(OOC: I'm writing this just to get back into Wheel of Time. A while ago I got kicked out of Tar Valon.net for missing a role call and since I lost inspiration and will to go near anything WoTish... But I'm writing this to get back. I like the books and love this site and don't want to lose it cause of silly Real life causing trouble with an other site that has nothing to do with this one. Anyone wanting to play with me just send me a PM.)

The cold rain was pouring down and her dress clang to her body in an awkward way. Still she, every sister with her and every Gaidin at their side kept on their progress. Her mind was set and Saidar was pulsating inside her as she wielded it in weaves of destruction along with the others. In her hand a staff on top of which the crystal angreal glowed. She was the only one not in a circle, the only one using an angreal today. Other patrols had angreals too, most stronger then this one. Still it felt strange to be the only one using it in her own patrol. The fire roared as fireballs swooshed past her towards the enemy. Trollocks set aflame running around in chaos but the rest pushing on as the myrdraals instilled fear into them. They had pushed back this boarder into the blight only kilometers, but still it had gotten quite a reaction from the inhabitants of Saldaea and Kandor. The Military of those countries did not dare push with the Aes Sedai yet and a dispute had occurred over who's the retaken land was. Still the Green Ajah pushed on. Politics was for the blues and they had soon caught on to what the Greens were doing. Even at the Towers the discussions had started that would slow this progress, this war against the shadow. But Cayana had others to deal with the diplomacy in her Ajah and towards other Ajahs.

Forming an other weave of air Cayana slashed at a myrdraal that had gotten exposed by the last fireball attack. It evaded most of it, but some cuts slashed open wounds at the waist and left arm of it. It hissed at her, directing it's gaze but it wasn't the first myrdraal Cayana had met even today. It advanced on her and she was forming yet an other weave but it was to fast. As it charged forward, blade in hand Cayana had to dodge to the side and put up a shield of air to not get hit. The slippery ground made her fall and as she looked up she expected to have the myrdraal on her, but she looked up to find a man staring down at her, his sword in hand keeping the now thrashing myrdraal at bay. "Are you alright Cayana Sedai?" He asked in the cold voice of a man in the void. Cayana nodded once and got up, grabbing the staff she had dropped as she did.

Re-embracing Saidar was just as difficult as always but her first weave was the simplest one yet. It tore the thrashing Myrdraal to shreds and no thrashing could help it fight now. The blade was kicked away and with the man at her side they turned to face the diminishing horde.

* * *

Back at the camp the wounded was looked after by the healers of the Ajah and those few Yellows that had volunteered after the news had spread among the Aes Sedai and Asha'man ranks. The war was not yet discussed among the general population of the world even if the people of Saldaea and Kandor did get far less raids into their boarders now.

Cayana was sitting on her bunk bed in her tent being fussed over by two women that just wouldn't leave her alone. All she had was scrapes from her silly fall, a fall that could just as well have caused her her life. She had managed to get them off her enough to change clothes but now they were dabbing her cut forehead with a sponge waiting for a healer to come by to heal it. It was a superficial cut, but Cayana knew well why they were so fussy. As much as it wasn't known she was the Head of the Ajah she couldn't very well go into any diplomatic sessions back at the towers or into any lessons or anything else with obvious marks of recent battle. Still Cayana just wanted to throw the two women out as nothing would be done about it until the worse wounded were taken care of. Grumbling under her breath she grabbed a notebook and started jotting down some notes about the days battle. Notes of those she had found out were wounded, those killed and those who had done remarkably good. Stopping for a second she looked up at the woman dabbing her forehead. "The young man who saved me today, what's his name?" The woman stopped for a moment and just looked at her then as if she had been startled said. "Oh, that would be John." Cayana went back to her notes until she was done and then put the book away before asking the woman again. "Could you please get John." Once more it was as if what she said was to get her a child. Sure the man hadn't been young but Cayana didn't get why this was such an odd request. "Yes, Captain General." She got atlast as a responce and the woman went off into the night.

It took a while before the woman returned with the young man trailing behind her into the tent. John was quite a handsome young man, dark hair and dark eyes in a somewhat pale face. She guessed he was Saldaean as herself but couldn't be fully sure. He bowed low as he was introduced. "I would like to thank you John for your services today. I am grateful for your conduct even if I can't help but to ask, why did you not stay with your bondmate?" The man suddenly got a small smile on his lips as she mentioned the latter. "I am not bonded Aes Sedai." Cayana nodded. It wasn't unusual for some of her sisters to bring along those still in training and not yet bonded. "Still, your future bondmate might not be to happy about you running off to watch someone else's back then hers?" The smile only widened and Cayana noted the two women exchanging looks. "Who is your future bondmate John?" Cayana then asked clearly. More of an order then a question. His smile faultered now, he looked nervous but he never got to respond. "Thank you John." The second woman who had stayed with Cayana during their wait said. "Cayana Sedai needs her rest now." Anger flaring Cayana rose the instant John left the tent. The other two had clearly expected the temper-flare as one of them quickly wove a sound ward. "You have no right!" Cayana growled at the two. "Bonds are between the Aes Sedai and her bondmate and only them!" They both were pictures of serenity now as they tried to get Cayana to sit back down. Cayana would not let though however. She had not earned her position by being bullied into it. "How can you find a bondmate Captain General if you only spend time with those already bonded?" Cayana wanted to slap the woman, she had no idea, yet they all suspected all ready. "So you decided to flaunt your 'bond-tracking'-skills in my face Mineve? Or did you think that if I rejected him you'd add yet an other to your own harem?" Mineve was slightly taken aback by the not so friendly or tact remark. But Lavine stepped in. "Sit down Captain General, and we will explain our actions." Not a word was spoken for a moment as Cayana and Lavine stared each other down. Yet eventually Cayana gave way and sat back down. She had little choice if she wanted answers at this point without blowing this thing completely open for all to see and hear.

Lavine, the forehead dabber, was now first to speak. "John is just one of a few of the men brought along. They know that they are here to protect you but to stay back with the other Gaidin unless you need help." Cayana did not speak but just let the woman continue. "You might not want a warder at the moment but you need one. You are the only one that has been chosen for the front lines that is not bonded to one or more men. We need you to be protected, you can not continue this if you do not have protection." Cayana still did not speak. "We already lost one Captain General to the lack of protection. The Shadowsworn already got One. We can not let it happen again." Lavine ended her speech but still Cayana said nothing, just stared at her relentlessly. The older Aes Sedais serenity faltered more and more until she looked really nervous. "What would you have had us do? Take you to the tavern and proclaimed that the Head of the Greens needed a warder?" She eventually blurted out, showing how little the consequences of their actual actions had been thought of. "If you have concerned about my well being, my safety or otherwise you will bring it up with me in private. You will not make decisions for me or push any on me. Is that clear Lavine?" Lavine looked down in shame until she caught what she was doing and looked up with a stern look, but Cayana had already shifted her attention to Mineve. "You have no say in the bonds of an other. If you wish to assign me guards I am alright with that until such time that I have warders to protect me. But you will not, I repeat will not push me into anything. I will not have men begging for something they know not the results of. Is that clear?" Mineve just nodded, not as ashamed as Lavine but still clearly knowing she had crossed the line here. "Now, I do not wish to see either of you in this troup for the next 6 months. You will be in the back lines with Thalessa and will be replaced with others not of your choice is that clear?"
They had been found out, punished and dealt with. Now all Cayana needed to do was to get a guard to deal with the clear problem of her sisters not trusting her enough. Cayana knew they were right, she should have had someone with her, but there was only one she wanted there, and until he got his ass raised he couldn't. The bond was still a secret.