The Tower in a thousand years
by sidious
Egwene and Rand never happened – the White Tower went on as usual, the Forsaken remained bound. Verin is sitting in the White Tower and discovers a ter’angreal which allows you to go to the future. She sets the thing to take her a thousand years into the future, and she asks Min to go with her.
Min : When are we going to go?
Verin : Now. I just want to hide my ability with this new weave I discovered. I don’t feel like walking into a Tower covered with damane. You can never tell with the future.
Min : Ah…
Verin : Let’s go… Woot!
*bang*
Min : Ugh, I feel sick.
Verin : Focus girl. It appears we are here. In the Tower, a thousand years from now. Thank the Light it still stands. Quiet though. And dirty. Meh… let’s go find someone. Be on your guard.
Woman : You there! Halt! How dare you walk these sacred pathways! This is the White Tower!
Verin : Are you an Aes Sedai?
Sandra : I am Sandra Sedai. I have seldom met someone who doesn’t know us all by name.
Verin : I am Verin Sedai. I am from one thousand years past. In case you doubt me, you can see that I too have the ageless face.
Sandra : Indeed, you used a ter’angreal I assume?
Verin : I did. Take me to your leader.
Min : *chuckle*
Verin : *sigh*
Sandra : Very well. Follow me. I shall take you to the Hall.
Verin : Oh very good. Don’t worry Min. We don’t usually talk about this, but this woman is very weak in the Power. I could handle her without any problems.
Min : Cool.
Sandra : Here we are. Here is the Hall.
Verin : Five Sisters? The Hall of the Blues… I assume?
Leandra : Ha ha … we disbanded the ajahs four centuries ago. There were only five Whites left then and the other ajahs were too small to run independently.
Verin : *gasp* Was there a huge war… or something?
Leandra : No, not at all. But women who can channel have become rarer over the years. Now there are only five of us left.
Verin : *gasp* Five! You mean five Sitters?
Leandra : No five Aes Sedai.
Verin : This is disastrous! But you are sweeping the countryside looking for new girls right?
Leandra : Don’t be absurd. We are Aes Sedai. We do not seek others, they seek us.
Verin : But you must be close to the last generation of Aes Sedai. You all seem extremely old, excuse my rudeness. What if you pass from this world? Who will continue with the Tower?
Sandra : The Wheel weaves.
Min : Argh!
Leandra : Do not sigh girl. Besides, the Wheel won’t allow us to be extinguished. Sandra here is the strongest woman we have had in a century or more.
Verin : What? You mean she’s the strongest woman in the Tower?
Leandra : She is. We have one novice, and our hopes rest on her. She is young, but still needs to spend at least 5 years as a novice, then 5 as an Accepted – and then all the testing.
Verin : Beggars can’t be choosers!
Leandra : We are Aes Sedai. Standards mean everything.
Min : *grumbles*
Leandra : Speaking of. Is there any evidence you can channel? I can sense no ability in you for an Aes Sedai.
Verin : Ah yes… let me release my weave.
All : *gasp*
Verin : Don’t worry, I’ll teach it to you if you forgot it…
Leandra : It’s not that. You are so strong! I have never felt such strength!
Verin : Mrrr….
Sandra : Are you one of the Forsaken?
Verin : Light!
Leandra : Don’t get angry, Aes Sedai – we are merely in awe.
Verin : Well at least you didn’t link. That really would have been the pits.
Leandra : And linking is… ?
Min : *gasp*
Verin : Well if you’re so weak, why don’t you all walk around with angreal or sa’angreal? There are enough in the Tower. I know that for certain.
Leandra : Bah. We sold those years ago.
Verin : *gasp* They were… priceless!!
Sandra : Not to us. We got 200 gold pieces for the whole lot. Besides, we didn’t know how to use them. The last sister to use an angreal took the knowledge with her 500 years ago when she died.
Verin : This is a travesty!
Leandra : Don’t worry, we didn’t sell the ter’angreal.
Sandra : That’s because no one wanted them. And the storeroom was looted fifty years ago. Our tenants couldn’t resist.
Verin : Tenants?
Leandra : Of course. Five of us cannot occupy the largest building in the world. We rent most of the Tower out to mercenaries as lodging. We only occupy the top three floors.
Min : Damn! Verin…
Verin : I know! Have you at least made any progress with the Power?
Leandra : We only channel at great need. Saidar is addictive, everyone knows that.
Verin : But Healing…
Leandra : There hasn’t been a woman strong enough in Water or Air to Heal for nearly 300 years. So we abandoned that absurd weave a few years ago.
Verin : But Water and Air are female Powers! What about Fire and Earth…?
Leandra : Ha ha … you’re witty. There are only three flows, everyone knows that.
Verin : Oh… shit!!
Min : And who takes care of tainted male channelers?
Sandra : We pay the mercenaries below us to hunt him down and kill him. Hundreds of them usually die – but we find new tenants easily, and the credit always goes to the Tower. See? We’re not as foolish as you think we are.
Leandra : I still cannot believe you are so strong!
Verin : Get over it. We need to leave… thanks for the visit.
Leandra : Stay please!! We’ll make you a Sitter.
Verin : Sorry girls… a woman’s got to do, what a woman’s got to do.
Min : Yeah.
*bang*
Min : Where are you running to?
Verin : Nevermind … *runs as fast as her legs can take her*
…
Verin : Mother!!! I must talk with you!!
Siuan : Yes daughter?
Verin : Mother, we must start recruiting women from every walk of life. Please, I implore you. Please!
Siuan : We are Aes Sedai. We don’t seek, people seek us.
Verin : AAAAHHH!!!! *runs out*