Winter's Heart: Chapter 6

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Author: Ilissa al'Nari

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The Scent of Madness


Chapter Icon: A falcon

Point of View: Perrin

Setting: Perrin is looking for his kidnapped wife

Characters: Perrin, Arganda, Master Gill, Lini, Selande, Sulin, Neald, Masema

Outline

Perrin tries to cope with Faile's disappearance.

Summary

Perrin is in an agonizing state. Faile has disappeared, and he does not know whether or not she is still alive. He also feels cut off from his own people, those from the Two Rivers, because they do not treat him as they once used to but as their liege lord and protector. He is embarrassed by them calling him alternately "Lord Perrin" and "Lord Goldeneyes", but because Faile has told him he must get used to it he no longer protests where people can hear. In addition he is well aware that the disappearance of Queen Alliandre of Ghealdan with Faile could very well incite the imminent conflict between the Aiel following Perrin and the soldiers from Ghealdan - and Lini, at least, has noticed that something is going on between him and Berelain and is not at all impressed. It is Master Gill who most unwillingly informs Perrin of this; Lini herself merely sniffs and uses imagery that Perrin does not understand.

He is sought out by Selande and the other members of Cha Faile, who initially demand that he give their horses back, which he agrees to if they agree to obey him as they would Faile until the latter has returned. Perrin is somewhat puzzled by the hierarchy within this group, but does not care - it is quite obvious that he sees them as an annoyance more than anything else. As the entire group is about to exit the camp, the small group of scouting Aiel and the Warders return with proof that Faile and the other women have not been harmed and that the Aiel who attacked and captured them are a mix of different Aiel societies but that the group were dominated by Shaido. The Aiel with him, among them Sulin, manage to convince Perrin that for now Faile and the others are most likely quite safe; she refuses to believe that even Shaido would break Aiel custom far enough to actually kill someone made gai'shain. She and the Warders who returned with the Aiel also warn Perrin that the Aiel army is most likely quite big, that there is also a far bigger non-Aiel army in the area and that they have seen creatures associated with the Seanchan invaders. His response is two-fold; he sends Asha'man Neald to tell Elyas and the other Asha'man what his plans are and moves his own army, consisting of Aiel, Two Rivers folk, Asha'man, Ghealdanin and Mayeners, forty miles due south by the means of Traveling. He also intends to send someone to find Masema, but before he gets that far Masema comes to him.

Masema, despite Perrin's initial orders that he come alone, brings one hundred men. Perrin informs him of Faile's kidnapping and orders Masema to take his group east; telling him he and his army will join them once they have recovered Faile. Masema claims he and his soldiers wish to come with him; Perrin tries to discourage this by pointing out that he intends to Travel but Masema states that for the purpose of bringing back the wife of a friend of the Dragon Reborn, channeling will be permitted.

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