Rand al'Thor

General

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, was born in 978, at the end of the Aiel War. Born on Dragonmount, as prophecy demanded, he was found by Tam al'Thor, who took him home to the Two Rivers for his wife to raise. Just recently in his life, in 'The Shadow Rising,' he learned that Tam and Kari al'Thor were not his real parents. His father, Janduin, was the clan chief of the Taardad Aiel (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 34), while his mother, Shaiel, was in actuality Tigraine, once Daughter-Heir of Andor and Galad's mother.

As far as physical appearances go, Rand looks much like an Aiel. He is considered to be tall in the Westlands, though with the Aiel his height isn't so distinguishable. His hair has a reddish tint to it, and he has gray eyes. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 1.) He looks very much like his birth mother, Tigraine.

Like all of the people from the Two Rivers, Rand can give a mule lessons in stubbornness. In his younger years, he had a taste for pranks, and often accompanied Mat on his famous escapades. Since being named the Dragon Reborn, he has become serious, grim, and intent on pushing away all those who are important to him.

One of the most interesting characteristics that Rand acquires as the series progresses is the voice of Lews Therin Telamon speaking to him in his head. Most of the time, the voice is fairly crazy, and Rand thinks that he must be going insane from the taint on saidin. Other times, Lews Therin seems to be almost sane, and actually helps Rand get out of a few scrapes. Rand doesn't tell many people about it, as he is afraid that they will also think that he is going crazy; Min and Cadsuane are two of the only people who know about the voice.

Rand's Journey

Rand's journey from Sheepherder to Dragon Reborn begins on the road from Tam's farm to Emond's Field. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 1.) When he spots a Fade on the road, this propels him and his friends, Mat and Perrin, into the path of Moiraine Damodred and Lan Mandragoran. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 2.) After the farm and village are attacked by Trollocs (The Eye of the World, Chapter 5), Moiraine and Lan convince the boys that they need to leave Emond's Field or it will be destroyed. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 8.) Joining them are Egwene and Thom. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 10.)

They travel from Emond's field to Taren Ferry (The Eye of the World, Chapter 11), and then onwards to Baerlon. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 12.) After reaching Baerlon (The Eye of the World, Chapter 13), Rand is visited by Ba'alzamon in his dreams. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 14.) While in Baerlon, Rand meets Min for the first time. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 15.) When Rand is confronted by a Fade in Baerlon, the party, plus Nynaeve who has caught up with them, leave the city. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 17.)

They arrive in Shadar Logoth. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 18.) It is here that Rand and the other two boys meet Mordeth. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 19.) When both Trollocs and Mashadar attack, they flee; Rand is separated from everyone, though he later finds Mat and Thom. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 20.)

Rand, Mat and Thom travel down the Arinelle River towards Whitebridge. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 24.) After Thom is 'killed', Rand and Mat run from Whitebridge. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 26.) Rand and Mat travel towards Caemlyn. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 31.) Later on, Rand reacts to using saidin, and becomes ill. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 33.) When they arrive in Caemlyn (The Eye of the World, Chapter 35), Rand meets Loial. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 36.)

While in Caemlyn, Rand goes to the royal palace and climbs a wall, intent on seeing Logain, a false dragon. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 39.) When he falls into the palace grounds, he meets Elayne, Gawyn and Galad for the first time. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 40.) Later on, Rand and Mat are reunited with the rest of their group. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 41.) Soon after, Rand and the others begin their journey through the Ways towards Fal Dara. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 44; The Eye of the World, Chapter 45; The Eye of the World, Chapter 46.) Next they head for the Blight (The Eye of the World, Chapter 48), and find the Green Man's garden. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 49.) After Rand sees the Eye of the World, they are confronted by Aginor and Balthamel. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 50.)

While fighting Ba'alzamon, Rand taps into the untainted saidin of the Eye of the World, and wins the battle. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 51.) He tells Moiraine, Egwene and Nynaeve what happened. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 52.) They head back to Fal Dara. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 53.)

Back at Fal Dara, Lan is teaching Rand how to use his sword; as they practice, they see the entourage of the Amyrlin Seat arrive, and Rand knows that it is because of him. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 1.) Though he tries to leave, all of the gates have been closed. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 2.) Finally, Egwene agrees to hide him in her room, as no man will enter the women's quarters unasked. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 3.) The next day, Rand appears before the Amyrlin Seat, Moiraine and Verin. They speak of him being the Dragon Reborn, and Rand agrees to accompany the group that will search for the Horn of Valere and Mat's dagger, which have been stolen. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 8.)

Sometime along the way, Rand, Loial and Hurin lie down to sleep next to a portal stone, and end up being transported into an alternate world, where they meet several strange creatures, and Selene. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 13; The Great Hunt, Chapter16.) Rand finally manages to get all of them, including Selene, back to the real world. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 17.) Rand and Loial meet up with the Darkfriends and take back the Horn and the dagger. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 19.)

They all arrive in Cairhien, searching for the rest of the group that they lost when they were transported by the portal stone. Rand meets up with Thom, learning that he is alive. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 25.) Rand and the other two are eventually reunited with their friends, and they go to Lord Barthane's manor to see if they can find the Horn and dagger, which the Darkfriends stole back from Rand. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 32.) After not finding the Horn, they meet the Ogier Elders at Stedding Tsofu, and then make their way to another portal stone. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 36.) Rand transports them all to Tomon Head, but four months were lost in the transportation. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 37.)

When the group is caught between the forces of the Whitecloaks and the Seanchan, Rand has another battle with Ba'alzamon, in which he again 'kills' the Forsaken. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 47.) After awaking from unconsciousness after his battle with Ba'alzamon, the Shienarans swear to follow him. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 49.)

Hiding in a camp with Moiraine, Lan, Perrin, Min, Loial, and the Shienarans, Rand is getting impatient. (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 2.) After a battle with the Trollocs in which Rand manages to not help at all (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 5), Rand sneaks out of the camp to follow his own path. (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 6.)

He passes through several villages in Ghealdan, his ta'veren abilities causing chaos wherever he goes. (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 8.) When he finally arrives in the city of Tear, he begins his plan to get into the Stone of Tear. (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 54.) He eventually gets inside, but is confronted by Be'lal. After Moiraine kills Be'lal, Rand and Ba'alzamon face off once again. Rand pulls Callandor from the Stone of Tear, and follows Ba'alzamon into Tel'aran'rhiod. (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 55.)

While Rand is staying in the Stone of Tear, he is attacked by a bubble of evil. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 2.) Later on, he gets a visit from Egwene and Elayne; Egwene tells him that she no longer loves him, while Elayne tells him that she is in love with him. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 7; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 8.)

When the Stone of Tear is attacked by Shadowspawn, Rand channels and kills them all. He also meets Lanfear. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 10.) Later, in an attempt to find some answers, Rand goes through the twisted red doorway ter'angreal. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 15.)

Rand finally decides that it is time to go to the Aiel Waste. He transports himself, Moiraine, Lan, Mat, Egwene and the Aiel to the Aiel Waste, using a portal stone. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 22.) When they arrive, Rand is greeted by several Wise Ones. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 23.) He is sent to Rhuidean, were he learns of the history of the Aiel. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 24; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 25; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 26.) When he rejoins all of the others, he shows everyone the two dragons that now encircle his arms, proclaiming him the Car'a'carn, the chief of chiefs. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 34.)

Rand and all of the others begin to make their way to Alcair Dal. On the way, they stop at Cold Rocks Hold, where he manages to worsen his relationship with Aviendha by being accepted by the Maidens as a potential husband for her. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 50.) When they reach Alcair Dal, Couladin and Rand face off, each trying to make the Aiel believe that he is the car'a'carn. Rand succeeds when he tells everyone about the history of the Aiel. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 57.) Rand then travels to Rhuidean, where he meets both Asmodean and Lanfear. He finds out that Jasin Natael is really Asmodean in disguise. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 57; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 58.) Lanfear almost fully blocks Asmodean from the One Power, and Rand takes him as a teacher. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 58.)

After all of the incidents at Al'cair Dal, Rand and all of his followers go back to Rhuidean. When Moiraine and Egwene visit him, he finds out that Moiraine has found another seal. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 2.) Later on, he is attacked by Darkhounds, and destroys them using Balefire. After this, Lanfear appears and tries to convince him to overthrow the Creator and the Dark One with her. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 6.)

Later, Rand begins to lead the Aiel out of the Aiel Waste. They arrive at the town of Taien, in the Jangai Pass, to find that it is pretty much destroyed. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 20.) After making camp, Aviendha appears and presents him with a gift: King Laman's sword. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 21.) That night, the Rand and Aviendha are attacked by Draghkar; he kills one and she kills one, both saving the other. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 22.)

Finally, they reach Cairhien; Rand finds out that the Shaido have attacked the capital city. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 23; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 30.) When Rand goes to his rooms, it is to find Aviendha naked, washing herself. Mortified, she opens a gateway, which happens to lead to Seanchan, and flees. Using saidin to keep the gateway open, Rand goes after her. After he saves her, they sleep together. The next morning, they make their way back to the gateway; they are attacked by Seanchan, but manage to escape. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 31; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 32.)

Rand and the others begin to make plans for battle with the Shaido. During the actual battle, he is on a tower with Aviendha and Egwene, channeling against the Shaido. The tower is eventually destroyed by Sammael. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 42; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 43; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 44.)

When Rand awakens from his exhaustion, they ride into the city of Cairhien, as they had defeated the Shaido. Tairen and Cairhienin nobles alike swear fealty to him. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 46.) Later, he makes plans to kill Rhavin after learning about Morgase's death. The next morning, they all go down to the docks. There, Lanfear attacks; she is overcome with jealousy after learning about Rand and Aviendha, and tries to kill both Aviendha and Egwene. Moiraine ends up saving them all, killing both herself and Lanfear in the process, and Rand blames himself for both of their deaths. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 51; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 52; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 53.)

After this, Rand takes himself and a bunch of others, including Mat, Aviendha, Jasin Natael and a lot of Aiel, to Caemlyn to attack Rhavin. Rhavin and Rand end up chasing each other through Tel'aran'rhiod. With the help of Nynaeve, who is also in Tel'aran'rhiod, Rand kills Rhavin. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 54; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 55.) After all of this, Rand stays in Caemlyn, where Davram Bashere, Marshal-General of Saldaea, appears and pledges himself into Rand's service. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 56.)

Some time later, while Rand is practicing sword-fighting in the courtyard, Mazrim Taim shows up; after they talk for a while, Taim ends up pledging himself to Rand. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 2.) Rand decides to let Mazrim Taim teach all of the men who can channel; he had announced an amnesty for men who could channel, and many had shown up to be tested. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 56; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 2; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 3.)

After some rather inconsequential events, Rand, who has just found out that there are two new Aes Sedai in Caemlyn, goes out to see who they are. He finds that it is Alanna and Verin, and that they have a group of Two Rivers girls with them; he learns that all of them have the ability to channel. He goes to speak to the two Aes Sedai in private, and Alanna bonds him as her Warder without his permission. Angry, Rand leaves the room and frightens the Two Rivers girls by shouting at them that he is the Dragon Reborn. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 10.)

Some time later, Rand meets three Ogier; Erith, Covril (Loial's mother) and Elder Hamman. When he learns that they are trying to find Loial, who is in the Two Rivers, Rand says that he will take them there. First, though, he Travels to Shadar Logoth with the Ogier and a group of Maidens. He does what he can to make the Waygate inaccessible, and then takes the Ogier to the Two Rivers before going back to Caemlyn. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 20; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 21.)

Some other events pass, such as an attempted assassination by the Whitecloaks, and a meeting with three of the Aes Sedai that Elaida sent to him as an envoy. Later, he is also attacked by a Gray Man, whom Taim kills after he shows up to speak to Rand. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 26; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 27; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 28.) Some time later, he meets with three of the Salidar Aes Sedai, and also meets with Perrin and Faile, who have just arrived in Caemlyn. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 43; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 45.)

Several days pass before one of the main events in the sixth book. A group of Elaida's Aes Sedai show up and kidnap Rand; their intention is to bring him back to the White Tower; they had also captured Min. The Aes Sedai beat him as punishment for trying to escape, and for killing two Warders. The Aes Sedai take him to the Shaido Aiel, whom they have some sort of alliance with. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 51; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 53.)

Those loyal to Rand rally together to save him; among them are Perrin, Loial, the Cairhienin, the Tairens, the Aiel, and the Salidar Aes Sedai. During the battle, Rand manages to break the shield placed on him by the Tower Aes Sedai; shortly afterwards, Taim and the Asha'man show up and win the battle, destroying much of the Shaido army. When he sees that the Salidar Aes Sedai are with his rescuers, remembering what happened with the Tower Aes Sedai, he forces them to swear fealty to him. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 55.)

When Rand returns to Cairhien, it is to find that many people thought that he had submitted to Elaida. Among them is Lady Colavaere, who has seized the throne of Cairhien, despite the fact that Rand had meant the throne for Elayne. He ends up banishing her. (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 5.)

Later, Rand finally goes to Rhuidean to collect the two ter'angreal that control the Choedan Kal. (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 33.) Back in Cairhien, he meets Min, who tells him that Colavaere had hanged herself. Both of them are distraught over many things, and end up sleeping together. (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 19.) Later, Rand and Perrin get into a fight, concerning the Tower Aes Sedai, who he has handed over to the Aiel Wise Ones. Rand yells at him, and, in an attempt to protect his friend by separating the two of them, he tells Perrin that he hates him, and that he never wants to see him again. (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 27.) Afterwards Rand, along with an entourage, goes to visit the Sea Folk that are in Cairhien. He leaves Rafela and Merana behind to negotiate some agreements on his behalf. (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 34.)

In an attempt to find out what the rebel Cairhienin and Tairens are doing, Rand and Min Travel to the rebel camp. There, they meet Caroline Damodred, Darlin Sisnera and Toram Riatin. He also spots Padan Fain, in disguise. When a devastating fog descends upon the camp, Rand flees with a group of people; Min, Caroline, Darlin, Toram, and Cadsuane and two of her Aes Sedai, whom they had met at the rebel camp. Fain attacks him, and with the ruby dagger, slices him. He nearly dies right then and there, but Cadsuane and Samitsu, one of the other Aes Sedai, both use the power to keep him alive until they get to the palace in Cairhien. There, Damer Flinn, an Asha'man who is interested in Healing, manages to Heal him to the point where they think that he might live. (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 35; A Crown of Swords, Chapter 36.)

After Rand awakens, his next plan is to kill Sammael. He and Sammael eventually wind up in Shadar Logoth, and Mashadar kills Sammael. When Rand returns to Illian, where Sammael had ruled, he takes the Laurel Crown of Illian. (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 41.)

Now that Rand controls Illian, he also takes control of the army of Illian, once loyal to Lord Brend (Sammael.) When he let go of saidin, he experienced a problem that has only begun occurring recently; he gets very dizzy. (The Path of Daggers, Chapter 13.) However, by this time, Rand thinks that he may know how to cleanse the male half of the power. (The Path of Daggers, Chapter 14.)

As Rand and his force move throughout the world, they encounter the Seanchan several times. He returns to Cairhien to speak to both Min and Cadsuane. When he and Min leave for Caemlyn, they are just in time to avoid a huge explosion in the Sun Palace that would have killed them. (The Path of Daggers, Chapter 24; The Path of Daggers, Chapter 27; The Path of Daggers, Chapter 29.)

Rand begins to travel to different places, in an attempt to throw any enemies off his intended path. When he and Min go to Caemlyn to speak with Nynaeve, he intends to be in and out before Elayne and Aviendha can see him. This backfires, however, when Min tells Elayne and Aviendha; he ends up declaring his love for the three of them, and they to him, before Nynaeve and Lan. The four of them go off alone, and talk him into letting Elayne and Aviendha bond him, including Min in the weave. He then spends the night with Elayne. (Winter's Heart, Prologue; Winter's Heart, Chapter 11; Winter's Heart, Chapter 12.)

Rand leaves Caemlyn for Far Madding; Min, Nynaeve, Lan and Alivia go with him. He kills Manel Rochaid, one of the Asha'man loyal to Mazrim Taim, who had given Rochaid and Raefar Kisman to kill him. While scouting Far Madding, he is captured by some of the guards until Cadsuane, who had followed him, arranges for his release. (Winter's Heart, Chapter 22; Winter's Heart, Chapter 25; Winter's Heart, Chapter 32; Winter's Heart, Chapter 33; Winter's Heart, Chapter 34.) When he and his group leave Far Madding, Cadsuane and her group accompany them. They stop by Tear so that Rand can get Callandor, before going to Shadar Logoth, where Rand and Nynaeve proceed to cleanse saidin using the Choedan Kal. They both pass out afterwards (Winter's Heart, Chapter 35.)

With saidin cleansed, Rand and all of the people with him are in Tear, on the Pendaloan estates, recovering. While there, both Loial and Logain show up to speak with him. (Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 23; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 24.)

The last that we hear of from Rand in the tenth book is that the High Lady Suroth wants for him to meet the Daughter of the Nine Moons. (Crossroads of Twilight, Epilogue.)

Strengths and Talents

As the Dragon Reborn, Rand has many talents when it comes to the One Power, aside from being very strong where saidin is concerned. His talents include the ability to Travel and use Balefire. One of the rare talents he has is to be able to block a gateway open; Asmodean is astounded, because only Demandred, Semirhage and Lews Therin had been able to do that. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 32.) However, he is not very good at Healing. (The Path of Daggers, Chapter 23.)

As the series progresses, Rand finds that he suddenly has talent for both drawing and playing the flute; both of these talents came from Lews Therin Telamon.

Relationships with other Characters

While they were growing up, Rand and Mat were best friends. This friendship continues on throughout the first book. After learning that Rand is the Dragon Reborn, Mat begins to distance himself, though they still consider each other friends. As with Mat, Perrin was another of Rand's childhood friends. After learning that he is the Dragon Reborn, he didn't seem to be as afraid of Rand as Mat was.

At the beginning of the series, Rand was in love with Egwene, and she was him. The whole village of Emond's Field had expected them to marry. After they realized that they weren't in love anymore, they still remained friends, though they have now been placed on almost opposing sides due to their own separate duties.

Rand meets Elayne early on in the series, though she doesn't play a large roll in his life until later on. He thinks that she is beautiful, and she thinks that he is fascinating. Elayne falls in love with Rand somewhere in around 'The Great Hunt' to 'The Shadow Rising.' Rand is in love with her as well, though for a long time tries to avoid her for her own protection. In 'Winter's Heart,' they spent a night together, and Elayne is now pregnant with his children.

Aviendha was the second woman that Rand fell in love with. Their relationship started off on the rocky side, with Aviendha always criticizing him and Rand wondering what he had done to upset her. In 'The Fires of Heaven,' she finally admits that she is in love with him, and he with her, and they sleep together. He eventually sends her away, afraid that because he loves her, she might become a target.

Min is the third woman that he falls in love with. Very early on in the series, Min had a viewing that she would fall in love with him, as would two others (Elayne and Aviendha). Rand doesn't fall in love with her until later on in the series, and simply thinks of her as a good friend. In 'A Crown of Swords,' they finally admit their love for each other and sleep together. Rand trusts Min implicitly, and makes as much use of her viewings as he can.

Nynaeve regards Rand as a woolhead that she knew from a young age. She often still acts as if she is the Wisdom of Emond's Field, and he just any other young man. She is one of the first to know that he is the Dragon Reborn.

Loial seems pretty devoted to Rand as a friend. He is determined to write a book on the events that take place around Rand and his two ta'veren friends. Rand is the first out of the original group to meet Loial, and the first to accept him.

In the beginning of the series, Rand is in awe of Moiraine. As a young country boy, he is overawed by the imposing Aes Sedai figure that she cuts. Eventually, when she tries to manipulate him one time too many, he looses his trust in her. She sticks around, trying to help him fulfill prophecy to the best of her ability. Rand blames himself for her death.

Rand's relationship with Thom seems to be relatively sincere. Thom tries his best to protect Rand, as well as Mat and Perrin, since he hadn't been able to save his nephew, who could also channel. When Rand finds out that Thom isn't dead, he is genuinely relieved and happy to see him.

Lan first regarded Rand as a simple sheepherder, a country boy. At times, when he disobeyed Moiraine, it was obvious that Lan was angry. However, Rand and Lan came to respect each other. Lan taught Rand how to use his sword, gave him advice about many things, and was, overall, his friend.

Though Rand and Gawyn start off with a relatively good relationship, after Morgase is proclaimed 'dead,' Gawyn is convinced that Rand was responsible for killing his mother. He swears to get revenge on Rand, and his promise to Egwene not to hurt Rand until she has proof that he didn't kill Morgase is the only thing that keeps Gawyn from trying to kill Rand. As for Galad, even though they are half brothers, Galad would most likely try to kill Rand were he ever to meet him again. Likewise, Rand doesn't seem to feel anything for Galad, either.

Tam is the only father that Rand has ever known, and he loves him dearly. Near the beginning of the series, he refused to believe that Tam wasn't his real father; eventually, he came to accept it, but it never changed the way he thought of Tam.

Rand's relationship with Siuan and Elaida is the thread that pulls the latter two together in the initial 'fight for Amyrlin,' so to speak. Siuan, attempting to manipulate Rand in the hopes that he will be prepared for the Last Battle, has, along with Moiraine, dedicated her life to finding him. Because Elaida is aware that Siuan has something to do with Rand, she arranges for Siuan to be deposed. Now that she is Amyrlin, Elaida is also trying to control Rand; she sends Aes Sedai to kidnap him and bring him to the Tower, and is intent on forcing the Dragon Reborn to submit himself to her.

The relationship between Rand and Alanna is understandably very touchy. Rand resents Alanna for bonding him against her will, and she is one of the main reasons that he thinks he must never trust Aes Sedai again. Alanna, on the other hand, only wants to be near Rand, and to help him in any way possible, something that he very rarely allows.

A good portion of the Aiel have accepted that Rand is their Car'a'carn, their Chief of Chiefs. This does not make them grovel before him, though, as many other people do. The Maidens of the Spear regard him as their long-lost brother, or, in the cases of some, long-lost son. The Chiefs listen to him and carry out his bidding, but they also know who they are and do not let Rand get the better of them.

Before her 'death,' Lanfear is obsessed with winning Rand's love. She remembers him as Lews Therin Telamon, and considers him to be hers. Rand, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with her. As she is a woman, he is loathe to harm her. After Lanfear 'dies' and is reincarnated as Cyndane, all she wants is to see Rand die. As for the other Forsaken, they all hate him to varying degrees. Demandred despises him because of the fact that Lews Therin Telamon was always better then him. Sammael hates him

Padan Fain hates Rand with a vengeance. He thinks that what has been done to him is Rand's fault, since the Dark One altered him in order to be able to track Rand. Padan Fain's sole purpose in life seems to have become hunting Rand down and trying to kill him.

Quotes

"I am tired of running. Tired of you threatening my friends. I will run no more. (Rand to Ba'alzamon; The Eye of the World, Chapter 51.)

"I deny you. You have no power over me, and I will not kneel to you, alive or dead." (Rand to Ba'alzamon, The Eye of the World, Chapter 51.)

"No, I can't. I mean...I didn't do it on purpose. It just happened. I don't want to-to channel the Power. I won't ever do it again. I swear it." (Rand to Moiraine, Siuan and Verin, The Great Hunt, Chapter 8.)

"That's right! The Dragon's banner! Moiraine wants me to be a puppet on Tar Valon strings, a false Dragon for the Aes Sedai. She's going to push it down my throat whatever I want. But-I-will-not-be-used!" (Rand to Mat and Perrin; The Great Hunt, Chapter 11.)

"Duty. Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain. That's what they say in Shienar. 'The Dark One is stirring. The Last Battle is coming. And the Dragon Reborn has to face the Dark One in the Last Battle, or the Shadow will cover everything. The Wheel of Time broken. Every Age remade in the Dark One's image.' There's only me. I have the duty, because there isn't anybody else, now is there?" (Rand to Perrin; The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 2.)

"By the right of blood, I ask leave to enter Rhuidean, for the honor of our ancestors and the memory of what was." (Rand to the Wise Ones; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 23.)

"I..do not like to see a woman die. I hate it, Sulin. It curdles me up inside. I could not kill a woman if my life hung on it. (Rand to Sulin; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 53.)

"I forget nothing, Aes Sedai. I said six could come, but I count nine. I said you would be on an equal footing with the Tower emissaries, and for bringing nine, you will be. They are on their knees, Aes Sedai. Kneel!" (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 55.)

"You were wrong, Cadsuane. He's real. I'm certain of it. I know he is." (Rand to Cadsuane concerning Lews Therin's Voice; A Crown of Swords, Chapter 36.)

"I don't have time for tears, either, Min. Sometimes, the hounds catch the wolf and wish they hadn't. Sometimes, he turns on them, or waits in ambush. But first, the wolf has to run." (Rand to Min; The Path of Daggers, Chapter 29.)

"With this, you can touch the greatest sa'angral ever made for a woman. It's buried on Tremalking, I understand, but that doesn't matter. With this one, I can touch its male twin. I was told by...someone...once, that a man and woman using those sa'angreal could challenge the Dark One. They might have to be used for that, one day, but in the meantime, I hope they're enough to cleanse the male half of the Source." (Rand to Nynaeve; Winter's Heart, Chapter 11.)

"It has to end! I don't need a war with the White Tower, and you bloody Asha'man bloody well won't give me a war with the White Tower! Do I make myself understood?" (Rand to Logain; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 24.)