Dreaming of Someplace Exotic

[nori]

Nori had always been fascinated by tales of adventure ever since she was a girl growing up in Emonds Field. Prime country living was like a book all on it's own, riddled with fun and excitement just as much as it was laden with chores and hardships. Interesting people were always meandering through the village throughout the year. After all, that's how she had met her first Aes Sedai just outside of the palisades. Nori recalled that very moment when she could sense her channeling the one power, and how she knew that she too was capable of touching the source. Since her time at the White Tower most of her adventure had been replaced by books, having been bound to the island for about a year since she burned her clothes and broke from her old way of life when she arrived in Valon. Still, her inner child ran wild in the form of reading classic adventure books despite her outwardly stern and mature presence she portrayed in the classroom and amongst her peers. Deep down she thought quietly to herself that even Aes Sedai must enjoy the thrill of adventure, of not knowing, and if not then she would certainly be the exception one day when it was her time to shawl.

A candle light danced lazily on an open window sill of the Novice corridors, pooling wax at it's base having been burning for quite some time this evening. Nori turned yet another page of a thick leather bound book, the title reading "Portal Stones and Other Oddities of The Realm". Nori blinked, her eyes had started to grow tired and heavy as she continued her consumption of late night reading. She wondered if some Aes Sedai really did sleep all day so they could stay up all night and read uninterrupted in the silence of the evening. She laughed to herself quietly under her breath at the idea, but again she blinked away the idea of trying to out for herself. After all, she'd never be able to get away with it given all the extra chores she'd been signing up for lately. Nori leaned heavily on her elbow, her chin in her hand. Her eyes began to shut, but only momentarily. Shifting the weight of her head onto her other palm, she turned another page. The last thing she could recall was something about how tall portal stones were before everything faded from memory.

Nori found herself standing in the heart of the White Tower, the porcelain tiles and tall ceilings seemed to loom overhead, candle lights flickering from the walls, and you could hear a pin drop from the square. She turned lazily in her dream and noticed what looked like a large cylinder protruding from what looked like the Tower Floor just in front of the classroom. She wearily looked to the left and right but, no one was there. Nori walked closer to what appeared to be a portal stone, only recognizable by the things she had read like the presence of strange runes engraved onto the stone surface and standing about three spans high, but only a pace wide. She placed her hands on the surface of stone, tracing the etched runes carved into the side of the cylinder with her fingers, feeling the grooves of ancient craftsmanship. The flows of Saidar flowed through her outstretched hands as she began tracing the surface of the strange stone object feeling the gripping power flowing through her body and into the device.

Nori looked around, confused, until she saw a shimmering gateway forming in front of her. The runes glowed a soft robin blue and the gate seemed to hum and call to her. Novices were not supposed to leave the island, but in a way Nori recognized that surely this was a dream, and surely it couldn't hurt to explore while having such a lucid dream to boot. She took a step closer, allowing not one but both hands to trace the glowing runes that stared back at her nd before she knew it, she was stepping through it, her heart pounding with excitement and fear. Expecting a bright white light, or the feeling only akin to being a ghost she received neither. Upon stepping through the threshold of what could only be presumed to be a portal stone she was greeted with darkness and a howling wind from somewhere afar.

The smell of lush rolling grass from the plains filled her nostrils and the smell of salt air carried in the wind. This smell was different than that of the harbor, but ocean all the same. The night sky was mostly dark with flits of lavender clouds overhead and she stared around trying to gain an understanding of where she had been delivered. Strange gnarled trees could be seen in the distance with familiar bark, as if she'd seen growing in the forests back home as a girl in Emonds Field. She felt as if she were close to home, but she knew she was surely dreaming and this landscape resembled nothing of the lush forests of Emonds Field. She could make something out in the distance, something coming towards her. Something strange and sinister, moving with cat like grace. She tried to scream but, nothing came out. Her heart began to pound as she backed up towards the portal stone from which she had came, the dark figure closing ground between the two of them. Nori spun on her heel and reached out where the portal stone had once been just behind her but, it had been replaced with more rolling grass and was gone. Panicked, her heart raced as she begin to run wildly into the night. She hid behind one of the trees and tried to control her breathing, whimpering quietly to herself as she thought of all the stupid things she had done, she was never meant to leave the island, she would never be an Aes Sedai now, she would never...

A calming presence enveloped her, the feeling of a large frying pan-sized hand on her shoulder and looking up an Ogier stood before her, illuminated in the night by a soft white light. The Ogier said nothing, but she was no longer afraid as she clambered to her feet. The Ogier directed her towards what appeared to be her gate that had somehow reappeared. She thanked the Ogier as she stormed off running towards the glowing door in which she had came, only to be shaken violently awake this time by another friend. Coming to Nori screamed loudly, almost knocking over what little of the candle was left and spilling hot wax across her desk. A young novice named Bellana squeaked in fright as Nori came to, jarred from the dream and Ogier with the stone. "Relax, relax, relax!" commanded the tiny curly headed novice as she maintained a firm hand on Nori's shoulder. A candle came floating in from the doorway, another concerned Novice and classmate of Nori's had arrived in her evening gown after hearing the commotion. Apparently, Nori had managed to wake half the dormitory as more Novices began to arrive, each with their tiny candle holders beginning to crowd the doorway and curious eyes. "It was just a night terror, she's fine go back to bed you nosies!" exclaimed Bellana. Nori felt clammy, she had broken into a light sweat but, the breeze from the open window felt good on her back. "At one point, you called me an Ogier and then you about started a fire until I managed to wake you", replied Bellana.

Nori breathed easier now, the warmth and familiarity of her dormitory returned to her. The sound of people moving about unlike the quietness of her dream. The breeze was much softer coming through the open window now unlike that on the rolling plains of somewhere far away. "I'm fine now, Bellana.. thank you for checking on me", replied Nori. Frowning Bellana put her hands on her hip and replied, "I think you need to spend more time sleeping and less time reading, you're really doing a lot lately." Nori blushed under the candle light, thinking that perhaps her friend was right. The dream had been so real though, so vivid and she thought she had control of it yet it got out from under her. It started as something purely conspired by just curiosity and in the pursuit of adventure after consuming hundreds of pages of books that evening but, the ending was so perplexing and scary. She scribbled down some notes on a white pamphlet on her desk before officially showing herself to her bed and finally succumbing to a proper bout of sleep. Although she did not have any further dreams that evening, one of the first things she did when she awoke early the next morning was to inspect the hall for where her imaginary portal stone had appeared. Naturally, it was not there and the sound of early birds, servants, and sounds of all types chased the halls where that had been nothing but quietness in her dreams.

A peculiar yet interesting encounter, fueled by an incredible amount of book reading, an old imagination, and a heart that yearned for adventures both past and present. She knew what she experienced was only a dream, but it felt so real that she couldn't shake the feeling that it had been something more. These thoughts stayed with her throughout the day as she began to pour her energies into her chores, her studies, and her daily routine.

[nori]

did anyone enjoy this read or was it not really enjoyable?

[Chloro]

Rplizer +1 qps : 1
Extra meticulous edit +1 qps : 1
Length bonus +1-2 qps : 2
Summary: +1 qps : 0


Awards:
Nori: 4 qps