As Daishan Yamata stood lost in thought. He thought about the things that had brought him here, the things that had happened since he had arrived in this place. How he had gone from a rabid Dragonsworn to a loyal trainee in the White Tower's ranks. It was not an easy path, even in remembrance. It was the stuff that occasionally clouded his mind with doubt. With all the choices he had made so far, how many of those choices had been good ones. And, were the ones he was making now as flawed as the past ones, or were they sound. A man could go mad thinking that way, but, Dai was always one to constantly evaluate his actions. And today, he was being very critical of himself.

Although it had happened well before arriving at the White Tower, Dai looked at his decision so many years ago to enlist with the Dragonsworn. It may not have happened in the past two years, but it certainly had a lot to do with why he was here now, in this place, thinking about those decisions.

So many years ago, Dai was a young boy in Saldea. A recruiter from the Sworn came in to town, preaching the message of the Lord Dragon Reborn, and how the Sworn were his army, to help him prepare the land for the Last Battle against the Dark One. As a Borderlander, Dai had always believed that he had to take a personal interest in fighting the Dark One. So, without even going back home, he had Sworn. He returned home to gather his few possessions, and to get TaiShara to come with him. After a long argument with their mother, Dai left first, and waited outside for a good amount of time before Tai went with him.

On the way to the Sworn's camp, they said very little. Just before arriving, Tai told Dai that they had been disinherited for their choice. Dai was not concerned, because he believed that as they were doing good, they would be cared for by the Creator. That had been one of the recruiting slogans the man had used. And, Dai figured, looking back on the time with the Sworn, perhaps the Creator did look on those who's hearts were in the right place. It had not been an easy life among the Dragonsworn, but, it had not been as difficult as it had been for some. The food had always been there,even though some among the Sworn appeared to be losing weight, and, yes, equipment, too.

Then, that one night, Dai and Tai had been called into the tent of their commander. They were to go to Tar Valon, in service of the Lord Dragon Reborn. They were to go and pretend to be trainees in the Warder program, learn their training secrets, and bring them back to the Sworn, to be implemented in their own training. It was a high honor for two so young, and they both agreed to go, although it had been, once again, Dai who volunteered first.

Another major turning point in Dai's life had just ticked away. He had now taken the fork on the path that would lead him here, in the twisty-turny convoluted path that was his life.

The trip to Tar Valon had taken several weeks, but, alas, in the end it turned out to be several days shorter than they had accounted for. One night, when they were about a week's travel away from the White Tower, they encountered someone who once again changed their lives forever.

A woman walked up to the two of them as they sat in the common room of an Inn, using the last bit of coin they had to buy a decent dinner. The rest of the trip would be spent eating their dried meat and bread, and finding water at springs. But, tonight they would eat and sleep in real beds. The woman, however, pronounced that Tai was to be Aes Sedai. Dai almost lost his hold on reality. The girl, his sister, the girl he loved more than his own life, was to be one of the people they had pronounced witches. Once again, a fork in the road, once again, a choice to be made.

So, Dai and Tai were rushed away in the space of minutes to finish the journey that was to have taken another week. And then, they were immediately within the Tower, without the opportunity to reconnoiter the place before approaching. It was a whirlwind of emotions, ideas and events that were difficult to follow, so, in a way, Dai had disconnected from it for a while and merely went along, almost cattle-like in his compliance, as if to the slaughter.

So, after several days of insulating his mind from the events spinning around him, Dai was out on the Training Yards. He had already proven himself to be one of the more promising students there, already skilled with the sword, and, far more skilled with two of them at once than most. But, during one session, his mind had wandered. He had thought of what to do with the situation, now that he had crawled out of the mental cave he had been in for days. What had he considered? Killing Tai, in order to save her soul, and then killing himself as well, as his would have already been damned. Such love. That was a choice, that, in the end, never came about. And, for that, Dai was very grateful.

Another thing had happened at that training session. He had been taken under the wing of Maicin. He had learned much of unarmed combat from him, as well as much about mental discipline. And, while he was learning at the cost of being practically beaten daily, his mind began to reshape itself. He found himself no longer hating the White Tower, and no longer contemplating the murder of his blood kin. Instead, he found himself charged more than ever with learning the skills, and, found himself wanting more than anything to protect the life of his sister.

But, how, how could he reconcile himself with wanting to keep a witch alive? How could he reconcile himself with his sister being a witch. He put that term aside, and, with that, took the first movements to turning his back, forever, on the Dragonsworn.

That change, that choice, was completed one evening in the Gholam Inn when he encountered a woman, a woman who, at first glance, was young and beautiful, and at second glance, could not have an age placed on her. She was Aes Sedai. She was a member of the notorious Green Ajah. Other Green Sisters had been to the Training Yards, almost on a daily basis, some. And, their exploits with the trainees they took away each day were near legendary. But this one, Dai had never seen before. Over the next months, he would indeed be seeing more of her, much more. For that night, she had taken him to her bed.

She had, of course, also taken Dai to the Blight, where he had killed his first Trolloc. In fact, he had killed two of them, one with his bare hands. In retelling, it did not much matter than he had had his swords knocked out of his hands and was hanging on to it for dear life and got lucky. He had still killed Shadowspawn with his bare hands, and that, in and of itself, was almost as responsible for his considering himself a man as the fact that he had been with a woman.

The rush he had gotten from the battle was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It was even better than being taken to the bed of a lovely woman. It was, Dai knew now, what he had been born for.

Another choice, another turn.

Dai was still looking over the Training Yards after thinking for so long. The sun was higher off of the horizon, and other trainees were beginning to filter in to the Yards after their morning meal. Choices, forks in the road. Dai had faced so many, and, so many of them could easily have had gone horribly wrong had he made a different choice.

However, looking back, Dai was quite happy with the choices he had made. The actions he took, he had no regrets. They had, after all, brought him to this point, where he could look back and evaluate them. Alternate choices, and Dai would be either still at home in Saldea running the family business. Or still numbered among the Sworn, slaving away in a low ranking position for people who did not truly believe the message they themselves were spreading. Or, he would be dead or imprisoned for the murder of his sister.

So, Dai was happy with the decisions he had made, the paths he had taken. With that smile on his face, he turned to join the formation, to prepare for the day's training