Rialt had been looking through the rare books section for close to an hour and a half searching. Always, even if he was no longer the Rei al’N’Dore al’Mordero, and had not been for the last twenty or so years, he still liked to learn more about his craft. The creator saw fit to gift him with the task of healing others, and for the past century and a half, he spent his time learning its ins and outs, and did what he could to attain more knowledge in it. Always there was more to learn he deduced and had been taught as he was a child, before he ever came to the Black Tower, and before he ever joined the Andoran Army. The books in that particular room were old and tattered, some of them very old, and some of them, very new. He himself had actually written three books, two of which had copies stored in that very room. Running his hand over the binding, he turned his head to read the words in gold lettering, Studies in Combat Healing, Asha’man Rialt Erydinan. He took hold of the book and pulled it out. It wasn’t particularly thick, nor was it incredibly tiny. He had written it over eighty years ago, thus the pages of the book were a bit yellowed from age, but it still retained its original flair. The side of the book had a burn on it, and deduced someone else had checked it out. So someone is actually interested in this old junk…

Smiling to himself, he placed it back on the shelf and continued his search through the various texts that lined the wall of the back room in the library. I know there is a back room to this damn place, the Librarians are simply holding out on me. He scowled. Browns were no good sometimes, too enamored with menial things. Giving up on the idea of assaulting one of the browns himself, he thumbed through a book on herbs, and finding elementary lists, he threw it back on the shelf. His eyes locked on a new one though, “Spirit in the Age of Legends.” Frowning, he took it off the shelf and flipped through. “How is it, that I manage to miss the most obvious of books after hundreds of years living in this Light forsaken place…” He leaned against one of the bookshelves, the wood creaking in response to his weight, and began to read the first page. Silence stretched into the somewhat small room he occupied, the occasional woman or man wandering past. One of the Librarians inquired if he needed anything and he responded with a curt no, and she went on her way. Hearing the rustling of pages he looked towards the front of the room, and caught sight of the familiar form of Edeleas.

The man had disappeared for years before he mysteriously returned, acting as if nothing at all had happened in his absence and that his sudden disappearance was nothing out of the ordinary. He had said nothing of his departure and not a single trace was found of him. He clearly remembered the day he had personally raised Edeleas to the rank of Asha’man. The boy…now a man really, had been so proud…and so had Rialt. He had poured much of his energy into teaching and training the boy, and he now felt as if none of it had benefited the Tower or him for that matter. He called Edeleas a friend, and now…something had changed over the years that he had been away from the Tower. Something inside of him was not the same anymore. His innocence had been lost, something that always eventually happened to every Asha’man…and he had lost almost all sense of humor. He had been active and creative, interested and very impressionable, but he was none of that now. Now he was hard, and cold. Rialt was used to cold, but from this man, he did not ever expect it. He treated Rialt with an indifference that was barely tolerable, and Rialt had said nothing to him as of late about the matter. Studying Edeleas for a moment, Rialt shook his head in disappointment and went back to reading.

There was a loud crash as the goblet made of finely spun glass hit the far wall of the room. Edeleas watched impassively as the glass shattered into millions of tiny bits, ignoring the throbbing pain that was coming from his right hand, which was torn open. Blood gushed out from the four-inch cut on his palm, dripping onto the Tairen carpet of mazes and parallel-veined leaves on the floor. But he didn't give a damn, it was as if he was under the Ko'Di, where all else was distant except the sense of himself. Edeleas turned his blonde head slowly, to the tottering piles of books onto his pell-mell desk. All the books were of the subject of Age of Legends Healing, but still, nothing was able to provide him an answer...He frowned and bit his lower lip. Still no answer, no matter what he tried to do. No hope for him everywhere, it seemed.

That dark day was still seared hotly in his mind, that accursed day he could clearly see as if someone was plastering his eyes with pastel drawings. That day in Andor, where Rakim Pengar had revealed his treason and took him to Shayol Ghul. Tore away his soul, and slowly broke him down from the inside, until slowly, after losing all hope, he lost. And his loss made him into the thing he is, a hollow shell of what he once was, of what he was that he could not even remember himself. How he longed to remember, to come back, to return...to be able to cleanse his soul...

Striding from his office, Edeleas proceeded to the Library, ignoring the bleeding hand. Soldiers, Dedicated and other Asha'man attempted to approach him, but he fended them all off with a shout. Edeleas knew his was a bad reputation among the senior members of the Black Tower, but what was that to his real problem? And the cour'souvra nightmare repeating itself to him night by night was not helpful. He had to do something. Even Freyja was not able to come up with an answer. If he had to spend his whole life in the library just to search for a tiny clue, then he would...

And then he found himself in the place, roaming around the bookshelves, ignoring the offers of help and thus earning himself a frown and a sullen mutter or two. He did not listen. All he wanted was to get back his soul. His hope...he still had fragments of it left. He walked by the shelves and nearly doubled back at the sight of a person he vaguely remembered. Rialt. At least the name still came out when he summoned it. Bleeding hand dripping, Edeleas doubled back and approached the man.

"I beg your pardon, but can I ask you something?" He said in a flat voice.

Ooc – I just did what I figured would be natural for Rialt, if you think that Edeleas would refuse healing from him, just let me know and I’ll change it. I apologize if I have done something with your character that you don’t agree with. BTW, still rather short, but that’s ok. Once we get into it, they’ll be longer, like they normally are.

"I beg your pardon, but can I ask you something?” Rialt heard a rather impassive voice ask of him. He raised his head to look at the person asking the question and was rather surprised to find Edeleas looking at him. He made sure that his face was completely unfeeling, empty and devoid of all emotion. He would not let a simple think like a facial expression reveal what he was really thinking. He would never tell the boy, he had vowed the day he had returned, it would reveal weakness. He did care about Edeleas, even now after he had changed so much; the old mannerisms and person attached themselves to his mind without fail. Rialt could not get rid of it, for some reason, he knew, simply knew that somewhere inside of the flat and cold exterior Edeleas showed the world, that he was still alive. For now though, he was the unemotional shell. Looking him up and down, Rialt noticed a few scars here and there that had not been in place when he was still training to become Asha’man. He had done something in his time away from the tower that constituted more than simply seeing the world. That excuse, Rialt would never believe, no matter how emphatically Edeleas claimed its validity. Bringing his gaze up and down quickly, he noted the freely flowing blood from the Master of Soldiers hand. He instantly took hold of the Source, instinct stronger than his desire to turn away from his old mentee.

“I do hope that you are not foolish enough to try and find a book on healing yourself, I assure you, it is quite an impossibility. You require healing, would you allow me?” He always asked permission before he healed. He would consider it an invasion of his personal space if someone did it to him, and therefore, refused to do it to anyone else. He waited for a nod or shake of the head, and receiving the nod, he took Edeleas’ hand in his own. His own hands seemed to dwarf Edeleas’; he was a large man, he knew, and Edeleas was not. Inspecting the cut, he noted that it had been caused by some manner of knife…or jagged edge, and after discovering how deep it went, he took hold of the familiar flows of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit and quickly stitched the boy back together. Man, Rialt…he is not a boy any longer. He looked over Edeleas’ hand silently; there was no trace of the wound that had been there a moment ago, except the blood that had been flowing out of the cut. “Now, what was you’re question Edeleas? You should know that I will always help a brother in need.” He said the words without any hint of annoyance or scolding. The word brother he used to speak to other Asha’man, and Edeleas was effectively, his brother now. He wondered what Edeleas had been doing to cut himself in such a manner, but put it out of his mind quickly.

Letting go of the Power, his senses returned to their previous status, the dull world returning to its drab normality. Sometimes, he simply liked to hold the True Source in his grasp, battling it and feeling its sweet intoxication all at once. Always Saidin was a battle, but it was one Rialt was certain he would always be able to win. Years of experience with it had taught him well. Right at the moment though, Rialt let it go, letting the normality of the world sink back into his consciousness, all the while watching and studying Edeleas. He studied Edeleas, his mannerism, his demeanor. Any one thing could instantly tell Rialt what had happened. But Edeleas revealed not a sinlge thing to him. He was blank…almost like reading an empty book. Averting his gaze, he took the book he had been reading in hand and placed it on the shelf he had been leaning on a moment ago, waiting for the Master of Soldiers to respond with an answer.

ooc - it's fine by me, and i like it!

“I do hope that you are not foolish enough to try and find a book on healing yourself, I assure you, it is quite an impossibility. You require healing, would you allow me?”

The statement shocked Edeleas for a bit, and he actually took a moment to search for whatever Rialt meant he would need Healed. He saw his bleeding hand, and he actually gave a start at the sight of it. Now, the awareness shattered the Ko'Di, and pain racked up and down his arm, but this was not his first encounter with pain, and he could say pain was one of his closest friends. He looked at the blood he trailed - it even led out of the library and into the open corridor. Edeleas wondered why he could have forgotten such an affliction; perhaps he got it when he hurled the glass goblet out frustration in his office earlier. Meeting Rialt's eyes, he nodded simply and allowed the taller man to take his hand.

The familiar weave of basic Healing settled into him, and Edeleas felt nothing more but a spasm down his arm when Rialt had finished with him. Another old but pieced memory tickled his hollow mind. Rialt had always liked to Heal; it was his Talent and his life. But apart from that, Edeleas could not remember being Healed by this man at all from the distant past. Maybe he was responsible for his blurry gaze? No matter. He was here to ask questions, and maybe some particulars of Healing. Somehow he knew Rialt was bonded, and maybe he could also give particulars about that. Only, Edeleas had to be careful in asking. A wrong slip and someone might actually puzzle out what he was on about. He could not risk revealing the purpose of his questions. No. Not yet.

“Now, what was you’re question Edeleas? You should know that I will always help a brother in need.” Truly? Help a brother in need, even though he has been swallowed by the thing you have sworn to fight until your last breath? Will you really, Rialt? Will you? Will you...? Edeleas shouted in his mind, but his face could have made a stone flinch for all the expression found on it.

Edeleas reached out with his newly mended hand and pulled out a random book from the shelf beside him. He flipped open the pages, scanning, and then returned the tome when he found out the subject was quite boring. He looked at Rialt again. "I wanted to know if you know of something about the particulars of bonding? I read from a book once that it was once considered as a form of Healing, but I would like a Healer's point of view with it. Can you tell me of your opinions on the matter?" That word shouldn't be any harm, he thought. He only asked a little, and somehow he knew Rialt knew he had been curious from the very beginning. He hoped that somehow, Rialt had an answer. A tiny ray of light in the middle of a storm.

Edeleas reached over to the bookcase and pulled out a book from the shelf, flipping through the pages silently. He looked back and forth from page to page, and finding nothing to his interest, he turned back to Rialt and spoke. "I wanted to know if you know of something about the particulars of bonding?” Bonding? What does healing have to do with that? Rialt watched as Edeleas gathered his thoughts and continued, I read from a book once that it was once considered as a form of Healing, but I would like a Healer's point of view with it. Can you tell me of your opinions on the matter?" Healing…It’s not nearly the same thing though… He should have tried to find a book on..well I suppose there are no books on it. Bonding was something that the Black and White Towers kept under their wings and off of the radar. That was how they wanted it. He studied Edeleas for a moment before answering. Who would he bond? He has spoken to no one, and has had no real friends since he came back to the Towers.

“I would tell you to find a book on Bonding, but there probably isn’t one. The bond’s benefits to the Gaidin are fairly well known, longer-life, slower aging, and they retain more strength, keener senses as I hear from Kiren.” Edeleas seemed to shift at her name. He should know who she was by now. “For Channelers, that particular perk you will have to find out on your own. But in terms of healing…” He paused for a moment, his face contorting into concentration. “It does keep the Gaidin from dying of what normally would kill a man, and it also benefits in terms of healing them more. The bond itself, the weaves placed on both parties is what causes that. It is said that the Gaidin are less likely to die of a fatal wound if bonded…” He stopped speaking. Edeleas, while his face was completely empty, seemed to be listening far more intently to this than he normally would have. “Why do you want to know?” His question seemed to come out of no where really, but Rialt wanted to know why Edeleas cared so much about something that would not really pertain to him. “I do not recall how you are with healing, but not only are you not a part of the N’Dore, you don’t heal exceptionally well….” It sounded like an insult really, but it was not meant to be. Why does he NOW show interest in something? This is the first he has spoken to me outside of his duties, and it is not even to apologize for his absence.

For years, Rialt had been bothered by the disappearance of Edeleas. He had personally raised his former mentee to Asha’man of Dieb Cha, and the next morning, the boy had been gone. He heard not a whisper of where he went, or what had happened to him. His first instinct was foul play, but no strange activity had been reported the evening that he had been appointed. There were no traveling residues at all from Saidin, it was as if he had walked into his room that night, and vanished. Rialt had personally led a small group of Asha’man to surrounding towns and had even gone to Edeleas’ hometown of Cairhien to see if the boy had run home. They had not seen him since he had left years before, but were quite shocked to find a contingent of Asha’man inquiring about their recently appointed Dieb Cha family member. Edeleas had left home though, Rialt knew that…but it would not have been the first time that an Aes Sedai or Asha’man had tried to make amends with their former life before living their new one.

He had searched for close to three months before he gave up, and waited for news of the boys return or death. After two years, he had resigned the boy to an unknown death and he put his failed prodigy out of his mind. Very few men he had trained with such fully realized potential as Edeleas’, and even fewer than that Rialt was fond of. He would never admit it to anyone, but for a long while after the boy disappeared, he blamed the disappearance on himself, contributed it to the Shadow or the boys low ability physically. When he had shown up years later in the M’Hael’s office, out of the blue, Rialt was so consumed with anger that he had struck the boy down physically. Since then, they spoke to each other rarely, and if they did, it was with straight faces and empty voices. The boy’s reasoning behind his disappearance for so many years was complete fodder, it had to be. Or at least it was so vauge and so twisted in its wording that it was at least partially true. It had to be, the boy had sworn on the oath rod. Rialt had done it himself. There was no way the boy could be lying.

So every time he ran into Edeleas now, he said nothing only if he was spoken to, or if responsibility to the tower called for conversation. And now, after their complete ignorance of one another, the newly appointed Master of Soldiers wanted to know more about bonding… Not only did Rialt find the question completely out of the ordinary for him, he was slightly insulted that the only thing Edeleas could speak to him about was his work, or channeling. Not a word of what he had done while he had been away, not a word of why he had never informed the Tower of his dealings, and not a single uttering of why he was avoiding Rialt. And he was, Rialt knew he was avoiding him, could sense it from a mile away if he needed to.

He shook his head suddenly and right before Edeleas was about to answer, “Why do you ask me now of healing and bonding when you have said not one word to me since you have returned to the Towers? I could easily stand here and recite thousands of facts about healing, the procedures, the weaves to heal whatever ailment you throw at me, but none of it would do you or I any good in terms of how you have been avoiding me since you arrived. You have changed much since I last knew you Edeleas and I want to know why.” He stared at the short Cairheinian man before him, waiting for some semblance of an answer. The response was something he had been waiting to hear since he had first saw the mass of blonde hair saluting before the M’Hael the day he had returned.

ooc - Eek! Length! 0.o *dies*

He has to have an answer, Edeleas fought his instinct to break down, cry and grab Rialt's collar ruthlessly, his arms at limp by his sides, his face blanker than blank. He has to have an answer! He has to! Light, he is the only one I have to turn to! He's the only one who can understand - must understand! He has to help me! He has to understand I didn't want everything of this! I never wanted this! No! Never! He raged within himself, his voice bouncing at the faraway corners of his own demented mind. He listened sharply to whatever Rialt might tell him, his mind fully focused as if in the Ko'Di, ready to sift out even the tiniest detail. Rialt was already speaking.

“I would tell you to find a book on Bonding, but there probably isn’t one. The bond’s benefits to the Gaidin are fairly well known, longer-life, slower aging, and they retain more strength, keener senses as I hear from Kiren. For Channelers, that particular perk you will have to find out on your own. But in terms of healing…It does keep the Gaidin from dying of what normally would kill a man, and it also benefits in terms of healing them more. The bond itself, the weaves placed on both parties is what causes that. It is said that the Gaidin are less likely to die of a fatal wound if bonded…Why do you want to know? I do not recall how you are with healing, but not only are you not a part of the N’Dore, you don’t heal exceptionally well…."

Edeleas ignored the remark. He racked his mind for an answer, a tolerable excuse. I must be careful, lest he finds out I am no longer bound by that stupid Oath Rod. He remembered, when he regained consciousness that time long ago. He woke up in the middle of pain, pain far greater than death, pain that seemed to tear his soul from what he was, and in the process destroy what was all about him. The oath unraveling from his body was enough to kill him, the intensity and the agony of it all, lifting lifting... he knew he was screaming, he could feel his throat wanting to rip up on its own....and then it was over. In the place of the oaths another new thing had been set, and that new thing deleting most of what he was. He could not even remember who he was, when he first landed back down in the middle of the full circle. It took him a whole month to remember his own name. The touch of the Great Lord, that was what it was. And he could not do anything except obey. Obey, or die, and die a damned soul for all eternity. He obeyed because he wanted to live, live and find a way back into the Light.

He was just about to answer, but Rialt got there first. “Why do you ask me now of healing and bonding when you have said not one word to me since you have returned to the Towers? I could easily stand here and recite thousands of facts about healing, the procedures, the weaves to heal whatever ailment you throw at me, but none of it would do you or I any good in terms of how you have been avoiding me since you arrived. You have changed much since I last knew you Edeleas and I want to know why.”

So he wants to know, does he? Edeleas reached up and gave his glasses a push. But then, another realization that very nearly wanted him to balefire something. I could easily stand here and recite thousands of facts about healing, the procedures, the weaves to heal whatever ailment you throw at me So. He could Heal whatever then? Then his eyes... Edeleas had to bite down the inside of his cheek. He met Rialt's gaze, and he would not have wondered if that gaze contained fire. "Why do you give a damn where I went, Rialt? I was already Asha'man then. I am free to do whatever I wanted from that moment on, except break my Oath. What good would it do you, really, by knowing where I want? It is of no import. What is of great import is my question. Well, which obviously you have no answer for." His heart seemed to die again as he said that. "You would excuse me, as I still have matters to attend to." So saying he made to turn on his heels and leave.

ooc -- not the longest response in the world, but it should do for now. Feel free to do what you want in this thread, make it interesting :D


Edeleas gazed at Rialt uncaring, unfeeling, no manner of emotions betraying anything on his face. He was a rock, everything that Rialt had trained him to become, he had…and more. He was so unmoving in his regard to the to the world around him that he had no real emotion except that of anger. Anger that he did not let out, and allowed no one to see. Rialt could point out the change that must have happened to the boy. He had gone through something in his absence. Not one man had changed so entirely from Dedicated to Asha’man as Edeleas had. The day of his raising, he had acted the same curious but disciplined self that Rialt had known for years. When he had been raised and had walked out of the room with a relief etched on his face, along with an incomparable look of accomplishment, Rialt had never seen him look so happy. He earned his title, and then….he threw it all away when he left. His allegiance must have not meant anything at all anymore; otherwise his unexplained absence never would have took place, nor his reasons for departure. But, as much as Rialt did not want to admit it, he was Asha’man, and as such, he was entitled to do as he wanted… But not for seven flaming years!!

The attitude the Master of Soldiers was displaying towards him now though was not something he could easily understand. What had happened that had made him become something entirely different. He offered no manner of explanation, and even expected Rialt to carry on with no questions at all. But Edeleas had another thing coming to him if he thought Rialt accepted that type of treatment from his Asha’man. Edeleas was the Master of Soldiers, and ruled the Soldiers and Dedicated, but years and years of service and dedication had made Rialt the Seeker for a reason, and he ruled over the Asha’man as much, if not more than Edeleas ever would over the Soldiers and Dedicated. It was not something he must have believed though when he responded, his tone was ice and low anger, “"Why do you give a damn where I went, Rialt? I was already Asha'man then. I am free to do whatever I wanted from that moment on, except break my Oath.” Rialt’s temper flared outwards toward the blonde man. His face straight, and expression harder than his former mentee’s. What good would it do you, really, by knowing where I went? It is of no import. What is of great import is my question. Well, which obviously you have no answer for."

The Dieb Cha turned on his heel to leave, but he had gone too far. Before he even thought about what he was doing, Rialt outstretched his hand and grabbed Edeleas by the shoulder, shoving him hard and angrily into the bookshelf. He thudded into the old wood and a few of the books fell off of their shelves, the others loosening in their places. He raised his voice slightly, “Don’t you dare walk away from me when I question you Edeleas.” He spat the name angrily. The quiet voices in the library broke off suddenly at his shout and did not start back up. One of the Librarians peeked inside, but in assessing the situation, quickly left when she saw Rialt’s face. His arm held the smaller man in place firmly, “You will answer my flaming questions when I ask them. I want to know why you were gone, I want to know why you changed into the mess of a man you are today. Where did your pride and your strength go? Your reserve to learn? You do none of it now, you do not contribute to the Tower at all.” He went quiet for a moment. “You do not speak to me at all Edeleas, you have completely turned your back on me. You are not my enemy, stop trying to be one!!”

He wanted to take hold of the Source, force the answers out of the man. He could if wanted, he knew the forbidden weave, but here? In a small branch of the library? He could not, or he would forfeit everything he had worked for. Edeleas would not take that from him. His reserve was unwavering, he wanted to know what had happened to the man before him, and he was not going to leave until he retained that knowledge in its entirety.

ooc - this is short too. *kicks stupid LoA*


“You will answer my flaming questions when I ask them. I want to know why you were gone, I want to know why you changed into the mess of a man you are today. Where did your pride and your strength go? Your reserve to learn? You do none of it now, you do not contribute to the Tower at all.” Rialt went quiet for a moment. “You do not speak to me at all Edeleas, you have completely turned your back on me. You are not my enemy, stop trying to be one!!”

Edeleas was trying hard not to bite his lower lip. Pain erupted from his left shoulder, where he had slammed the hardest against the bookshelf. And his glasses were standing askew on his nose too, so that his right eye was completely blurry but his left eye saw Rialt's hateful face with crystal clarity. He glared back at Rialt and reached up to straighten up his glasses. He spoke, in a strained voice. "Let me go, Rialt." The man would not budge, instead glared right back at him. "I SAID LET ME GO!" Edeleas shouted now.

Gathering his strength, he quickly grabbed Rialt by the collar, Sword and Dragon pins digging into his hands, and proceeded to push the man off him, which was quite easy regarding the extra strength the Great Lord's Touch had given him. Now it was Rialt's turn to slam into the adjacent bookshelves and knock over books out of their shelves. But Edeleas knew this was far from being over. Rialt was quickly on his feet again, anger fully displayed onto his face. Edeleas was ready, he was quick.

Touching saidin and quickly weaving Spirit, he slammed a full shield against Rialt and wrapped him tight with Air so that he was immobile. Edeleas knew Rialt was stronger, that he could eventually break the shield, but he did not give a damn about it all right now. He glared at his mentor, his response coming out as a shout from his mouth. He seemed to want to go on shouting forever.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE A DAMN WHERE I WENT! IT IS OF NO IMPORTANCE! IT IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS! STOP TREATING ME AS IF I WAS YOUR FRIEND! I WAS NEVER YOUR FRIEND SO STOP MAKING ME ONE!" He hollered back. He could only vaguely notice the eerie silence in the library now. Edeleas released the flow of Air but not the Shield. His breathing came from ragged gasps. The Shadow take him, but he wished one of the Chosen would come right now and give the go signal for the first step of his mission! How he wished it so! He could not bear to be in the same place as....!

Edeleas staggered back, blinking, and he could taste blood from within his mouth. Rialt had hit him. Again.

Ooc – if you have any questions about what happens at the end of this post, let me know and I will clarify my response.

Rialt made sure that the pressure kept up on Edeleas’ arm, lest he try to hit Rialt like he had when they had first seen each other after his absence. He wanted answers, and there was no way that Edeleas was going to leave that small library room until he told Rialt everything that he wanted to know. He was going to tell Rialt why he had disappeared the night of his raising, why he told no one, why he had put on a cold exterior and guise of an uncaring and unfriendly man when he had once been so very different. He had once been a friend, and now he was little more than a man he was forced to have a co-existence with. The outward hostility that he held for the man was always under leash, always it was reined in a controlled very closely. Sometimes he wanted to simply strike the man for being what he was, but he could not conceivably do so without reprisal or embarrassment on his part. It was a part of his life he had to deal with, even more than he normally would want to. But now, the anger was something he was not willing to retain any longer. It was bother him until the end of his days, he was the second most powerful man in the world, and It was time this insolent goatkisser understood that. It wasn’t even just a play on power, or who was more powerful, it was respect between allies that Edeleas held none of. If nothing worked with Edeleas, then perhaps force and anger would.

His voice was a notch just below shouting, and his features were hard as he addressed the man he held firmly to the wall, but the reaction he received was anything but what he had wanted. The blonde form before him glared at him angrily but calmly said, "Let me go, Rialt." He budged not an inch and let none of the pressure release from his arm. "I SAID LET ME GO!" He shouted at Rialt in anger and hatred. He pushed at Rialt, but would not budge. He felt hands grab his collar, his pins being smashed into Edeleas’ hands, and he shoved with all of his might. Rialt stumbled backwards, catching his balance before he went sprawling in a mess onto the floor, but the bookshelf was there before he stopped the motion. He slammed into it harshly and books fell haphazardly to the floor in bunches. His backside erupted into a dull thud of pain, but Rilat ignored it. He could only feel anger.

Rialt moved away from the books quickly to intercept Edeleas, and could barely keep the shock from his face as he felt the other man wrap him up in weaves of Spirit. He had, in such a short moment in time, took hold of Saidin and enclosed Rialt in waves of Spirit. The shield that he found upon himself was thick, and it was well done. He wavered in the air, seething. He shook from the inside with a hatred that he could only briefly compare with that he shared towards darkfriends. His arms were pinned at his side, his clothing stuck to his body. He could not move a finger, and he hated Edeleas for it. Not once in recent memory had he been so outraged. The wall of air that bound him was unthinkable, but the shield that kept him from touching any manner of the power was treason. He instinctively began to feel along its lines, the separate weavings that made up its extremities. Edeleas knew he was working on it, had to know that Rialt would not allow him to do such a thing. Had Rialt been holding the Power firmly in his grasp, Edeleas would never have been able to get a shield over him.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE A DAMN WHERE I WENT! IT IS OF NO IMPORTANCE! IT IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS!” Edeleas screamed at him in outrage, “STOP TREATING ME AS IF I WAS YOUR FRIEND! I WAS NEVER YOUR FRIEND SO STOP MAKING ME ONE!" It was a lie, a complete lie. He could not fake who he had once been, no man so unfeeling could fake such a feeling. Rialt would have known, would never have allowed himself to get close to his mentee if he thought that Edeleas had acted falsely. “YOU WILL DROP YOUR HOLD ON SAIDIN BOY , OR YOU WILL WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN.” He yelled at Edeleas, just as angrily, as he carefully snapped one thread on his shield. Silence echoed into the room, nothing coming in from the main library, nor from the small room the two occupied. The flows of air released him suddenly, and Rialt took the chance immediately. He quickly snapped through the remaining weaves that held while the Asha’man was distracted and took hold of it fiercely.
Edeleas’ expression turned from that of anger to shock.

He is nothing anymore, Rialt. He is lower than dirt! He deserves not one ounce of your sympathy!!!!! His mind echoed at him dangerously, his ferocity only fueled by the raging of Saidin in his grasp. He was not going to loose its tantalizing allure again, not to the man before him. “TRAITOROUS DARKFRIEND!!!!” He wove without thinking, the implications, the complexity not even touching upon his consciousness. Only one thing mattered, Edeleas was going to speak whether he wanted to or not. He was going to reveal what he had done the past six years if Rialt had to kill him! He wove the threads together, a mold of spirit and unfamiliarity. He had never touched them, never worked them…and there he stood in the midst of the library wielding Sadin in rage, and slammed the forbidden weaves towards Edeleas’ shocked form. They hit the boy as intended, but Rialt saw none of it.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” The sound of his own voice barely registered in his mind as he felt himself falling, falling towards the floor. He gripped his mind…no….his…head? and tried to hold onto it. The weaves blinded him, the mass of threads suffocating him and shoving their weight on his form. He hit the floor with a thud, and the confused starts and voices from the library never reached his ears. He could do nothing but scream, or at least…try to scream as the horribly mutilated weave of compulsion hit Rialt’s mind like a bolt of lightning. The ferocity of it, echoed the same anger Rialt had felt when he had formed it, the malicious intent molding it and twisting it. He had never practiced it, he had merely learned of it before he stored the weave in his mind. And now it was ripping apart his mind.

He was sprawled out on the floor, his mouth open, but nothing issuing forth from it. The noise was unbearable, a high pitched ringing that never ceased to end. He did not hear the anguished cry of Edeleas as the other man hit the floor seconds after he himself had done so foolish a thing. The presence of Saidin was a torrent, neither healing nor helping Rialt as the powerful weave of mutilated compulsion worked into him. It was not even compulsion, it was something more. He could not let go of the source, could not stop fueling the weave he had created.

“YOU WILL DROP YOUR HOLD ON SAIDIN BOY , OR YOU WILL WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN.”

Edeleas glared, and he wouldn't have been surprised if sparks of flame came out of his eyes. He had not expected to feel so angry, so enraged...the last time he barely had his temper under control was when an unexpected burst of puny little Ayyad streamed down unexpectedly into their stronghold. It was mass chaos. The earth was split open, and bolts upon bolts of molten rock shot out of the fissure he created to go smash full force into their enemies. He was using an angreal then, and they did not stand a chance. Not at all. Now he looked at the man before him, and he could feel his whole self trembling with white-hot rage. I can kill him now... the thought kept repeating itself inside his head. I can kill him now and get it over with...so I can leave this hateful place forever and forget all about it...it would be so very simple...a weave I've used countless times...He wouldn't feel it...it would be swift...

That was when he felt the quick sting of pain as Rialt broke a thread of his weave, and Edeleas felt his eyes widen. How dare he! He thought. I don't give a damn...I'LL KILL HIM NOW! Still touching the male half of the True Source, Edeleas started to weave the forbidden thing... intricate laces of Fire and Earth mingled with braids of Air...once the weave settled onto the other man, it was just impossible to save him... Edeleas would crush his vital organs in one swift blow, and it would all be over. How many times had he done this? Nobody survived this weave...a weave he made himself...a weave that formed from inside his mind just as the Dreadlords were slowly destroying him from within, weakening his resolve to make him one of them....!

And then, Time seemed to stop.

“TRAITOROUS DARKFRIEND!!!!”

Rialt's voice went through Edeleas' defenses, shattering the Ko'Di he had assumed to prepare for the final blow. The Dieb Cha staggered back, his eyes now displaying shock and horror. Saidin fled from his grasp, and he looked at Rialt in alarm. How can he know...? Impossible! He cannot know! He cannot know what I am! Preposterous! He had not the least idea what happened to me - what I had to endure! It is impossible he should know! Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! The last word came as a frightened scream from within the depths of his tattered mind. But still Rialt's words echoed in his head.

TRAITOROUS DARKFRIEND!!!!

Edeleas gasped as he felt his Shield destroyed, and then as if all the clocks came to work again but this time, the speed of the seconds was doubled - nay, tripled. He barely had time to sense what Rialt was doing - he took saidin into him quickly, clumsily, just enough to see the weaves Rialt was already forming out of his rage. Edeleas felt his heart miss a beat as he recognized the weave. It was something he used countless times before, and as such, he knew the dangers of being snared by it. Compulsion! How dare he! I must intercept him - I must - AHHHHHH!!!! But there was simply no time. Quickly, Edeleas clumsily wove Air and Earth, and wrapped the coccoon around him - but Rialt's badly-woven Compulsion shattered through his weave. Edeleas felt sheer pain, but then, Rialt was already screaming.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!”

Hah! Stupid, bloody flaming idiot! Does he really think he can do Compulsion just as easily -! But the sneering thought did not last long. His coccoon managed to prevent the faulty Compulsion from reaching his mind, but then, it slammed into the other parts of his body. His knees shook badly, and before he could grab onto some bookshelf, he fell too, just beside Rialt, who was now clutching his head and still screaming his throat out. Edeleas raised a jerky hand to push back his glasses into place.

"The Light burn you forever," Edeleas hissed as he took saidin again and commenced with his killing weave, putting threads together deftly. "Your mentee died six years ago, and now you're going to join him too!" The weave was completed. He would only need to let it sink into the other man and pull a thread...then everything would snap together into a gruesome end.

(( OOC - whoa! about time I joined in. Correct me if I say something wrong))

Somewhere in the smaller sections of the library it sounded like a fight was starting. Valarian shook his head slowly and hoped there was someone of library personnel to guide the troublemakers to the Master of Students. He heard a voice shouting. It troubled Valarian that soldiers sometimes fought about a dispute in general, leave alone in the library, a place of knowledge and study. After a few seconds he put down the book. Apparently the fighting students were there without supervision. He would have to talk about this with the Librarian later.

The fight quickly turned into screams, and Valarian could here the creaking of bookcases being hit while he walked to the compartment the sound came from. On the way there he started to feel very worried as he heard those were not the voices of adolescents. They were grown man fighting. The voices sounded familiar, but he couldn't exactly make out who they were or what they were yelling about. This was very irresponsible, and inappropriate behavior. Then suddenly he stopped breathing. Valarian could feel one touch the one power, and realized this couldn’t just be a dispute on different opinions. He started running toward the place, cursing because he would have to cross half the library to get there. In the corridor an accepted curiously looked in the direction the noise was coming from, apparently trying to hear what the fight was about. "Move away." he commanded her bluntly. He tried to grasp the seriousness of the situation when he heard one of the voices was Rialt. He could hear what he was yelling now. “YOU WILL DROP YOUR HOLD ON SAIDIN BOY, OR YOU WILL WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN.” They were both using saidin. And they were serious, not holding back at all. Valarian couldn't think of any curses anymore. This scene would become catastrophic for the Black Tower's reputation. He touched Saidin, ready to channel, knowing he would need it.

“TRAITOROUS DARKFRIEND!!!! ...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” Valarian ran as fast as he could, jumping over tables when they stood in his way. When he finally got to the separate room he walked into an incomprehensible scene. Rialt was lying on the floor; his eyes opened wide, saidin rushing through him. He was trembling, with an expression of horror on his face. It seemed like he wanted to speak but couldn't. The other man in the room was Edeleas, weaving something deadly. His face looked like that of a madman, and he was speaking as if he were exhaling fire, anger and hate in his expression and his voice. Too far gone in his rage he didn't see Valarian.".... died six years ago, and now you're going to join him too!" Before Edeleas could back up those words Valarian's weave of air smacked the Master of Students into the wall in the blink of an eye. Holding on to the weave and strengthening it he let the man hang in front of him. He had to shield them both! At this point Edeleas seemed to be the biggest threat but he couldn't take chances with Rialt either. The Madhi seemed to be unable to fight the shield, and it didn't take much effort to keep him shielded. Edeleas seemed to have some left and put up a fight before Valarian could hold the grasp, at least for this moment.

Valarian was known for his steady calmness. Rarely people would ever see him show emotion, but now he was furious, and didn't bother trying to keep a straight face. Since Rialt seemed to be incapable of speech at the moment he addressed Edeleas, "Why in the creator's name are you two goat licking idiots trying to kill each other?! I have no words for this! What is going on?!" No explanation could be good enough off course, but he had to understand what happened before taking further action. They had to get out of here as soon as possible, and deal with this in private.

ooc - Sorry this is short. Had a class to go to.



I will kill you! I WILL KILL YOU! Edeleas shouted in his mind as he raised the final form of the lethal thing he had been weaving; the intricate laces winding over each other in a beautifully deceiving pattern. As he was just about to put it into Rialt, who was now lying defenseless on the floor, he briefly sensed saidin somewhere in the library, and just as he turned to face who had been channeling - obviously to stop him - a solid and rock-hard shroud of air caught his body. There was a furious whirl of air and hair, and Edeleas felt oxygen take leave of his lungs as he slammed into the far wall, held in place by the shroud. Pain racked up the left side of his body, and for a moment his gaze blurred; it seemed everything was spinning. He felt a teardrop trickle down his cheek, and he turned his head, deadened green eyes blazing, to show the intruder what he was looking for -!

He blinked when he realized the lethal net he wove was gone. And then, much to his surprise, a rock-hard shield was barring him and the male half of the True Source. He looked for the intruder, that nasty underling who so dared bother him....and found the Rei al'Aman Val, Asha'man Valarian al'Dera, standing not far from Rialt, looking very scandalized indeed. The Aman Val turned his gaze from Rialt and onto Edeleas. Edeleas glared at him. The man opened his mouth to speak.

"Why in the creator's name are you two goat licking idiots trying to kill each other?! I have no words for this! What is going on?!"

Edeleas took several deep, calming breaths. "He started it!" He spat, nodding angrily toward Rialt, since he could not move. "I was not doing anything wrong. I merely asked him something, and would have gone on my way, but then he decided to get flaming rough with me. I had to fight back! He treats me like a boy, when I obviously am not!" As he spoke he gingerly worked around the Shield Valarian held on him. He found several weak spots, and concentrated on those. But he had to keep the other Asha'man distracted.

"I asked him a simple question," Edeleas continued. "I asked him about some opinion of his according to Bonding being related to Healing. But he answered me with another question, which, I am afraid, is far too personal to be shared with others. I refused to answer, and here he was attacking me. I had to fight back, now, don't I?" Sarcasm dripped his voice. He worked his way against the Shield and snapped a thread. Valarian gave a start, but Edeleas sighed. "For Light's sakes, let me go. I will not channel anymore."

ooc -- I felt the need to respond. Anyway, Kiren is being NPCed here with permission of course. anything you dont understand and I'll clarify it.


As soon as his screaming began, the world dissapeared. Edeleas, whom had been moments away from revealing every question Rialt wanted answers to, was gone. His low and annoyed voice was so far gone from Rialt’s mindset that he felt he had been sitting alone in the back of the library for hours…but then, that too dissapeared from his mind. All he could think of, all that his mind was concentrating on, was the unbelievable and unbearable pain that racked his mind, his body, and he felt, his soul. The world was a giant blur, and all that it contained was pain. Pain upon pain. The moments seemed to stretch onwards into an infinity Rialt had never imagined existed, and a fleeting thought managed to make its way into his mind, This must be death…

But he felt suddenly, the greatest relief of his life. The pain receded to a dull roar, an audible memory and he could hear again, though nothing he heard made much sense. His eyes were open, and had been but now he shut them painfully, the low lights hurting his eyes. He could feel something as well, panic almost, but not from himself. The name came to his mind, Kiren . She was running as fast as her legs would carry her, following the anguished and shattered mind that was her bondmate, he could feel her getting closer. And then, he felt it..the void and emptyness of the whole world, it seemed. Something incredible in his life was missing. The cold floor finally began to seep into his skin, alleviating the searing pain he had only moments ago been feeling. What was it though, what had attacked him? His mind was a jumble, he couldn’t think straight…and something was missing from him.

He moved slightly from his position, but the pain was almost too much, so he simply lay there. Rialt grasped at the thing that seemed to be keeping him from hapiness, but could do nothing against it. Something told him that it was put in place to keep the pain away, but he didn’t think long on it before the blackness returned. Sweet oblivion.

Little did Rialt know what was going on outside. He did not hear when the Rei al’Aman Val entered the room, and certainly in his derranged mindset, did not know that he was alive because of him. The shield he clamped in place dissolved the very weave that was ruining his mind. Kiren burst into the room, weapons at the ready. Without stopping she assessed the situation, the Val holding down another Asha’man, and Rialt upon the floor. He was not dead, simply gone for the moment. Anything to keep him from the pain that he had just felt. She knelt next to him, and bent over, listening for his steady breathing. She inspected his body for any injury, a few bruises, but not from being physically hitten. She looked around the room, books lying on the floor from both shelves and deduced that both men had been thrown against them.

She berated herself mentally for not coming sooner when Rialt’s temper had flared from curiosity and determination to annoyance, and then, intense anger. She stood, her temper controlled easily. She was not a rash woman, as Rialt apparantly had been, and approached the stuttering man before her. Valarian said nothing to her, he knew who she was, but did this…boy? He was hardened, but clearly saidin and the oath rod had not yet worked their magic on him yet, his face was untouched by the mask of agelessness that adorned Rialt as well as many of the other Asha’man and Aes Sedai who resided in the Towers. She thought she vaugly recalled his name, but nothing specific came to mind.

She gripped her short blades loosly, but enough to allow her full capability with them if the need arose suddenly. Everything they had been saying to eachother, she had taken in slowly. The man could not move, he was clearly being held in place with some invisible force, no doubt that of saidin as the look on Valarian’s face suggested. “I don’t know who you are Asha’man, but your answer to Rei Valarian here is complete crap. You had better have a damned good reason for attacking my bondmate, and you had better speak quickly.” Her voice was venom, and her demeanor was that of an animal preparing to attack at any moment. Just give me one wrong answer and you will regret ever having come to the Towers. She wanted to harm him on the spot, but she knew that Rialt would not have it, no matter what the man had done to him. If anything, he would want to be the one to punish this Asha’man. The entire scenario was completely foreign to her though, and she wanted answers. Answers this boy was going to give her, whether he wanted to or not.

Edeleas talked like a child, blaming Rialt for all that had happened. But Valarian clearly heared the undertone in his voice, as the man didn't really try to hide his sarcasm. Valarian couldn't let him go, even if he did believe everything Edeleas said, which he did't. He had seen what the man had been weaving. He had tried to kill Rialt, Valarian had heared him say it himself. Rialt had been defenseless at the time, so no matter who started this fight, Edeleas did something that was inexcusable. Besides, even though Valarian disliked Rialt, he couldn't imagine he would attack a fellow asha'man without a very good reason. But wether he believed Edeleas or not, this had to be resolved quickly. Valarian tried to think of a way to get both asha'man out of the library without drawing too much attention, but travelling while shielding and keeping down both the Madhi and the Master of Students would be too risky.

"For Light's sakes, let me go. I will not channel anymore." While Edeleas pleaded to be freed Valarian heared someone approaching. Rialt's warder stormed into the room, armed to the teeth. Unable to grasp the situation she knelt down by Rialt's body, that didn't really look too well, now Valarian looked at it. He had passed out after being shielded. Another life that Rialt owes me... he looked away from the unconcious man. Saving a life always tasted bitter since he had had been responsible for a man's death. He could only envy the dead. Valarian pushed the thought away. He had to concentrate on Edeleas again, knowing the man was trying to break the shield. The woman behind moved her weapons, seemingly ready to slit some throat. Valarian concentrated so hard he was able to hold Edeleas pinned and shielded, while he tried to prepare for retaliation if the warder would try to attack the Master of students or himself.

“I don’t know who you are Asha’man, but your answer to Rei Valarian here is complete crap. You had better have a damned good reason for attacking my bondmate, and you had better speak quickly.” the woman spat at Edelias. Valarian could barely make out what the hot tempered warder was saying, but she looked as if she was ready to jump at the man and tear him apart. It vaguely surprised him that she didn't know the Master of Students, even though he had only been that since a very short time. Valarian was ready to pin her as well if necessary, though he didn't know how long he could hold on like this. Rialt seemed to have passed out but Valarian couldn't risk taking away the shield yet. Luckily Kiren seemed to posess enough willpower not to jump at the defenseless, unlike Edeleas.

A few seconds passed. Valarian still wanted to take this out of the library, and now that Kiren was here, seemingly sane enoug for reason, she could help. He took a deep breath and looked in Edeleas' eyes, then at Kiren, then at Rialt. "Kiren, I agree with you that we should get answers, that's why I suggest we go to the Black tower now. I will have a healer be summoned there to take care of Rialt." He turned to look at the pinned Asha'man again. "Edeleas, I'm going to release you from your restraints, but I will keep you and Rialt shielded untill we can clear up this situation." Hearing a disaproving grunt from the warder, Valarian looked at the woman. "I do not only shield Rialt to keep him from channeling. It's also for his own good. His own weaves were killing him when I arrived here. Please carry him to the Black Tower, where we can find out what happened that caused this." Without waiting for Kiren to reply he concentrated on Edeleas again. "You'll come with us. I trust you will not do anything foolish in the mean time. You will be given a fair chance to explain your behavior later. Valarain then slowly released the weaves of air, gently putting Edeleas back on the floor, though ready to grab him again if he would do something agressive.

Edeleas closed his eyes for a moment just as a golden-eyed woman - Mistress of Arms Kiren Thym, Rialt's Warder - burst into the room, holding two swords, one in each hand. He took a deep breath, and sighed out all of his anger and rage. He opened his eyes just in time, and he saw the Wolfkin glaring at him, her golden eyes sparkling.

“I don’t know who you are Asha’man, but your answer to Rei Valarian here is complete crap. You had better have a damned good reason for attacking my bondmate, and you had better speak quickly.” the woman said. Edeleas did not answer. He regarded her for a moment, and, he became easily bored with her, so he let his gaze wander instead onto the books on the floor. And it was enough that he snapped a thread in Valarian's shield - doing any further damage would prove to be disadvantagous on his side, and on his side, he was all alone. His allies were many miles away, in Shara, Thakan'dar and Shayol Ghul. And then Valarian took up where Kiren stopped speaking.

"Kiren, I agree with you that we should get answers, that's why I suggest we go to the Black tower now. I will have a healer be summoned there to take care of Rialt." He turned to look at Edeleas. "Edeleas, I'm going to release you from your restraints, but I will keep you and Rialt shielded untill we can clear up this situation. Do not try anything foolish in the mean time. You will be given the chance to explain your behavior later."

Edeleas nodded wearily, surrendering for the moment. He felt the shroud lift from his body, and very gently he got back onto his boots. Still not looking at either Kiren, Rialt or Valarian, he straightened his pitch-black robes and checked his pins. His Dragon was hanging askew on his right collar, and he took a few seconds' liberty to unpin it and put it back in its precise position. After this, he removed his glasses, wiped them hastily on his sleeve and wore it again. Lastly he ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. He looked at Valarian.

"You must know that he tried to Compel me." He said in a tired voice. "A forbidden weave, and in public." That was all and he dropped his gaze again, and held his arms limply along his sides. Kiren still had her blades ready, and Edeleas smiled inwardly for a moment. He would love to have sparred with her...but not today. Suddenly the hilts of his wakizashi were very tempting. He had had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from drawing them. He stood in silence, waiting for Valarian to do whatever he wanted to do next. Trouble enough to keep them off my hide for sometime...I am sure a penance will follow my actions. Edeleas thought.

As Rei Valarian practically waved away what she had said -as if she'd been a mere recruit and not the Haran al'Tari- Kiren just watched him slowly, taking the opportunity to focus for a moment on the smells that hung in the air.

From the moment she'd entered, there had hung a smell of Rage and madness in the air, both of the man called Edeleas -the Master of Students she recalled now- as of Rialt, though while Edeleas' madness seemed more like that of a rabid dog, Rialt had the smell of delerium.... of someone on his deadbed, gone mad by pain and the knowledge dead would come.

Smells did not leave the air fast though, and thus they still hung there as she now took in these other smells that came. Rialt smelled... ill in a way; and her bond told her something in the same line. he indeed nearly had died, as Valarian had said, so while she was analysing the other smells she started giving him her strength; slowly, as not to flood him- but steadilly she let almost all of her strength flow into her bondmate untill she herself felt like a newborn kitten, barely able to keep up her unwavering appearance.

Valarian smelled the most sane of all three; a slight hint of worry and confusion, mixed with the faint fragrance of lemon-soap, but his dominating smell told the Wolfkin that he would do what he intended.

As for the Master of Students however, his smell kept changing all the time, with smells which variated completely and which Kiren did not understand in this situation; it made her confused and for a moment she even felt a tad afraid, afraid of why he smelled so wrong.

Valarian and Edeleas started to walk and Kiren slowly backed away in order to pick up Rialt and still look at the two Asha'man. With as much care as she could muster in her own, now rather weak body, she picked up her bondmate, carefully feeling trough the bond whether her grip hurt him or now, but Rialt was still unconsious though better then before already. But still there was a feeling within him.... he felt as if he was not whole... and she believed it to be the lack of Saidin, as Valarian kept him shielded. Him as well as Edeleas for that matter. "For Light's sakes, let me go. I will not channel anymore." the young Asha'man had said as he wanted to be released of his shield. "What a peculiar thing to say for an asha'man... 'I will not channel anymore' was it?" she quoted him softly, but loud enough for both men to hear.
Neither reacted and Kiren straightened up, now holding the Mahdi in her arms as a sleeping child, her muscled aching under his weight.
When this is over, you need to go on a diet man

"Rei Valarian" She said sternly, disconcerning her thoughts, with as much authority as she could muster while feeling as she did.
"I do not only shield Rialt to keep him from channeling. It's also for his own good. His own weaves were killing him when I arrived here. Please carry him to the Black Tower, where we can find out what happened that caused this."
"However much he could be hurting himself while Channeling, while his hold on the One power is gone, I doubt he will regain it in his current condition, therefor I must insist on lifting the shield you hold as at the moment it is no direct protection and shielding the Mahdi could be seen as treason."
while walking Rei Valarian had briefly stopped and looked at her, Kiren made her gaze as hard as she could while hiding the fact how weak she felt because of the sharing of her strength, and hiding the real reason; that she was incredibly worried about her bondmates condition and believed the presence of the One Power might help at least a bit more.
Besides she said to him in her mind You smell of someone who's made up his mind..... but about what?...

ooc - who goes next? *is horribly confused* 0.o

Ooc – there might be some fallacies in this response, but im not going back to find em. If you notice any, just point them out and I will edit later. Gonna start putting the endin touches on this one.

It was a bit off in the distance, but there was definitely something there. It was like a faint buzzing, and steadily getting stronger. The bits and pieces of where he was, and what had happened to him were slowly coming back to him. There were voices, heated it sounded like, and he felt a strong glow of comfort. It was like some outside force was giving him strength, keeping him from succumbing to the tired weak feeling in his gut, in his every thought. Kiren The name popped into his mind, the feeling of strength he knew must be coming from her. His brows furrowed into a frown, and he opened first one, and then the other. Pain hit him, but not like before. It pounded into his skull relentlessly. He groaned softly, and the voices seemed to stop in that moment. He shifted and felt Kiren, leaning down next to him, saying something he couldn’t quite hear. His right arm flew up to his forehead and he gripped his splitting skull, silently wishing for the thud to subside and leave him in peace. He would have a headache for some time.

He moved though, and sat up from the floor in a sweat. He blinked a few times, and took in the room. Valarian was there, holding the Source…no…no he wasn’t merely holding the source, he was using it. And he felt it, the absence that had been tugging at him. The Source was gone… For a moment he felt blind panic, and he grabbed at Kiren’s arm, holding it firmly. But it was still there, just out of sight, just out of reach. He peered at Valarian angrily, the man was shielding him. His instant distaste for the man came rearing up in his mind, and he forced it back down. Valarian was not just using Saidin against him, but against another. It was then that he spotted the form of Edeleas, sprawled on to the bookcase, held by the invisible bonds the Aman Val had placed over the Master of Soldiers. Rialt put both hands on the floor, and pushed himself to a standing position, Kiren at his side the entire time. After he managed to maintain his balance, he spoke tentively, “Kindly remove your hold over me Rei.” He emphasized the word.

Valarian peered at him for a moment, and the shield disappeared. Sweet fire brimmed just inside Rialt’s reach, but he did not reach for it. It would surely tear him to pieces now, as it nearly had done earlier. His face was drawn into that of a stone, not a single emotion emitting from it as he stared at Edeleas. The boy seemed calm enough for one who was being bound and shielded in the midst of the Library. The events themselves were completely clear in Rialt’s headache ridden mind, and he seethed with anger. How dare he… It was no matter what Rialt had done to the boy. It was his insolence, his disregard to rank, his presence itself, which seemed to thicken the air around Rialt so that he felt nothing but a burning hatred for the man in front of him. Edeleas truly was gone, and all that remained was the shell of a man that lay bound before him.

He swayed a moment, but caught himself before he toppled over. He would not be touching Saidin for a week, he could feel it. “I do not…” All eyes were on him, “Care what any of you may think right now, you will shut your mouths and listen. What went on here…will stay here.” He looked Valarian in the eyes, “I will explain the matter to the M’Hael myself, and deal with what words he has for me on my own…” He did not even want to think about what Zekieal was going to do when he found out what had happened, what Rialt had tried to do…and what had happened instead. A twisted amalgamation of compulsion…one that had nearly cost Rialt his mind…or worse yet, his life. “As for you…” His words turned to ice, “You can spend the next six months catering to your superiors in the kitchen, and perhaps then you will learn the respect due to those who outrank you, Master of Soldiers. ” He spat out the last word like the foulest curse word he could think of. He would have said more, but his body would not allow it, his mind was thudding at him and he forced himself not to grip it like a child. He did not want to see or think of Edeleas again, the man could die that moment, drop dead of the Dark One’s touch, and Rialt would not have cared. He looked at Kiren with a sidelong expression. She didn’t even need to speak before he knew what she would have said. He needed to sleep, but not before Valarian had had his say, or, without hearing the inevitable protests of Edeleas.

Rialt had gained consciousness. Edeleas watched in silence as he tried to stand and eyed every single one of them as if his gaze were fire. He did not flinch as that hating gaze landed on him and Rialt spoke. “As for you…” Rialt's words turned to ice, “You can spend the next six months catering to your superiors in the kitchen, and perhaps then you will learn the respect due to those who outrank you, Master of Soldiers. ” He spat out the title as if it were something venomous. Edeleas did not give a damn. He turned to Valarian who released him now and dissipated the shield. Saidin was tantalizing this close, but Edeleas was not foolish enough to try and touch it again out here. He returned his gaze to Rialt.

"Whatever you say." He answered nonchalantly, cheekily, with a shrug. "I assume I will be starting today." He turned on his heels and walked out of the library as if nothing happened. But inside, he was cursing himself. Now he had lost what was left of Rialt's trust. Now, he seemed nearer to the brink of darkness than ever before. He wondered if there was still someone...someone who could help... he bit down on his lower lip and leaned on the wall as long as he was outside the library. He slipped down until he sat on the floor, looking like the wretch that he was.

The battle for his soul seemed over. And he was not in the winning side.

As expected Kiren protested further agains Valarian's shielding, as if he enjoyed doing it. She finished her pleads with a serious accusation. " I must insist on lifting the shield you hold as at the moment it is no direct protection and shielding the Mahdi could be seen as treason." For an instant his eyes spit fire at her. How dare she question his loyalty to the Towers, it was by far the worsed insult one could ever throw at Valarian and he sure wouldn't forget it. At this point he didn't care if she was the Haran al'Tari, what did she know about Saidin? Just when he was ready to throw it right back at her he heared a soft groan. Rialt was holding his hand over his forehead. A headache... What propostrous stunt did he try to pull to knock himself out like this? It wasn't like him at all. Valarian knew Rialt as a man who could hld his thoughts and emotions to himself. He had seen him stand eye to eye with death and he had not panicked or plead for his life. Valarian wished he could grasp the situation and understand why both these men had snapped and tried to kill eachother.

Rialt sat up, he looked seriously ill, and found support from Kiren. Valarian could see exactly at what time the Madhi realised he was being shielded. He must be really dazzled, only to notice that now. He recieved a hostile glare. Valarian sighed, knowing Rialt was going to use his rank to demand Val would stop shielding him. “Kindly remove your hold over me Rei.” he sounded tired. Valarian looked in his eyes as if he was trying to verify if the madness had really gone. Then he nodded and released both shields. It was quite possible Rialt wouldn't even be able to use Saidin for a while after what happened. He still looked furious at Edeleas though, and Valarian was still prepared to take action if this resulted in another fight.

“I do not…” Rialt spoke, leaning on Kiren, “Care what any of you may think right now, you will shut your mouths and listen. What went on here…will stay here.” Rialt's eyes crossed Valarian's. “I will explain the matter to the M’Hael myself, and deal with what words he has for me on my own…” He paused. Valarian nodded. He agreed this incident should be dealt with privately, and was somehow relieved Rialt had come to his senses and would report to the M'hael. “As for you…” the Madhi continued, looking at Edeleas, “You can spend the next six months catering to your superiors in the kitchen, and perhaps then you will learn the respect due to those who outrank you, Master of Soldiers.” Valarian looked at the two men, and at Kiren at Rialt's shoulder. Using your rank in something like this. Valarian wondered if he could let Rialt get away with it, coming out of it as the one calling the shots. He wished he knew more about what had happened so he could be certain Edeleas hadn't just been attacked by the vengefull Rialt...

The two man still looked as if they were ready for another fight to the death, bearing their fangs at eachother. But they wouldn't. "Whatever you say." Edeleas answered with a shrug, capitulating."I assume I will be starting today." Without another word he walked out of the room. Valarian gave a meaningful glare at Rialt, but let the Master of students go. He hadn't said all he wanted to say though. It will be a bad example, the Master of Students being punished. What will the young trainees think of that? After a careful glare at Kiren, he stepped closer to the Madhi al'Tain. "I have no choice but to allow your punishment in this matter, Madhi. However I'd like to suggest Edeleas would also have a talk with the M'hael about this. I have no idea what happened here or what caused this, and have no doubt he tried to kill you, but I believe every man should have a chance to defend himself." Valarian hoped he had been clear, without being too insistent. It was still Rialt's decision, and he probably wasn't going to thank him for saving his life. Rialt should know Valarian envied him for having been so close to death once again. A painful glimpse of a second away from tasting the transition into oblivian. Valarian looked around in the seriously damaged room. More to himself than to Rialt and Kiren he went on, "Furthermore, if you want to keep this quiet, this room better be brough back to it's original state." Before he completely finished his sentence he grasped saidin and molded the broken wooden planks back together, so that it could hold the books again.

Rialt leaned his weight against Kiren, but tried to support as much as he could so as not to crush her, or tire her out more than she already was because of him. She was feeling everything that he was, an effect of the bonding that was sometimes a good thing, but also very unfortunate as well in those types of situations. As he spoke, the annoyance, the anger was quite apparent in his voice, and what he said to them was the truth, he did not care what they thought of him. He was angry, let them see that he was angry. What had happened to him, was his own fault, he should not have tried the forbidden weave on Edeleas, but he was so blinded by the rage of the moment, the rude demeanor that the Master of Soldiers had regarded him with…and had always treated him since he had shown his cocky little face back at the Towers…made Rialt do what he did. It was justified. His complete lack of respect for Rialt’s authority, even for the friendship that they had held with eachother..he wagered, drove him to do what he did. Valarian did not know the full story, and if Rialt had his way, he never would really. He was the Rei of the Aman Val and need not concern himself with such matters. As much as Rialt did not like the man because of the events of so many years ago, he was right in interfering when he had. He had, in all aspects, saved Rialt’s life…and he knew that. But worse yet, Rialt knew it as well. Valarian showed no inclination or satisfaction at having done so, but Rialt knew that deep below those unfeeling eyes, there was a slight satisfaction from Valarian that he had returned the “favor” Rialt had bestowed upon him so many years ago.

He respected Valarian, even if he held a slight distaste for his personality. There was too much past between them for there to ever truly be a friendship between the two. Rialt turned his gaze from Valarian to Edeleas who was calmly and coolly gazing at Rialt from the place he had just been bound by the Rei. "Whatever you say." He said coolly, and without another word he left the room. Even in the pain that consumed his skull the anger was there, and it probably would be for a little while. Anger at himself for being a fool, anger at Valarian for saving his life, Anger at Kiren even for not having been there… He was mostly angry at Edeleas though and resolved that he would find out what had happened to the boy when he left for several years after being raised Asha’man, no matter how much of his life he spent trying to figure it out. He held some secret in his life, Rialt knew it to be true..but what could it be that he denied every manner of inquiry that went his way? He shrugged it off and turned his attention back to Valarian who looked very collected before him.

"I have no choice but to allow your punishment in this matter, Madhi. However I'd like to suggest Edeleas would also have a talk with the M'hael about this.” He will…If I have anything to say about it. “I have no idea what happened here or what caused this, and have no doubt he tried to kill you, but I believe every man should have a chance to defend himself.” Rialt nodded in assent, that yes he agreed. But what would Zekieal say to Rialt, would he back Rialt in having tried to use Compulsion..or would he condemn him? What Rialt had tried to do, was an offense punishable by stilling, he knew…yet he could not bring himself to be worried. It had not been the first time that he had done something that would have been a major offense, and Zekieal had pardoned him. Whether it was out of friendship, or something else, Rialt had never been able to tell, but still it was there. He would not be punished for his actions, he was fairly certain, but the M’Hael would be brought into the matter. "Furthermore, if you want to keep this quiet, this room better be brought back to it's original state." Valarian stated without much ado and the blocks of wood that had been splintered under Rialt’s shove, and Edeleas small form, mended back together as if nothing had touched them. The wonders of Saidin.

“I would like to discuss this later with you Valarian, when you have the time…” He didn’t even know why he said the words, but of all the people he felt he could confide in, Valarian was one of the few men Rialt trusted implicitly with matters of the Black Tower. He could never be a darkfriend, not after Punar had been killed by Darkfriends and he had been forced to live and serve. He would always serve, until he died, and because of that fact, he was the perfect man to speak to. Rialt didn’t yet know what he wanted to say, but he knew he needed to rest soon or else risk falling over again. He would not be able to channel for days, the mere thought of Saidin made the pain ever more present. He paused for a moment and began to make his way out of the library, leaning on Kiren slightly, but trying to support himself as much as he could. He nodded to Valarian as he made his way out, the only way he would ever thank the Rei for saving his life. Words were un-necessary.