Well of Ascension

by Brandon Sanderson

  "Now, wait," Elend said. "I see where this is going." "Then voice an objection," Tindwyl said. "Don't be vague!"

  "All right, then," Elend said. "1 like my hair."

  "Short hair is easier to care for than long hair," Tindwyl said. "And you have proven that you cannot be trusted in the area of personal grooming."

  "You aren't cutting my hair,"- Elend said firmly.

  Tindwyl paused, then nodded. The apprentice backed away, and Elend stood, pulling off the sheet. The seamstress produced a large mirror, and Elend walked forward to inspect himself.

  And froze.

  The difference was surprising. All his life, he'd seen himself as a scholar and socialite, but also as just a bit of a fool. He was Elend-the friendly, comfortable man with the funny ideas. Easy to dismiss, perhaps, but difficult to hate.

  The man he saw now was no dandy of the court. He was a serious man-a formal man. A man to be taken seriously. The uniform made him want to stand up straighter, to rest one hand on the dueling cane. His hair-slightly curled, long on the top and sides, and blown loose by the wind atop the city wall-didn't fit.

  Elend turned. "All right," he said. "Cut it."

  Tindwyl smiled, then nodded for him to sit. He did so, waiting quietly while the assistant worked. When he stood again, his head matched the suit. It wasn't extremely short, not like Ham's hair, but it was neat and precise. One of the assistants approached and handed him a looDemoux said, retreating. "Uh, I like the new uniform, Your Majesty."

  "Thank you, Demoux," Elend said. "Do you, by chance, know where Lady Vin is? I haven't seen her all day."

  "I think she's in her quarters, Your Majesty."

  Her quarters? She never stays there. Is she sick?

  "Do you want me to summon her?" Demoux asked. ,

  "No, thank you." Elend said. "I'll get her. Tell Ham to make the messenger comfortable." ,

  Demoux nodded, then withdrew.

  Elend turned to Tindwyl, who was smiling to herself with a look of satisfaction. Elend brushed by her, walking over to grab his notebook. "I'm going to learnto do more than just 'fake'p of silver-painted wood. He turned to Tindwyl, frowning.

  "A crown?" he asked.

  "Nothing ostentatious," Tindwyl said. "This is a more subtle era than some of those gone by. The crown isn't a symbol of your wealth, but of your authority. You will wear it from now on, whether you are in private or in public."

  "The Lord Ruler didn't wear a crown."

  'The Lord Ruler didn't need to remind people that he was in charge," Tindwyl said.

  Elend paused, then slipped on the crown. It bore no gemstones or ornamentation; it was just a simple coronet. As he might have expected, it fit perfectly.

  He turned back toward Tindwyl. who waved for the seamstress to pack up and leave. "You have six uniforms like this one waiting for you in your rooms," Tindwyl said. "Until this siege is over, you will wear nothing else. If you want variety, change the color of the cape."

  Elend nodded. Behind him, the seamstress and her assistants slipped out the door. "Thank you," he told Tindwyl. "I was hesitant at first, but you are right. This makes a difference."

  "Enough of one to deceive people for now, at least," Tindwyl said.

  "Deceive people?"

  "Of course. You didn't think that this was it, did you?" "Well..."

  Tindwyl raised an eyebrow. "A few lessons, and you think you're through? We've barely begun. You are still a fool, Elend Venture-you just don't look like one anymore. Hopefully, our charade will begin reversing some of the damage you've done to your reputation. However, it is going to take a lot more training before I'll actually trust you to interact with people and not embarrass yourself."

  Elend flushed. "What do you-" He paused. "Tell me what you plan to teach me, then."

  "Well, you need to learn how to walk, for one thing."

  "Something's wrong with the way I walk?"

  "By the forgotten gods, yes!" Tindwyl said, sounding amused, though no smile marred her lips. "And your speech patterns still need work. Beyond that, of course, there is your inability to handle weapons."

  "I've had some training," Elend said. "Ask Vin-I rescued her from the Lord Ruler's palace the night of the Col-, lapse!"

  "I know," Tindwyl said. "And, from what I've heard, it was a miracle you survived. Fortunately, the girl was there to do the actual fighting. You apparently rely on her quite a bit for that sort of thing."

  "She's Mistbom."

  "That is no excuse for your slovenly lack of skill," Tindwyl said. "You cannot always rely on your woman to protect you. Not only is it embarrassing, but your people-your soldiers-will expect you to be able to fight with them. I doubt you will ever be the type of leader who can lead a charge against the enemy, but you should at least be able to handle yourself if your position gets attacked."

  "So, you want me to begin sparring with Vin and Ham during their training sessions?"

  "Goodness, no! Can't you imagine how terrible it would be for morale if the men saw you being beaten up in public?" Tindwyl shook her head. "No, we'll have you trained discreetly by a dueling master. Given a few months, we should have you competent with the cane and the sword. Hopefully, this little siege of yours will last that long before the fighting starts."

  Elend flushed again. "You keep talking down to me. It's like I'm not even king in your eyes-like you see me as some kind of placeholder."

  Tindwyl didn't answer, but her eyes glinted with satisfaction. You said it, not I, her expression seemed to say.

  Elend flushed more deeply.

  "You can, perhaps, learn to be a king, Elend Venture,"

  Tindwyl said. "Until then, you'll just have to learn to fake it."

  Elend's angry response was cut off by a knock at the door. Elend gritted his teeth, turning. "Come in."

  The door swung open. "There's news," Captain De-moux said, his youthful face excited as he entered. "I-" He froze.

  Elend cocked his head. "Yes?"

  "I... uh ..." Demoux paused, looked Elend over again before continuing. "Ham sent me. Your Majesty. He says that a messenger from one of the kings has arrived."

  "Really?" Elend said. "From Lord Cett?"

  "No, Your Majesty. The messenger is from your father."

  Elend frowned. "Well, tell Ham I'll be there in a moment."

  "Yes, Your Majesty," beins king. Tindwyl."

  "We'll see."

  Elend shot a glance at the middle-aged Terriswoman in her robes and jewelry.

  "Practice expressions like that one," Tindwyl noted, "and you just might do it."

  "Is that all it is, then?" Elend asked. "Expressions and costumes? Is that what makes a king?"

  "Of course not."

  Elend stopped by the door, turning back. "Then, what does? What do. you think makes a man a good king, Tindwyl of Terris?"

  'Trust," Tindwyl said, looking him in the eyes. "A good king is one who is trusted by his people-and one who deserves that trust."

  Elend paused, then nodded. Good answer, he acknowledged, then pulled open the door and rushed out to find Vin.

  If only the Terris religion, and belief in the Anticipation, hadn't spread beyond our people.

  17

  THE PILES OF PAPER SEEMED to multiply as Vin found more and more ideas in the logbook that she wanted to isolate and remember. What were the prophecies about the Hero of Ages? How did the logbook author know where to go, and what did he think he'd have to do when he got there?

  Eventually, lying amid the mess-overlapping piles turned in odd directions to keep them separate-Vin acknowledged a distasteful fact. She was going to have to take notes.

  With a sigh, she rose and crossed the room, stepping carefully over several stacks and approaching the room's desk. She'd never used it before; in fact, she'd complained about it to Elend. What need did she have of a writing desk?

  So she'd thought. She selected a pen. then pulled out a little jar of ink, remembering the days when Reen had taught her to
write. He'd quickly grown frustrated with her scratchings, complaining about the cost of ink and paper. He'd taught her to read so that she could decipher contracts and imitate a noblewoman, but he'd thought that writing was less useful. In general, Vin shared this opinion.

  Apparently, however, writing had uses even if one wasn't a scribe. Elend was always scribbling notes and memos to himself; she'd often been impressed by how quickly he could write. How did he make the letters come so easily?

  She grabbed a couple cf blank sheets of paper and walked back over to her sorted piles. She sat down with crossed legs and unscrewed the top of the ink bottle.

  "Mistress," OreSeur noted, still lying with his paws before him, "you do realize that you just left the writing desk behind to sit on the floor."

  Vin looked up. "And?"

  'The purpose of a writing desk is, well, writing."

  "But my papers are all over here."

  "Papers can be moved, I believe. If they prove too heavy, you could always burn pewter to give yourself more strength."

  Vin eyed his amused face as she inked the nib of her pen. Well, at least he's displaying something other than his dislike of me. "The floor is more comfortable."

  "If you say so. Mistress, I will believe it to be true."

  She paused, trying to determine if he was still mocking her or not. Blasted dog's face, she thought. Too hard to read.

  With a sigh, she leaned down and began to write out the first word. She had to make each line precisely so that the ink didn't smudge, and she had to pause often to sound out words and find the right letters. She'd barely written a couple of sentences before a knock came at her door. She looked up with a frown. Who was bothering her?

  "Come in," she called.

  She heard a door open in the other room, and Elend's voice called out. "Vin?"

  "In here," she said, turning back to her writing. "Why did you knock?"

  "Well, you might have been changing," he said, entering.

  "So?" Vin asked.

  Elend chuckled. 'Two years, and privacy is still a strange concept to you."

  Vin looked up. "Well, I did-"

  For just the briefest flash of a moment, she thought he was someone else. Her instincts kicked in before her brain, and she reflexively dropped the pen, jumping up and flaring pewter.

  Then she stopped.

  "That much of a change, eh?" Elend asked, holding out his arms so she could get a better look at his costume.

  Vin put a hand to her chest, so shocked that she stepped right on one of her stacks. It was Elend, but it wasn't. The brilliant white costume, with its sharp lines and firm figure, looked so different from his normal loose jacket and trousers. He seemed more commanding. More regal.

  "You cut your hair," she said, walking around him slowly, studying the costume.

  'Tindwyl's idea," he said. "What do you think?"

  "Less for people to grab on to in a fight," Vin said.

  Elend smiled. "Is that all you think about?"

  '"No," Vin said absently, reaching up to tug his cape. It came free easily, and she nodded approvingly. Mistcloaks were the same; Elend wouldn't have to worry about someone grabbing his cape in a fight.

  She stepped back, arms folded. "Does this mean I can cut my hair, too?"

  Elend paused just briefly. "You're always free to do what you want, Vin. But, I kind of think it's pretty longer."

  It stays, then.

  "Anyway," Elend said. "You approve?"

  "Definitely," Vin said. "You look like a king." Though, she suspected a part of her would miss the tangle-haired, disheveled Elend. There had been something ... endearing about that mixture of earnest competence and distracted inattention.

  "Good," Elend said. "Because I think we're going to need the advantage. A messenger just..." He trailed off, looking over her stacks of paper. "Vin? Were you doing research'?"

  Vin flushed. "I was just looking through the logbook, trying to find references to the Deepness."

  "You were!" Elend stepped forward excitedly. To her chagrin, he quickly located the paper with her fledgling notes on it. He held the paper up. then looked over at her. "Did you write this?"

  "Yes," she said.

  "Your penmanship is beautiful," he saicCsounding a bit surprised. "Why didn't you tell me you could write like this?"

  "Didn't you say something about a messenger?"

  Elend put the sheet back down, looking oddly like a proud parent. "Right. A messenger from my father's army has arrived-. I'm making him wait for a bit-it didn't seem wise to appear too eager. But we should probably go meet with him."

  Vin nodded, waving to OreSeur. The kandra rose and padded to her side, and the three of them left her quarters.

  That was one nice thing about books and notes. They could always wait for another time.

  They found the messenger waiting in the third-floor Venture atrium. Vin and Elend walked in, and she stopped immediately. It was him. The Watcher.

  Elend stepped forward to meet the man, and Vin grabbed his arm. "Wait," she hissed quietly. Elend turned, confused.

  If that man has atium, Vin thought with a stab of panic, Elend is dead. We 're all dead.

  The Watcher stood quietly. He didn't look much like a messenger or courier. He wore all black, even a pair of black gloves. He wore trousers and a silken shirt, with no cloak or cape. She remembered that face. It was him.

  But... she thought, if he'd wanted to kill Elend, he could have done so already. The thought frightened her, yet she had to admit it was true.

  "What?" Elend asked, standing in the doorway with her.

  "Be careful," she whispered. "This is no simple messenger. That man is Mistbom."

  Elend paused, frowning. He turned back toward the Watcher, who stood quietly, clasping his hands behind his back, looking confident. Yes, he was Mistborn; only a man such as he could walk into an enemy palace, completely surrounded by guards, and not be the slightest bit unsettled.

  "All right," Elend said, finally stepping into the room. "Straffs man. You bring a message for me?"

  "Not just a message. Your Majesty," the Watcher said. "My name is Zane, and I am something of an ... ambassador. Your father was very pleased to receive your invitation for an alliance. He's glad that you are finally seeing reason."

  Vin studied the Watcher, this "Zane." What was his game? Why come himself? Why reveal who he was?

  Elend nodded, keeping a distance from Zane. "Two armies," Elend said, "camped outside my door... well, that's not the kind of thing I can ignore. I'd like to meet with my father and discuss possibilities for the future."

  "I think he would enjoy that," Zane said. "It has been some time since he saw you, and he has long regretted your falling-out. You are, after all, his only son."

  "It's been hard on both of us," Elend said. "Perhaps we could set up a tent in which to meet outside the city?"

  "I'm afraid that won't be possible," Zane said. "His Majesty rightly fears assassins. If you wish to speak with him, he'd be happy to host you at his tent in the Venture camp."

  Elend frowned. "Now, I don't think that makes much sense. If he fears assassins, shouldn't I?"

  "I'm certain he could protect you in his own camp. Your Majesty," Zane said. "You have nothing to fear from Cett's assassins there."

  "I... see," Elend said.

  "I'm afraid that His Majesty was quite firm on this point," Zane said. "You are the one who is eager for an alliance-if you wish a meeting, you will have to come to him."

  Elend glanced at Vin. She continued to watch Zane. The man met her eyes, and spoke. "I have heard reports of the beautiful Mistborn who accompanies the Venture heir. She who slew the Lord Ruler, and was trained by the Survivor himself."

  There was silence in the room for a moment. Elend finally spoke. "Tell my father that I will consider his offer."

  Zane finally turned away from Vin. "His Majesty was hoping for us to set a date and time, Your Majesty."

  "I will send anot
her message when I have made my decision," Elend said.

  "Very well," Zane said, bowing slightly, though he used the move to catch-Vin's eyes once again. Then he nodded once to Elend, and let the guards escort him away.

  In the cold mist of early evening, Vin waited on the short wall of Keep Venture, OreSeur sitting at her side.

  The mists were quiet. Her thoughts were far less serene.

  Who else would he work for? she thought. Of course he's one of Straff's men.

  That explained many things. It had been quite a while since their last encounter; Vin had begun to think that she wouldn't see the Watcher again.

  Would they spar again, then? Vin tried to suppress her eagerness, tried to tell herself that she simply wanted to find this Watcher because of the threat he posed. But, the thrill of another fight in the mists-another chance to test her abilities against a Mistborn-made her tense with anticipation.

  She didn't know him, and she certainly didn't trust him. That only made the prospect of a fight all the more exciting.

  "Why are we waiting here. Mistress?" OreSeur asked.

  "We're just on patrol," Vin said. "Watching for assassins or spies. Just like every night."

  "Do you command me to believe you. Mistress?"

  Vin shot him a flat stare. "Believe as you wish, kandra."

  "Very weli," OreSeur said. "Why did you not tell the king that you've been sparring with this Zane?"

  Vin turned back toward the dark mists. "Assassins and

  Allomancers are my concern, not Elend's. No need to worry him yet-he has enough troubles at the moment."

  OreSeur sat back on his haunches. "I see."

  "You don't believe I'm right?"

  "I believe as I wish," OreSeur said. "Isn't that what you just commanded me, Mistress?"

  "Whatever," Vin said. Her bronze was on, and she had to try very hard not to think about the mist spirit. She could feel it waiting in the darkness to her right. She didn't look toward it.

  The logbook never did mention what became of that spirit. It nearly killed one of the Hero's companions. After that, there was barely a mention of it.