The Dragon Reborn: Chapter 39

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Author: Val a'Shain

Wheel and Serpent Chapter Icon.png


Threads in the Pattern


Chapter Icon: Wheel and Serpent

Point of View: Egwene

Setting: Bank of the River Erinin, Cairhienin side

Characters: Egwene, Nynaeve, Elayne, Aviendha, Rhuarc

Outline

The girls are captured by brigands who intend to sell them to a Myrddraal. They recover to kill it, and are joined by the Aiel they met earlier.

Summary

The Aiel are impressed by Nynaeve's Healing skills, not many of their Wise Ones can do this it seems. Nynaeve asks for direction to the next town from Aviendha. Before they leave Egwene wants to know how the Aiel manage to cross rivers. The Waste has very little water and the idea of swimming seems to frighten the Aiel. Aviendha replies they built a raft to cross the largest river between the Waste and the Andoran border. Egwene is impressed by the way the Aiel deal with situations the haven't encountered before.

Elayne is realizing she doesn't know as much about Aiel as she thought she did. Much to Nynaeve's disliking, she asks them some more questions about their customs. After a while it becomes clearer what the Aiel are doing on this side of the Dragon wall. They are looking for 'He Who Comes With the Dawn', a man who according to the Prophecies will lead the Aiel out of the Waste.

After telling the Aiel they are headed for Tear Nynaeve finally manages to get them on their way. Elayne tells them she thinks 'He Who Comes With the Dawn' is Rand. When Egwene thinks about this she feels Elayne might be right. Before they get the chance to discuss the idea further Egwene is knocked out by a stone from a sling.

When Egwene wakes up she is bound, lying on a horse and in the company of a large number of unwashed men. One of them notices she woke up but before he reaches her she passes out again. When she wakes up for the second time she is unbound and locked up in a building made of logs and rough stone. She overhears a conversation of her captors. It seems the men think they are Aes Sedai and want to sell her. Before she can hear more Nynaeve attracts her attention. Elayne is seriously injured and will not live unless Nynaeve manages to Heal her. After getting very upset first Nynaeve manages to Heal Elayne.

Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve now break out of the building. When they step outside they walk straight into a battle between a group of Aiel on one side and their captors and buyers, including three Myrddraal, on the other. The Aiel make short work of the men but the Myrddraal are harder to kill. The girls kill the Myrddraal using the One Power. Nynaeve even uses balefire.

After the battle Nynaeve finds out that the Aiel she Healed died in the fight. She gets very upset over this but the leader of the group, a man named Rhuarc, seems to think it was her time. Aiel are very fatalistic about these things. It turns out Aviendha followed them and saw them being captured. Too far away to do anything about it she went back for help. The Aiel offer to escort them to the nearest town the next day.

Notes

This section contains Notes on this Chapter which may contain spoilers. Please expand to view.

Visions and Prophecies

The Karaethon Cycle
  • "On the slopes of Dragonmount shall he be born, born of a maiden wedded to no man."

We know Rand's mother was a Maiden of the Spear and that Tam found him on Dragonmount.

Aiel Prophecies
  • "Blood of our blood mixed with the old blood, raised by an ancient blood not ours."

Our blood is Aiel blood. The ancient blood is the blood of Manetheren, whose descendants are the people in the Two Rivers. This suggests either Rand's mother or father were not Aiel, surprising given how insular they are.

Mysteries

  • Why does Egwene feel kinship to Aviendha?

Barely a mystery. The other two Aiel say that being chosen as a Wise One is a reason for giving up the spear, and Aviendha that the Wise Ones had special duties to her and she was almost not allowed to go. It is pretty strongly signposted here that Aviendha can channel, or at least learn.


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