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Anibelle is walking - slightly more steadily than the days before, with a stronger stride - towards the well, pausing as she reaches it to simply lean there as a soft sigh escapes her lips. Her skirts are cleaner, obviously Ragnar isn't totally mistreating her, but as always there's a bored looking Soldier nearby as escort. After a moment's rest the tiny Aes Sedai turns, her eyes flicking out in careful study around the surroundings.
Samuel walks beside Sereina towards the center of the farm. There are dark circles around his eyes, as if he has not slept much. His movements are slow and steady, not jarring enough to produce noise from his bells. He walks with his eyes downcast, not really paying much attention to where he is going, not looking up and only occasionally glancing sidelong at Sereina.
Sereina combs a hand through her hair, her face calm. She looks over at Samuel now and again but says nothing. She reaches down into her pouch and pulls out a piece of string, twining it around her fingers to play a game of cat's cradle as they walk.
Anibelle spots Samuel and the figure beside him instantly, her entire body stiffening in shock, her eyes widening noticeably. She emits a startled gasp of surprise, and shoots a glance back towards Ragnar's cabin - considering the distance, before glancing back and shaking her head slightly.. forced simply to wait, her brow creasing in consternation.
Samuel slows to a stop as he nears the well. A slight grin forms on his face as he catches Sereina playing with the string out of the corner of his eye. The smile fades abruply away, his face going pale, as he looks up and sees Anibelle.
Sereina twistes the string between her fingers until it resembles a spider web. She throws her head up and looks back at Samuel, a confused look on her face. 'Why did you-' she pauses, finally understanding his shock and turns around slowly to look at the only other person who is standing still, string falling from her fingers as she crosses her arms.
Anibelle takes a few steps to close the distance between them, her eyes raking over Sam lingeringly.. then flicking to Sereina, widening suddenly in surprise. She struggles for the calm-Aes Sedai expression of serenity, and fails, her smile of welcome marred still by a slight frown as she greets softly, 'Sam. And.. your wife, I'm guessing.'
Samuel swallows hard and nods. He turns slightly to his left and raises that hand towards his wife,'Ani, this is Sereina.' After another hard swallow, he adds,'My wife.' Turning back to indicate the Aes Sedai with his other hand, he continues the introductions,'Sereina, this is .. my sister, Anibelle.' Through this, his face is pale and he shifts his weight nervously from foot to foot, looking as if he would rather be anywhere on earth other than where he is.
Sereina keeps her face calm, though the vein in her forehead is noticeably throbbing. She puts on her most winning smile, however, and curtsies deeply to Anibelle, face nearly past her knees as she bends over. 'It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Anibelle. Your brother has told me so much about you.'
Anibelle nods slightly, her frown easing a little at the curtsey, her eyes lingering on Sereina far more intently than they had on Sam. 'A..' she stutters slightly, 'Yes, I'm sure.. a pleasure.' She swallows dryly, her gaze going back to Samuel sharply, one brow arcing as she whispers, low enough so that anybody more than a pace away wouldn't have been able to overhear, 'You didn't tell me. Light Sam, she's in more trouble here than I am.'
Samuel winces very slightly, his weight shifting to his right foot, almost as if preparing to flee in that direction. He shoots a quick, nervous glance at Sereina before looking back to Anibelle. He replies to her in a soft whisper,'I thought I told you...' He looks very confused for a moment, then shakes his head, voice rising very slightly,'I am too confused lately to remember what I say to who. I meant to tell you. Mother is taking care of it, though.'
Sereina's foot begins to tap very slowly beneath her skirts, her face almost frozen in a small smile. She doesn't say anything, just watching the two as they speak.
Anibelle glances up at Sam, confusion flashing in her eyes before she nods just a little. 'I should have guessed.. you should tell her I.. send greetings. I saw Koltur in the city before I was captured, but no sign of her.' Slender shoulders shrug slightly, her brow furrowing before she glances back at Sereina. After just a short sigh, she offers softly, 'I'm leaving, don't worry.'
Samuel nods absently as Anibelle talks, although he still seems on the verge of cringing away from Sereina. Suddenly he focuses on the last thing the woman said. Sharply, he asks,'They are letting you go? When?' He bites his lip as if to stop them from speaking and just looks at her expectantly.
Sereina purses her lips. 'I'll be at the well if you need anything..it sounds like you both need to talk..' she says, leaning down to pick up her string. She starts walking to the other side of the well.
Anibelle watches Sereina as she moves, quite blatant hurt in her gaze, before finally some kind of vague pleasure smoothes her expression, her lips curving in a delicate smile. 'Well,' she murmurs lightly, 'As soon as you arrange it. I am Aes Sedai, remember, and about as scheming as the rest. If you can take a letter for me, to Taim, I'm fairly certain I'll be out of your way in a few days.' Throughout the words, she seems to sadden, her head tilting away to let those useful curls veil her expression.
Samuel watches Sereina walk away, a contemplative frown on his face, before turning back to Anibelle. He raises his left hand and begins to rub his temple with his first two fingers, a pained expression forming. He gives a slight nod and says,'I can try, but why have you not simply given it to Ra.. Asha'man Karde? You were taken in a rather public display, I heard. I would think they would want to move you off the farm as smoothly as possible.'
Sereina sits at the edge of the well and pulls out her string once more, expression relaxing as her fingers deftly twisted and tucked the string between them.
Anibelle continues to stare away, towards something apparently interesting in the distance as she mutters, 'That man keeps me bound like a prisoner. I'm tied at night..' a noticeable tremble wracking her flesh, before she interrupts herself softly, 'I don't trust him to deliver it. No, I'm going to swear fealty to Rand al'Thor, I'm sure Taim can arrange that. To try and steady the peace between Tar Valon and the Black Tower. As Emissary they'll probably let me stay in the Palace.. and.. well, when I have to return here to mediate, I'll make sure it's when you're on patrol or something. You'll never have to see me again.'
Samuel nods slowly as she talks, then winces as if struck at her last statement. He shoots a guilty look towards Sereina, chewing nervously on his bottom lip. He stops chewing his lip and swallows hard before whispering so low that it is doubtful to be heard more than a couple of paces away even by someone with senses enhanced by holding the One Power,'You say that as if you think it makes me happy.' Shaking his head slightly and raising his voice to a normal tone, he says,'I cannot do anything about the way you are being held. I.. They won't hurt you if I can stop it, but I can't do much about your prison. I will deliver your letter for you, though. I want...' His voice trails off for a moment, then he lets out a growl of frustration before adding,'It doesn't matter what I want. My problems are my own fault. I'll pay the price and say no more about it.'
Anibelle flushes slightly, shooting him a glance out of the corner of her eye, swallowing dryly at the words before finally returning her gaze fully to him. Her head tilts a little to the side as she gives him a softly inquisitive stare, her lips pursing slightly, but the emotion in her eyes is quite blatant, filled with genuinely sorrow as she nods. 'I.. I understand,' she offers softly at around the same volume as he'd spoken, again that dry swallow needed before she can continue, 'If they let me.. I.. I'll at least be close enough to know that your alright.'
Samuel nods slowly and raises his hand as if to reach out to Anibelle, then lowers it again, shooting a guilty look towards Sereina. He sighs loudly and looks back to Ani, muttering softly,'I seriously doubt that I will be all right. Light knows I do not deserve to be...' As his voice trails off, his gaze narrows on Anibelle. With a soft snort, he says,'Light, as if anyone believes this story we're telling, anyway. I doubt your hair has ever been braided, much less had bells in it. Could have been worse, I guess. You could have said you were my wife.. We'd probably all three be dead now if that had happened.'
Anibelle nods slightly, her eyes lingering on his face then falling to the ground, far lower, particularly bitter sounding mutter of, 'No, not your wife.' She frowns a little, her head shaking slightly before she glances back up to offer more softly, struggling to force any kind of feeling from her voice, 'But I doubt anybody'd be rude enough to ask. Say we share a mother, but different fathers.. or, whatever it takes. I.. you know that if you need me, I'll do all I can to help?'
Samuel nods again,'I know you would help.. but I don't know of any way that you could.' He rubs at his temple again and shoots a surreptitious glance in Sereina's direction. As he turns back to Anibelle, he says softly,'She does not like you at all.' Shrugging his shoulders, he adds,'But she felt that way about you before meeting you, too. I don't know why, either. You've never done anything to her. I'm the one she should be mad at. But the longer I stand here talking to you the madder she gets.' He lets out a tired-sounding breath and turns in Sereina's direction again. He gives an exasperated shake of his head and motions for Anibelle to follow him as he begins walking around the well towards his wife.
Anibelle nods slightly, and moves to follow behind Sam, nimble fingertips smoothing her skirts as she walks. Still softly, hopefully too quiet for anybody else to overhear, she offers, 'The girl loves you, Sam, or will come to.. of course she wouldn't want some bloody interfering woman getting into your lives.' She smiles gently as they near Sereina, and far more loudly, more conversationally, she greets, 'I'm.. sorry. I'm bound by the Oath Rod, so you can be sure I'm telling the truth when I say that.. I am sorry, for this.'
Sereina feels Samuel come closer and sighs, unwinding her fingers from her game of cat's cradle and tucking the string once more in her pouch. Her left hand combs through her sun streaked hair before she looks up at the two, cheeks flushing with embarassment. 'Well, it's no one's fault, really. Everything just got jumbled, I suppose..' she offers lamely, shrugging and looking down at her lap.
Samuel blinks hard at Anibelle, an expression of complete disbelief on his face. Quickly smoothing his expression, he moves to stand beside Sereina and motions for Anibelle to sit near them,'Rest a bit. It is hot today, and you are probably still tired from the Healing.' He shoots a quick glance at the Soldier resting nearby and then back at Anibelle before adding,'I am not sure what your ... schedule is, but surely chatting with your brother and your sister-in-law is a good reason to avoid going back to your quarters?'
Anibelle flicks a glance at Sam, then back again to Sereina, her expression stiffening a little. Her brow furrows.. then, with just a soft, low sigh, she murmurs, 'Probably.' Still a little stiffly, she moves to take a seat, that distracted stare flicking about the area although there's no real purpose behind her glance. With an almost entirely deadened, low tone - quite literally sounding as if she'd given in, or lost all her willingness to try -, she offers, 'If you have any.. wish for it, I can teach you to mask your bond.'
Sereina raises her eyebrows in confusion. 'Mask the bond?' she asks faintly. She looks between the both of them.
Samuel shakes his head slightly, his expression mirroring Sereina's confusion. He says,'I don't think I know what you mean. I am sure that Aes Sedai have much more experience with bonds than I..' He suddenly goes very quiet and fixes Anibelle with a hurt expression. 'You are bonded?!?' Just as sudden as his outburst, is the click of his teeth as he shuts his mouth, body tensing as if bracing for some sort of blow.
Anibelle shakes her head slightly, some strange, totally unexplainable kind of pleasure springing in her gaze at Sam's expression. 'Never..' she whispers softly, indeed for that moment speaking as if she didn't even remember Sereina was there, 'I couldn't bare to, after...nevermind.' Her gaze lingers, then she blinks rapidly and glances in the other direction, her head tilting away in an attempt to hide her expression as she finishes more loudly, 'But I know how it's done. It'd simply mean that you'd be able to block out each others feelings, for a time. Pain too, and possibly.. well, other things.'
Sereina purses her lips, hand clenching on the side away from Anibelle. She turns to Samuel, voice completely calm. 'Do you think that we need to learn how to mask a bond?'
Samuel lets out a sigh of relief when Anibelle says she is not bonded, then focuses on her as she finishes her speech, hand rising absently to rub at his temple. When Sereina asks her question, he just blinks at her in confusion and turns back to Anibelle, and asks in a voice tinged with curiosity,'Do you mean I could mask it so that I don't feel her through the bond or so that she doesn't feel what I'm feeling? Or both?'
Anibelle idly smoothes her skirts as they talk, her head remaining facing away from them both.. staring into the distance. Whether extreme will power, or simply genuine apathy, her tone holds very little emotion other than that same, lacklustre lilt as she murmurs, 'You could mask it, and she'd be unable to feel you. And she could learn to do the same to you.' Her brow furrows slightly in concentration, as she asks in return, 'Sam, can you actually "see" the shield on me?'
Sereina rolls her eyes and shakes her head. 'I don't care about the masking. You can figure that out,' she mutters, looking at Samuel. 'I..I need to clean the cabin.'
Samuel frowns at Sereina, rubbing more firmly at his temple, a completely confused look on his face. He turns back to Anibelle and says hesitantly,'No, I don't think we want to learn that.' It seems almost more of a question than a statement. He leans in to say softly to Sereina,'I told you I would clean the cabin the next time, didn't I? Give me a few more minutes?' Then he shakes his head as if clearing it and looks at Anibelle as if not really seeing her. After a moment, his eyes focus on her face again and he adds,'Yeah, I can see the shield. It looks to be a fairly simple knot. Nothing tricky. Why do you ask?'
Anibelle blinks, her gaze returning to Sereina and her concentration quite abruptly shattered, whatever she'd been working on lost as she frowns. Her eyes dart between the two as they talk, her frown growing and her eyes turning all the more emotional - her voice losing some of its firmness as she replies, shrugging, 'Because I can break it. But there wouldn't be much point if one of the Soldier's would just put it back.' For a moment she seems to consider, before snapping lowly at Sam, 'Just leave, will you? Please?'
Sereina shrugs and purses her lips again in that look she seems to always have when she's angry. 'If you say so.' she mutters, standing up and walking away a few feet.
Samuel flinches as if struck, again. He looks at Anibelle, the hurt very obvious in his eyes which glisten on the verge of tearing. He says in a whisper,'You are wrong about how she feels. She despises me. And now you do, too.' Then he looks away and rises slowly to his feet, absently straightening his coat. 'I'm ready, now,' he says as he walks up beside Sereina.
Anibelle follows him with her eyes, her head shaking slightly. Behind his back she whispers softly - maybe loudly enough for him to hear, careless as she was, perhaps just too low, 'I think I'd rather be dead than feeling like this.. loving you so much and knowing you don't return it.' Grey eyes fall, her eyelashes flickering as she rapidly blinks back the tears.. but she makes no move to follow, simply glaring at her escort through the veil of curls that obscures her expression.
Samuel misses a step and nearly falls down, making several stumbling steps accompanied by loud jingling from his braids before he steadies himself. Then he shoots Anibelle a completely incredulous look. He just stares at her open-mouthed for a long moment. He shoots a quick, unreadable look at Sereina, then turns and begins to walk hesitantly back towards Anibelle. In a voice that sounds almost raw with emotion, he says,'So much for the vaunted wisdom and infallibility of the Aes Sedai. You have no idea how wrong you are or the price I pay every day over you being wrong.' His hands clench whiteknuckled as he squats near hear and speaks in a hissing whisper,'I walked from Altara to Caemlyn following you. I've made mistakes that no longer allow me to say the words, but you are wrong.'
Samuel snorts loudly and says in that cold, hissing whisper,'Fine. Hate me. I deserve no less. I'd give you my knife and let you vent your hatred on me right now, but they'd just kill you for it.' His face goes completely blank and his trembling stops before he adds in a flat whisper, devoid of any feeling whatsoever,'But they will return you to Caemlyn soon, I'm sure. When I patrol there, I'll be sure to be careless. If you show some of that patience Aes Sedai are famous for, I'm sure you can manage to gain my head for your trophy case. I surely won't put up a struggle. Perhaps I should bond you, so that I can constantly feel the hate from both of you?' The last is apparently rhetorical, as he does not wait for a response before rising to his feet and turning around.
Anibelle gasps softly, both hands rising to cover her face as the tiny flow of tears turns into full blown sobs. Her head bows, her hands doing little job of stifling the bawling.. but muffling her words, as she whispers thickly, 'I'm.. I'm sorry,' totally losing whatever pretence of calm she'd been trying for, looking entirely like simply a girl way out of her league, 'I couldn't hate you, not ever, not even if you did love the girl.. or.. or if you hate me, I couldn't..' the words lost under another low, damp sounding sob, her shoulders quivering where she sits.
Samuel shoots a harsh glare at the soldier guarding Anibelle, then a quick glance towards Sereina who waits impatiently tapping her foot several feet away, facing towards their cabin with nothing at all of patience evident about her. He sighs loudly and turns back around when Anibelle answers, squatting not so much to hear better as to keep from collapsing. He swallows hard, his eyes tearing up and says softly,'Please, don't cry. I do not hate you. I.. it is best if I just do not say..' Suddenly his lips twist in an expression of distaste and the air shimmers around the two of them. His voice raises to a conversational level, although it sounds strained,'I did not follow you from Altara on a whim, Ani. You were the first thought on my mind when I realized that I did not know how to undo this bond. I do not lo.. Oh light, Ani, I don't know what I feel for her. It is hard, very hard. She's in my mind all the time. My own feelings are confused enough, but I have to deal with hers, too.. and it's like they fuel each other.. she gets upset which upsets me which makes her more upset and on and on.' His voice continues to rise as he babbles, punctuating his words with emphatic hand gestures,'I made the mistake, so I probably deserve this. But she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everytime I get mad, it punishes her. Everytime I think of you, it punishes her. Regardless what, if anything, I feel for her, I owe her. Can you understand that?'
Anibelle continues to sob softly, her hands covering her face, rubbing uselessly at the tears as she tries to regain some kind of composure - failing badly, of course, and only sobbing harder, finally giving in and letting her hands fall to her lap. Red, puffy eyes stare up at him - her strain and weariness all the more evident now, the black circles under her eyes that much more blatant as she whispers thickly, 'I.. I do understand, really I do, you owe her more than you could ever owe me, give me..' her own words babbling until she sniffs wetly, glances away to hide the outright pain in grey orbs. She continues to blink rapidly, no help at all to the steady flow of tears streaking down over her cheeks as she tries to offer more calmly, 'I.. light but I'm sorry..'
Anibelle adds hurriedly, 'Please, I'll.. I'll take myself out of your life, I'm going to make Him let me go, or die trying, I won't be here to bother you any more..'
Samuel blinks as if polaxed. His face goes pale as a whitewashed fence. He shakes his head slowly and says,'If you do that.. you will kill all three of us. Light, I don't have much time right now.. but promise me you will not do that. I don't care if you kill me. I'd almost welcome it.' He shakes his head more vehemently, bells jingling discordantly,'If you do something foolish and get yourself killed.. at most an hour from that until they'd hang me from the traitor tree. I doubt Sereina would make it many days past that.' He reaches out for Anibelle's hand and says emphatically,'Promise me that you will not do anything foolish.'
Anibelle seems to finally regain at least her urge to weep, the current of tears drying although her eyes are still moist, still blinking rapidly as she glances back at him and meets his gaze. Her lips part, but no words come out.. her head shaking slightly in denial, before she quotes softly, ' "To speak no word that is not true.."'. A pause taken for breath, before she flicks a glance back to Sereina, and in that same, defeated tone murmurs, 'Go back to your wife. I.. I only became Aes Sedai to find you.. and you have a bond mate now. She can help you stay sane, I'm sure.' Her fingers not even clenching on his in return, limp.
Samuel stares hard at her for a long moment, then says sternly,'I am serious. I will bond you, too, before I let you die. Do not play Aes Sedai word games with me. I promise you that if you get yourself killed, I'll leave half this compound in rubble before they stop me. Or I'll Travel to the bottom of the Sea of Storms. Promise me you will not do anything foolish here.'
'Sam..' she whispers softly, with just a little more feeling - trying to make him understand, finally tightening her fingers on his, 'I can't say it because it's not true. I know inside that I will, so I can't promise not to..' she shakes her head slightly, trying desperately to force a hard edge into her tone and only becoming more emotional, more hurt looking, 'stop talking nonsense. You have a life here.'
Samuel shakes his head in denial and says,'Promise me today, then. All I ask right now is that you don't do it today.' An almost desparate tone enters his voice as he asks,'Please?' Then shoots a quick glance over his shoulder before looking back for Anibelle's answer.
Anibelle shakes her head firmly, her fingertips slipping free of his. There's just a hint of determination in her eyes as she glances to the Soldier, then towards Ragnar's cabin.. swallowing dryly, before looking back. 'I..' her words lost for a moment to a stutter, 'I can't.' She blinks.. her liquid welling in her eyes once more, 'Please just forget this. Forget me. Every bloody moment I know you're not mine hurts, Sam.'
Samuel slowly rises to his feet. As he looks down at Anibelle, he shakes his head slowly and says,'I really must go. I do have an option still open. I could bond you and simply order you not to. But I will not do that.' He sighs and steps back once,'I leave you with this thought, though. I may not be able to tell the world, but here in this ward, I can tell you. I love you and will die as soon as hearing of your death.' He shrugs his shoulders, eyes tearing up and voice cracking slightly,'That will be fitting. I certainly deserve to die. But think on this... when you throw your life away and kill me, you'll take an innocent woman with us.' The shimmering in the air stops almost the instant the last word is out of his mouth. His face shows a brief sign of struggle, then relaxes before he sketches a brief bow to Anibelle and says,'May you shelter in the Creator's hand until we speak again, Sister.' Then he turns around and begins to slowly walk away.
Anibelle lets her head fall, her eyes slipping closed as he walks away. Her lips part in a low sigh.. she looks like she might be about to say something, to call after him, but by the time she's found the right words it's obviously too late. She shakes her head slightly, and glances up to watch his back.. before using one sleeve to blot her eyes, then carefully stand, and make her way back towards Ragnar's cabin.
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