Pressing her hand on Rhoekk, Litheene channels, inverting her weaves, and the power flows into him, sewing the wound back together. Then nods in respectfully in acknowledgment to his words He overcame the sickness despite being hit twice. Not an easy feat
I would chose death over wearing the leash again as well. Damane are not offered such an opportunity. Analin, the Suldam is Zira, of the low blood. The Gardner is sworn to protect her. They did comply and surrendered their spare Adam to us, not that we gave them much choice.
Litheene's words are flat, but her stare is cold, indicating she did not forget how the Seanchan weaseled their way about the demand to surrender the Adam. Still she holds on the power, unwilling to brake her promise of non offense, but ready to protect the fellow Aes Sedai if needed.
Still, they did help us fight the ShadowSpawn, and do not appear aggressive. And I was leashed once, yet came to yearn freedom, as a result of speaking to channelers who weren't native to the leash. Perhaps over time Merdrith can be cured from traveling with us, rather than killing them now adds Litheene, trying to push back on her anger, and away from the way of violence.
Ryvin gently elbows Keelix in the side.
"A nice dinner and a show," she whispers to him. "Our day is looking up, wouldn't you say?"
Despite the levity of her tone, Ryvin does not release the One Power - and her hand is on the hilt of her longsword.
Amorial's ears go flat at the tension in the room.
Standing in the doorway Amorial bellows slamming his fist into the wall, "STOP THIS CONFLICT RIGHT NOW! OUR FIGHT IS WITH THE CREATURES OUT THERE, BEYOND THAT DOORWAY! TROLLOCS, FADES, DARKFRIENDS AND WORSE SEEK TO SLAY US ALL AND FEED OUR BODIES AND SOULS TO THE DARK ONE. IF WE BATTLE AMONGST OURSELVES HE WINS BEFORE THE FIGHT EVEN STARTS!!!"
Ryland frowns as he moves away from the others his hand on his sword. "I can no longer stand aside. If she is Aes Sedai she must be released. What ever bargain I may have been part of is over now.
The wolf lord's sword slides from its scabbard as he moves into a ready stance. "Surrender the Aes Sedai or I will attempt to sever your head from its body."
Rhoekk gives Fiallain a knowing glance and a slight twitch moves his lip as he moves away from the spot the two occupied while eating their meal. To another Aiel, the twitch of his lip might as well be considered grinning like an idiot.
He moves to stand before Chen, stopping 5 feet in front of him. His hands are empty, but loose and hanging unencumbered by his sides. He looks the large Gardener directly in the eye.
"You will not interfere. It appears the time has come for this woman, wrongfully enslaved, to be freed."
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Tuli looks up at Analin's addressing her.
Analin?! tuli, aka merdrith, speaks in a tone that reminds everyone of her tone back in the open field.
Merdrith takes a step forward, but then suddenly a grimace covers her face. Shifting from left to right, she lowers her face to the floor and then takes a step back, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
Amorial's shout brings everyones attention, with the exception of chen and rhoekk who stare only at each other.
Jasper throws a wink at Kodokura then stands up.
Oh? so are will killing people now? people who are in no ways a current threat to either one of you? Do you feel so intimidated by a woman who has the capability to control only one of you, and yet that tool is in use already.
Jasper begins to walk around the table, only to stop behind Alathea.
Here we have someone who states that you all jasper swings his hand wide, encompassing everyone except for analin and her warder. you all have attempted to remove this woman from her collar, but it failed? You say that she doesn't wish to be free? Sounds like she made her own decision.
stepping up now beside Analin, he continues,
But, first attempts can fail, but nothing prevents a second attempt. especially when killing is to be done. So, analin, who should we kill? should we kill the leash holder who does what her homeland has taught her what to do and how to do it? What about her? he points to ryvin.she is from Ebou dar. i am sure that she has participated in several duels. SHould she die due to her homeland customs?
pointing at Rhoekk, he continues and what about him? i am sure he has killed multiple men and women, all without remorse. Perhaps he should die, perhaps with a sword?
He next points to Fia. an aiel woman. perhaps a maiden at one time, perhaps not. in either case, all aiel woman are just as deadly as an aiel man. I am sure she has killed. Let's kill her.
Looking at everyone else and then finally at analin.
perhaps you should kill yourself. i am sure that your three oaths have given you plenty of cover in performing the deed, all for the white tower
So, if killing must be done, then do it. You, Analin, only you. Here, have a dagger. jasper pulls out a dagger and presses it into analin's hand.
Kill her. Take the blade, walk up to her leash holder, and kill her. Press it into her breast, ever so slowly. Make her feel it. But have the decency to look her in the eye while you do it. Dont have your henchman do it for you.
"People can choose not to duel, even in Ebou Dar," Ryvin says with unusual calm while she tugs on her gauntlets. "Society's expectations be damned. And soldiers can choose to surrender, even among the Aiel. The sul'dam dp not allow those who surrender to go their own way, not even in disgrace and shame. All are imprisoned and tormented."
and those that died by your blade are still dead.
She looks at those gathered, the leash still limp. Her eyes cold. Yet no other action is taken. She steps up next to Tali before adressing the newcomer
"I do not meddle in your a fairs. Tali belongs to me. She has shown those around here that she is happy where she is. I have not treated her ill in any way. I provide for her. I keep her safe. Now suddenly you wish to kill either of us?"
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and those that died by your blade are still dead.
Ryvin snorts. "Certainly. But they were prepared for that and accepted the possibility. Of their own will. I didn't lock them in a kennel and torture them for months to make them believe they wanted to."
yes, because the society of dueling within ebou dar is its own sort of kennels and torture. different form of leash. If you participated in the duels, then you held the leash yourself...
Litheene's lips press at Jasper's words, but she chooses not to object him, having Amorial's words, and feelings, wash through her. He is right, we shouldn't fight now.
Yet she knew she wont stand in Analin's path, and won't allow Analin to come to harm out of fighting to free Merdrith either.
She speaks up to the room, to no one in particular. Know this. Whatever happens to the Suldam, the Damane will suffer, as long as they are linked by the Adam. If Zira dies, so will Merdrith.
"You were a lot more pleasant to be around before you spent time in... the sick ward, my friend," Ryvin says, shrugging. "When I duelled, I put my own life on the line as well. And in Ebou Dar, the duel is a freedom. You have another option to deal with... everything. Or you can let it lie and go somewhere else."
She looks at those gathered, the leash still limp. Her eyes cold. Yet no other action is taken. She steps up next to Tali before adressing the newcomer
"I do not meddle in your a fairs. Tali belongs to me. She has shown those around here that she is happy where she is. I have not treated her ill in any way. I provide for her. I keep her safe. Now suddenly you wish to kill either of us?"
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At hearing that exclamation Litheene's eyes finally show emotion, that of surprise. You haven't? Looking at Merdrith's ageless face she continues Merdrith can't lie, can she? let us hear her say it then, that you did not use the Adam to torture her. Cause her pain. That she willingly put it on the first time it was presented
She looks at Merdrith with sorrow Make no mistake, the only reason I was and still am, against fighting over this personally, is because of her choice to keep the leash. And it remains only as long as it is still her will. You can fool the locals to some extend but we come from the same side of the Arith, and I know the truth behind the leash
Chen looks at Rhoekk with a hint of both sadness and excitement in his eyes. His large hand rests on the finely crafted hilt of his large Heron Mark blade.
He whispers. "None but the Empress order me."
His voice rumbles like a quake. "Stand aside little warrior. Or I will cut you down as chaff in a field."
Analin sneers at Jasper and drops the knife on the table in front of her. "I do not need a knife to kill. The One Power is no less a tool in my hand than your knife. And if you believe slavery- slavery of someone brainwashed into believing they want to be a slave- is analogous to dueling or being a soldier, I have no response for you. That sort of statement is simply foolish. Some things are simply wrong."
She looks at those gathered, the leash still limp. Her eyes cold. Yet no other action is taken. She steps up next to Tali before adressing the newcomer
"I do not meddle in your a fairs. Tali belongs to me. She has shown those around here that she is happy where she is. I have not treated her ill in any way. I provide for her. I keep her safe. Now suddenly you wish to kill either of us?"
"You meddle in my affairs by enslaving a woman I have known for more than half a century!" Analin made no physical movement, but even as she roared her dismissal of Zira's facile comment she wove a shield of power to cut off Tali from the Source. "She is Aes Sedai! I do not care if you live or die, woman, but she will be free!"
"Torture? Such crude methods are beneath me. Teach. Reprimand. Guide. That is what I do. I do not expect one to know their place by heart all the time. Ons has to wait. Take things slowly."
She avoided using term what she was taught to use. It would en flame the situation. She didn't get to where she was in society by being wool headed
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so you sentence your friend to death. How fascinating. jasper smirks.
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"Peace friends". Amorial puts his substantial bulk between Chen and Rhoekk.
"The Wheel has seen fit to weave us all together in this strange place out of our own times. We need to act in concert if we are to defeat the darkness that closes in on us all. Zira must be taught that slavery is wrong and that the collar is a form of slavery. If we slay her now, we are no better than the Dark One. It is up to the Aes Sedai to bring those lost into the Light, not to slay those whose viewpoints they find abhorrent. If this is not so, then why has your Order banned the use of the One Power from causing harm to living creatures for so long?"
"Torture? Such crude methods are beneath me. Teach. Reprimand. Guide. That is what I do. I do not expect one to know their place by heart all the time. Ons has to wait. Take things slowly."
She avoided using term what she was taught to use. It would en flame the situation. She didn't get to where she was in society by being wool headed
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As I said before, I am not a local, you speak this to the wrong ears, for you knew the woman who tortured me, and I know you. While not one of the sadist Suldams, you weren't a bad by Seanchan standards Litheene uses the word "bad" with disgust to indicate she does not approve of the scale.
Suldam use pain to lower the person to the level of an animal. Even slaves are higher in rank. A slave can mate, can kill himself if worse comes to worse. Tell them Zira, why Damane are rare in Seanchan. For what man would think of sleeping with a dog, or a dog's likeness?
Amorial, your words ring true to me. I am not a murderer, despite what the Seanchan preach. Yet I can not abandon another to the leash. As long as Merdrith chooses it, I have no intention of hurting Zira. The moment Merdrith speaks to be free, I will fight to the death to save her from a fate far worse. Yet I can't just as well force my complacency on one who knew this woman for so long, and sees her friend broken. Analin is the one who wishes to kill them, and thou I would prefer otherwise, I would not stand in her way, or allow them to murder a sister to prevent her crusade. It is between them to decide if this comes to blood
standing up tall, Tali/merdrith steps forward.
you are correct. i am aes sedai and i cannot tell a lie. pausing to look at Zira, she smiles. Mistress Zira is a kind and gentle Sul'dam. she has treated me with respect and dignity ever since i was given to her. Have i been tortured? yes. but not by Zira. Has Zira used the a'dam to discipline Tali? yes, yes she has. it is no different than using a whip on a bull, or a riding crop on a horse. there are those masters who are sadistic.
"I do not need to explain anything to anyone. Our ways are our ways. I do not ask anyone to explain their ways to me. They are not my concerns nor are they mine to know. Now. Are we going to continue this debate or are we going to sit down and try to figure out what we are going to do about the current, and I dare say, more pressing matter, out side these walls?"
She strokes Tali's hair in a caring and affectionate manner
"That's my good girl." she looks at the others
"Are we settled?" then she looks at the woman who seems intent to test this
"If you continue on this path, things will go badly for all of those here. In this building"
She will use Tali to open the house. Basically blow a hole in the wall. Cause this woman seems intent of ending both Tali and herself. And exposing them to the horrors outside might snap them back to the situation and stop a very serious attack and damage to all. Besides. Tali would be grieving and be useless if she was forced to attack and maybe kill a friend
"The difference is that if you speak to a bull or a horse about things it has done wrong that you wish to see corrected, it will not understand," Ryvin says, responding to Merdrith while looking casually at her gauntlet. "You are a human being, capable of speaking and understanding the Common language. That being the case, you can take instruction and be chastised with words. There is no need for the whip or the riding crop, and yet this creature persists in using them because to it, you are not human. To it, you are less than a dog..."
"Not less..." she corrects. Still stroking Tali's hair
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Amorial turns to Zira, "Perhaps the question here is why the Seanchan feel it necessary to place these collars on women with the One Power? Artur Hawkwing had differences with Tar Valon but he also had Aes Sedai advisors. Stories tell that his wife may have even been tower trained before he married her. This is a not a tradition passed on from him of that I can assure you".
They do so because the land of Seanchan had no white tower and no other force to fill the void, and it knew the true destruction the One Power can bring. Yet instead of going the right way, they recoiled to this Her hand moves in the direction of the leash-pair.
The real arrogance here is in coming back and leashing those who knew better than Seanchan. This woman is bound by the oats. She can not wield the devastation Seanchan saw. Yet she is treated as an animal. At least her Suldam bothered to stop denying it
"Once again. I do not need to explain our ways. You have laws passed down from generation so far back, some of the laws I am sure you yourself do not know why they are passed. Besides, no one second guesses the Empress. May she live forever"
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"Oh, but there you are mistaken." Fia cuts in for the first time. Her voice was soft, but as cold and hard as the summer sun was hot in the three-fold-land. The grave insult offered her at their last 'negotiations' was still fresh in the Aiel's mind. Even so, she would not intentionally push the group into a dance and would not risk the lives of her friends and companions here and now. Yet, if the Aes Sedai themselves chose to force the issue, there would definitely be a certain... satisfaction to it. Nothing thus far had occurred to improve her opinion of the two since their first near-disastrous meeting.
She had of course noticed Rhoekk's blatantly obvious grin moments before.. It is well that he has his veil, else he would signal every move he makes before he moves! She had also taken note as Ryland's sword left its scabbard. Those two were certainly ready. Her almost-smile faded as her gaze shifted to the two asha'man. They were the unknown danger. Jasper had already spoken at length almost as if in support of the Seanchan. The Jasper she had known in her own world had been almost irrational when it came to the Aes Sedai. Was this world's Jasper's mistrust of Aes Sedai so strong that he would actually approve of Seanchan methods? He seemed calmer, more in control than the man she had known, but frankly Fia wasn't sure whether she should be comforted, or frightened by that.
Unless she missed her guess, the new Kodokura would take his queue from the other. How would they react? Her eyes narrowed on them as she cursed her current weakness for what must have been the billionth time these past few weeks.
All this took place in the space of a couple heartbeats as her gaze returned to the Seanchan woman.
"From what I have seen, I am learning that I should very much question everything about your 'empress'. As for you yourself... You are on lands that belong to others. As invaders. As usurpers and thieves of women. You do indeed need to explain yourselves and your ways. You are a long ways from your Seanchwan home. You have much to answer for. You would do well to drop the misplaced arrogance and choose your words and actions wisely. I do believe your lives may be in the balance."
Analin steps away from her chair and rounds the table, murder in her eyes. "You have 'disciplined' an Aes Sedai like a bull?" She wasn't shouting now, she was hissing like an angry snake. The blonde Green walks right up to Zira, stopping with her face bare inches away from the sul'dam's.
"Your empress has no authority here. Your laws are the laws of no lands on this side of the ocean. There is no country here that looks fondly on slavery , and this?" She waves a hand at the former Aes Sedai. "This is worse than slavery."
Ryland has not moved from his ready stance, but his eyes track Jasper as he moves around the room. "Your argument is nulified by the fact that the Ads Sedai was taken against her will. What happened after to break her may have been no fault of Zira but it did occurs. Men and women fight and die for their beliefs. This is one of those. The problem with your argument Jasper is that the a lie can be the truth if the person believes it so. That is what has happened here, do not delusion yourself. The Aes Sedai will be freed. To stand by and let this continue would be the same as throwing our lot in with the dark one."
"I have struggled with myself since the wheel spun us all together. The power all channellers poses is devastating. Too much power to be placed in one persons hands to be sure be my thoughts. I even planned on killing your other self at one time as I saw his power and the madness that crept on the edge of his being.
I once witnessed the other you hold one of the faceless in the air and burn its feet with fire he made. 20 men could not do anything similar to a facesless.
Something needs to be done about people who posses this power, but this, leash is not the answer. Death would be better."
Shaking her head in disgust, Alathea leaves Analin's side and stands with Amorial. "Must we fight this out here?! Amorial is right; this is not the time and place!" To Zira and Tuli, she says, "Do not mistake me: it should be obvious that I oppose chaining those like me into subservience, yes?" But to the others, she says, "But if Merdrith does not wish her collar removed, what good will forcing her to take it off now do? Given time, perhaps you can help her find the part of her that wants to be free. But until then, taking off her collar will only be one more problem to face, yes? Maybe Merdrith will never want to be free and we will have to face it anyway, but at a time of our choosing." With a calculating look towards Zira, she adds, "Zira has already come to terms with traveling with unchained women, yes? Perhaps she may come to terms with unchaining Merdrith, but fighting her will certainly not convince her."
arent dogs, cats, cows, pigs, and other domesticated animals taken against their will? jasper responds to Rylands point.
jasper points not at Zira, but at Tuli.
kill her. take your sword and impale her with it. Death would be better, so you said. Prove it... wait, what did you say? Jasper suddenly spins, looking at alathea.
Of course! a brilliant Idea! We have an Aes sedai who is now a damane who doesnt wish to be uncollared. perhaps it would be in everyones best interest to allow this damane to remain collared, but have one of you- he points at the female channelers, one of you hold the leash, and in the process wean her off of it, or reintroduce her to her former life?
Turning to Zari, he continues. of course, we must also accept the possibility that Tuli may not want to come off the leash. perhaps she likes this new life style. I think if we provide her with every opportunity to make an informed decision, i think that that would work best.
"The rebirth of the Dragon has brought the frayed ends of the pattern together. We will need to learn to live with one another if we survive the Last Battle. If we can show Zira the error of her ways she can enlighten others of the Seanchan. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. If we slay her now, at what point do we sit down with the Seanchan and convince them of the error of their ways? Or must we kill all those whose ways we find abhorrent?"
Keelix snorts in derision, speaking for the first time since meeting the new Aes Sedai, "Jasper, did you seriously just compare a human being to livestock? Surely you are not that stupid or amoral. Enough with this playing at the Dark One's advocate. Stop trying to put out a flame by drowning it with lamp oil."
"I do not argue for killing the Seanchan woman, but this taking free women and turning them into livestock must stop. Even if it must stop on the point of a blade." He turns to Zira, "And you. You cannot take a free woman, torture and break her with pain, and then claim to have simply shown her the truth 'she knew all along'. A person will do anything to end the pain, does it go on long enough. And let's stop cloaking how you break these women's wills in euphemism and soft words."
Keelix's voice is flat and angry, "You torture them. You cause them to suffer intense pain. And worse, you reward them and treat them kindly when they finally surrender their own humanities and act like the animals you claim them to be. This is not training. This is torture and the breaking of wills; the destruction of a person. This is brainwashing"
Chen watched them all, keeping silent.
The abomination, Jasper, struggled as his mind failed him, he mispronounced words, stuttered and spoke nonsense, almost to himself.
His mind falls to shadow. As it must.
Quickly, Chen's blade flashes out, screaming past Rhoekk and Amorial, towards Jasper's neck.
Ryvin lashes out with the One Power - not at Chen, who has proven annoyingly intractible to the One Power, but at the sword he is using to attack Jasper. Around the sword, the air abruptly gels and becomes as unmoving as stone, hopefully bringing the Seanchan Ogier to a screaming halt.
Initiative
Having been waiting for precisely the moment Chen draws his sword, Rhoekk moves with a flash of blinding speed, stepping forward to the side of Amorial, as if to intercept the arc of the moving blade. Then, with almost casual grace, he thrusts out one empty hand, striking the massive Gardner's blade hand, and knocking the blade free. It strikes the floor with a clatter of steel on stone.
Now standing next to Amorial and Chen, the Aielman does not yet retaliate. He stares up at the big ogier's eyes, and stone faced just says, "You will not interfere. And this one," indicating Jasper "has offered you no threat. If you would be an enemy, you will be put down."