers cooking more now than ever before. She missed the goat spiced sausages, the flat bread, and the strong dark wine that her Father would serve at every meal. It is just so very different here, too different. She sighed again, hating the fact she still felt hungry, though she had not wanted to ask for seconds, not as the firsts had made her feel so unsatisfied. I will conquer this, and I will get stronger. Letting her feet guide her, she looked up as she passed through one of the outer arches, stopping on the edge of the step.

Damn, how did I end up here?

She stood on the step that led down a small flight of stairs that led into the vast Tower Gardens. She had actively avoided this place in the week that she had been here, not liking how so much greenery and bloom made her feel, not to mention the wasted water everywhere. She knew that there was more water than sense in the Wetlands, hence why her people called them the “Wetlands”, but it did not mean they should squander and waste what they did have. Like baths…by the Creator, what a waste! She chuckled nervously as she looked out at the twilight sky, which was fading into pinks and blues, and took a step onto the grass.

She had seen grass before, even slept on it, though the strange springy feeling the small plants under her boots made her smile and feel like a grinning fool. Closing her eyes, she rocked back and forth on her heels a little, letting her body enjoy the strange sensation. The Car’a’carn has indeed led his people to the most strange of places. She ran her dark tanned hands through her honey coloured hair, her pale blue eyes looking around, trying to take it all in.

Opening her eyes, she began to move through the gardens, the high trees making the light seem dimmer than it normally would have. She felt like she was conquering some kind of fear being here, albeit a small fear, and one that did not pose much of a threat. She looked at all the different flowers and trees, bushes and water features that were dotted around the large piece of land.

Light, what my Father would give for a small fraction of this moist land!

Pausing, she lifted her arms above her head, and stretched out her body, almost like a cat in the semi dark. She looked to the left, and smiled as a smell hit her nose.

The large bush to her left was giving off the amazing smell, and she leaned forward and laid a hand upon the small white flowers that were sat there. She did not know the plants name, but she knew she would want to find out one day. Folding her legs up underneath her, she sat down on the soft grass, as she run her hands over it, still taking deep breaths of the floral plant next to her. She could hear the tinkling of the small fountain, and though it masked most of it, she could also hear the soft footfalls of someone approaching.

Posted: **October 20th, 2019, 9:24 pm**

Kalyan Rihera, Soldier

Kalyan never wasted time getting to the Tower gardens after dinner. He went there almost every evening, eager for the escape, however short, from the dull routine of classes and chores. Wanting to be outside as long as he could, the Soldier moved at a near run, only slowing down at a glare from a passing Asha'man. Kalyan sighed in disappointment as he forced himself to a fast walk along the garden's paths. As he walked, he looked towards the small group of apple trees, but decided against stopping there as he often did. After sitting through his lessons and standing through the day's kitchen chores, Kalyan felt the need to keep moving.

Soon, he left the apple trees behind, following twists and turns that took him deeper into the gardens. He paused at times to study an interesting flower or inhale the scent of the soil, but mostly kept walking, his steps as quick as he dared, until he turned a corner and saw a woman sitting on the grass a short distance away, running a hand over a bush with little white flowers that bore a suspicious resemblance to a blackthorn bush.

Not a good idea,he thought to himself, remembering when Adina had tried to pick the flowers off one they'd found back home. She never had gone near it again, and Kalyan thought it was odd that the woman, who looked to be near his own age, didn't seem to know any better. He wanted to warn her, but was far enough away that he'd have to yell, and startling her didn't seem like a good idea either.

Instead, the Soldier looked around him for any watching Aes Sedai or Asha'man, and when he didn't see anyone who might object, he hurried down the path towards the seated woman. Before he could get close enough to speak to her, she moved her hands to the grass, and he let himself slow down a little, studying her. She had light hair, which contrasted with the dark skin of someone who worked outside, and Kalyan had never seen anyone with that unusual coloring before, even over his years here.

I wonder where she's from? he thought as he came to a stop, standing on the path beside her. Still a little concerned about startling the woman, who was focused on the grass, Kalyan said quietly, "You might not want to touch that plant beside you. It looks pretty, but you don't want one of those thorns stabbing you. Feels like your whole hand's burning if you get one stuck in your skin."

Posted: **October 22nd, 2019, 1:32 pm**

Dianlinn was -slowly- getting used to training with men, as being part of Far Dareis Mai had meant that she had trained with her Sisters of the spear, and only encountered the other societies when there were challenges or tests of prowess. But coming here to the Tower, she had been wary of the men that had surrounded her in practise and training, and even at meal times. So as a male voice went with the foot falls she had heard, she looked up sharply, her eyes taking him in.

Red hair was a normal sight for her, though not with placed with dark eyes. His skin was sun-kissed, like a child's who had not been out the Hold often, and his height and build would mark him as not one of the People. She moved quickly, from a lounge to a crouch, as she looked up at him, taking in the words he had told her. She spared a quick glance to the plant with small white flowers and then back to the man. His uniformed marked him as a Soldier, a male who could touch the One Power. That had been something else she had gotten partly used to, as all of the Aiel who found such things out went forth into the Blight to kill as many of the Shadowspawn they could before they died. They earned much toh for such.

"What is this plant called? Why would they let it grow where anyone could prick their hands?" She asked him. She had noticed the thorns, but then most of the plants in the Three-fold Land had such. "Does it have a purpose?" She asked again, still in a crouch, but noticing that he had not moved towards her she felt no threat. Yet.

Posted: **October 24th, 2019, 12:57 am**

Kalyan

Kalyan smiled down at the woman. "It's just a blackthorn bush, they grow wild around here. Have you never seen one before?" he asked with curiosity, wondering where she could possibly have come from to be unable to recognize such a common plant. He looked away from the woman to admire the tiny white flowers blooming among the long, dark thorns. "I've always thought they're kind of pretty, and they're harmless as long as you don't touch them." he commented. "You'll see quite a few of these in the gardens; they're a wild plant, and it's more trouble trying to uproot them than it is to leave them alone."

He shifted from foot to foot, still standing in the same spot on the path until he noticed a butterfly landing on the bush in front of them. Kalyan stopped moving so he wouldn't disturb it, watching the tiny creature wave bright blue wings as it came to a rest. The Soldier smiled and said, "See that? On a nice spring day there might be as many as three or four butterflies on the same bush. I'm not sure what attracts them, but they do seem to prefer the blackthorn bush over other nearby plants, even though most humans don't."

Posted: **October 27th, 2019, 2:57 pm**

Dianlinn watched as he continued to talk, easily as they had played in the sand together as children. She looked back to the bush at her side, and the small white flowers, making a note of the name of the thing. Blackthorn bush. She wondered if she could use such a thing in the future, surely someone would think twice before rushing through it to get to her, or her charge. She had to nod her head when he claimed it looked pretty, she thought so to. "They are left alone because they are seen as trouble to uproot?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side to watch him. "That is lazy work, is it not?" She asked him, as no Aiel would shy from hard work on such a matter.

She was watching him, and missed the fluttering of blue wings, until they were pointed out to her. She stared then, like a cat watching a bird, her back bending slightly as she leaned in for a closer look. The butterfly was beautiful, shades of blue that Dianlinn could never have imagined before. "I never thought to see such colours..." she said to the man before her, before she suddenly remembered that she did not know him.

She straightened up, the movement making the butterfly flutter away, much to her shame. "I am Dianlinn of the Jagged Spire Sept of the Taardad Aiel." She told him, still wary, "May you find water and shade." She told him, and then watched to see what would happen next. Would he leave her be or stay?

Posted: **October 27th, 2019, 7:30 pm**

Kalyan

Kalyan stared down at the woman, fascinated. He didn't really understand the last words she'd said, except for her name and the term "Aiel". He'd heard of them before in the books he read, but he'd never thought to meet one. Honestly, up until this exact moment, he'd kind of thought they might not be real, as with so much else he'd only read about in stories.

"Lazy?" Kalyan repeated, blinking as he looked down, still studying Dianlinn. Why would she think that? "No, it's not just about the trouble of digging them up, but that if you're caring for a lot of plants, there are many other tasks that are more important. " He shrugged, not sure how to explain what he meant to someone who acted as if she didn't even know what a plant was. She did say she's Aiel...maybe plants don't grow where she's from.

"My parents have an apple orchard back in Andor, and before I came here I worked there with my Da," he started. "If we took the whole morning to dig up a blackthorn bush, that meant some of the trees might have to go without water for the day, which isn't good for them, or that we might not have time to inspect them all to see if they were growing well. And then if something did happen, we'd have less to sell, and bring home less money. It wasn't worth risking that over something that wouldn't harm the trees."

When he looked back up again, hoping for another glimpse at the butterfly, Kalyan saw that it had flown away. The woman had changed positions while he'd been talking, and he suspected the sudden motion had scared it away. The Soldier sighed and looked at the Aiel woman again. The grey clothing she wore told him that she was not a novice here, but was one of the Drin in training. Why would she want to come here?

The stories he'd read about the Aiel, which were very few, all described them as fearful warriors, though the Aiel woman he was still watching appeared to be harmless. Maybe the books are wrong, he thought to himself. He saw no reason to fear, and instead asked, "But....if you're Aiel, what are you doing here? I thought none of you ever left the Aiel Waste." He was sure he'd read that somewhere, if suddenly much less sure that what he'd read was correct. He gave Dianlinn a friendly smile.

Posted: **November 1st, 2019, 4:38 pm**

Dianlinn could see that she may have said the wrong thing, but she would not dishonour herself or him by saying something that was untrue in her eyes. She eyed him, as he spoke of it not being lazy, and there being other tasks on the farm that would need seeing to. She did not understand, but she did know that the Aiel would work at the stump until it was out of the ground. As Kalyan continued on, speaking of his parents orchard, she tilted her head as he spoke of missing out on other important duties. She frowned and then nodded her head slowly. "I understand what you are saying, but alas if one if a Wise One or Hold Mistress tells you to do it as well as other jobs, then you would be foolish to not get it done before you fall into your blankets." Only a fool would not complete the tasks set out before them.

One of the reasons I am here after all, the Wise Ones sent me.

She caught him looking at where the butterfly had been before her movements had scared it off, and she looked down at the green grass at her feet. She knew she had scared the delicate creature away, and she wished she had not. It was to beautiful, and as she knew beautiful things did not last long in the Three Fold land.

His question was a little personal, but she knew this was the way the Wetlanders all spoke to one another, especially here in the Grey Tower. They felt the need to share everything about themselves, which left her confused for the most part. "I am Aiel, and I was told to be here by the Wise Ones. of my Clan." She told him, "They did not explain why, and it was not up to me to question them." She told him, "If I had choice, I would not have left the Three Fold Land, that is what we call our home, what you call the Waste."

She wanted to change the subject and quick, so she tried to think of a way to do it. "You lived on an Orchard? You grew apples?" She asked, "Where in the Wetlands was this?" She knew they liked to talk about themselves, and she directed the conversation that way. She moved to sit cross legged on the floor, and gestured for him to join her.

Posted: **November 3rd, 2019, 10:35 pm**

Kalyan

I can't believe I'm talking to a real Aiel.

If he hadn't known it would be rude, Kalyan might have stood there and stared at the woman. He listened more carefully to what she said than he did in many of his classes, making sure to look away from her at times, down at the grass or towards the flowering bushes beside them. Some of the words she used were unfamiliar to him, but Kalyan found himself fascinated, and his gaze drifted aimlessly away as he puzzled over what he did not know. Wise One? Hold Mistress? Clan? He could have asked a million more questions, and would have if Dianlinn hadn't responded with questions about his own life.

He sat at her invitation, stretching his legs out on the grass beside the footpath, then gave the Aiel woman a smile and a shrug. "Yes, I grew up there. It's just a small orchard, not far from Caemlyn, here in Andor. As a child, I just had chores to do, but as I got older, caring for the orchard was my responsibility while my Da dealt with the money. Suppose I would have taken over the running of it in a few years, if I hadn't had to come here."

Kalyan shook his head. "Not very interesting, I know." He couldn't imagine why Dianlinn had even asked about something so ordinary. The Soldier leaned forward, still smiling. "What about you?" he asked her. "What was it like growing up in.......what did you call it?" His words trailed off, the smile disappearing as he tried to remember what she said she called the land Kalyan knew only as the Aiel Waste. He'd looked down at the ground to think, raising his head again when he thought he'd recalled the name. "....the Trifold Land? He blinked up at the Aiel woman once he'd spoken, suddenly not quite sure that was right.

Posted: **November 7th, 2019, 11:16 am**

Dianlinn found the way he focused on her a little unsettling, but at least he was listening, or seeming to. She was not used to many here in the Tower listening to her, mostly they just seemed to want to mock her one way or another. Some had called her savage, and even tried to mock her when she was asked to write something, saying that she was too stupid to write. Yes, she had tried to explain the intricacies of ji'e'toh, and then took their toh back from them, giving them their honour back, though she doubted that they had seen it as that.

She watched as he sat down at her invitation, and the way he seemed to lounge a little like a clan chief on a cushion. They had a strange way of sitting here, chairs and all, but that was neither here nor there. She listened as he spoke of his orchard, of his life before he had come here, and how he had assumed he would have taken over the farming of it one day. "I find it interesting. I can hardly imagine a place where you had so many trees altogether, and have them bear fruit." She told him, shaking her head a little. "I had not eaten an apple until I came here. And I had always thought the sweetest fruit was the t'mat that my Mother grew in the tiny garden of our Hold."

When he asked what her life was like growing up, she blinked, though when he called the Three-Fold Land the Trifold Land she shook her head a little. "The Three-Fold land, where the ancient Aes Sedai had sent us for our sin." She corrected him, though she wpuld not go into that any more unless he asked it of her. "I grew up in the Soaring Sun Sept of the Taardad Aiel. My Mother was a Silversmith and my Father a Blacksmith. It was a honour to grow up with them. Both are respected works in the Three-Fold land." She told him, "We had a small garden where we grew zemai and t'mat and we had a modest herd of goats." She paused, "It was not an easy life, but the Three-Fold Land was meant to make us strong." She ran her hand over the grass again, it was nothing like the spiky coarse grass of home.

Posted: **November 8th, 2019, 11:11 pm**

Kalyan

Kalyan looked up at the sky while he listened to Dianlinn talk about her childhood, surprised by how ordinary it sounded. Some of the words she used were different, as he'd noticed earlier, but her account of being raised by craftsman parents, with a garden and goats, didn't sound so very different from the experience of any number of people he'd known back home. What did seem strange to him was that apple trees didn't grow there, and when she said that, his head dropped, and his eyes went back to Dianlinn as he blinked in surprise. Do they have any trees at all? He tried to imagine what that would look like, but for someone who'd grown up on an orchard, the attempt was entirely useless. He just couldn't picture it.

"I've never heard of those fruits, the..t'mat and... zemai," he said, speaking slowly so he wouldn't stumble over the foreign words. "What are they like? Are there no trees at all in the Three-Fold Land?" He made sure he got the name right this time, as Kalyan felt it was only polite to call her home by the name she used. "I didn't know your people had silversmiths and blacksmiths," he continued. "The stories I've read about the Aiel made it sound as if all of you are warriors, always fighting each other." Certainly that was something he had believed, though now that he thought about it, the idea seemed much less reasonable than the books had made it sound. "I don't suppose that can be right," Kalyan muttered, embarrassed. He looked down, studying the blades of grass beneath him. "I mean....if you really did nothing else, you wouldn't have food or water or shelter..or anything."

The Grey Tower

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