The Eye of the World: Chapter 46

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Author: Val a'Shain

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Fal Dara


Chapter Icon: Leafless Tree

Point of View: Rand

Setting: Countryside in Shienar and Fal Dara

Characters: Rand, Mat, Loial, Moiraine, Lan, Perrin, Nynaeve, Egwene, Ingtar, Lord Agelmar, Padan Fain.

Outline

The group go to Fal Dara and learn Padan Fain has been following them.

Summary

The country around the Waygate looks dead. Winter seems to cling to the land. Rand sees trees split as if lightning struck them because the sap in the trees froze. Closer to Fal Dara they see farms that have been abandoned recently. Rand makes an other attempt to convince Loial, Egwene and Nynaeve to stay in Shienar when the party leaves for the Blight. Of course the women don't see any reason to. Loial refuses to stay behind as well. He seems eager to meet the Green Man.

Fal Dara turns out to be a city much smaller than Caemlyn. It is dominated by its defenses. Everything in the city seems designed to hold the Trollocs out. Lan tells them to push back the hoods of their cloaks so the guards can see their faces. It is law in Shienar, Fades have to hide their faces to have a chance to enter the city. The guards and the people in the city seem to recognize Lan. He is repeatedly asked if the Golden Crane will fly again.

The city itself is packed with people. Everybody seems to have left the surrounding countryside. In the fort at the center of the city an army is preparing for battle. In the fort they are met by a man named Ingtar. He tells them Lord Agelmar is ready to receive them. He also tells them that Shienar is preparing to ride to Tarwin's Gap to stop the Trolloc hordes. He also asks Lan if the Golden Crane will fly again. Lan tells him Malkier is dead and that they have another mission.

Lord Agelmar seems very pleased to see Moiraine and Lan. He tries repeatedly to convince them to join the army heading for Tarwin's Gap. The situation seems almost desperate. Trolloc raids have been intense this winter in all the Borderlands. All four nations are watching their own borders now. There won't be any reinforcements. Moiraine refuses and explains some of their mission to Lord Agelmar. He offers to Moiraine to send some men along with them into the Blight but again Moiraine refuses.

Lord Agelmar turns out to be a good host, the company has dinner with him and he manages to draw everybody into the conversation. Then Ingtar enters and tells Lord Agelmar a stranger with a Lugarder accent has entered the city. Moiraine immediately suspects who this stranger is and asks to see him. The stranger is brought up and Mat, Perrin and Rand recognize him as the peddler, Fain, and the beggar from Caemlyn. Fains turn out the be mad and clearly a Darkfriend. Moiraine asks Lord Agelmar to take him to a place where he can be interrogated.

Notes

Common Themes

Pipes

The men puff contentedly. The boys have not yet started smoking

Character Development

Nynaeve
  • Nynaeve is beginning to accept that they are men not boys
Perrin
  • His eyesight has improved now that he is a wolfbrother

Mysteries

Why is Fain so dangerous?
Why does Moiraine think the rules about the Eye of the World don't apply to her?

Is this luck, or good judgement?

Mysteries Resolved

It was Fain following them in the Ways

Oddities

Agelmar uses Two Rivers Tabac

Only a little peculiar, but given how few people have even heard of the Two Rivers it is surprising its Tabac is well known.

Miscellaneous

  • It is believed that the light shields madmen
  • Agelmar doesn't like to think that Shienarans can be Darkfriends

Characters

First Mention

Agelmar, Ingtar, Ragan

First Appearance

Agelmar, Ingtar, Ragan

Spoilers

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

Mysteries

Why is Fain so dangerous?

We soon find out that he has abilities from both Mordeth/Shadar Logoth and the Dark One, though we don't know how Moiraine knew. Later, Alviarin and even Elaida didn't seem to realise, but he may have been more in control then

Why does Moiraine think the rules about the Eye of the World don't apply to her?

She is actually right here.



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