Ten Nation's News

[Katherin]

The night was cool and the air crisp with the start of winters chill. The hour was late, the sun long gone, and some time before it came again. Katherin walked slowly down the Hallway of the White Tower. She had awoken in a cold sweat from another of her nightscares and decided she had to go out for a walk. The lose of her family still haunted her some nights and left her shaky and in tears. Her face was red and tear streaked from her most recent night terror.

**FLASHBACK**

She had been sleeping in her small bed when the sounds first started to break through the viel of her dreams.

She had been back in Manatherin, her Mother and Father sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea, her two brothers playing a game of snakes and foxes, her laying infront of the fireplace watching the game. They wouldn't let her play and she was still perterbed about it.

Laying there watching her brother's playing she let her mind drift. She began to fantasize about her boyfriend and the times they spent together in his fathers barn. She was only 15 and her Father would beat her to death if he knew about there secret meetings. All Katherin could do was lay there and wait impatiently for the next day to come. She knew she would get to see Arian tomorrow, and looked forward to it with great anticipation.

It seemed like the night creeped by, and she and her brothers got in a fight about something stupid and she had told them both how much she hated them, her Father had tried to tell her to watch her mouth and she had shot off at him as well. She ran upstairs into her bedroom and laid in the bed crying. She was very moody and her stomach was hurting something awful.

Later, about an hour or so, her Mother came upstairs and to talk. She sat on the edge of Katherin's bed and asked waht was wrong. When Katherin couldn't explain why, that she was wimply haveing mood swings, her Mother had smiled and laughed. She told Katherin that she was becomeing a young woman and things would be different now. Katherin sat in horror as her mother told her about women's moon cycles. Once every new moon Katherin would do this....the idea was not a comfortable one.

Her Mother left her room smiling that night and Katherin cursed herself for being born a girl. This was to much work. She rolled over and fell asleep with thoughts of Arian floating through her head.

The next day she woke early and got a bath and put on one of her nice dresses. She had her mother help her with her long blonde hair, and left the farm well before noon.

She made it into town a little before lunch time and went to Arian's manor. His Father was a well to do merchant and had money to burn. Katherin evied the family that was so well off, while her father busted his back makeing a comfortable life for her family. But she didn't mind the money, she loved Arian, she would have even if he had been dirt poor. Smiling she snuck into the stable yard and into the loft of the barn. Arian was there waiting on her. She smiled as she kissed him and his hand began to raom over her body.

~~~~~some time later~~~~~~~

Katherin walked along the road home. She smiled and skipped merily down the road. She did love Arian and he loved her. She saw a white flower on the side of teh road and stopped to pick it up.....THUMP.....she smiled as she smelled teh flower. She continued to walk home.....THUMP.....as she approached ehr home she saw smoke.....TTHHUUMMPP...She saw Trollocs...TTTHHHUUUPPP....one grabed her......TTTTHHHHHUUUUMMMMPPPP

Katherin sat bult right up in bed sweating. 'What was that noise?' silently she got got up and walked out of her room. She followed the sound that woke her....it sounded almost like a heart beat, but loud and constant.

********

Now she walked the corridor, the sound seemed to be gone. What had it been? Had it been anything? Not for the first time she wondered if she was going crazy. Silently she walked down to one of the Guardens in the Tower, she sat by a rose bush and silently wept.

[Katherin]

As Katherin sat there on the ground crying she heard the soft steps on the cobble paving stones lining the Garden. Katherin's pulse quickened and her heart began to race. She knew it was against Tower policy for a Novice to be out after the sun set. She ran through thoughts at the speed of light. She decided finally that if she was going to get caught there was no way she could get out of trouble.

She sat there, tears still leaking out of her eyes. As she watced, a beautifulwoman in a tight white silk dress flowing in the cool breeze. Her long blde hair blew across her face and the woman stoped. She had spotted Katherin on the ground. In her white night gown it was obvious that she was only a novice.

The woman approached with a smile on her rose red lips, the smile made Katherin's skin crawl. She made be wearing a smile, but the woman's eyes were cold blue steel. The woman opend her mouth to speak, and her voice was thick with false affection "Hello dear, it is past time for Novices to be in there rooms. I would suggest that you go back to your room before I send you to the Mistress of Novices." The woman was speaking as if Katherin was already been on her way to her room.

Katherin stood and bowed "Yes Aes Sedai, I appologise I just needed air." Turning to go she felt the other woman grip saidar, Katherin turned faster than a blink, and saw a thick weave of spirit coming at her, somehow she knew if that touched her, she would be stilled. Filling herself so full of the One Power that it began to hurt, she sent a weave of spirit at the other woman, a shield, not a stilling. The other woman staggerd as Katherin's shield cut her from the True Source. Her face was pale and she seemed to be shaking. Katherin was much stronger int he One Power than this woman, that she was supprised aobut.

The woman's mouth litterally dropped open when the flows of air Katherin wove, bound and gaged her. Katherin heard a oise behind her and turned just in time to find herself face to face with a man, apparently a gaidin. The next thing she knew, he punched her in the face, sending her sprawling, and the weaves holding the woman in air disappeared. The shield was tied, but the other woman did not wait to make her undo it. She turned and ran.

Katherin stood, a little disoriented, and found herself standing alone in the courtyard. Shakily she turned and began to run. She ran untill she was in her room, witht he door shut and under her covers. She cried for the next hour and a half before finally falling into an uneasy sleep.