Arrela Shiego

A similar entry appears in the Wheel of Time Companion confirming the information available in the main story arc.

Author: Atarah al'Norahn

General

Arrela Shiego is a young Tairen woman (TPoD, Ch. 8; WH, Ch. 3). She is one of the young Tairens and Cairhienin who try to emulate the Aiel and has sworn herself into Faile's service as a member of Cha Faile (TPoD, Ch. 8).

She is tall, dark, and lanky, with dark hair that is cut as short as a Maiden's (TPoD, Ch. 8; TGS, Ch. 21). She is as tall as most Aiel women (CoT, Ch. 9). The clothes that she usually wears are plainer than most men's (TPoD, Ch. 8), and she strides like a man when she walks (KoD, Ch. 28).

Faile thinks to herself that Arrela does not like men in "that" way (KoD, Ch. 30), and Perrin thinks to himself that Arrela makes it clear she would as soon kiss a dog as any man (TPoD, Ch. 8). For Arrela to say that any man not of Cha Faile is fairly reliable is the same as anyone else saying that they think the man as honest as a bell (TPoD, Ch. 30).

Timeline

• Her name is not mentioned at the time, but Arrela is one of the members of Cha Faile to travel with Perrin and Faile to Ghealdan (ACoS, Ch. 27; TPoD, Ch. 8).

• Cha Faile is guarding Perrin and Faile's tent. Arrela and Lacile don't want to let Perrin enter, but Parelean barks an order and they stand aside (TPoD, Ch. 8).

• That night, Cha Faile holds a meeting. Arrela's name is not mentioned, but it can be assumed that she was there. The members who went to scout Bethal share what they have learned, and Faile gives them orders, which the reader does not learn (TPoD, Ch. 8).

• Parelean, Arrela, and Lacile bring Faile news that Masema has been meeting with the Seanchan. Arrela's dark face looks gray (TPoD, Ch. 30).

• When the Shaido attack, Faile tells Parelean, Arrela, and Lacile that one of them must get away to warn Perrin of Masema and the Seanchan, but Parelean is killed and Arrela and Lacile are taken captive. When Faile sees Arrela, she looks almost paralyzed by her nudity and is being almost dragged by a pair of Maidens (TPoD, Ch. 30).

• As the Shaido herd their new gai'shain towards their camp, Arrela and Lacile try to behave like Bain and Chiad, but Faile thinks to herself that they do not have much success. The two Maidens who captured Arrela handle her with impersonal ease. Arrela is scowling, and Faile thinks it might be because she cannot understand the handtalk that the two Maidens are using. Faile thinks that this is probably best, as the Maidens are saying that they think Arrela has soft feet and that she is altogether too pampered and soft; Faile thinks that that would surely have set Arrela off (WH, Ch. 3).

• When one of the Maidens hefts Arrela onto a shoulder, she pretends to struggle, but after glancing at Bain and Chiad, who are behaving very meekly, she lets herself hang limp. When Lacile also does not struggle, Faile thinks to herself that there are definitely advantages to their emulation of the Aiel (WH, Ch. 3).

• Galina Heals all of the new gai'shain. Arrela is the last to be Healed (WH, Ch. 4).

• As they continue to march towards the Shaido camp, Faile loses sight of Bain, Chiad, Arrela, and Lacile. Faile, Alliandre, and Maighdin search for them, but with no success. Maighdin says that they will have to find them that night (WH, Ch. 4).

• Perrin is informed that Faile, Alliandre, Maighdin, Arrela, Lacile, Bain, and Chiad have been captured (WH, Ch. 6).

• Faile convinces Arrela and Lacile to run away from the Shaido, although it is not easy to convince them to leave without her. She finally convinces them by telling them that they have to carry word to Perrin of where Faile is, along with information on how many Shaido there are and the message that Faile already has her own plan for escape and that his interference might endanger her (CoT, Ch. 9).

• Bain and Chiad help Arrela and Lacile escape the first day outside of Malden, leading them out to the trees and obscuring the tracks on the way back (CoT, Ch. 9).

• Faile learns, three days later, that the disappearance of Arrela and Lacile hasn't been noticed (CoT, Ch. 9).

• Arrela and Lacile are captured. Aravine leads Faile to where they are, lying naked and hogtied on a cart bed. Both of their heads are hung tiredly, though they look up when they sense Faile. Aravine tells Faile that they were brought back that morning, and that they will be untied before dark, since it was their first attempt at escape, though she doubts they will be able to walk before tomorrow (CoT, Ch. 9).

• Because the Shaido camp is a dangerous place for gai'shain and they are often assaulted, Arrela and Lacile have found protectors by climbing into the blankets of their captors, Arrela with one of the Maidens who captured her and Lacile with the Mera'din who captured her (KoD, Ch. 5).

• Faile, Alliandre, and Maighdin meet up with Arrela and Lacile and enter Malden to begin the first stage of their escape (KoD, Ch. 28).

• When Galina causes one of the buildings in Malden to fall in on Faile, Alliandre, Maighdin, Arrela, and Lacile, Faile checks if anyone was hurt. She notices that Arrela seems to be moving her right arm carefully (KoD, Ch. 28).

• When, as they try to dig themselves out the building, the building collapses even more and they are no longer able to attempt digging themselves out, Arrela begins to cry softly (KoD, Ch. 28).

• Faile, Alliandre, Arrela, and Lacile give Maighdin their support as she tries to channel to save them all (KoD, Ch. 28).

• When Faile's people and three Mera'din find them in the collapsed building, Arrela and Lacile alternate between tears and laughter (KoD, Ch. 29).

• Rolan pulls Arrela out of the building third, after Faile and Maighdin. She looks as grim as death after Rolan pinches her bottom as he helps her climb out (KoD, Ch. 30).

• Faile, Alliandre, Maighdin, Arrela, and Lacile escape from Malden with Faile's people and the three Mera'din who helped them escape. When Jhoradin, Lacile's protector, is killed, she leans against Arrela, weeping (KoD, Ch. 30).

• After their escape/rescue, Seonid Heals Arrela (KoD, Ch. 30).

• When Faile starts sending her people to gather together the other gai'shain, she tells Arrela to stay, because Lacile needs a shoulder to cry on for a while (KoD, Ch. 30).

• She burns a veil belonging to Marthea to commemorate her (TGS, Ch. 21).

• Arrela and other members of Cha Faile accompany Faile when she tries to take the Horn of Valere to Mat. She is seized by Air when Aravine reveals herself as a Darkfriend (AMoL, Ch. 37).

Relationships

Perrin thinks to himself that while Cha Faile is Faile's to the bone, the fact that he is her husband means little (TPoD, Ch. 8). Perrin thinks that Arrela and Lacile are two foolish young women who think they can learn to be Aiel, or some strange version of Aiel (CoT, Ch. 5).

Aldin, one of the men who swears fealty to Faile in the Shaido camp, hopes to convince Arrela to marry him (KoD, Ch. 30).

Miscellaneous

• All of the members of Cha Faile try to behave like the Aiel, but Arrela wants to be a Maiden, and she resents the fact that Sulin and the others would not teach her handtalk. Faile thinks to herself that Arrela would be even worse if she knew that Bain and Chiad had taught Faile a little (WH, Ch. 3).

• Faile thinks to herself that while they are in the Shaido camp, Arrela and Lacile are focused on escape like arrows aimed at a target (KoD, Ch. 5).

• Despite having traveled with Aes Sedai, Arrela is still uncomfortable with the One Power and anything to do with it (KoD, Ch. 28).

• Even after all she went through with the Shaido, she does not believe they would ally themselves with the Dark One (AMoL, Ch. 37).

Quotes

All sorts and sizes of carts and wagons stood among the tents, their wheels replaced by sleds. Most were piled high with bundles and wooden crates and barrels, with the wheels tied on top of the loads, but she did not have to follow Aravine far before she saw a flatbed cart that had been emptied. Except that the cart bed was not empty. Two women lay on the rough wooden planks, naked and cruelly hogtied, shivering in the cold yet panting as if they were running. Both women's heads hung tiredly, but as if they somehow knew Faile was there, both looked up. Arrela, a dark Tairen as tall as most Aiel women, averted her eyes in embarrassment. (Faile upon Arrela and Lacile's capture; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 9).

Arrela came out of the ruin rubbing her bottom and looking grim as death, but she eagerly took the waterskin that Aldin offered. The tall young Amadician, a square-shouldered fellow who looked more a soldier than the bookkeeper he was, gazed at her avidly as she drank. Arrela did not like men that way, but Aldin refused to accept that he could not convince her to marry him. (Faile; Knife of Dreams, Chapter 30).