Novices at the Tower

[Iris 0]

Liv's first Siuan-Mo series (or the start of it at least) I'm bad at spotting typos, so bear with me please!

 

Novices at the Tower Part 1:

Breakfast

 

Moiraine sat up in bed at hearing the chime for first rise. She rolled her shoulders in a stretch and hurriedly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She turned, setting her feet on the floor and wasted no time in washing at the small stand, on which stood a chipped porcelain basin and pitcher. It was a far cry from the elaborate sea folk porcelain that her basin and pitcher had been made of at the Sun Palace, but it served its purpose just as well. She toweled her face and picked up the small toothbrush that sat on a shelf nearby, along with the salt and soda. Her eyelids started to close slightly, still heavy with tiredness, as she went through the monotonous motion of brushing her teeth. It must have been about six in the morning, but being late summer, a small glimmer of light came in under the door, enough that she could see what she was doing without needing to light any candles.

 

She traded the plain wool shift she had worn last night for a new one, but immediately felt just as itchy. There had certainly been no merriment in sleeping in a wool shift in the stuffy, small room. She ran her fingernails over her body vigorously, as if one last, thorough scratch would lessen the discomfort she was bound to feel throughout the day. Light, but I miss silk! She pulled on a pair of white stockings, and opened the plain wooden wardrobe and found the stark white, wool dress that all Novices wore. She crinkled her nose as she held it up in front of her, surveying it. White was the color or mourning. The Tower could have perhaps chose gray or brown for novices, or maybe they had their reasons for donning them in the same color as people who were grieving.

 

Moiraine sighed and pulled the dress over her head and tied the waist band. She was small, not only in height but in frame, and the side of her mouth lifted in query at wondering what do we with the large amount of extra waist band that hung lose on the front of her dress. She could cut it, but then it might look all ragged on the edges. She certainly didn't want to appear for breakfast her first day at the Tower looking tattered. They'd have to do for now, hanging there like that. Hopefully no one would notice. Or I won't trip on it, she thought with wry exasperation.

 

She lifted her hands to her head and pulled a long mass of loose, dark curls from the inside of her dress. They fell about her shoulders, their dark brown color contrasting with her pale skin and the white wool, even in the semi-darkness of the room. She had been used to wearing her hair up her entire life, a massive pile of dark curls set on top of her head, as that was style amongst the nobility in Cairhien. But nobility held no weight in the White Tower, and she certainly would look a fool trying to pretend that did. Still, it felt somewhat awkward having her hair spilling every which way, but like so many other things in this place, she would just have to get used to it. She picked up her own ivory comb from beside the toothbrush on the shelf, and sat down on the bed, running it through her hair one hundred times. Normally she didn't count the strokes, but today she did. She cracked the door slightly to allow more light into the room, after which she gave herself one last look in the mirror. Satisfied, despite the long waist band and dreadful itchiness, she stepped into her leather slippers and out of her room, shutting the door behind her.

 

A few other Novices in white moved down the long, wide corridor. Moiraine had already noted that compared to what she saw of the rest of the Tower, which wasn't much yet, the Novices' quarters were almost as plain as their dresses. Most of the surroundings were merely functional, with barely any aesthetic value. It still had the feel of a palace though, despite its bareness, so at least in that way it was familiar to her. She wondered what farm-girls thought when they first came to the tower. They were probably awestruck even by these barren halls. It certainly would be nice if there was a new farm-girl amongst the novices today. A country girl looking around wide-eyed and forgetting to curtsy to Aes Sedai would definitely distract people from even noticing Moiraine.

 

Sleepy looking young women were still emerging from doorways, and overall the corridor was still mostly vacant, which was what Moiraine had hoped for. She didn't want to walk into the hall for breakfast and find everyone already sitting down and eating, looking up at this new personage, gawking and whispering. She hoped no one knew her origins as a noble and a Damodred, but people naturally gaped at any new face in a sea of familiar ones. Plus, walking into a room with everyone else sitting was what you did when you wanted people to notice you. That was as basic to one schooled in Daes Dae'mar as the alphabet was to a child.

 

Moiraine walked somewhat briskly down the hallway, unaware of just how high her chin and nose were in the air. She simply wanted to look confident, and a chin and nose at that level were commonplace in the Sun Palace, but in the novice quarters they got a few curious stares, if not lifted eyebrows or sidelong looks. Some girls sidled up next to friends, and Moiraine had the uncomfortable sensation that those whispers and hushed voices had something to do with her, but she didn't let worry show on her face. She merely strode past, like a noble passing by a group of commoners.

 

* * *

[Iris 0]

“Aw, fish guts!” Siuan hissed, hastily brushing off her white, woolen Novice's dress. A bottle of soda lay spilled on the side of the washstand, leaving white powder all over Suian and the carpet. At least the dress is white, Siuan thought, as she salvaged what soda she could from the side of the stand and added it to the mix, then began brushing her teeth rather roughly. She spit out the mix into the basin and looked up into the mirror. It had small chips in it, like the pitcher and basin, but Siuan hadn't even noticed. The room may have been small and plain, but it was much tidier and, in a way, cozier than her room had been back in Tear.

 

A small frown crossed her face. Everything was still settling in, really. Word had spread amongst the coastal village where Siuan resided that she had somehow manged to save a child from drowning without even getting her feet wet. She was hauling nets on the dock when she saw the child fall in, rolling waves pushing the child's head beneath the surface of the water. In her panic and desire to pull the child out, some unknown sweetness seemed to fill her to her very pores, and the child was flung like a rag doll back onto the dock, as if Siuan had yanked it back with some invisible hook. Shock had filled her as she lay watching the child cough and splutter, incredulous stares in her direction coming from everyone nearby—mainly fisherman and sailors and common workers.

 

Even the gruffest men with the quietest scowls were liable to talk about an incident like that, and within a few days an unknown woman arrived on the doorstep of Siuan's father's house, having heard about this “miracle” and claiming that Siuan had touched the One Power. Of course Siuan backed away in terror, followed by her father raising his voice and claiming that no such thing was possible in his daughter. But the woman took it all in stride, approaching Siuan serenely, yet determinedly, touching her head and assuring her she needn't be afraid. Little did Siuan know that in that very moment the woman could see the glow of Saidar surrounding Siuan, and that was all the confirmation she needed. But just to prove it, she had Siuan close her eyes and focus on that sweet feeling, and imagine a flame of cool, flickering fire manifesting itself in the palm of her hand---and it did, albeit rather bleakly. Suian's jaw dropped at seeing the flame, as did her father's, who insisted angrily that no daughter of his could be a Tar Valon witch, as if insulting the woman might scare her off.

 

“She is as you say,” the woman said calmly, if not coldy, turning to Siuan's father. “And seeing as this country has outlawed channeling, she will have to leave with me for the White Tower within the day—for her own safety. Even if she manages to cover up her ability to channel, if she goes untrained, she may end up killing herself or you. She is very powerful.” The serene woman turned back to Siuan. “I will see you by first light tomorrow, Siuan Sanche.

 

Light-complected for a Taieren, Siuan scrubbed a tear from her pale face, remembering the last night in her own bed, in her own home, with her father. How would he fair without her? She might have worked at the docks during the day, but she still took over all the domestic duties in the evening. Siuan sighed. She had never left Tear before, and now she had left it behind for the Light knew how long. Granted, her life in Tear had not been an easy one, and it certainly lacked many of the comforts that the White Tower offered, but nonetheless it was still home, and home was familiar.

 

Siuan drew a breath purposefully and stood up to her full height, looking into the mirror. She wasn't a very tall woman, but it wasn't extra height she sought. Standing like that made her feel braver, and she set her jaw determinedly. If the boat's sinking, you jump overboard and swim for your life. Only a fool sits and imagines that if it stays afloat, it will. It was time to start swimming, and as long as she knew she had to do it, she might as well do it well. She gave her glossy, straight hair one last smoothing behind her ears, where it hung on her back to just below her shoulders. Then she stepped into white leather slippers and strode into the corridor, pulling the door shut behind her with a click.

 

Siuan squared her shoulders, and looking straight ahead, walked with a gait that spoke not only confidence, but latent power. She wasn't aware of it at all, but the way she held herself demanded respect, yet did so without putting people off. Girls walking in the morning light of the white corridor took note of this unknown person, with her straight, shiny brown hair and startling, deep blue eyes. No new novice walked unknown corridors under unknown stares while maintaining such a commanding presence. Was she an Accepted that got demoted? Did that actually happen? Siuan noticed a cluster of girls out of the corner of her eye looking in her direction, talking quietly. Rather than ignore them, Siuan managed to give them a smile as she passed. Her smile didn't detract at all from her confident carriage—it only beckoned others to ride in her wake. It wasn't a regal carriage, or one that smacked of arrogance, like the one that short, curly-haired girl possessed. Rather, it was one that spoke of innate leadership, silently calling others to follow. The group of novices smiled back, eager to find and befriend this blue-eyed person in the breakfast hall.

* * *

[Iris 0]

Moiraine sat at the edge of the one of the wooden benches that ran beside side the long, wooden tables of the dining hall, Novices sitting in groups of two or three, eating porridge and bread. She had arrived very early, only a few girls sharing her table then, but now it was was mostly filled, and the sounds of chatter rose with the clanking of spoons throughout the hall.

 

Moiraine ate her own bowl of porridge slowly, taking this time to quietly observe her environment. Accepted, the dresses white with banded hems in the colors of the all the Ajahs, sat together on the opposite side of the hall. Of course, no Aes Sedai were present. Moiraine noted that most of the other Novices were slightly older than she, but hardly any seemed to be past their early twenties. The Accepted appeared to be a different scenario, with a seemingly wide array of ages amongst them. It seemed the Tower did not waste time testing a person who was not ready for the shawl, not matter how long they had to wait.

 

A group of three girls sat slightly down the bench from Moiraine, who was the last one at the end of the table, the space across from her being vacant. One girl sat on Moiraine's side of the bench---a very pretty, tall girl with olive-colored skin, large dark eyes, and long black hair. Opposite her was a plump, red-haired girl with slanted green eyes. The olive-skinned girl was no doubt from some southern region, and the green-eyed redhead was undoubtedly Saldeaen, Moiraine noted. The third girl, next to the redhead, was also exceptionally pretty, with long, light blonde hair and light blue eyes. The most boisterous of the three seemed to be the olive-skinned girl, but the blonde girl was not far behind. The redhead seemed to observe mostly with those tilted green eyes, but whenever she spoke, the other two listened.

 

Their conversation was mostly gossip about this person or that, but the blonde and the olive-skinned girl seemed to enjoy redirecting the conversation to men whenever the opportunity arose. The subject of Warders came up often between then, and Moiraine could sense some subtle competition amongst the two, although it appeared to be friendly.

 

Moiraine was abruptly brought out of her silent observation by another person taking a seat across from her at the table. Moiraine casually drew her eyes away from the three beside her to this new person, a fair-skinned girl with deep blue eyes and glossy brown hair. By the way she seemed to plop down onto the bench, she was either having a rough morning or had a rough manner.

 

 

[Iris 0]

Siuan continued to look at her, her spoon suspended in midair. Moiraine glanced at her and she gave a small smile and brought the spoon to her mouth. Moiraine was still aware that the others' eyes were on her as she made another attempt to return to her breakfast. She had just taken a bite when another spoke. This time it was Ellid. She had more warmth to her voice, but nonetheless probed just as much as Sheriam.

 

 

[Olivia 26]

Nice start to the story, although I'm a little confused as to why you're writing a Moiraine/Siuan fic. I thought you were straight. Good first chapter, though. The alternation between characters gave a good feel for their differences, so it'll be fun to see how they start to discover their similarities.

[Iris 0]

Indeed I am straight, but that doesn't mean I can't dabble in Moiraine's various sides.

 

*edit* *edit* *edit*

 

*smooths skirt*

 

There's also a lot there in terms of the friendship too, aside from the pillows I think it's going to be a really fun fic to work on.

 

Busy weekend ahead, so hopefully chapter 2 will be in the works soon!