In a scene I have never seen before, Liandrin brings Mat some sweet cakes, and when he touches them, he makes them filthy. Apparently, the Aes Sedai are still just watching him to be sure the dagger effects are gone. When she leaves the room, Mat immediately jumps up to begin digging again. He finally gets one stone to fall out of the wall, and finds Min trapped in the room next door. He gives her a spoon and they both continue digging at the wall. Once the hole is big enough, Min climbs through to Mat’s room with a bottle of wine. She tells him she came to Tar Valon to bartend but was captured by a Red for her ability to glimpse the Pattern. Mat does not want to know what she sees about him, but we do, and she sees him killing Rand. Whoops.
In the Novice quarters, in again, a scene I am seeing for the first time, some servants are moving in literally everything a new girl owns. This new girl insults poor little innkeeper’s daughter Egwene’s lack of anything fancy. But she doesn’t mean to. She’s just sheltered! Her name is Elayne Trakand, the Daughter Heir of Andor, and Egwene is her subject, despite having never heard of her. Elayne wants to be besties immediately. Egwene gives her a tour of the Tower, but Elayne has already spent summers here; she just wants to hang out with her new friend. Sheriam demands to know who let Elayne bring all her shit in here, but Elayne won’t say and takes the punishment, a switching every day, on her own shoulders. Sheriam only addresses Egwene to ask where Nynaeve is. The girls share some beer that Elayne brewed herself with the Power. Elayne asks Egwene about Nynaeve and, of course, in the grand history of all media, Nynaeve overhears Egwene talking about her. Elayne tells Egwene to stop being jealous, after having known her two hours, and I love Elayne.
Liandrin brings Nynaeve to watch an Accepted healing a child of breakbone fever. Liandrin pockets a vial of the healing herbs, because one moment can’t go by without her doing something underhanded. Nynaeve is amazed by the healing weaves. Liandrin tells her about how she can train with the Ajahs as an Accepted, while continuing to try to recruit her to the Reds. She says that Aes Sedai have extended lives and can make big changes in the world. She tells Nynaeve to take the test for Accepted when she is called to; then Liandrin can take over her studies. Alanna and her warders have a meeting with Sheriam, a rather important one, about Nynaeve’s testing. Sheriam is for it; she wants Nynaeve’s power on their side for the Last Battle. Alanna doesn’t like it but she’s all packed up to go and help Moiraine so she can’t do much about it. Nynaeve sees Liandrin leaving through a secret passage out of the Tower, and follows her. Liandrin goes to the home of a very sick older man who she’s been trying to heal. She gets extremely angry when she sees Nynaeve watching, and we find out this guy is… her son? Nynaeve tries to help her but Liandrin slaps her and throws her out. I am shook. Liandrin slept with a man? Later that night, Liandrin summons Nynaeve into the basement, where Leane and Sheriam are waiting. Accepted Test, bitches! Nynaeve approaches the arches but we’ll need to wait for next episode, because this needs time to simmer.
Moiraine and Lan recover from their wounds. SISTERS Verin and Adeleas have agreed to accompany Moiraine on her journey. Moiraine tells Lan they are headed to the White Tower, while continuing to be an absolute bitch to him. The group camps for the night, and Verin admits to Moiraine that she knows she has found the Dragon. Moiraine non-subtly pulls her dagger half out of its scabbard and Verin is happy to see that Moiraine would kill for him. She won’t take an oath to Moiraine but says she will go to the Tower and retrieve prophecies that Moiraine will need. In camp, Adeleas goads Moiraine and Lan into telling the story of how they met, which ends with Lan tossing Moiraine into a pond. Lan finds the poem from Bayle Domon on Moiraine’s horse but pockets it as Moiraine approaches. He apologizes for failing during the Fade attack. Moiraine tells him that she picked him as her Warder because she knew he was strong enough to survive alone. She finally explains everything; the seals are failing and freeing the Forsaken. He has no conception of the Power they wield! She tells him Rand’s alive and she is sending Lan back to the Tower with Alanna, who appears from the darkness. Lan failed her and they were never equals. Can she say more mean things? I don’t think so. The dream is dead and Moiraine leaves him.
Elyas leads the Sheinarans to an abandoned town. Perrin thinks he sees a woman in a window, but when they go inside the home, it’s all flies and dead bodies and rotting food. Perrin, amid more wolf howls and goldeneyes, sees a vision of the family who lived there getting slaughtered by dark friends and a Fade. Elyas tries to talk to him about the visions but Perrin still wants no part of it. Elyas says something scared Fain and his crew away, just as Masema finds a dead Fade nailed to a door. No one wants to wait around and see who did that, so they peace out. They stop for the night at a nice little town on the river where everyone is happy and nothing bad will ever happen. Elyas prefers to sleep under the stars, and tells Perrin the Sheinarans are not his pack. In the night, Perrin awakens to absolute chaos. Two soldiers drag him from his bed. Everyone is fighting. The townspeople are all being corralled or killed. The soldiers try to tie Loial down but he is roaring like a goddamn monster and literally busting heads. The Sheinarans are also destroying guys. Again, I really wish this happened in the day time. Eventually, the group gathers together and is approached by four women; two in the front are wearing gags. Before they can think, the women channel an absolute hurricane blast of wind that sends them all flying. Perrin is unconscious until morning, when the soldiers have the townspeople gathered outside. Two very important women are carried in on a huge palanquin, accompanied by Ishamael. Great news all around.
Rand is having terrible dreams about killing all his Two Rivers friends and Ishamael taunting him. He’s also sleeping with his landlady and he’s not even getting a break on rent. He’s staying just outside Cairhien, amidst the lower class people of the Foregate, but he’s got a cushy job inside the walls, at a sanitarium, where he gets a glimpse of what his future may hold. He’s kind to the patients, especially one older man who used to be a blade master and thinks Rand is an Aiel from his past. The man, Errol, tells Rand about how fierce the Aiel were that he faced in the war. A dickhead coworker of Rand’s makes fun of the patients and thinks he’s so cool because he gets to work outside in the garden with the “more famous” residents. Errol whispers to Rand exactly what sword forms he would use to murder that guy. That night, the Foregate is rocking. People are carousing, Trolloc puppets are dancing. Rand watches as Johnny Dickhead stupidly walks away from his friends and Rand uses the opportunity to teach the guy a lesson, except he accidentally channels and if Johnny’s not dead, he’s as close as it gets. Rand goes back to his room and finds Selene waiting. He wants to be alone but she’s not having it, so fine, he’ll have sex with her. God! Rand and Selene pillow talk about old flames. Rand reminds Selene of someone she used to love and she likes to pretend Rand is him. The next day at work, Rand gets Johnny Dickhead’s position. A promotion! Way to go. Outside in the garden with the “more famous” residents, Rand meets his new patient. Logain Ablar, the false Dragon. Was this his plan all along? I have no idea. Let’s talk about it, shall we?
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