#erim (wot)

[iviarellereads]

The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 2 - Rhuidean

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(Dragon icon) In which I mostly ask you questions.

PERSPECTIVE: Rand looks out on Rhuidean from a tall window. Moiraine is supervising workmen loading the ter'angreal onto wagons for transport out of the Waste to the White Tower.(1) Every day, more Aiel come to live in the buildings. Rand hopes the change he's wrought here is for the better. He leaves the window and enters a large room. Six clan chiefs sit waiting for him, representing the clans that have come to follow He Who Comes With The Dawn. Only six of twelve.

Rand asks what he must do to bring the other clans to him, and they say he must simply wait. They discuss how many people, men and Maidens, have thrown down their spears and run away from their clans since learning the truth of Rhuidean, a phenomenon they're calling the bleakness. Rand says it had to be told, and continues asking after the other clans. They say all will come, eventually, except the Shaido.

A group of gai'shain come to serve a snack, and Rand makes the connection that the bleakness must be because modern Aiel compare their ancestral occupation to ji'e'toh, their only frame of reference for pacifism is the idea that their ancestors swore themselves and their successive generations to be like gai'shain, and now every Aiel for many generations has broken that ji'e'toh, and lost honour.(2)

Discussion turns back to Couladin and the Shaido. He's still swearing revenge, though he seems to fear the numbers that have gathered. Not all who run after the bleakness throw down their spears, some go to join the Shaido. Rand asks if they could send someone to do that as a spy, but no one with any honour would spy like that, on their own society.

Finally, Rand asks if there’s any word from beyond the Dragonwall. The Aiel are dismissive, saying it’s just some more peddlers entering the Waste, and some trouble with Cairhienin. One of them, Erim, adds that “Treekillers are fit for nothing except to be killed or sold as animals in Shara”,(3) but before there can be a reply Egwene and Moiraine arrive, and effectively break up the clan chief gathering. Moiraine is nearly ready to send the wagons to Tar Valon. Rand asks what she wants of him, and adds "And don’t mention wagons again, little sister". Rand isn't sure where "little sister" came from, and it clearly unsettles Moiraine.(4)

Moiraine takes out one of the seals, and demonstrates that it can be cut with a belt knife, despite being made of indestructible cuendillar. It's weakened, heavily. She found it in the plaza, and it is real. If the other unbroken seals are like this one, and the one she got from Tear, they're in big trouble.

She implies that she's going with the wagons, and wants to discuss Rand's plans. Rand asks if she wants him to go face down the Forsaken, and she says he's running away, that he doesn't have a plan, certainly not for the Last Battle. Rand says he does have a plan: he's going to put a stop to all the wars, by bringing eleven clans of Aiel across the Dragonwall. Moiraine says that's the worst thing he could do, and Rand counters that she and Siuan Sanche both think they know everything.

Moiraine leaves in a huff, and Egg calls him a wool-headed fool, saying she should never have told Elayne that he was good enough for her. Rand thinks of Ilyena getting angry, and freezes. He has no idea who Ilyena is, but he can see her face in his mind, clear as day. He thinks it's taint madness getting grips on him.(5)

He must look stricken, because Egg asks if she can call Moiraine back to Heal him. He says this can't be healed, and asks if El is well. Egg says she is, and she loves Rand, he should think on that.

Rand's goblet floats toward him from where he left it as Egg turns away. Egg leaves, and Rand throws his goblet of wine away, rounding on the gleeman in the corner in a fury.

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(1) Oh no, she doesn't know yet! (2) Do you think Rand is correct here? Why would he come to this conclusion? What might he not be understanding that we can? (3) I need to be real with you here: most readers miss this. A whole lot of people in this fandom forget this line, because it feels all rather throwaway, nothing worth paying attention to, but I need you to reread it. Even beyond what we learned last book, about the Aiel having allowed their whole culture and society to become brittle in the name of prophecy, they allowed themselves to become this. Laman cut down the tree from the Avendesora cutting, to build his fancy throne. Until then, Cairhienin were the only wetlanders welcome in the Waste, because of their ancestors' deal with the ancient Aiel. And now, because of the actions of one man, even a king, the Aiel have been selling every Cairhienin who enters their Three-Fold Land into slavery on the other side. I need everyone to sit with that horror for a minute, because an awful lot of people glorify the Aiel and think they're just the coolest uncomplicated badass warrior culture and I'm not saying you can't like them, but I am saying you need to reckon first with the fact that this is what they are, what they want to be. You can't get all the cool without the problematic that feeds it. (4) Rand's been getting more of these outbursts. He had a couple of stray thoughts in book 1, but last book he was straight out speaking from Lews Therin Telamon's memories of Lanfear a couple of times, and given her reaction the memories were real. But here, why would Moiraine be "little sister"? (5) And here! We saw Ilyena's corpse in the book 1 prologue. We know she was the "pale-haired milksop" Lanfear accused him of leaving her for. It could be taint madness, but could it be something else?

[iviarellereads]

The Shadow Rising, Chapter 58 - The Traps of Rhuidean

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(Wheel icon) In which I get really cranky for the most petty reason.

PERSPECTIVE: Rand follows steps through the darkness beyond his now-closed doorway. He can see a man ahead of him, and is sure it's Asmodean. He's riding some kind of platform, and Rand copies him, moving faster without running. Rand catches up enough that when Asmo turns his head, Rand recognizes Jasin Natael, the gleeman. He was sure it would be Kadere.

Asmo picks up speed and throws firewalls back toward Rand. Rand falls behind, having to deal with this. Eventually he sees Asmo jump through a gateway, and Rand manages to squeeze a thread of the Power through and open it back up for himself.

He lands next to the fog wall around Rhuidean, so Rand runs through. He finds a trap laid for him, hair-thin ribbons floating in the air, at the level of his waist, chest, and neck, sharp enough to put any razor to shame. If he'd run into them instead of ducking, he'd have been cut clean through. A tiny surge of the Power, and the ribbons crumble. Rand continues into the city, cold with anger.

He finds Asmo, they battle back and forth, destroying many of the artifacts left here by the Jenn, their final attempt to follow their path. Eventually Asmo throws himself toward the figure of the man holding a crystal sphere, and a heartbeat later Rand touches it as well.

Rand is aware of the half-buried statue in Cairhien, and the Power surges in him. He thinks he could even have healed that dead child, with this much power. The taint fills him as much as the Power does, though. Once again, Rand and Asmo fight, this time for possession of the figure. Rand begins to tire, fearing he'll be swept away by the rush of saidin and destroyed as surely as Asmo will do if he lets go. Asmo is sweating, and Rand wonders if he's as tired as himself.

They're balanced, each drawing half the capacity of the sa'angreal. But Rand remembers the little angreal in his waistband, a tiny thing next to this, but it might be enough. Rand envisions the black steel wires he saw around Asmo in the void and once before,(1) then reaches through the angreal in his waistband, and more Power flows into him. He forms it like a sword of Power, and strikes, as one with the sword, as one with the wires.

Asmo screams, and falls over. Rand collapses and barely has enough strength to hold onto the ter'angreal, the key to the sa'angreal, and roll away from Asmo.

He looks around, at the ruin of Rhuidean. Avendesora is blazing like a torch, and the plaza looks like it's seen a hurricane, an earthquake, and who knows what else all at once. Some of the mountains in the distance even look lower than they were before.

Lanfear appears, observes that neither of them can even stand up, and says there was a shield on this place, but it's gone now. She notes the ter'angreal, and asks if he felt the immensity of it, saying with both together they could displace the Dark One himself.

Asmo begs her to help him, but she says he only got half of what he deserves.

Rand stands, refusing to continue on his knees in her presence. He explains that since they gave their souls, and let the Dark One attach himself to them, he's cut Asmo off from that attachment. Lanfear is, for once, shocked. She didn't think it was possible. And he's changed nothing else about Asmo.

Rand says he's still the man who gave himself to the Shadow in the first place. How long could he keep it secret? How many would believe he didn't do it himself somehow? He's glad Lanfear thought it impossible, maybe the rest of them will as well. She gave him the idea, a man to teach him how to channel, but he won't be taught by a man linked to the DO. Asmo no longer has a choice: he can stay and teach Rand, and help him win, or he can hope the rest of them don't take the excuse to kill him themselves.

Asmo says they'll believe her, he wouldn't be here except for her, they'll believe her when she says he's still faithful to the DO. Lanfear wonders aloud how much is Lews Therin, and how much the shepherd, then tells Asmo they'll all believe that he turned to Lews Therin's side. He's always followed where he thought his best chances lay. She gives Rand a gift: she shields Asmo, so that he can only channel a trickle, enough to teach. It'll wear off in a few months, but by then he'll really have no choice but to stay with Rand for protection.

Asmo screams NO! Mierin, please, she can't do this. Rage twists her face as she says her name is LANFEAR! She hoists Asmo up, and Rand has to channel through the angreal to distract her so she doesn't kill Asmo. She comes back to herself, and he asks her if she hurt anyone at Alcair Dal. After some exchange, she says no, even she doesn't kill or hurt without cause.

She examines the plaza, then looks back at Rand and tells him to use Asmo's teaching well. Sammael envies him, Demandred hates him, Rahvin thirsts for power always. They will all seek to bring him down when they discover he holds the ter'angreal, and Graendal might want him for her collection. She considers him for a moment, he thinks she might take the thing from him, but instead she turns and makes a doorway.

Rand asks which one she was. She says her pride can support a little fat when it must, implying she was Keille. Isendre only thought she was dealing with normal Darkfriends, she's probably right now trying to explain why a large quantity of stolen gold jewellery belonging to Aiel women is at the bottom of her chest, as she did steal some of it herself. Lanfear continues that these Aiel are so different from what they were. You could slap a Da'shain and all he would do was ask what he'd done wrong, all day long. As she leaves, Rand remembers the name Asmo used: Mierin. He heard that name in the glass columns, the woman who found the Dark One's prison and opened the Bore.(2)

Asmo says cutting him off from the DO just makes him vulnerable to the taint, and he's still no great teacher. Rand says there isn't anyone else, and looks until he finds the female sa'angreal key to match the male one he holds.(3) Asmo says Lanfear was looking for that, she'd rip even Rand's heart out to set hands on it. Rand says she'd sooner rip Asmo's out, for keeping it secret.

Rand realizes the fog around the city is gone. Water is spilling out of the great crevice their battle opened through the middle of the city. Rand realizes people might be able to live here now, grow crops, tend Avendesora.

Rand channels through the little angreal to open another doorway, and as they float on the platform across the darkness, he says he can't call Asmodean by that name. Asmo offers his birth name: Joar Addam Nesossin. Rand can't use that either, who knows what scrap of paper might have held it? No, he'll have to go on being Jasin Natael, the Dragon's personal gleeman. Excuse enough to have him close. And the first thing he'll teach is how to guard Rand's dreams.

In Alcair Dal, the rain has stopped, but the canyon floor is churned mud. There are perhaps a quarter fewer Aiel than before, but not fighting. Everyone gapes when Rand steps out of the doorway, and stares more when Natael follows him. He tells Adelin to send someone to stop beating Isendre, she's not as big a thief as they think. Shocked, she tells one of the nearby Maidens to go.

Egwene asks how the heck he even knew about that, and Moiraine asks where has he been, no Aes Sedai calm to be seen. Instead of answering, he asks what happened here. Rhuarc says the Shaido have gone, and Han adds that some of each of the other clans left as well, though not with the Shaido, and none of the Taardad, Rhuarc adds at the last. Rand isn't done with the Shaido, but has to let it be for now. The faces in the canyon are shaken, though they stayed. But, the Aiel are only a means to an end. He has to be even harder than they are.

Rand mounts, and everyone takes their places, Natael at his new place at Rand's left stirrup, mirrored on the other side by Aviendha at his right. He says when the rest of the clan chiefs come, it begins. Rhuarc says it began long ago, the question is where and how it ends. Rand has no answer for that.(4)

And when the blood was sprinkled on ground where nothing could grow, the Children of the Dragon did spring up, the People of the Dragon, armed to dance with death. And he did call them forth from the wasted lands, and they did shake the world with battle. —from The Wheel of Time by Sulamein so Bhagad Chief Historian at the Court of the Sun, the Fourth Age(5)

The End of the Fourth Book of The Wheel of Time

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(1) Ishamael, as Ba'alzamon, was described with similar wires in the confrontation at the end of book 1. Here we learn what they are: some connection to the Dark One, protection from the taint. (2) So basically all the male Forsaken went darkside because they were jealous of Lews Therin Telamon. The only woman whose motivation I can speak to is Lanfear's: she sought for women to be able to wield power equal to men, which is how she ended up drilling the hole in the Dark One's prison and setting off the Pandora's Box, as it were, partly because she felt jilted (to put it lightly) by LTT choosing Ilyena. On the other end of things, Graendal's "collection" of young men doesn't sound ominous in the slightest, right? (3) Ah, at long last, Chekov's Power Amplifiers. At least for now he has enough self-awareness not to trust himself to use the uber sa'angreal much, just like he made himself give up Callandor because it felt dangerous. (4) So this is the tail end of the climax and then there are a grand total of three pages of resolution. Because who needs a proper denouement in the middle of a series, amirite? (Me! I want a decent amount of breathing room!) (5) Aha, and here feels like a good time to draw attention. Have you noticed why they distinguish which ages these quotes are written in? Because they're not all the same. There's been a reasonably even distribution of third and fourth age excerpts so far. But, I hear you asking, why does that matter? Because this is the story of the end of the Third Age. Part of why I have absolutely no patience for people who will call any damn thing a spoiler is because so many people don't bother to think about what they're reading, what it means, what the implications are, and what it might indicate is coming next. We're reading a fourteen-book epic. Do you really think it's going to end with defeat for the Light? No, of course not. But it's very interesting to subtly contextualize that victory from the viewpoint of history, where the bias is to the winner. We've seen the Court of the Nine Moons mentioned, that's Seanchan, but we've never seen a Court of the Sun. Where and how do you suppose that might arise, in another age? These little bookend quotes aren't just for funsies. They don't give away any particular spoilers but they do add little touches to the world.

[iviarellereads]

The Shadow Rising, Chapter 57 - A Breaking in the Three-fold Land

(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.)

(Aiel icon) In which we get another version of "The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills."

PERSPECTIVE: Rand is approaching Alcair Dal, guarded by Maidens. Rand has no group from which he came, but his mother was a Maiden, and they have all taken on the roles of his honour guard. When a Maiden has a child but doesn't want to give up the spear, the child is adopted out to another family, secretly, and even the child may never know they were born to a Maiden. Now that a known child of a Maiden has come back to them, all the Maidens have taken on a sort of mothering protective role toward Rand, in place of the children they cannot raise themselves.(1)

Aviendha wears the bracelet he gave her, but hides her wrist when the Maidens look at her, so she spends a lot of time with her arms folded. Meanwhile, the Maidens know she wears it, but pretend not to see it. Rand can make no sense of it.

By now, Rand has assembled behind him an army of almost fifteen thousand Taardad Aiel to represent at Alcair Dal. Nearly an entire clan coming to a meeting of chiefs, in violation of all custom. He tops a hill, and sees the gathering. Five other clans have arrived, of which the Shaido are most numerous. The Wise Ones warn Rand not to make any mistakes, as no one can afford it now, then back off, because what's about to happen is men's business.

The peddlers' wagons crest the hill and move down into the valley. The Shaido wait to see what's up. Moiraine suggests that if she can't go with Rand, maybe Lan could go. Rand says Lan should stay, the Maidens carry his honour. However, he lets Mat come along.

There's some apparently ritual singing, and Rand moves forward, the named peddlers all watching him closely. As they move forward into Alcair Dal they are approached by a party of men and women lead by Mandhuin of the Goshien clan. He tells them that Sevanna wanted the clan chiefs to meet today, but Bael refused. A Wise One says that they have heard that the Car'a'carn will be announced today.

Rand moves to a ledge that slightly overlooks the place, where his words will carry. The four clan chiefs and Sevanna, representing the Shaido, stand there already. Sevanna is demanding the right for someone to speak, but only one who has entered Rhuidean (or his Roofmistress, in the event of his death) may speak here, says Bael, and Couladin was denied entry to Rhuidean.

Bael continues that they've gathered to hear a great announcement when all the clans have come, and if all Sevanna wants to speak of is Couladin, he's going back to his tents to wait. Then all the people on the ledge become aware of Rand's and Rhuarc's approach. Another chief, Han, asks what Rhuarc is doing, bringing a wetlander here, and Sevanna says if this wetlander can speak, so can Couladin, who promptly scrambles up onto the ledge. Han tells Couladin to stand down, but Couladin strips his coat and exposes dragons on his arms, matching Rand's, saying he's He Who Comes With The Dawn, and he must bring change, so they'll all go across the Dragonwall again and take back what was theirs.

Rand quietly strips his coat, puts his angreal in the waistband of his breeches, and raises his arms, his sleeves falling to his shoulders to expose his dragons. Even Sevanna is shocked, clearly Couladin didn't tell her about this.

Couladin rants on that this wetlander is an imposter, but Rand quotes their prophecy back at him, and all of them. Born of the blood, his mother was a Maiden and his father the clan chief of the Taardad. Raised by those not of the blood, the Wise Ones sent them to find him in the wetlands. Couladin protests that the interpretation may have changed, it's been so long since the prophecy was spoken. His mother was Far Dareis Mai before she gave up the spear, even. This wetlander appeared on an Aes Sedai leash, and the Wise Ones and the Aes Sedai used the One Power to bind them with fakery.

Rhuarc says Couladin never went to Rhuidean. Couladin claims he went without Wise One permission, after his brother was murdered by these wetlanders. He Who Comes brings change, useless ways must change. He and the Shaido arrived this morning at dawn, surely that is enough.

Everyone goes silent, and Rand speaks up to ask what Couladin saw at Rhuidean. Couladin says Rhuidean is not to be spoken of, everyone knows that. Rand says he walked the columns beside Avendesora. He saw the history of the Aiel through his ancestors' eyes. What did Couladin see? Rand is not afraid to speak.

The four clan chiefs mutter among themselves, saying they must step aside to speak of these things. Couladin doesn't realize he's already lost his advantage with them, but Sevanna does and says Rhuarc must have told Rand about Rhuidean, to make the trick more effective. Han tells her not to insult Rhuarc like that.

Couladin says he's not afraid and shouts that he saw the glory of the Aiel in the past, their coming to the Three-fold Land, the glory he will bring back to them.

Rand says he saw the Age of Legends. He saw the beginning of the Aiel journey, when they were the Da'shain Aiel, and followed the Way of the Leaf. Rhuarc tries to stop him, but Rand shakes him off, knowing this moment was fated since the first gathering at Rhuidean, with the last of the Jenn.

Many Aiel in the canyon protest. It's impossible, they're a warrior culture. Couladin calls Rand a liar, they have always been warriors.

The roar swelled, spears shaking, but Bael and Erim, Jheran and Han stood in stony silence. They knew now. Unaware of their looks, Couladin waved his Dragon-wreathed arms to the assembled Aiel, exulting in the adulation. “Why?” Rhuarc said softly beside Rand. “Did you not understand why we do not speak of Rhuidean? To face that we were once so different from everything we believe, that we were the same as the despised Lost Ones you call Tuatha’an. Rhuidean kills those who cannot face it. Not more than one man in three lives who goes to Rhuidean. And now you have spoken for all to hear. It cannot be stopped here, Rand al’Thor. It will spread. How many will be strong enough to bear it?”(2) He will take you back, and he will destroy you. “I bring change,” Rand said sadly. “Not peace, but turmoil.” Destruction follows on my heels everywhere. Will there ever be anywhere I do not tear apart? “What will be, will be, Rhuarc. I can’t change it.” “What will be, will be,” the Aielman murmured after a moment.

Couladin keeps trying to whip up the Aiel gathered in the canyon, but Bael says Rand's name loudly. When everyone has gone silent, he declares that Rand al'Thor is the true Car'a'carn. Han, Jheran, and Erim follow quickly, and Rhuarc at the last.

The silence stretches for an age, then Couladin snarls, leaps from the ledge, grabs a spear, and throws it at Rand. Adelin, one of the Maidens, leaps up and catches the spear in her buckler.

Chaos breaks out across the whole valley. Rand knows he has to stop it, and reaches for saidin. Water is scarce here, all the Aiel ever discuss when they gather is water. Lightning crackles above the valley, wind rushes in from every direction, and a mist of rain begins to fall.

Shortly, a dome appears that blocks the rain from falling on Rand, and Lanfear says he's a fool, wasting all her planning and effort. Rand says he didn't expect her to reveal herself yet. He knows she isn't alone, where is "he"? Lanfear says she knew "he" would give himself away, entering Rand's dream. Rand asks again, where is "he"?

Lanfear says if Rand knew then why did he chase "him" away with all his talk of destiny? She brought Asmodean to teach him, but he was always one to leap to another plan if the current one got difficult. Now he thinks he's found something better in Rhuidean, and he's off to take it while Rand stands here. Does Rand have any idea how much it will take to convince him again? And it must be him, Demandred or Rahvin or Sammael would kill him before teaching him to lift a hand.

Rand tries to remember how to Travel, he did it before. He prompts Lanfear to talk more, and she mentions the two great sa'angreal they could use together to challenge--

Rand folds reality, opening a door from here to Rhuidean. Lanfear asks what's there, and he says simply, Asmodean. He wishes he could make himself kill a woman who's only frowning at him, but steps through the door and it closes behind him. She must know how to make one of her own, but it will slow her down to have to do it herself.

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(1) Some of them treat him more sisterly, and some of them more motherly, despite their ages. I've seen compelling theories that those who treat him as a mother would are those who have given up their children for adoption and wish they hadn't had to, regardless of age. Those who see him as a brother have never had to choose between their calling as a warrior and a calling as a mother. It's not confirmed by RJ anywhere, but that's why we have death of the author (the actual essay, about how the author has no more direct control over the interpretation of the work than any reader of it) to remind us that we can just headcanon the shit out of it if we want to. (2) They knew. They've known for how long, that they've wronged their people by letting them become so weak to their own true history that two thirds would rather self-destruct than accept it. I think a lot of people skim past this part, and how horrifying it is that the clan chiefs and wise ones let it continue instead of trying to fix it. They did nothing, because they were waiting for a prophecy. They allowed their history to fall beyond memory except among a handful in each generation who aren't even allowed to speak among themselves. They built their own tragedy, because they knew this day would come and they chose to do nothing for over two thousand years. They made an Omelas of themselves, but worse.