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Etaine walks down the corridors of the palace towards the war room. None of her gaidin are directly with her, but at least two are in the palace and nearby. Her cheeks seem to have a healthy glow to them, but she holds herself with an air of confidence. As she approaches the doors she speaks with those guarding it. "If you please, let the Lord Rand know I wish to speak with him of a matter of ... personal importance."
The Maiden standing next to the door turns and pokes her head inside, then she turns and grins at Etaine and motions her to go on in. Rand stands with his hands propped on the table, leaning over it, reading a report, apparently oblivious to all else around him.
Etaine inclines her head in a simple gesture of appreciation to the Maiden as she steps inside the door. She advances a few paces, and glances back towards the door, waiting to see that they are closed behind her.
The door closes with a soft snickt sound. Rand glances up from his papers and looks in that direction. A frown crawls slowly across his face as he slowly shakes his head. He slips a map on top of the report he was reading and straights up, tugging down the sleeves of his coat to cover the dragons on the backs of his hands. Inclining his head slightly towards the Aes Sedai, he says,'Good day, Etaine. You are here to tell me of the large number of Yellows who wish to come aid our young Domani girl?'
Etaine shakes her head slightly "Nay not, Rand. However, in speaking with the young girl, she suffers from the affects of abuse. I was unsuccessful in being able to bring any of my sisters of the Yellow here. Yet, if I am correct, then as the girl is allowed to heal from her traumatic experiences, her senses should heal as well."
Rand nods slowly and picks up the "sceptre" from the end of the table and places it as a paperweight on the map. He frowns thoughtfully as he turns around and sits on the edge of the table. With no outward sign from him, the chair in the far corner of the room begins to slide across the rug, coming to rest a comfortable conversational distance from where he sits. He gestures towards it with his left hand and mutters,'Sit, if you wish.'
Etaine offers Rand a warm smile and steps towards the offered chair. Taking a moment to adjust her skirts, she sits down with a natural grace. "Thank you" she says with a pleasant voice. "There is another matter of ..." she seems to search for a correct word "of great concern to me personally."
Rand arches an eyebrow questioningly,'Personally?' He raises his right hand to brush his hair wearily from his face, exposing the metallic-scaled dragon on the back of his hand. With a tired sigh, he asks,'How exactly am I involved in your personal matters?'
Etaine smoothes the skirts of her dress, it should be obvious she does not wear the serpent ring upon her hands. "Tell me Rand, what would be the reaction from within the shining walls if my oath of Fealty were to be discovered by the Red Ajah or Elaida herself?"
Rand shrugs his shoulders and gives out a snort of disgust. 'I have do not pretend to know the reactions of the White Tower. If one letter is to be believed, she wants to honor me. The last honor she paid me makes me less concerned with how much my actions upset her, though.'
Rand frowns thoughtfully for a long moment, hands coming to rest upon his knees. Finally, he fixes Etaine with a hard stare and says,'What do you suggest then? Something must be done. If I do not make some kind of decree to stop the tensions, then there will be much more than inconvenience. My Asha'man are not trained to politely discuss their differences with the Sedai that sneak into the city. They are trained to kill with the One Power. This decree makes them at least pause when they feel a woman channeling. I cannot change the decree, so what do you suggest? You can always wear the armband instead of your shawl.'
Etaine shakes her head slightly, not seeming to be phazed by the hard stare, her brow furrowing slightly hinting at the stubborness within. "The armband still identifies me, Rand. Certainly you can see that. I ask for your permission to be exempt from being required to wear either armband or ring and shawl. I've been here at the palace long enough that those who attend you regularly should know me by now. And except for doing some tending to the gardens here, I use my gifts when it seems of necessity."
Rand arches an eyebrow coolly,'You ask that I set you above the law?' He leans forward slightly to stare down at her and adds,'But when have Aes Sedai not seen themselves above the law.' He shakes his head sharply and leans back. In a cold, arrogant tone, he says,'You do not seem to understand that I made that decree to protect Aes Sedai from their own foolish pride. If you channel in the streets and are spotted by one of the Asha'man that does not know you, you may not survive the experience. The only way around this would be for me to make your identity well known to every one of them. Is that what you want? You want me to call a meeting and introduce you to them all?'
Etaine tightens her jaw. "What I wish and what is possible right now are perhaps two different things. I find that since I spend little time on the streets. I'm either here in the palace or outside the city walls, that I be allowed to channel within the confines of the palace without risk. If I'm on the streets, and I find that a situation requires me to use my gifts, then I will face the repercusions from that."
Rand makes a sharp gesture with his right hand and says,'Done.' He rises to his feet and adds with a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips,'I am glad you see reason. That allows us to serve the spirit of the decree, if not the letter.' The smile fades away, and he says in a very serious tone,'Use your discretion, though. Do not channel around Asha'man you do not know if you do not have to. There is a price to pay for your secrecy. I will try to keep the ones working in the palace informed, but that is not always possible. And it would do little good to punish them for their actions after you were already dead.'
Etaine has a smile of satisfaction upon her lips. "Believe me Rand when I tell you I know how to be discrete and keep my wits about me. I've come closer to death than you may even care to realize, an experience I do not wish to face again, if it can be helped." She then places her hands on the arms of her chair and rises up to stand, the hem of her skirts now just brushing along the floor. "Might I also get word to an Asha'man by the name of Kaith once more?"
Rand sketches a rather mocking bow,'Yes, Aes Sedai. Is there anything special you would like me to have Athanes told?'
Etaine stiffles a small giggle at your rather mocking bow. "Nothing special, my Lord." she says back with a teasing quality to her voice. "Just that we need to further the discussions we were having. Unfortunately, the time he came after your last message to him for me, was not conducive to further discussion."
Rand nods slowly, a thoughtful expression coming across his face again. He lets out a tired sigh and says,'Yes, that girl does have a way of causing things to not get done.' He shrugs slightly and adds,'I've gotten used to the strange things that swirl about. There may be a reason she is here causing disruptions. Being Ta'veren has to work out for me eventually.'
Etaine relaxes her face into a soft expression. "The wheel weaves in mysterious ways, Rand. You have the responsibilities that few have the strength or courage to face, but don't destroy this world in your attempts to rid the forces of the shadow from it. Or else everything that we fight so hard for is lost."
Rand shrugs and turns back to the table, shuffling around reports to uncover maps. Over his shoulder, he says,'Have some faith in me, Aes Sedai. It was your people that wrote the prophecies, after all.'
Etaine stiffles another giggle the sound coming out like an amused sniff. "My Lord, if I had no faith in you, I would not be here now, nor would I have given you my fealty. Perhaps you might consider having a little faith in me." she smiles at the last and then turns to head at the door. "The light illumine you always, Rand." she says as she moves to open the door.
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