Rihari's first fan fiction: In which he adventures for the means to end his nightmares.

A Friend Found

Rihari was enjoying his first sleep in over a week. He was just entering a dream when she appeared to him. She floated down from a cloud, borne upon wings of fine white feathers. Between her hands was the finest sword Rihari had ever seen. Without a doubt it was power-wrought, the red heron blazoned on the hilt testified to that. She had her palms facing each other and the blade was generating a flame of its own. Rihari, seek out this blade. I will wait no longer. If you do not come I will give it to another. Find me at the Eye of the World.

Sitting bolt upright, Rihari channeled fire to evaporate the sweat dripping from his body. This had been occurring constantly for the past two weeks. Valehru had managed to convince him that he was not going crazy, that he was something called wolfkin. But this sword was causing him much thought. After all these dreams and the event that had occurred in his raising, there was no way he was fated not to have it. He got out of bed and pulled pen and paper from his desk drawer. Tutor sick. Classes postponed, he wrote on two pieces of paper. Jogging down to the classrooms he put one on each door of his two rooms. He then ambled back up the stairs, stumbling halfway up when he heard the Master of Soldiers - recently back from Shara - talking to the Mistress of Novices. Sprinting up the last few stairs he reached his chamber and ducked inside. He opened his closet and took out his adventuring pack. Everything was still there; the tinderbox, torches, and whetstone. He drew his sword out of its scabbard and ran his thumb critically over its edge. Tsking at the two chips in it he slid it back into place.

Shouldering everything, he went to the drawer in which he kept everything for his lessons and took out the black rod. This ter'angreal was a discovery he had made on an adventure in the lower chambers with a number of other novices and soldiers. Poking it into the top of his belt, he wove air around himself to deaden any noise, and walked out the door. Arriving in the Accepted Halls, he paused outside Chialla's door, and then turned the handle and stepped in. He looked up to see Chialla dressed in riding pants and a new green top.

He knew he should not have doubted her, but he was still glad that she had prepared well.

"The bag behind you is filled with dried meat and some bread. I know you've forgotten food," Chialla said.

"Not at all, I was going to raid the kitchen on the way out!"

"Sure. You never intended to just ter'angreal out of here."

He felt the feeling of amusement through the bond and knew that if he decided to say something, she would just laugh. He bit back what he thought to be a witty reply and changed the topic.

"It's not too late to decide against this you know."

She lifted her eyes from the bag she was checking. "I know that."

She looked as if she was trying to keep a straight face, and then she went back to checking the bag. Taking up the bag of food and packing it into his pack, he walked over to Chialla and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I know sometimes I do silly things, but I do love you."

Taking the smile she gave him as a similar comment he held up the ter'angreal. He opened a gateway to a garden of an old employee in Cairhien and walked through. The garden had not been tended well in some time, but it still seemed familiar. He grabbed Chialla's hand and dashed to the back door of the house.

"Where are we?" she hissed quietly at him.

"Cairhien. Someone I used to work for when I was traveling owns this house."

He decided to change the comment as he felt the blade tip in his back. "Well I used to know the owner."

The voice that came from behind him sounded awfully familiar.

"Right you two. Getcha mitts up in the air and you sir, drop the blade offa ya belt. Any more talking an' I'll gutcha from head ta toe."

Rihari slowly unbuckled the sword and felt the chill run through him as Chialla embraced saidar. He turned to the Void and grabbed as much saidin as he thought he would need. The earthquake obviously surprised the man behind them, judging from the words that came out of his mouth. Having leaped in the air to avoid the tremor, he unfolded the fan as the scabbard fell to the ground and ended with the tip of his blade resting on the neck of their assailant. Resting on the neck of his former traveling companion Orthur.

"Well fancy meeting ya here!" Orthur managed to spit out while Rihari just stood there staring. "Betcha wonderin' what I'ma doin' here." Chialla just stood there is amazement as her intended and his - friend? -reintroduced themselves. She managed to pick out snippets that made sense as they babbled away to each other things about travels. She was about to say something when Rihari finally bothered to turn around and introduce her no doubt smelling her annoyance and feeling it through the bond.

"Pleased ta meetcha, Miss Chialla. Yure a lov-e-ly lassie to be," Chialla laughed as Rihari's elbow stopped Orthur from finishing what he had started.

"I'ma guessin' thatcha be the lov-e-ly lady of this 'ere fine gentleman."

As they all moved inside, she managed to piece together what had happened to Orthur since he and Rihari had been separated. It seemed that he had done very well for himself and was now a reputable merchant here in Cairhien. Rihari seemed to be having trouble believing it. Not quite as much trouble, though, as Orthur was of Rihari being "one of those black coated debbils". She resigned herself to the fact this was going to be one of those nights; ale and memories until the early hours of the morning.

At least it was what she believed until Rihari said to Orthur,

"Well, it was good seeing you again, my good friend. But we have to be going."

"Goin'?. Butchyou two just arrived here. We've got a heap to be catchin' up on. And a heap o' ale to be drunken."

"Unfortunately not an option. I'm on a life and death matter. I'm going to the Eye of the World." Chialla tweaked him through the bond as hard as she could. "I mean to say Chialla and I are going to the Eye of the World."

"Just like the good ol' times then. Off we go into adventure."

Chialla just rolled her eyes. She suspected that traveling with Orthur was going to be fun, even if sometimes tedious. She laughed at the effort Rihari was putting up to convince him to stay, especially as she felt the pleasure through the bond and the anticipation of reliving old times.

They stepped out of the gateway onto a bare hill on the Blight side of the Mountains of Dhoom. Rihari wanted to walk as little as possible but he did not think it possible to travel to somewhere that was not in a definite location. Besides this would give him time to pick a few scraps with Orthur. Chialla and his old traveling companion had taken to each other really well. He did not think he would ever get used to his friend's constant passes at his fiancée but he knew that she was taking them in jest; he just hoped that was the way Orthur was making them. As they began the trek he looked across to the east and saw the sun begin to make its way above the horizon. As the rays trickled across the Blight he stopped dead still.

Chialla obviously sensed his anxiety and Orthur realised that they had stopped.

"What is it?" Chialla questioned.

"Trollocs; lots of them."

He crouched down and sniffed the air. Reaching out to the wolves he tried to question them.

"And a halfman. What a pity we haven't taken the oaths yet."

He stood and faced the direction of the approaching forces. As the shadowspawn moved onto the hill, there was an eruption of molten earth in front of them. Magma flowed and fireballs flew through the air. It took no more than five minutes, and all that remained of the force was ashes. The smell of fear was thick in the air and Rihari turned back to Orthur, resigning himself to the fact that his friend was now terrified of him.

"By the Light, what…how did you do that?"

"This is the reason I left home Orthur."

"I can see why. Lets get moving."

Orthur set off at a speedy pace, not turning to see if Chialla and Rihari followed. Chialla was sure she had read in one of the many books that the Eye of the World found those who were looking for it, but the need must be great.

She found herself looking up and thinking, "My beloved's sanity had better be a great enough need."

It was on the morning of their fourth day traveling that she began to feel the despair in Rihari. It was gnawing at him. He still had not slept through a night the same since his last sleep had been over two months and he was getting even more agitated and restless. Becoming more like the wolf and less the man she loved. Until they saw the green. It was not at all what they expected. It was just one simple tree. Beautiful in contrast to what else was here, but there was no legendary grove, no Nym, no oasis in the blight. A simple tree.

She felt Rihari's anguish and saw him run to the tree and collapse at its feet. She joined him there and began stroking his hair. His pain and anguish was supposed to be made less by this adventure, he was supposed to find the damned sword and return home to not be troubled by these damned dreams. He was not going to go mad! They remained there for some time, Chialla holding Rihari in her arms and Orthur sitting quietly beside them. As the sun went down Rihari stood and opened a gateway with the ter'angreal.

"Lets get back to Cairhien."

As they stepped through Orthur piped up for the first time.

"What were we actually looking for?"

"A sword. A flaming heron-marked blade."

"With a red heron emblazoned on it and fire coming off it?"

Rihari stopped where he stood.

"You must be kidding me. Have you got it?"

"Follow me."

They trooped down a set of stairs and into a room that felt set aside and sacred in some way. Resting on the pedestal were two blades, one straight and one with a curve in the blade.

"I was told the scimitar is for you and that I was supposed to go with you. Seems we're brothers in a way."

Rihari turned to look at his friend. Only then noticing the golden eyes looking back at him.