"Mother?"

The Novice's voice drifted through the mist of time, it's querying and uncertain tone slipping into Chiya's reminiscence and bringing her slowly back to her present surroundings.

"Mother...Chiya Sedai?"

Straightening from her stance against the window's stone embrasure, Chiya smoothed her brow before turning away from the window, automatically donning the serene Aes Sedai mask like a second skin.

Novice Traya stood hesitantly, hands clasping the length of her Novice whites. A flicker of shock passed across her gaze but she clamped her lips shut against the gasp which threatened to escape. Could those....is she crying? Recalling herself, and who she stood before, the Novice hastily curtsied, her eyes darting quickly back to the former Amyrlin's face before focusing on a point on the wall behind her. "We have finished packing the ornaments and books as you asked Mother. Shall we begin moving the boxes?"

Traya's words brough to evidence what the elf's senses had been blinded to. The room looked different, all of Chiya's personal touches carefully wrapped and stowed away, the other two Novices who had accompanied Traya in the outer room, their murmurs wafting through the room, floating in through the door left ajar. Chiya gave a small smile, her hand coming to rest on the Novice's shoulder. "I am simply Chiya Sedai now child. I know it is a change, but let's not have Janhrea Sedai or the Amyrlin hear you. They may decide some repetitious copying is in order." This last was said with a hint of mischief, Chiya's blue green eyes sparkling impishly. She could feel the tension slipping away from Taraya, her shoulders relaxing and a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Crossing to the door Chiya pulled it open and stepped through, her appearance effectively stopping the other two Novices' conversation as effectively as a fox stepping into a henhouse. Both dropped rapid curtsies, one of them uttering a hesitant "Mother", unsure how to now greet the former leader of the Tower. This time, Chiya's ears picked up the stifled giggle from behind her and smiled inwardly.

"Thank you very much girls. You've done a wonderful job. Now..." gliding towards the boxes carefully stacked next to the door, Chiya began mentally reveiwing their contents. "Please take these two, and that smaller box and chest to my room, and then find two porters for the larger boxes. If you don't mind, I would like you to unpack them for me as well, but that can wait for tomorrow. I've taken you three away from enough of your study time as it is."

The aforementioned items secured, the three Novices trailed out then down the hall, their heads grouped together as they continued their whispered conversation, Taraya apparently reciting her exchange with Chiya from the surprised glances thrown over the other two's shoulders.

Novices will never change.... How I miss those huddled conversations, the whispered rumors and exchange of stories.... Chiya's melancholy sigh seemed to echo off the office walls as she closed the door and once more headed towards the window. She knew her decision to step down was the right one...of that she had no doubts and nothing but confidence and respect for the woman who would now take over the duties of Amyrlin. No, what had brought on this pensive mood was something else, something which had been pushed to the back of her mind. This, the final act of relinquishing the office which had been both her haven and her duty, had raised an issue which once released refused to be denied any longer.

Leaning forward, Chiya's arms crossed on the sill and her head rested against the soothing cool touch of the stone. A far away look settled on her face as her eyes sought and found the ancient oak which towered amongst it's neighbors in the grove outside her window.

By Adonar and the Eld!! Will it never end?? Each town...each hamlet had brought it's own lessons, and Chiya was rapidly learning that whatever else this land boasted, none of it's inhabitants had ever set eyes upon an elf before. Whispers, hastily drawn symbols in the dirt or the air before them, reactions varied between fear and outright antagonism. Since her precipitous escape from the last town, Chiya ventured near only when forced to resupply, and had taken to keeping her hood drawn. Somewhere...somehow...there must be a way to reverse whatever power brought me here....there must be..... Each day, the hope of finding another portal back to her beloved Adonar kept her traveling further and further afield. Her sense ranged ahead of her, searching, seeking the same emanations which had been present a her arrival in this strange and unknown world.

Seasons changed, years flowed into each other, and still the elf maiden searched, acquiring knowledge of her surroundings and slowly, inevitably, forming a bond with the land of her newfound home. The constant struggle between those who fought for the Light against the Dark One, the male and female Aes Sedai capable of drawing on power to create and attempt wonderous deeds, the battles fought on all fronts as the Dark One tried to widen his sphere of influence.... all these intrigued her...touched something within her core, yet still she searched for a way home.

"Light Chiya!! Don't tell me you've still got your nose buried in a book!! I'm beginning to think you might become a Brown!" A bubbling laugh accompanied by a jolt and bounce of the mattress announced Kithra's return to the small room the two shared. Blond, freckles traipsing across the bridge of her nose and a happy, optimistic disposition, Kithra Doran had rapidly become the elf's best, and only, friend. Distrust and fear blended with a certain admiration was the general attitude of the other Novices towards this newcomer. Many wondered, both aloud and privately, why such a different looking creature should have been allowed to enter, much less study, within the Tower's shinning walls. Kithra was the exception. She had a knack for seeing people as they really were, not simply the exterior.

Ahhh my friend... are you even aware what a truly special gift you have.... Snapping the book shut and placing back under her pillow, Chiya sat up, her knees drawn up before her. Resting her chin on the back of her arms she couldn't help but be drawn into her friend's good mood. "Me? Limit myself to just one Warder? You must delusional Kithra.." Both of them collapsed against each other, their laughter at the long standing joke carrying through as they rose and prepared themselves for their upcoming lesson.

"Are you bringing that book along? I think we have time to stop at the library on our way.." Kithra stood with her hand on the door, looking back as Chiya straightened her dress.

Shaking her head, Chiya joined her at the door and pulled it open, pushing her friend into the hall. "No...no I am...I am not done with it yet..." Kithra was one of the few people who knew the whole of Chiya's tale. It had been impossible to hide the details from the Amyrlin, Keeper and Mistress of Novices, and the Master of Arms had been told in order to asses whether the newcomer posed any danger to the Tower. But Kithra was the only one with whom Chiya had shared all of her emotions.... the homesickness...the longing to feel Adonar beneath her feet again... the ache left by the absence of her kin. Many had been the nights when Kithra offered friendly solace, Chiya's tear streaked face buried in her shoulder when the pain of being away from those who had raised and loved her tore at her soul. Chiya owed her friend too much to ever totally repay, the bonds of their friendship growing day by day. We will always be friends.... but I can never tell you that even as I study alongside you, I'm still searching for a way to go home.... that as much as I value your friendship... I will *someday* find the path to take me back to my world...

"I present to you, Chiyath Sithi, former Sitter for the Green Ajah, the Flame of Tar Valon, the Amyrlin Seat." Verlana Sedai's voice, amplified with flows of Air, carried to the farthest reaches of the Sitter's Hall. The ranks of those assembled, the full complement of Aes Sedai within residence at the Tower, was littered with vacancies, the absence of those Sisters who had so recently been laid to rest a glaring reminder of the violent tremor which had shaken the Tower to it's very foundations and had led to the death of the former Amyrlin. So many dead...so many dying....Light!! Can we survive? Can we go on?

Between caring for the injured, assessing the damages to the Tower and it's outlying structures, gathering supplies and medicines, the full import of what had happened still did not quite register. Anyone still able to stand after the disaster, from the Amyrlin herself right down to the scullery maids, had been immediately pressed into service, and even a week after the fact, sleep was a luxury few had been able to indulge in. The news that the Amyrlin's crushed body had been found amid the rubble of one of the town's buildings had run like wildfire through Tar Valon. The Keeper, Reina Sedai, had taken over the Amyrlin's duties temporarily, but refused to step into a position she knew herself to be too old for. It's all happening so fast... an avalanche of activities and events coming on the heels of Nature's fatal earthquake and avalanche of disasters. And now...now it is my duty to lead the Tower out of this darkness, to heal it's morale. Pray the Creator gives me the strength to justify their faith in me.... Celebrations and the normal progression of events would have to wait. Chiya's research about Portal Stones, alternate universes, carried out between those infrequent times when the battle against the Dark One paused, all of it was now shelved. Other's needed her full attention, this land which had become her home, these people who she had come to look upon as family, it was in this direction that she must now focus her energy and efforts.

Moonlight shone down, filtering through the rustling leaves to outline the man and woman sitting silently together in the garden. Tall and broad shouldered, the man's profile seemed etched in stone. A bridled, contained energy flowed from him, the sense that even at rest he was more dangerous that a wolf stalking it's prey. Deep and icy blue eyes constantly surveyed the shadows, alert for danger even here in the heart of the Tower's grove.

A shaft of moonlight reflected from the depths of the green eyes which turned up towards him. Reddish gold hair cascaded over the arm encircling her shoulders as Chiya gazed quietly at the man who held her heart... her very soul...within the palm of his hand. "Even here? Within the safety of these shinning walls you still worry that something may strike out against us?"

His arm tightened as his lips brushed across the top of her head. "You were stolen from me while in the heart of the Tower, kidnapped from within your very office. My heart still fills with dread when I think of how close I came to losing you forever. Never again do I want to endure such agony... such emptiness. You mean more to me than life itself."

A warm glow filled her at his words, radiating throughout her entire being. The realization of her feelings for him, the birth and growth of their love amazed her more and more each day. Although their respective duties filled their days to overflowing, their deep bond kept them close no matter where they were or what they did. She had found the one thing which she believed might elude her until the end of her days. She was now complete, their two souls coming together and forming a solid entity, a tower of strength and support.

"Do you still miss it? Do thoughts of Adonar still call to you?" She almost missed the import of his words, the night's breeze barely carrying them to her. She felt the fear lurking in the depths, his determination not to let his emotions affect her thoughts. Down through the decades, her resolution to find Adonar had not been dimmed, simply pushed to the back as other more pressing duties called to her. His question brought a flood of emotion crashing to the fore and she almost cried out in protest. Raising a hand, she caressed his face gently, marshalling her thoughts before proceeding. They had oft spoken of her heritage, but it pained them both too much to be reminded of the difference in life spans between humans and elves.

"No. Adonar will forever be a part of who I am, but this has become my home. Once my heart yearned for nothing more than to breath it's air and feel the life force of the Eld trees again. Now I have found something which has given me the same soothing comfort my homeland once did. I have found you Gangorn... my heart is whole and content. Our love, our future...that is what calls to me now....." Resting her head against his chest, she allowed their bond and her nearness to express the full depth of her love for him....

"I hope my memories make me smile as radiantly as yours do...." With a start, Chiya realized that someone had joined her at the window. Blushing, and extremely thankful that mind reading was not among any of the skills possessed by any Aes Sedai, she turned a smile towards the new Amyrlin of the Portal Tower, Morien Sedai.

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