Lalaine was thankful for the breeze that morning; for it wasn’t even mid day and already it was warm. With the sun climbing higher into the sky, she knew that there would be no relief soon, and it wasn’t as though her white novice dress was particularly cool. Then again, during the winter months she was told, it was not particularly warm either. Sighing, she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, and continued pulling weeds from the outskirts of the garden she was working on. It was a nice change, being outside versus in the kitchens. She supposed that the kitchens were just as warm anyway. Since there were no people to talk to and no Mistress of Kitchens to hear orders from, she was free to daydream and think about things, so long as she kept up her work.

Later that day, she had a channeling class to attend, but she figured that again, it would do no good. Her block hadn’t shown any signs of crumbling, and Lalaine still doubted that she could channel at all. It was so frustrating. Lalaine was used to succeeding at things, and for some reason, saidar didn’t seem to be working in her favor. But she must have channeled. What else could have done that to her father? It hadn’t been Sloane, in any case, since he had been knocked out against the wall. A chill ran down her spine, and she knew it wasn’t from the breeze. She wasn’t angry like her brother was – there was no sense in that – but it still upset her to think about those events. She wondered for the millionth time since coming to the Tower if she had killed their father. Light, Sloane said she hadn’t… Pushing those thoughts away, she concentrated on the weeds in front of her, giving several of them good tugs. They weren’t hard to pull out, but some of them were rather prickly. She was making good use of the gloves she had been given, grateful it wasn’t her bare hands doing the pulling, even if her hands were getting sticky.

I wish I could see Sloane again, she thought to herself as she pulled. Though the weeds didn’t give much resistance, the repetitive action was making her arms ache. She paused for a moment to massage them out before starting up once again. Since arriving in the Tower, she hadn’t seen much of Sloane at all. Lalaine assumed that he was just as busy as she was, if not more, simply because he didn’t have a block. Jealously was never a factor in that, but in the back of her mind a growing worry crept. What if he became Asha’man and left her behind? They had always been close, and Lalaine couldn’t imagine life without her brother by her side, though she had been living much that way lately. At least he is nearby, she thought to herself, filled with a sort of loneliness. It might not have been so bad had she made some friends, and there were a few girls nice, but there were no sort of people here that Lalaine would trust with anything. Oh, Hanajima was nice enough, but she had only just met her, and Nina was her room mate, not that she particularly had a liking for her, but Lalaine still felt just as alone as she had when she had come to the Tower.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Lalaine decided that perhaps it would have been better to work in the kitchens, where the noise stopped her from thinking about any of these things, at least for long periods of time. There had to be some good things about the Tower though… Lalaine could think of only one at the moment though. It was better than home. What a horrible thought that was. She did miss her grandparents, and she hoped to the Light that her father had not hurt either of them, but days and nights had been horrendous there, save the time she had spent in her granny’s house – and there she knew that her father awaited her back home. No, she wasn’t angry like Sloane, but a bitterness was still there – and more than that was sadness. If only her mother hadn’t died…

Footsteps drew her from her thoughts, and she realized she hadn’t been working quite as hard as she should have been. Cursing silently, she began pulling weeds again and hoped it wasn’t an Aes Sedai… She paused to look up at the woman approaching. She wasn’t wearing a novice dress, but she looked far too young to be an Aes Sedai.

Neither gleeman's tales nor stories of merchants came close to describing what stood in front of her. The White Tower, the most magnificant structure she had ever seen, shone with its white radiance, a white so pure she wondered if it was possible. It can't be! Not even clothes can bleach to match this! It was the white aura that gave it a startling contrast to the sky, adding to its dominating appearance and height.

"Welcome Home, Child." Aware that her lips were slightly parted in awe Kaelyn closed her mouth hoping that none had seen it. Home? The word felt foreign; Shienar was her home not this. This place even outshone anything she had ever seen, and this was to be her home? A farmer like myself? I can't be worthy of such a place!

As if reading her thoughts the Aes Sedai continued, "It is breathless to all who have their first look, and I have seen some that almost fall out of their horses doing so. It is home to the Aes Sedai, home to all nationalites and people that have the ability to channel the one power. We do not judge a candidate by their past. What they are, or what they were is not important to us. You are here to learn as a novice and here you will be treated as an equal as any other Child here, even if they were a Lord's daughter before hand."

Kaelyn nodded as she ripped her eyes from the scene to look at the Aes Sedai. For the short journey they had together she had found it rare for them to show any emotion, if none at all. They seem cold and distant, far more in touch with the small happenings of the world then any other human. It made her feel alone, and a twinge of guilt about leaving home. I don't have a home any longer. There is nothing left of it....

The situation confused her still and the Aes Sedai offered no explanation just a hint of what she had done.
"Mother! Noo!" She screamed as she watched one of her dear parents flop lifelessly to the floor, an arrow shaft protruding out of her back. "You bastards! What is it that you want!?"

There were too many of them, the bodies of beasts filled room, weapons bared and snarling in a tongue she had never heard before. She was alone, her father and sister were seperated from her by the wave of bodies. They had terror painted in their eyes, even her father, which was a blow in the side telling her that there was no hope in seeing the Light tomorrow.

"Father! Run get yourself and Trina out of here! Run Fools!," Her screams filled the room, hoping beyond hope that there would be a moment for them to escape. If only she could distract these creature, only for a moment...just for a moment. Their gazes met, her and her fathers, the light was gone from them and he looked at her with all the sorrow in the world as if he would never see her again.

And then it happened so fast she could barely remember what had happened. As if saving her for last, the beasts turned drawn to her screams and began pointing and offering her their harsh language. It was cold, and felt like the tip of a blade slicing through her. But at most, she realized, it held an echo of darkness, a sound so crude that hope of living once more was drowned out. This was it. She was cornered, no different than a fawn being cornered by a pack of ravage wolves. There was nothing she could do the walls of her house were a barrier to freedom, ironically she had once thought this was the safest place to be.

At the last moment she risked a glance to her father only to find them blocked from her view as more bodies hurled themselves inside. Her gaze slid to three that were advancing on her, their horns, hoofs only a mirror image of a nightmare. Trollocs. She had never seen one so close before. They were animals...no they almost looked human. It was their eyes, even if they were filled with the energy to kill.

The next thing she knew her hair was pulled back and her eyes were forced to look into a bloody face that was inches from her. Realization hit hard when she saw tiny white hairs that... "Our lambs. I should have known that these were the ones who took the lambs. Why after all these years?". They lived far enough from the border of the blight to have experienced only one other raid during her life time. They had stripped the farm while they had been asleep but they had managed to recover. She had never dreamed that it would come to this. Anger filled her but it quickly flared out as a sword edge ran along her throat. She had never felt more fear, more helpless in her life.

That was when the Aes Sedai had found her, on the ground just out of reach from her burning home. The air stank of burning hair, of flesh that was dieing. "You have channeled the one Power child." Light, where is my father and sister. The one power! Was this my doing, did I kill my own family?

Kaelyn shrugged of the uneasy thoughts, the only thing she had left was a tiny flower petal from a flower she had given her sister earlier. It left no hope that they survived.

"Will you be sitting there all day, Child?" Startled Kaelyn looked up to find that they were just outside of the Tower. "It would be best if we delivered you to the Mistress of Novices, quickly before you get any other ideas of channeling, wilder. Go to the garden, that Child in white will know where to take you."

Wilder. That was new to her, they had never mentioned to her about being a wilder and that to her annoyance made her more lost than she had been before. Without hesitation she slipped from the horse and headed in the direction the Aes Sedai advised her to go.

A pretty girl in white was plucking weeds from the garden, little beads of sweat telling how long she had been at it. Perhaps she can help me with some answers She sighed hoping that what had happened could be explained.

"Hello!" she smiled approaching the girl, "I was told that you would be able to direct me to the Mistress of Novices, and was wondering if you could help me out? However, perhaps that can wait a few moments, it looks like you could use some help."

Bending over she plucked out a weed with ease, "My name is Kaelyn, I myself have just arrived here, and am quite overjoyed to have the company of somebody who is not Aes Sedai at the moment."

The girl who was approaching her looked to be maybe a few years older than Lalaine was, but then again, around the Tower, who knew anyone’s real age? She had heard people whisper that the Amyrlin Seat was hundreds of years old, and that her Keeper was twice that. It was hard to say with Aes Sedai, what with the Ageless faces that they all acquired at some point. Lalaine wondered for a moment whether she would ever have such a face, but she supposed that depended on whether she could channel or not. Despite her time at the Tower, she still had not found any evidence of her ability to do so. In the same instant, she found herself briefly questioning whether this girl could be of high status, merely because of her eyes and hair. Lalaine thought they were both beautiful, though her mother had often said that she had the prettiest eyes in all of the world. But by the look of her dress, she did not appear to be of high birth. No matter to Lalaine, as she was merely a merchant’s daughter. Besides, she should not be so quick to judge.

“Hello!” said the girl as she came nearer, her face lighting up into a brilliant smile. Lalaine was almost surprised by the friendliness this stranger was showing her, and she couldn’t help but like it either. It had been awhile since someone had been so friendly to her. "I was told that you would be able to direct me to the Mistress of Novices, and was wondering if you could help me out? However, perhaps that can wait a few moments, it looks like you could use some help." Lalaine smiled back at her as the girl leaned over to pluck a weed out of the ground, arms fresh since she had not been doing the activity for hours beforehand. "My name is Kaelyn, I myself have just arrived here, and am quite overjoyed to have the company of somebody who is not Aes Sedai at the moment."

Lalaine gave a laugh in reply and held out a hand covered in dirt to offer her acquaintance, before she grimaced and pulled it back, giving a shrug. Kaelyn likely wouldn’t want to shake something so dirty. “Lalaine,” she introduced herself. “Nice to meet you.” She assumed that the other girl was going to enlist herself in the book of novices and don the white like herself, but it might be better to ask. “Becoming a novice?” Glancing at the weed that Kaelyn had just pulled, she shook her head and gave a smile. “I’ll be glad to take you to Cayana Sedai. My arms need a break anyway.” In truth, she was far too warm, and her back was beginning to ache.

Entering the White Tower, Lalaine didn’t feel so alone as she usually did, looking at certain packs of novices that swarmed the hallways. For once, she had someone by her side, someone to walk with. “Where are you from?” she asked after awhile, leading her through the hallways towards Cayana Sedai’s office.

The atmosphere was almost too friendly for it to be real. The laugh of the novice brought warmth, when there had been distance. She smiled at her humour, when Aes Sedai would have been sure to scold her. Everthing was completely opposite from what had occured on her journey to the Tower, as different from night and day.

“Lalaine," the novice named herself, “Nice to meet you.” Kaelyn could not help but laugh in response to the friendliness. An outstretched hand was offered to her, but before she could grasp it in a welcoming shake the young woman snatched it back with a shrug and a grimace on her face. The gesture made Kaelyn raise an eyebrow and bite her lip in response to keep from laughing. Never in her life had she met someone who was afraid of getting her dirty, not where she was from. However before she could reply Lalaine spoke up with a question, that surely did not need answering. “Becoming a novice? I’ll be glad to take you to Cayana Sedai. My arms need a break anyway.”

Kaelyn laughed as she walked with the woman to the entrance of the Tower. She felt happier than she had ever felt since departing her beloved home, and could only feel that more wonderful suprises were yet to become. She could feel that she and Lalaine were going to become friends, they were of the same age and had a sort of understanding that was shared for the little time they had known eachother.

“Where are you from?” Lalaine turned towards her as they entered into the hallways.

"Shienar, just out of reach from the Blight." she smiled although it quivered as she spoke. "I am not quite sure why they brought me here. I can not channel the one power. In fact I can not feel it residing within me as I have been told! It must have been a mistake...yet right before I was sent to speak with you they called me a wilder."

She looked up disturbed as she tried to puzzle out her thoughts. She met Lalaine's eyes and was startled to find them so striking. They seemed to engulf the world, and a sparkle that she was sure both of them shared. Yet it was somehow a little dulled now, she seemed almost worried.

"Lalaine, I...I don't know where to begin. I don't know if I even belong here. If I could channel, I could never touch it, could never control it. I don't understand." She smiled shaking her head If I could channel that would mean I would have killed my family. "If you could, would you be willing to tell me what a wilder is and why the Aes Sedai seem so cold, more than usual mind you, because of it. I can't understand them, and I don't think I ever will!" She threw up her arms in frustration and continued to follow the novice.

"Shinear, just out of reach from the Blight," Kaelyn replied, and Lalaine blinked back at her, interested. She hadn't met any novices from the Borderlands yet. She wondered if the Blight was really as frightening as the books and legends said... She wondered if Kaelyn had even seen the Blight. Nevertheless, it was not the time to ask for Kaelyn continued on speaking. "I am not quite sure why they brought me here. I cannot channel the one power. In fact I cannot feel it residing within me as I have been told! It must have been a mistake...yet right before I was sent to speak with you they called me a wilder." Lalaine nodded in understanding, feeling almost the same frustration. She had not yet touched the source in Tar Valon, though she had been here sometimes. Often, she gave up hope that she could channel, but she continued her chores anyway... They went through a particularly thick crowd of novices, but then Kaelyn continued speaking again.

"Lalaine, I...I don't know where to begin. I don't know if I even belong here. If I could channel, I could never touch it, could never control it. I don't understand." Lalaine looked back at the girl reassuringly, though she felt the same insecurity herself most of the time. "If you could, would you be willing to tell me what a wilder is and why the Aes Sedai seem so cold, more than usual mind you, because of it. I can't understand them, and I don't think I ever will!" Kaelyn threw up her hands in frustration.

Lalaine gave the girl a kind smile as they walked together along the hallways towards Cayana Sedai's study. True, their circumstances were different, but their feelings were the same. "What they meant is that you've touched the source before. Wilders are girls who have channeled before coming to the Tower, likely more than once. You might not have known it. They tell me that I channeled once too, but I'm beginning to doubt that." She shrugged. "You'll get used to life here," she offered as a comfort. "It's not as awful as it seems. Don't feel too overwhelmed."

((OOC: Sorry that was rather short, and incredibly sorry it took me so long to get back to you! If you need more to go off of, just PM me, and I'll add more to it.))

Kaelyn found sympathy in Lalaines eyes accompainied with a small smile that held a hint of understanding. That was the last thing she wanted. Light, I don't need someone to pretend that she cares. I want answers! She doesn't know what its like, to be something that you are not. She frowned risking a glance at the novice before she turned her head to examine her surroundings in attempt to shrug off her unease.

"What they meant is that you've touched the source before. Wilders are girls who have channeled before coming to the Tower, likely more than once. You might not have known it. They tell me that I channeled once too, but I'm beginning to doubt that." She shrugged. "You'll get used to life here. It's not as awful as it seems. Don't feel too overwhelmed."

A wilder too! She nearly stumbled, at the mere suggestion Lalaine shared something too common. What in the light are the chances of finding someone who can relate to my troubles? I cannot believe that this is just some mere coincidence. Perhaps this is a fate that will help me through....or pehaps its was the Aes Sedai. The latter seemed more reasonable for this was no mere chance. Ever since in their company, she felt them tie chains around her and pull her in any direction she wished. She had had thoughts to escape the party escorting her to the Tower, yet with promises of much to learn she held back. To be able to channel as they did lured her here in whispers no matter how much she tried to press them to the back of her mind.

Kaelyn swallowed, and lowered her gaze feeling ashamed in thinking of the novice so poorly. She had thought that wearing a white novice dress meant they all could touch the power easily. This was all new to her, and was a bit overwhelming no matter how much Lalaine attempted to comfort her. Fah! Overwhelming indeed! The hallway that they were presently walking in was bigger than any structure she had ever been in. It was enough to engulf her and make her feel smaller and more insignficant than she had ever felt. It seemed cold the way everyone moved around as if a trolloc was chasing them.

"I will attempt to keep this place from overwhelming me, however I think this will take more of my strength than you let on. The Aes Sedai have already hinted at what lies ahead, and I have foolishly accepted it. I want to be Aes Sedai Lalaine, more than I ever thought I would. It suprises and scares me, I don't know what I am stepping into but I think I have treaded in too deep to get back out." At that moment they passed a group of novices, some of them stopping to gawk at them, some sticking up their noses and some just scurrying on to their duties. She was overjoyed that Lalaine was there and for once did not feel so alone. "But I am glad to have a friend who understands, and I thank you for hearing me out."