#lamgwin (wot)

[iviarellereads]

Lord of Chaos, Prologue - The First Message - Part 3

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

In which that's a fun bookend, and by fun I mean [screams].

PERSPECTIVE: Sevanna leaves the Aes Sedai camp, thinking how one day, all these lands will be ripe for the looting, even the White Tower. She wants to kill the one Wise One in her party who keeps disagreeing with her, and means to find a way to make it happen. Sevanna herself has managed to be declared a Wise One, even though she hasn't undergone the training, in addition to speaking as the Shaido clan chief since she was married to both their last two before they both died.

Her companions ask what they're going to do with Rand al'Thor if they manage to take him from the Aes Sedai, if they can't kill him? Sevanna doesn't know anything but that having the Car'a'carn chained before her tent will truly make these lands belong to the Shaido, and to her. She has a small cube of stone, given by a wetlander man who found her in the mountains somehow, and she knows exactly what to do with it, with the help of a Wise One who can channel, when she gets her hands on al'Thor.(14)

PERSPECTIVE: Morgase Trakand leaves a meeting with King Ailron of Amadicia. Tallanvor meets her and says they should have gone to Ghealdan instead. She decides this familiarity's gone on too long, and chastises him to give her the proper respect as his Queen. He asks if she is his Queen at all, right now, and says he won't abandon her on this side of his death, but she lost much when she fled Andor. When she regains it, he will kneel, but until then, they should have gone to Ghealdan. He leaves.

Morgase goes back to her chambers, and as she gets riled up about Lini pressuring her to sleep with Tallanvor, Pedron Niall enters with only the shortest pause after knocking. He says Ailron will never give her what she seeks, but Niall can send five thousand Children of the Light with her to Caemlyn, if she asks.

She asks why he would help her oust Gaebril, and he says, well, Gaebril is dead, by the false Dragon Rand al'Thor. She asks why he would call him a false Dragon, and he says wherever he goes there are Aes Sedai, so they're clearly doing the channeling for him. He's no more than a puppet. Would the true Dragon have done what he has done?(15) How many High Lords did he hang before Tear accepted him, aside from the Aiel looting at his command. He'll name Cairhien's new ruler, and now Caemlyn's as well.

Morgase says she'll need time to think, and Niall promises to return in a day or two, and he'll be leaving a guard in case Ailron gets too fickle about protecting her. He leaves, and she thinks on his proposal. She does believe that al'Thor is the true Dragon, but there's nothing she knows in the Prophecies about ruling nations.

A young man scratches gently at the door for her attention, and when called in, asks "May I speak, my Queen?" He introduces himself as Paitr Conel, from Market Sheran, in Andor.(16) He heard she was here in the palace, and thought maybe he and his uncle could help her escape. She asks if he could, and he says, no, not with all the Whitecloaks around now.

She asks how long they've been here, and he says a month or two, but they're staying with someone who gets pigeons from Andor, so he has heard some of the news. Anyway, he has to get back or his uncle will worry. He just wanted to let her know that help is nearby. Morgase commands him, as his Queen, to answer her questions and tell her just how bad he's heard things are in Caemlyn.

PERSPECTIVE: Pedron Niall thinks how he's glad he didn't have to lie to Morgase, just stretch the truth a little, as he sees it. He doesn't believe Tarmon Gai'don will come down to a battle between the Dark One and a mere mortal man, that's absurd. No, it will be more like the Trolloc Wars, and he won't let the world face it unprepared and divided by this puppet.(17)

Jaichim Carridin is greyer at the temples than Niall remembers as they meet.(18) He asks Carri if he knows why he's here, and he says to take care of the Aes Sedai in Salidar. Niall says no, he's not going anywhere near Salidar, nor are any other Children. Niall thinks the rebel group isn't really rebelling, they're just a splinter group so the Tower can have Aes Sedai representatives supporting their false Dragon, while the White Tower proper keeps its hands clean.(19)

Niall thinks about how a thousand years ago, Guaire Amalasan had declared himself Dragon Reborn, and conquered more land than Rand al'Thor now held before Artur Paendrag Tanreall took up arms and started his own climb to empire. Niall isn't another Hawkwing, but he will not give up the world while he lives. He tells Carri that he will be going to Altara, but not Salidar: Altara and Murandy are about to be tormented by a plague of Dragonsworn.

PERSPECTIVE: Mesaana(20) is waiting with Semirhage for Demandred to give them a message from the Dark One. He appears as she's preparing to leave

His hawk-nosed profile was handsome enough, though not quite the sort to make every woman’s heart beat faster. In a way, “almost” and “not quite” had been the story of Demandred’s life. He had had the misfortune to be born one day after Lews Therin Telamon, who would become the Dragon, while Barid Bel Medar, as he was then, spent years almost matching Lews Therin’s accomplishments, not quite matching Lews Therin’s fame. Without Lews Therin, he would have been the most acclaimed man of the Age. Had he been appointed to lead instead of the man he considered his intellectual inferior, an overcautious fool who too often managed to scrape up luck, would he stand here today? Now, that was idle speculation, though she had made it before. No, the important point was that Demandred despised the Dragon, and now that the Dragon had been Reborn, he had transferred that contempt whole.(21)

Graendal shortly appears through another gateway, and appears delighted to see them, saying they three have all been so secretive. They discuss how Sammael is still looking for an angreal or sa'angreal of decent power, and where such things might be found. Mesaana mentions that stasis boxes should have survived the Breaking, but like as not it left them at the bottom of the ocean or buried beneath mountains.

Demandred studies them all, silently, during the conversation, then comments that where Mesaana and Semirhage are stationed makes him wonder if the DO knew everything that would happen, all along. He then tells them what the DO told him. First, he said "Let the Lord of Chaos rule."(22) The rest is spoken off-page. Mesaana isn't sure if she shivers from excitement or fear. It could work, but it requires luck, and that's if the DO doesn't have a second layer of plan underneath it.

PERSPECTIVE: Osan'gar awakens, knowing that his name was given to him during his horrific sleep. He knows in the same way that the woman near him is Aran'gar, and that the people they were once are now gone. Osan'gar and Aran'gar mean the left and right hand daggers in a certain form of dueling, from before the War of Power. Aran'gar almost shrieks with protest at being "put into this body". Shaidar Haran says she was given the best that was available.(23)

Aran'gar is about to lash out, so Osan'gar reaches for saidin, but finds nothing. The shock roots him to the spot as Aran'gar, perhaps finding the same discovery, launches herself at the Myrddraal with her nails clawed. Shaidar Haran grabs her by the throat and tells them they haven't been severed, but they will not channel until they are told they may. Osan'gar thinks how he had a hand in the breeding of Trollocs, and he was proud of it, but Myrddraal make him uneasy at the best of times.

Shaidar Haran goes on that she may agree to live in this body, as she is, or she will be given to the other Myrddraal, without the Power at her disposal.(24) She agrees and he lets her go. He bids them to feel gratitude, for they were dead and now are alive, unlike Rahvin whose soul is beyond saving. They have a chance to serve the Great Lord again and absolve themselves of their prior errors.

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(14) Wow, all of this is terrible, but "a stranger gave me a box to activate when I capture this guy and I didn't ask too many questions before accepting it" is definitely near the top of the list of bad decisions to follow up on. (15) And, from Niall's perspective, he's entirely justified in believing Rand's a faker somehow. He has no reason to believe anything happening outside his line of sight is real. (16) You might remember Paitr! He's the completely useless Darkfriend that Rand and Mat ran across on the road to Caemlyn in book 1. How'd you end up all the way out here, kiddo? (17) And again, completely justified here. All that magic business is nonsense and darkfriendery. One mortal can never stand up against a cosmic force. No, it'll be a ground war, and that's it, and he's going to make sure the Light can win it. Incredible lack of imagination in this one, it's no wonder he rose to the top of the organization. (18) He's gotta be running low on relatives to kill by now. The last time we heard about a cousin being killed for Carridin's failure was the in-world equivalent of April, it's now October. (19) Infuriatingly believable! It's not his fault we know more of the whole picture. (20) Ooh, one of the Forsaken whose name we haven't heard much if at all. (21) So, he's Jesus's Brother Bob, from the Arrogant Worms song. (Beware of earworm, those guys are catchy.) (22) Isn't it a bit soon to say this a second time after the epigraph at the front? Really hammering it home I guess.

(23) Shaidar Haran here speaks with a sense of cruel humour. This isn't just the only body they could find, this is a punishment. Which brings us to our first (and only) trans allegory in the series: a man's soul, trapped in a woman's body. Not just any man, either. There are hints here as to which one of these is which, so I'll just tell you: Osan'gar, the man, was once Aginor, the VERY old guy at the Eye of the World. Aran'gar, now apparently a woman, and always referred to with female pronouns, because the identity that once was can no longer be… she used to be Balthamel, the one in the mask who manhandled Nynaeve at the Eye of the World. Aginor was known for inventing the shadowspawn, the Trollocs intentionally and the Myrddraal by accident as the human throwbacks of Trollocs (occurring at just about the same rate as channelers in the human population). Balthamel was known for being a womanizer, for leading an intelligence network to rival Moghedien's, and for running breeding camps of humans to feed the Trollocs. WHAT A PEACH. And now they're both back in action, in new bodies, completely stealth. Aran'gar is angry at her new body, and we all get to have our own feelings about this being the closest thing to explicit trans representation in the series. There's a slim possibility that RJ might have done something to turn that around in the last few books if he'd survived, but he didn't, so he couldn't, so here we are. (24) We've seen mentions of women being given to Myrddraal before, particularly Asmodean stilling his own mother before treating her as such. Do I need to say in so many words what it's implied the Fades are doing to them? Because it's not even stated out loud in any of the wikis I just checked, and I think it's important to have clarified somewhere. It's definitely rape. Possibly followed by being killed for those swords Demandred saw being made, but that's rarely all that happens to them.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Eye of the World! Chapter 39: Weaving of the Web

Something something spoilers.

Something something the entirety of The Wheel of Time, not just book one.

Something something block tags.

Something something read the books.

Something something chapt--

No wait this part I want to put effort into. This chapter's icon is the Lion of Andor once again, because we're still in Caemlyn and Rand is about to be diving skull-first into the lion's den.

Mat glowered from where he lay curled up in a ball on his bed. “Take that Trolloc you’re so friendly with.”

STFU book 1 Mat. Rand, if he needs a bath so damn bad, throw a full bucket at him for comments like this. Throw several buckets at him, then blind him with more lightning. All must love Loial or else.

Herbalists and hedge-doctors were lying low in Caemlyn right now; there was talk against anyone who did any kind of healing, or fortunetelling. Every night the Dragon’s Fang was scrawled on doors with a free hand, sometimes even in the daylight, and people might forget who had cured their fevers and poulticed their toothaches when the cry of Darkfriend went up.

It's impressive that Mat is literally being corrupted by a source of evil that is some equal yet opposite to the source of all other evil and yet he still isn't the most paranoid asshole in the city. The Whitecloaks are stirring this up of course, proof that they as a faction completely suck, but between the winter and the False Dragon it didn't take much.

“Don’t know his name. Just heard about him. I hear most things in Caemlyn, eventually. Beggar.” The innkeeper grunted.

Oh right, Fain's in town. Still, Mat's not even the SECOND-most paranoid asshole in town. Really, Caemlyn is all kinds of fucked: the dagger and Fain within, "strange shapes" outside the city, the Whitecloaks flowing in and out... This city takes beating after beating in these books. There's a noose tightening around Rand and he's barely paying it any attention.

“Watch your back today, man.” Lamgwin’s voice sounded like gravel in a pan. “When the trouble starts, you’ll be a handy one to have here, not somewhere with a knife in your back.”

I suspect that Rand had to have the accident he's about to have to keep his dumb ass from ta'verening the riot into some sort of coup. All the crazy accidents he causes most of the time would really be the last straw.

Today, Caemlyn celebrated a victory of the Light over the Shadow. Today the false Dragon was being brought into the city, to be displayed before the Queen before he was taken north to Tar Valon.

I feel like there's something here, with this false Dragon and soon-to-be former Queen (and soon-to-be false Amyrlin) being the thing that everyone has their eyes on while the real Dragon meets with the future Queen and the real Amyrlin (either Siuan or Egwene works) is miles away. Elaida's Foretelling in particular seems like an echo of the one Siuan received long ago. I just can't quite string all the parallels together.

No one would have dared do such a thing two days earlier. More, Rand realized, the men who had done the bumping wore white cockades on their hats. It was widely believed the Whitecloaks supported those who opposed the Queen and her Aes Sedai advisor, but that made no difference. Men were doing things of which they had never before thought. Jostling a Whitecloak, today. Tomorrow, perhaps pulling down a Queen?

It's never said so, but I feel very much that this is some of Rand's ta'veren, the way that these dudes who should feel like they're on the same side are all sniping at each other.

Where streets in the New City mostly ran every which way in a crazy-quilt, here they followed the curves of the hills as if they were a natural part of the earth. Sweeping rises and dips presented new and surprising vistas at every turn. Parks seen from different angles, even from above, where their walks and monuments made patterns pleasing to the eye though barely touched with green. Towers suddenly revealed, tile-covered walls glittering in the sunlight with a hundred changing colors. Sudden rises where the gaze was thrown out across the entire city to the rolling plains and forests beyond.

Frankly something about this construction sounds almost impossible. Too many angles, too many heights. It feels like navigating a city designed by M. C. Escher. Wish I could live in Caemlyn!

The ragged man paused on the far edge of the street. His cowl, torn and stiff with dirt, swung back and forth as if searching for something, or listening. Abruptly he gave a wordless cry and flung out a dirty claw of a hand, pointing straight at Rand. Immediately he began to scuttle across the street like a bug.

One of the reasons I never much liked Jordan's statements that Fain was unique and had "side-stepped the Pattern" is moments like these, where his presence in Rand's life seems like a necessary ingredient to victory. If Fain hadn't scared Rand so much here, he wouldn't have ended up at the palace. Sure, some other coincidence might have happened (and he hasn't been Winded yet, so you could argue that he's still mostly on track here), but every major Fain moment in the series seems as intricately necessary as other major events that don't involve him instead of anything feeling off-script. I'll talk about this more as we go forward.

The beggar would not give up; he was sure of it, though he could not say why. That ragged shape would be working its way through the crowds at that very minute, searching, and if Rand returned to see Logain he ran the risk of a meeting.

I think Rand's certainty here is him twigging off of the alterations Fain's had that make him more Shadowspawn that the average Darkfriend.

The face of the wall had been left much in the natural state of the stone, the huge blocks fitted together so well that the joins were nearly invisible, the roughness making it seem almost a natural cliff. Rand grinned. The cliffs just beyond the Sand Hills were higher, and even Perrin had climbed those.

Ladies, gentlemen, those who transcend the petty binaries of mortals, meet the shittiest construction in the entirety of the Third Age. A wall whose only purpose is to allow one idiot farmboy after another climb the wall like they're lemmings with a power-up. It's a miracle Perrin never actually ends up doing it, since Jordan establishes right here that even he could. Why did they build this wall? How many people have taken advantage of it at one point or another? Can I blame Thom in some way to make sense of this absurdist bit of architecture? Yes that seems best. It's Thom's personal "fuck the queen while Damodred's at the front gate" wall. Maybe other sneaky lovers have used it over the years.

His clothes seemed ordinary, a cloak and coat and breeches that would not have caused comment in any farming village. But the way he wore them. The way he held himself. Logain was a king in every inch of him. The cage might as well not have been there. He held himself erect, head high, and looked over the crowd as if they had come to do him honor. And wherever his gaze swept, there the people fell silent, staring back in awe. When Logain’s eyes left them, they screamed with redoubled fury as if to make up for their silence, but it made no difference in the way the man stood, or in the silence that passed along with him. As the wagon rolled through the Palace gates, he turned to look back at the assembled masses. They howled at him, beyond words, a wave of sheer animal hate and fear, and Logain threw back his head and laughed as the Palace swallowed him.

Logain's being so clearly important despite being captured is nice foreshadowing for the way he'll sidestep the fate the Tower has planned for him. It also explains why so many people were willing to follow him, if he had such an air before capture.

Though it's not clear yet, Logain is laughing because he has the Talent to see ta'veren and Rand is so much ta'veren that he can see him from this distance. I'd always assumed this Talent is what Logain's controversial TV show line was referring to, Nynaeve being ta'veren in that canon and standing much closer to him, but maybe I'm crazy. It's been awhile since I saw season 1.

I have gotten my Fire Cube working again though, so maybe I should finish my rewatch to refresh myself? Eh. I'll probably just read butterflydm's a few dozen times and call it good and pretend that rewatching Bojack six times in as many weeks is healthy instead.

“Why were the Aes Sedai watching him?” he wondered aloud. “They’re keeping him from touching the True Source, silly.” He jerked to look up, toward the girl’s voice, and suddenly his precarious seat was gone.

Aww, Rand and Elayne have a meet cute. Rand nearly getting himself killed and barely dodging a concussion is a way better start to their romance than Min's creepy routine.

Sadly, Rand being knocked unconscious means we're done with this chapter and there was absolutely no Loial in it. It's an absolute travesty and I don't think Jordan's fixing that in the next chapter either. But we'll find out tomorrow!

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Eye of the World! Chapter 41: Old Friends and New Threats

NFT images are so fun to take and repaste everywhere, so enjoy this NFT of the Queen's Blessing. Remember not to right click and save and devalue the actual owner's version! It would be terrible if they got scammed! (Spolier alert: They got scammed. Also, this post will have spoilers for the whole damn Wheel of Time series so if you don't like spoilers, get outta here!)

This chapter has Moiraine's staff for its icon because she is back in Rand's life and she is ready to fix all of his problems by curing Mat. Hooray!

Lamgwin was sitting on a bench by the door, a brindle cat in his arms, when he came running up. The man stood to look for trouble the way Rand had come, still calmly scratching behind the cat’s ears. Seeing nothing, he sat back down again, careful not to disturb the animal.

There's something wonderful about a big man who loves kitties and treats them right. I don't remember if we ever get a Lamgwin POV, but I kinda hope we do now.

“The Queen, eh? You don’t say. We had Gareth Bryne out in the common room an hour or so ago, arm-wrestling the Lord Captain-Commander of the Children, but the Queen, now . . . that’s something.”

I'm sad that Bryne never got to arm-wrestle Niall or at least Galad, because that would be hilarious.

This man stands at the heart of it. Rand felt a chill. “I don’t stand at the heart of anything,” he said harshly.

Rand's capacity for denial is almost unlimited. He's literally having his dreams haunted by Ba'alzamon who he not unreasonably thinks is the Dark One. Darkfriends hunt him at every turn, aided by Shadowspawn and Padan Fain. An Ogier thinks he's ta'veren and an Aes Sedai foretells that he stands at the center of strife and suffering to come. "I don't stand at the heart of anything. They must have me confused for Brand al'Thur from Emma's Field in Illian. Common mistake; I get his mail sometimes!"

“I know,” Loial said. “I still cannot go into the streets without raising a mob shouting ‘Trolloc’ after me. But Mat, at least, only uses words. He has not tried to kill me.”

Fuck you Book 1 Mat.

Master Gill’s eye fell on the stones board and his mood seemed to lighten. “It looks as if we’ll have to start the game over later.” “No need for that.” Loial stretched an arm to the shelves and took down a book; his hands dwarfed the clothbound volume. “We can take up from where the board lies. It is your turn.”

Poor Gil, trying to at least get out of a bad game with some dignity intact and Loial won't even let him get that much.

I’m looking for Darkfriends, a boy from the Two Rivers—

This is actually a nice way to establish that the rest of the party's had enough time to reach Caemlyn now - and so have the Whitecloaks they escaped. These dudes are looking for Perrin and Egwene, wanted murderer and accomplice, and so ironically if they'd been allowed to finish their sentence things would have ended up a lot less tense for Gill (who isn't hiding them) and a lot more tense for Rand.

The scrape of chair legs was loud. Suddenly every man in the room was on his feet. They stood still as statues, but every one staring grimly at the Whitecloaks. The under-officer did not appear to notice, but the four behind him looked around uneasily.

Nothing but love for the inn patrons. I hope each and every one of these nameless heroes made it all the way to the end, and my headcanon says they do!

When he saw Rand, the innkeeper tottered off the chair and over to him. “Who would have thought I had it in me to be a hero?” he said wonderingly. “The Light illumine me.”

This might be a bit of ta'veren pushing Gill around, but let's remember that ta'veren doesn't completely change people, just makes them fall into the pattern. Gill always had it in him and before this series is done he'll do a lot more.

Nynaeve and Egwene ran laughing to throw their arms around him, with Perrin crowding in behind them, all three patting his shoulders as if they had to be convinced that he was really there.

Let's just all appreciate the stark contrast between EotW allowing there to be a quiet moment of reunion that shows how much the EF5 love each other and AMoL going out of its way to prevent any major group reunion and also being sure not to narrate any of the lesser ones that it couldn't help but acknowledge.

“I knew you were alive,” Egwene said against his chest. “I always knew it. Always.”

Girl which is it?

Rand nodded encouragingly, trying to tell him silently that it was all right. Moiraine was not like Elaida, with a threat hidden behind every glance, under every word. Are you sure? Even now, are you sure?

Usually Moiraine's threats are pretty blatant Rand. Remember how terrifying it was when she said she'd kill you herself if she had to? That wasn't subtle at all!

Rand exchanged a fleeting look with Perrin, who put his eyes down again right away. There was something odd about Perrin’s eyes. And he was so silent; Perrin was almost always slow to speak, but now he was saying nothing at all.

The lack of communication between the main characters is a lot more believable right now because Rand is just happy to see Perrin's alive and, not knowing what's gone down, doesn't want to pry too much about something that seems traumatizing.

Egwene touched Rand’s sword, fingering the red wrappings. “What does it mean?” “Nothing,” he said. “Nothing important. We’re leaving for Tar Valon, remember?” Egwene gave him a look, but she removed her hand from the sword and took up where Perrin had left off.

Rand dear, don't be dismissive. Everyone can tell something's up with this town and Egwene doesn't want to be in the dark in case this comes back to bite her.

“Pretty Nynaeve,” Mat spat. “A Wisdom isn’t supposed to think of herself as a woman, is she? Not a pretty woman. But you do, don’t you? Now. You can’t make yourself forget that you’re a pretty woman, now, and it frightens you. Everybody changes.” Nynaeve’s face paled as he spoke—whether with anger or something else, Rand could not tell.

With all three of the others, Mat seems to go right for the jugular. It almost feels supernatural. I wonder: is his loyalty to Rand just that much stronger than the others, or is it the fact that he was strongly loyal to Rand and didn't leave his side? If Mat and Rand had been separated for weeks, would Mat be coming at him now just as strongly?

One minute Lan was in the doorway, the next he was at the bedside, as if he had not bothered with the intervening space. His hand caught Mat’s wrist, stopping the slash as if it had struck stone. Still Mat held himself in that tight ball. Only the hand with the dagger tried to move, straining against the Warder’s implacable grip. Mat’s eyes never left Moiraine, and they burned with hate.

Lan, you're one hell of a badass. The man might be the best Warder that ever was.

You three have escaped them too long. It looks as if you’ve brought a new Trolloc War to Caemlyn, sheepherder.

Not yet, but maybe in a dozen books!

Perrin spoke with a soft flatness that gave his words more weight than if he had shouted. “We can’t stop it alive, either, now can we?”

Geez, the death march and nights of torture did not agree with this kid. It's actually impressive how much he'll bounce back going forward because right now he's got enough negativity to equal Gollum!Mat.

This was kind of a transitory chapter, firmly ending the second act of this book to set up for the final stretch, so there's not much to analyze. Next time though... more set-up as the group figures out just what it should be doing. But then... another transition as the group finds a way to leave town. So yeah. Bit stretched out, this section. That's okay though. It's gonna pick up.

[iviarellereads]

Lord of Chaos, Chapter 31 - Red Wax

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Sunburst icon) In which we catch up with Amador.

PERSPECTIVE: Eamon Valda is grumpy at having been recalled to Amador from outside Tar Valon, when he thought one final push would have toppled the Tower. On the way, he ended up ordering the deaths of anyone in the road who blocked the way, refugees or Dragonsworn or whatever else. He thinks Pedron Niall has taken entirely the wrong tack in dealing with Rand al'Thor. and that any man who can channel must be a Darkfriend as much as Tar Valon's witches whether he's the real Dragon or a false one.

He's even skeptical that Morgase is actually here until Dain Bornhald, so drunk his eyes are bloodshot and he reeks of brandy, confirms it. Then he's disgusted at everything about that sentence. If he had Morgase, she'd have signed the treaty on the first day, if someone had to hold her hand and force her to do so. Niall must be growing old and soft, Valda thinks.(1) He wonders what happened to Bornhald, as well, to be drunk in the middle of the day.(2)

Valda meets with the High Inquisitor, the head of the Questioners, who encourages him to make a plan to remove Niall as the Lord Captain Commander.

PERSPECTIVE: Pedron Niall watches Valda speak to Bornhald, then storm off, clearly furious. Niall wishes he could have left Valda at Tar Valon but taken the other Children home, as Valda can be difficult at the best of times.

He receives messages from his false spymaster, who thinks himself so clever and good at his job but hands off top secret intel to Niall's clerk. One of the messages (sealed in the chapter's titular red wax) is a coded message talking about Aes Sedai on leashes in Tarabon, and strange creatures.

Niall arranges to send a messenger to Tanchico, despite the risk and delay in the message getting there.

He had four rules concerning action and information. Never make a plan without knowing as much as you can of the enemy. Never be afraid to change your plans when you receive new information. Never believe you know everything. And never wait to know everything. The man who waited to know everything was still sitting in his tent when the enemy burned it over his head. Niall followed those rules.(3) Only once in his life had he abandoned them to follow a hunch. At Jhamara, for no reason but a tickling at the back of his head, he had set a third of his army to watch mountains all said were impassable. While he maneuvered the rest of his forces to crush the Murandians and Altarans, an Illianer army that was supposed to be a hundred miles away came out of those “impassable” passes. The only reason he managed to withdraw without being crushed was a “feeling.” And now he felt that tickling again.

PERSPECTIVE: Morgase is talking to Tallanvor, who doesn't trust Paitr Conel's promises of a plan to extract her from the fortress. She's summoned to a meeting with Pedron Niall, but the escort takes a different route from usual to show her Paitr and his uncle being hanged, as Darkfriends. She assumes they knew about the escape plot.(4)

When they get to Niall's study, she forces out the words to say she's ready to sign the treaty. She acts like her will to resist has been broken, and suggests that she and Niall play at stones.

PERSPECTIVE: Asunawa, the High Inquisitor, noticed that Morgase had reacted to the deaths of the Darkfriends. He doesn't believe that she had any connection to them, besides her being a channeler and them being Darkfriends, but it troubles him. He hopes she continues to defy Niall, or else some of his plans might go awry.(5)

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(1) Valda certainly thinks highly of himself and his ability to lead. (2) Oh, just a little humiliation at the hands of the man he believes killed his father, nbd. (3) I talk about how unreliable our main narrators are often enough. It should be said that the less frequent ones are equally so. Do you think he's really upholding those rules? (4) And we know that they don't know about the escape plot, but that Paitr, at least, was a real for actual Darkfriend. Possibly one of the few the Whitecloaks have ever rightly prosecuted. (5) What plans do you think he might have? We know he's in with Valda on a coup. Why would they rely on Morgase defying Niall? Possibly to undermine his authority?

[iviarellereads]

The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 56 - Glowing Embers(1)

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Wheel icon) In which we finally wrap this one up.

PERSPECTIVE: Rand stretches in a window, watching Avi with her hand in a fountain, intrigued by water with no purpose but to keep fish alive. His window is in the throne room, and a polite cough interrupts him.

A man introduces himself as Davram Bashere,(2) the Marshal-General of Saldaea, to speak with the Lord Dragon. Rand introduces himself, and asks how a Saldaean general comes to be here. Bashere says he rode to speak to Morgase, but was put off by Gaebril's toadies. He asks if Gaebril is dead, and Rand confirms, then Bashere asks if he should address the King of Andor. Rand snorts and says no, Elayne is the Daughter-Heir and rightful queen. Now, what does Bashere want?

He watches Rand carefully, but not fearfully, as he explains that the White Tower let Mazrim Taim escape. Queen Tenobia didn't want him to trouble Saldaea again, so Bashere was sent to apprehend him, and he believes Taim is in Andor. Rand says that Bashere cannot have Taim, and when pressed as to why, Rand is reluctant to give up his plan this early, but... he's creating an amnesty, for any man who can channel. The Last Battle is coming, and they should have as many who can fight the Dreadlords, men and women who wield the Power for the Dark One, as possible.

Bashere points out that Rand has taken Tear, Andor, and soon Cairhien if rumour is true. Does he plan to rule the world? Rand responds that he will accept any ruler who wishes to work with him, but all he's found yet is maneuvering for power and outright hostility. Civil wars all over, unrest between neighbouring countries, and the Seanchan eyeing them from across the sea. He will impose peace if he must, but he will rally forces for Tarmon Gai'don.

Bashere says he's read the Karaethon Cycle, as has Tenobia. He cannot speak for the other Borderland countries, he can't even truly speak officially for Saldaea,(3) but he thinks, once he sends a rider and gets a return message, the official word will be that Saldaea stands with the Dragon. In the mean time, he can offer his services, and nine thousand Saldaean horsemen.

PERSPECTIVE: Asmodean tucks his harp under his arm, drifting away from the courtyard. Some Aiel spoke of having seen him dead, and he recognized a gash from balefire in the palace. He can feel time dragging at him, no longer immortal.

He pulled open a small door, intending to find his way to the pantry. There should be some decent wine. One step, and he stopped, the blood draining from his face. “You? No!” The word still hung in the air when death took him.(4)

PERSPECTIVE: Morgase blots sweat from her face. She's still riding with Tallanvor, Gill, and rest. She's riding through Altara, and Lini keeps trying to point out how desirable Tallanvor is, even as Morgase is nervous of the look in his eyes when he talks to her.

Shortly, Tal speaks up to say he thinks they're getting close to the ferry someone told them about, to the Amadician side of the river. He asks if Morgase is certain, but she says she's made up her mind and will not be questioned, then rides off ahead. She'll have her throne back, and woe to Gaebril or any man who thinks he can sit in it.

And the Glory of the Light did shine upon him. And the Peace of the Light did he give men. Binding nations to him. Making one of many. Yet the shards of hearts did give wounds. And what was once did come again —in fire and in storm splitting all in twain. For his peace . . . —for his peace . . . . . . was the peace . . . . . . was the peace . . . . . . of the sword.  And the Glory of the Light did shine upon him.  —from “Glory of the Dragon” composed(5) by Meane sol Ahelle, the Fourth Age

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(1) Get it? Embers. Because the book title is about fires, and the prologue was fanning sparks, lighting the fire, and now this is a slow burning ember. Which is extra funny because RJ still thought he was just a few books away from the end. (2) Hey look it's Faile's dad! (3) He is TECHNICALLY only next in line to the throne. (4) One of the biggest mysteries in the whole series. Whodunnit? The theorizing was epic in the day (I wasn't there, but I read some of the archived discussions of the arguments) and yet I've seen first time readers take one cold read and say the right name. So, can you guess who? And can you guess how long it is until we get an answer? (5) Well, guess there's a reason it scans like some kind of hymn or gospel.

[iviarellereads]

The Eye of the World, Chapter 39 - Weaving of the Web

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(White Lion of Andor icon) In which hey, that guy looks familiar...

Rand looked down on the crowds from the high window of his room in The Queen’s Blessing. They ran shouting along the street, all streaming in the same direction, waving pennants and banners, the white lion standing guard on a thousand fields of red. Caemlyners and outlanders, they ran together, and for a change no one appeared to want to bash anyone else’s head. Today, maybe, there was only one faction. He turned from the window grinning. Next to the day when Egwene and Perrin walked in, alive and laughing over what they had seen, this was the day he had been waiting for most.(1)

Rand tries to convince Mat to come with him, but Mat hasn't left the room since they arrived, and he keeps calling Loial a Trolloc, refusing to believe that Ogier look so much like them. Rand considers seeking out a healer nearby that Gill told him about, but healers are all laying low these days, with so many people confusing magic for Dark power.

As he's leaving, Gill says that a beggar has been asking after Rand and all his friends. Rand asks if it could be a Darkfriend, and Gill dismisses the thought. Not everyone is a Darkfriend. There's a rumour that there are strange shapes creeping in the shadows at night, too, how ridiculous. Anyway, Rand had better leave by the alley, two of those traitors are watching the door.

As he leaves, the guard on the alley, Lamgwin, tells him to watch himself. When trouble hits, it would be handy to have Rand in the fighting here at the inn. He's not the only one of Gill's men who thinks Rand will be good in a fight, though Rand can't think why.(2) As he goes, he spots the two men Gill referred to. White-wrapped swords, with armbands AND cockades on their hats, all in white.

Rand learned not long after arriving that the red wrappings indicate loyalty to the Queen and her decisions. White indicates that someone blames the Queen and her association with Aes Sedai for everything that's gone wrong, the weather, the failed crops, maybe even the false Dragon. Rand has no interest in local politics, but he'd chosen, by accident but he chose, and it's too late now.(3)

For today, though, all of that might be set aside. Might. There are ten in white for every one in red. There's some antagonism, as in the excitement some people do things they'd never think of any other day.

Rand gets swept along with the crowd until they round a last bend and see the Palace. The main streets all spiral in toward it, making it hard to miss. Unfortunately, he won't get any closer than this, but he tries to find a place where he can use his height to advantage, as almost everyone is shorter than him. Eventually he finds a place with a good view of the road, three people in front of him who he can see over.

On the other side of the road, there's a disturbance in the crowd. Eventually it parts and a ragged figure gets spat out of it. Rand knows at once that it's the beggar who's been asking after him,(4) and that he wants nothing to do with him, especially here, with so many people on the edge of violence. He makes his way back through the crowd, away from the road, and when he's free of the crowd, he runs, as much to get away as to be out of sight before a group of white-clad folk take the chance to chase someone with red on his sword.

He has no idea where he is when he stops, but he can tell he's still in the inner city. He spends an hour trying to find another place to watch the road. Eventually, he finds a slope, free of buildings. Nearby, he sees some of the palace spires. It's not meant to be climbed, but he scrambles up the slope with some effort, as he heard trumpet blasts so close he knows Logain must be in sight just beyond, and he finds that it's not a hill, but a wall, built to look like a natural slope.

As he gets to the top, he can see down to the road, and the expectant crowd. He made it, before Logain passed by. Trumpets peal victory, as the procession starts. First the soldiers pass, and then comes a huge wagon, pulled by sixteen horses. In the center is a huge cage of iron, with two Aes Sedai at each corner, watching the cage as if the crowd doesn't exist. Outside of them stand twelve Warders, watching the crowd as if they're the only ones guarding the wagon.

With all of that, it was the man in the cage who caught and held Rand’s eyes.(5) He was not close enough to see Logain’s face, as he had wanted to, but suddenly he thought he was as close as he cared for. The false Dragon was a tall man, with long, dark hair curling around his broad shoulders. He held himself upright against the sway of the wagon with one hand on the bars over his head. His clothes seemed ordinary, a cloak and coat and breeches that would not have caused comment in any farming village. But the way he wore them. The way he held himself. Logain was a king in every inch of him. The cage might as well not have been there. He held himself erect, head high, and looked over the crowd as if they had come to do him honor. And wherever his gaze swept, there the people fell silent, staring back in awe. When Logain’s eyes left them, they screamed with redoubled fury as if to make up for their silence, but it made no difference in the way the man stood, or in the silence that passed along with him. As the wagon rolled through the Palace gates, he turned to look back at the assembled masses. They howled at him, beyond words, a wave of sheer animal hate and fear, and Logain threw back his head and laughed as the Palace swallowed him.

Other contingents pass after Logain, but they're all anticlimactic. Rand leans out over the wall a little further, trying to catch another glimpse of the false Dragon.

Overbalanced, he slipped and grabbed at the top of the wall, pulled himself back to a somewhat safer seat. With Logain gone, he became aware of the burning in his hands, where the stone had scraped his palms and fingers. Yet he could not shake free of the images. The cage and the Aes Sedai. Logain, undefeated. No matter the cage, that had not been a defeated man. He shivered and rubbed his stinging hands on his thighs. “Why were the Aes Sedai watching him?” he wondered aloud. “They’re keeping him from touching the True Source, silly.” He jerked to look up, toward the girl’s voice,(6) and suddenly his precarious seat was gone. He had only time to realize that he was toppling backward, falling, when something struck his head and a laughing Logain chased him into spinning darkness.

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(1) Awkwardly phrased, but this isn't more timeline shenanigans. Rand's thoughts are still perhaps a little jumbled, but Perrin and Egwene's arrival obviously hasn't happened yet, he's just looking forward to it even more than he's been looking forward to potentially seeing this false Dragon Logain. (2) Even if they haven't seen the herons on his sword, because it's been wrapped up since he got to the city, Rand is our ta'veren hero. Chances are, he's carrying himself with a warrior's confidence because it'll keep him safer. (3) So, ta'veren at work again, leading Rand to choose red instead of white wrappings for his sword, and by trading the heron-marks for red, he's just drawn a different kind of attention to himself. (4) The beggar… wonder who that could be. Rand didn't recognize him but he was across a crowded city street. But it must be someone who knows them all, and the only beggar we've seen was Fain, who disappeared from Baerlon… If Fain has fallen so far as to this, would Rand recognize him at all? Or is this someone else, some Darkfriend like those who met him and Mat on the road? (5) And of course, Logain himself. I couldn't try to summarize that paragraph, the only things I would've cut are his clothes, but even that goes to emphasize how Rand sees that he's made to be a King, somehow. (6) And then of course, ta'veren at work again, bringing him up to that slope-wall. He saw palace spires nearby. I wonder where on earth he could be, and who that is startling him into that fall.