Phaedra went over the letter in her hand and then placed it on the desk in front of her. She could feel tension build up in her shoulders again and started rubbing her temples, even before the worst of the headache appeared. She could not go to Cairhien herself, that would do no good for the matter as it was widely known that Phaedra Eskarne was a close friend of Martim Dehan. His son had been an apprentice of hers, these days a barrister at Court. The young man had proven to be a good student with an excellent nose to dig deep into the finest of details in his cases. Phaedra kept a close contact with his father and as she had never had a son of her own, was in place a bit proud of this star apprentice. Now however, this dear friendship was brought to the point where her friend needed her aid, needed her to fix his problem.

 

Lord Dehan, he was not the most honest of men, a Lord who had worked up the inheritance of his father, a small piece of land with two farms on it, to a large estate ranging to three villages around Cairhien City. He was cunning and used his network to get his way, something that Phaedra admired, but also shunned as it was not her own way of dealing with things. She read over his letter again and let the names of her Gray Sisters run down next to it. Finella would be all over this case, she might even succeed quite fast, but Phaedra needed her close by her side. And she did not want to send someone as high profile as her friend, knowing that every sign would be clear that Phaedra was on his side and not on the outside of the debate. She needed someone who had not profiled herself as much as a mediator for cases such as these, one who might not be her first choice.

 

Nyssa? No, she was working on advancing the Skimming weave, there were still some glitches in it and Phaedra wanted to be sure that they could use the weave on moment’s end without having to be extra careful about ‘side effects’. Dawn? Yes, maybe she was the one to send, a talented, studious Sister, who knew a lot about the rules, both written and unwritten, going in Cairhien. Phaedra thought on it some more and decided that if she could prepare Dawn properly for this mission, it would be the perfect solution. Dawn would not be suspected as being on Lord Dehan’s side and she had the experience to be a mediator who found a plus for both parties. Even for that power hungry Lord Alistair Harold who would shun no means to undermine the proceedings and get his own way. He was not as wealthy as Lord Dehan and wanted a change in that, by advocating the use of a new tax law that would certainly undermine the system that Martim Dehan had set up for his farmers. Phaedra sent word to her Sister to come and meet her for a cup of tea and in the meantime wrote down a few things she should not forget to mention to her Sister in preparation.

 

Phaedra Eskarne

Gray Ajah

First Voice & Sitter

Dawn stood gazing out the window when Farrah, Phaedra’s personal servant knocked and entered asking her to join the Sitter for tea. Their Ajah Head asked her to come over for tea, she did not say what this was about but Dawn was sure that it was not just the company she could keep, Phaedra was just not that type of woman. Dawn promised to be there for tea and tried to read a book while waiting, preparing herself for whatever was coming. She was a little nervous when she finally appeared at Phaedra’s door, but when the other Gray opened and served her tea, she visibly relaxed.

 

"Sister, a matter of great importance has been brought to my attention, you could even call it a mission that will let the Gray Ajah shine in a place dear to my heart, the city of Cairhien.†Dawn listened and nodded, curious as to what Phaedra was referring to as her own Eyes and Ears had not brought up any disturbances in the city. There were rumors about the farm lands, but there always were, that was nothing new.

 

“An old friend of mine, Lord Martim Dehan has asked me to solve a tax problem for him, I have deduced that it is actually an argument between him and one of his rivals. However, I need to establish what this tax law entails that this other Lordship wants. His name is Alistair Harold and he is not a friend of the White Tower, I must stress that up first.†Dawn nodded and made some notes on what she heard, Phaedra had already provided paper and pencil. This and the sweet honey in her tea showed that Phaedra knew a lot more about her fellow Gray than Dawn knew about the First Voice. Of course, Dawn did not have a personal servant like Farrah around to help her.

 

They talked on about the events that had brought up this argument, what history Phaedra had gotten from her old journals and from her sources and then it was time that Dawn tell her Sister what she would do. “Well, I would gladly go down to Cairhien and study this matter, talk to both parties and see if I cannot find some common ground. It seems we need to find out everything we can about this tax law and focus on its content, how it works against either party,†she found Phaedra studying her face, her brow furrowed at these words.

 

“Dawn, you do realize that this matter is very much a personal fight between the two gentleman, the tax law is just a stick they throw at each other,†Dawn nodded. “Yes, but if we do not know the weaponry, how can we call for a truce between both parties. Phaedra nodded and told her that she needed to get down to Cairhien as soon as possible. “It’s best if you leave by the end of this week, then you have some time to study the law in Cairhien before you go,†she then talked on a little about what aid she could give her Gray Sister and the parted a good two hours later, Dawn happy and excited about her mission and Phaedra slightly hesitant, but overall confident that Dawn would be a good representative to send to Lord Dehan’s aid.

 

Walking through the Gray Halls, Dawn could not help but feel very excited and decided to pay her friend Nyssa a visit in her quarters. The woman opened the door and smiled at seeing her old mentor. “Nyssa, do you have a little bit of time to spend for an old teacher?†she asked and smiled, entering the woman’s quarters she looked around found her friend’s room as pleasant to be in as her own. “I just returned from speaking with Phaedra and I believe she has sent me on a mission to test my skill, I might be asked to step up for the Hall if I work through this well, Sister,†Dawn said and her eyes glinted with pride and excitement.

 

Dawn Raelene

Sister of the Gray Ajah

Just as she was about ready to head out into the city for a quick bite to eat, and perhaps to find herself a new dress, a knock on Nyssa’s door warned her that her plans were about to be disturbed. She sighed softly, telling whoever it was to enter. When the door opened her frown turned into a smile though. “Dawn, come in! I swear it’s been ages…†she said, greeting her friend and former mentor. Ever since Dawn had guided her through her first years in the White Tower they had been friends, and her friendship with Dawn was one of the few things Nyssa truly cherished within Tar Valon. “Come, have a seat and gossip with me.†She said with a grin.

 

Dawn eagerly took a seat, and told Nyssa about the conversation she had just had with Phaedra. Nyssa clapped her hands in excitement. “That’s wonderful, Dawn! And in Cairhien too. Phaedra must trust in your skills a great deal if she sends you to the place she half considers as home.†She winked at Dawn. “Perhaps by the time you have returned, Phaedra will think us both worthy of the Hall. Wouldn’t that be grand? Mentor and mentee side by side, showing the Hall how politics are meant to be handled.†She smiled again, pouring Dawn a cup of tea.

 

“So tell me more about this matter. Where will you go, and who will you take with you?†A merry glint shone in her eyes. “Perhaps you should take the stone-faced borderlander. I’m sure that many a Green sister will agree with you that there is little that surpasses the sight of a Borderlander blushing because an Aes Sedai has put him in his place again.â€

 

Ooc: sorry for the short post. Brain aches :S

As she told her friend and Sister about the mission, Dawn began to ponder over the details, moreover also about the way Phaedra has presented the case. This was a personal friend of their Ajah Head and she has selected Dawn to go to Cairhien. This, knowing full well that Dawn was a scholar, someone who taught and studied, not someone who was the better mediator. In fact, a better mediator sat right in front of her now, what was going on here? Dawn tried to stay enthusiastic but her mind was suddenly filled with doubts when Nyssa started about who she wanted to bring on the trip. Was she even going on this trip? Yes, she was going and Phaedra saw more in her than she herself had come to believe. An Aes Sedai did not doubt herself, especially not in a bees hive like Cairhien.

 

She was deep in thought as Nyssa commented on Sovald Rul, a friend she had come to appreciate during their time in Aringill, Andor. She trusted him and had found that when he was around, he seemed always to be close to her without attracting eyes on himself. He would be a good choice for this trip and as Nyssa smilingly said that she should have some more tea and plan for the trip, Dawn agreed and pored them both a cup. “I’ll need to think about my companion, my main concern is with this task at hand. The friend Phaedra mentioned has strong alliance with the Tower, mainly because of his close relationship with our Gray Sister.†She did not mean to imply anything, but there was an undertone of this relationship being more than an Alliance and that could be why Phaedra did not want to travel down to Cairhien herself. Her mind began to spin with endless possibilities and Dawn grinned as she said, “There might be a lovers quarrel to start this all off, who knows what I shall enter into, I might need a stone-faced man beside me in case these men want to duel over a fair lady, or do you think this is about tax law after all.†She could not help but sigh, a romantic she was and one she would stay.

 

Dawn Raelene

The mere thought of Phaedra being caught up in a sordid affair like the one Dawn had just described sent Nyssa off in a fit of giggles. “Our Phaedra?†she uttered when she could speak again. “Well, she was there for a long time, after all. Who knows, perhaps someone managed to worm his way into her heart. Cairhienin are good at that, after all.†She winked at Dawn. “They could charm the skirts off of even the sternest Red.†They laughed again, and Nyssa enjoyed the familiarity of it all. Much had changed over the years, but not this. After all this time, Dawn was still her trusted mentor in many things, even if Nyssa was perhaps the more skilled negotiator. That didn’t make Dawn the lesser Gray, of course. She had a calm nature that could get her the results she desired almost as easily as Nyssa’s scheming would.

 

She reached over and took Dawn’s hand in her own. “I am pleased to see that Phaedra gives you this opportunity. It was about time they noticed your brilliance.†She smiled again, half-jokingly this time. Not that Dawn hadn’t been out in the world before, of course, but this was the first time the First Voice had singled her out of the horde of talented young sisters that made up the Gray Ajah. Most of those sisters, including Nyssa, always seemed to be just a little more ambitious. But Nyssa would not be surprised if Dawn’s soft-spoken nature would eventually gain her more than say… Lavinya’s plotting and scheming. Nyssa sighed briefly. “Sometimes I wish our sisters would be a little clearer on their intentions. Is this just a mission, or is it a chance to prove yourself? One can’t help but wonder.â€

 

Ooc: Sorry for the short post :S Nyssa kind of escapes me at the moment.