((Continuation of story from Part I))

 

It was just before sunset when Selene and Jasine rode up the bridges to the island of Tar Valon.  Travel-worn and weary, the guard narrowed his eyes and looked at them closely before nodding to Selene's assertion that she was sent to the tower by an Aes Sedai.  They rode on into the city of Tar Valon itself, weariness forgotten in the majesty of the city up close.

 

Selene had been able to see the Tower itself and its darker looming brother in Dragonmount for what felt like days now.  She'd been to White Bridge once, seven years ago, while traveling to Baerlon for a relative's wedding, and she thought having seen that great work of the Aes Sedai of old would have prepared her for some of the beauty of Tar Valon.  She was wrong, and had no idea that anything made by anything less than the Creator himself could have achieved such awe-inspiring glory.  The Tower, because it had been visible long before anything else, was amazing in a much more gentle way.  It did not suddenly burst into view like the buildings of Tar Valon, once she was over the bridge and through the gate.  Once the guard at the bridge had let them by he managed to relax enough to really behold the glory of the fabled Tar Valon.  The reddening sunlight made the white walls glow almost pink, transforming the delicately formed seashell and wave buildings into something almost ethereal, out of a storybook.  He supposed Tar Valon actually was a city of storybooks and he saw now why it was touted as the most beautiful in the land.  The shell buildings especially looked enchanting, almost as if they could be alive.  Jasine and Selene sat their horses, side by side, watching the colors shift and flicker as the sun set behind them, the shadow of Dragonmount slowly but surely moving to eclipse the riot of colors.

 

At the harsh call from a wide wagon jostling through to get into the city before dark.  Selene reached out to Jasine, took his hand for one quick squeeze, and then lead then forward on the general path towards the White Tower.  Originally Jasine had insisted on leading the way when they couldn't ride abreast, but that was how Selene had gotten tangled with that vendor, when she was behind him and he couldn't keep a constant eye on her.  The girl was too trusting by half, and even if she lead the way, he was able to watch her back, quite literally.  Jasine kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, riding tall and sure in the saddle and trying to bluff his way through any harm that might think of going for the diminutive blonde on the flighty black filly.

 

 

 

Tar Valon was entrancing.  There were people from all walks of life within the city and both Jasine and his sister did a lot of staring as they made their way towards the Tower.  Selene caught Jase staring at a particularly clingy dress hugging the curves of a Domani woman and with a jerk of her head and a loud sniff, her braid swung around and caught him full in the face.

 

Selene laughed, along with most of the crowd who had been close enough to see it, steadying the unsettled filly with primarily knees alone as she had both hands pressed to her mouth, reins trailing from them.  Jasine's mount Brownie just stood there, steady and apparently unamused or upset by his rider's abrupt absence.  Jase struggled to his feet, and took Brownie's reins up in a hand.  He shielded his eyes with a hand as he looked up at her, squinting against the last red light of sunset.  "It's late sis, and now I'm all dirty in addition to being travel sore and bone tired.  Have we got enough silver left to stay in an Inn tonight before going to the tower?  We could play cards, one last time, before you go."

 

Selene bit her lip, the giggles cured by his somber mention of what lay ahead for the two of them, the parting that must come, for who knew how long.  She had always liked Jase best, except for maybe Mum and Da, but she'd grown even closer to him on this trip and if what Mum had said about the Tower proved true, she was dearly going to miss having a friend close at hand.  Without checking the purse, she knew exactly how much was in there, she nodded her assent. "This one here looks nice, and it'll just be a short ride to the Tower in the morning."  She dismounted and led her horse beside Jasine, the two of them seeing their horses to the stable and put away properly themselves.  It wasn't that they didn't trust the Inn's stable hand, a lad named Jerlyn who watched them with narrowed eyes as they curried, brushed, and stabled the horses.  It was simply that the horses were theirs, and they had been raised to always take care of their horses, before themselves, and to see to their responsibilities quickly and without needing reminder.  Likely, Jerlyn's distrust and anger came more from the silver pennies he would not get for tending to the animals in their stead.  After a brief argument, Jase took the bags for both of them and Selene patted the dust off her dress as best she could and then gave the stable boy a single silver penny. She asked that the horses be fed lightly, but twice.  They could colic given too much feed right away after the exertion of long-distance travel.  They'd had primarily nothing but night-time grazing for most of their trip north.  Jerlyn's scowl was replaced by an insincere-looking smile, but he would probably do as asked.

 

 

 

Inside the Inn, the room was procured with little fuss at all and one of the hands took the bags from Jase.  Now that they were here, in Tar Valon, all she really wanted was a quiet meal, a glass of water, and bed.  They took seats near the stage and listened to the girl there play the dulcimer while they waited for their food.  The serving girl brought water for her and ale for Jasine and she eagerly drank to wash away the dust and dryness of travel.  Many people reacted oddly to her preferring water to wine, but she knew how important it was for horses and other animals to get plenty of clear, clean water and she saw no reason for it to be any different for people.  And besides which, wine could make you tipsy and headachey after drinking it, where as water simply always sated thirst.  Selene looked over the rim of her water glass and scowled as Jasine made eyes at the serving girl, did the boy have no manners at all?  Girls didn't like to be looked at that way! And they certainly didn't like it from someone's brother.  Selene scowl turned into a grimace as she thought of anyone kissing a boy like her Jasine.  Oh, she loved him well enough as a brother, but kissing him?

 

She was started out of her disgust at the idea of brothers kissing girls by the stately sweep of a well-tailored silk dress as it glided towards them.  Looking up from the fine cream colored skirt slashed with gold, she gasped at the ageless face that she had only just begun to realize must have something to do with Aes Sedai.  She had noticed several ladies in Tar Valon with a specific... look to them.  A something it was hard to pin down or describe as anything other than ageless.  The smooth wrinkle-free skin should have simply made them young, and perhaps with a good many of them it did make them look younger than their true years, but it was not the plump skin of youth, full of elasticity and resilience.  It was just simply what it was. Ageless.

 

The dark-haired woman, tressed trimmed into a severe bob, that came towards the siblings could have been just ten or so years older than Selene herself.  She could also have been 30 years older.  It was impossible to pin an age on her based on her face, but she held herself with the regal bearing of a woman who had been in charge, and was used to being in charge, for a very long time.  The way she looked down her nose as she tipped her chin to address them spoke of haughtiness, refinery, and a clear expectation of absolute obedience. 

 

At her gasp, Jase's hand slipped down from his ale to beneath the table and Selene didn't even think about the sword the boy wore on his hip there.  She was not yet accustomed, even after this journey, to thinking of her brother as some sort of warrior or guardian.  At the tightening of the woman's eyes and her words, Selene's jaw dropped open. "Child, if you try to pull that blade on me I shall have you turned upside-down and spanked with the flat of the blade before you can get it halfway out of the scabbard.  Drink your ale and let me speak with this... girl."

 

 

 

Selene was pulled out of her chair by a firm hand on her arm and found herself compelled to obey simply by the presence this woman exuded.  Of course she would stand up and follow, it wasn't until she heard Jasine's chair crash over backwards behind him as he stood that it even occurred to her that she had the option to not obey.  Without looking back, the Aes Sedai spoke again in cool tones of regal bearing. "I do not make idle threats, boy.  Mind your manners."  She looked back over her shoulder at her brother as he stood there, dumbfounded, his hand still resting loosely on his hilt.  She turned back to the Aes Sedai and began speaking quickly but with respect. "Pardon me, my Lady, but I do not know what it is you wish with m--" she was cut off as soundly by the single look the woman cut to her as she would have by a slap to the face.  If this was how Aes Sedai treated people, maybe she did not wish to become one after all!  No, she was coming to the Tower to be able to help people, and just because this woman was such an overbearing and, and.. downright rude old bag, didn't mean she had to become one as well.

 

By the time the Aes Sedai spun Selene around and roughly put her back to one of the corners of the room, Selene had regained her nerve and steeled her resolve.  From here she could see her brother once more and caught the tail end of what looked like a nasty fall as the boy tried to sit on his upturned chair leg, faltered, and then hit his chin on the table. Her attention was pulled back from him as the Aes Sedai spoke quickly, with a serenity in her demeanor that did not match quite exactly with the brusqueness of her actions. "Child, I can only assume that you either are a novice who has skipped out of the Tower to visit with that pretty little plaything of yours with that fool sword strapped to his fool side, or you have come to Tar Valon to be written into the Novice Book and wanted one last fling before you went.  I assure that the Tower will not tolerate such behavior, whichever one it is, and I want you to immediately present yourself to the Mistress of Novices to be strapped and sent to scrub pots for a good month at the very least.  This kind of behavior is entirely unbecoming of a young lady, especially one who may one day become a sister if she doesn't get her fool self with child when she is but a child herself."

 

The face that turned up to stare at the woman was firm and unyielding.  She took a deferential tone when she was finally allowed to speak, but she did not let the woman's words change her mind. The flush that creeped into her cheeks she tried to convince herself the woman would think to be anger rising and not the mortifying embarrassment of the thought of doing... doing.. well, that with her own brother! "Lady Aes Sedai, I assure there was nothing improper in my behavior here tonight and that... Boy! over there is my brother, who has come with me from Andor to see me safely to the Tower.  I was already told by an Aes Sedai in Four Kings that I was to go to the tower and I have wasted no time in making my haste here to see through her directions.  I would thank you kindly, Mistress, to release my arm and let me get back to my brother, as this is our last evening together.  I will report to the Tower in the morning, after I have slept and washed and made myself properly attired." She swallowed nervously, nothing short of stubbornness giving her the strength to do anything but quail and beg forgiveness from this... this... woman who treated her so high-handed and rude.  This would prove to be the last time for a very long time where Selenessin even dared to show such defiance to a woman of the shawl, but she did not yet really know them as a people.

 

The Aes Sedai drew back, standing very tall and arching one brow at the diminutive girl before her and sniffed. "Well I never.  You'll see that insolence strapped out of you before too long.  Where's the letter you were given from the Aes Sedai who tested you, child?  I shall check with Larindhra Sedai and see that you are true to your word and have presented yourself to her.  And don't think I will neglect to mention this little impropriety as well.  You will learn to defer yourself to any Sister, and every Sister you happen to come across before very much longer."

 

Selene dug in her satchel and brought out the book she had been reading on the trip and flipped it open to where the sealed letter was keeping her place.  The Sedai scanned the outside of the letter quickly, took note of the child's name, and then handed it back with the seal still intact.  She nodded curtly and then stepped aside, as if she were ordering the girl back to her seat instead of allowing her the freedom to do so.  Selene took a moment to replace the letter int he book and the book in the satchel before making her way back to the table, schooling her every quivery and jelly-filled muscle to walk calmly, serenely, and to show that Aes Sedai that she was neither cowed nor repentant.  She swallowed several times convulsively and could not help the darting of her eyes to see if the Aes Sedai was looming over her shoulder or about to strike her with lightning for showing such pride. 

 

When she reached her seat and allowed herself a surreptitious glance to where the Aes Sedai had been she was relieved to see the gold-slashed-cream skirts vanishing through the front door. With both hands wrapped around the glass, she drained the water in a single go and then glared at Jase as he laughed at her apparent distress. She saw him wince and felt a little stab of vindication that didn't lessen when she realized the source of his wince was not her ire, but the cut on his chin from hitting the table.  He was holding a bloodied cloth to the cut now, but he didn't seem to be too worried about it and she was too upset to show her usual amount of care.

 

 

 

Dinner was blissfully uneventful after the rest of their evening in Tar Valon, and before retiring to their shared room Wouldn't that have gotten that woman's dander up, if she knew we were sharing a room as if we had not lived together our whole lives she asked the Mistress who ran the Inn about having a dress laundered and washed before she left, early, tomorrow morning.  The lady surprised her by saying she'd already had their clothes taken to be washed and they would be delivered promptly, first thing.  Selene thanked her and offered another silver penny to the woman.  They had used just over half of the coins in the bag, but it shouldn't take as much for Jasine to return home, needing housing and stabling for only one along the way.

 

Up in the room, Jasine already had the cards out and had fetched the little bag of pretty river stones they always used in place of money when they were playing cards. It was a wonderful evening, and the two of them stayed up too late talking and laughing and being friends.  It was as if they both knew the morrow would bring serious change and neither wanted to let it happen yet.  When they did finally both fall asleep, the candles burned down to their last inch and finally sputtered out in their own melted wax.  The siblings fell asleep fully dressed, and woke the next morning stiff, but refreshed.  Selene woke first, to the knocking at the door not long after dawn where a maid delivered the dress she'd asked to be cleaned and pressed by the morning.  Jasine was up before the door shut again once they had both washed he stepped out so she could get dressed. 

 

She stripped out of her shift and washed again, this time getting all the places that it wouldn't have been proper for her brother to see, but always managed to accumulate a surprising amount of road grime.  She slipped into a new thin cotton shift and the linen stockings she had done the embroidered trimming on herself.  Nothing unseemly, just some pretty white flowers and swirls along the top edging.  The good dress she had brought from home and not worn on the trip went on next, a relatively plain but well-cut garment with a high neck, loose sleeves, and the divided skirts she always favored.  She had just finished brushing out her hair, leaving it loose today, when Jase returned. He brought back with him to their room breakfast: hot rolls and bowls of a warm oatmeal sweetened with sliced peaches.  They ate in a comfortable silence and then packed up their things to leave.  Selene sighed softly as she gathered up the cards that had spilled to the floor from the bed when they'd fallen asleep the night before and when she stood back up with them Jase hugged her quickly and smiled, pretending not to see the unshed tears standing in her deep brown eyes.

 

"Let's go see about making you an Aes Sedai."

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