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Sunday, October 2, 2022

The Dragon Reborn by: Robert Jordan: Breaking Free (Chapters 41 to 44)

 

“She threw back her head and laughed.  “I am Faile, farmboy, a Hunter of the Horn.  Who do you think I am, the woman of your dreams?  Why did you jump that way?  You would think I had goosed you.”  Before he could find words, the door crashed back against the wall, and Moiraine stood in the doorway, her face as pale and grim as death.  “Your wolf dreams tetll as truly as a Dreamer’s, Perrin.  The Forsaken are loose, and one of them rules Illian.”” – The Dragon Reborn, p. 506-507.

 

There might be a misunderstanding due to the lower frequency of the updates regarding The Dragon Reborn that it is not an enjoyable book, that’s far from the truth.  The Dragon Reborn has been perhaps my favorite installment of The Wheel of Time so far to analyze and think about since it’s the point where Robert Jordan begins to really expand outward to make this a world affair, but because of this there are sections of the book where the plot isn’t entirely advancing.  These last few essays have been very much focused on the final pieces of character work before the novel reaches its climax, and they are essential, but they do mean that the plot progression begins to slow.  Take for instance Perrin’s entire plotline this book, it’s all chasing after Rand which is honestly something that could have become an issue if it wasn’t for Jordan’s genuinely good writing style but this is where it feels like portent of things to come in terms of slowing down the plot.  There’s a clear reason that Perrin, Moiraine, and Lan as a plotline has only appeared twice before once the plotlines split and can be analyzed as one while Mat’s and Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne’s plotlines have taken up the bulk of the book.  This is a simple plotline and this section in particular is used to build exposition and create character dynamics.  The quote topping this essay is our first indication that yes, all of the Forsaken have escaped their prison, not just the four we have seen before.  The Forsaken in Illian is Sammael and while he does try to have them killed, they are not his main concern, giving the reader the first idea that the Forsaken have their own agendas and the first connection between Perrin and Mat’s plots, as the sequence ends with a brief point of view from Mat which will be picked up upon later.  Mat is heading towards Caemlyn still but ta group of men and one woman accosts them.  Mat and Thom end up killing them all and they ride on through the night, more to follow on this plotline next time.

 

This would be where I end things but this is also a time where we can actually do some further discussion on Faile as building her character and relationship with Perrin is really what a lot of this sequence does so well (well that and including Darkhounds, Shadowspawn in the form of dogs which bring in a nice horrific sequence in the middle of the sequence).  Faile comes from a culture where people in general have more arguments and stubbornness to them while Perrin as a character can be plenty stubborn but not so much as outwardly aggressive.  Perrin’s inner thoughts on Faile are thus at the beginning of this segment: “Moiraine had been neither pleased or displeased to discover that Zarine – I’ll not call her Faile, whatever she wants to name herself! She is no falcon! – knew she was Aes Sedai, though she had been perhaps a little upset with him not telling her.” – The Dragon Reborn, p. 477.  Perrin has this internal conflict of not wanting Min’s vision of a falcon and eagle at each other’s throats over him to come true and he is convinced if he can convince himself Faile is not the falcon it will not happen.  This is not true but he still will be trying this for the rest of the book and well into the next one.  Faile, on the other hand, as a character we haven’t gotten a sequence from her point of view, we can only understand through her interactions with others.  An exchange she has with Moiraine, who makes her swear an oath, goes thusly: “Moiraine’s glance silenced him and the Warder both.  “You believe you know what an Aes Sedai will not do, do you?” she said more softly than before.  Her smile was not pleasant.  “If you wish to go with us, this is what you must do.”   Lan’s eyelids flickered in surprise; the two women stared at each other like falcon and mouse, but Zarine was not the falcon, now.  “You will swear by your Hunter’s oath to do as I say, to heed me, and not to leave us.  Once you know more thtan you should of what we do, I will not allow you to fall into the wrong hands.  Know that for truth, girl.  You will swear to act as one of us, and do nothing that will endanger our purpose.  You will ask no question of where we go or why: you will be satisfied with what I choose to tell you.  All of this you will swear, or you will remain herein Illian.  And you will not leave this marsh until I return to release you, if it takes the rest of your life.  That I swear.” Zarine turned her head uneasily, watching Moiraine out of one eye.  “I may accompany you if I swear?...I will be one of you, the same as Loial or stone-face.\, but I can ask no questions.  Are they allowed to ask questions?…Very well, then. I swear, by the oath I totok as a Hunter. If I break one, I will have broken both.  I swear it.”” – The Dragon Reborn, p. 481-482.  Moiraine is a formidable woman and Faile does crack under her gaze, but still agrees to travel because she wants adventure and despite calling Perrin “stone-face” she wants to go with this group because she likes the group.  Moiraine can see this, she makes Faile Perrin’s responsibility and immediately after Perrin and Faile begin to get along.  This is the seed from which the romance will grow, though that cannot happen until Perrin accepts her name as Faile.

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