Visar clenched his jaw, trying not to openly shiver from the cold as he had walked through the streets.  He simply was not dressed for this...cold!  He had no other way to describe it.  And he had thought it was a refreshing, winter-cold spring in Tear. Clearly this place was on a vastly higher level of cold!

 

Yet he kept his cloak tight, his hood up, and kept walking towards the great white monolith in the center of the city.  Time passed, and Visar finally made his way to the White Tower grounds.  He paused, taking the time to look straight up at the Tower.  Yet while trying to calmly admire the view, inside he was terrified.  Was this really worth it?  Was he so desperate to hide from Tairen authorities that he wanted to go straight to the Aes Sedai themselves?! 

 

Burn my Soul, this is bloody insane!  He thought to himself.  Yet, it might be insane enough to work.  I have to try!

 

He realized he had been holding his breath, and let it out, briefly amazed that his breath clouded.  That's new...Never got that cold in Tear!  Without thinking, he adjusted his pack and walked in before he could think about going somewhere else first.

 

Then he needed to do some real thinking.  Now that he was in the grounds, where would he go?  To the Tower itself?  No, that was much too insane at this point.  But perhaps he could look into whoever was in charge of the Tower Guard.  Try to get a job.  Or at least try to get somewhere to stay until he could find one.  Right, find someone in charge...

 

After embarrassing himself several times asking for directions, Visar finally found the door to the Mistress of Trainee's office.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that women here are warriors as well as sorceresses, he thought, not a small amount of fear of both.  Bloody unnatural...  He would take his chances with the lesser of the two evils.

 

Visar knocked on the door, tentatively at first, and then two more solid raps on the wood.

Winter had settled firmly on Tar Valon and with it had come blinding snows. For three days only work that was absolutely necessary to keep the Tower running had been done. It seemed like this winter was going to be harsh enough for the Borderlands.

 

It was almost a week since the vicious storm had held them hostage and already things were back running in full force. With the help of a few Sisters and the strong backs of her trainees the grounds had been cleared of snow and what was not gone, was melting. For the Warders and a few of the young men who came from near the Blight winter had tempered, but most still suffered when forced to be outside.

 

Roaring fires burned on both the hearths in Thera’s office, making the room just shy of hot. The Mistress sat her desk in only her silk shirt and pants; her coat abandoned on the rack by the door. Fewer trainees got in trouble once winter came, because they all knew her punishment would undoubtedly include time in the cold. What winter had not managed to stop was the pile of reports on her desk. Some, like the state of repairs on the armory and the conditions of the barracks she’d asked for, but others came from Sisters and even Accepted who thought they saw her job better than she herself did. She disregarded the ones from Accepted out of hand, but with the Sisters she could do no such thing. A carefully worded reply always had to be found. She was working on the second page of one of those letters, from a very forceful Green, when two hard raps sounded at her door. Just because punishments dwindled did not mean they disappeared all together. Setting down her pen Thera sanded the page and set it aside.

 

“Enter! And it had better be important or you can add disturbing the Mistress of Trainees to your list offences.”

“Enter! And it had better be important or you can add disturbing the Mistress of Trainees to your list offences.”

 

Visar entered the room, and closed the door behind him.  He sighed in relief, as the room was comfortably warm, perhaps even a little too warm.  He removed his hood to show his face, and glanced nervously at the Mistress of Trainees at her desk.  She seemed in a bad mood, he realized from the tone of her voice.  But he still had to try this.  His voice stuttered even more than usual, as he was still shivering.  He clasped his hands in front of him, and made an attempt to introduce himself.

 

"P-p-pard-don m-me, I was t-told you c-could help me."  As his body warmed up in the room, he finally managed to talk straight, though that didn't help the nervousness in his voice.  "I...I need a job, and they said you could help st-st-start me out."

 

He waited for a moment, then realized in alarm that he had not even given her his name!

 

"My n-name's Vizr-sar.  Visar Falmaien."

 

That was close, Viz!  Watch it, or I might get shipped back to Tear before I can say "By the Stone"!

What walked into her office was not at all what she’d expected. The grizzled boy bundled to his chin in layers of clothes was most definitely not one of her trainees. His accent was almost as much of a surprise as his appearance; it was rare that anyone from Tear made their wait to the tower. If they did it was often not willingly. 

 

“You have been directed to the right place. Have a seat Visar and we can discuss the prospect of a job.” She kept one eye on the young man just incase his intentions were more than a job. Rarely did an assassin make it into the Tower and when they did they almost surely headed inside the Tower, but who is to say that a leader among the “Witch’s” fighting men would not be a target. Pulling the roster from her bottom drawer she set it on the table with a thump, and fixed the new comer with a hard stare.

 

“So tell me how you came to the Tower, and why you are in need of a job?”

Visar gladly took the seat when offered. He felt that he might not have been able to stand for much longer.  He shrugged off his cloak and set down his pack on the floor next to him, glad to be rid of his burden.

 

The easing of his physical discomfort did nothing to make him feel more comfortable, however.  The woman fixed him with a hard stare, as if she was trying to discover every single dark secret that Visar knew.

 

“So tell me how you came to the Tower, and why you are in need of a job?”

 

Visar breathed in.  He needed to tell his story, the one he had practiced on the way up to the city.

 

"I came by boat on the Erinin.  Arrived earlier today." he explained, slowly gaining confidence with each new sentance of the half-truthful story.  "Boat's called the Sturgeon, by Captain Atkameyer.  Worked for him during the voyage, if you need to ask him." he added.  He certainly hoped no one would ask the captain before he left, but maybe it would help him if he seemed alright with someone questioning his past, as some person no doubt would.

 

"I...met with misfortune in Tear, and I had to leave.  My job, my family...they're gone now." he said sullenly.  He knew he could not pull off a grief-stricken son, so he didn't try.  He continued.  "There was nothing for me there, so I had to leave.  I managed to make it here."  That was almost true, though Visar dared not say the exact reason why.

 

"I'm here in Tar Valon to...start over, basically. But to do that I need a place to stay, food, clothing, and so on.  So I need a job.  I...I want to join the Tower Guard." he stated, even though he felt thrice-be-burned a fool for asking a job which he barely knew how to do. 

 

But in his mind, it was simple.  Guardsmen were usually paid steadily, if not richly, and while the job might be dangerous, there was a certain security in the fact that a Guard was part of the law, and thus safer from another law's clutches.

 

He felt like he was not being convincing enough, and so added,

"Even if I'm not that experienced, I'll train however long it takes to qualify.  I'll do whatever it takes." he assured her, even though he didn't know anything about what that training might be like.

The obvious question that came to mind was why chose the White Tower? Most men from Tear would turn and run at even the mention of Aes Sedai and this man had fled to them. It was a puzzle and one she intended to solve.

 

Leaning forward to rest her elbows on the desk she studied Visar from top to bottom. “You don’t have the look of a fighter to me.” Casually she flipped open the large book and scanned the page. “ I could make you a fighter though. The best the world as ever known. As a trainee you get a place to sleep, training, and all the food you can hold. Tell me, have you ever fought before? she said casually Ever used a weapon at all.”

 

Expericed eyes looked for any break in his character, any twitch of his eyes. Anything that might help indicate why he had fled to Tar Valon.

 

Visar tried not to flinch as she examined him, judging him, weighing him for any weakness.  It was unsettling to say the least, but she wasn't kicking him out of the office yet, so something must be going well.  As he listened to the description of the 'trainee', he found himself liking it.  Even if it wasn't a paid position, his needs would be taken care of, and he would be able to lay low in the Tower for a long time.

 

"Tell me, have you ever fought before? Ever used a weapon at all.”

 

Visar considered for a moment, before nodding slowly, hesitantly.

 

"Yes."  he said simply.  He stood, and slowly, to be sure she did not mistake it as a threat, exposed the dagger hilt at his side.

 

"I've used this before, and have faced the threat of others having knives.  The streets of Tear can be a harsh teacher.  Though I generally avoid fights when I can."  he admitted with a sheepish smile, as he tucked his shirt back in, and sat down. 

 

His face flushed, embarrassed that he was trying to convince her that he had some experience as a fighter.  He was certainly no great warrior, and it would be foolish to come here, the place where they trained the legendary warders, and claim that he was.

 

"I'm a much better runner than I ever was at fighting.  But if that's what I need to learn to be in the Guard, then that's just what I'll do.  In fact..."

 

Visar leaned over and rumaged in his pack, separating a long, thin bundle.  Unwrapping it, he took out the somewhat slim-bladed Tairen sword, still in its plain leather sheath.

 

"I'd like to learn how to properly use this."  he said, as he offered the sword hilt first to the Mistress of Trainee for her opinion.

Fighting in the streets and brawling in taverns, no doubt, did not make you a good warrior. In fact it was a fine way to get a knife in your ribs. “ I certainly hope you will forget everything you learned while fighting in the streets. Here you will learn the discipline required not only to fight, but to learn when to walk away.”

 

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. His story had the ring of truth, but there was more. Perhaps a transgression that he feared? A crime committed? Shrugging trying to work the knots out of her shoulders she focused on his words, and watched his eyes. People always failed to realize how much was given away in a single look.

 

It was a common sword that he laid in her hands, common but well made. It had the proper balance and when she pulled it from its scabbard the blade was sharp. “In a year I can make you worthy of this sword.” She slide it back into isn’t scabbard and handed it back. “I think you are worth training” Her delicate nose wrinkled and she wiped a hand across it. “Provided you promise to start bathing…and shaving.” Eyeing him from top to bottom she decided a coat was in order as well. The large chest at the back of the room contains all sorts of odds and ins. An old pair of boots and a few serviceable shirts, towels by the dozens and one winter coat. She pulled it out and shook off some of the dust. “I can’t say as its much cleaner than you are, but it will work until we can get you another.”

 

She passed it across the table. “So, what do you say?”

 

“ I certainly hope you will forget everything you learned while fighting in the streets. Here you will learn the discipline required not only to fight, but to learn when to walk away.”

 

Visar blinked, slightly confused.  While he couldn't exactly call his "fight" record impressive by any means, wasn't street fighting experience better than no experience?  He was not sure, however, and so could not say anything.  She appeared to consider something for a moment before she inspected the sword.

 

“In a year I can make you worthy of this sword.”

 

A year?  Well, Visar doubted that he had anything better to do.  And, considering, a year didn't sound quite so bad.

 

“I think you are worth training.  Provided you promise to start bathing…and shaving.”

 

Visar nodded eagerly.  He didn't feel clean at all either, but he had little opportunity to bathe while on the boat, and he had lost his razor on the voyage.  But that was not important; she had accepted him!  She found some old clothing and a pair of boots and passed it to him.  Visar made an awkward bow in thanks, and picked it up in a bundle that soon became tangled.

 

“So, what do you say?”

 

"You'll take me as a trainee?" Visar said slowly, not sure if he believed it himself.  A broad smile split his face.

 

"Then yes! I accept! Of course!  When do I start? Oh! Where do I stay?  What do I need to know?"

 

Visar excitedly poured out several questions, and at the same time tried to adjust the bundle in his arms so he could pick up his pack and sword.  He fumbled and dropped the boots, and muttered a curse.

OOC: Not a very good post, but distractions seem to have run a muck today!

 

Thera dipped her pen into the jar and wrote his name in the roster in a neat hand. “ Slow down slow down! I will answer all your questions.”

 

Blowing on the page to help it dry she sprinkled it with sand and closed the book. “I suppose I should tell you a little more about what you just signed up for. Tower Guards are charged with keeping the city safe as well as the Tower it’s self. And it is from Tower Guards that warders are usually chosen. Work hard and you could find yourself bonded to a Sister.”

 

“Training begins every day before the sun is up and ends sometime after dinner. The hours that are left are your own, but I suggest sleep. The rules are easy..Listen to me and all your superiors and do not try to leave the island without permission. For NO reason are you to enter the White Tower unless you are going to the kitchens or the infirmary. That about covers it. I will need a few more things from you, but not until you have bathed.”

 

She got up and led him to the door, stopping to grab a few towel on the way. “Out my door and to the right, you will see a long building with a tile roof. That’s the bath house, tell Maridif I sent you and you’ll have no issue. Report back to me when you’re done.” Thera shut the door behind him and sat down to tackle the letter before he returned.

 

Visar shut his mouth as soon as she urged him to slow down, and then explained what he was getting into.  Visar listened closely.  He thought that it sounded rather difficult.  Training for the whole day!  But it would certainly keep him busy, and if he didn't have to leave the city, and was even prohibited from doing that, it would keep him out of trouble too.  He nodded his understanding.

 

She led him to the door, handing him a couple towels.  Sighing, Visar realized that he would have to drop something to be able to carry everything.  Carefully, he set his pack and his sword onto the ground, and shoved them with his foot to the side of the office so it wouldn't be too much in the way.  Then, he picked up the new change of clothes and the towel, relieved that he didn't have to carry too much now.

 

Out and to the right...Tile roof.  Maridif.  He made a mental note to remember this important information.  Visar did not desire much to get out into the cold air, but a hot bath was probably worth it.

 

"Right away, ma'am...Sir...Mistress?"  Visar was not exactly sure how to address the Mistress of Trainees.  After being corrected of her correct title, Visar nodded and added,

"I'll leave my things here then.  Again, thank you." he said, and tried to bow in what looked like a thankful manner.  Even then, he was not sure if he pulled it off.  But that could wait.  For now, he needed to clean up.

 

---

Visar followed the Mistress of Trainee's instructions, and found the bath house without too much of a problem.  Once inside, he asked for Maradif, and told him what he was supposed to.  Minutes later, Visar sighed happily, soaking in a tub full of pleasantly hot water.  I could get used to this.  he thought happily, and his thoughts drifted.

 

After a while, he got a cramp in his side, and decided it was time to get out of the tub.  He dried off, and changed into the fresh set of clothes he'd been given, making sure everything fit.  The boots were a little too snug, and the shirt was rather loose, but the coat fit just fine.  He glanced back at the tub, and noticed the water was quite murky from the dirt he'd accumulated in his travels.

 

Has it really been that long since I've had a bath?  he wondered incredulously.  Either way, it felt good to be cleaner again.  He brushed his damp hair out of his face, for lack of an available comb, and gathered his old clothes in a bundle.  Once outside of the small bath room, the man named Maradif went to him, making sure everything was acceptable.  Visar nodded.

 

"Oh, you may leave your old clothes here.  They will be washed and returned to you." he said. 

 

Visar frowned, a little nervous about parting with his clothes.  What if he's lying and they burn them?  he wondered suspiciously.  He reluctantly agreed, and put his travel-stained garments in a laundry bin.  Thanking Maradif, he returned to the Mistress of Trainee's office, and knocked at the door, waiting again for permission before entering.

 

"Visar Falmaien, reporting back." he said with a grin.

Before Visar arrived back Thera had the letter signed and stamped with her signet. For some time she had been sitting at her desk staring at the small ring of silver that circled the third finger on her left hand. They had yet to marry, but the ring was a constant reminder of the promise and his love. Caught up in fantasies the new recruit was standing in front of her desk before Thera even noticed.

 

On first glance she hardly recognized the man before her desk. With his face clean, hair brushed and his beard trimmed back he looked much more a prosperous man than the vagabond that had first graced her door. “ A much better look for you Visar.”

 

She raised her hand to forestall him taking a seat. “This will only take a few more moments, there is no reason to sit.” She slide a small stack of papers across the desk. “To avoid suffering anymore than I must from the cold I drew a small map that should help you find your way around the tower, and I copied down the rules, lest you should forget. Your training will start at first light, with 100 laps around the yards. Go find yourself a room in the barracks and I will see you first thing on the morrow.”

 

“ A much better look for you Visar.” she said.

 

Visar grinned at the compliment, but said nothing.  He went to the seat, but she gestured for him to remain standing, and slid some papers across the desk.

 

“To avoid suffering anymore than I must from the cold I drew a small map that should help you find your way around the tower, and I copied down the rules, lest you should forget. Your training will start at first light, with 100 laps around the yards. Go find yourself a room in the barracks and I will see you first thing on the morrow.”

 

A map!  That was good.  Visar grabbed the stack, and quickly leafed through it.  Frowning, he did not understand all the words written right away, but he would have a little time to figure it out later.  He blinked at the mention of one hundred laps.  One Hundred?!  Just how intense is this training?

 

He thought he might be able to do that many, as long as the warder yards were not that big around.  Best not to worry about it until it comes.

 

He nodded his understanding.

"Thank you, Mistress Thera." he said simply, and at her dismissal, he picked up his things and left her office.

 

Now to look for a room...