~Dilora~

 

“The truth an Aes Sedai says, is not always the truth an Aes Sedai means.” 

 

She considered this while picking out her clothes for the evening.  Aramina Sedai, that was the Sister’s name that had graciously invited her to dine within the White Tower itself.  Dilora considered this at length while she went through the various clothes in her cupboard and trying to choose the one that would look the best.  She eventually settled on her good rust-coloured skirt and white blouse, and the simple black ribbon choker around her neck.  Her dark brown hair was brushed until it gleamed and tied in a simple tail down her back with another ribbon.  As per the instruction Dilora had received from the White Tower, herself and Aramina Sedai of the Green Ajah were to meet tonight for dinner. 

 

Pondering the meaning of that well-worn phrase, however, was not getting her anywhere.  All the dealings Dilora had had with Aes Sedai had been perfectly understandable.  Maybe it was just a trait of those that did not leave their villages much should be suspicious of anyone from outside, and an Aes Sedai would have a double reason for suspicion, wielding the One Power as they did.  Strange recollections to be having before dinner, Dilora thought.  Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that it wanted some sustenance and that the mind had had enough.  Even Altie must have heard that, surely!  Making sure everything was locked and in its proper place, Dilora tied her belt pouch on around her waist with a few things in it that she might have need of, a handkerchief, some coins, and a hairbrush, and closed the wagon door behind her as she left.

 

The inn she had chosen to leave her wagon t would make sure that Altie was well cared for, but she couldn’t resist giving the mare a bit of a fuss before she continued on her way.  The stable-lad would give Altie a good rub down and whatever oats were available, as well as making sure she did not feel too much cold and had plenty to drink.  In short, she would be as well cared for here as one of the Aes Sedai’s horses up at the Tower itself, and that made Dilora happy.  That had been another reason that Dilora had chosen this inn; it’s proximity to the White Tower had the added bonus of being right at the foot of the market square where Dilora could locate useful items to sell easily.  She made a mental note to visit first thing in the morning and stock up before they moved on to Cairhien. 

 

Hawkers and other peddlers were packing up their stalls now, the dim afternoon sun wheeling down into the horizon.  It cast strange shadows on the buildings, making them seem alive if possible.  Cloaked figures darted on last-minute errands before the business of the city would likely be given over to taverns and recreation, or the stern duty of the guards to protect life and light.  Dilora made her way confidently through, one of the last people to present herself at the White Tower for the day, and climbed the majestic steps to the front doors.  Knocking on the door, she waited for her welcome and her stomach rumbled once more.  She wondered what delights she would feast on tonight.

 

~Aramina~

 

There were days when an Aes Sedai's life seemed too much to take, when the hours weren't long enough, the work was too stressful, the weight of the world was pressing and she wished she could just give it all up. Tonight was not one of those. The duty she had imposed on herself tonight was simple and ,she hoped, enjoyable.

 

She had come across a peddler with a nice array of quality wares, who while not only attractive was also intelligent if first meeting was to be believed. She was always on the look out for people of that sort and that she had met someone while out on other errands, she counted herself lucky. Perhaps they would be able to set up an arrangement for continued business, or perhaps it would be an evening spent in conversation about the world and the turnings of it, she didn't know, but she looked forward to it all the same.

 

Dressed in one of her finest green and navy dresses she made her way through the White Tower to the appointed spot of her meeting. The small dining room was well set up with a small fire giving off a welcoming glow. The staff of the White Tower had done well by her in the past and they had again tonight, making sure that everything was perfect, from the correct dishes to the green table runner to denote which Ajah was entertaining tonight, in case anyone who would be meeting privately with an Aes Sedai did not already know.

 

She was looking over a small selection of hors d'ouvres when a novice came in and bowed low, announcing her guest. Aramina nodded to the Novice as she backed out and smiled at the peddler. "Thank you for coming tonight. I hope your day has been a profitable one in our fair city?" She asked as she took a seat at the table and gestured for Dilora to do the same.

 

Another Novice sat quietly in the corner and at Aramina's words came forward with wine cups for the women. Aramina took hers with a small nod as she waited for Dilora.

~Dilora~

 

Dilora entered the room, accompanied by one of the white-clad girls she knew were novices.  Those wearing banded skirts had to be the Accepted, while the serene ladies wearing whatever they wanted and acting as if they held Court would be the Aes Sedai, their faces unmistakable for their lack of lines or signs of age. A fabulous array of little nibbles lined the sides; in every bite one could see the care and attention that had been put into it.  Aramina Sedai herself welcomed Dilora to the small dining room and took a seat at the elegant table while motioning for Dilora to do the same. 

 

“Oh, yes, Aes Sedai.  My day’s trading in Tar Valon has been a profitable one indeed.  I shan’t bore you with the details, since they are hardly the topic for such a civilised table as this.”  Dilora smoothed the napkin in front of her and was grateful for the occasional spot of training she had received a few years ago.  She picked up a wine goblet and examined it, finding neither fault nor flaw. 

 

It felt an honour to be dining here.  Fine porcelain plates were set in front of them and silver cutlery.  Dilora replaced the goblet on the tabletop.  She remembered she needed to get one little piece of business out of the way first, and then they could enjoy the evening.  “I have the pieces you requested all ready to go to Cairhien, and I should be leaving Tar Valon by the end of the week.  With clement weather and clear roads I should make good time to Cairhien indeed.”  Dilora smiled.  “I do hope the pieces are well-received.”

 

Aramina smiled at the peddler from across the table.  There were so many things to say and so many ways to do it, but she wanted to play this out and see what sort of woman she was dealing with.  Honest she knew already, but underneath the peddler, who was the woman?  It was that question that concerned her most of all tonight. 

 

 

"I have no doubt that a young Lady in Cairhein will soon be very appreciative of your visit.  The pieces truly were exquisite.  If I had been looking for something I would not have found anything more perfect.  Of course, it is always when we are not looking that the best treasures are found, wouldn't you say?"

 

It was with that question in mind, that she raised her wine glass.  "To the unlooked for treasures in our lives."

 

Aramina

~Dilora~

 

An unusual toast, but fitting for an enigmatic woman such as the Aes Sedai before her.  Dilora raised her glass in a toast and nodded, smiling, before drinking a little of the wine that had been poured for her.  It was an excellent vintage, and tasted faintly of fruit and flowers. “May the best treasures be remembered, and become treasures to others in those memories.”  Dilora wondered where that little bit of poetry had come from, but dismissed it from her mind.

 

How very enigmatic.  Having dinner with an Aes Sedai was going to become the highlight of her stay in Tar Valon.  Dilora smiled and set her glass down on the table.  “There is a time for everything, Aes Sedai.  And I’m sure that whether we are looking or not, those treasures are there.  We just don’t tend to see them when we need them, most of the time.”  She had noticed that.

 

Slices of roast meat that looked gloriously pink were placed on the plate, with roasted potatoes and other vegetables.  Dilora licked her lips and picked up her cutlery – this looked to be exquisite indeed.  What did one talk about in idle conversation with an Aes Sedai?

 

 

 

An odd beginning to their conversation, but the words were true no matter who said them.  There were plenty of things in life that were worth noticing if you took the time.  Of course, she realized that the longer the life you expected to live, the more often you tended to forget about the little things.  The average peasant who went about their day in manual labor was far more likely to appreciate the beauty of a sunrise or the fragrance of a flower than an Aes Sedai, locked in her Tower and furiously reviewing her works.  It was a sad statement on life really, but it was the sort of thing she had come to notice since she had met Aran. 

 

She raised her glass with a small nod to the other woman.  "Truer words have never been spoken." She said with a smile.  "I am glad you accepted my invitation tonight.  Few people would turn down a chance to dine in the White Tower, but I think sometime it is we who look forward to these more.  It is a rare chance to get to speak to someone of the world they have traveled in. I am most interested to hear about your travels.  Have you been far recently?  In these troubled times, do you find the roads more closed to you than before?"

 

Aramina

~Dilora~

 

She smiled at the elegant woman, and felt a little maxim come to her mind.  “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”  That certainly held true for her.  Regardless of whether a road was closed or danger was present, people still needed their pots, pans and general information delivered.  The show had to go on.  So Dilora, on those rare occasions where the majority of folks thought something was “too dangerous deemed a journey” had employed a guard or two to keep her safe.  She said as much.

 

“Mind you,” she continued, taking another sip of her wine.  It really was an excellent vintage.  “I’ve done a fair amount of travelling where I thought I wouldn’t.  There isn’t a part of the land I haven’t voyaged in.”  She leant forward with an avid expression on her face, recalling memories of this road, or that road.  “There was this one time I was trying to journey from Caemlyn here to Tar Valon, and everything I touched seemed to go wrong.”  Dilora paused for a little more food, mopping up some of the juices on her plate with a folded piece of meat.  “There was a brawl I somehow managed to get involved with, and eventually, get out of, but that was the start of the problems!”  A laugh made her feel a little easier, as the memory was bitter in places.

 

“After that, I managed to get the people travelling with me to rally back to my wagon, leaving the inn in a bit of a state.  I’m sure by now the innkeeper believes he was visited by two warrior queens in the making, so righteous we were.”  She closed her eyes, remembering how one had looked at her in a possessive and leering way.  Then she remembered how he looked with a stout table leg hitting him on the head, right behind his ear and how he looked crumpling to the floor.  That made her smile.

 

“Anyway we rode hard, but not long outside Caemlyn itself we encountered a party of Aiel.  They were very interested in what I had on sale, as I hear Aiel are fond of peddlers.”  She smiled her enigmatic smile and continued.  “We were then beset by what we believe were darkfriends.  I took those as not able to defend themselves away in my wagon to try and get to safety, but I left some friends behind that day.  Luckily, we did meet up either on the road to Tar Valon or inside these glorious walls themselves.  It was a most … busy time.”

 

Folding her napkin from the first course, Dilora twirled her glass and let the wine wash around inside.  It was strange how easily she could talk to the Aes Sedai when normally she would have held a natural trace of caution.  The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills..

 

Aramina laughed along side the peddler, having witnessed more than a few brawls in her early days.  Not that she ever spoke of them or that anyone would believe it of her considering her impeccable reputation within the Tower, but it was true none the less.  That she preferred to travel and give the airs of a simple lightskirt was a fact known only to a few and those she trusted to discretion. 

 

"I must say that I admire your courage.  There are many who would prefer to stick their heads in the sand rather than to travel in days like these." she said with a smile as a young girl came forward and filled her wine glass then moved over to her companion's glass.  "Perhaps someday we'll be traveling the same way.  It would be interesting, I think, to travel in your company.  It would certainly be entertaining, i'm sure.  I happen to enjoy a good Tavern on occassion." She added with a wink.

 

Aramina 

~Dilora~

 

Dilora winked back, and finished her cup of wine.  Oddly, she hadn’t considered herself to be all that courageous.  It was one of those things that Dilora had just done because it needed doing.  She spent a moment considering the things she had done in her life, and was slightly taken aback by the temerity of some of the things.  Dilora sat in silence while it seemed the room whirled around her.  It hadn’t, of course, but she could not shake the feeling.  Perhaps the wine had been stronger than she thought.

 

Trays of delicate cakes and pastries were laid on the table, along with a bowl of thick cream, some fresh fruit and a large platter of bread and cheese.  The White Tower’s generosity was certainly not stinted.  Helping herself to an apple pastry at the Aes Sedai’s gesture, Dilora spooned some cream onto her plate and took a bit.  She just missed getting the cream on her nose, and wiped some away from the corner of her mouth with her napkin. 

 

“The White Tower certainly knows how to treat guests.  I have to say that whenever I go into an inn or a tavern, I try whatever dessert or pastries the cook has on the chalkboard for the day.  It’s surprising, you know, the variance in a single cake from town to town.”  Dilora nodded, and wiped fingers tinged with light oil from the pastry on her napkin.  “For example, the towns in Andor use a certain spice in with the apples, while those in Murandy use the same spice, but they put it in the pastry.  And yet they are two very different tastes.”

 

“I must be boring you with my talk of food.  Do forgive me, Aramina Sedai.”

 

"Oh, not at all.  And please, call me Aramina." She said, deciding to bring the level of formality down a bit.  This was the sort of woman she might have met along the road in her youth and, well befriended would be too strong a word, but certainly looked forward to spending time with. 

 

"I traveled a good deal in my younger days and when you comment about it, it reminds me of those days, of those travels.  I was young and foolish and probably shouldn't have been let out of the Tower without a dozen guards, but I wasn't the sort to sit and wait.  I had a world to conquer and little time to do it in." She said with a self deprecating smile.  "I find the most seasoned travelers are the ones that know the best food.  And I must admit that I have a fondness for sweets myself." She said with a grin.  "But the difference in use of spices is seen in just about everything as you travel.  I watched a trainee walk for years with a walking stick when he was out and about, and one day he realized it was a weapon and since then I see a weapon in his hand as he walks.  If he had never left his homelands, he would never have learned to use it as a weapon.  And in his learning I did as well.  I no longer see walking sticks as simple.  I find these are the best lessons in life, the lessons we learn from other cultures."

 

Aramina     

~Dilora~

 

“Oh yes, I completely agree.  There was a time I visited Arad Doman, and found myself having to don the local costume in order to sell my wares for a much better profit than anyone else.”  Dilora ate another pastry with a spoonful of cream and found herself getting full from the rich dessert.  If she tried to eat any more, she vowed she would need to get a bigger skirt.  Sitting back in her chair, she realised how much she liked this Aes Sedai. 

 

“I remember having to use a stick as well, once or twice.  I kept the last one I had to use, back in Caemlyn, and I’m going to turn it into a giant spice-grinder.”  She smiled at the woman’s careful expression.  “Oh, don’t worry – I can still use it as a weapon.  The right mixture of spice-dust, if blown into people’s eyes, would be a very effective deterrent in a fight where there are no other choices.  Some ground coin peppers and some ginger from Tarabon…  There are other possibilities, of course, but that was just what I had in mind.  And, of course, there is the probability it will get used once or twice in making someone see my way of thinking, too.”  She nodded, rather pleased with her plan.  Some people did not always agree with her unconventional methods of self-preservation, but then as long as she could walk away at the end of a fight, she was happy.  The ends justify the means. 

 

Aramina was finding the dinner with Dilora more and more interesting as the courses continued to come.  In fact, she was rather interested in her unconventional ability to get around on her own without a huge entourage of guards.  It was something Aramina preferred when she traveled, though Aran had been trying for sometime to break her of the habit of traveling alone.  She had come to heed his words most of the time, but on occasion it was needed. 

 

She toasted lightly.  "To your health, and that you continue to find unconventional ways to keep it well." She said with a smile.  "I admire that in a person.  Too many people become tied to their ways and can't find a way around it.  I try not to allow my thinking to become too stagnant in the same way.  Tell me more about the world.  What have you seen on your travels?  What wonders can you speak of?"

 

Aramina :P