<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">"Shadow!" Her gentle voice was stern.</span></span><br/><br/>The tone in her voice made his blood run cold!  He quickly fell silent and quickly put his hands down and clasped them tightly and glanced down embarrassed as she scolded him.<br/><br/>"As you command, Aes Sedai!" he responded meekly.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">"You're friend Moe is a Warder to be. Regardless of his Ajah of choice, do you think the Tower would have kept him should he not be up to par?" </span></span><br/><br/>Shadow grunted, bit his tongue to keep from talking, the tower trained Warders how to fight yes... but...but there was so much more to just fighting out in the real world! Entire armies could be destroyed if they didn't have the proper guides!   Moe was the perfect exactly, he was great in bar room brawl or duelling practice swords... but Moe wasn't meant for the field!<br/><br/>"If you're so worried about Moe, then come along." Ilia spoke over her shoulder<br/><br/>"What good would that do if you won't listen! I'll just been the next smuck beside you with an arrow in my neck!  You know I might just hang back see how long you get lost in bogs!" he shot back! "We'll see how well you can weave eyeballs deep in quicksand! or dangling upside down in a trappers snare with you shawl and gown dangled over your face and dozen foot pads laughing at your selection of small clothes!" he called after and then stocked off!<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Moments Shadow barged into the barracks, but when he came to room he found the door barred shut.<br/><br/>"Shadow... Shadow? is she gone!"  Moe asked.<br/><br/>Shadow rolled his eyes and kicked kicked the door in! Began gathering his belongings!<br/><br/>"Wow! wow! what are you doing?  Where are you going? You broke the door!"  Moe exclaimed.<br/><br/>"Leaving! " he snapped impatiently.<br/><br/>"Shadow! Shadow! you you can talk!" Moe gasped in surprise!  "This is wonderful news! now you explain this whole thing to and get me out of this mess!" he laughed. "Shadow... Shadow! Shadow where are you going?"  Moe exclaimed in panic.<br/><br/>"Away!" he grunted.<br/><br/>"Away! you are leaving the Tower! But Shadow!  Shadow! wait! Wait! Wait I am coming too!" he insisted.<br/><br/>"I thought you were being bonded to Luna Sai Sedai," Shadow remarked.<br/><br/>"Shadow, she's crazy!" Moe exclaimed.<br/><br/>"Well just say no then, you are free!” Shadow scoffed making a mod impression of Illia.<br/><br/>Moe let out a sarcastic, "Ha, ha!  you suddenly can talk and your flipping hilarious all of a sudden!" Moe shouted as he flamboyantly flailed his hands around in over dramatic fashion! "She is stocking me! she is in my head! she is in my freaking dreams! she is going to drive me insane!" Moe exclaimed,<br/><br/>"Alright! Alright! we'll sneak out tonight together," he assured him.<br/><br/>"Great! where are we going?" Moe asked.<br/><br/>"North," Shadow declared.<br/><br/>Moe's smile fell, "Wait, wait, wait North!?! you mean… like to the town north of here… or do you you mean North... like in ..." He squeaked in terror.<br/><br/>"Like in the great and glorious Star of blood, and bloody-ashes- North! yes Moe!  that North!"  Shadow replied dryly.<br/><br/>"Well why didn't you say so! Let me introduce to you Luna! she is a great cook! she is going to North too!" he guffawed and giddily slapped him on the shoulder.<br/><br/>"Look, I got my own Aes Sedai problems," he grunted,<br/><br/>"Not anymore! not when I tell her you won the tournament in my place!" Moe assured him.  "You can't get in trouble when you are a Warder! you'll be fine! Do you hear how much money we get when we take on the green warder cloaks!  You can buy a horse and the best armor and more swords and pointy things that you like so much!"<br/><br/>"I don't care about the money! I am proving a point!" Shadow insisted.<br/><br/>“What point! we can be packed and fully supplied! with horses and food! and armor you only got a ruck sack with an extra shirt small clothes and a blanket! and a…”<br/><br/>“And a sling, and a bow, knives and sword… and bloody good sense of direction know how to survive!” Shadow shot back!<br/><br/>“But the horse… you can’t be a proper warder huffing and puffing on foot!” he prodded.<br/>“I’ll buy one,” he grunted.<br/>“What a mules? or donkey? Common Shadow! remember the dream! you and me shoulder to shoulder green cloaks in armor onto of two black charges!”  Moe insisted.<br/>“Foot pads don’t steal mules,”  he grunted stubbornly.<br/>“Fine, fine I am just saying…. Luna isn’t too bad looking for her age,” Moe shrugged.<br/>“I don’t care about Luna!” Shadow snapped.<br/>Moe arched his brow, “So… who’s colors were you flying on the tournament?” he pried.<br/>“It doesn’t matter! Are you coming or not?” he demanded.<br/>“Shouldn’t we at least wait until nightfall?” Moe suggested.<br/>Shadow frowned, “why?” he asked.<br/>“Well! what happens if Luna finds out?” he asked.<br/>Shadow grunted, “Good point, we’ll climb out the window and leave in secret at night while we everyone is asleep,” he agreed.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Midnight<br/><br/><br/>Shadow as first out the window and onto the roof, Moe passed him his ruck sack and followed after him. In silence Shadow crept along the roof… only to here the mournful creaking sound of the timbers behind.<br/><br/>“try to keep your feet the rafters, they’re spaced two feet apart,” he hissed. Moe gulped, Shadow sighed and walked over beside his friend.<br/><br/>“Just stick with me, step where I step,” he instructed. Moe gave a nervous nod, “Thats great, thats it, your getting the hang of it,” Shadow congratulated him.<br/><br/>Moe grinned…and then… the roof gave out!   Both Moe and Shadow when crashing through the roof, right into Cadre’s Caulen's Room… who was in the middle of being berated by an Aes Sedai… A red sister was shouting something about keeping his Cadets from talking to accepted!  and then… they both turned… dust and debris floated down on top of Moe and Shadow.<br/><br/>“What is this?”  She demanded.<br/>Moe shot to his feet and quickly bowed his head, “Good evening Aes Sedai! we were… uh…uh… going north to seek the…oof! ” Moe began Shadow elbowed him in the ribs!  Moe quickly changed his tune, “Actually we were sneaking off to the tavern to do some carousing and chase after the girls,” he added quickly.<br/><br/>The Aes Sedai’s bristled and her eyes bore down on the two cadets ….<br/><br/>Cadre Caulen shot up to his feet,“Guards! Take these men to the stocks!”<br/><br/>Moe groaned, Shadow hung his head! At once, their things were confiscated,  they were dragged out and into middle of the courtyard and clapped in iron a locked up, side beside in the stocks!<br/><br/><a class="postlink" href="https://i.imgur.com/pVtmBhC.jpg">[ img ]</a><br/><br/>“Well…This sucks,” Mow sighed.<br/>Shadow stared blankly at the ground… Illia was going to walk out a proper Aes Sedai and he was going to be hunched over in the stocks, with a sign over their heads, warning all to cadets not to sneak out and to go carousing in the taverns… he felt sick! especially after yelling at her… now she would never choose him!<br/><br/><br/>Many hours later,<br/>It was then an unfamiliar, but very demanding and authoritative female voice rang out, “Unlock him! Unlock him at once!”<br/><br/>Cadre Caulen frowned, “Absolutely not! An example must be made to the rest of the cadets! If you want them released, then you have better bring me a letter from the Amerlyn Seat!,” he insisted stubbornly.<br/><br/>Luna loomed closer, “The Amerlyin Seat? Shall I tell her you have put my Warder in stocks and irons?” she demanded in soft icy tone… she raised a brow.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Seconds later Luna stormed out of Cadre Caulen’s office.<br/><br/>Moe hesitantly glanced upward, his eyes went big when he saw a basket full of warm fresh sweet cakes…. his eyes roamed upward and he gulped when he saw Luna gazing down at him.<br/><br/>“Carousing hmmm?” she remarked, Moe nodded quickly.   Luna chuckled and patted his head, “Oh my, that sounds exciting,” she laughed.  Luna turned, “And this your parter in crime?” she teased.<br/><br/>Shadow glumly stared down into the cobblestones.<br/><br/>“Hmmm its pity to separate you two,” Luna sighed, and then turned to Moe, stroking his head…”Do you want to see the horse I bought you?” Luna asked.<br/><br/>Both, Shadow and Moe’s jaw dropped when they saw the white stallion being trotted out.<br/><br/>“Do you like him?” Luna asked, Moe nodded.  “Do you want me to get out of this horrible contraption?” she asked gently.<br/><br/>Moe gulped!<br/><br/>“I have breakfast waiting,” Luna prompted him.<br/><br/>Unable to resist anymore, and not want Moe reluctantly nodded… finally surrendering to the ancient Aes Sedai’s will… Shadow gaped as he watched Luna bond Moe right then and there in front of him!  Luna smiled, the chain wooden yoke floated upward releasing Moe.<br/><br/>“Go tend to the horses, I will tend to you later,” she purred softly, beads of sweat ran down the poor young warder’s forehead and he quickly darted off.<br/><br/>Luna smiled, and then turned toward Shadow, “Would you like out?” she cooed softly, Shadow shirked away. Luna laughed, “I heard what you said in the garden,” she teased him, waltzing her fingers along side his cheek… “I wonder if she still wants you,” she teased him.<br/>Tears began to well up and stain the cobble stones beneath him. “I wouldn’t ever yell at you,” she cooed softly.  “Be my warder… and,”<br/><br/>“I would rather rot in the stocks,” Shadow replied in a low voice, so that nobody else could hear him.<br/><br/>Luna smirked, and withdrew her hand, “So be it… we will be traveling in a few days… perhaps you will change your mind by then,” she cooed softly and turned to leave.