The Grey Tower

As he checked the saddlebags on Albion before moving over to the pack horse, Prewtez d’Grayson reflected on the conversation he’d had with the Gaidar Captain. Amayani do Ciresh a'Sorene had assigned him to escort a newly raised Aes Sedai to visit her family in Andor. When she had told him the name of the woman he would be protecting Prewtez had breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Betrys Cadwallader’, or Betrys Sedai as she would now be known. Thank the Light it wasn’t Marissa Sedai! That woman had gotten under his skin with her incessant talking and none too subtle hints about bonding him. The Gaidar Captain had explained that Betrys Sedai did not yet have a warder and, since Prewtez was not yet bonded, it made sense to assign him to this task. Dangerous times precluded the idea of an Aes Sedai, especially an inexperienced one, traveling alone.

As the trip promised to take several days to arrive at their destination, he made sure the pack horse was carrying several waterskins, extra blankets, and a goodly supply of dried meat, cheese, and bread. He assumed his companion would have her own belongings packed in her saddlebag as did he.

Andor! he thought, Light but it had been a while since he’d been back, not since leaving for the Grey Tower. Although he had spent his early years in one of the noble houses and most of the rest serving the queen in her Horse Guard, Prewtez no longer felt any attachment for the place. He had no home, his half-brother Conail had seen to that and he had been dismissed from the service against his will, again on the behest of Conail. The man, boy really, was obsessed with the fear that Prewtez would somehow claim the seat as head of House Northan. Not bloody likely, now or ever, especially since gaining the fan cloak. He shook his head, his long salt and pepper hair tied off in a tail at the nape of his neck barely over the shoulders of his cloak which, itself covered a white shirt and brown suede jacket. His riding boots came to the knees of the dark green pants he wore.

Prewtez looked up, brought out of his reverie by the clip clop of a horse being led. The woman who approached was certainly not Marissa Sedai. No, this woman was remarkably unremarkable in appearance. Youngish looking, and her long braid put him in mind of a Two Rivers woman he had seen once. But there was something about the bounce in her step that indicated she was full of life. Prewtez could only hope she would not be as self-absorbed as the pervious Aes Sedai he had accompanied.

“Betrys Sedai?” he bowed slightly, his cloak of greens and browns and greys shimmering softly with the movement, “Gaidin Prewtez d’Grayson at your service.” He arched his left eye involuntarily, a habit of long standing, the scar above it gaining prominence.

Having graduated from her class in horsemanship, Betrys wasn't worried about that aspect of the journey but there would be challenges even so and one would be coping with a prolonged period of time on horseback. She'd packed, certainly more than had been in her possession when first arriving at the Tower all those years ago but probably a fair amount of less than others who called this Tower home. Betrys had never been a possessive person and it was reflected in the saddlebags that were full more with food, potion bottles and pouches of herbs and such - as if she'd leave such useful items behind when there was little idea of what might lie ahead of them.

And it would be a them.

Not just her and her horse (whom she'd named Advent) but also a Gaidin. Betrys had been told that it was necessary, she wasn't surprised or upset and in fact was more pleased at the prospect of being able to return to the village where she'd been born than she'd perhaps liked to have admitted to anyone of the Tower. After all, she wouldn't remain there. But she had wanted, no, needed to go back. At the moment though she had no Warder and so she needed someone to volunteer and thankfully, there had been someone available.

“Gaidin Prewtez d’Grayson at your service.” He arched his left eye involuntarily, a habit of long standing, the scar above it gaining prominence.

As she and Advent approached, Betrys wore her usual warm smile. No less conscious of the still tight sensation caused by the Oaths which she had sworn to obey after her Stairs Testing "I'm pleased tae meet you Gaidin Prewtez. Have yer been told where we are bound?" there was the subtle impression of her accent but for the most part it had faded away from the common use of her normal conversation but Betrys was fairly sure it was nothing more than a means of helping to identify her to others, much like the scar on this man who had agreed to accompany her along for this journey.

As he hoisted himself into the saddle, a slight smile spread across Prewtez’s face. The woman’s accent spoke of common stock. Thank the Light! Though Ubriel Bryne had shamed him for his disrespectful attitude towards the nobility it was a prejudice he had a difficult time being shut of. His life had been turned upside down not once, but twice, at the whims of his noble relatives. He was glad to finally be quit of them and the games they played. And the warmth of her smile seemed genuine, not an affectation he had observed more than one of noble birth assume to impress.

“Andor, Aes Sedai, that was all I was told,” he watched as she mounted her horse. She impressed him as being comfortable in the saddle, a good thing considering the distance they would need travel. “I thought that once we are through Elman’s Creek we might need to spend a night in the Mountains before we can reach Baerlon.” At least this time the mountains should be much more accommodating than they had been during his survival test.

As they rode through the gates of the Tower and into the Hama Valon proper, Prewtez added, “Once in Baerlon I have no idea as to where we go next. It is to your old village, no? In what direction might that lie… Betrys?” If they were going to be traveling companions they ought to dismiss with honorifics such as ‘Sedai’ or ‘Gaidin’. He hoped she would agree.

As she made herself as comfortable as she could on horseback given the rather tight quality of these new clothes (strange to have a shawl as well) Betrys looked over at her companion and started to relax. It seemed that he was not about to insist on a formality which was neither necessary or useful given that they would be spending rather a lot of time with one another on this trip. As he explained what had been said, Betrys nodded along.

"Yes, Baerlon. It will be strange to see it again actually. I am curious to see how much it has changed" she remarked casually, something of her inner monologue coming forth from her memories of the journey here and also what she hoped would be at the end of it "It will be four days from Baerlon, perhaps longer depending on the weather..." she added, not wanting to assume too much given that actually Betrys was pretty much guessing some of the finer points of the end of their journey but they would have both time and occasion to make adjustments as and when that become necessary. After all, Betrys knew the dangers of simply believing everything would end up going exactly as she had planned "Have you visited Baerlon before?" she asked.

Had that been why he had been selected?

She wanted to ask but it seemed a far too personal sort of question for this early in their journey and acquaintance with one another, perhaps they could talk about such things as time progressed and they started to feel more comfortable with each other "I don't hae much recollection of it from my journey here..." she added, hoping to encourage conversation.

“Baerlon?” he replied as they slowly made their way through the crowded streets until finally exiting onto the road that led to Elman’s Creek. He had easily assumed the Emptiness, as it was called in the Warder Yard, a state of alertness that was becoming second nature for him. “Only in passing as I made the journey to the Tower. I spent a good number of years in the southern region of Andor, along the border with Murandy, and was raised in the north, near Cairhien.”

No sense getting into that, burn the bloody nobles.

Prewtez maneuvered Albion through the crowd of carts and pedestrians that were both coming to and leaving Hama Valon. Hopefully, the road would become less congested the farther east they went. Albion was feisty this day, having too long been confined to the Tower grounds and wanting to trot.

“Four days you say? That should put us east of Caemlyn, no? Though who can say with the strange weather we’ve been having of late.” He was finding it easy to talk to this woman with the unassuming airs, and she seemed to encourage conversation, unlike some Aes Sedai he had met. Light! Some of the Sisters were as bad as bloody nobles when it came to having one’s nose stuck firmly in the air.

Noting her shawl, Prewtez sought to make small talk. “You are of the Yellow Ajah, I see.” Although most men of his acquaintance were uncomfortable around Aes Sedai, soldiers had always appreciated the Yellow Sisters and the healing they provided.

She knew about the aloofness that most Aes Sedai adopted on their assumption of the shawl and acceptance into an Ajah; yes, she knew about it and Betrys elected to ignore it as much as possible. As she had accepted the role and the responsibilities as her own, Betrys had also decided that she wouldn't allow it to change who she was at the very core of her being.

After all, that would be...wrong. The Oaths itched though, reminding her of vows and the various restrictions which had been placed upon her when she had spoken them out loud. Betrys was fairly sure that some found them hard to bear, especially in respect of the Oath surrounding honesty.

As she'd always been honest it had so far not being a real challenge for her to handle or push against the restrictions that rested against her skin and occasionally pulled in a way that made her feel like she was wearing some tight-fitted tunic. Which had never happened to her in her entire life, she'd debated speaking with Mirin about it - she would have a good way of describing the sensation and she definitely knew more about the subject of fashion and clothing than Betrys had ever done "I'd nae seen a place like Baerlon when I went through it on the way here. Not that I paid much attention tae it..." she'd been so angry and definitely hurting as a result of being taken from her home. Then she had only been able to see everything that she was losing and had no idea at all about what would eventually be gained. Yes, she had been innocent and yes, might well remain so in many ways - especially in choosing to return home now.

It was a chance to stretch past the Grey Tower, as it has been with Hama Valon and now...now the whole world was out there waiting for her to finally take advantage of the chance to travel it.

"Aye, I am. Is that an issue for you?" she asked, not supposing it was but deciding to ask right out and see how he laid out his hand in the matter. She was aware that not all the Ajahs and their members were universally liked - which was due to the individuals who made up things, Betrys wouldn't mind either way. Although she hoped for a chance at the amicable end of things to make sure their journey together was pleasant "Is this a rather dull journey for you? A ride through Andor..." Betrys watched him, as much as possible given their respective positions and the nature of riding along together.

As a rule Gadin were not supposed to have opinions on the Ajahs, at least none they should voice. Indigo, Grey, White, it wasn’t to matter and, for the most part, for him it did not. However, the Yellow Ajah was different.

“An issue, Betrys? Light no! During my time in the Queen’s Service I often encountered Sisters of the Yellow. Of course they were from the White Tower, mind you, given the Queen’s connection and all, but they were most welcome in our camp. More than one of my troopers owes his life to their healing touch,” a smile broadened his face at the memory. He had witnessed firsthand men recovering from grievous wounds, wounds which should have killed them.

“As for dull, I would say not. Too long cooped up within the Tower had me itching for just such an opportunity as this. And the company is most enjoyable as well, I might add.”

They soon came upon the village of Elman’s Creek, nestled in the foothills of the Mountains of Mist. The village was situated along a stream of water which ran down from the mountains as it sought its way to a fork of the Dhagon River, hence the village’s name. Although Prewtez was fairly certain this was the same creek he had followed out of the mountains during his survival test at the time he had avoided the village. Riding along the hard-packed dirt road, the snow peaked mountains looming before them, Prewtez suddenly felt something nagging at the edge of his awareness. Not a sense of danger exactly, the people in the streets and outside the small shops presented no threat, but more a premonition of something yet up ahead.

Best to keep this to myself for now; no sense alarming the Aes Sedai he decided. Besides, it might just be the memories of the last time he was in those mountains, memories of spirits or hallucinations or whatever they had been. The Mountains of Mist had a reputation for bad luck, a rumor perhaps spread for the purpose of keeping people away. After all, Andor had numerous mines on the other side and a bad reputation could serve to discourage thieves.

Not actually holding any strong bias against her Sisters in the White Tower meant that she smiled at his obvious liking for their efforts, it was a sense of rightness - not really proud but she was happy to know that some of the good in the world existed because of the skills of her Ajah, that some of the those would have otherwise been lost instead stood tall against the Shadow "I hae not encountered the White Tower Sisters...at least not yet - are they much different from us?" the care not to overwhelm with her accent slowly her speech and making it much more measured and cautious in the sound.

"I'm enjoying the company as well" and she was. Although Betrys would look for no more than kindness and respect; she was learning to guard herself from the risks of opening up her heart to such possibilities. She was too tired of being hurt to want to have it happen again "Yer be a good source of conversation - is this Elman's Creek?" she asked, looking at the village. While she knew little of the geography of the world, that knowledge had widened as she had learned about such things in her studies and in preparation for this journey Betrys had taken some time to make sure she could at least pick out some of the more obvious landmarks that existed along their route. It would be a poor decision not to be a little ready in case of trouble.

Since the evil bubble had happened, Betrys had struggled to make sure that she was never so unprepared for what might end up happening, not that there could have been any way to actually predict things happening the way they had done so "...hae yer been here before?" she asked carefully, sensing that something was...not right.

Betrys shifted her shoulders, rotating them before she looked over to her Gadin. As long as he appeared to be unconcerned Betrys would ignore any of the worries that might have otherwise bothered her or drawn some comment from her about it "Hama Valon is as far as I hae been for a long time..." she'd forgotten how wide the world could seem.

As the Aes Sedai had not indicated a desire to stop in the village they pushed on through Elman’s Creek and continued towards the mountains that rose majestically before them.

“Before the construction of the Grey Tower I have heard that Hama Valon was not much larger than this village,” Prewtez hoped he wasn’t boring her with the obvious. As a student of history, he had taken the time to learn as much as he could about the Tower and its past. Even so, there was much that was left unrecorded. Perhaps Betrys already knew as much as he about it, the possibility that channelers were required to learn things those in the Warder Yard were not seemed a likelihood. Even so, he pushed on, thinking she would stop him if she found him condescending in any way.

“Over the years the city grew, in large part because of refugees and others seeking a better life. But many of the soldiers and servants of the Tower are from this village and I daresay Elman’s Creek has prospered from the trade that flows through it from the other side of the mountains.”

Perhaps it was the residue of the strange occurrence of a few months back… a bubble of evil he had heard it called… that caused his danger sense to tingle. And no doubt the Shadow wished to remain aware of events at the Tower. The possibility of Darkfriends having passed through was all too likely. Still, no reason to lower his guard. Even Betrys looked as if she felt something amiss.

“Myself, I only passed through here on the way to the Tower. The other times that I’ve been out,” he considered his Survival Test and the requirement that he seek aid from no one, and also the night he and his companions set out to track those who had gone missing, “I’ve taken a different path. But this is the most direct route to the mountains.”

As they rode on, alternating between a trot and a walk to keep their mounts from tiring, he returned to her question about the White Tower. Light! What did he really know about Aes Sedai from either tower? The main difference, as far as he could tell, was their attitude towards males who could channel. The Sisters he had met from the White Tower did not seem much different than those he knew in the Grey, and he told her as much.

“I hope I don’t offend, Betrys, as I speak in general terms and not about you personally, but most of the Aes Sedai I’ve met have an aloofness about them. Yes, they do good work, granted that, but the men would still keep their distance when possible. Those of us in the Warder Yard do not feel that way, of course,” he added hastily, not wishing to give the wrong impression.

The road was gradually increasing in its elevation as they entered the foothills of the Mountains of Mist. The sense of wrongness he had felt in Elman’s Creek seemed to grow stronger the closer they got to the mountains. And yet he saw nothing out of the ordinary in their surroundings. Stay alert, man he cautioned himself.

While it was tempting to stop at each and every point of this trip (and indeed why not?) as there was no rush to reach their final destination but at the same time Betrys wanted to see her former home and her family again. All of them, even if her siblings had often been the worse when it came to teasing, cruel words and general mischief that they had created in her life during her time among all of them. So while she recognised that it was a mix of her excitement and the obvious worry that existed in respect of the sort of welcome which might be waiting for her at the other end - still she didn't want to not go back.

That would be a reaction born of fear and little good came out of such things "Yer one for books and learning about the past it seems. I was a poor student beyond what interested me and much of it was far better gained with my hands buried in the earth" she commented, while she might have been any kind of student Betrys had always liked and appreciated a good story. That much hadn't changed and was unlikely to do so anytime soon "I suppose it explains why Hama Valon is happy enough to hae us visiting even with some of the antics that must result" Betrys wasn't about to admit getting involved with a bar fight while there seeking out her friend but she seriously doubted that it was the first time something like that had happened there.

"...yer nae likely to offend me Prew. I can stand a description of aloof and there are good reasons to maintain that distance, some I am certain are obvious and others, others are more personal" she was new to the shawl and the way of being an Aes Sedai but that didn't lessen her ability to be one of those distant Sisters just like all the others who were graduates of the Towers "I'd hope they don't, it wouldnae be any good thing for such tae exist between an Aes Sedai and her Warder" at least that was what she'd imagine was the case. Betrys had not sought out a permanent arrangement, perhaps she never would. It wasn't a desperate need, but it seemed wrong to pluck out people at random whenever her wanderlust struck.

For the time being she pushed the thought away "I didn't expect it tae be do cold..." she pulled her clothes tighter around herself, not yet keen to draw on the One Power for protection - it wasn't that bad and it also didn't feel...right. While Betrys shivered there was a wrong associated with the sensation.