The Epic Saga of the Chosen One. Part 3
by Cannoli
Being a compilation of the deeds of the Chosen One in the last days of the prior Age, called the Third Age by some, and now known as The First Age to be Blessed by the Chosen One’s Existence. Compiled by the White Tower's New & Improved Committee of Public Information, and reviewed by the Chosen Amyrlin Herself, Blessed be the Light which is privileged to Shine Upon Her.
4. And the Chosen One & her companions returned unto the White Tower for the Chosen One was most concerned with how it fared in her absence. And lo, the Whitecloaked Monsters did accost them on the way, and grievously insulted the Chosen One by implying she was of lesser status than Verin the Brown and the false Wisdom. And verily, it was only technically true, for the laws of mortal women apply not in the case of the Chosen One. And so wretched were this insult, that the companions of the Chosen One lashed out at the Whitecloaked Ones, but the Chosen One, knowing their hearts struck first, lest any think them presumptuous. And Verin the Brown chastised them for presuming to strike when the Chosen One had not ordered. And they went into the Tower, for the false Wisdom and the Daughter-Heir needed to be punished and the Chosen One had to watch to see that their punishment was just.
And in the White Tower, the Amyrlin was grateful to have the Chosen One returned unto her, though she dismissed the words of Verin the Brown about the impious Seanchan who had dared lay hands upon the Chosen One. And for this carelessness, would the Amyrlin fall one day, as it was written in the Prophecies of the Chosen One.*** And the Chosen One and her companions were brought before the Amyrlin, who decreed that it were not meet that the Chosen One should not wear the exalted ring of the Great Serpent, and so decreed that she was to be named as one of the Accepted. And also her companion the cruel & violent Daughter-Heir, because no woman who was so blessed by the company of the Chosen One could fail to deserve such an honor. And she was even excused from the tests, though the Chosen One insisted that she take hers anyway, because she was worried not. But the Daughter-Heir, being of high-handed and judgmental nature declined to participate in such testing. And she was sent out from their presence to visit the Mistress of Novices. And the Amyrlin beseeched the Chosen One to solve her Black Ajah problem, and the Chosen One acquiesced, despite rudeness and pushiness on the part of the false Wisdom. And the Amyrlin gave them papers which declared the Chosen One was indeed the Chosen One, and should be obeyed post-haste, though this was somewhat of a useless gesture, for if one was so foolish and dull-witted as to fail to recognize the Chosen One standing before her, certainly that one would be too stupid to read a letter as well? But the Amyrlin said it was for insurance purposes, that they could not claim ignorance in court, and it was good. And the false Wisdom sulked until she was given a paper that proclaimed her an official agent of the Chosen One, and her simple mind was glad briefly, though she immediately gave over her thoughts to lustful musings of compelling the Guardian of the Prophet, called Lan, to perform rude and lascivious acts upon her lustful & tawdry person. And the Amyrlin, embarrassed that they Chosen One’s ears should be made to hear such words, rebuked her. And for a joke, the Amyrlin did speak of making the false Wisdom a full sister, but surely ‘twas only in jest, for how could such as she be raised ahead of the Chosen One?
The Chosen One & her false Wisdom companion sought out the Daughter-Heir, where the false Wisdom blabbed their secret mission to her, despite the Chosen One’s misgivings, for she knew the savage violence that lurked in the heart of the Daughter-Heir, and her unsuitability for a mission of such subtlety. And the Daughter-Heir’s brothers came in, and though it has been said that the Chosen One took no notice of her future consort at this time, such words are false. Rather, the Chosen One knew the danger of the other brother and his evil nature, and kept a close watch on him lest he beguile or corrupt her companions. And indeed, the false Wisdom performed diverse and crude acts to entice him that she might be permitted to sate her unnatural desires on his flesh, yea and even the Daughter-Heir didst cop a feel or two before he fled the room, quelled by the stern glare of the Chosen One & the strength of her moral fiber. And because he knew he had not proven himself worthy of her notice, her future consort departed as well. And after describing the mission of destroying the Black Ajah, the Daughter-Heir sought to be a part of it, for she would take any excuse to bask in the company of the Chosen One. And the Chosen One went unto Verin the Brown, and demanded the sister put hints on paper for her blind companions, and Verin did so, and gave her a ter’angreal that her companions might one day accompany her to the World of Dreams, or “Egweneworld” as it is now called, and thus be able to grasp the smallest fraction of her wisdom and power. And when walking back, the Mistress of Novices did beg of her the favor of inspecting the ter’angreal of testing the Accepted. And so mighty was the Chosen One within the ter’angreal that it nearly exploded, and surely the malfunction would have destroyed any lesser creature, but not the Chosen One, who stepped out intact. And she went to her companions to see the Daughter-Heir weeping in fear that the Chosen One might not survive, so weak was her faith. And when she saw the Chosen One she exclaimed in dismay at her doubts “I could not have been that awful!” And wept anew, but the Chosen One is infinitely tolerant of mortal flaws and failings and comforted her, though she knew the rage of the Daughter-Heir’s heart, and knew the foolish girl would one day turn that violence against her. But she was unafraid, for yea, she was the Chosen One.
And having done the hard work of agreeing to the Amyrlin’s request and assembling a team for the task, the Chosen One sat back to see how her companions would handle the hunt. For though she had already reasoned out all they must do, she did need to see if her companions could prove themselves worthy by figuring out at least the first step in her plan. And they reasoned poorly, and still her thoughts of their foolish seeking of patterns and poring through papers and of their frustrated pacing were kindly and charitable, for the Chosen One’s mercy & kindness knows no end. And the vile temptress Else of the Grinwell clan did intrude herself into their discussions and drop false hints to them, and the Chosen One pursued her, for she saw little clues in her mannerisms and knew she was false. And she did encounter a rather ordinary sister in the halls, who was not nearly so remarkable as the Chosen One herself.
And they did go to the storerooms, where the false Wisdom’s faith in the Chosen One was weak, and she did stumble when she opened the door, but did not fall on her face as she deserved, for lo, there is a saying, “The Dark One looks after his own.” And they went into the darkness, and the Chosen One made a light for them to see, and the Daughter-Heir’s jealous rage flared anew, and she hurried to imitate the Chosen One’s light for surely she knew that imitation of the Chosen One is the wisest path always. And the Chosen One looked among the clues found in the storeroom and knew them for bait in a trap. And the Chosen One lay down to dream, and her dreams confirmed what her cunning had deduced.
And because the Daughter-Heir was weak and foolish, believing the trivial obligations of a Queen’s daughter had any weight within the White Tower, she insisted on sending a letter to her mother before they went to accompany the Chosen One so as to watch her stop the Black Ajah, and learn from her. And the Chosen One had an idea, and murmured it out loud, but the false Wisdom, seeing that the Daughter-Heir had not heard, claimed the idea for her own. And so it came to pass that they went to see one of the Troublemakers, called Mat. And they conspired to induce him to aid them, and the Chosen One suggested that the Daughter-Heir do what came naturally, and she did attempt to persuade him in lewd ways, for her mind was crude, and she were slatternly, verily. And the Chosen One thought that getting topless was a bit much, even for the whorish Daughter-Heir. But no woman could look attractive in the same room as the Chosen One, and Mat was unmoved. And verily, the Chosen One offered such brilliant arguments, that the Troublemaker could not refuse, even though the false Wisdom nearly made him join the vile Whitecloaks with her arrogance and butting into the Chosen One’s persuasion. And yea, Mat was swayed and agreed to for the Chosen One’s sake, and he did go. And the false Wisdom did relinquish her letter from the Amyrlin Seat, for if they were in the company of the Chosen One, what need had they of letters from a mere Amyrlin?
And they did work in the kitchen one last time, for the Chosen One was kind and humble, and verily, her companions could use the character-building. And the Amyrlin came in to remonstrate with the foolish Daughter-Heir, and verily, the Chosen One saw RIGHT THROUGH her trap, but didst step into it, knowingly and of her own will, for she sought to accompany and comfort her slatternly friend, lest her rage get the better of her and she try to assault Laras. And because the Chosen One was kind, she believed that even the false Wisdom could relay simple messages to and from the Amyrlin & the Chosen One. And they did go, despite the companions of the Chosen One foolishly, and near blasphemously, shrouding her glory and beauty in drab garments, of cheap wool, ill though it did befit the dignity and majesty of the Chosen One.
And on that boat ride south, yea, though it was fierce rough, and plunged down rapids of white water, and through storms and waves so as to nearly capsize the boat, the Chosen One was only mildly disturbed, and the Daughter-Heir was too foolish to know anything was wrong, and the false Wisdom was weak and obnoxiously sick, so much so that she did drive the boat aground. And then she did storm off the boat into a wild and dangerous country full of bandits, ignoring all remonstrance of the Chosen One. And they did encounter fierce and vicious Aiel savages, and the false Wisdom, arrogant in her power and desirous of showing off, boasted of her Healing as if that were any worthwhile use of the One Power. And the Daughter-Heir, not to be outdone in foolishness, and also in wrathful arrogance at their lack of homage to herself, did declare herself to be Daughter-Heir of Andor. And when their sister-in-arms nearly died of the false Wisdom’s ineptitude and the Aiel did hear that one of them was the daughter of the Queen whose nation they had fought in a war, they were sore wrathful and prepared to strike them all down. But the Chosen One did step forward and proclaim herself, and they did bow and do her homage, so honored were they by this visitation. And she did fix the Healing that the false Wisdom had almost botched, and then the false Wisdom left, for she could never stand to see the Chosen One honored as was proper.
And the Chosen One did spot bandits lurking, but remained silent testing her companions’ ability to detect danger. And they never did, and the false Wisdom had the audacity to lay hand upon the tresses of the Chosen One, and tug upon it, and mock and dance and proclaim the Chosen One to be a little baby, and so righteously incensed was the Chosen One at this lack of proper respect for the natural order of things, that the cunning bandits struck down her companions. And the Chosen One agreed to go with them quietly, lest they harm her friends some more, and also so she could see what they were up to. And she did signal her favorite of the savages, whom she had noticed following her, that she should bring more aid.
And in the bandits’ lair, she timed the moment to awaken her companions perfectly. And though the Wisdom babbled in incoherent confusion, the Chosen One explained their situation, and even diagnosed the drugs given them, proving once and for all her superiority in herb lore to her would-be teacher. And the false Wisdom reached for the Daughter-Heir, and despaired, for here was a true injury, which all her pretense at Healing could not touch. And she wept, and the Chosen One said, “Be Not Afraid” and did cure the Daughter-Heir. And for a moment the false Wisdom believed, but the moment did pass, and ever after she did claim to have not only Healed the Daughter-Heir, but broken her “block” of needing herbs. She was foolish, for she had always needed herbs before this, since that was the only way she had to make people better. Yea, her “Talent” was nothing but a trick. But on that day, the Chosen-One foreseeing that she could not accompany them forever, and their foolishness and wrathful natures would surely lead them again and again into injury, and that she could not count on the false Wisdom having the intelligence to keep herbs around, she did imbue in the false Wisdom the Talent of Healing. And the Daughter-Heir did refuse that gift, for she was vicious and cruel and did much prefer to cause harm and deal out pain rather than cure it.
And while all this was going on, a trio of Myrdraal had arrived as part of a desperate gambit by the Shadow to forestall the triumph of the Chosen One, for they foolishly believed her to be helpless. And the Chosen One stepped out, while her companions cowered in their cell. And she did set the Myrdraal aflame, and the bandits watching fell dead with fear at the sight, and the vortex of air sucked in by the flames caused their bodies to collapse and be crushed, and then and only then did the false Wisdom poke her head out, and shine a weave of the Power called “Pointer of Light” which did nothing but annoy someone when you wove it directly at their eyes. And then the flames of the Chosen One flared hotter, and the Myrdraal were turned to dust. And lo, the Chosen One’s Aiel friend, Aviendha did arrive with help, and because they were simple, they poked the bodies of the men to amuse themselves making wounds in them. And some were clumsy and cut themselves on the Myrdraal’s weapons, and died. And they asked after the woman the false Wisdom claimed to have Healed, and the Maidens said she had never recovered, and from the description of her symptoms, the Chosen One knew the false Wisdom had given her poison by mistake. And she said nothing, lest she embarrass her temperamental friend. And they didst continue on to Tear, passing through a village, were all the men were in awe of the Chosen One’s beauty and hailed her, despite the lewd efforts of the Daughter-Heir to gain their attention.
And the Chosen One and her companions did arrive in Tear, where they were to watch her save the world from the Black Ajah, and the Chosen One found a place for them to hide lest her companions blunder and give them away. And verily, the Daughter-Heir complained of the squalor, and the false Wisdom did engage their hostess in inane and useless chatter about bits of plants, and most of what they said was wrong anyway. And when the Chosen gently remonstrated with the false Wisdom, to remind her to keep on the point of their mission, the Daughter-Heir was shamed yet again, for she had taken the false Wisdom’s side during the whole quest. And such was her shame that she set upon the Chosen One, and belabored her with heavy blows, and scratched at her with her nails, and bit her and didst pull the Chosen One’s hair. And she took up a whip and a club and did beat upon the Chosen One more and through all this, the Chosen One did not lift a hand, for she would never strike at one she called friend, no matter how the friends did deserve it or prove themselves to be false friends or bad allies. And when the vicious Daughter-Heir had spent her fury, the Chosen One reprimanded her with much dignity and her companions were shamed. And their hostess did return and brought back a man named Julie Sandy or some such. But he was unimportant and unworthy of notice, though the false Wisdom drew his eye with her lascivious behavior and crude innuendo. The false Wisdom didst give him many instructions and tell him much information, but the Chosen One mistrusted him and saw through to his treacherous nature and was repelled. And yea, did she turn out to be right, for eventually he didst become so tired of the false Wisdom’s lewd offers and promises and refusal to follow through, that he sought out the Black Ajah and betrayed them to the vile traitors.
And they came upon the Chosen One in her sleep when the Daughter-Heir neglected to keep proper watch, and did take her captive, and they did instruct the hostess to say that they fought, so it would appear the Daughter-Heir showed more courage than she had, and that the Chosen One had tried to resist and failed. For yea, they wanted to look good should one of the Forsaken come checking up on them. And their hostess so would tell the Troublemaker Mat and his gleeman companion when they did wander in for hangover cures.
And once the Chosen One became aware that the Dragon Reborn had come into the Stone of Tear where she tricked their captors into bringing her, she planned her escape, and did enter the World of Dreams (or Egwene world as it is now known) to capture the treacherous Black sisters. And she did so perfectly, and through her cunning use of Tel’Aran’Rhiod, caused their door to open just as the Troublemaker called Mat wandered up to it. And she and her companions pursued the Black sisters through the Stone, but the Aiel and the Dragon caused much hullabaloo and outcry and they impeded her efforts and the Black sisters did escape. But verily, the Chosen One had captured the important ones and the others would never get involved in anything important or significant, so afraid were they of drawing the wrath and ire of the Chosen One. And the Dragon killed some man and made a mess on the floor and made grandiose claims about killing one of the Forsaken, but verily, it was in the World of Dreams, so if any Forsaken did die then, it was more likely that they were simply destroyed by the myriad dangers of the Dream, which only one such as the Chosen One could safely traverse. And there was much discussion with the Prophet of the Chosen One, but mostly about trivia concerning the Dragon Reborn. But, truly, the Chosen One was glad to see all of her friends again, even if they mostly did fuss about inconsequential matters.
*** Prophecies of the Chosen One – A real, actual book. The fact that it exists proves the greatness of the Chosen One. Too dangerous for ordinary people or men to read, it is kept under the careful guardianship of the Chosen Amyrlin, and few have even been privileged to look upon it, and none save the Chosen Amyrlin to look inside. This Committee has it on very good authority that rumors of the book consisting solely of a multitude of blank pages are utterly false, and the wretch who begat that rumor was fumble-fingered and kept flipping back to the page in front of the title page. And she must be so, for why else would she have been sent to the Ice Mines of the Aiel Waste were she not so spastic?