Merilaine Candwin

Name: Merilaine Candwin
Age: 17
Nationality: Andoran (Watch Hill)

Hair: Long, black and kept in a braid since getting permission at age 16
Eyes: Deep blue
Skin: Creamy pale, with a scattering of freckles here and there
Height: 64 inches or five foot four
Voice: Strong alto voice, brisk at most times, almost lilting if Meri's happy.

Physical Weakness: Tendency to get headaches, sometimes forgets to eat
Personality weakness: Bottles up anger and tension within her which tends to result in headaches.

Personality: Since gaining permission to wear her hair in a braid, she has strived to be as grown up and mature as possible. Even when her brothers make her want to sock someone in the nose, she just bites her lip or tongue, balls her fist and forces herself to count. This sometimes leads others to believe she is too prim. She still is immensely capable of being kind and caring... yet will push up her sleeves and briskly get the job done.

Character History

She was born, third of four and the only girl, to a blacksmith and his bride who absolutely adored eachother. She grew up as the other children of Watch Hill did, forming friends and enemies alike then back to friends again. The life of those in a small village. At age ten she was switched for getting into a physical fight with a boy who had tugged her hair and put one too many spiders in her dress. She'd even tried to intercept the switch with her own hand, and that had made it all the worse. From that day on, she tended to bite back her anger, biting the inside of her lower lip and or balling her fists at her side to prevent letting it consume her.

At age thirteen she became fast friends with a girl who moved to Watch Hill from Caemlyn, a vibrant girl named Daerilla Colford. They complimented each other, and both girls were extremely atached. Daer was outgoing to where Meri was considerably reserved. Daer seemed to always know what to say to dissolve Meri's anger when boys and her brothers did their best to annoy her. It was quite symbiotic really, their relationship.

At age seventeen, Meri was inside helping her mother with some mending of the boy's and her father's clothing when Daerilla's excited knock announced her presence at the door. Having answered the door, Meri received permission to go walk about town with Daer. Daer was excited, there were two Aes Sedai in Watch Hill, testing girls their age to see if they could learn. Daer was upset, considerably to find out that she didn't have what it would take for her to go to the White Tower.... Meri, however found out that she could learn. It was a teary eyed goodbye for the teenaged girls, full of promises to think of each other. Merilaine's parents were even more saddened to see their daughter leaving. With the other girls who passed the test, Meri was soon off to Tar Valon, the White Tower, and her future.