The Prank

by Nalla Kimri al'Tear

“Why are we hiding? They’ll find us and punish us anyway you know. You know they will.” a young dark haired girl said, brushing hay out of her curls, and cringing, as if she could feel the sting of the switch. “I know they will eventually, Nalla, but they haven’t caught us yet.” golden haired Doshia Taulen whispered with a slight grin. “Besides, maybe this will give them time to cool off a bit.”

Nalla just shook her head and blew at a piece of hay dangling in her face. She would bet a gold mark she didn’t have that cooling off was the last thing that the Mistress of Novices and Haunora Sedai was doing.

A creaking noise at the far end of the stable sent both girls scrambling behind a large mound of hay. Peeking around just barely, Doshia saw two of the Warders trainees, beginning to search the hay loft. “Oh, just wonderful. And it would have to be those two.” Nalla groaned. “Hush up,” Doshia hissed quietly.

The two young men glanced at each other and grinned. One of them nodded towards the mound of hay that the two girls were behind, and the other nodded. They made a big show of searching the loft before sauntering over to where Nalla and Doshia were.

“All right you two,” one said, “lets go.”. It’s not wise to keep the Mistress of Novices waiting.” Both of the boys were friends, and they wore sympathetic faces for the two novices, but they wouldn’t have traded places with them for the world. “Did you really put a frog on Haunora Sedai’s plate?” one of the boys, a young man with mousy hair and a ready grin, asked in disbelief as they walked along. Doshia gave him a level gaze. “Yes, as a matter of fact, Geven. We did.” she said shortly. Geven just shook his head.

In her office, the Mistress of Novices was pacing angrily, and laughing inside of herself at the same time. On one hand, she admired the little brats, to a degree. They reminded her of herself and her best friend as a novice, and even she and her friend hadn’t had the nerve to try something on Haunora Sedai. The woman had been menacing when she was a novice, and she had only gotten worse with age.

Yet, on the other hand, they broke a rule, and embarrassed a sister publicly. She giggled then, barely catching herself. Haunora had squealed and fussed like a piglet separated from it’s mother, and tossed her plate across the room to top it off. Oh yes, it had been funny, but still, very wrong. She had to remind herself off that.

Just then there was a soft, reluctant tap at her door. “Enter,” she said curtly. Two very nervous novices crept in, hugging against the wall. “Ah, well. It seems you’ve decided to face up at last. It wasn’t very polite of you to keep me waiting you know.....”

A few hours later, Doshia and Nalla were kneeling up to their hips in the Warders’ and trainees’ dirty laundry. Doshia held an extremely soiled shirt out at arms length and pinched her nose. The smell in the room was unpleasant at the least. “I can’t believe that we have to do this!” she exclaimed. “Oh, can’t you.” Nalla snapped, as she began scrubbing a pair of breeches across the wash board.. “If it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t be here. You just couldn’t let well enough alone. A switching isn’t enough for you, you just have to have a penance along with it!” she shouted, plunging the breeches into the water with all her fury, and getting splashed in the face with soap and water for her trouble. “Get over it.” Doshia snapped back. “Light! Doing the Warders’ laundry everyday for the next week. Disgusting.” Doshia complained.

As they sat there, scrubbing, Nalla started to notice a wicked grin spreading across her friends face. “What are you thinking about?” she asked cautiously. Doshia’s grin grew. “What might be the biggest prank in the history of the White Tower..” she answered.

Lying on her small, uncomfortable bed one week later, excitement and fear ran through Nalla at the same time. She was waiting for Doshia to come and signal her. The two girls had readied who knows how many pairs of the Warders’ and trainees’ smallclothes to be hung all over the Tower. Tonight was the night it was to be done.

Doshia crept down the hall and giggled nervously. This was all her idea, but somehow she was beginning to think that it wasn’t so great. But then, she and Nalla would go down in prank history.

Nalla’s door opened slowly, and Doshia peeked in. Nalla jumped three feet in the air, and landed on her backside with a thump on the floor. “Light Doshia! Whatever happened to having a secret knock?” she gasped. “I changed my mind. Knocking would’ve made too much noise.” Doshia said, shrugging. There was no way she was going to admit that she had lost her nerve. Or that she had been praying that Nalla would be asleep.

“Are you ready?” Nalla asked, hoping that she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. “Do you think we’ll get caught?” “Not unless you wake all the Aes Sedai in the Tower jabbering.” Doshia hissed. Of course, she was lying. Both girls knew they would be caught, and that the consequences would be monstrous. “Do you remember everything we planned?” Doshia asked. “Yes,” Nalla replied.

After they got out of the novice quaters, the girls split up. Hoping that by doing so, they’d be harder to recognize and notice. Plus they’d be able to cover more territory.

Nalla ducked behind a pillar. Had that been a shadow? Nonsense. Not even the servants were up at this hour. Her imagination was getting the best of her.

Doshia crouched and glanced around nervously. Had she just seen someone? Light! She was supposed to be the brave one, and she was letting fancies get to her. What was next, letting field mice chase her up trees?

Nalla and Doshia worked through the night. By morning a good deal of the Tower was thoroughly decorated with the ‘borrowed’ smallclothes. And what a sight it was! Smallclothes on the floor, hanging off banisters and lamps, just about anywhere they could be hung or dropped.

On their hands and knees scrubbing their novice room floors were two exhausted young ladies. And standing in the middle of the main entry, looking at the two pranksters handy work, was the Mistress of Novices, with lightening in her eyes.

The White Tower was abuzz for weeks about the prank. Everybody talked about it except for the two that had done it. Nalla and Doshia wanted nothing more than to forget about it, so they said. Not only had they bee switched within an inch of their lives, but they would also be doing extra chores for months.

As they were scrubbing the soup kettles, a wicked grin started to spread over Doshia’s face. “Hey, Nalla, I have an idea.” she said, giggling softly. Nalla backed out of her kettle to look at her. “No! No, don’t even think about it!.......”