Prestige & Power [Attn: Terric Gaidin & Ji'val Johan Albaer]

[Cat]

Johan

Just because he’d elected to tell the truth didn’t mean that he had to tell all of it, and Johan just shrugged as he said, “Something like that,” and went back to concentrating on their surroundings and keeping Soup going forward.

It was scary how seemingly close Terric’s story was to his own. Maybe it was some sort of initiation thing that every Novice had to go through: sneak into Hama Valon and get a Drin to rescue you. He’d been perfectly within his own rights to go to Hama Valon – he’d had a free day -, but Kaira had not, and he wasn’t about to get her into trouble by confessing the whole story. Even without naming names, it wouldn’t take much to identify her.

And really-? He just didn’t want to talk about it. Waking up in the infirmary after being Healed (and he’d sworn to himself that that would never happen) had been something of a shock, as had being told he’d been very close to death. And throw in what had happened in his test…? It was most definitely something he didn’t want to talk about. It was no one else’s business but his own.

He knew, though, that he probably hadn’t said enough, and that the Aiel was only trying to be friendly and chat, so he forced himself to smile. “You’ll be sad to know it didn’t involve leaping around on roofs.” He looked back at the Aes Sedai, and his smile became a little more genuine, a little more mischievous, before he cast at quick glance at Terric. “Did you know that Terric likes running around on roofs in his spare time, Aes Sedai? I have no idea why…”

[Bella]

Miahala already had the distinct feeling of being a chaperone out with two brothers. Having had several children, including a pair of twins, she was all too familiar with the feeling...though thankfully she did not feel maternal towards either of these. The last thing she needed was more kids, after all. She still felt like the only responsible adult.

Sure, they were brothers in battle, but there were limits to that first part, weren't there?

Even so, she was amused. She smiled faintly, looking from Johan to Terric and then back. "As a matter of fact, no. I was not aware of this, although I tend to not keep track of who does or does not like to run around on rooftops." There was an amused glint in her eye as she said it. "Although it does make one curious." Her look swung to Terric again.

[Locke]

Terric

“It's not something I make a habit of,” Terric said, as his feet rhythmically beat against the packed earth. “It was supposed to be a fun training exercise,” he bared his teeth up at the Ji’val. “You know, Johan Ablear, fun. You should try it one day.”

Terric joked, but the kid was a good kid. He did seem a little too uptight from time to time, but uptight and brittle were different things. The more time he spent with the young man he realized that he was far from brittle. Those types didn’t last long.

Turning to their Green companion, Terric said, “So our friend has a limited understanding of fun. What about you, Miahala Sha’hal? What do you do for fun?”

[Bella]

What do I do for fun?

Miahala was actually a little taken aback by the question, simply because she could not remember the last time anyone had simply outright asked her that. Most assumed that Aes Sedai, certainly of her age, just didn't have fun. It wasn't true, of course, but it wasn't something that she usually talked about with much of anyone.

"Oh, I manage..." she said with a smile that made it clear such things were things that she kept to herself. After all, it was hard to remain mysterious if you revealed everything too easily.
* * * Time passed with its usual alacrity. The group got along well enough, although that chaperoning brothers feeling never really did dissipate and she was continually reminded of having to pull her twins apart. Still, it was not that and so on they went. A couple nights of camping put them on the wealthy doorstep they were intended for.

The meeting itself last two days.

They spent the night as guests of Lord Alston. The Gaidin and Ji'val did not have a great deal to do aside from standing around "guarding" Miahala without looking like they were guarding anyone, since no one anticipated much of a threat from the lord in question or his family. He did not seem to pay them much mind in turn.

It was late morning, after the breakfast meal, that the trio set out again. The meeting had been completed and was, by all accounts, a success that Mia would report back to the Tower.

And then pray they never asked her to take a turn diplomatically again.

They had been back on the road for a little while. It wasn't long enough to be time to camp, but they were out of the reach of the noble's estate and back onto the general road. There was a shifting in the wind and suddenly Seren began to dance a little underneath her. She frowned as she drew a tighter rein, keeping him in close, but a twitch came between her shoulders blades.

Something didn't feel right.

Just as she began to wonder what it was, Terric held up a hand. Both she and Johan pulled to a stop. Shadows shifted in the trees and then detached themselves, separating from the greenery and its darkness and moving onto the road. There were four of them ahead, and their gleaming white attire gave them away.

Well...it had been a while since she'd seen this lot.

Her eyes narrowed. "We know where you're headed to," the one in the lead said. He held his sword drawn but kept insolently over his shoulder, like no more than a sack, but she knew the Whitecloak was more than capable of using it. They were fighters, which was all she would grant them. "Your face has changed, but you're still recognizable."

"Do I know you?" she asked flatly. Already she was letting the wash of Saidar pour through her. She heard the rustling of more bodies coming from either side and behind. Just how many are there?

"It doesn't matter," he said casually. "Kill them. Kill the witch first."

They attacked from all sides.

Spoiler: show

OOC: Everything is flexible. Enough to give us trouble but not totally overwhelm. I'm thinking no archers. Otherwise, just as many as we need to write all that we want to write. Have fun!

[Cat]

Johan

If this was what being a Warder was like, Johan definitely didn’t want it. He’d never been so bored. He’d heard stories about Warders fighting Shadowspawn, risking life and limb, rescuing people against unbelievable odds, but they didn’t tell you the stories about Warders standing around for hours, pretending to be fierce. Much to his shock, he was actually glad to be getting back to the Tower.

The journey was just as boring as the guarding had been, but that made it more of a challenge. He didn’t let his attention drift or his concentration falter, forcing himself to remain alert as he watched their surroundings. He saw the shadows just as Terric raised his hand; he felt his heart start thudding as Soup skipped forward a few places before he finally drew to a halt.

Children of the Light.

They were another thing that he had only heard of but never seen. Until now.

He drew his sword, even as he backed Soup up towards where Miahala sat her horse. Soup resisted, pulling against the bit, threatening to rear, spooked by the sudden commotion. He was no warhorse, but Johan managed to calm the horse enough, get him listening again in time to feel a weight slam against his leg. He pulled Soup away even as he stabbed down with his sword, and the horse danced under him. He heard a cry and the Child fell away, but the damage was done. Soup threw up his head, seconds from bolting.

There was no way that he could juggle both the horse and the sword and hope to fight. He’d never fought on horseback, and so he made a decision, then, and jumped, landing on the ground and raising just in time to bring his sword up, up, and up to strike the Child intent on decapitating him, throwing his whole weight into behind the blow. There was a moment of resistance as the sword struck the mail, but the mail gave, the rings breaking against the sheer force, and the sword pierced the flesh beneath, skidding past the ribs and piercing the lungs. He didn’t wait to see the man fall, but pulled his sword free and spun, ready to face his next opponent.

And there were many of them.

[Locke]

Terric

If Children of the Light were best at one thing, it probably was putting their nose where it wasn’t wanted and putting a halt to a perfectly good day. Certain of this fact, Terric had already veiled by the time they showed themselves. After a whole lot of bluster and threats, the mounted men charged. Stepping to the side, irritated nocked and fired an arrow in a cathartic release of tension. The broad head struck the talkative leader in the throat, punching through his chainmail coif. Not pausing to watch the man fall, he turned nocking another arrow and releasing it. A screeching Child of the Light sailed through the air as his horse stumbled with an arrow protruding from its eye.

His veil hid a frustrated snarl as he shot. Arrow after arrow but they were still coming. Dropping his bow, Terric went for his spear. He rammed the spear through a dismounted man’s golden sunburst. Was it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet? He interposed his buckler between an axe strike before opening the man’s gut. They had been on a nice walk in the woods. An armored man collapsed holding his ruined throat. Bullies and opportunistic rats, that was what they were. In fact these Children of the Light had less honor than actual children. He sent a soldier to his knees with a kick to the groin. Judging by these numbers there was no way he and Johan Ablaer could stop their charge from taking an arrow. He drove his spear down into the soft spot behind his clavicle. They couldn’t hold this up for ever. Terric ran to place himself between the attackers and Miahala Sha’hal. As he watched Johan Ablaer lop a Child’s arm off at the elbow, Terric decided, If we die here, I will never be able to live it down.

[Bella]

Miahala was unleashed.

The fight had begun with she didn't know how many Whitecloaks, but it did not matter. Saidar was as much a sweet song in her ears as it was a battle-cry. It embraced her as much as she embraced it, and together they would dance in blood. The men around them had made a mistake, but it would indeed be their last.

She clung to Seren with her legs while she twisted in the saddle, looking at the men who would come up behind them while Johan and Terric engaged with ones to the front and to the side.

There they were, a group of four. They approached with swords unsheathed, but like they were attempting stealth. They wanted to be able to flank the trio without alerting them, but they were misguided. One hand shot out in the gesture she had learned chain lighting with, and thick threads of Fire and Air coiled together.

The Saidar rope hit the first man square in the chest, shrieking into the water of his body with the power of a lightning bolt that jumped to the next nearest bodies. All four screamed as smoke rose from their skin, their eyes burning as they stared up at the afternoon sky in their last moments.

She released the lightning, but only so much as to bring the Fire back to the beginning. With the cord of Air still suspended before her, she twisted again until the battering ram smacked into the bodies that had yet to fall. Two simply fell beneath the impact, but two others were pushed until the reached another pair of encroaching Whitecloaks.

They let out shouts of their own when they realized the projectiles hitting them were, in fact, the slightly charred corpses of their brethren.

Miahala could not bodily twist any further around and she left them to their disgust. Seren was moving again and she spun to a man with a sword approaching her side. She pressed with one knee and spun her steed around, putting all her weight forward as the horse reared up and smacked his shod hooves into the top of the Whitecloak's head head.

There was a wet thud as the body fell away, only to receive the treatment of those hooves again as the horse landed then danced back.

She spun him again, coming face to face--at a distance--with the ones who were just coming undone from their scorched friends. They sought her out easily as the source of their woes and continued on their track. She looked down and pressed her cords of Earth into it, sending small tremors beneath their feet.

They staggered back and then she sent her thin rows of Air--Air-rows, one might say--straight through them, leaving them little more than pincushions to fall to the ground...

[Cat]

Johan

It was all about speed, about agility, about keeping moving, keeping going, never staying in one place for too long. He’d never be able to rely on brute strength. He simply wasn’t built for it, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other ways to fight. In the chaos, his quickness was an asset. It kept him from harm, from getting hurt. He wasn’t weighed down by armour, not like the Children of Light. His reactions were, therefore, faster. He could attack and jump away in the same time it took a Child of Light to turn. It was surprising just how many fell.

He struck again and again with his sword, thrust, parried, blocked, attacked, defended, feinted, making sure to keep close to Miahala at all times, refusing to let her leave his line of his sight. He wasn’t going to let himself fail. People were always underestimating him, and he wanted to prove himself. He could do this. This was nothing.

It seemed, though, that he wouldn’t have to worry about that, about failing. It looked like they would soon die; the numbers were simply too overwhelming. They were outnumbered.

Or maybe they weren’t.

The sheer brutality behind Miahala’s sudden attacks made him stumble, made him stutter ever so slightly as he found himself momentarily distracted. The Child of Light he was fighting against managed to get within his guard and open a cut on his arm before he pulled his focus back and dispatched the man with a sword to his stomach.

He would have time to think about what was happening later, about the force of the One Power. He’d let himself get scared later, let himself fell awe, but for now, with their lives on the line, he kept fighting, making sure that no Child of Light could get close enough to Miahala whilst she unleashed her destruction. That was what Warders were for, wasn’t it? He understood now that maybe it wasn’t a pointless task, and that they weren’t just pretty ornaments to drag around.