Two is Definitely Not Company [Attn: Prew] COMPLETE

[Jenny]

Embarrassment skid across the surface of the Void. Adrian would have blushed if it were possible while holding the Void. But instead, his voice sounded unnaturally flat. "My apologies, Fen. I didn't mean to pry. My skin is tingling. Do you sense it, too? There must be a woman channeling nearby!"

He peered out the window again, straining his eyes to make out shapes. But he could see little in the darkness.

"I think it's in the gardens. What do you think could be going on at this time of the night? I want to go find what's happening. Come on!"

He ran out the door without bothering to see if Fen followed.

-----
Written by Prew

Fen hesitated as Adrian ran from the room. A part of him, a large part in fact, wanted to climb back into bed and pull the covers over his head. No, he told himself, you’ll not learn anything by hiding in your room!

He followed Adrian down the hall. He wanted to keep holding saidin, to feel the power, but knew that would just draw unwanted attention. Grudgingly, he released it. He had to trust in his wits, and maybe Adrian’s fighting skills, if trouble was ahead.

-----
Adrian moved swiftly down the hall, then down the stairs, and finally out the back door to the gardens. The sensation became stronger. Suddenly, up ahead on the gravel path, a woman appeared around the corner. An Accepted, with her dress banded with the eight colors of the Ajahs. With his vision enhanced by saidin, Adrian could see her face, even in the darkness. She was pretty, with sharp Cairhienin features.

“What’s going on, Accepted?” Adrian called out. “I felt –”

He cut off suddenly as he felt something sliding between him and the Source. A shield! He tried to fight it off, but she was far stronger. Snarling, he launched himself at the woman, but found himself bound with invisible ropes.

“What are the two of you doing out of bed?” the Accepted asked. Although Adrian couldn't turn his head to look behind him, it seemed as though Fen had followed after all – and they had been caught together.

Adrian growled. “Let us go!”

Her lips thinned. Adrian found himself staring at her long, curling black hair. It seemed somehow… familiar. Where had he seen her before? She looked behind him, at Fen.

“Perhaps you are more level-headed than your friend,” she said crisply. “Answer me. I will not ask again. What are the two of you doing out of bed?”

[Prew]

As Adrian moved swiftly through the hallway and down the stairs, Fen found it impossible to keep pace with the taller man. His strides could not match the Andoran’s. Rushing outside, Fen pulled up short, startled by the scene played out before him. Adrian struggled as if bound, seemingly unable to move, and confronting him was a dark haired young woman, an Accepted by her dress. Ignoring Adrian’s demands for release, she turned her glare to Fen and spoke:

“Perhaps you are more level-headed than your friend. Answer me. I will not ask again. What are the two of you doing out of bed?”

Emotions welled up inside of him, fear urged him to flee or to embrace saidin, but anger and what, concern? Anger that a woman would do this to his friend, if that was indeed what Adrian was. I’ll sort that out later, he decided. Quick wits are needed here.

Without thinking twice about the possible implications, Fen stood his ground and replied, “We could ask the same of you, Accepted. My roommate felt the One Power being used, and away from the channeling yard. We came to investigate. What is your excuse to be in the gardens at such an hour?”

By the Shadow! Had he really just spoken in such a fashion to an Accepted? Fen opened himself to saidin and braced for her attack.

[Jenny]

Adrian was so surprised that he stopped struggling. Did Fen… did Fen really say such challenging words? Fen, who had seemed so timid, so cautious. Quite unexpected. He felt a swell of pride for his roommate’s bravery.

He sensed the Accepted’s response before he saw it. The prickling of his skin intensified. In the darkness, her eyes seemed to glow. She lifted her chin arrogantly. Adrian had seen that movement before. He was sure of it! His mind spun as he tried to remember...

“You dare, Soldier?” she called. “You dare question me?”

-----
The first Soldier was disabled quickly and easily. Mirin tied off his shield and bonds of Air.

But he had a friend – a friend who, despite his small stature, could be more dangerous than he seemed.

Without warning, Mirin struck. Her shield pressed against the connection between the second Soldier and the One Power. The Soldier was strong – quite a bit above average for a man – but Mirin was confident that she was stronger. Even though she had not yet reached her full potential, she knew that she was far above average in strength. And, she had the advantage of experience.

The shield inched slowly, but surely, between the Soldier and saidin, like a knife edging slowly through cold butter. As she pushed with the shield, she reached out with another flow and began spinning two more weaves of Spirit.

One, to slice flows, just in case the man tried anything desperate. The other was a secret of hers, only to be used as a last resort.

A bead of sweat trickled down her back. Spinning three weaves at the same time was difficult, even after years of practice. It required dexterity, not strength, and even most fully raised Aes Sedai could not summon more than three or four at a time.

But slowly – oh, so slowly – she edged the shield closer. Almost there!

Please hurry Betrys, she thought. Behind her, in the middle of the gardens, her friend was wielding large amounts of saidar for their little… experiment. Mirin could deal with these two Soldiers, but she hoped that no one else would come running.

[Prew]

Fen began to panic as he felt the woman’s weave attempt to cut him off from the One Power. Why did I open my mouth? He wondered, what had come over him? Was it the sight of Adrian struggling against invisible bonds? He drew in more saidin, more than he had ever held before, attempting to block her shield. But she was strong, he would need to take on even more of the One Power if he were to resist her. Already it felt like too much, that he was about to lose control. He knew but three weaves, two of which were too dangerous for the situation. Could he fend off her shield and still weave a strong gust of air in her direction?

A voice in the back of his minded sounded like a warning bell. Aran’gar had warned him about taking in too much saidin too quickly. He wasn't practiced enough to handle this much. By the Shadow! He could burn himself out! All his dreams, his plans, gone… and for what? Reluctantly, he began to release his hold on saidin and her shield did the rest. He immediately felt the emptiness that came with letting go of the One Power.

His body sagged as he looked at his opponent. Whatever had made him think he could intimidate her; a Soldier against an Accepted?

“I am shielded, Accepted. What now?”

[Jenny]

Great question, Mirin thought. What now? She had to get rid of these two quickly. She gritted her teeth and made her voice cold and threatening.

"You will leave, and return to your beds. And speak nothing of tonight. It will be an agreement between you and I, to keep us both out of trouble. If you break this agreement," - she smiled cruelly - "then it will go poorly for you. I will tie off your shields to remain until tomorrow morning. Now go!"

She released the bonds of Air. The first Soldier, the tall one, suddenly gasped. "Wait! I know you!"

He moved toward her, his long legs closing the distance rapidly. This close, and with her vision enhanced by the Power, she could see his face. And suddenly, she realized that she recognized him, too. Images danced before her eyes, of laughter, lights, and two warm loaves of sweetbread. For a moment, she froze in panic. Then, she pulled her weave, a frozen web of Spirit, the one that she had prepared for an emergency. Compulsion, her secret, and her specialty.

Forget, Mirin thought. Forget it all.

She released her weave and watched in fascination. The web of Spirit hit the man, and he stumbled to a stop. Then, he stared emptily into the air.

"You are mistaken. I do not remember you," she lied. "Go!"

"Yes, Accepted," the Soldier mumbled. He moved back to his friend, stumbling as though drunk.

Mirin spoke to the second Soldier. "You may have to take care of him," she said lightly. "He'll be fine in the morning, but won't remember a thing."

She stood and watched as they left, one supporting the other. And although she still felt that she could have acted in no other way, she felt a small stab of guilt. Never before had she used Compulsion like this. And for him to forget... to forget her...

It hurt more than she thought. She shook her head and hardened herself. It was the way it had to be.

-----
Adrian moved fuzzily along the hall. His mind didn't seem to be working correctly, and his thoughts were sluggish and slow. Fin...no, Fen... struggled to support him. The stairs...the stairs were difficult. His feet didn't seem to move right.

Somehow, he made it to bed. "Thank you, Fen," he slurred. "Wouldn't...couldn't have made it without you."

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.

[Prew]

Clenching his fists at his sides, Fen glared at the Accepted as she explained, ordered, how things would be. He hated being ordered about by a woman! That is, any woman other than the Mistress, but she was different, she was Chosen. Powerless to resist, Fen saw no point in arguing with her. Best to slip back into that comfortable role of deference.

“Yes, Accepted, I understand. I… we,” he glanced towards Adrian, “will keep this agreement.”

But as she released the bonds of air a most startling thing occurred. Fen stood gaped mouth as Adrian spoke to the woman and made to move towards her. Just as suddenly he stopped, staring blankly. The woman pointedly denied knowing Adrian and turning towards Fen, charged him with getting his friend back to their room.

Adrian moved to his side and draped an arm across his shoulder. Fen found he had to support the man, no easy task itself, as they stumbled away. His roommate was suddenly acting as if deep in his cups yet Fen knew the man had not had a drop since they’d met. She did something to him! The realization made Fen seethe as he half guided half dragged Adrian back towards the building. If only the Great Lord had seen fit to bless him with even more of the One Power, he would have shown that witch that Fen Garlan was not to be taken lightly.

“Who was she, Adrian? That Accepted; you professed to recognize her.”

His roommate only giggled and began to sing a bawdy song:

“There was a fair maiden of Andor,
Her cheeks so rosy and red,
Though she weren’t much in the kitchen,
Oh, you should have seen her in the…”

“Shhhh,” Fen warned, “you’ll wake the Dedicated on watch!” The Dark One’s own luck if they were caught out now.

Slowly, agonizingly so in Fen’s estimation, they made their way up the stairs.

“Fin old pal old chum…” Adrian began, and then started giggling again, “I’m being led by a fish!”

Fen grimaced but somehow got Adrian to their room wherein the man promptly plopped down on his bed. "Thank you, Fen," he slurred. "Wouldn't...couldn't have made it without you." With that said he fell asleep.

Fen stood by Adrian’s bed for a few minutes, basking in the feelings welling up inside. He felt a tear wet one eye as he was overcome with emotion. Is this what friendship is about?

[Jenny]

A sharp rap on the door woke him. Adrian rolled over and fell out of bed, landing heavily with a dull thud on the cold floorboards. What a fantastic start to the morning, he thought. He climbed to his feet and staggered to the door.

A Dedicated dressed sharply in black stood there. "Get dressed," the man grouched. "It's time for breakfast." He moved on down the hall to knock on the next door. Adrian blinked blearily and groaned. Light, why did he feel so tired? It felt like he'd stayed up all night instead of having had a nice long rest.

He ran his fingers through his short brown hair and crossed to the mirror to examine the dark rings under his eyes. Unfortunately, he looked even worse than he felt. He rubbed his chin and grimaced. Where had he put his razor? He began searching through his belongings.

His roommate looked like he was faring no better. "Good morning Fen," Adrian said, sleepily. "Burn me, but I feel like I got trampled by a horse. How was your night?"

[Prew]

Nothing would suit him better than to pull the covers over his head and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, that was not an option here in the Tower. He had a full schedule of classes and chores. As if the bloody Dedicated’s knock on their door wasn’t enough, his new roommate was rattling on about last night. With a sigh of resignation, Fen hauled himself from his warm bed and shivered as his feet hit the bare floor. Should have pulled that poor excuse for a rug closer to my side of the room he thought.

“Morning, Adrian. I hesitate to name it good yet,” he replied. Blood and bloody ashes! He felt exhausted. Quickly reviewing the past night’s events he understood the cause. He had held so much saidin trying to prevent the Accepted from shielding him. It had taken a toll on his body. Not a strong man to begin with, he also had to half-carry the larger Adrian back to their room. He felt he could sleep a solid week and still not be refreshed.

He was not surprised that his roommate had no recollection of last night. That Accepted had done something, Fen could not tell what, but it clearly had affected Adrian’s mind. He debated whether to tell his roommate but decided it was for the best. Adrian had recognized that woman, and that had obviously disturbed her. If he could discover who she was that might give Fen something to hold over her. It was clear she was up to something and feared discovery.

“So, you remember nothing of last night?” he asked, then proceeded to summarize for his roommate what had transpired from the moment Adrian had awakened him to their return to the room. Giving his friend a few moments to digest it all, Fen added “You said you knew that woman, the Accepted. Long, dark hair, almost black, spoke with a Cairhienin accent I’d say, though I haven’t met many from there so I could be mistaken. I suppose you would call her attractive. Sound familiar?”

[Jenny]

Adrian stared at Fen. An interesting fellow, the Dedicated had said. But Adrian had not expected just how interesting Fen would be.

And suddenly he began to laugh.

“Did you hit your head, Fen? Sounds like a dream – or a nightmare – to me! And you ask if I know an Accepted? I arrived at the Tower just yesterday, and Hama Valon just the week before. No time to meet any Accepted, or any other woman from the Tower. Even if I remember nothing of last night, I’m sure that I would at least recognize the woman from your description. She sounds… memorable.

“And besides, do you know of any weave that could manipulate memory? Yet I remember every single thing that I did yesterday. I came to the Tower, met you, explored Tower grounds, ate dinner, and then fell asleep. Answer me this, Fen – how could she possibly make me forget not only yesterday night, but also a select memory from the past, hm?”

Actually, that was a very good question. And if it were possible, then this Accepted could be a very dangerous woman. It made Adrian's head hurt just thinking about it. Better to let sleeping dogs lie. Adrian patted Fen on the back.

“I just might believe you if you can figure that out,” he said, good-naturedly. “But until then, well, I hope you can see why I find your story ridiculous. Are you feeling well, Fen? You look a little pale. If you’re feeling sick I can let the Master of Soldiers know.”

[Prew]

“Uh, no, thank you Adrian. I’m fine,” Fen assured him, “You’re right, I guess, just a strange dream. I suppose I should warn you since we’re roommates now that I have some vivid dreams. I hope I won’t keep you awake.”

He moved to the basin and began to wash. Adrian obviously remembered nothing from last night and there was no point in trying to convince him otherwise. Fen would wait until he found a way to prove that that Cairhienin witch had tampered with his roommate’s mind. But how could he do that? A Soldier couldn’t just go tramping around in the Accepteds’ Quarters. And he couldn’t discreetly ask around, he didn’t even know her name!

Dressing quickly, he had kitchen duty at the next Bell, Fen decided there was little he could do about the situation, at least for the moment. Even if he found the woman, what was he going to do? Ask her about it? By the Shadow! If she could do that to Adrian she was someone better off left alone. But he knew he couldn’t let it go. Whatever she had done, it could prove a powerful weapon, one he would love to learn for himself.

“See you this evening, then,” Fen said to Adrian as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Kitchen duty first, then classes, but Fen would keep his eyes open. He just might see her again.