Erin sat in her parlor, eyeing the young woman before her, still trying to get over the shock of what she had just read. The girl, young woman, actually, Gwenhwyvar by name, had rode up to the town mansion and asked to see her. She bore a letter of introduction from the King in Fal Dara. She was dressed like as befit a successful soldier: riding leathers under a suit of chain, coif thrown back to reveal black hair and grey eyes. Her riding gauntlets were tucked into her belt. She wore gleaming riding boots up past her knees. At her side was a sword thrust into a well-worn scabbard, along with a dagger in her belt and others in her boottops. She was tall, taller even than Erin, who herself was not a short woman. She looked to be about twenty or so. She had obviously done well for herself in her service along the border.

Erin had read the letter of introduction, and then a second letter. It was that second that had led her to sit up straight in her chair in shock and surprise. She had to take a few minutes to compose herself. All the while Gwenhwyvar, who went by Gwen for short, stood there with a half-smile on her face. "Well, the resemblance is certainly there," the older woman said. "I think we need to go to the Barracks." She called for a servant. "Send someone to the Barracks and ask Elaine to meet us in Robert's office. Also send someone to the Infirmary and ask Freyja Sedai to meet us there also. Tell her it's very important." There were scans an Aes Sedai could do to prove, or disprove, paternity.

"We'll walk, it's not far." Erin said as rose from her chair. She was dressed in men's clothes wearing a sword, as she had expected to work out in the Practice Yard later. As she passed through the front door her bodyguard deployed around the two of them. She shook her head. This was certainly going to cause a sensation!

The guards at the entrance to the Tower came to attention as they passed through the vast gate. The two of them walked through the first level, generally open to the public, and then climbed the stairs to the level where Robert's office was. Years ago the Barracks had been completely separate from the White Tower, but a new administrative complex had been added so that the high-ranking members of the Guard had direct access, as well as a new housing area where Gaidin could have quicker access to their bondmates.

Erin swore under her breath, which would have greatly surprised those who knew her as just a socialite and a patron of the arts. She had grown up on a farm and was a soldier's daughter. She knew all about bad language.

Robert's office was on the fifth level. The entrance was off an inner hallway, and looked out over the Practice Yard. Just to one side was a stairway that led up to the Amrylin's suite and the meeting rooms on that level. Just down the hall were the rooms that Elaine and Erin used on the rare occasions they spent the night here. Robert had a huge suite of rooms attached to his office, and as the crisis down South got worse, he was spending the night there more and more.

The door was open when the two arrived; there were people bustling in and out; the usual activity during the day. The orderly on duty in the outer office looked up. "He's in," he said, and bent back down to his work as the two passed through the door to the inner sanctum.

Robert looked up, gave a smile to his sister, and a quizzical look at Gwen, and waved them both to chairs at the conference table that dominated the center of the room. Elaine dropped the two letters on Robert's desk. "Read these. This one first."

Robert looked up quizzically at his sister. That sharp tone wasn't like her. Obviously something was bothering her. He scanned the first letter. Standard letter of introduction and recommendation, the only difference being that it came from the King himself. Whoever she was, she must have impressed him mightily. He gave her a smile of encouragement. Light knew he needed competent, experienced officers.

He started reading the second letter. At the first sentence, his mouth dropped open in shock, and he looked at the two women in front of him. "That was my first reaction, too," Erin said. Robert called out to his orderly. "Cancel all of my meetings for the day. And send a message to the Amrylin that I need to see her, say in about a hour."

My very dear,

The young woman bearing his letter to you is our daughter. Yes, our daughter. She is the fruit of our love that we shared ever so briefly all those years ago. I have raised her as I think you would have wanted, giving her the best education I could. I told her that she had a choice to be whatever she wanted to be, but she was mad to be a soldier from her first steps. She is certainly your daughter in that respect. Instead of playing with dolls, she wanted to play with toy soldiers and wooden swords and of rescuing handsome princes from danger. So I brought in the best armsmasters I could, and when she was old enough, equipped her and sent her out into the world to make her way. She has done well. The King of Malkier himself wrote me a letter about her heroism. You would be proud of her. He himself recommended that she come to Tar Valon, that she was ready to become a gaidin.

I did not tell you at first because I didn't want to have such a hold on you. You were right all those years ago. I would have made a very poor soldier's wife. But as the years went on, there was another reason. Gwen and I followed your career, and as you rose in the world, it was obvious that we could become a hold on you if Gwen's parentage became known. We decided to keep it secret until she was old enough to defend herself.

Anyhap, I have now sent her to you, and I hope that you take as much joy in her company over the years as I have. As always, I remain your friend,

Arwenna

Robert sat silent, thinking back to over twenty years before. Arwenna had been his first love, back when he was a young lieutenant in what would later become the Gold Eagles. She was the only daughter of a merchant family in Caemlyn that dealt in tabac and other such goods, and had been fairly well off. Their affair had been rather serious, but had cooled down when she decided that she really didn't want to become a soldier's wife and travel the Westlands following the drum. Her parents had been disappointed; they had favored the match because of the entree it would have given them into one of the primary trading houses in the Westlands. The two of them had parted as friends, and Robert had had no idea that Arwenna was with child, or he would have taken responsibility.

He studied the young woman carefully. She was tall, around six feet in height, almost as tall as he was, in fact. She moved with a grace and precision that showed a lot of training, and her worn sword hilt showed that it had seen a lot of use. Her gear was a little worn, but showed signs of good upkeep. He noticed a very faint scar on her left cheek. Her flowing black hair was halfway to her waist and was hanging free. The chain shirt she wore over her riding leathers was oiled and polished and gleamed in the light shining in through the open window.

"Tell me about yourself," he said.

Gwen leaned forward, hesitating. I've been dreaming about this moment for years, and now I'm tongue-tied! They look shocky. Well that's understandable! Having a daughter/niece just pop in out of nowhere would be a shock for anyone. She cleared her throat and began.

"Just so that you know, Mother is fine. She married a good man, who didn't care that I was illegitimate, and is now living in Andor with her husband and other children. She brought in tutors and gave me the best practical education she could, once it was decided that I would be a soldier. And she brought in armsmasters, retired gaidin, to teach me what I needed to know." She paused briefly as Robert frowned in thought. I'll be he can recall just who those retired gaidin are. "And when they thought I was ready, my stepfather made sure I was fully equipped as best as he could, and sent me on my way to Shienar and Malkier. You've served in the Borderlands. You know what it's like. You either learn quickly or you're dead. It was decided that I go up north because it was feared that if I went south or west, I could be used as a hostage or even worse if my parentage was found out. There are too many people there who hate you for balking some of their schemes."

Robert snorted. That was true enough! The plot that had killed his wife and almost destroyed his company had originated on the western coast; there had been a number of people who had been angered when he wouldn't join with them. The reason, although he had not voiced it, was that he suspected some of them were darkfriends. Plus he had family ties to the ruling families of Tear and had served as a covert agent of the Queen of Andor on more than one occasion. And the Children of the Light had rewards on his head, and Erin's, and Elaine's. Quite large ones, from what he had last heard. Robert nodded for Gwen to continue.

"There's not much else to tell," Gwen said. "I survived and rose in rank. I got lucky. Probably much like you did. I met some gaidin in the brigade the Tower keeps in Tarwin's Gap. They told me a lot about you and Tar Valon that I hadn't heard from the broadsheets. The gaidin there urged me to come here. I finally did when I thought I was ready." She tilted her head quizzically. "You know, this isn't at all like what I thought it was going to be."

Robert laughed. "Well it's not every day that a daughter you never knew you had comes dropping in!" He reached back for some glasses and poured a glass of wine for each. "I think we're all in need of something strong right now." "I've asked for Freyja to stop by." Robert nodded. "I don't doubt you, especially since the resemblance is so strong, but I want it legally established that you are my daughter. Freyja Sedai can do that. You are my heir. And that involves a lot of money and property. And it will sorely disappoint a lot of Tar Valon mothers who have been throwing their daughters at me!"

Gwen nodded. She understood the necessity. Just then there was a slight commotion in the outer office...

Days, and even months had melted on by, filled with reports to read, skirmishes to direct and an endless train of new recruits with stars in their eyes and dreams of what it would be like to become gaidin Myara had spent many of those days keeping her calm only by staying just as busy as one could possibly be without exhausting herself to the point of uselessness. She was often reminded of her own days as a recruit, running through the rigors of training, followed by chores, followed by more training, followed by even more chores until the morning was long gone and the door of her shared quarters once again greeted her. This particular day, she was attempting to chase down a wayward recruit while reading over newly arrived reports, tired eyes flitting between the paper and the space ahead.

"Afternoon, Myara Gaidar," came the random voices, and just as quickly they faded off into the distance behind her. Her mind was on the small stack of reports, not on pleasantries. Three weeks away from Tar Valon had allowed for a small stack of said reports to build up, though most were simply giving the status of the training for the recruits who she was responsible for.

Black pants, a loose, untucked navy blue tunic and a quickly tossed on black vest hung ever so slightly over her frame. The time away from the Tower had been spent training a handful of Younglings in survival and scouting techniques. As per usual, the sun had left its mark across already tanned skin, giving her a scruffy, dark look, accented by the usual mess of dark curls.

Somewhere off in the distance, like a thought that wouldn't come through clearly or a voice that couldn't quite be heard, there was the presence. It was always there, teasing her to believe and hope that one day life would return to normal. Of course, at this point in her life, normal had a rather skewed definition, for those who had not gone through that which she had.

Blue eyes lifted from the reports once more, glancing about for the man she had come to see, the Marshal General. After the time away, she was rather sure he too would have news to share. A couple of quick inquiries gave her the location she needed, fifth floor, in his office and most likely receiving company. Paper crackled ever so slightly as the reports were once again rolled up, her attention given to the halls ahead and her mind cleared for a meeting with Robert. Given the prior information, the gaidar gave a quick knock at the door, followed by a light push and a surprise when she realized he was not alone in his office. "My apologies," she spoke, quickly and with a light blush coming to her cheeks, though it was most likely dulled by the touch of the sun. "I'll return later to speak with you."

Robert looked up as Myara came in and waved her to a seat. He took note of her disheveled state: she had just gotten back from three weeks up in the eastern mountains putting recruits through their paces. He listened to her brief report; just a routine training exercise.

"Welcome back," he said. "Sit down, have a drink and take the load off your feet." He saw her looking around, curious about what was going on. He grinned at her wryly. "You might as well be the first to know." He took a deep breath. "Myara, this is my daughter, Gwen. Gwen, this is Myara Ahnri. Myara handles a lot of the training around here." He chuckled at her expression of surprise. "Yeah, it came as a surprise to me, too..."

"Myara, in the next couple of days I want you to take Gwen and have her tested on what she knows. She was trained by a couple of retired gaidin, and then served six years on the border." He turned to his daughter. "We have an accelerated training program here for veterans. We find out what you know, and make up the lack. With things going to hell in the South, I need experienced officers badly. We'll probably be at war within a year."

He saw the young woman nod. The Borderers tended to stay out of southern wars, but that didn't mean that they didn't keep an ear out for news. War in the south might mean less troops to come racing north if a serious push was made on Tarwin's Gap or elsewhere.

He asked Gwen where she was staying, and she gave the name of a reputable inn. "Move your stuff over to the town mansion; you'll stay there for now, until we determine where you go."

The stunned look wasn't quite so quick to fade from the face of the gaidar as she looked toward the woman who has just been introduced as Robert's daughter. Surprises seemed to come in all shapes and forms these days, but this one was almost enough to make the woman break her usual seriousness for a slight chuckle. In the time that Myara had come to know Robert, she had looked at him as a mentor, a superior and even a friend in the way that two like-minded warriors become friends. One thing she had not quite seen in the older man was the look of a father, and here suddenly he was having to take on that role, and to a daughter who could probably give him a good run around with a blade in practice.

"Yes Sir, I'll see to that just as soon as this... meeting comes to an end." The gaidar finally gave in and gave a soft little chuckle. "Soldier, leader, gaidin, mentor.. all those titles, and now father, eh? I'm sure she'll have the same skill in combat that you do, at least she will after she spends her time around this place."

Blue eyes shifted to the woman who was introduced as Gwen, a bit of a friendly smile offered as she spoke, "I can give you a hand with moving your belongings over to Robert's mansion if you'd like as well." She shot Robert a slight grin before she continued, "I'd more than welcome the break from reading through the latest pile of reports and complaints, they are definitely not the highest point of my day here."

That last comment reminded her of the exact reason for her trip to Robert's office, suddenly bringing her to shift through the stack of papers, coming to one small collection of documents. She gave them a slight tug, pulling them from the middle of all of the progress reports, supply requisitions and other usual things. Offering the documents to Robert, she gave him a slightly more serious look, "These came in just this morning, from the South. They were given to me to review and pass on to you as I saw need. I've prepared a quick summary and added it to the front of the report. I'm sure we can meet up later again if there is need to discuss things further."

The gaidar turned her attention back to Gwen, eyes looking over the young woman as if she were trying to gain some unspoken assessment of her. "Tell me, Gwen, what parts of your training have you most felt strong in? In the years you've served, what roles have you most felt comfortable in?" Myara leaned back into the chair she had settled into, setting the stack of papers upon her lap, hands gathered on top to keep them from falling away. She had learned that finding out where a new recruit felt their strengths were was one of the most basic ways to find out where their weaknesses were. Often times, those who felt they were strongest in close melee contact found themselves very much out of place trying to track and stalk, or at range.

((OOC: I want her character to be moved up quickly.))

Gwen considered for a moment before answering the other woman's quesions. "I was trained by two retired gaidin, who gave me as much as they could without being here at Tar Valon itself. The day I turned sixteen I headed north, to get some seasoning and learn what I could there. The only people outside of my family, before now, that is, who knew who my father was were the Queen and the Captain General of Andor, and the King and the Lord Marshal of Malkier. It was thought safer that way. He," nodding towards Robert, "has a lot of enemies, you know." She took a sip of her wine. "Besides, it's not at all unusual for young people to come up to the Borderlands for learn about fighting, and to see if they're good enough to try for the Tower Guard and mayber eventually become a gaidin. I was given a troop. Small enough so that I could learn about the personal side of command. We fought a fair number of pretty sharp engagements. Plus I went to the brigade that the Tower Guard keeps in Malkier and tried to learn from them, as well. Which again is not unusual. I stayed six years, until it was thought that I was ready to come down here. What I lack is the schooling that all trainees get, plus the diversity training, such as learning the basics of engineering, logistics and general staff work. I am very good with all types of weapons, and I ride very well. I would be willing to take on anybody on the practice field with any weapon you name."

Before Myara could reply, a Yellow came into the room. "Freyja Sedai sent me, as she couldn't make it herself. What do you require?" When told what was needed she guffawed. "You? By the Light, I would never have thought it!" She motioned to Robert and Gwen. "Stand up and stand beside each other." She looked the two of them over. She shook her head. "You two look so much alike that a test is hardly needed." Her hands moved, and she studied the pair closely. "You're father and daughter all right." She shook her head in astonishment. She made to leave, but stopped as Robert raised his hand. "I would like you to sign a formal document to that effect." He opened the door and told his orderly to fetch the Guard's chief legal officer, the Judge Advocate General. When he arrived, Robert told him to draw up a legal document recognizing Gwen as his daughter and as his legal heir. "You know that this can be challenged in court because she's not legitimate," the man said. "I know," Robert replied. "That's going to be taken care of next."

Myara listened as Gwen gave account of her training along the way, nodding in agreement to many of the comments made. It became obvious quickly that there would be little training needed, but rather that her time here would be filling in the formalities along the way to her receiving the title of gaidar. In the end, Myara was looking at Gwen as an equal already, even if she was unable to address her as such. She also made it quite evident that she had the command necessary to step right into the roles that much needed filled. If it weren't for the fact that she was Robert's daughter, her mind would have been screaming that it was most definitely too good to be true.

The conversation ended as an Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah entered the office, stating that she had been sent by Freyja Sedai. Myara took that time to sit back a bit, relax, and reflect over the happenings of the day. What had started off as a routine morning had quickly become quite the strange one. The Yellow quickly declared them father and daughter, which gave Myara the last bit of confidence in welcoming the woman into the fold, a bit of a grin crossing her lips as she watched the two.

After the conversation ended, Myara looked between the two, then spoke, "I have no doubts whatsoever that you'd give us all a run for our money with weapons. In fact, I have no doubts whatsoever period at this point. It's good to have you here Gwen, and I look forward to standing with you, shoulder to shoulder, should the Tower have to stand at war." That said, she stood from the seat she had been occupying and gave a slight bow in Robert's direction, "There are matters I must attend to, if I could take leave of your company. I'm sure we'll speak again before too long."

There was a look of mild distraction messing with the usually solid features of the gaidar's face, though it was common knowledge that much was taking place within the garrison and the Tower as a whole. She waited barely a moment, then turned and made her way through the door, leaving father and daughter behind to catch up on the years.