Kasi was exhausted when she was finally able to go to bed, but happily so. Her day had been spent in the kitchen helping to cook and clean. She wondered how long it would take before the Aes Sedai realized that she loved the work and decided to place her elsewhere. It was something that she could do all day long. Scrubbing pots wasn't her favorite task, but the cooking was something that reminded her of home more and more as time went on.

 

She had finally fell asleep when she was awakened by her bed shaking slightly and her name being spoken. Looking up at the woman standing over her it took a few minutes for her to realize what was going on. "Kasi!" it was still a whisper, or was meant to be, but the other two girls in the room stirred slightly when it was said. "Let's go." Finally finding the ability to use her muscles Kasi sat up in her bed, grabbed the robe that was on the post of the headboard and slipped it over her shoulders. She then found the slippers that were slid slightly under her bed and managed to put her feet in them. Still dragging she followed the Aes Sedai that had called her out of sleep as she was still trying to get her brain to function correctly.

 

As they wove their way through the hallways of the Tower Kasi slowly woke up in the chill of the night. When she finally realized that the Mistress of Novices was the Aes Sedai that she was following she was slightly startled. What does this mean? Her thoughts will still rather sluggish. It wasn't until they were deep in the depths of the Tower that it dawned on her where they were going. Trying to keep herself in check she decided quickly that she would deal with whatever was coming with resolve and just make her way through it one step at a time.

 

Finally they came to a domed chamber. In the middle of it stood a ter'angreal made of three rounded silver arches, each one was just tall enough for someone to walk under. The arches were all joined to a silver ring in such a way that each arch touched the next as well as the ring at the same point. Where each arch touched the ring an Aes Sedai sat on the floor concentrating on the silvery construction of the ter'angreal intently. Surveying the room quickly Kasi saw that there was a fourth Aes Sedai standing beside a table to one side beside a table upon which stood three silvery chalices filled with clear water. All of the Aes Sedai in the room were wearing their shawls. Breathe, just breathe, remember one step at a time.

 

After a moment the Mistress of Novices spoke up. "There are two things that no woman hears until she enters this room. Once you begin, you must continue to the end. Refuse to go on, no matter your potential and you will be very kindly put out of the Tower with enough silver to support you a year, and you will never be allowed back."

 

Waiting for a nod of acknowledgment the Mistress of Novices continued. "Secondly, to seek, to strive, is to know dnager. You will know danger here. Some women have entered, and never have come out again. When the ter'angreal was allowed to grow quiet, they - were - not - there. And they were never seen again. If you will survive, you must be steadfast. Faltering leads to a failure."

 

Now feeling nervous Kasi tried to suppress the panic that arose over the fate that her aunt had endured upon entering the arches standing in front of her. “This is your last chance, child. You may turn back now, and you will have only mark against you. Twice more will you be allowed to come here, and only at the third refusal will you be put out of the Tower. It is no shame to refuse. Many cannot do it their first time here. Now you may speak.”

 

Fighting with the lump in her throat it took Kasi a moment to finally say, "I am prepared." Forcing herself to calm down she told the voices of doubt in her head to be silent and took on a resolve that she hadn't known she had.

 

The Grey Sister that stood beside the table then spoke up, "Whom do you bring with you, Sister?"

The Mistress of Novices continued the litany that Kasi had memorized long before, "One who comes as a candidate for Acceptance, Sister."

"Is she ready?"

"She is ready to leave behind what she was, and, passing through her fears, gain Acceptance."

"Does she know what she fears?"

"She has never faced them, but now is willing."

"Then let her face what she fears." There was a kind smile in the woman's eyes for Kasi as she looked at her for the first time.

 

Turning back to Kasi the Mistress of Novices looked at her with concern but excitement hanging around the edges of Aes Sedai calm. "Undress. You must go into the arches the same as you came into this world with just the defenses of wit and knowledge that nature gave you." Kasi undressed and folded up her clothing placing it on top of her slippers till she stood naked in the cold dank room. The Mistress of Novices then took her by the arm and guided her to the first arch which Kasi now noticed was filled with a soft white glow that she didn't recall being there earlier, but figured that she might have simply missed. "The first time is for what was. The way back will come but once. Be steadfast."

 

Taking a deep breath Kasi stepped through the first arch... and into her mother's kitchen. Her mother looked up from the stove as she stepped through the door. "Oh, good, did you get all that we needed?"

 

A bit confused Kasi could only respond with, "What?"

 

Her mother shook her head slightly and stepped away from the stove. "Kasi, whatever am I going to do with you? Let me see the basket." Kasi hadn't realized she had been holding a basket until just then. Then suddenly the memory rushed back to her of going to the market and picking up the vegetables that were now in the basket in her hand.

 

"Oh, yes, yes, I got the whole list." The look of concern on her mother's face showed that she had made a big blunder. "I'm all right, really, must just be the heat is all." Kasi took the basket and sat it down on the table and began to put the ingredients in their designated spots. Something that she had learned from her mother at a young age is that good organization makes living life easier. If you always put things in the same spot you can always find them.

 

As she opened the pantry and stepped inside the dimly lit room she almost dropped the whole handful of ingredients as she saw what looked like her reflection standing in the room. The other woman wasn't quite her and yet looked like her at the same time. Wearing a robe of pure white and slightly different coloring of the eyes were the only noticeable differences. Kasi almost dropped the armful of things she was carrying, but the other woman held out a hand to steady the items. "Careful there." was all that she said. Her speaking made her tremble all the way to her core. There was part of her that knew this woman somewhere deep down, but at the same time was afraid of her. Putting the groceries away she stepped out of the pantry once more and shook off the feeling.

 

"Mother?" her mother looked up with a puzzled expression on her face, "I didn't know we had company."

 

Wiping off her hands on a towel Reii went over to her daughter with concern more evident. "We don't have company my dear, are you feeling all right?"

 

"I'm fine, fine, maybe I should go lay down for a bit." With a nod Reii went back to her work and Kasi turned toward the hallway to head upstairs, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a glimmer of white. Turning to look she saw the woman again standing in the middle of Reii's kitchen.

 

"Kasi, dear, time to go upstairs." This time her mother was at Kasi's elbow and trying to lead her up to her room.

 

Looking back again over her shoulder at where the woman had been standing Kasi then saw a glimmering arch. "The way back will come but once. Be steadfast." It came back to her instantly she knew where she was and what she must do, but pulling loose from her mother had never been an easy task.

 

"Kasi!" Reii yelled at her as the girl pulled away, "You get back here this instant." Almost running to get away Kasi dove through the arch and back into the room in the lower levels of the Tower. Completely shaken she just stood there in shock for a moment.

 

The Grey Sister that had stood beside the table seemed to suddenly loom over Kasi as she was still trying to process what went on. In her hand she held one of the chalices of water and said, "You are washed clean of what sin you may have done and of those done against you. You are washed clean of what crime you may have committed, and of those committed against you. You come to us washed clean and pure, in heart and soul." Kasi shivered as the cool water fell over her shoulders and back.

Kasi simply stood there for a moment, wet and cold, but she had to let things process for a moment. What she had experienced in the Arch she understood, except for the fact the woman who had to have been Taei. "She was there."

 

"Say again, Child." The Mistress of Novices looked at her somewhat concerned. "Who was there?"

 

"Taei." Kasi paused again, taking a deep breath, "She was there. In the Arch. Not part of it, but she was just.... there." She looked up at the Mistress of Novices with bewilderment.

 

The Mistress of Novices looked thoughtful for a moment and then responded, "There may be a part of you that's connected to her somehow. But this is not the time or place for this discussion, you must continue on Child."

 

Kasi let herself be guided to the second arch and shook it off. "I'm ready."

 

The Aes Sedai nodded, "The second arch is for what is. The way will come but once. Be steadfast."

 

Kasi took a deep breath and walked through the Arch and into a hallway. She was in the Tower, near the classrooms. The faces around her were all familiar this time and the transfer wasn't as harsh.

 

"Kasi Duvan!" She nearly jumped out of her skin at the shout, turning around towards the speaker she found a Red Sister descending on her with purpose, "You are late for your class! Move girl!"

 

"Which class?" The look of puzzlement on her face must have made the woman pause briefly because she became slightly less furious.

 

"Too many sweet cakes for you at bedtime I see! To your weaves class of course. Now, move!" Kasi started off down the hallway with the Sister on her heels completely confused as to where she should be going. She wandered from one hallway to the next down seemingly endless corridors. Every time she made a wrong turn towards wherever their destination was the Sister behind her would curtly come down on her once more about too much of this or that and how she should cut back.

 

Suddenly she noticed that there was someone walking beside her, cutting her eyes to the left for a moment she seemed to be looking in a mirror, only there was no mirror. Stopping out of shock Kasi was almost ran over as the Sister had been following right at her heels. "What are you staring at, Child, keep moving." Kasi shook her head and continued on, the woman to her left moved slightly in front and lead the way. Slightly puzzled Kasi followed and surprisingly the Sister who was still following on her heels no longer directed Kasi, though she had no doubt that if she stopped following the woman in front of her that the Red would no longer be as silent.

 

How does she know the way? Who is she? The woman that Kasi was following then went off to the left at a junction and when Kasi started to follow the Sister rounded on her and was suddenly right in front of her, "And just where do you think you are going? This close to your class and you're going to head the wrong way? Now, let's move, Child." She Red started to shoo her back down the hallway behind them, but just as she did the Arch reappeared right next to where the mystery woman had stopped.

 

"The way will come but once. Be steadfast." Without thinking Kasi followed what she knew to be right and elbowed her way past the protesting Sister and towards the Arch. "I'll have you kicked out of the Tower, young lady, do you hear me!"

 

She heard, and she kept walking, right through the Arch and out onto the cold floor once more. Another glass of cold water streamed over Kasi as the Sister said, "You are washed clean of false pride. You are washed clean of false ambition. You come to us washed clean, in heart and soul." This time it took Kasi less time to come back to where she was and what she was doing.

Walking towards the final Arch on her own, Kasi paused in front of it and took a deep breath. The Mistress of Novices stood at her shoulder, "The third time is for what will be. Be steadfast for the way back will come but once."

 

Kasi stepped through the final arch to find herself on a battlefield. Swords were clashing, dust was everywhere, and she found herself in a ditch with her Warder. She could feel his thoughts in her head and knew that he could feel hers. It took but a moment for them to sync up and fight together as one. Kasi took weaves of lightning, wind, air and fire to make room and to pull them away from the majority of the battle. The men that were not blown back by her weaving were dispatched quickly and accurately by Jevron, her Warder. They were fighting their way back out of the battle, back to safety. There was a small group of women and children who huddled around Kasi, all staring wide eyed at the destruction going on around them. Inch by inch they worked their way back to the village and safety of the others.

 

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye Kasi saw a woman in white that had gotten away from the group and had headed back the other way. Seemingly unaware of the men locked in battle around her she walked calmly between them as if they weren't there. "Come back!" Kasi yelled at the top of her voice. Jevron, keep them safe. Leaving the small group in the able hands of her warder she headed back for the woman who must have been deranged. "Come back! This way, towards the village!"

 

Suddenly she could feel Jevron in pain, lots of pain, this wasn't good, wasn't good at all. She started to head back towards him, but then caught a glimmering archway in the middle of the battle field right beside the woman dressed in white. It wasn't until the archway appeared that she realized that the woman looked like her twin. Her hair was loose rather than held back tightly in a braid, but other than that and what they wore there was nothing to differentiate them. Kasi was torn between her Warder who she could feel dying without her help and the archway in front of her which meant something, something that she couldn't quite recall. Be steadfast for the way back will come but once. The voice was in her head, but not like the feeling of her Warder.

 

Her warder, the man in agony, who she loved and had sworn to protect and to die together with, not to leave to die alone. "Kasi!" His scream tore her at the core, but she headed towards the archway. One foot after the other she made her way after the woman in white and towards the archway. After what seemed like an eternity she reached it, tears streaming down her face and at a run she went through the archway and into the chamber once more. Tears still streaming down her face she collapsed right in front of the arch. Fighting with the feeling that she had just killed someone that she loved even though she had never met him until today.

 

It took her a moment to realize the rest of the room. There were a lot more Aes Sedai in the room now. The Amrylian Seat now stood in front of the table with the last chalice of water in her hands. On each side of her there was one Sister from every Ajah, a total of fourteen present. There were still the three Sisters who had been sitting beside the arches, but they had allowed them to grow dim as she recovered and were no longer holding Saidar.

 

"Child, come forth." The Blue Sister to the Amrylian's left spoke up to give her direction. When she stood before them she was directed once more to kneel in front of the Amrylian Seat.

 

"You are washed clean of Kasi Duvan of Camelyn. You are washed clean of all ties that bind you to the world. You come to us washed clean in heart and soul. You are Kasi Duvan, Accepted of the White Tower." The cold water slid over her, washing away her tears and giving her an odd sense of comfort that it was now over with. That she could now move on.

 

"You are sealed to us, now. Welcome, daughter,” said the Amyrlin Seat. She then handed the chalice to the Blue Sister who had directed her to stand in front of them and took out a Great Serpent ring from somewhere in the folds of her dress. She slipped it onto the third finger of Kasi's left hand and pulled her to her feet. “Welcome, Daughter”, the Amrylian said kissing Kasi on first her left then her right cheek. “Welcome.” The sense of relief was overwhelming. Staring down at the ring on her finger Kasi couldn't hold back the smile of relief that popped onto her face. I made it, Taei, I made it. And thank you.

*bump*