Working on a farm is hard work, but rewarding. Up early in the morning, work all day, and then to bed early too, ready for the next morning. Nothing can seem at fault to the simple views of a farmer. At least that was until one event eight years ago, a time when the White Tower came.

I was just twelve years old, just beginning to learn my father's way of living, the ways of becoming a farmer, when Aes Sedai appeared in our village in the Black Hills. My eldest brother, Justin, was 20 at the time, and taking responsibly of much of the farm, under my father's supervision of course. Just before the Aes Sedai came to our village, Justin had been ill, wracked by mysterious pains, sweating, and Light knows a lot of screaming. At least that's what I've been told, I don't remember it very well. I suppose what happened after may have clouded my memory somewhat.

Of course, because of my brother's mysterious illness, and his even more mysterious recovery, my father mentioned this in a most discreet way to one of the warders accompanying the Aes Sedai. Maybe my father intended for this to happen, maybe not, but whatever his reasoning, word got back to the Aes Sedai of my brother, and one of them recognized the symptoms. 'Channeling' they said, 'danger to the world' they said, 'must be made safe' they said.

The morning following my father's word to a warder, the Aes Sedai appeared at our farm, warders and all, saying that "In the name of the Red Ajah and the Amyrlin Seat, we will take Justin al'Moran to the White Tower to be Gentled, and made safe for all Mankind". Well, as you can imagine, it didn't go down well with my mother and father, in fact they were livid, adamant that a bunch of witches; yes, my father called them witches to their face; weren't going to take their son away. But against an army of warders and Aes Sedai, what can a family of farmers do? We did nothing. My father was held back by a warder, while three Aes Sedai went in to get my brother. One died instantly as he wielded the One Power in defiance, but to no avail, but he succumbed to the two remaining witches, a Yellow and a Red called Yarris and Galene. I shall always remember their names, and the atrocities done in the name of the Red Ajah. It took my father a fortnight to recover from the beating the Aes Sedai gave him afterwards for protecting his son. The last we saw of Justin was him being escorted down the road, surrounded by Aes Sedai.

All appeared well after that, but we all mourned Justin's loss. I was the eldest son now, but my sister, three years my senior helped more on the farm, and I began doing more than I normally would have. Even my other brother Daniel, two years younger than me, helped when he could. Eight years passed, and I dreamed of nothing but making the damned Aes Sedai pay for what they had done, but I could find no easy way of doing it, so I resigned myself to simple dreaming. Never did I realize that eight years later I would get my chance.

When I was twenty, the age I am now, I contracted the same disease my bother had had eight years earlier. The effects were much the same. My father kept his mouth shut, and Daniel prepared himself to inherit the farm. After my illness, my father urged me to leave before what happened to Justin happened to me as well. I disagreed. I continued to work, herding the sheep in their pastures, until one spring morning two wolves tried to steal away a young lamb. The ewe tried to fight them off, but when I got there, anger boiled inside me, anger at the lamb's helplessness against the two wolves. Unknowingly I channeled, and one of the wolves exploded into flames. The other wolf, shocked, tried to run, before it was turned inside out. Shocked myself, I rescued the lamb, and upon returning home, I told my family off my encounter.

This time I agreed with my father, and packed a few items. I had heard of this mysterious 'Black Tower', a place were men learnt to channel, and decided to make my way there. Already I could see myself as the instrument of my brother's revenge, something my father asked me not to do. "That will only get you killed," he said. He asked me not to do anything rash, as if I wasn't already. I said I wouldn't, but in the back of my mind I still could see Justin struggling against the damned witches of the White Tower. Saying my farewells to my family, I walked down the road to the Black Tower and the unknown.