#moiraines staff

[pien-art]

Moiraine taking a break bc that is what she deserves !!!

prints available here :3

[iviarellereads]

The Eye of the World, Chapter 41 - Old Friends and New Threats

(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.)

(Staff icon) In which the gang's back together, huzzah!

Rand runs all the way back to the inn. He asks a bouncer where Master Gill is, and is told he's in the library. Gill was worried Rand got into some trouble with the white-wearing faction, but Rand says that he saw the Queen and Elaida, and that's where the real trouble lies. Gill jokes about Gareth Bryne being in the common room an hour ago, and Rand grumbles that everyone thinks he's lying today. He tells Gill and Loial everything, and Gill says there's no more time to wait for their friends, Rand and Mat will have to leave the city before the guards can find them, and it takes two days to search every inn in the city.

Rand says he can probably get Mat on his feet, and Gill offers to lend them two horses. Loial asks again to go with them, saying he still wants to see the Tar Valon grove, and...

"You truly are ta’veren, Rand. The Pattern weaves itself around you, and you stand in the heart of it.”(1) This man stands at the heart of it. Rand felt a chill.

Rand snaps that he's not at the heart of anything, and awkwardness ensues. He finds the flame and void, and says Loial can come with them, he'll be glad of the company, if he can put up with Mat. Then a serving girl interrupts to tell Gill that there are Whitecloaks in the common room. Rand follows him down, though Loial stays in the library.(2)

There are five of them, and one says they're looking for Darkfriends, from the Two Rivers.(3) Gill snaps that there are no Darkfriends in his inn, they're all good Queen's men, and the Whitecloak says yes, the Queen and her Tar Valon witch . He threatens the inn with having the Dragon's Fang marked on its door, might not get much business, might have trouble with fire...

“You get out of here now,” Master Gill said quietly, “or I’ll send for the Queen’s Guards to cart what’s left of you to the middens.” Lamgwin’s sword rasped out of its sheath, and the coarse scrape of steel on leather was repeated throughout the room as swords and daggers filled hands. Serving maids scurried for the doors. The under-officer looked around in scornful disbelief. “The Dragon’s Fang—” “Won’t help you five,” Master Gill finished for him. He held up a clenched fist and raised his forefinger. “One.” “You must be mad, innkeeper, threatening the Children of the Light.” “Whitecloaks hold no writ in Caemlyn. Two.” “Can you really believe this will end here?” “Three.” “We’ll be back,” the under-officer snapped, and then he was hastily turning his men around, trying to pretend he was leaving in good order and in his own time. He was hampered in this by the eagerness his men showed for the door, not running, but not making secret that they wanted to be outside.

Everyone in the inn takes a seat, laughing. Some clap Gill on the back for his bravado, though he plays it down.(4) Gill tells Rand they'll have to stay out of sight until he can get them out of the city. Rand says there's no reason for them to be after him, but Gill points out they were clearly looking for boys from the Two Rivers, they're after them for sure, reason or not. Rand asks if he's worried about them coming back, and Gill says nah, he pities the man who tries to put a mark on his door.

Another serving maid comes to tell them there's a lady in the kitchens, asking for Rand and Mat by name. Gill says if he's managed to bring Elayne down to his inn, they'll all be facing the Headsman, then dismisses the maid, regretting his words. By nightfall the whole city will believe he's a prince in disguise.

Rand realizes he never told Elayne about Mat, then grins and runs for the kitchen, and there they all are. After some greetings, Gill offers Moiraine his best room, though surely she'll prefer the palace with Elaida Sedai. Moiraine, instead, comments on all the cats in the kitchen, and Gill says the whole city is a rat den, but the cats are taking care of it. She insists on paying for accommodations here, and Nynaeve asks after Mat. Moiraine suggests they all go up to see him, to get out of the kitchen, and she'll join them shortly, once she takes care of the rat problem with some magic.(5)

Rand leads them up, Egwene asks what the "red or white?" question means, they were asked it so many times in the streets. He says it doesn't matter. Perrin asks where Thom is, and Rand says he's dead, or he thinks he's dead, there was a Fade... Then he says that Mat's not sick exactly, but they'll see what he means. Mat's first question when he sees them is how Rand knows they're who they look like, and how Mat can know that any of them are who they look like.

Nynaeve feels Mat's face and asks Rand and Perrin to fetch cloths and cool water, but they can't move before Mat taunts them all with what he knows, on some level, will upset them the most. Moiraine arrives and says the Dark One can't see them for now, but... then her eyes fall on Mat and she drags Nynaeve away from him like a sack of potatoes. She tells them all to stay away from him and be quiet, watching him like you would a viper.

She approaches slowly until suddenly he pulls the dagger, and Lan is there, catching Mat's wrist. Moiraine asks how he got it. Rand says he took it from Shadar Logoth, he didn't know until after they were separated. Moiraine only knew when she saw him, but a Fade can sense the evil for miles, and will seek it out. Even Darkfriends who have truly lost their souls would feel compelled to seek it out.

Rand says there were Darkfriends on the road, but they managed to escape them, though there are rumours of other things in the night that could be Trollocs. Lan confirms Trollocs and Fades, he's seen signs of them coming toward the city. The Emond's Fielders have evaded them too long, the city wall won't stop them. They'll do anything to acquire their master's prize, including attack one of the major cities and bring half the armies of the world down on the Borderlands to fight another Trolloc War.

Moiraine says if they can find a way out of the city, the Myrddraal will have no cause to attack there. Perrin says they'd all be better off dead, echoing Rand's thoughts. She asks what he thinks to gain by dying, they can stop nothing in death. Perrin argues, but Moiraine says right now she needs to deal with Mat, who's still snarling in Lan's grip.

“What’s wrong with him?” Egwene asked, and Nynaeve added, “Is it catching? I can still treat him. I don’t seem to catch sick, no matter what it is.” “Oh, it is catching,” Moiraine said, “and your . . . protection would not save you.”(6) She pointed to the ruby-hilted dagger, careful not to let her finger touch it. The blade trembled as Mat strained to reach her with it. “This is from Shadar Logoth. There is not a pebble of that city that is not tainted and dangerous to bring outside the walls, and this is far more than a pebble. The evil that killed Shadar Logoth is in it, and in Mat, too, now. Suspicion and hatred so strong that even those closest are seen as enemies, rooted so deep in the bone that eventually the only thought left is to kill. By carrying the dagger beyond the walls of Shadar Logoth he freed it, this seed of it, from what bound it to that place. It will have waxed and waned in him, what he is in the heart of him fighting what the contagion of Mashadar sought to make him, but now the battle inside him is almost done, and he almost defeated. Soon, if it does not kill him first, he will spread that evil like a plague wherever he goes. Just as one scratch from that blade is enough to infect and destroy, so, soon, a few minutes with Mat will be just as deadly.” Nynaeve’s face had gone white. “Can you do anything?” she whispered. “I hope so.” Moiraine sighed. “For the sake of the world, I hope I am not too late.” Her hand delved into the pouch at her belt and came out with the silk-shrouded angreal. “Leave me. Stay together, and find somewhere you will not be seen, but leave me. I will do what I can for him.”(7)

=====

(1) Rand just can't catch a break, huh? (2) I'm leaving out the bit with Gill and Loial's game of stones for time, but I want it known I think it's adorable that Gill is no match for Loial's intellect. (3) He only gets as far as "a boy from the Two Rivers", but that much makes it clear, they're looking for Perrin and Egg. (4) How much was his natural bravery, and how much was the Pattern protecting Rand and Mat from attention, even though the Whitecloaks weren't looking for them? I know, I know, this is the sort of question that could drive one to self-medicate if you think about it too hard every time something happens in the story, but I've been here 15 years, you'll have to forgive me for, well, thinking about it too hard. (5) Rats being another one of the Dark One's eyes, it would do them very well to deter the rats from seeing what's going on in that inn for a bit. (6) A known effect of the One Power? Nynaeve's been channeling, if unconsciously, for years, and Moiraine's probably been somewhat careful not to scare her off with too much reference to her abilities on this little trip. (7) Which makes quite a long summary for a chapter that only brought everyone back together and started to bring them up to speed with each other's plotlines. Though, the bit about Darkfriends sensing the dagger if they've truly sold their souls is interesting.

[alectology-archive]

I think rj wanted all channelers to use staffs at some point and I’m so glad that he discarded the idea while writing the great hunt

[sixth-light]

the thing that fascinates me about the whole Brandon Sanderson episode 2x08 meltdown is that, look. he is EXTREMELY popular with a certain very specific subset of SFF fan who loves 'Magic A is Magic A' type magic systems where it's really sci-fi in fantasy dressing and part of the fun of the exercise for him and his readers is interrogating it to find all the logical loopholes and cool shit that you can do while still being within the rules of the system and so on. and that's perfectly legit.

but it's also...even though WoT does have aspects of this, in that channeling is a very rules-based magic system compared to e.g. magic in LoTR (which is the classic 'no rules only vibes' high fantasy magic) it also co-exists along magic which is MUCH more vibes-based (whatever Min does, Ogier Treesinging, Wolfbrothers). RJ was also never interested in writing the sort of edge-case rules-lawyering that BS obviously loves; it's pretty clear he wanted channeling to have rules to give himself rails to run on when incorporating it into the plot, not so he could logically deconstruct the thing. (like, how exactly did Mierin Eronaile and Beidomon use the One Power to drill into the Dark One's prison the first time when the Dark One is outside the Pattern? we have no idea because it doesn't matter, it just matters that they did it.) there's also plenty of inconsistencies and weird notes in the earlier books because he hadn't fully settled on how things worked yet - famously, Moiraine's staff.

and none of that matters really, because ultimately the internal logic and ability to be gamed out of your magic system is not a sign of writing quality, it's an artistic choice about how you want to depict magic in your SFF setting and also about what helps you as an author to write an internally coherent story. there's a lot of very good fantasy where the magic is EXTREMELY handwave-y and it's fine because that's not the point of the thing.

so to see that BS apparently seems to think that it IS a sign of writing quality and furthermore that the show is bad if it doesn't meet *his personal standard* of magic system logic, which he is somehow 'qualified' to have because...he likes to write magic systems with lots of rules a lot...is just. wild. sir, you have identified a very specific niche of nerd who will give you lots of money for your very specific books, that's great for you but the world of SFF is much bigger and weirder and cooler than that and that's okay.

[incorrect-multiverse]

Moiraine: If you see me talking to myself, go away! I’m self-employed and we’re having a staff meeting!

[iliiuan]

Moiraine starts twirling her staff over her head and all I can think about this time is her doing drill in highschool. Moiraine leading the marching band. Moiraine throwing batons. It's a Very Serious Moment and I'm reduced to giggles.

[queenofmalkier]

Egwene and Being "Ignored" in the Tower

SOOOOO.

I actually have a lot of thoughts about this and I think this is a very good instance of Egwene being an unreliable narrator in terms of what she thinks is happening and what is actually going on. (I was reminded of wanting to go on a tangent about this by a recent post.)

For starters, Aes Sedai are all very, very good at manipulation. We're not supposed to know in the beginning just how invested in Scheming they are, even though the text and to some extent the show tells us over and over. We're supposed to believe it's an exaggeration, playing on our own knowledge that woman are generally painted in a bad light when they have power. It's wickedly clever.

They're all a lot older than Egwene and have seen a lot of things. From the moment she put on that novice dress it was easy to peg her as someone who not only wanted to be one of them, but also had an instinctive need to be noticed. That shaped how they were going to train her.

Now wanting to be seen? That isn't a bad thing! Everyone likes to receive praise! But this is the tower. Part of their training is to break down the girls who enter and rebuild them into the image of an Aes Sedai and Egwene's obvious pride and need for praise are easy targets for them to start doing just that.

You can't tell me they don't have plans for her and you can't tell me any part of her novice training is unintentional.

For starters, as a fairly new novice she's cleaning the Amyrlin's study. I think this is a subtle way to remind her of her goals and aspirations, to see what she could be if she applies herself. This also allows Siuan to keep an eye on her - even when she's away from the Tower, Siuan naturally has other means of doing this through Leane or her personal staff.

Which Leane is doing. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but did she really need to carry that cup around just to toss it in Egwene's bucket? We see cups left all over the place throughout the episode, yet Leane makes a point to take hers to Egwene.

That she ignores Egwene while she tosses it is classic Aes Sedai behavior. Think back to the books - Moiraine conditions the boys after they've been away from her for too long by getting them to do chores until they don't question it.

By ignoring Egwene, Leane is able to both check on her and also help work on breaking her down a little. It's not malicious - it's just how they operate. Had she remained by the time she was Accepted she would have craved their approval and notice, and would be very loyal to the tower. That's just how conditioning works.

Madeleine Madden does a great job of showing all of this on her face and with her body language. She's a kicked puppy, arms crossed, curled in on herself. This isn't what she wanted at all. Why don't they notice her? Didn't Moiraine say she was special? She needs to work harder. Do better.

We next see her in Alanna's room, basically being treated as if she's invisible. On the one hand, it's shocking to a fairly sheltered country girl (Which Alanna very much knows - she tells us later she wants to get Egwene to be less uptight later in the weird meeting they have after the kitchen scene), but again, it hurts her feelings and sets her off-balance. Alanna does give her some notice, but Egwene is so uncomfortable she books it.

The first clue for the audience that she's missing out on the subtle ways she very much is being watched is after she passes the novices watching the warders. There's two blue sisters just casually talking in the hallway. As a viewer you might think that's normal, but why are they there? There's plenty of places to post up and they just happen to be in Egwene's path? Both of them take notice of her immediately, and presumably begin discussing her once she passes.

To Nynaeve she defends the Tower policy, even if she doesn't believe it, she's trying to believe it. And naturally all the spies in that kitchen happily report that back. (Liandrin later actually gives away the game, though Egwene is too upset and angry to realize Liandrin is saying outright she's being watched.)

Another way they're trying to break down Egwene is by using Nynaeve as a really big convenient stick. I dislike the term break because I feel like it comes off as negative, but I don't mean it that way.

To be an Aes Sedai she needs to be able to control her emotions, to hide what she's thinking. Right now she's too obvious and that's a weakness. (Although I think they want to break down her pride so another reason - she needs to accept that she's a baby compared to them and has a lot to learn. She doesn't have anything to be proud of just yet in their eyes.)

So, yeah. I don't think Egwene is nearly as invisible as she thinks she is to the women in the tower, she's just too young and not really away of the games going on around her yet. And I like that she doesn't notice, because she shouldn't. Not at this point in her life.

[deeplyridiculouslyinlove]

My favorite Moiraine moments in The Eye of the World

EOTW only spoilers below the cut

1. “[The mist] follows the river as if drawn with a pen,” Moiraine was saying in satisfied tones. “There are not ten women in Tar Valon who could do that unaided. Not to mention from the back of a galloping horse.” (Chapter 12)

This is "Siuan Sanche waits for only one woman" energy right here.

2. “I suffered more injury to my pride than anything else,” the Aes Sedai said irritably, plucking at her cloak blanket. She looked as if she had been a long time ill or hard-used, but despite the dark circles under them, her eyes were sharp and full of power. “Aginor was surprised and angry that I held him as long as I did, but fortunately he had no time to spare for me. I am surprised myself that I held him so long. In the Age of Legends, Aginor was close behind the Kinslayer and Ishamael in power." (Chapter 51)

Not babygirl being surprised (and a bit self-satisfied) that she held off a powerful Forsaken for so long BUT ALSO her pride being wounded that she couldn’t do it for longer.

3. Even Aginor seemed stunned. Then his head lifted, cavernous eyes burning with hate. “Enough. It is past time to end this.” “Yes, Forsaken,” Moiraine said, her voice as cold as deep winter ice. “Past time.” The Aes Sedai’s hand rose and the ground fell away beneath Aginor’s feet. Flame roared from the chasm, whipped to a frenzy by wind howling in from every direction, sucking a maelstrom of leaves into the fire which seemed to solidify into a red-streaked yellow jelly of pure heat. In the middle of it, Aginor stood, his feet supported only by air. The Forsaken looked startled but then he smiled and took a step forward. It was a slow step, as if the fire tried to root him to the spot, but he took it. And then another. “Run!” Moiraine commanded. Her face was white with strain. “All of you, run!" (Chapter 50)

"I'm as strong as I have to be" 😭

4. In Algomar’s private garden, under a thick bower dotted with white blossoms, Moiraine shifted on her bed chair. The fragments of the seal lay on her lap and the small gem she sometimes wore in her hair spun and glittered on its gold chain from the ends of her fingers. The faint blue glow faded from the stone and a smile touched her lips. It had no power in itself, the stone, but the first use she had ever learned of the One Power as a girl in her royal palace of Cairhien was using the stone to listen to people when they thought they were too far off to be overheard. (Chapter 53)

Obsessed that her version of the all-knowing Merlin character is an affinity for eavesdropping--maybe it's mystical wisdom, maybe it's being a nosy bitch (affectionate)!

5. Her eyes fell on Mat as she stepped through the doorway and she hissed as if she had touched a hot stove. "Get away from him!" Nynaeve did not move, except for turning to stare at the Aes Sedai in surprise. In two quick steps Moiraine seized the Wisdom by the shoulders, hauling her across the floor like a sack of grain. Nynaeve struggled and protested, but Moiraine did not release her until she was well away from the bed. The Wisdom continued her protests as she got to her feet angrily straightening her clothes, but Moiraine ignored her completely. The Aes Sedai watched Mat to the exclusion of everything else, eyeing him the way she would a viper. (Chapter 41)

Sorry I didn’t hear you I was distracted thinking of canonically tiny Moiraine dragging Nynaeve across the room like one of those mothers who finds super strength and lifts the car off her kids.

6. Moiraine climbed down from Aldieb's back. Calmly she removed something from her pouch, unwrapped it. Rand glimpsed dark ivory. The angreal. With angreal in one hand and staff in the other, the Aes Sedai set her feet, facing the onrushing trollocs and the fade's black swords, raised her staff high, and stabbed it down into the earth. The ground rang like an iron kettle struck by a mallet. The hollow clang dwindled, faded away. For an instant then, it was silent. Everything was silent. The wind died. The trolloc cries stilled. Even their charge forward slowed and stopped. For a heartbeat, everything waited. Slowly the dull ringing returned, changing to a low rumble, growing until the earth moaned. The ground trembled beneath Cloud's hooves. This was Aes Sedai work like the stories told about.... Abruptly Moiraine wavered, and would have fallen had Lan not leaped from his horse to catch her. "Go on," he told the others. The harshness of his voice was at odds with the gentle way he lifted the Aes Sedai to her saddle. "That fire won't burn forever. Hurry! Every minute counts." The wall of flame roared as if it would indeed burn forever, but Rand did not argue. They galloped northward as fast as they could make their horses go. The horns in the distance shrilled out disappointment, as if they already knew what had happened, then fell silent. Lan and Moiraine soon caught up with the others, though Lan led Aldieb by the reins while the Aes Sedai swayed and held the pommel of her saddle with both hands. "I will be alright soon," she said to their worried looks. She sounded tired, yet confident, and her gaze was as compelling as ever. "I am not at my strongest when working with earth and fire. A small thing." (Chapter 18)

She's ridiculously proud of her fog along the river and then just a few chapters later channels EARTHQUAKES and WALLS OF FIRE like she's not one of the last Aes Sedai of a dying age and SHRUGS IT OFF.

7. "The The Wisdom won't help. She says she can't. But the stories--" She raised an eyebrow and he stopped and swallowed hard. Light, is there a story with an Aes Sedai where she isn't a villain? ...

She used the staff to pull herself to her feet. “Take me to your father, Rand. I will help him as much as I am able. Too many here have refused to let me help at all.” “They have heard the stories too,” she added dryly. (Chapter 7)

Rand is lucky he's the Dragon Reborn or he and the Two Rivers folks would have been met with some wasps.

8. Thom Merrilin stepped forward grandly and held up one empty hand, turning it slowly. Suddenly, he gestured with a flourish and a dagger twirled between his fingers. The hilt slapped into his palm and, abruptly nonchalant, he began trimming his fingernails. A low, delighted laugh floated from Moiraine. (Chapter 12)

This peek at the girl who watched court bards at the Sun Palace in Cairhien is so cute it makes me almost willing to ship her and Thom in the books.

9. “The Dark One is after you three. One or all. And if I let you go running off wherever you want to go, he will take you. Whatever the Dark One wants, I oppose. So hear this and know it true. Before I let the Dark One have you I will destroy you myself.” It was her voice, so matter of fact, that convinced Rand. The Aes Sedai would do exactly what she said if she thought it was necessary. He had a hard time sleeping that night, and he was not the only one. Even the Gleeman did not begin snoring until after the last coals died. For once, Moiraine offered no help. (Chapter 13)

This is controversial but I personally adore this speech where she threatens to kill them all and then acts petty about healing them just because she hears Rand talking badly about Aes Sedai.

10. “Do they have sheep in Tar Valon? That's all I know. Herding sheep and growing tabac.” “I believe,” Moiraine said. “That I can find something for you to do in Tar Valon. For all of you. Not herding sheep, perhaps, but something you will find interesting.” (Chapter 48)

I giggled.

11. Rand made ready to put Cloud to a gallop right away, and everyone else settled their reins with the same urgency. Everyone except Lan and Moiraine. The Warder and the Aes Sedai exchanged a long look. “Keep them moving, Moiraine Sedai,” Lan said finally. “I will return as soon as I am able. You will know if I fail.” Putting a hand on Mandarb’s saddle, he vaulted to the back of the black stallion and galloped down the hill heading west. The horns sounded again. “The Light go with you, last Lord of the Seven Towers,” Moiraine said, almost too softly for Rand to hear. Drawing a deep breath, she turned Aldieb to the east. “We must go on,” she said, and started off at a slow, steady trot. (Chapter 18)

11. I can't help but think how much they've grown since New Spring when I read this and it makes me want to cry.

Bonus: Every scene of Moiraine greeting the cats at Basel Gill’s inn. (Chapters 41 & 43)

Bonus Bonus: The way Rosamund delivers Moiraine's "it will be as the wheel wills" in the audiobooks after Loial says he is worried the bridges in the Ways are breaking and they might be trapped in there and die. (Chapter 45)

[esterzach]

So I am listening to "Equal rites" audiobook by Pratchett today. "He came walking through the thunderstorm and you could tell he was a wizard, partly because of the long cloak and carven staff but mainly because the raindrops were stopping several feet from his head, and steaming." Lmao All of a sudden I remember how Moiraine enters the inn of Emond's field from the heavy rain outside, with a completely dry cloak. Lan walked in first, and when he pulled his hood down you could hear a wet plop ( sorry, I don't know how you transfer sounds into words in English) because his cloak was soaking wet. Apparently, while we all thought she was just being dramatic, she was drying her clothes outside. Man, I love Pratchett!

[illusions-in-octarine]

Unfortunately I don't even remember enough about Suian from the books to really comment on her characterisation. I will say that I think show!Suian does present a consistent and coherent person, even if that ends up being pretty unrelated to the Suian Sanche of the books. It would be going a bit far to call show!Suian an empty love interest.

But that aside while remaining Suain-related, they showrunners have excelled at demonstrating the factionalism and fractiousness of the Tower. Not only is every Ajah conspicously only talking to their own in the courtyard, we had a clear demonstration of Alanna, Moiraine and Verin all turning on the Amyrlin's orders practically independent of each other. Liandrin's off running orders for the Dark, Warders are arranging stealth meetings with false Dragons Reborn, Brown sisters are taking advantage of the opportunity to steal maps from the Royal Library -

Verin deceives the Keeper of the Staff even when she knows it'll be found out in the next five minutes, Lan is the first one to walk away from an injured Amyrlin into the Waygate following a Forsaken, of all people -

There aren't enough italics for how much Tower politics is a Wild West right now. The center does not hold.

And maybe Suian didn't know that. Maybe the disunity has only fractured into unflinching defiance in this moment, as the stakes have suddenly escalated with the reveal of the Dragon Reborn.

But it makes me sure that we should be glad Suian couldn't hold him, and that she shouldn't have presumed that it was her right without far greater certainty in her political power, not just ceremonial, over the facets of the Tower. Because she can't hold the other Aes Sedai.

Rand would never have made it a month without the Reds getting to him.

[demonscantgothere]

Feint. Moiraine Damodred/Lan Mandragoran. T-rated. 1,807 words [1/1] This is only a short little thing, but I may write more. Dipping my toes into the water!

After the defeat of Ishamael, Lan realizes Moiraine needs to rely on more than just the One Power to guide her. Rand may have removed the knot, but another Forsaken may put a second one in place one day, and if that day comes, Moiraine must be ready.

Lan’s eyes trail down the length of the staff, his gaze catching on the cuts and dents and imperfections hammered into the wood—beaten into it with a fine precision of blood, sweat, and tears—his fingers enclosing one by one in a slow dance around the rough cord wrap of the handle in the center. His wrist twirls the staff through the air in a steady circle that hums with each spin, his eyes peering through the wheel it creates between them—meeting Moiraine’s eyes on the other side, her gaze narrowing in on him with a honing precision she reserves for her channeling.

There’s no channeling here tonight.

The One Power be banned, Lan insisted on it. No, there was no One Power here tonight—only man power. Only hands and fists. Only feet and knees. Only elbows and chins.

Only blood and sweat.

Lan’s eyes trail down the length of the staff, his gaze catching on the cuts and dents and imperfections hammered into the wood—beaten into it with a fine precision of blood, sweat, and tears—his fingers enclosing one by one in a slow dance around the rough cord wrap of the handle in the center. His wrist twirls the staff through the air in a steady circle that hums with each spin, his eyes peering through the wheel it creates between them—meeting Moiraine’s eyes on the other side, her gaze narrowing in on him with a honing precision she reserves for her channeling.

There’s no channeling here tonight.

The One Power be banned, Lan insisted on it. No, there was no One Power here tonight—only man power. Only hands and fists. Only feet and knees. Only elbows and chins.

Only blood and sweat.

Moiraine twirls her own staff with less grace than him, attempting to keep her eyes on him while bettering her technique. Physical combat is not her strong suit. She has always relied on the One Power to guide her and protect her. She has always relied on Lan’s sword to guard her.

Her plight with Ishamael’s knot on her taught her the One Power would not always be there to save her. Rand untangled the knot, but now that they know it can be tied—what if it happens again?

“Shoulders up,” Lan instructs her, and Moiraine narrows her eyes further, an indignant glare in his direction through the two wheels the staves are creating in between them—but she raises her shoulders all the same, straightening out her arm and holding her staff at a better angle with more control in the grip. Her fingers clench around the rough-spun rope of the handle.

“I know how to hold myself,” Moiraine taunts back, her voice deep but melodious in reply. Never one shy of confidence, even when she is not quite sure of what she is doing.

The corner of Lan’s mouth quirks up at her, a teasing smirk. “Of course,” he agrees quietly, his voice just as low as hers—and haunting, full of the hunt he finds in the fight.

He lowers his chin. Catches his staff all of a sudden, stilling it, and Moiraine’s eyes flick to the staff first, cutting off of him and losing sight of his bodily movements.

Lan flies in for the first strike, staff raised high—and drops it down too soon, spinning in the air and swinging in the from the side instead—a feint.

His staff collides into Moiraine’s side before she can block his attack. It’s not hard enough to hurt her, but it’s hard enough to shove her away from him. Moiraine stumbles and catches herself quite gracefully in response, spinning around to face him with her staff raised horizontally as a guard between them, both hands on the wood to steady it, her dark hair whirling all around her shoulders as she comes face to face with him.

Bright eyes, a wild thing with injury and determination in the gleam of her gaze. Moiraine spins her staff, her footwork taking her away from him in a dance around the room as she keeps her eyes on him this time.

If there is one thing Moiraine excels at, it’s footwork.

Lan feels himself grinning at her, and that only turns her lips into a thin line of resolve as she tips her head backwards and throws her whole body into it next, whirling around along with her staff—and almost catching him in the back.

Lan blocks her swing with a loud crack of his staff against hers—and shoves her back again, putting his weight into it and knocking Moiraine back.

She catches herself on the heels of her boots and whips her head back, swinging her hair out of her face as she scoffs at him. “Playing dirty, are we?”

Lan tips his head as he shrugs his shoulders. “It’s the only way to play—”

With his staff behind his back, Moiraine almost doesn’t expect it—the way he swings it out of nowhere and hits her square in the chest with it.

Moiraine hisses like animal—shoves back at him, and Lan smirks, but he lets it happen. Lets Moiraine get the upper hand long enough to growl at him with gritted teeth, the tip of her staff sliding off of his and landing against his shoulder. Moiraine shoves with her fist and uses her free hand like she means to raise it, means to channel—

Lan rears back and slams his staff sideways into hers, leaning closely into her face. “We said no channeling,” he murmurs pointedly, raising his eyebrow. He feels the sweat trickle down the corner of his eye, and Moiraine returns the quirk of his eyebrow with her own.

“Oh?” she says heatedly, as if she doesn’t know any better. “Well, maybe I should—”

—Play dirty, Lan hears the thought she never says out loud as Moiraine cracks her forehead straight into his, pounding the thought into him like a hammer to a nail.

He growls at the headbutt, but she’s got better footwork—and Moiraine hooks her ankle around his and trips Lan, angling her staff to shove the corner of it into his shoulder. The equal motions work together to slam him down onto his back against the hard stone below their feet, knocking the wind out of him.

Moiraine moves quickly to untangle her feet from his, but it’s not fast enough. Lan clamps his shins around her ankle before she can pull it free and trips her, too. Moiraine falls to the ground in heap of blue, and Lan jolts upright and crawls over her, gets the upperhand—and they are a tangle of limbs struggling against each other, grips slipping, legs scrambling, and—

Moiraine bursts out laughing. Head tipped back onto the stone, her face wrinkled into pure ecstasy—she laughs like she doesn’t have a care in the whole world, and Lan can’t help himself. He starts laughing, too. Moiraine drops into a straight face out of nowhere and shoves at him, and he, too, immediately stops laughing long enough to tighten his grip and lock her back down, but he almost loses his grip on her as he slips sideways and catches himself.

Moiraine bursts out laughing again, grinning from ear to ear, her dark hair a wild curtain all around the stone beneath her head. With her cheeks flushed pink with exertion, the rest of her face is pale. Suddenly, she heaves in breaths through her open mouth, and Lan finds he has to do the same.

She turns her head to look at him, rolling over onto her hair. “Left, right, feint,” Moiraine heaves at him. “You’re too predictable.”

Lan raises his eyebrows. “It’s an art form,” he heaves out in return, just as winded. “It should be predictable. There are techniques to follow.”

“Left, right, feint—” Moiraine squeals as Lan dives in to tickle her.

“—Shut up,” Lan hisses with a grin, “or I’ll make you regret it—”

“—That’s—not—part—of—the—technique—!”

Another high-pitched squealhits the air, and Moiraine flings herself over onto her stomach, trying to roll away from him, but Lan scoops her into his arms like she weighs nothing—as light as a baby. Tiny little thing in comparison to him, and he doesn’t care how unsanctimonious it is to hold an Aes Sedai in this manner.

He’s her Warder. He can hold her however he likes.

Moiraine glares at him, petulant. “Let me go,” she easily orders.

“No,” Lan says, just as petulant.

“You can’t hold me like this forever,” Moiraine shoots back.

“Says who?”

Her eyes go wide. “Lan, you wouldn’t.”

He cocks one eyebrow at her. “Says who?”

“Lan—”

He throws her over his shoulder, and Moiraine lands there with an oomph. Lan starts striding towards the door of the training room with her thrown over his shoulder, his arm locking her legs down in place against his chest.

“Lan, don’t make me—”

He pauses halfway to the door. “Don’t make you what?”

“Don’t make me—”

“—I think it’s time for a bath,” Lan says all of a sudden, cutting her off, a curious look spreading across his face. “What do you say, Moiraine?” he asks her casually—as if she isn’t dangling over his shoulder halfway down onto his back.

Moiraine pauses in her struggle, seeming to forget all about it. “Hmm, you do make a fine point,” she agrees, all of the fight gone out of her. Lan glances over his shoulder down at her. Moiraine scrunches her nose at him, making a face. “You do smell like a horse,” she teases.

Lan gasps—a mock gasp. There isn’t a drop of offense in him. “And you,” he says right back, “smell like a squirrel.”

Moiraine gasps in return. “How dare you—” She lifts her head, tips her hair back. Her eyes are wide and expectant. “But a very cute squirrel, yes?”

Lan purses his lips, nodding in agreement. “Absolutely,” he says with far too much seriousness in his tone. “A very cute, feral squirrel.”

Moiraine purses her lips right back and turns away from him, reaching out and patting his bottom in return—as if his response has made everything better. “All right, then,” she teases. “Come on, let’s go.”

It is a gesture that would make anyone else raise their eyebrows to see such mannerisms between the two of them, but for them, it is commonplace. They are comfortable enough with each other, and intimate enough with each other as well, that none of these things are out of place for them, and Lan smirks at her reply as he carries her out of the door and down the hall towards the washroom, Moiraine swinging behind him with her chin in her hand as she waves at people with the other while they pass them by.

When they make it to the washroom, Lan has the bright idea to slip Moiraine down into his arms, cradling her for a moment as they smile across at one another—before he chucks her, clothes and all, into the wash tub with a splash of water everywhere.

Moiraine squeals again with her laughter, loud and clear. Now that they are out of the training session, the rule of no channeling no longer applies. Before Lan knows it, Moiraine channels a wave of water into the air—and throws it straight onto him, sending water flying everywhere throughout the washroom.

Water dripping his chin, Lan raises his eyes at her. “This means war,” he says.

Over the rim of the wash tub as she sinks halfway down to hide herself, Moiraine only grins.

[pien-art]

rip moiraine’s staff you could’ve been everything </3

(click image for optimal quality)

prints available here !

[iviarellereads]

The Eye of the World, Chapter 28 - Footprints in Air

(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.)

(Staff icon) In which we play catch-up to the timeline.

Nynaeve sees the White Bridge in the distance, and grumbles that Moiraine and Lan don't even seem to notice, and resolves not to let them see her "gaping like a country bumpkin." Moiraine won't answer any of Nynaeve's questions, just encourages Nynaeve to stay at Tar Valon for training, to conquer her temper and learn to control the Power at will. Nynaeve thinks to herself that she's only going along with this to be sure Egwene doesn't get hurt.

If only there was some way to get rid of the woman. Lan would be better by himself—a Warder should be able to handle what was needed, she told herself hastily, feeling a sudden flush; no other reason—but one meant the other. And yet, Lan made her even more furious than Moiraine. She could not understand how he managed to get under her skin so easily.(1) He rarely said anything—sometimes not a dozen words in a day—and he never took part in any of the . . . discussions with Moiraine. He was often apart from the two women, scouting the land, but even when he was there he kept a little to one side, watching them as if watching a duel. Nynaeve wished he would stop. If it was a duel, she had not managed to score once, and Moiraine did not even seem to realize she was in a fight. Nynaeve could have done without his cool blue eyes, without even a silent audience.

Over the days' journey, Nynaeve feels unsettled somehow, and notes that Moiraine and Lan both seem to feel it too. Eventually Moiraine tells her it's the Dark One's gaze, not on them specifically, but on the world. He's gaining power. Nynaeve wishes she hadn't said anything at all.

Until that point, Lan had scouted and chosen their paths, but now Moiraine takes the lead, as surely as if she could see footprints in the air, or smell a memory. Soon they arrive at Whitebridge, where it seems there's been some fire and destruction, at least half a dozen buildings appear to have burned down. The people all seem to lie about what happened, either only knowing rumour or intentionally ignoring the truth in front of them.

They hear tales of trouble coming in on a boat, and leaving on it again shortly after. Moiraine leads them to an inn, and says they were there a day ago, maybe two, and very afraid, but she doesn't know where they left. Lan says there was a Myrddraal there, too. Moiraine says she'll have to help the one she knows has his coin still, and Nynaeve asks what about Egwene?

The Aes Sedai studied the tabletop for a moment before raising her eyes to Nynaeve’s, and when she did, Nynaeve started back from a flash of anger that almost seemed to make Moiraine’s eyes glow. Then her back stiffened, her own anger rising, but before she could say a word, the Aes Sedai spoke coldly. “I hope to find Egwene alive and well, too. I do not easily give up young women with that much ability once I have found them.(2) But it will be as the Wheel weaves.” Nynaeve felt a cold ball in the pit of her stomach. Am I one of those young women you won’t give up? We’ll see about that, Aes Sedai. The Light burn you, we’ll see about that! The meal was finished in silence, and it was a silent three who rode through the gates and down the Caemlyn Road. Moiraine’s eyes searched the horizon to the northeast. Behind them, the smoke-stained town of Whitebridge cowered.

=====

(1) Because you're falling in love, you poor young woman. Nynaeve's never had the chance before, and though love seemed common enough in Emond's Field from what we saw, she's lacking in self-awareness of her feelings. Anger is easiest to understand because it's always gotten results back home, so it's what she defaults to. (Side note, it's funny that Lan doesn't really take Mo's side in these arguments, huh? But he DOES try to suggest Nyn go back to the Two Rivers, where she'll be safe. Make you wonder what he's feeling.) (2) Did you catch the second layer here? Back in chapter 13, Moiraine said there were two with high potential. We can now guess that Nynaeve, of course, was the one besides Egg, which means Mo's not like to give up on Nyn anytime soon, either, just as Nyn fears.

[thewheelweevils]

And more photo drops! They aren’t dripping with details, but there may be something to be gleaned.

Starting here with Moiraine in her lovely blue dress, still wearing her Great Serpent ring. It seems even unable to channel (still debated as to whether she is stilled or just permanently shielded), she isn’t letting on and is still presenting herself as Aes Sedai.

Rand with his shaved head still wields his heron-marked blade. Come to think of it, we really haven’t seen him use it in the show hitherto, and there’s certainly opportunity for him to in S2.

Perrin doesn’t look so very Way of the Leaf-y here. Definitely seen some action. Golden eyes—surely a bad sign, per the Children of the Light! Not sure the context here, but he looks older and more experienced than in the photo drop with Aviendha. Except he seems to be wearing the same clothes? And the lighting is the same? Different point in the same sequence?

Mat and his trusty quarterstaff. The Two Rivers had competitions of staff(?) and bow, and Mat has enough practice there that he’s no pushover. Come to think of it, we also didn’t see Mat in action in S1, more just … running.

Notably, he seems to be in the same place as Perrin, based on the lighting and coloring of the building. Is he following them? Traveling with them, even?

Not really much to add here. It’s Lan. Could be the White Tower … or anywhere else. Nothing really revealed here. But it is an opportunity to look at Daniel Henney, and that’s never a waste of time.

Finally, The Wonder Girls! Egwene and Nynaeve team up with fellow Tower initiate Elayne Trakand, the Daughter Heir of Andor, which is technically the kingdom the Two Rivers is situated in, but an Andoran tax collector hasn’t been seen in Two Rivers memory, and most Two Rivers folk would be surprised to learn they have a queen. Isn’t the White Tower a marvelous place, where princesses and rural tavern owners’ daughters are equal in station? I’m pretty skeptical of Nynaeve’s story about the old Wisdom being turned from the Tower because of her rags—I would bet she wasn’t strong enough in the Power for consideration. Some people can barely channel a trickle of the Power, others vast rivers.

Anyway, they sure do seem to be going somewhere in the dark, and packed for travel!

[evilphrog]

Watching Wheel of Time without reading the books: Season 2, episode 2

I am going to have to post this as half a review again. I had a lot of feelings, and I am never going to get around to watching the rest of the episodes if I don't just post what I have. I still haven't covered the Moiraine or Perrin plotlines, but believe me when I say I adore them also. You can read about the rest of them below.

We finally get to see what Rand has been up to all this time: having nightmares about hurting everyone he loves, and whoring himself out for room and board. It’s like he got separated from the group and immediately thought “What would Mat do in this situation?” He is also working as an orderly in a mental hospital. Ah yes, I see. He needs to prove the intrusive thoughts wrong, by being extra caring and kind. Someone should let him know that command hallucinations are not a predictor of violence on their own, and one of the best protective factors is having a robust support network that keeps you grounded in reality. In other words, he should be doing the opposite of what he has done. But that’s Rand. His head has never contained any thoughts except “Gee I sure love my friends and family” so it was the perfect place for Nancy Reagan to move right in. Just a big house with five bedrooms, cathedral ceilings, and only two cardboard boxes stuffed in one corner of the garage. The first was labeled “willingness to do anything for my loved ones” and the other was labeled “nuance.” The second box was empty. This will not go well for him.

He’s been caring for a man who survived the Aiel wars, and got some serious PTSD from it. He’s a sword master, and has been teaching Rand some proper forms. Too bad some absolute caricature of a douchebag working at the hospital likes to pick on him for no reason. Rand responds in the way every mental health worker witnessing an abusive staff member dreams of. He calms the patient, finishes out his shift, then follows him home and beats the shit out of him. But whoops, he underestimated his Manneler strength and maybe killed the guy instead. It’s hard to know for sure, since Rand has some major hallucinations going on most of the time. I feel for him here. In Rand’s mind, he was standing up to a bully as his equal. But Rand has no equals. He is quickly realizing that no fight involving him will ever be fair.

Douchebag fails to show up for work, so Rand gets promoted to the garden, where all the famous patients hang out. And his first patient of the day is Logain, the false dragon. Dun dun DUN!

Meanwhile, at the White Tower, Nynaeve is busy being wooed by an increasingly desperate JK Rowling. Unfortunately, her main selling points are gender supremacy and pre-crime. The fascism isn’t even thinly veiled, she just comes out and says it. Nynaeve isn’t interested. JK needs to change her sales pitch. To cope with the rejection, she goes and torments her pet Mat for a bit. He tolerates it, and as soon as she is gone, continues his Shawshank Redemption plan. He eventually succeeds in tunneling through his wall, only to discover another cell. At least this one comes with company in the form of Min, the psychic who bailed on the final battle. Once in the presence of another human, Mat’s charm immediately returns. Thank the Light. I like New Mat after all. He wants to know how Min ended up in Aes Sedai Jail (because she’s a girl), but Min has no clear answers for him. She does have wine, though, so now he has a drinking buddy. He offers to also be an orgasm buddy, but she has a vision of him stabbing Rand with the cursed dagger, which is a major lady boner killer. The rags and prison smell are probably also a factor.

A new girl has moved in to Novice school. Obnoxiously, with all her furniture blocking the hall. Egwene goes up to yell at her, and I get to meet Elayne, the girl everyone has been screaming about since the promo photos dropped. First impressions of Elayne: I want to hate her, but I just can’t. She is naive, but earnest. She’s very excited to be “just like everyone else” but can’t help mentioning that she’s the princess three times per conversation. I have to hand it to the actor. This character could very easily be played as condescending and out of touch. But instead, her sincerity bursts out of her with such force that I can’t help but like her. She latches onto Egwene like a lovestruck koala and never lets go. She propositions her in the first conversation, and says she hopes they become soulmates. Egwene is redheaded channeler catnip.

JK’s new sales pitch is apparently accidentally-on-purpose getting caught caring for her son, who is dying of old age. Or maybe it was a genuine accident. It is hard to tell with her. Nynaeve shows concern in the only way she can, by helpfully pointing out a mistake JK made, and telling her how to fix it. That earns her a slap in the face, which was pretty much what she expected, but JK does take her advice.

Meanwhile, Egwene figures out that Elayne is making up excuses to spend time with her. Good. She really needed this, because she has finally fallen into Gifted Kid burnout. She cries to Elayne about how Nynaeve gets all the praise without even trying, and meanwhile, she struggles to even get noticed. Elayne tells her jealousy isn’t a good look on her, in a voice that strongly implies she thinks nearly anything at all would be a good look on Egwene. I told Husband that Elayne is going to leave her morning whippings and run straight to Egwene to rub soothing lotion all over her. He said that’s actually canon.

Sadly, Nynaeve overheard this conversation. The thing that upset her wasn’t any kind of insult or character assassination. She is hurt that Egwene feels abandoned. She pretty clearly only joined Novice school so she could watch over Egwene and protect her. She is being harangued every day by the people she hates most, and now she’s being accused of ENJOYING it? Oh no! I hate miscommunication as a plot device, but I like this show’s spin on it. Another show might have Nynaeve walk away with the impression that Egwene has upgraded her best friend to the princess of the kingdom, and no longer needs the peasant from the two rivers. That was what I was worried would happen. But once again, the soul of the show is the way these five all love each other so much and know each other so well. I now have more hope that Mat isn’t as fooled by JK’s cursed dagger behavior as he is pretending.

JK interrupts Nynaeve’s angst to come extremely close to apologizing, and even closer to saying thank you. But her evil plan to force Nynaeve into an acceptance speedrun has already started, so there’s no turning back now. Nynaeve must walk through the arches and face her biggest fears, in order to become a full Jedi master Aes Sedai. Dun dun DUN!

Other episode reviews

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Eye of the World! Chapter 10: Leavetaking

I feel like saying "Hello" at the start of these is silly, but I don't know what else to do to start up each section of this reread! This reread is filled with more spoilers than a Cliff's Notes Omnibus, so if you're trying to avoid them you should avoid this post too. Run away like the gang is skipping town!

This chapter has Moiraine's staff for its icon and I think it's just because she's taking charge of everyone's fates now, or trying to. The Wheel's gonna weave though, whether she likes it or not.

“I looked,” Perrin replied. “There’s nobody here but us. Why would anybody hide—”

Why would anybody try to destroy your hometown, Perrin? I think people think you're slow because of stupid questions like this.

Rand thought about flourishing the sword, but Lan being there stopped him. The Warder was not even looking in his direction, but he was sure the man was aware of everything that went on around him.

Rand's constant need for Lan's approval in all things is wonderful and I'm going to point it out every time it happens. If you don't like it, join the people afraid of spoilers.

“Master Luhhan made it about two years ago, for a wool-buyer’s guard. But when it was done the fellow wouldn’t pay what he had agreed, and Master Luhhan would not take less. He gave it to me when”—he cleared his throat, then shot Rand the same warning frown he’d given Mat—“when he found me practicing with it. He said I might as well have it since he couldn’t make anything useful from it.”

A DIscord buddy of mine said that Perrin is basically what happens when King Arthur grows up next to Crystal Dragon Jesus, and boy is he desperate to prove it, since he also has a weapon inherited from a father figure but it's nowhere near as cool as Rand's Bladed Certificate of Badassery.

Anything can be a weapon, if the man or woman who holds it has the nerve and will to make it so.

Lan, meanwhile, once accepted a challenge to defeat a rampaging Trolloc army by using all the items in an abandoned Borderlander farm once each. Kind of a shame that we end up sticking mostly to traditional weapons and magic as the series goes on; stuff like Rand boiling the Trolloc with the kettle always has an extra fun element.

“We left notes,” Mat said. “For our families. They’ll find them in the morning. Rand, my mother thinks Tar Valon is the next thing to Shayol Ghul.” He gave a little laugh to show he did not share her opinion. It was not very convincing. “She’d try to lock me in the cellar if she believed I was even thinking of going there.”

Frankly Mat, I think that as long as you weren't being dragged off in irons, your mother would be quite happy to have you out of the house for a few months to grow up and not cause trouble.

Also, it's really weird that Perrin only mentions the Luhhans and not his own family. I'm aware that as Perrin is an apprentice he needs his teacher's approval to do things, but you'd think his parents would have a problem with this too. I hope Perrin actually left them a note too instead of just Luhahan; it would really suck if he missed this opportunity to say goodbye what with their imminent demise.

“Not without me.” Egwene slipped into the stable, a shawl-wrapped bundle in her arms. Rand nearly fell over his own feet.

One of my favorite things about the story is that our young lady is jumping at the chance for adventure and taking every opportunity to get while our young gents are being painfully dragged towards their doom. Egwene's not a ta'veren because the Pattern doesn't need to drag her around by the heels like it does with the layabouts; she's probably already planning on becoming Amyriln and she doesn't even know she can channel yet.

Do you think you three are the only ones who want to see what’s outside? I’ve dreamed about it as long as you have, and I don’t intend to miss this chance.

Sadly though, she does have a tendency to project. Absolutely none of the boys are leaving out of curiosity about the outside world; camping trips to the mountains are as far as they're interested in going.

A startled expression darted across Lan’s face. It was gone in an instant, leaving him outwardly calm, but furious words erupted from him. “No, Moiraine!”

It may seem a bit strange for stoic Lan to be having this outburst, but I stand by my fake dialogue from several chapters ago: dude is (rightly) convinced that Rand is the real deal and (wrongly) convinced that the others are just a waste of time. Now Moiraine's not even adding plausible candidates to their entourage, and who gets to hide all of their tracks? Lan. Dude might be loving the idea of becoming the Dragon Reborn's personal sword sensei, but babysitting the rest of these idiots is making him long to just go die in the Blight like he was going to twenty years ago.

“That will not be possible,” came Thom Merrilin’s resonant voice from the hayloft. Lan’s sword left its sheath this time, and he did not put it back as he stared up at the gleeman.

If this chapter was from Lan's POV, this is the point where his internal monologue would be lots of funny Borderland swears. And jeez Perrin, you "didn't think" of looking in the loft? That's like the most obvious hiding place!

Thom put his feet on the stable floor and turned from the ladder, brushing straw from his patch-covered cloak. “In fact,” he said in more normal tones, “you might say that I insist on traveling in company. I have given many hours over many mugs of ale to thinking of how I might end my days. A Trolloc’s cookpot was not one of the thoughts.”

Also, Thom may be using the Trollocs and lure of Tar Valon (not quoted but mentioned earlier) as excuses, but they're both BS. He knows damn well that he's not a target and that Moiraine's party is, so joining them only increases his risk. Further, he has no reason to go to Tar Valon unless he's ready to die by trying to off whatever Red Ajah witches killed his nephew, and right now he doesn't even know their names. He's just worried that one of the boys - all of the boys - might have the ability to channel and that they're being led to their doom, and he's willing to put up with a lot to save them if that's the case. Nobody in this stable is a paragon of morality, but they all have the hearts of heroes. As far as I'm concerned, all of them EXCEPT Mat (who doesn't wanna be) are bound to the Horn and this is just one hell of a crossover episode.

“Bela,” Rand said, getting a look from Lan that made him wish he had kept silent. But he knew he could not dissuade Egwene; the only thing left was to help.

Speaking of good hearts, I love the way that the EF5 are almost incapable of getting along but will still assist each other at nearly every opportunity.

The only horse left riderless was Cloud, a tall gray with a black mane and tail that belonged to Jon Thane, or had. 

Rand started this story with Bela and now that he's realized he's eight or nine years overdue for a properly mid-life crisis, he's traded her in for a racing model. Boy is gonna go through a lot of horses before this is over. Current horse count: 2

(There is no way I will remember this count by the time we get to the third horse, let alone the finale.)

“Wolves!” Perrin exclaimed, and the Warder favored him with a flat stare.

Foreshadowing! Boy deserves some since he hasn't really had much yet.

“Two Dha’vol Trollocs would have them all for breakfast,” Lan muttered when the sound of their boots had faded, “but they have eyes and ears.” He turned his stallion back. “Come.”

We don't know much about the Trolloc bands, but we can probably gather from this that the Dha'vols (guess the etymology!) are some of the least threatening.

Rand peered at the high-peaked houses in the dark, trying to impress them on his memory. A fine adventurer I am, he thought. He was not even out of the village yet, and already he was homesick. But he did not stop looking.

Don't be too hard on yourself, Rand. You're not coming back, not in this lifetime, and maybe even not in the next. Also your home is several miles away so you're further off than all the others.

A black shape flew slowly across the silvery ball of the moon. Rand’s involuntary jerk on the reins halted the gray. A bat, he thought weakly, but he knew it was not.

Meet the draghkar. I'm not quite certain where their name comes from (it seems to be a dragon variant), but they're pretty obviously (suc/in)cubi with hints of siren or vampire. Like the other variants of Shadowspawn seen thus far, draghkar are made from human beings, which makes me wonder: is there some sort of Fade equivalent to them, like what Trollocs have? Or is the genetic manipulation severe enough that the channeler gene doesn't exist in them, so no such throwbacks occur? Both options are frightening in different ways.

Also note that despite being potentially really effective threats against our heroes (one almost takes out Moiraine in book two after all), they pretty much drop off the face of the earth after book five or so. Sanderson brings them back for the Last Battle though, but sadly not in a way that really lets them shine. It might have just been too hard for either author to keep coming up with organic ways to include them that didn't end too much like previous encounters or with the readers going, "Yeah that person should be dead now." Or maybe the gholam ended up filling the same sort of niche too well.

It was Thom Merrilin who answered her hoarsely. “In the war that ended the Age of Legends, worse than Trollocs and Halfmen were created.” Moiraine’s head jerked toward him as he spoke. Not even the dark could hide the sharpness of her look.

Moiraine was born eons too late-early to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, but if she could see it, like me she would absolutely hate it when Picard asks the away team what's happening and Riker answers, "Trouble" or something else that is only an answer in the most useless sense of the word. She really doesn't appreciate it coming from someone who knows they need to be quiet and whose contributions are doing nothing but scaring the children she's trying to kidnap. Thom, meanwhile, really doesn't appreciate it when women are Aes Sedai in his presence. Naturally, Jordan thinks they're soul mates.

But that's an unsatisfying romance for another book, and we're closing out another chapter, bringing us closer to the somewhat unsatisfying romance in this book! Next time: The Road to Taren Ferry!