Vaid Intro 7

--- The Wheel Turns ---
Vaid stepped out from the shadows and approached casually.

"Will you be needing help then?"

"Who are you?" The shorter woman with dark hair asked, tersely, her hand reaching for the fallen woman's sword. Vaid was closer now. He could tell she had pretty eyes, well they would have been pretty if they didn't look so intent on gutting him.

"I'm here to help. Name's Vaid." He said in a mollifying voice. "I'm the one who called about the guard... I would have stood by ye to help, but alas, I'm unarmed." He raised his hands, palm up, giving himself a clear view to show he carried no weapon. The woman visibly relaxed, but remained wary. Vaid eyed the other woman, who still lay face down on the ground.

"Vaid, eh? Well, Vaid," her mouth twisted sourly around the word and she frowned up at him. "I suppose I'll have to accept help from a man, after all. Eliesanna here, took four inches of steel between her ribs. She needs pressure on the wound." She pushed the woman onto her back.

Vaid looked at the woman on the ground. Where the shorter woman was pretty, this woman was... well... just short of a goddess! She was the most beautiful woman Vaid had seen. Long blond hair hung tied in a tight braid over the woman's shoulder. She had a lovely mouth, which was half parted bordered by high cheek bones. Beads of perspiration lay on her chiseled face, and a moan escaped her lips.

He eyed her still form up and down unconsciously, and gave her a very positive appraisal. She was slender and perfect in every way. Light, but she was the most lovely creature he had ever seen! Even with her eyes closed, a pallid face, and her breathing coming shallowly, she was simply exquisite. And this creature was hurt!

He breathed out slowly. "Blood and Ashes! Women weren't made to be pricked full of needles!" Especially this woman, he thought inside.

"Yes, well..." the other woman grunted. "Tell that to that lot that set upon us like bees to wild gooseberries in the heat of summer." She sighed and examined the wound. "She will need healing soon, but I think she'll keep. Pick her up...and carefully, mind."

Vaid nodded, happy to help. Especially happy to help this woman. He reached out his hands and with some effort, managed to pick her up so her head rested against his chest as they walked. He wanted to heal her, but he was well aware that the healing weave seemed to make the conscious sit up gasping and spluttering for air, as if they'd been dunked in an ice-covered lake. And he wasn't about to draw that sort of attention to himself if he could help it. He cradled her gently and waited as the other woman gathered up their fallen weapons, placing them in their respective scabbards.

His spirits soared. He had failed Riessa, had seen a woman go so mad it frightened him, but now he was glad he had helped these woman. Especially glad that he could be this close to this wonder in his arms.

They walked south, Vaid following the other woman leaving the groans and moans of the wounded and dying behind them. Vaid was impressed that the women came out as unscathed as they were. The dark-haired woman wasn't even scratched and she had been in the thick of the fighting, he knew. But then again, she had had some training and that rabble that set upon them, were little more than a lust-filled mob of commoners and refugees.

"I have gathered that her name is Eliesanna, what is your name?" he asked his guide.

"Keb." The slender woman replied, pausing at a street corner and looking both ways. The street seemed nearly devoid of life, except for a couple of dogs that got in a fight over a some scrap of a bone. "Keb Freehan."

"Well, Keb. Where do we take her?" Vaid asked as he followed the other woman.

"We need to get her to the Lady Maeslyn," she said. "To the docks."

"They'd be that a way," Vaid said nodding in the opposite direction. Well, did he know where the docks where.

Keb scowled darkly, then nodded and walked beside him, her hand was on the hilt of her sword, as if she half expected another group of men to lunge at her out of the shadows. "We ran blindly, I'm afraid when we knew we were being followed, and must've got turned about."

"Light! What possessed the two of you, capable women though you may be, to come alone into this part of town, anyway? You should have known better, than to take this one onto these streets without a guard!"

"Keep your nose out of it!" Keb ground her teeth at him, her voice rising. "We went to find out where an inn was, and those... men, if you can call them 'men', started shadowing us. 'Men' indeed! Most men are little better than beasts, I say! Good for carrying heavy burdens and little more!" She glanced pointedly as Vaid carried Eliesanna in his arms.

Vaid raised his eyes at the tirade, and had to beat down his own anger as her volume rose. Light, but this one could have a temper. Feisty that man had said. Feisty indeed. Vaid knew when to keep quiet... well, he hoped he knew. He held his anger in check and pressed his lips together and concentrated on simply walking. He looked down at the woman's face and saw that she was young... very young, little older than a girl really, but so beautiful, he though of her as a woman. Her eyes flickered open for a moment and her eyes looked at him... "Lord Fiznak?" she asked, in obvious pain, confusing him with someone else. "Light, Fiznak, you look funny..." and her voice trailed off.

...

Soon they made it to the docks. The docks were still crowded and people, even at this hour, exited boats that had been drawn up in the harbor. Many were letting off even more refugees into the already burdened city.

"Over there. By that large merchant ship. 'The Pelican's Wing'." Keb said, her anger seeming to decrease as she approached three other figures who stood or sat near a pile of baggage on the docks. A large and somewhat handsome man with dark hair and a neat beard that showed signs of red hair sat playing a flute with his back against some sacks and backs, a large sword was on his back. A second man stood nearby, a bow on his back and two spears in holders.

"Light!" The large man that was sitting down said in concern and sprang to his feet. He moved quickly being slightly larger than Vaid but more heavily muscled, under the sword on his back, he wore a shirt of mail. He dropping his flute with a clatter onto the stone street and ran to Vaid. "What happened to her?" His eyes darted from face to face.

"We were set upon by some, men" Keb said the word, men, contemptuously, twisting her mouth. "But they found we weren't for the taking. We fought them. Eliesanna fought well, Fiznak you would be proud."

"Light! How did it happen?" The man asked, concerned. Vaid felt a stab of jealously at larger man.

"Fiznak, there were nearly a dozen of them and the two of us. What would you expect? But we left five of them crying for their mothers, bleeding on the cobbles." Her voice was hard as steel. "Vaid here arrived and offered to help. So I set him to work carrying Eliesanna. Since that's about all that men are good for."

The other man stood by dispassionately, his eyes sliding over Vaid. He looked dangerous. Like he was a spring wound up too tight, ready to leap in any direction. His eyes, darted constantly into the crowd, then back to Vaid, then into the city streets, then back to Vaid.

Then Vaid heard another voice, a commanding voice from another woman.

"Stand aside, Maer, Fiznak." and he saw another woman. She was beautiful too, more lovely than Keb, softer in some ways, and of course not as lovely or as perfect as Eliesanna, but as her forest green eyes met his, Vaid could see an intense and commanding presence there.

She was dressed in a blue traveling dress with a blue cloak with green trip. Her chestnut, shoulder-length hair cascaded in waves about her shoulders. But it was her face that caught his attention.

He couldn't quite place it. She looked youthful... well, not old anyway, but at the same time he couldn't be sure if she wasn't older than Vaid himself.

"She is hurt," the woman said. "But she will live. Set her down, but hold her firmly, Vaid." She commanded. Then she placed a hand on Eliesanna's face and her eyes took on a far away look, and half opened in a mild smile.

Eliesanna suddenly sat up straight heaving against his grasp, gasping for air.
"Blood and ashes!" she cursed. "Maeslyn? What happened? Fiznak, is that you?" She craned her neck to look at all their faces.

Vaid also nearly gasped in surprise. He was not expecting it, but judging from what just happened he could only suspect that this Maeslyn woman had channeled. His eyes quickly darted to her hand. He heard that Aes Sedai wore heavy rings of a serpent biting its tail on their hands. But he saw nothing. Vaid frowned and wondered, feeling more and more anxious by the moment as a myriad of 'what-if' scenarios ran through his head.

"Easy child," Maeslyn said, smiling down at Eliesanna. "You are better now. You will be tired for some hours but at least you aren't dying."

Vaid released Eliesanna, suddenly embarrassed. He didn't know much about women. He had never married, he had always wanted a woman to love him and one that he could love in return. This was honestly the closest he had been to a woman in a long long time. And wasn't at all sure how to react. So he simply stepped back awkwardly, fearful to touch her now that she was fully awake.

"Light, I'm alive." Eliesanna whispered.

"Yes, and you can thank Vaid here for carrying you all the way back here." Keb said.

"Vaid... who is? You?" she looked him in the face, her eyes showing confusion.

He nodded mutely.

"We can discuss all of this over a hot meal. Keb, what did you find out about the Inn of the Golden Cup?"

"It's located on the Calpene Peninsula near the Hall of the Assembly of Lords," her face screwed up in memory for a moment and she pointed towards some large ornate buildings farther north. "They cater to wealthy merchants, I hear."

"Very good," Maeslyn said. "Vaid, you come along too," she commanded. "And help bring those belongings, if you please" she pointed to the baggage on the dock. "I have a business proposition for you that we can discuss at the inn."

Then, without waiting for his answer, she turned on her heel and walked away, with Fiznak and the other warrior, Maer, was his name, picked up baggage and followed after her through the winding streets of Tanchico.