Welcome back to my re-read, recap, and reaction to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. This post will only have spoilers through the current chapter.
You can find my previous chapter recaps HERE.
Chapter 10: Changes
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Perrin Aybara
Perrin leaves the Wise One’s tent and is surprised to see Gaul bringing Elyas Machera. Elyas hopes none of the Aes Sedai with Perrin realize he used to be a Warder. Elyas gives Perrin some advice on how to deal with Faile, which is to shout at her sometimes instead of always being meek. A birdcall sounds announcing visitors arriving. Berelain arrives with Annoura, Gallenne and another woman. He enters Berelain’s tent and is introduced to Alliandre Maritha Kigarin, the Queen of Ghealdan. Alliandre tells him that Rand took Illian a few days ago and Faile whispers that Ebou Dar fell seven days ago, the same day there was channeling in the sky.
Perrin tries to press Alliandre into giving her decision on whether to support the Dragon Reborn, but she evades answering. Suddenly Alliandre kneels in front of Perrin and pledges herself to his service, not to Rand’s. Faile whispers to him the pledge he should give in return as her liege lord.
Point of view: Faile Bashere
Faile arranges for her Cha Faile retainers to watch the tent to make sure no one approaches with a warning being given to Faile. Berelain criticizes Faile for the servants she acquired and lets her know that Maighdin is actually a Wilder with a very weak ability to channel. Faile pressures Alliandre to go with Perrin when he goes south to confront the Prophet.
Point of view: Perrin Aybara
Mayener scouts bring back seven of the Prophet’s men who burned a farm with the inhabitants inside. Perrin has them hung. Thunder booms overhead and it begins to rain but very briefly before the sun returns to continue baking the land.
REACTION:
Just as I’ve been saying that Perrin needs a mentor, here comes Elyas Machera! My only gripe with this scene was that it felt a little bit too much on the nose. They got from introductions to him explaining Saldaean women to Perrin really fast. I wonder if I would have thought that had I not been bemoaning how much that Perrin needs a kind of wise mentor. I think I would have noticed that something felt off, but I don’t know what I would have had the words to explain what that “off” thing was.
On the subject of Elyas… he seemed a little bit different in this chapter than when we met him before… all the way back in Book #1. I suppose the setting makes a difference. This chapter fills in some gaps regarding how he exists within the world. We can safely assume that he’s not *always* alone with wolves. A guy who was once a Warder had to have had some worldly knowledge and interest in bigger things at some point. He’s not Lan, but he makes some sense. There were a few things in this scene that I really loved:
- The Aiel reaction to finding out Elyas sneaked up on Gaul was fantastic.
- “Don’t growl at me!” (to Perrin)
- “More fools know Jack Fool than Jack Fool knows.” (Fantastic line)
The Alliandre scene is excellent, too. In one quick moment, Perrin becomes essentially the ruler of the nation of Ghealdan. Combined with being Lord of the Two Rivers… he’s starting to amass some legit territory. Then add to that his wife’s role in the line of succession in Saldaea (Queen Tenobia is childless and unmarried) and you can see a very large contiguous nation beginning to take shape.
The only thing between Saldaea and the Two Rivers (on the map) is a bunch of unclaimed territory just to the east of the Mountains of Mist. You might call the new place – if you had to come up with a name for it – “the Mountain Home.” I’m just spitballin’ though. I *strongly* suspect that Faile considered that Alliandre might pledge herself to Perrin when she convinced Perrin to continue flying the Manetheren banner and that the banner was intended to signal to her that option. The banner itself suggests an intention to unify the Two Rivers and Ghealdan as both were previously part of Manetheren. Alliandre’s best and safest path forward was to go along with it, while maintaining her Queenship. Does the banner also help everyone to sew some confusion with Masema? Sure. But I strongly suspect this moment was Faile’s real reason for wanting to fly the banner. We are told from Perrin’s infallible nose that she wasn’t surprised about Alliandre’s pledge. She orchestrated it. Just like she orchestrated Perrin’s “Lord of the Two Rivers” situation.
Faile is the Littlefinger of The Wheel of Time. But she’s the non-villainous (so far) version of that.
Maybe I’m biased because this is mostly how I picture Davram Bashere in my head.
I liked Faile’s POV in this chapter, too. She’s not only got a Cult of Personality spy network in place and working for her, she’s trained them with hand signals. Perrin is very wrong to think these people are fools. He just fails to appreciate his wife. (As discussed previously, his giant insecurity complex, in addition to an over-reliance on his wolf nose, causes him to perceive things around him inaccurately.)
I’ve thought about the end of the chapter. Perrin hangs a bunch of the Prophet’s men. I think we’re intended to view this eventual confrontation between Perrin and Masema as somewhat foreboding. If we’re making Game of Thrones comparisons, then Masema is The High Sparrow… but more overtly insane. That didn’t go well for the royalty of Kings Landing. We’ll see if the Royalty of Emond’s Field handles it better.
We know (though Perrin doesn’t) that the Shaido are also nearby. We also know that the Whitecloaks are nearby. It feels as though something is about to boil over here.
In any case… great chapter. This series of chapters has set up the ones to come very well, IMO. I’m not terribly interested in a Perrin non-love triangle situation, but hopefully the arrival of Elyas will help with that (or at least make it more tolerable to read.) The rest of what has been set up promises to be extremely entertaining.
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