Make sure to check out Part 1 here first.
Chapter 2 – A wish Fulfilled
SPOILERS AHEAD – YOU HAVE BEEN WARNMED!
In this next chapter we meet a new POV character called Moiraine. She is sitting in the Amyrlin’s sitting room. She has a best friend, a Tairen, called Siuan. We also find out that Moiraine spent most of her time growing up at the Sun Palace in Cairhien.
She is wearing a golden Great Serpent ring on her left hand (best hand), a snake biting its own tail which the book tells us symbolises eternity and continuity and her as an initiate bonded to the Tower which I am assuming is the White Tower.
Moiraine appears to an an ‘Accepted’, accepted as an initiate? I am not sure what Amyrlin means but I am beginning to think it is not a family name but a title? The chapter eventually tells us she is in Tar Valon which confirms it is the White Tower as I recall that is where it is. They can also smell the smoke from nearby burning villages caused by the Aiel, such battles happening not far.
Moiraine then let’s us know that it was her uncle who started the war? And she also believes she has a right to know what was going on. She is obviously not forgiving for the destruction that Aiel brought to the city and nation of Cairhien, but she knew where the ultimate blame lay. Interesting… but we are going to need more information.
But yeah pretty much Moiraine is salty she cannot get news on the battles happening, the ‘Accepted’ have been confined to the Tower grounds as strictly as novices since the Aiel had arrived and although there were regular reports delivered by Azil Mareed – the High Captain of the Tower Guard, the contents were not shared with anyone except ‘full sisters’. So she wants to be more involved with the war even if just by getting news on what is happening.
We are told that she had never thought she was going to join the White Ajah once she gained the shawl. But of course I don’t yet know what any of that means. I am sure we shall learn.
Now it gets more interesting as our attention is suddenly brought to two silk-gowned woman sitting the opposite side of a writing table in the room – up until now I had thought it was only Moiraine and Siuan in the room so when this part of the chapter came up those two figures just suddenly appeared there in my mind, like as if a camera panned out from Moiraine and swiveled around to them.
These two woman were Aes Sedai! The know it alls as I see them now. ‘with ageless faces, and for the smoke, they had certainly seen the aftermath of more battles than any general.’ So are these Aes Sedai immortal or was it simply a description? Also this line makes me think one of two things – they live forever and so have seen many battles over thousands or hundreds or years or they have seen many battles through visions or however they acquire their unnatural knowledge?
Also like Lan the Aes Sedai had learned to completely control their emotions, although I guess not via the same tactic as Lan. The two Aes Sedai in this room are called Tamra and Gitara. They seemed to have also mastered the ability to not be tired despite only having ‘catnaps’ since the fighting begun. I reckon many of us would love that ability. They were also not affected by cold or heat like others were – apparently something Moiraine and many ‘Accepted’ try and achieve themselves.
Moiraine deduced that however it worked, it did not involve the ‘One Power’, or she would have been able to see the weaves, or at least feel them.
Interesting. So perhaps the One Power is the general magic system? And that when it is used it can be detected via seeing or feeling these weaves. But clearly the Aes Sedai go by a different system? Huh. I think it is clear at least that Moiraine is not Aes Sedai herself so clearly I have much more to understand here. Is the White Tower some place or practice that teaches magic and the Aes Sedai are just part of that? Can you only be born Aes Sedai or train to eventually become one? Am I asking too many questions? Maybe, but these are only for the book to answer anyway.
And having looked back and found this line – ‘No one became Aes Sedai without learning to control their emotions at need, inwardly and outwardly’ – makes it sound like you do train to become one? But I still wonder if you still have to have something special in you to begin with, and it also sounds like only women can become Aes Sedai.
Tamra was more than simply Aes Sedai, she was the Amyrlin Seat, the ruler over all Aes Sedai’ – So is this kind of like the royalty of Aes Sedai? I assume it is based on intellect and skill rather than being hereditary? Apparently she was ‘raised from the Blue’ whatever that means and we are told of the seven Ajahs and so I am guessing blue is associated with one of those seven but that the Amyrlin represents all of the seven regardless of background, but also none so they emphasise that too. So I guess Moiraine associates herself with the White Ajah then?
Tamra Ospenya’s position gives her a great deal of influence and respect, even from those that hated the White Tower. So by the sounds of it Tamra is being framed as both wise and clever.
Next we learn more about Gitara Moroso who I was myself wondering what the deal with her is – Tamra’s Keeper of the Chronicles – ‘perhaps the second most powerful woman in the Tower’. But then it also says ‘certainly at least equal to the Sitters’ which leaves me a little confused.
She is apparently fair and just but kindness does not come to her – ‘flamboyant enough for a Green or a Yellow’ – she is also decked out in quite a bit of bling. She was also raised from the Blue and although Gitara apparently considers herself to still be of the Blue, Moiraine and others seem to doubt this, including based on the size of the stole she wore ‘almost considered a shawl’. Phew this is a lot to take in and there is still more to come. It is probably going to take me some time to understand the Aes Sedai but it is good we are getting more information.
‘As with all Aes Sedai, once they had worked long enough with the One Power, it was impossible to put an age to Gitara’s face.’ So it seems they do use the One Power and so perhaps they are simply just an advanced order of users of that magic system? Also – ‘By whispered rumor, she was over three hundred years old, very old even for an Aes Sedai.’ – Aha! So that suggests they can live a very long time but are not immortal. Now I see. It also sounds like the more they work with the One Magic the longer they can live.
‘Something else placed Gitara out of the ordinary. She had the Foretelling sometimes, the Talent of speaking what was still in the future.’ So that is something they can do! But it sounds like it is a rare ability even among the Aes Sedai? I imagine the future can also be changed based on actions too, so even if they do see something, something else can happen to cause it to change.
So it seems the Accepted sure do like to gossip and talk a lot about the Aes Sedai, and particularly the Amrylin, and the Keeper. So really it is hard to reason to take this knowledge I am getting – a lot of it – at face value. I should probably remain some where in the middle for now.
Gitara is apparently taking a long old time to write a letter ‘close on four hours’ and ‘had not covered half of one sheet of paper yet’. Moiraine could also tell they were worried despite clearly doing their best to look calm. It is all very intriguing and I think if the Aes Sedai, particularly these two, were worried, I’d also be worried as well.
But a little lore drop lets us know that Tar Valon has never been breached! Not ever. Does that tell us it will happen? I mean surely at some point right?
Apparently the Aes Sedai cannot lie but clearly had ways of kind of getting around that and that they were ‘not above misdirection’ so that lets us know they are not completely infallible I guess. We also learn that the Aes Sedai can use the Power as a weapon if they or their Wardens come under danger – are wardens those who train to eventually become Aes Sedai? And who make these rules that the Aes Sedai abide by?
‘No Aes Sedai had taken part in battle since the Trolloc Wars, when they faced Shadowspawn and armies of Darkfriends.’ Damn, that’s a long old time of just standing by. Must have to be some really dire situations for them to have to get involved. Also I am finding it really hard to see ‘Darkfriends’ as something sinister and threatening? Whenever I read it all I picture are cute, dark little creatures. No one else? Eh, I’m sure the books will soon shatter my illusion of them being some dark-themed cute and misunderstood plushy collectibles.
So after a bit of character building for Moiraine and her best friend Siuan we get to this – ‘And both had been born with the spark, which was uncommon.
They would have begun channeling the Power eventually whether or not they had tried to learn how; not every woman could learn by any means’ – This tells me that either you had to be born with this ‘spark’ in order to use the One Power AKA magic or it helped tremendously to have it if you did want to learn but maybe there were other ways if not? Also it keeps sounding like only woman can use the One Power? So far at least anyway.
I do like also the dynamic between Moiraine and Siuan that they both basically come from completely polar opposite backgrounds and yet are somehow still best friends since being in Tar Valon. Also feel a bit sorry for Siuan since in Tear, where she came from, they are not fond of the Aes Sedai so she is as good as outcasted really, not that it was any of her choice to be born with what she has.
So yeah it sounds like they are both pretty intelligent with how fast they have moved up and it looks like it has been pretty much confirmed that they can become Aes Sedai – so if I can understand correctly it goes something like Novice > Accepted > Aes Sedai or some iteration.
We soon hear trumpets again and a lot of them – I wonder if they are the same ones Lan heard in the last chapter?
‘Moiraine felt a faint tingle as Siuan opened herself to the Source and embraced saidar, the female half of the Power’. Okay so we get to see some magic being performed and this is interesting – the female half of the power? So men can also do magic then using the male half? Looks like I still have much to learn on this. Also why is it forbbiden to use it for chores? Then again it looks like those rules can be bended. Not always so strict then?
The book makes us aware that it is quite easy for one to detect the ability of another to channel, as in use magic, so I wonder does that make it difficult for these people to hide then? At least difficult to hide from each other or someone using someone who can channel to find someone else who could anyway who they knew to be hiding nearby. At the same time though it also notes one may not be able to notice another who can channel is close if they are not paying attention. But still, that must make it almost impossible for them to hide.
‘Accepted were granted a little leeway – by that time, you knew that you watch a husband age and die, and your children and grandchildren and great-grand-children, while you changed not at all’ Damn, so they really do live a long old time. But this line also suggests that the ability is not passed on to children? So is it largely random or do having one or more parents with the ability to channel increase the chance they will give birth to one who will also go on to have such ability?
Anyway we meet a new character called Elin Warrel who is Andoran and currently a Novice. She is caught by Moiraine reading love stories – but apparently it is not something Novices should be doing – discouraged from love and kept away from men, and it is very bad if they have a child.
So now it is talking about the dynamics between novices, accepted, servents, the keeper, sitters, and the amyrlin and that sitters or the keeper can question the Amyrlin if they believe they were given a foolish order but accepted and novices can not and likewise novices cannot question what they think to be foolish orders from accepted and yada yada. Now I still don’t fully understand all these different positions – like I am still not sure what a Sitter is – and are Servents also magic users or just there to serve? But anyway I find the whole questioning dynamic quite silly, I think it is important to be able to question anyone’s judgement on something especially if you strongly think or know that it is poor or wrong, otherwise I feel like that is a hallmark of a poor system. Just my opinion though. But yeah anyway it sounds like Moiraine is try-harding a bit much here with Elin and I find it annoying.
‘He is born again!’ Gitara cried. ‘I feel him! The Dragon takes his first breath on the slope of Dragonmount! He is coming! Light help us! Light help the world! He lies in the snow and cries like the thunder! He burns like the sun!’ Wow okay. So is this the Dark One or something else? It has to be the Dark One right? WAIT she just died? Okay I was not expecting that. Did she die from terror? Huh… well that went from zero to one-hundred very quickly.
So that was a Foretelling then, so that could mean it has not happened yet right? But that it will be happening soon? Or maybe it has happened but I am sure a Foretelling sees the future and not the present? I could be wrong and I guess we shall see. Also the Amrylin – an Aes Sedai – ordering an Accepted to lie? Ah, but the Accepted are allowed to lie as they are not Aes Sedai. The classic loophole. I would wonder why they are keeping this all secret, but then again they did say the Aes Sedai tend to hold on to what they know. Also I feel people will still be suspicious anyway if Gitara simply just ‘died’ but without reason cause this is an Aes Sedai, they live for a ridiculously long time. Eh. But then again it did also say Gitara was older than most Aes Sedai.
Well that was an interesting information-filled chapter. Nice we got to learn more about the Aes Sedai and the One Power but there is certainly still more to learn. Also the name of the chapter is because Moiraine had always wished to see a Foretelling in person and she certainly got that, although not in the way she would have wanted – a be careful what you wish for moment!
But yeah that was our first death and we are only on the second chapter. Jolly good sir. RIP Gitara Moroso
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