The Gift and the Pledge

[Seven]

The 3rd Age, Arad Doman.



“Promise me you’ll sleep on it one more night,” Daryen told Trista, hands on her shoulders with the urgency of a plea. She agreed. Daryen finally retired to his own quarters afterward but only to pour over the details himself one final time.

The sun rose on the day that Daryen promised High Lord Sivikawa to have a response on their treaty. Daryen dwelled long into the night, toiling upon the stakes but again no new insight presented itself. He knew the Dragon and White Tower supported his decision either way. Neighboring Falme and Tarabon were already under Seanchan control. Altara was the seat of their power on the continent. In any other life, Daryen would want to see their homeland, if only to explore someplace that he didn’t know existed until their arrival. But this was not another life. It was his life, and he had to do the best he could. Ultimately, the decision, and the risk, was his. 

There was no trace of Trista when he woke. He hadn’t anticipated any different, but he scanned the room anyway. Inevitably, his gaze was drawn to the work from the previous night, and that chasm of indecision began to yawn once more until someone literally yawned. A hand lazily tugged him back to the pillows. Trust Jai to pull him from the quicksand of his own mind.  

But he resisted the pull, no matter how much he didn't want to. “Unlike you, brother. I cannot sleep all day,” he said only to get a kick on the shin in return. It was enough to make him laugh.

***

By midmorning, Daryen was satisfied that all parties had slept on their decision and, undeterred, would move forward. He called for a very public ceremony at sunset, inviting the people of Bandar Eban as witness. They would convene in the city’s largest square. The treaty would be signed by both himself and the High Lord on behalf of the Empress. The Council of Merchants would attend in support of both, and finally, in honor of the momentous occasion, gifts would be exchanged between the two kingdoms. As soon as Daryen’s decision was final, all tension flowed away. Maybe this was a mistake, but he could not afford to doubt himself now. He was all in.

[Jay Carpenter]

Jai wiped the sweat from his brows with his arm, but little good it did in this heat. It wasn’t even the height of summer, but Arad Doman was always brutally wet. He’d never known a man could be so sweaty until spending time on the coastal capital. It explained the thinness of the women’s clothes, that was for sure. They probably couldn’t stand to wear anything thicker.

Speaking of which, he was getting close enough to town to require himself shrugging on his coat. His skin was pinked on the shoulders, which was surprising given the thickness of his tan. Maybe he’d never stop pinking. By the next day it would turn though. So he shrugged on the coat and was finishing securing his sword belt when the rumble of a cart could be heard on the road ahead. A gateway would easily take him back to the palace, but he’d woken in a restless mood that day. Navigating the city in his uniform would be a good enough diversion, plus it would keep people at bay. He wasn’t in the mood to talk either.

His coat was pasted to his back and his legs burning from the elevation change by the time he reached the city gates. It should make for a decent night’s sleep that night. Much better for him than drinking to oblivion. Hana would be proud.

He’d ran out of water half-way back to the city, and first place he saw, he stopped for a drink. Drinks. Plural. He gulped down the last glass with a satisfying sigh. Now that he wasn’t tunnel-visioned on thirst, he checked out the tavern’s common room. There was a gleeman tending to his instruments in one corner in a way that made him think of Nythadri’s hands. Did she have time to play her music now that she was an Aes Sedai? Did she still have the sheet music? Then there were a few commoners sitting together and talking. One glanced up when he realized Jai was studying their group. They must have been loyal to Daryen, and most were in the city, as he nodded in a way that signified something of respect for the Asha’man. That was unusual at best, but of all the major cities Jai had visited, this one was his best chances at finding welcome at card games.

Finally, he noticed a foreigner hiding in the corner finishing up a meal. Though the person was a man, his wide trousers lay like skirts to the floor. His coat was wrapped at the chest and heavily embroidered with beasts and birds unimaginable. Most obvious, though, was the design shaved around his head. He was a Seanchan! How had he not seen him before? He couldn’t have been that thirsty!

The man looked up and met Jai’s gaze eye to eye. It made his blood run cold. He knocked over a chair getting out of there, but only a few blocks away realized that the street was no better. There were random Seanchan roaming everywhere. They all either met his gaze or they completely looked through him as if he was lower than the lowest servant. What was going on? Why were there so many Seanchan in the streets? He hurried, all but running through the crowd.

At Arandi Square, and within sight of the Royal Palace, he was halted in his tracks. Seanchan of high and low were watching and working. The square had turned in to some kind of arena, with a central platform taking the highest position, rows of seats, and the open air market disbanded for standing room.

What is going on? he frantically searched the faces for explanation. Finally, through the crowd he recognized people who worked for the Council. He’d passed them (and ignored them) a hundred times in the past. Now he couldn’t think of a single one’s name, but it did him no good. He was stopped at the square’s edge by a soldier. Not the Black Tower kind. But an actual Domani soldier.
“No admittance,” he said, blocking the way.
“I’m Asha’man Kojima –” Jai started. He hated pulling out his name and rank like he was someone important. A bloody farce it all was.
“I know who you are. No admittance until the square is set up. Palace orders,” he said, and to his credit, stood his ground against a son of the Black Tower.

Jai pulled his gaze from the work, and blinked. It's not like this soldier could really stop him, but he wasn't sure he wanted in now. “Set up for what?”

The answer made his blood turn to ice.

He left in a hurry, pushing his way through the crowds toward to the palace. It couldn’t be true.

[Seven]

Administrative duties occupied the majority of Daryen’s morning. First up was a counselor that helped mediate a land disagreement in the hill-country. After hearing the arguments on both sides, Daryen’s negotiation led to what he hoped would be mutual benefits with the landowners, but their feud went back generations. Only after threatening to call arms upon each other did the matter come before the king for resolution. If this bargain kept more than a season, he’d be surprised. In the meantime, all parties were content to return home. He’d not see his own people kill each other. That the eastern province of the country bubbled up disputes more and more frequently, he summoned one of his advisors to bring ideas for replacement stewards. The current Lord steward’s standards were unacceptable.

Afterward, he was briefed from the city’s dungeonmaster that the city-guards seized a trader claiming to peddle Saldaean peppers as a cover for dealing in counterfeit coin. There were others awaiting punishment, fines, imprisonment, or banishment. Daryen signed the orders that the trader’s sentence be carried out publically as a means to amend the very public influx of counterfeit coin. The council of merchants would need to be involved given the involvement of Saldaean trade. He wrote a letter to the Council, documenting the capture and punishment. The crown would replace any counterfeit coin with true Domani marks with small incentive for extra for those who brought them in. Another letter was written to the Saldaean monarchy requesting recompense for the breech in their minting security. Another meeting with an finance advisor suggested that the criminal activity was probably larger than just one peddler. They would have to interrogate the man for inquiry into other conspirators. Daryen would give his guards a week to find the information before simply taking up the interrogation himself. He had ways to make the guilty talk that others didn’t. He hated the task and hoped the man would yield to more traditional processes like a petty criminal. Usually when the Asha’man King visited the dungeons, it meant spies or darkfriends were involved. Of course, just the situation alone sparked thoughts of Jai.

His brother’s mind was incomprehensibly astute. He could see patterns in blue sky, and the numbers that swirled behind his haunted gaze was a fascinating mystery. How he did what he did astounded Daryen. Watching Jai work the recesses of his mind was mesmerizing, but Daryen knew the toll it took on his friend. If anyone could determine the scope that such this small fraud ring reached, it was Jai. He’d not do it to him, though. Jai protected Daryen with all his loyalty, and the careful need was fully reciprocated. Merely thinking of Jai made a tightness grow in his chest that he knew was not his own. Daryen was long-ago accustomed to the fluctuations in his bond, but for the most part, when Jai was in the city, he was content as calm waters. His excursions abroad rent the tethers of security like a boat lost to sea in a storm, but the distance muted the sensation to nearly nothing. He wouldn't disturb Jai with this, though the distraction from the Seanchan would probably be welcome. It wasn't worth the risk to Jai's vulnerabilities. He'd put the thought out of his mind and by early-afternoon, his letters were sealed passed to the custody of his riders going to Maradon. Then he was updated on the time, reminding him that he intended on changing into more ceremonial attire. He nodded and departed, agreeing that the time was close.

As he approached his quarters, the tightness in his chest settled in until only drawing upon the One Power would dissolve the anxiety’s intensity. By the time he entered, he could no longer discern the emotion as his own or otherwise. Jai was already waiting.

“Good afternoon, Jai,” he said with a smile that was genuinely glad to find his brother, frightful or otherwise. He looked tired in the way of an exhilarating training, probably on the beach again by the sand and sweat all over him. Afterward, a quick scan confirmed the presence of the personal servant who handled the king’s wardrobe awaiting summons. Of course, the flashing smile for Jai trailed as he passed by. They didn’t have long to discuss this, so whatever Jai had to say, it would need to be said while Ventri worked the clothes from the king’s shoulders.

On a pedestal before a gilded mirror, Daryen held out his arms like awaiting a loving embrace, but it was Ventri who came to work the many buttons of his shirts. Whoever it was that decided kings had to wear so many clothes clearly didn't prioritize their quick escape: neither for pleasure or the basic act of relieving himself. Ventri seemed to sense Daryen's patient irritation with the hassle and cut the tension with the sort of humor only those most familiar with their masters would dare. "Thick cloth wrinkles less easily, and you've been at war with wrinkles since you were a boy, m'lord," he said, working the second layer as he did.

Daryen chuckled. Hoping Jai heard.

[Jay Carpenter]

A million questions swirled but none of them formed on the tongue. He wanted to scream and beg at the same time. Daryen was about to change the entire shape of the western hemisphere. This treaty would give the Seanchan free access to all of Arad Doman. It was a matter of bloody time before they demoted Daryen to king-regent then trapped into full-on slave. They wanted nothing but to get their hands on him and chain him up to the Empress’ feet. What a pretty prize he would make! An Asha’man king dog! This treaty may as well be a suicide note.

Throwing the furniture across the room wouldn’t come close to dispelling the kind of desperate anger that burned from within. Instead, he just waited in silence, looking through a veil of blood that nobody else seemed to care about. When Ventri lowered Daryen’s shirts and turned aside to fold them gently on a table, Jai swooped into the opening. He sunk to his knees and grabbed the king’s hand, squeezing Daryen’s fingers like a child to a parent.

“Please don’t do this. You’re throwing away everything. You’re forfeiting your life. Please,” he said with more ache than he felt for the loss of his real brothers.

A touch on the head and Daryen asked Ventri to leave them.

Daryen left the dais and tugged Jai to his feet. Despite being the taller of them, Jai seemed to shrink before his brother-king.

“I’m not forfeiting anything,” he said. His gaze was confident and unyielding, but Jai couldn’t see the truth behind them. Everything he felt, all the ache in his gut, he knew was mirrored inside Daryen. Yet just as the emotions blurred between their bond, a sense of calm slowly seeped back.

“How are you so calm?” he asked.

Daryen’s grip was an anchor on Jai’s shoulders, and the storm within began to weaken in his arms. His own fist ached when it released the hilt of the sword he didn’t even know he had grasped. The anchor shifted and Daryen’s voice enveloped his whole world.

“Because I am surrounded by those who love me and who will never let anything happen to me,” he said. After a moment, fresh air flushed Jai’s chest as the buttons of his jacket were opened. A hand trailed down the ridge of his otherwise numb scar. The only reason he felt it at all was because Daryen’s palm was wider than the streak. Jai was motionless in the calm anticipation that washed into him, lulled by the overwhelming power of his brother’s bond. Then the buttons on his trousers opened and a moment later, Jai gasped. A passionate kiss followed and he was absolutely overcome with safety and desire. 
“You taste like the sea,” Daryen said.
Jai smiled around his lover's lips, “that’s because I was in the sea,” and the world fell out from under him.

They could not pull one another to the bed fast enough, and the mattress crushed beneath their shared weight. The scent of sandalwood washed his head drunk, but it was an intoxication of oneness. He wasn’t alone when he was with Daryen: he was accepted and loved and understood. It was in that power alone he could give himself completely away. Jai turned, grabbing the pillows with pleasure and pain and moaned.

[Dialogue written by me]

[Jay Carpenter]

Daryen was already up and redressing himself. Jay remained quite content in bed, having punched a pillow into submission, shoving it behind his back and watched like it was his own personal show.
“You know Ventri is going to be pissed you ruined his good work,” Jai said noting the strewn about clothes. Daryen chuckled, probably at the notion of imagining the even-keeled valet being pissed at anyone.
“He’s going to blame me, you know,” Jai added almost as if he read Daryen’s thoughts.
“And he would be right to do so,” Daryen said with a sly smile.

Rising to the challenge, he channeled a sling of air, whipping one of the fancy pillows at Daryen’s head. Of course the master Asha’man blocked it without even looking, promptly chucking it back. Jai barely dodged the feathered projectile and decided to get up.

Daryen was in another room arranging the rest of his appearance by then. It was only when Jai pushed to his feet that he caught himself about to grimace. The flicker of a heartbeat later, and he summoned the void, pushing the discomfort aside in order to search for his own uniform. He was hardly new to aches and pains. Light knew he’d endured a million times worse, besides, this was more of a welcome nuisance. Or that’s what he told himself from within the confines of the void. He found his pants first.

But of course when there was someone nearby who could practically read his thoughts, no amount of bright flame and no reach of infinite void could numb everything.

Just as Jai was tightening the breeches around his hips, Daryen was back in front of him, a look of concern on his face.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he reached out to touch him on the shoulder. Threads of spirit began to descend.
Jai stepped back, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Totally worth it,” he rambled, closely eyeing the weave.

“Let me heal you,” Daryen insisted.
“For Light’s sake! I don’t need healing. I’m not so delicate as that,” Jai said.

Daryen’s concern smoothed itself away in that infuriating way that Jai knew was all for show. “You know I can bloody feel your guilt,” he said with a smirk, seeing through the mask.

“And I can feel your discomfort,” he responded.

For a minute, they just stared at each other. In the end, Jai decided his pride wasn’t worth walking uncomfortably the rest of the day. There was a bloody ceremony to attend and that was going to be painful enough to endure.

With a groan to get it over with, Jai nodded. Daryen’s healing was well-received.

[Dialogue written by me]

[Seven]

Daryen’s healing was not so brilliant as to fully restore anyone, but he could mend minor injuries. On the battlefield, it was easier to plug a gaping wound with flows of Air and Earth and deliver a soldier to a true Healer compared to attempt to stitch lacerations together. For a case like this, though, Daryen’s strength in the Power carried him through the flows. He’d Healed Jai untold times in the past. When they shared the field of battle, it was usually after Jai bore the brunt of protector rather than due to any flaw in his defensive abilities. When out of battle, it was generally following an excellent training session. Jai dealt more damage than he received, but when his focus was compromised, he could take a licking as good as anyone. Their bond transferred Jai’s pain, and Daryen usually used the excuse to pretend to want to heal Jai out of selfish desires, but that was one of the only ways to obtain Jai’s consent. This was one such instance, and it worked, as comfort settled upon them both like a blanket.

Daryen nodded when it was done, saying nothing about the path that brought them to this moment, and turned to don a jacket that he had previously stripped. Part-way through pulling it on, he heard Jai say something clear as day:

“This ceremony will be painful enough to endure.”

Daryen swiftly spun to look at Jai. He was busy dressing as well and not looking at him at all. Had Jai muttered it? He did speak to himself often, usually when he was disturbed by something, but that was unlikely this time. He’d heard it loud and clear. Strange.

He slowly finished putting on his jacket, studying the back of Jai’s head as he did.
“The ceremony is necessary. Trust that I know what I am doing, brother,” he said.

Jai then looked at him with the strangest look of confusion on his face.

Then without moving his mouth at all, Daryen heard him say something else:
“I trust the Seanchan will betray you,” Daryen heard.

His jaw parted slightly. The only sign of his surprise.

He had heard of strange developments between bondmates before. His sister regaled him of such stories, though having never taken a warder herself, they were only here-say. The Asha’man often bonded their wives, and the effects of those connections were widely known in the Black Tower. Only in the past few years did Aes Sedai and Asha’man bonds develop, and those effects were held close. It was said that the outcomes changed depending on if the woman formed the bond compared to the man. Their former M’Hael - Shadow Al’Mere was said to have mutually bonded Lythia Sedai, but Daryen was not close enough to either of them to ever hear how those bonds evolved.

He knew of no other pair in the Black Tower where one Asha’man bonded another. Nay, if there were, none would have been so long-lasting or long-held a bond as his upon Jai. They had been together many years. More than a decade.

He was long ago accustomed to feeling his bondmate’s emotions and sensations for himself. The closer they were, the stronger the transmission. Sometimes, when they were together intimately, he could not even discern his body from Jai’s. It was euphoric in no other way that Daryen could describe.

But this was the first time he heard Jai’s thoughts as his own.

He said nothing of the revelation to Jai, wanting to understand the rules of this new evolution before commenting on it. Interesting that Jai did not react as if the reciprocal was being experienced. That meant the bond-holder received the senses, but the bond-mate had none.

Daryen recovered with barely a reaction to this strange new revelation. He wanted to give Jai no additional reason to worry.
“I trust that you will watch my back as you always have,” he added with a reassuring grin.

“I’ll see you out there,” he said and departed. There were final matters to attend before the ceremony commenced.

[Jay Carpenter]

In the aftermath of Daryen’s departure, Jai found himself splayed on the bed to rest. The healing was part of the cause, but he felt like he’d gone for a long dig on the beach more than actual weakness, but a familiar wariness settled into his bones. He knew the Seanchan would betray Daryen eventually. He’d spent enough time behind the battle lines of sheer veils and lacquered rituals to know exactly what was coming. They would chain the king of Arad Doman as soon as breathe, and the end of all the lands as they knew it would follow soon after. It would only take one powerful Asha’man to be the weapon of a new kind of war. With Daryen at the lead, the westlands would fall in a matter of days. The Lord Dragon would mount a resistance - hopefully he would - but it would cost near all their strength to overcome someone like Daryen. Maybe with the combined mights of the Lord Dragon, M'Hael, bloody strong blasted Lennox Orander, and the Council, a chained Daryen could be overcome. Jai alone would try to save him rather than kill him. One of the strongest in their order, they would decide Daryen was better off dead than weaponized for the Seanchan. The battle could level mountains and flatten cities.

There would be no one left for the actual Last Battle.

Light. What a tangle. Why didn’t Daryen see it? He was smarter a man than Jai ever knew before. He was cocky, but not ignorant. He wasn’t so blind to his own vulnerabilities as to dismiss this possibility. So what was the angle? Why make a treaty with the Seanchan? The answer felt like it was on the edge of sight. If he could only see the pattern.

Prior to collapsing upon the tousled bed, Jai had partly donned his jacket. From the inner folds, he retrieved a piece of paper. The edges curled from previous dampness, but the ink remained in tact. It was written in a hard, slanted line. Feminine, undoubtedly, but strong. The Aes Sedai that gave him that paper told him that Trista was going to be gifted as a slave to the Seanchan, and after that, the Tower would be coming for the King that gave away the Tower's property. It was hard to believe given Daryen’s own sister was a Sitter - bloody Fate and her blasted ghost peppers - but the Aes Sedai was certain on both accounts.

Jai folded the paper and a thread of fire turned it to ash in seconds. Without context, it would mean nothing if someone else found it except for a location in the city, but the meeting place was burned in his brain. He had no reason to keep the paper for someone else to accidentally find. Not that he intended to let random people rifle through his pockets, but who knew on a day like this. He couldn’t bring himself to remember where he was when the Sister found him that cold, rainy day in the countryside.

+++

Fully dressed, coat pressed impeccably smooth, sword at his hip and stride long and tall, Jai nodded at the guardsmen at the southern palace gate as he was released from the palace grounds. He recognized a few of the lads, and heavy bolts latched behind him as he entered the city proper. His destination was not Arandi Square, where the treaty would be signed and the ceremony held. He had time to detour, and had no intention of letting Daryen go anywhere near Arandi Square without himself stitched to the king’s hip. Until then, however, he wound his way through the city streets seeking a particular corner in the southernmost quadrant.

The symbol carved into the wooden sign swinging over a shop door caught his eye. A candle with three flames. Something he wasn’t likely to forget. Odd. But distinct because it matched the symbol on Kekura Sedai’s letter. Where he was meant to find someone if this all went down as the Sister predicted. Surely they would have spies present at the ceremony to confirm the deed was done. Why need his tarnished word to verify? Kekura had mentioned something about being called to the Hall of the Tower to testify. He couldn't do that against Daryen. He'd slit his own wrists before speaking against him. But maybe he could go to plead with them of Daryen's innocence. That he didn't know what was happening. That he didn't actually mean to give away a Gaidar. Was he being coerced into this? Jai stopped in his tracks with the sudden thought. Maybe this was blackmail. Who and how could someone get anything on Daryen was beyond Jai. He grumbled. This was all hypothetical. He didn't know what was going to happen anyway. Best to plan for anything and watch it play out.

He aimed for the shadows of an overhang across the street. He had no actual desire to explore the shop prematurely, just to see the layout, surrounding buildings, roads, obstacles, weapons, people, homes, civilians, and anything else of interest. Assuming that every encounter would turn bloody, it was best to know the lay of the field before marching into the middle of it. This was Bandar Eban after all, and Jai didn't want to decimate a quadrant of his brother's capital on accident. Not when even the smallest spark could turn volatile. There were too many Seanchan walking free in the streets to fathom the outcome. (And Jai fathomed).

The candle shop had a window display, and sure to its description, seemed to be filled with candles carved in intricate designs and shapes. Some were tapered so tall as to fit in a ballroom chandelier. It was clearly the place he was suppose to go if the treaty occurred, but he cared most about who may be inside than anything else. He knew he wasn't subtle, loitering about in the street, identity clear as the ocean was wet. He didn’t completely expect Aes Sedai to set traps, not when one could have snuck up on him all the more easily at Moridrosin. He just wanted to see it.

There were plenty of people in the street. He took hold of the One Power, just a little, and from his place along the wall, let his senses wander. A few threads helped. A pair of men in the distance were chatting about the treaty. One approved. The other was ready to burn down his shop and move to Saldaea. Smart man.

The rest of the chatter were along the same lines. But it was inside the candle shop that his threads finally probed. Was anyone inside? Who owned it? Were they Eyes and Ears for the White Tower? Or worse? Kekura was Sea Folk. Surely she would not work with the Seanchan.

A minute after saidin plunged the storefront, the door opened and a woman exited. She was short, even by Jai’s standards who considered everyone short. Her features were unpleasant, and she had a hooked bulbous nose. Pale eyes, off-center turned and looked at him with such piercing intent, Jai blinked with unease. She pulled a hood up over her thin hair, but there was something in the way she walked that if not for her appearance, Jai might have taken as sensual.  He shivered despite himself. He couldn't decide if she was old or young. Not ageless. Not like that. Was it an illusion? He saw no threads and sensed no Powers.

He straightened as her gaze slid over him. She'd looked straight at him and found no surprise to behold an Asha'man stalking the stoop. Not to be shallow, but he definitely wasn’t interested, but when her inspection settled on the sword at his hip, she smirked.
“That’s beneath you, isn’t it?” she said, voice husky. She had to be a patron, but he saw no evidence of candle purchases about her person. Surely she didn't own such a store? She didn’t so much as carry a satchel.  Still, there was something about the way she looked at him that he thought would haunt him at inconvenient moments that had nothing to do with her appearance. She was so repulsive as to be almost designed that way. But it was in the eyes. Maybe she just liked her wax a certain way. What did she mean about the sword? It was a bloody nice sword. Not the same as - well - the last one, but the quality couldn't be ignored. Even by someone like her. He frowned.

She was part way down the street when the next woman exited. She locked up the door with the air of an owner, looking much more the part than the previous shopper. She didn't seem to notice Jai's loitering, and departed in the same direction as the disfigured woman. Everyone was heading toward Arandi Square, he realized, and figured it was time he joined them.  A gateway got him there much faster than his own two legs might have hiked back up. He really hoped he wasn't going to need to return here.

[Jay Carpenter]

The square was packed. Shoulder to shoulder where market stalls normally squeezed in. The crowd stretched into the surrounding streets. Even if they could see or hear nothing of the proceedings. Everyone knew this was history and apparently wanted to witness it. Jai got it. Being able to boast that they were there. To tell stories to the grandkids decades later. He could say as much about the battle of Tar Valon. A dumb kid running into the night with a sword that wasn’t his and a bloodlust for glory. He was there. But there would be no grandkids to tell the tale in his twilight years. He was unlikely to live long enough to sire any to begin with. At least none that he knew about. Its not like he’d been celibate all these years, but surely if some tall for his age kid tottled around out there, he’d know about it by now.

From the edge of the platform, Jai studied the closest audience members. The High Lord’s dignitaries lined one half. They were done up in every conceivable adornment as Jai had ever seen Seanchan wear. The bug-eyes on one soldier shadowing High Lord Sivikawa locked Jai’s jaw with the kind of tightness that would take a crowbar to open. He remembered the first time he saw the helmets: a mix of fear and hate bubbled up. How many had he seen roll on the ground? Or hollowed out shells when the body within crumbled to ash underfoot. They were the enemy, and yet, here they were with ribbons flowing on tall stakes and lanterns ready to be released in honor.

He tried to reign it in. Really. He tried. For Daryen’s sake. The king was nearby, speaking with a head of the High Council. She was dressed in her finest as well. Everyone treated this like a holiday. A celebration. Jai just folded his arms and waited.

Antony Sadiq was no where to be seen. Since the General’s arrest, rumors of Daryen’s attempted assassination fell to nothing. A new man was raised to replace the rank of commander of the armies, but Jai knew little of him personally. An ignorance he needed to remedy soon. The newly minted General came to stand nearby. Jai nodded. The last thing he’d heard was threats for bringing him down. That he had loyal men who would defend their general’s honor. Jai was sent to make sure they were loyal to the king instead. They were by the time the Asha’man left, and Jai suppresed the remainder of the memories. Another friend that wasn’t a friend. He should start making a list.

With the sounding of horns, High Lord Sivikawa walked on stage. A table had been hauled straight from the palace and placed in center. A law book was laid atop. Jai previously scanned the language within, but couldn’t bring himself to finish to the end. It was Daryen’s voice that peeled Jai’s gaze from the Seanchan bastard.

Threads of Saidin rolled forth. Ready to carry the king’s voice to every ear no matter how out of sight. His brother’s strength was legendary, and Jai knew this was nothing but a glimpse of Daryen’s power. What a weapon he would be.

“Today we celebrate a great leap forward toward peace. I invite the nations of the west to follow the lead of Arad Doman toward greater prosperity,” he said. Jai made himself scan the rooflines while Daryen spoke. He’d already walked them. Made sure that the best eyes were planted. Watching.

“From this day onward, the Seanchan will have free will to start businesses within our borders.”

Jai glanced over his shoulders. Daryen’s entourage were huddled on their side of the stage. Jai was the only Asha’man present in front, but in addition to the General, there was the High Councilwoman, keeper of the laws, and representative from the courts. Strangely, Jai spied no Aes Sedai. Wouldn’t a Gray or at least a Blue want to witness this? What Ajah was Kekura Sedai? Come to think of it, she didn’t say. No Browns. Fate wasn’t here. It was like the absence of the White Tower’s representatives was in itself a silent protest to this treaty. Neither was there anyone of the Black Tower except Jai. Daryen acted on his own in this. Support or no support from either tower. Probably meant nobody was coming to their rescue when this went south.

“They will be allowed to purchase lands and hold rites equivalent to Domani citizens, yet answer to their own government.”

Finally, Jai scanned the crowd. Behind the rows of nobles and the wealthiest of merchants were amassed the normal people. They hung on Daryen’s every word. Delight and pride shone on their faces. They’d elected Daryen their ruler to begin with. Their love elevated Daryen’s power. How he did it was amazing to Jai. As he roamed the faces, planted in the distance was a man he knew. Jai almost smiled. Seems he wasn’t the Black Tower’s only representative after all. Araya’s expression was unreadable, but Jai did not get the impression that the Asha’man was enjoying himself.  Near by was the ugly woman from the candle shop. She didn’t seem to know she was next to an Asha’man. Or maybe she did. Even at this distance, her gaze found Jai. It was only for a moment before she watched the stage again, but he had the feeling she had been looking for him as well.

“And all restrictions will be lifted in the exchange of coin. Equal weights. Without taxation. Without hinderance. The Crown will recognize the Seanchan mark and vice versa.”

Both parties signed the treaty with a flourishing quill. All was wrapped up and the book bequeathed to the law master.  It all went rather smoothly. Jai squeezed his eyes shut, just long enough to pretend this wasn’t happening, then the gongs and horns fell silent again. When next he looked, the table had been cleared and a figure had joined them on stage.

She was dressed in the red silky gown that he first saw her wear at the celebration during the Hunt. A red so dark that it was almost black. Gold chased up the sleeves like smoke. It brought the darkness of her aura to life much like a smoldering fire. Beguilingly innocent, dangerous to the touch.

Trista held her head low, hair fallen around her shoulders. It was known she was a Gaidar of the Tower. Daryen had introduced her as such the night of her emergence to Domani society. Jai’s breath caught in his throat. She must have been hidden away for him not to have spied her earlier.

“High Lord Sivrikawa, I know you admire the Gaidar. She is an extraordinary design, and it is with admiration for our treaty that I grant her to your company. She is yours.” A gentle nudge on Trista’s back and she glided across the stage as effortlessly as any Aes Sedai. Her rapier was even belted at her waist. She didn’t even seem to care about her destiny.

In return, a chest was carried to the stage. It was heavy just to look at it, but if it was filled with what Jai imagined it to contain, such explained why it took four strong soldiers to lift it up the stairs.

Dilek, the Voice of the High Lord, in all her blind, albino glory gestured on the High Lord’s behalf. When the chest was opened, every manner of gold and jewel gleamed from within. To parade it openly in front of the city was a marvel of confidence in security. The collective gasp was genuine. Even from those in the front row. The Voice scooped a palm of the wealth, letting it fall like sand through her hands. The crowd was utterly silent but for the cascade of riches. Even Jai found himself staring. And for a banker, that meant something.

The chest was probably worth more than the economies of some nations.

“A gift in return. A measure of the fortune Arad Doman will gain from this alliance.”

Then that was it. The treaty was signed and the gifts exchanged. The trunk was carried away by flows of Air straight from Daryen. Trista glanced into the crowd briefly before falling into the shadow of her new master. What, or who, she looked at was lost to Jai. But he had the feeling that it must have been her last glimpse of freedom. He had no idea what became of her after that.

+++

There was a banquet at sunset. These things were always at sunset. But from the palace balconies, sunset over the ocean was a breath taking sight. So Jai understood the timing. He wanted to be there when the trunk was hauled away for deposition into the crown’s coffers, so for once, Jai splintered away from Daryen’s sight. The king traded glances with him when the trunk was lifted to its iron-clad carriage and locked inside.

It was a short ride to the Great Treasury of the king. The fortress was more than a tower. It was surrounded by moats and soldiers. Like some of the great ones in the world, this one held chambers for prisoners of state as much as for the country’s wealth. In this case, the crown’s wealth. Daryen’s House had its own, and the Council of Merchants made sure the two did not intertwine. This belonged to the nation of Arad Doman more than it did Daryen.

The entourage delivered the trunk to the underground treasury. This must represent a fraction of the Seanchan’s enormous wealth. What the Empress owned must be inconceivable. No wonder their war machines were endless.

He’d never entered the treasury room itself before. Never had need. Nor even if he wanted to, would even Jai be granted permission. It was only because he was with Daryen did he see the inside of the tower at all. The One Power hauled the trunk down a long ramp straight into the rock. Crowns. Piles of gold. Pieces of art. Jewels larger than a man’s fist. It made the bank house’s vaults look like a paper box. Of course it should. The economy of a nation’s backing was in this room.

“Do you want me to stay with it?” Jai asked of the king as he pondered the expansion of their wealth. He was tempted to start quantifying the gift. Recording every ounce and carat and estimating its value. But he would prefer to keep an eye on more valuable targets tonight.

“Arad Doman’s treasury has been safe for hundreds of years. I expect it will be fine,” he replied, voice soft and distracted. He lifted the lid and leaned over the top, scooping out some samples of coin and jewels much too alike Dilek had beforehand. Amid the mass was a necklace made of a black metal that Jai did not recognize. Maybe it was some mineral of Seanchan unknown on their shores. The One Power engulfed Daryen as threads probed the surface. Whatever Daryen felt, a thoughtfulness touched his brow that Jai recognized.

“What do you sense, brother?” he asked. But Daryen released the One Power and left the thing alone.

Soon, though, his demeanor changed.
“And besides, we have a banquet to attend,” he added with a grin and clapped Jai on the shoulder. A gateway carried their return to the palace.

+++

The night blurred. The banquet was just like one of a hundred he’d been to in the past. Jai’s heart wasn’t in the revelry. He steered clear of the feast. Just sniffing the dishes made his eyes water. He wasn’t hungry anyway and opted to wait until the festivities died down before searching out his own meal. Dancing didn’t interest him. Not even when some famously sensual Domani propositioned him for a turn on the floor. Oh he didn’t decline. And he was happy to be felt up by wandering hands. But he wasn’t particularly interested in return. He’d hoped to see Araya about, but the other Asha’man had disappeared as much as Trista.

Daryen lived the high life. He even gifted a gold mark of the Empress from the High Lord’s gift to everyone in attendance. It only cost a few hundred. It was a fraction of the value in that trunk.

At the height of the festivities, Jai snuck out. Nobody seemed to notice his absence, and he didn’t intend to be gone all night. He intended to find a card game and a bland meal. But as he roamed the city streets, he knew his destination was southernly directed. He didn’t even think before testing the latch on the candle shop.

He ducked inside.
“Hello?” he said. For a shop full of candles, only one lantern was lit. His heart beat quickened. Though he wasn’t sure what explained the nervousness. Shadows pooled in the corners. Anticipation he decided. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing here. It seemed a poor place for shadowspawn to lurk.

That was when a husky voice beckoned from the shadows. It made him jump, though not so much as to reflexively seize the One Power. It was the woman from earlier. The one that commented on the sword.
“Oh how I wish I had run into you before this…” she waved her hand up and down herself as she rose to her feet. Before what? Did she used to look different? Maybe she was rich once?  She stood with the paltry weight of a cat approaching its prey and Jai felt himself tense.

“Excuse me?” Jai asked, recognizing the look in her eye. He was accustomed to women making pretty strong advances. Usually he didn't play hard to get, but in this case, he really didn't want to be gotten.
“Maybe I’m in the wrong place,” he added and glanced at the door. Deciding this was a wrong idea after all. She had no reason to give him anything to be nervous about, but Jai’s discomfort was palpable. She walked with a sensuality that belied the bend in her shoulders, but after a few steps, a trick caught her hip and she stumbled. Jai reached out on instinct, mostly because he didn’t want to see her hurt herself, and also because, well, he wasn’t an asshole.

After she was steadied, he gasped as she pressed into him.
“Uhh,” his eyes were wide as he licked his lips.
“Yeah I think I must have given you the wrong imp-“ he started, but grasped her hands just as they started at one of the sword’s buckles.

“Okay, I’m going to go,” he said and gently pushed her away. There was no chilly warning when flows unseen gripped him by the shoulders.
“Hey don't rip those buttons. Whoa!” he said as the flows knocked him off his feet. The sword's hilt jabbed him in the ribs in the fall. He grimaced and tried to twist himself free but she was relentless. She channeled! The flows felt like Saidar, but he felt no recognition of a channeler. How was she doing that?

She started to claw, and Jai seized the One Power. Ready to end this when—

Another voice interrupted.
“Hessalam! Enough!” she said. That time, he did sense a chill just as a woman with bright red hair entered the room. Jai breathed a sigh of relief to find it was Lythia Sedai.

The woman she’d named as Hessalam backed away, but not before Jai’s shirt was half undone and his pants loosened.
“Aes Sedai, this isn’t what it—“ he started but she lifted a hand that he be quiet.

The ugly woman hurried to the Sister’s side, pawing at her sleeve in deference.
“Please let me keep him,” she said through her teeth. Jai blinked.

The woman was banished to the back then, and Jai wasn’t unrelieved to see her go. Her name sounded vaguely Old Tongue, though he couldn’t quite remember the translation.

“You’ll have to excuse her. She’s not all there,” Lythia said, gesturing at her own head with a warped wave of the hand. Jai understood madness, though he’d never encountered such voracious appetites in a woman before. He wasn't sure behavior like that was worth excusing.

“Who is she?” he asked, licking his lips. He had to hold up his own pants with one hand as he climbed to his feet.

“She’s a servant of sorts,” Lythia responded. Why the Tower allowed a channeler like that to walk around? 

“Why couldn't I sense her channeling? I should have been able to,"

"That's White Tower business. Never you mind," she responded. He frowned but knew he wasn't going to get any better answer than that. 
"I’m here because—“ he started.

“I know why you’re here. Come and tell me everything, Jai. It’s of the utmost importance. The Amyrlin will move quickly against Daryen if we don’t act tonight.” She waved him to follow, though what he found in the back  was far more unsettling than a crazy woman hell bent on making him her personal sex toy. And all this time, he thought Trista was the gift. He was glad he wasn’t going to be the next one.




[[Various appearances and dialogue written by me.]]

[Lawrence Monday]

Lythia Sedai - Captain General of the Green Ajah
And recently turned Darkfriend

There wasn’t so much a time as the present that Lythia did find herself missing a warder. There were many, many nights since severing her bond with Blakeahle that she missed a man’s touch. Missed his soothing presence as she slept. But that was entirely different. She could easily find a suitor for the night, and had done as much, but a protector she could rely on was a valuable ally. In the dark of the back room, she found herself thinking about the many faces since Blakeahle, but none of them would fit the duties of a protector. Nor did they share her current affiliation to the Dark. She thought of Zahir then, wishing that he fit the second half of that bill. She was enjoying his company. He was so close to being perfect.

In the front, the door dinged as it swung open and a voice called out into the apparently empty shop. Hessalam sat at attention then, and Lythia bid her to go out and investigate. If it was the Asha’man, and Lythia was sure it was, she was happy to let nature take its course for a few minutes. She wouldn’t let any real harm come to Jai, but disorienting him before coming to his rescue would serve her purposes well. He was so easily unhinged. Hessalam hurried away, and Lythia waited, listening to the ordeal. She didn’t feel the blur of the Forsaken’s channeling either, but by the thud of the tripped up man, she assumed as much had occurred. The same trick that the Forsaken used to hide her weaves was one of the first things she taught Lythia. Since then, Lythia used the knowledge sparingly. Time to go to work.

She bid the Sisters to stay there, smoothed her skirts and confronted them. In the low light, shadows pawed at Jai’s face. With his jacket half-open and chest exposed, Lythia had to steel herself from letting her gaze slide lower. She didn’t really blame Hessalam, half-deranged as she was, from wanting to lick the beautiful man up and down the floor. But like the past, Lythia refrained from similar, more tasteful, advances. He belonged to her Green Sister in the long-run, although that alone wouldn’t stop Lythia from seducing him if she had a mind, but for now, Jai served a much better purpose than being a toy. A shame as it was.

When Hessalam was called off, she bid Jai follow. The stock room contained barrels of wax, heating supplies, strings and dye. In the corner was a table, and Lythia bid Hessalam pour tea for them both. It was best to discuss the toppling of two towers over tea, she thought.

She sat, inviting him to join her. “Hessalam, you may be excused, but don’t go far,” Lythia ordered. The disfigured woman bowed her head and backed out, but not before eyeing Jai one last time. Lythia couldn’t help but wonder what the woman had been like prior to her rebirth.

“So Daryen went through with it,” Lythia shook her head. “I know Trista. She trained in the Tower after I was already raised to the shawl, but the Gaidar’s prowess was renown. I used to watch her train in the yards,” she said with a hint of sadness, like she was as good as dead now.

“You should know that what Daryen did was without the blessing of the White Tower. You must have noticed no Aes Sedai were present today? At best, the Hall will issue a warrant for his arrest. At worse, he will be branded a traitor and a Darkfriend in league with the Seanchan. They have been looking for an excuse for some time. You know about the contract put out on his assassination, right? General Sadiq took it in hope the payment would restore his House, but I can tell you who was going to pay it.”

She sipped her tea, pushing a cup toward Jai as well. She was being hospitable. Hopefully he saw that she was only a friend. Only trying to help. “I always liked Daryen. He is a remarkable Asha’man. I don’t want to see him harmed. He has generally done great things for Arad Doman. Until this business with the Seanchan, the nation has never been so stable. I think we can stop it.

“You know why there were no Aes Sedai there today? Because the Amyrlin ordered us to stay away. Because she didn’t want to be associated with this. Because this was all her plan. Her policies are slowly growing to be more friendly with the Seanchan. This is only the beginning.”

Most of what Lythia said was true. The Amyrlin had ordered them to stay out of sight. She was growing more tolerant of the Seanchan.

“Your brother is going to take the fall for her pulling the strings, and the Hall is going to act on it. Unless we convince them otherwise,” she added, nodding and watching. Did he understand?

[Jay Carpenter]

He followed along, arranging his clothes as he walked. By the time, he locked eyes with the woman named Hessalam again, it was with saidin ready to defend himself. She seemed compliant to Lythia Sedai’s orders, but he wasn’t going to turn his back to her again anytime soon. Thankfully, she was sent away while they talked.

He wasn’t much of a tea drinker these days. It reminded him of too many meetings growing up, following around his dad’s clerks and learning their trade. Why were deals were always made over tea? Dru would think it was a good vehicle for poison. He wasn’t wrong, Jai thought, followed by a pang of regret. He hadn’t meant to conjure Andreu to mind.

“No thanks,” he said to the tea as he sat. He would never suspect Lythia of anything, but he’d not put her servant past the attempt. Maybe he was more like Dru than he preferred to think? Nope. Nevermind. That was a bad thread to pull free.

He wasn’t sure why he was here. Other than it was the aimless direction that his legs carried him. Since the other Sister delivered him the destination, it meant she worked with Lythia over all this. He preferred it was Lythia here. For no other reason than he (mostly) trusted her if only by reputation. At least he trusted her as much as he could trust any Aes Sedai. Except Nythadri, he thought, remembering her rise in rank.

She had spoken of Nythadri when last they were together. How bad would it be to bring her up now? He was here because of his loyalty to Daryen, but if Lythia could share but news of Nythadri… She was gone from the Tower before. Where in the world had she journeyed? Probably somewhere south. Bloody north was only the Borderlands and nothing waited there but battle and blood. Wherever she was, she was probably cutting a room with her bloody icy stare and making the idiot nobles dance to her tune. At least he hoped she was.

“You’re right. I noticed there weren’t Aes Sedai,” he said to himself more than to her. The crowd had been full of every other kind of dignitary. Representatives from government, military, nobles and the Mercant’s Council filled the front. Jai had mostly distracted himself by studying everyone he could see. He was looking for tensions. For those carrying weapons. For anyone who looked like a channeler ready to die for a cause. There were no ageless faces. Perhaps a young Sister who hadn’t yet come to the agelessness might have blended in, but there was no way of knowing any better.

“Trista was downcast,” he added. 
“I have no reason to think she was ordered to this. She’s a Gaidar but not bonded to anyone that I know of,” his voice trailed at the end. For a while he thought Daryen had done the deed. They spent enough nights together to breed suspicion, but that was eventually cleared up. It was to create suspicion. To get the nobles to talk. To build Trista’s reputation so that when Daryen gave her away, it looked like she was his to give.

Talk of the Amyrlin and Hall nailed Jai to stillness. Only after his eyes began to burn did he realize he’d forgotten to blink. Then that was all he could do. Blink. Sadiq had been the one to put out the contract for Daryen’s assassination. Jai was there the night the General was arrested. He didn’t quite believe it. Not even the Tower would try to kill the king of Arad Doman.
“You’re telling me that the White Tower —“

“Not the white,” she replied, calm and certain.

Jai shook his head. Not possible.

“Daryen has been in power a long time,” she went on.

He stared at her.

“When was the last time he presented to the Black Tower? When was the last time he knelt before the dais” she asked.

He had an answer to that.

Not since before the war. The very war with the Seanchan that was ordered be started by the M’Hael. When Jai was transferred from Illian to Arad Doman and took up rank under Daryen’s command. They came out of that war closer than brothers. And a decade later, Daryen made peace with the same people that the M’Hael sent him to slaughter. 

He had to piece it all together.

He rubbed his head. If he was even entertaining this possibility, that the M’Hael, who openly spoke against the Seanchan, only to defer to the Dragon’s will (or so Jai assumed was the Dragon's will), had it in his head to see Daryen removed from the throne of Arad Doman, only death would do it. No politician. No game would undermine Daryen’s loyal subjects. It had to be death.

“But the Dragon Reborn —“ he started. The Dragon was the one that wanted Daryen on the seat. The crown may as well sat on the Dragon’s head all this time, but the argument was weak. Even in his own head.

“Was anyone present from the Black Tower?” she asked.

He closed his eyes. Remembering the sight. He’d spied Araya, but he hadn’t been in uniform. Though the guy rarely was. And he was buried among a sea of shoulders.

Jai shook his head. So the Towers were conspiring against Daryen. That’s what Lythia was saying. And Jai’s punishment was for meddling in Andoran politics. He gets one bloody sack of shit Lord arrested, and they take everything from him. While the M’Hael and Amyrlin colluded to see Daryen murdered.

He knew the exact moment he seized saidin. It settled the darkness on his expression like the shadow of a violent friend.
“You said we could stop it?”



[[Dialogue written by me]]