Remember to read Part 4 first.
Chapter 12 – Across the Taren
Hmm… I wonder who Lan and Moiraine are talking about – ‘You must handle it,’ Moiraine said in answer to something unheard from Lan. ‘He will remember too much as it is, and no help for it. If I stand out in his thoughts…’
If this Hightower bloke were to try and rob Rand and his group it would be one of the stupidest possible things they’d do. Well they got across fine – but then something odd happened where a whirlpool seemed to appear and drag the ferry away before Hightower and his men could go back again – did that happen on purpose – from Moiraine perhaps? Is there something I am missing here? Probably.
I guess it’s maybe some tactic of hiding themselves – just like how the fog is. Which is quite clever. Making sure the Dragkhar cannot report on them or know where they have gone.
Damn, Lan planned a sleeping spot way in advance. That must be quite hard to judge? Or maybe not I guess if you know the general direction you’re going to be heading in. I guess maybe he prepared some back up spots as well.
Ah okay I get it with the whole fatigue thing – Moiraine pretty much just removed the feeling but it’s still bad overral and the horses would eventually die from exhaustion even if they didn’t feel it. Weird! But makes sense. I thought there had to be some limitation to it otherwise why not just always use it?
Huh. So Egwene has the ability to learn to channel and maybe become Aes Sedai. Okay then. Also… Rand thinking about the rare few men who can channel and thanking that none were in the Two Rivers… not realising he IS one basically… although in a much more significant way.
Well, Egwene might be excited about becoming an Aes Sedai – although she clearly does not fully realise what that entails – but Rand is not happy about it. But, it sounds like she will do well if she does become one which I am guessing she will? Or the book is misdirecting us and she ends up dying. Can’t say I won’t discount that completely.
Chapter 13 – Choices
Damn. I mean sure it can be hard to trust Aes Sedai but some of the powers sure are helpful. I was thinking how could they possibly sleep after she went around the room and removed their tiredness and aches again but they seemed to sleep anyway. Clearly it is taking a toll on Moiraine though.
Wow – so they really left the shire now then – okay okay I’ll stop making that reference. But also – Perrin said ‘In a month or two we’ll be back’ … uh huh… somehow I doubt that – and whenever they do return I doubt it will be all of them – assuming any of them ever return at all.
Rand already reminicing and wanting things back the way they were. Just goes to show don’t take what good you have in your life for granted cause you don’t know when it will be gone or change.
Alright so they are traveling to this place called Baerlon and they’ve been going for a bit now – avoiding any sign of life anywhere to be safe – and Lan is now training the boys to be better fighters I think – they are all already pretty good at the bow. I also saw this when it was Rand’s turn – ‘Rand, summoning the flame and the void, the empty calm that let the bow become a part of him, or him of it, clustered his three where the points almost touched one another’ – So is there meaning there or is it simply just a description – does it foreshadow Rand’s eventual ability to harness the One Power? Maybe I’m just overthinking it.
Ah okay, he just mentioned the flame and the void to Lan as well while using the sword – apparently something Tam taught him – so I guess it’s just a calming technique and nothing literal – I mean obviously right since he clearly can’t channel yet. But yeah anyway.
Rand really counted Egwene brushing her hair with 100 strokes. Really? I mean he obviously likes her, right… but really? And then he just starts an argument with her since she is deadset on becoming an Aes Sedai now. Silly Rand – he really thinks that Moiraine might be a darkfriend? I mean to us readers it is pretty clear she isn’t but I guess maybe from Rand’s perspective some things – due to lack of context – could make him believe that – but what about the Trollocs and Myddraal and Draghkar – pretty sure Darkfriends don’t kill or oppose them.
All the boys are getting a bit silly aren’t they. They deserved the stern talking to from Moiraine – and the part where she said she’d destroy them before she let the Dark One get to them – can’t say I completely discount that possibility of her doing that if it were to come to it. Scary.
Oh boy. Seems Rand still has not learned NOT to be silly. Sneaking over to spy on Moiraine and Egwene’s conversation. Mate, if Lan was not able to sneak up on her is Rand really capable of doing it? Silly, silly kid. Love makes you do silly things I guess.
Egwene is probably in for a bit of an awakening when she starts at the tower in Tar Valon. But another thing – apparently according to Moiraine someone else back in the Two Rivers would also have had the ability to become an Aes Sedai… I wonder who – not the Wisdom then… no… someone else – but Moiraine says she is on a different path. Eh, maybe it’s nothing but then why say anything if so?
Eh, I feel like Moiraine knew he was there.
Mat is learning to juggle from the gleeman, eh? Maybe he’ll be a gleeman himself one day. I think if any of them were to be it would be him.
So, they have arrived at Baerlon and they are going to be under fake names – and it looks like Moiraine (Alys) and Lan (Andra) are both well known by the gatekeeper via their fake identities.
The Children of the Light are about it seems. Confrontation? We also got some news about that ongoing war with the Dragon … still saying his false for now cause well he has to be – but their army is heading to Tear apparently which is significant as legends say if the fort their called the Stone of Tear falls then that is proof that the Dragon Reborn has indeed returned. And there seems to be some artifact there too called ‘the sword that cannot be touched’ that apparently the Dragon Reborn will take and wield – are we hearing some of Rand’s destiny?
Perhaps this fake Dragon will end up toppling the fort there but maybe that then only opens up the way for Rand to get this ‘sword’ or whatever the object or weapon is. Hmm. And also Rand makes a point how can the stone fall only after the Dragon already wields the sword that that very stone is guarding without the stone falling first. Huh.
Clever of Lan and Moiraine to have used their fake identities to make important connections in this town. Must have taken some time and work though as well as cunning.
Chapter 14 – The Stag and the Lion
Alright, so I did a quick bit of research and discovered that the events in this book take place 20 years after the events of the ‘prequel’ book I read previously (New Spring) and now that makes things make a lot more sense. So damn, Lan has been Moiraine’s ward for a long damn time at this point then.
They really been searching that long for the boy? And as I also understand there were supposed to be a few other prequel books that never ended up getting written since Robert Jordan sadly died so that may explain why some things left unanswered in New Spring don’t entirely make sense here as perhaps they would have been answered in those books that never got written.
I guess we shall see if we meet any of the characters in New Spring here. I imagine surely we will. I want to see Siuan again at least as she was my favourite character in New Spring.
I mean so much could happen in 20 years of time I wonder what things they went through up until The Eye of the World. Anyway… onwards. I think that book still at least gave us a lot of useful context and lore building for the world, for Lan, and for Moiraine. So, still well worth the read. And again, RIP Bukama!
‘Don’t you worry. They’ve tried it before. There’s no Aes Sedai in Baerlon, and the Governor knows it…’ Uh yeah, I don’t think this governor knows as much as he thinks he knows.
Alright, I understand a good bathe – but bathing in the same room with several people and also while Ara is still there is a bit odd to me. I’d be very uncomfortable. But I guess for them it’s just normal? I mean it does sound very relaxing at least, especially since it really sounded like they needed it. Fair. Literally me just commenting on a bath scene in the book that literally means nothing to the story at large.
Take the hint Mat you fool, stop trying to talk about the Trollocs to Ara. Moiraine literally said not to talk to anyone about events that happened. Well Lan arrived at least and got him to shut up. Silly kid.
Was Moiraine just talking to Siuan?!
I was about to ooh and ahh for a moment about how much Lan cares for Moiraine now – which makes sense as he is her Warder – but just think they’ve been connected like that for 20 years now so it must be a strong bond – which is nice because I am kind of feeling bad with how others are treating her and plus all the Aes Sedai hate/dislike – and since it has literally been 20 years I am sure Moiraine has more than made it up to Lan in how she originally treated him when they first met so I can’t really hold on to that being an issue anymore, it is certainly more than rectified, surely.
Alright, both Rand and Egwene just need to make up already. This is like children bickering and grudge holding at this point.
Man, this innkeeper needs to calm down. We get it buddy, you’re doing the best you can.
Alright, so Logain is the name of the False Dragon then with that war going on I think or Rand assumes anyway from what Lan is saying. He is still winning by the sounds of it.
Alright, so Rand is having some Dragon Reborn dream right now and is talking to this mystirious figure who seems to know him. I think good idea not to drink that goblet of wine Rand.
Ba’alzamon? Another name for the Dark One? Is he listing off False Dragons now? It sounds like this figure does not entirely know if Rand is the Dragon Reborn or just another False Dragon.
Well, that was something. The Dark One basically just admitted to conducting basically all the major events we’ve heard of. But also what can Rand do – because the Dark One is not necessarily wrong about the Tower just using him forever – one of his other dreams showed him not being able to escape the Tower. Oh boy. Is the Dark One trying to drive Rand mad now?
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