Arcena tested the stir-fry to be sure the taste was just right, and stood beside it, patiently awaiting the Mistress of Kitchens. An Accepted that Arcena really didn't know well was standing there, helping Arcena guide her fire flows to make the food hot. The Mistress of Kitchens came in, and came bustling over, tasting the food and smiling. "Two good things in one day. Liranan sedai wants to see you girl"

Arcena curtsied out and ran to Liranan Sedai's office.

Liranan looked harried, but she welcomed Arcena with a smile. "Come with me Girl." Arcena hopped to it and followed at a good pace. The walked through hallways and spiralled down beneath the Tower. Liranan looked at Arcena and spoke serenely, "What you are about to see one sees only when she has proven herself disciplined enough to step forward. You are to be raised to Accepted, girl. You may refuse this, and know that you may refuse twice more before you are put out of the tower with enough silver to support you for a year, and you will never be allowed back. Do you accept or refuse.?"

Arcena looked at the closed door, and at Liranan Sedai, Never in the borderlands had she been more afraid, never again had she been so determined, "I accept Liranan Sedai."

"Very Well." Liranan Sedai opened the Door and they stepped through. The arches stood before them, glistening and glittery and humming with the Power. "Take off your clothes child."

Arcena did as she was told. They stepped to the First Arch. "The first is for What was," Liranan Began, "The way will come but once, be steadfast."

Arcena stepped into the Arch

She reined in her horse to avoid stepping on the man below her who looked up to see only another stubborn Arafellian Lord on a horse. "I surrender My Lord,"

Arcena laughed, "As well you should, Armirin, one should always know their betters."

The look of embarrassment was plain on Armirin's face, and Arcena knew that if he ever found out he'd been felled not by Cameron Al'Tira, but by his Sister, who was the only one who truly existed, he'd be devestated. She reached down to help the man up, and gave him a friendly swat on the arm. " You did well Armirin, As always, you did well."

They rode back tot he castle, "Cameron" weilding the banners of the victor. The ensuing Feast was a big one. As usual no one noticed when "Cameron" slipped away. And no one at all noticed Arcena enter. Her parents thought it hysterical that No one had caught on, so let the charade remain.

Arcena was happy. Truly happy. So Happy that she barely noticed the Arch off to her left side. It clicked then. The Arch meant something, She just couldn't place what. The Arch flickered and vanished, reappearing again. Arcena went over to investigate. it flickered again, and she remembered that she needed to go through it. She didn't want to leave her family, she was happy. But she knew that she needed to go through the Archway, So serenely, she stepped through.

"You are washed clean of What sins you may have done, and those done against you. You come tous washed clean, Body and soul"

She felt the water pour over her body, dripping on the stone floor, and she turned to face Liranan.

Liranan Smiled and said, " You can stop at any time, and you will be put out of the tower with enough silver to support you for a year, but you will not be allowed back, remember." Arcena nodded and Liranan continued, "The second is for what is, the way will come but once, be steadfast."

Arcena walked fairly calmly into the second Arch.

She was so sick of washing out pots and pretending to be an obedient little snit that she thought she was going to scream. Sweep the walks on Monday, Dust the Library on Tueday, Clean the pots on wednesday. It was really getting to be a pain in the rear end. And of course. Attend this lesson, don't look bored of you get more chores, Don't talk to the Warders or the Trainees, Don't say Sucks. It was really getting to be a hassle. She was so close to getting up and going to Liranan and saying I'm Leaving! And if it weren't for the horrid burn on her face to remind her of what she was, she probably would have. She was a Noble! The Daughter, and Son, of a high ranking Noble Family in Arafel. Not some wretched little scullery maid. Obedience was one thing, temperance another, but slavery was entirely too much to bear.

Again her hand raised of it's own violition to the burnt left half of her face. She'd never known anything to burn so hot as that fire had. She steeled herself yet again. "Nobility I may be, but I am also a Novice of the Tower of Chasaline, and it will be an Honor to wear the shawl one day. And I will spit on every Aes Sedai who ever gave me chores when I am, not to mention what I'll do to that wretched Kitchen Mistress."

She didn't notice the man step out of the shadows behind her, and when he spoke, she banged her head on the pot she was working on and turned to give him the not so noble rough side of her tongue.

Before her stood the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. His eyes were a deep blue, nearly purple, his hair long, and Raven-black like her own. He seemed to outshine anything in the kitchen, and since the other Novices had already gone, the Kitchen Shined. He smiled at her and when he spoke again, his voice was as soft as rose petals on silk, "I'm sorry, I did not mean to startle you."

"You shouldn't be in here, Warders aren't allowed in here, and I'll get into trouble If I'm seen talking to you," not that I wouldn't enjoy every bit of punishment I got for it. She added silently.

He laughed then, a deep throaty sound that made her want to melt,"I'm no Warder, my dear, I'm looking for you."

"For me, Why.?"

"Because we have much more to offer you than Pot cleaning and Yard maintenence."

Arcena's eyes lit up, "Really..?? And Liranan Sedai's actually going to let me go..?!"

He scowled a moment, which made his attractive face even more so, "Liranan...Sedai.. Doesn't have a whole lot of choice. Come on now."

Arcena was excited, things were happeneing to fast for her to think rationally about them, and she wasn't really trying. So she got up, and walked out. For some reason, as they walked, no one seemed to notice that she was leaving. No one said goodbye, or gave the barely noticable Novice-wave as she passed. And something began to occur to her that aomething might just be out of place. But she couldn't quite place it.

And then, like a draghkar out of the ghul it hit her, Delly, ran right smack into her and was screaming something unintelligable. And as Arcena tried to shake the fog that had somehow managed to settle on her brain, she saw a glint of silver light appear to her left. Some inner voice was trying to remember something about that Silver light, but couldn't quite place it, and Delly was still Screaming words with no sound. It was eerie. And she turned to look at her Beautiful Guide, and he was a faceless Thing with fire for eyes and sharp teeth. And Delly was still screaming, but this time, Arcena could hear her in her heart. "Wake up wake up Wake up, Oh Light Wake up." And she knew that somewhere she was dreaming, and somewhere they were worried about her, but the Light was bekoning, and she had to go to it. And everyone else would just have to worry.

She turned to the Silver light, It was an arch, and she ran up to it, and stepped through just as it vanished.

The light stung as it hit her eyes, and she was momentarily blinded by the water that ran into them.

"You are washed clean of false Pride, You come to us Washed Clean of Body and Soul." And Arcena started laughing hysterically as the thoughtoccured to her that It was Real... Everything was real.. Not some dream -like little game where you could get hurt or never coem back, but it was truly real, she really was leaving behind those who she left behind and really was leaving those to worry that she left to worry. Because for each Arch, a part of you must remain, or else there would be nothing to Wash clean.

It.....was.....Real........ and she had to go back in........

The voice was disembodied and she barely heard it instructing her for her final run into the Ghul. She hadn't heard it ask her as she was laughing hysterically and crying her eyes out at the same time if she was alright.

"The...... what will be....... come but.......steadfast"

She was already walking toward the Third Arch, still Laughing , when The Voice said that word.. Steadfast.. that word was the key..

It was cold. But it had been cold for a long time, and it would be cold forever. It was dark too. Very Very Dark. But it had been Dark for as long as it had been cold. She just wished she could move. But her arms wre wrapped around her and stuck behind her back, and they'd been that way since breakfast, when that Seanchan girl had untied her so she could eat, and then had looked at her like she was on fire. She might have been on fire she didn't know. It had been a long time since she'd known anything but dark and cold, But she imagined Fire didn't feel like cold, so she must not have been on Fire. The Seanchan girl was just weird. Even if she wasn't a Seanchan girl anymore. She hadn't been for a long time, longer than it had been dark and cold.

"Arcena.. Are you awake..?"

"Arcena's not here, I don't know who Arcena is..? Who are you..?"

" Arcena, stop being ridiculous, I tell you this every time, You are Arcena." The voice came from outside, where it was light and it was warm. But she was afraid of the light and afraid of warm, because dark and cold was all she knew.

"If I'm Arcena, then I'm awake."

"Good."

The walls opened up and the light came in, but it was dark again when She opened her eyes up to look. The voice was nice to her, always. well sometimes, but more than the rest. And the Voice told her that she'd be better someday. Always better someday.

"Arcena, can you see me."

"I can see a somebody, but I don't know if that Body is you. Who are you..?"

"I'm Liranan.. "

That word was in the back of her mouth and she didn't know why. Sedai...

'Hello Liranan, I'm.. Cold and dark."

"You're Arcena, we've been through this."

"And I told you. She's Not here."

"Oh."

"Well, But I'll take a message for her and give it to her when she gets back, thanks for stopping by."

The somebody who said she was a Liranan made an unhappy face that she thought Cold and Dark couldn't see. But She'd been in the Dark so long she could see in it, and could see.

"I wish you'd get better Arcena, You're the best Fireweaver we have."

Fireweaver was familiar, but getting better meant touching that rod thingie again, and that had burned her. The man said it would. The really handsome man from her dream. He said that the Truth would hurt her so bad, it might kill her. She hadn't believed him, and now she was Cold and Dark.

"I don't want to get better Somebody.. Iike it here, and It's Hurting out there. But I would like to have my arms out. "

The Somebody let her arms out, and Cold and Dark stretched them wide. And she saw something moving in the dark. But it didn't belong there. It was a sharp thing.. a thing from the light and Warm place. A thing that the somebody had and was going to hert Cold and Dark with.

"That's Too bad Arcena, We can't keep you here anymore. It's been decided." Cold and Dark could see in the dark, and Move Quick in the Cold even though her arms had been tied for so long. And she ran around in circles with the Somebody chasing her with the Sharp thing. Until the Somebody seemed to realize that She didn't have to Chase Cold and Dark. And Cold and Dark realized that there was a way out in the Dark. That the shadows had given her rescue. and she was running for the Silver escape.. and the sharp thing flew hard at her, an dit slammed into her back, and it ripped out again and slammed back in.. and It was pain, not like digging against cold rock until your fingers bleed, not like banging your head agaisnt a wall until you fell asleep. But like something inside of you getting too big and Popping.. Like a balloon or a Bubble.. And Cold and Dark hit the Silver Escape and she tasted her own blood in her mouth, and She was tricked as the bright light stung her eyes and it was all Very Dark..........

Arcena flew through the Arch, and Hit the Floor, and she didn't get up. Then, Not a second behind her, the Bloody Knife flew out of the Arch and stuck itself into the wall of the room. "You come to us washed clean...... "

"For the Love of the Light...."

"Somebody Call a Yellow....."

"Is she....."

"Not yet..... Hurry.... Help me......"

But it was Still Dark and Cold.....