Life in the Tower

Dear Mother,

Life in the Tower is simply amazing. I can understand why the Tower is so well respected throughout the World. Each day the Aes Sedai open the Tower to petitioners, Yellow Sisters heal the sick and wounded, Brown Sisters assist supplicants grant permission to use the Library. Even the Amyrlin occasionally meets with people. I've glimpsed at her once as she glided toward the Audience Hall to meet with some august personage. She's a ordinary looking woman, save her Aes Sedai agelessness and regal carriage.

Of the other Sisters, I've seen little, but I will attempt here to give you some idea of their character. The Keeper of the Chronicles, Skye Sedai, was raised from the Blue. There seems to be some story there, but no one I've spoken to knows it or will speak of it. She seems a merry woman, with rich brown locks and a penchant for fine dresses. The kitchen maids claim she recently bonded a warder, though he's not often seen in Tar Valon of late. There are whispers of a secret mission, but no one knows quite what the nature of this mission might be.

Vicenta Sedai is a formidable woman. She was recently raised to be the Sitter for the Blues (sort of their speaker in the Hall of the Tower). Unlike many of the other Aes Sedai, Vicenta Sedai rarely wears clothes in the colors of her Ajah. Though with her pale coloring any color looks lovely on her. Her warder, a tall quiet man named Jera, seems an interesting fellow. He doesn't say much, but what he does say seems quite astute.

Lyra Sedai, is another Blue sister and appears to be of Cairheinian descent, and given the frequency that she invites other sisters to her room, she is entrenched in playing the Daes Dae'mar. Either that...or she really enjoys tea and cake for she orders it nearly every day. There is a novice named Morgan who claims to be her niece, but with Aes Sedai it's so hard to tell. One of the oldest servants in the Tower, a groom named Bennet who has seen nearly 75 winters, told me that when he was a boy of 7, taken into the Tower as a fosterling, Lyra Sedai already had been a sister for quite some time. So how little Morgan could be Lyra Sedai's niece, I don't know. They look nothing alike in coloring, but there is definitely some hint of Lyra Sedai's facial features echoed in Morgan's pretty face.

Just the other day Aribeth Sedai, one of the many Green sisters in the Tower came by the Kitchens. She was there to teach Beth, one of my fellow Kitchen workers, how to read. For someone who is rumored to have such an illustrious past I found this rather thoughtful. Aribeth Sedai is from Andor, and as she will tell anyone quite plainly, is cousin to the Queen herself. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she enjoys helping those less fortunate than herself. A fine quality indeed. The lady has two warders, as many Green sisters do, though of late they seem to be scarce. One, Kuma Gaidin, for a brief time served as Master Gaidin, but the cook said that after a tragic reconnaissance mission where 5 younglings were killed, he resigned from the post. If he has, there's no word as to who has replaced him...only time will tell I suppose.

Mother, I will write more later--there are so many Aes Sedai who have recently returned to the Tower. But presently I can hear cook calling for me. There is so much to tell--particularly about the rumors of Seanchan spy!

Your humble and obedient daughter,

Jesseme

A Beginning

Dear Mother,

I am writing you this letter from the White Tower in the Great City of Tar Valon! It took seven days on the River Erinin to get here, though in truth, it seemed much longer. I know the Jealous Wife was the first ship out of Tear after that terrible day--but it was not a ship well suited for River travel--as its Captain reminded me throughout my journey. Regardless, between the bobbing, the constant stopping to sound the river bottom, and the Captain's foul mood, there were times I feared we would never reach the Shining Walls of Tar Valon. Finally...just as I had given up hope, the White Tower rose from the morning fog, and we slid into the harbor with the tide.



Tar Valon itself is an amazing city, such a place of beauty and excitement! Now, having walked the streets and touched the Shining Walls, I can believe that Ogier masons crafted it, for no human mason could carve such beauty...it is as if the stone itself is alive. And the people here--I've seen folk from every corner of the land--and beyond. As I entered the market place that first day, I met two Aiel, a Seanchan noble, and an innkeeper named Mistress Munro from Two Rivers.




Mistress Munro has been particularly kind to me. It is she who interceded on my behalf and secured me a position in the White Tower. Her inn, called the Blue Cat, is a warm and welcoming place where folk come to meet and discuss the day's news. I've even seen Sisters from the White Tower sipping wine in the common room, their stoic warders standing behind them...nearly blending into the walls with those color-shifting cloaks of theirs. Black-coated Asha'men hang around outside, their faces dark as thunderclouds. Apparently Mistress Munro insulted their leader, and they aren't permitted to enter the Inn under his edict. It hasn't seemed to bother Mistress Munro though, she seems as cheerful and friendly as any innkeeper I've met. In fact, nothing seems to trouble Mistress Munro.



My new home in the Tower is a servicable cot near kitchens. Though not fancy, it's fine enough for my purposes. My service to the sisters will no doubt give me more insight into their world. I will write more soon. In the meantime, please be assured that I have landed safely and found work to keep me occupied. I will write as I'm able, though the Sisters keep me busy from morning til night.

Your loving and obedient daughter,

Jesseme