Carenna was running. It always started out that way, with the running. She was always wearing the same clothes- a child’s warm woolen dress, brown in colour and stiff in texture. She ran, and it began to snow. That always happened too. She was so out of breath she couldn’t scream, but tried anyway. All she could manage was a croak as the chill wind entered her throat. The snow was coming down harder now, so hard she couldn’t see in front of her. It didn’t matter. She kept running anyway. She was gasping for breath now- long days playing Catch-Me with her friends had not prepared her for this kind of a run. Despite the cold, she was hot from running, and the sweat was beginning to run down her face. But Carenna didn’t stop, because if she did, They would catch her. She wasn’t sure exactly who “They” were, but whoever it was, They were going to get her if she stopped.
She was tired now. She tried to put on an extra burst of speed, but it only worked for a second or two. She was terrified, and exhausted, but she could not stop. She ran harder, and stumbled on a snowbank. She scrambled to her feet desperately, and began to run again. She ran, and ran, but stumbled again, this time on a rock. She started to get up, but an enormous hand reached out of the swirling snow and grabbed her arm roughly. Her black hair whipped in the wind as she turned to see the face of her assailant. Her green eyes widened in despair as she saw…
Carenna ay’Irella woke up, gasping for breath and covered with damp. She shuddered, remembering only the beginning of the dream, as she always had. Aes Sedai were supposed to have protection against such dreams, she thought irritably as she washed her face. Why did it not work for her? Perhaps it was because she was so newly raised Aes Sedai in the first place. And perhaps, the dream comes from within. She dismissed the thought with a shudder, and went to get dressed.
She had three favorite colours, and, since she was going to spend the day inside the Tower, she decided to wear a long, black dress. It wasn’t terribly fancy, but it was of a fine cut, and looked expensive. It was the newest style from somewhere (she wasn’t sure where), but that didn’t really matter to Carenna. It fit well, it was comfortable, and it looked more than halfway decent on her. She chose silver jewelry to match, including a silver locket necklace.
The necklace. She sat on the bed and opened the locket. There were two pictures within, so tiny and delicate she could hardly see the details. The man had dark hair and a dark complexion, and he grinned at Carenna playfully whenever she examined the miniature. The woman opposite him was as beautiful as the man was handsome, but she did not smile. She looked sad, almost tragic, with her pale face and golden hair, and a dreamy smile.
Carenna shook herself out of her reverie and stood up reluctantly. She would never know who her parents were, in all probability (or so the Whites assured her). She had business to take care of in the library, and sitting around thinking wasn’t in a Green’s job description.
She had always loved the library the way the books smelled, they way they felt as she turned the pages. It had been a difficult decision when she chose the Green Ajah rather than the Brown, but in the end, she decided that the Battle Ajah’s job was more important. And she did not want to be stuck in any one place, not even the library, forever. She still had many friends among the Browns, and nearly as many as she had within her own Ajah. In fact, the only Ajah in which she did not have friends was the Red, because for some reason, they frowned on inter-Ajah friendships. That was rather odd, Carenna thought as she paged through a book about the history of the White Tower. Why should the Reds be any different? But they were, and apparently had been for a long time, and in the minds of many Aes Sedai, tradition was far stricter than law. Even Tower Law. She decided to research the subject. And then decided against it, just as quickly.
The last thing she wanted was trouble with the Reds, and they would definitely find out about her research. They had an excellent eyes- and-ears network, even within the Tower. Carenna thought a bit, and decided to watch the Warders practice instead. She didn’t have a Warder herself, which seemed rather ridiculous- a Green without even one Warder! But she enjoyed watching them in their sham-fights. Carenna had practiced with them in her youth, dressed as a boy, and had learned much from them. She had shown no aptitude whatsoever with a sword, but could probably still put a dagger more or less where she wanted it. Hopefully she would never have to put one in a person, but she would be able to, should the need arise. She watched the swordsmen silently, admiring their skill and reflecting on days past. Carenna had been abandoned on the steps of the Tower when she was only a child, and a servant had taken her in and raised her. She knew nothing of her origins except her name, written on a little piece of paper found with her, with no other information at all. Except the silver locket, of course. She’d been an errand girl for the cooks until an Aes Sedai had Noticed her. Carenna always thought of the word with a capital letter, because it had changed her life forever. She was immediately bundled off to Novice quarters and made to learn about the One Power. Not that she wasn’t grateful, of course it was just that it had been difficult for her and her adopted mother and aunts. The cooks were like her aunts, and had always treated her like a niece. Well, since she could remember, anyway. She still stopped by every day to visit them and gossip with them. It was her favorite part of the day.
In fact, why not go there now? The kitchens always made Carenna recall her childhood, and the atmosphere there felt like home. Sometimes, she even cooked a bit herself she’d been taught a little baking before being taken away to be taught. It wasn’t much nothing nearly as complicated as the enormous feastday cakes and tarts the older cooks could make. But it was interesting and it helped her concentrate on anything she was having difficulties with. And a good gossip would do her good.
On her way to the kitchens, she ran into a man in the hallway. Literally. He’d been holding an armful of papers, and they’d unfortunately fallen all over the floor when the two collided. He was darkly handsome, despite the scowl on his face as he knelt to pick up the papers on the floor. Carenna apologized profusely and began to help him pick up the mess. He growled wordlessly at her, so she stopped trying to help and stood up instead. The man muttered something to her she didn’t quite catch and strode purposefully down the hallway again.
Carenna stood there in dismay. She hadn’t been watching where she was going, but it wasn’t totally her fault. The man had barreled around the corner as if he was the only human being on the planet, and didn’t need to watch out for other people. She frowned, remembering his face. She wasn’t familiar with this man at all, which was strange, considering that Carenna made a special effort to remember who was who in the Tower, an effort which came in handy quite often. But she had no idea who this man was, therefore he was new to the Tower. A new Warder-in-Training, perhaps? Doubtful. He hadn’t seemed like the sort to be doing that kind of thing. And he hadn’t even looked for the Serpent Ring on her hand. A stranger to the Tower, for sure. She resolved to find out who he was. The man had certainly not been run-of-the-mill, and in fact, had seemed to be someone of importance. Carenna was going to find out who he was if it killed her.
She walked down the hallway with a new sense of purpose, and let the visit to the kitchens slip from her mind. There was work to do.