Te'hlon's story

[Tayhlon]

Okay, then. Here is a (not so) small piece of my character's backstory.


It was a bitter and cold winter day, the kind that drove most people to stay indoors. However, while most people were inside, those who had errands to run or jobs to do were hurrying about their business.
“Now, Te’hlon, remember to be a good boy while I’m gone. Don’t give your father any trouble, okay?” A mother’s face, elegant and serene, gazed down at a young boy of about seven.
“But why are you leaving now, mommy? Didn’t you just get back from that other trip? Don’t you love me and daddy anymore?” The tearful Te’hlon cried.
“Of course I love you both, very much. I promise I won’t be gone long. In fact, here, I’ll let you have my special fish. It will protect you while I’m gone.”
She smiled as handed her son the aforementioned fish. He took the trinket from her, still tearful but trying to be brave, and went to his silent father. They watched, as she left, neither one of them saying a word.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“You can’t take him, I won’t let you!” screamed Te’hlon.
The Aes Sedai who were dutifully preparing his father for transport to the White Tower ignored Te’hlon’s screams. One of the sisters finally stopped for a moment to try to comfort the screaming child.
“Now I’m sure you know why your father has to be taken to the Tower. He simply can’t just run loose. We have to sever his connection to saidin or he’ll go mad,” she explained calmly to the irate child.
She studied him as he fumed, a boy in his eleventh year, with no mother. He had tousled black hair and angry blue eyes. His clothes were messy and ill fitting, but he was in excellent health. At the moment he was clutching a small bag hanging around his neck. It contained a memento from his mother, he’d said. When she’d pressed for details he’d shaken his head and clutched the bag tight to his chest. Now, there was a problem of a different sort to tackle.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Te'hlon, my son. Come here and talk to me for a while."
The boy looked at his father with a strange mixture of anger and sadness. He shook his head and tried to move away.
"Please, I have something I want to tell you," his father's hand on his sleeve made him pause.
"Why? Why now? You haven't talked to me in months! I've tried to talk to you, but you never responded to anything! Why didn't you ever acknowledge my presence?" The boy looked at his father with tears in his eyes.
His father looked beyond the boy a moment.

[Arawis]

im confused......i thought they took his father away???how can he be with him? is he living at the white tower w/ him? is that part supposed to be 2nd and the other 3rd? please explain........

[Tayhlon]

Sorry, got interrupted before I could continue. I needed to add some important details.

[Tayhlon]

Te'hlon's story continued:

"I wanted to give you this. It's not much, but it's all I have to give you, now."
He handed his son a dagger, plain and old. Te'hlon took it and looked at his father.
"Is this a going away gift?"
His father took a deep breath and looked his son square in the eyes.
"I know it's been hard since your mother left. It's been even harder since the Aes Sedai brought me here. I'm sorry that you've had to see this, but there was no other way. Even the Red Ajah weren't heartless enough to leave a child alone in a big city."
"Yes it was so much easier to bring the child along to see his father become an empty shell of his former self."
"That's not right and you know it. Just think of all that you're learning here. I know that nothing can make up for what you've lost, but ...."
His message was cut off by his son turning and running away, dropping the dagger as he left. He picked up the dagger, a look of deep sadness on his face.

[Arawis]

ahh........

[GallopinGaidin]

Good work Babe, I wish I knew all this before we started the campaign, I could have used a little of that, So does Te'hlon know what the deal was with his Mother or are you leaving that to me? If you do, I have plenty of Ideas. Sorry for not being on in a while. Great story start though.

[Abraxas77]

I enjoyed your opening Tayhlon. A nice barbed hook to grab and hold our [the readers] attention. ......but...your dialoge is a little hard to follow. I suggest that you add some variety to the way you attach each character's statements. You should connect dialoug before the statement, as well as behind. For example:

"....father any trouble, okay?" A mother's face...
Smearing tears across his face, the boy cried to his mother, "But why are you....."

Do see what I'm saying? This sets the mood for your audience, so they read the character's statement the way you meant them to.

[GallopinGaidin]

And now for my story, I was Your average Warder, under the employ of the Aes Sedai as a Trainer of Warders, My skill was at its peak and My life was truely to the light. I spent many a day in complete thought and many others in complete purpose. I have trained many who have become great Gaidin. All fell to the recess of the mind meant for people of only a short period.. All but one.. A small Boy, a relentless boy, a trialed boy. He was sent to me with the hopes of many and expectations of few. His life was distrought, angered and broken. I recall this boy because he trained harder and spent more energy than any of the others. Many times I would swear that he spent more energy than he had. I tried to craddle the boy into a man, but this boy would not be cradled, he would not be willed, he would do as he would and no more. Fortunately it was always more than needed. It was as though the Boy had an inner spirit that was far more than any encountered since the breaking. I feared more than once that the boy would run himself out, I would have thought he was going to the Aes Sedai for help, but this boy would not go to them willingly, he was possesed, by the light, posessed. He had a Love for them and a hate that intruded that love. I must be rambling now, I apologize. I was sane once, I was strong once. But I was broke down, my mind slipped, but that is for another day.. Te'hlon.. the boy of prophecy older than the dragon..

[Arawis]

ooooooh ~shivers~ im getting goosebumps. it kinda reminds me of the tell-tale heart and the raven the way you ramble ya know? keep going keep going

[Tayhlon]

Te'hlon didn't stop running until he reached the little nook that was his "room". It contained a cot, a basin, and a few changes of clothes. He sat down on the cot, short of breath partly because of the run and partly because he was crying. The tears were streaming down his face, but he wasn't making a sound. He reached for the bag around his neck and fumbled with the fastenings.
He let out a quiet little sob when he had trouble opening it at first, but he beared down and managed to open it. When it was opened, he withdrew the fish and held it up at eye level.
Te'hlon took a deep, ragged breath. "Mom, I don't think Dad's long for this world. I can see it in his eyes, and he tried to give me that dagger of his. You know, the one that he says has been in the family since before the Age of Legends. I....." he broke off when he heard someone coming.
He quickly returned the fish to its hiding place and dried his tears as best he could.

[Arawis]

GAAAA!!! more more! i hate reading in small portions :(

[Mike]

Yes, more please :D

[GallopinGaidin]

I recall the very Day I lost all hope and all faculties. I Recall it well, I could not tell the boy, Light forgive me, I could not tell Him. I just stood there soundless, it was obvious he had been crying, and somewhere in me knew, knew there was no reason to tell him. How could I? I knew and I could not say.. It would Kill the boy, destroy him from his very soul outward. I knew his Mother, and pretty was she with that hair and the smile.. But always so bent, determined as most blue Ajah are, always searching, never finding. How to tell this boy. She Searched for the Child of Legend, a Child that would carve the path for the Dragon to Follow and never be known for it. She searched, Blood and ashes she shearched, at the loss of her Family, and all ties to them, she searced. To Tell the boy..To tell the boy that all along it was he she searched for.. Her child.. No, I could not, it would do the boy no good. He does not need know.. For I recieved word that day that she was no longer..She had taken her last breath and went to the Light. The boy must never know, he needs hope beyond all else.. A hope that lies with his Mother, Light bless her soul. The Boy knows very little about anything his Mother meant, for her or Him. He knows very little. The Angreals he carries, not even knowing, His mother Left him one, his Father the other. A long time it has been. A long time indeed.. But feels ever so close. How I miss his Mother at times. I put myself in dangers path for that woman so many times, So many times.. I thought that the day would come when she would break down and take me on my offers, and dispell her quest, but never. She stood her Quest and fell me instead. Sure it hurt us both, but I stood between her and her goals. Besides, she found a good man, a caring man, born cursed as some men are, cursed to wield the one power.

I am Tired now, oh so tired and for me another day perhaps, another day, life is distressing and the night calls. Oh how the night calls. Come..Come..Come..

Untill another time my friends..

[Arawis]

dummmmdeedumdumdummmmmm......... back yet?

[GallopinGaidin]

Well what do you think?

[Tayhlon]

Te'hlon looked up at the familiar face and tried to smile. He found he couldn't, it felt as if someone had squeezed all of his smiles and happiness out of him. He shook his head when he was asked if anything was wrong. No, nothing was wrong, except for a father dying before his son's eyes and a mother that was never there for either of them.
He was so distraught he didn't notice the look on his longtime mentor and friend's face. If he had, he would have known that something was deeply wrong.
So instead they both beat around the bush, never actually saying anything.
When the warder had left, Te'hlon made a promise to himself. He would learn what he could here, but he would never rely on anyone ever again.

[Tayhlon]

Te'hlon sat on the edge of the practice field, watching the others practice. He could see that the warders had their hands full. He shook his head and stood up.

"Hey, you're Te'hlon aren't you?" said a meek feminine voice.

He stopped mid-stretch and turned around to see who was addressing him.

She was a novice, judging by her clothes, and a new one to boot. She had long brown hair and brown eyes, and had an air of uncertainty about her.

"I am. What of it?" he said in an imitation of the gruff voice he heard used at practice by the warders.

She put her hand to her mouth and giggled.
"That voice doesn't suit you at all. I just came to see you because I heard about your parents and...."

She stopped mid-sentence at the look of sheer poison he gave her.

"My parents have nothing to do with you." With that, he stalked off.

[GallopinGaidin]

The Boy was certainly meant for bigger things, who am I to stand in his way, I never meant to hurt him, and to tell him everything would certainly hurt. I did not know how or why, so I pushed on. I knew whether he liked it or not, he would make aquantinces, but I never thought he would make a true friend. How sorry I am, How sorry it is, I could not console the Boy, I would not overstep my feelings. The Boy was becoming a man, and as all men learn, life is precious and loss is painful. The Boy learned.. The Boy learned..

[Tayhlon]

Moving through the motions he knew so well, Te'hlon tried to concentrate as he'd been taught. It was going so well until he noticed that he'd attracted an audience. He started and received a rap across the shin for his troubles.
"Pay attention to what you're doing!" came the familiar growl.
He looked up at his instructor and nodded, but he could not get the image of her out of his head.
"Bloody Aes Sedai, even before earning the ring they want to try to run your life," he grumbled under his breath.
Raised eyebrows caused Te'hlon to groan inwardly. "I didn't mean it, gaidin. It's just that..." his excuse was cut off, as the match was quickly resumed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That night, Te'hlon's sleep was restless. Battered and sore, he'd fallen asleep without a problem. But once asleep, the dreams began to assault him again.
"Te'hlon, my son, my dear, dear son. Are you well? Is your father well?" Came a soft, familiar voice.
Te'hlon looked around for the owner of the voice. He recognized the area as the White Tower. "Where are you?" he called desperately. "Mother! Please tell me where you are!"
Suddenly, his mother appeared directly in front of him. She smiled, but she also looked a bit sad.
Te'hlon reached out for her, but she pulled away.
"My time here is but a moment, and there is something which I must show you."

[Tayhlon]

She held up a mirror.

"Now look into the mirror, please."

Te'hlon looked into the mirror, and saw only himself. He shook his head, but then looked closer. He saw that his reflection's clothing was travel worn, and also that his reflection carried two swords.

"What does this mean mother? Why do I see myself, and yet, not myself?"

His mother's expression was one of pure anguish. She reached for her son. She cradled him in her arms.

"All this time, and it was you," she cried, as she rocked back and forth.

"Mother?" Te'hlon tried to comfort his mother.

But he could not console her, she just rocked back and forth with her son in her arms. Then suddenly, his mother was gone. He thought he heard her crying echoing behind him.

The scene shifted, and he was in a little village. He saw a festival, with children playing and adults celebrating. One in particular caught his eye. He was tall, taller than any of the others, and his reddish hair different as well. Somehow, Te'hlon knew that this one was important.

"Why are you important? What is it that you hold?" even as he said it, the boy looked straight at him, and the image shattered.

Te'hlon snapped awake, and nearly jumped out of bed. He sat for a moment, hand to his forehead.

"What was that? My mom, me, and some kid? He looked like he was around my age, but...... Why?" he tried to reason it all out, but it didn't make any more sense.

[GallopinGaidin]

At a time, the Boy was unfocused, and at the same time unreserved, the less he thought of what he did.....The more dangerous he became. Soon enough, and no amount of rapping to his body would pull him from that fearful perfection. I have seen many things in my time at the Tower..Many things.... But never have I seen someone so lost to himself as to move as if they were the very definition of the art, every movement flawless, every block precise, every counter ruthless. I almost feel sorry, no.... I feel very sorry. I am ahamed at the moments I must break his stride in order to save another. And the boy... only dimmly aware.

I do not think he sleeps much anymore, as I make my rounds I hear him.. Perhaps he simply talks and tosses while he sleeps. Something of the Boy is very different lately, he asks more and more of his Mother, as though I may be able to answer. I do not believe he knows of the relationship between she and I, and Light forgive me I hope he never finds out. Too many questions to answer, I fear I may say too much...or too little. I fear if I tell the boy, he will leave. And I doubt any of our best trackers would find him. His only calm seems to stem for the Novice he has befriended. She's a cute one..and near his age as well. But she will learn soon enough this Boy is not to be gotten close to. Although at times the boy seems as no other here. A normal boy. But I know.. I know.. That he will never be..

I am sorry My Boy..

[Tayhlon]

"Te'hlon! Please, wait!" the novice called as she ran toward him.

He ignored her and moved away, but she ran to catch him anyway.

"Can't you see I'm busy? I've got to finish my chores for the day, or I'll be in trouble. Surely you can understand that?" He growled as he headed for the stables.

"I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I didn't mean to stick my nose in like I did, and well, I really would like to make peace with you."

He stopped and gave her a searching look. He noticed, for the first time, that she was actually expressing interest in him. He was taken a bit by surprise.

"Well, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage. I have not gotten your name yet."

She smiled, taking heart at his change in attitude. "My name is Lyaena Dainan, novice of the White Tower."

Her smile was very pretty he noticed. He blushed a bit, and averted his eyes for a moment. Then he shook his head and looked back up.

"Well then, Lyaena Dainan, I must still attend to the stables, or be punished." With that, he gave a half bow and continued on, but with a somewhat lighter heart than he'd had in a while.

[Tayhlon]

Pronuniciation guide ;)

Te'hlon Drynm (teh hlon dri nim)

Lyaena Dainan (lie A na die non)

Realized that my character names are a little difficult to pronounce, if I can't actually physically be saying them to you. So, here is my attempt to make a small guide for my two named characters.

[Tayhlon]

Poem for Te'hlon

Caught between mother's flight
and father's plight

What of the son?

Sent to tower to stay
there he does not play

Classes he does take
nearly every moment awake

Though he's trained hard and long
still he cannot stay strong

For in this child's heart
there remains a poisoned dart

The mark of losing mom and dad
the only family he's ever had

What of the son?

[Tayhlon]

Darkness all around, hiding all details. A voice whispered, the words unclear. Then the voice came closer and spoke louder.

“Give in to your fear. Let loose your rage.”

Te’hlon snapped awake, the sound of ghastly laughter still ringing in his ears. He sat up and shook his head, trying to banish the memory of the dream.

“Light! Another such dream. But why am I having them?” He briefly toyed with the idea of going back to sleep, but decided that it would not be worthwhile.

“With my luck I would have another like the last, or…” he shuddered, “even worse.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Te’hlon caught sight of a soft red glow. He stiffened and tried to recall what he had left in that particular corner.

“Burn me, it has to be mother’s fish!” With that startled cry, he jumped out of bed and reached for the bag containing the jade fish. But to his dismay, it was not the fish that was glowing. His gaze shifted from the bag in his hand to the dagger sitting in the same spot he had left it before going to bed. It was the dagger that was glowing.

The fish fell to the floor, forgotten, as Te’hlon reached for the dagger with a trembling hand.

[Tayhlon]

As his hand came into contact with the dagger, Te'hlon noticed, with some alarm, that the glow was spreading from the blade to his hand. But the moment of peace was shattered when Te'hlon's mind was opened to ...... something.
The fire that lashed into his head made him fall to the floor. He put a hand to his head, trying to retain a sense of self. He noticed, in an abstract way, that he still had hold of the dagger.
But no matter how he tried to release it, his hand would not obey. The dagger quickly became a secondary concern, as the chaos in his skull called much louder for his attention. He closed his eyes, and from somewhere a distant memory surfaced and Te'hlon knew what he must do.
He focussed on the raging power, trying to bring it under his control. He struggled into a sitting position, back to the wall. He continued wrestling with the strange energy, and it was more like trying to control a wild beast than anything else.
Then it was gone as abruptly as it had come. He opened his eyes and dropped the dagger from his hand before kicking it underneath the cot.
"What was that? Why did father's dagger......" Te'hlon's heart was racing and he didn't like the conclusion that he'd come to.
"It's not true! It can't be true!"
He sat unable to laugh, cry or sleep, eyes gazing off into the distance.

[Rosanna-Sedi]

Love it and can't wait for the next installment.

~looks around and realises she will have to wait~

[Tayhlon]

Lyaena snapped awake with a feeling that something was amiss.
She sat up and looked around, but nothing seemed out of order. The feeling would not leave her mind, though she could not place the why of it at all. She toyed briefly with the idea of getting up, regardless of rules.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, the uneasiness she had been feeling passed. She considered this unusual event a moment, brow furrowed in concentration, before shaking her head and leaving it as something to deal with in the morning.

[Tayhlon]

Lyaena walked down the narrow hall, determined to find Te'hlon. He hadn't shown for their scheduled meeting, nor had he appeared at breakfast. She carried a tray of food in her hands, and a concerned expression on her face.

Upon arriving at the door to his room, she called out for him several times, receiving no answer. Finally, she turned to leave but was stopped by a faint noise. Lyaena put her ear to the door in an attempt to hear more, but could hear nothing more. She reached for the door knob and gave it an experimental twist. The door swung open, revealing an empty bed and one young man in severe shock.

[Tayhlon]

Te'hlon's unseeing gaze took no notice of the room around him. Instead, across his vision swam a series of images too quickly to register. His head began to whirl and his eyes to water. He gritted his teeth and strained to concentrate. In response, the barrage slowed and finally stopped on a single image frozen in place.
It was his mother. She was in the arms of a man he'd never seen before. The shock of seeing his mother became compounded by the man shifting his gaze to Te'hlon.
The man's eyes lit with glee as he spoke, still staring at the boy, "I see you are well. You can expect a visit from me in the future.....my son."
The image shattered, leaving Te'hlon adrift and falling, being pulled under by shock and disbelief.

[GallopinGaidin]

The boy new nothing, it was unfair. He spent too much time in that room staring blankly, his only salvation was that girl. She spent every extra moment she could with him, talking to him as though he was perfectly fine. Even so far as to feed him.

At first I thought it might be that Light forsaken fish, I begged her to destroy it. That artifact that was somehow forgotten, and slipped through the Aes Sedai fingers. I would gladly destroy it myself, save a promise I made to the boys mother. I had hoped that in the boys hands it would be useless. Unfortunately it appears I was wrong. Saidin and Saidar. The fish is dangerous. It could cause the end of the Aes Sedai. I am not sure how it works for these are not my matters. All I know is that it is somehow connected to his Mother, and that it holds the power to weild both halves of the true source.

Thankfully, The Fish was not to blame. I had thought perhaps the boy burnt himself out completely. But the girl, something about the girl that gave him a glimmer. He was still, true enough, but the girl made his eyes flare and his breathing change. Whether it was Love or Hate, I do not know.

The Son of two that could weild, he would most likely touch the source himself, but I had hoped that Heredity had canceled themselves out. I know better now though. Something about his eyes. Something about the Girl....

[Tayhlon]

Lyaena sighed. It had been nearly a month since she had discovered Te'hlon on his floor, unmoving aside from the steady rise and fall of his chest. He had been lifted into his cot, an act that disturbed him not, but when she had leaned over him, she caught sight of a faint glimmer in his eyes.

Every time he was fed, he ate his food mechanically, bite after bite. Occasionally, Lyaena would get some assistance, but for the most part it was a lonely job.

The moments that gave her hope, at first few, came with more frequency. She began to think he would come out of his trance soon, but he showed no signs of life around any but her.

"Are you ever going to wake? I spend so much time looking after you I am getting behind in my studies. The sisters and my fellow novices are angry." She sighed and wiped some tears away. "But I am not giving up on you."

On an impulse, she hugged him close, letting her tears fall on his face. She felt a strange power emanating from him and to her surprise he began to stir.