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 12: New Alliances
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Graendal
Graendal is forging orders to Lord Rodel Ituralde and gives it to a messenger under her compulsion with the objective of increasing chaos. A Gateway opens and Moghedien and another woman channeler, called Cyndane come through. Cyndane says they are here on Moridin‘s orders and that Sammael is dead, which Graendal already knew. She does not know who Moridin is though and is told that he is Nae’blis and that she must serve him at the Great Lord’s orders. Graendal does not believe them and says so. She weaves compulsion on both women, but the story does not change. A Myrddraal appears and takes the source from Graendal and he also tells her she must obey Moridin. He is Shaidar Haran and is taller than other Myrddraal. Graendal is ordered to report to Moridin which she will do, but believes there is always a chance that she can rise to the top in the end.
Point of view: Cadsuane Melaidhrin
Cadsuane is looking out the coach window, watching the rain and the reaction the residents of Cairhien have to it. Cadsuane tasked Kumira and Daigian to meet with some of the sisters sworn to Rand and report back. Cadsuane summons Alanna because she can tell approximately where Rand is through the Warder bond, probably in Illian. Sorilea arrives and Alanna is dismissed. After some discussion on Rand in which the two become tentative allies, Sorilea shows Cadsuane the weave for traveling. Sorilea then proposes to make water oath with Cadsuane.
REACTION:
There’s something fascinating about the fact that the Dark One so overtly favors Ishy / Moridin as his chosen leader. He’s “the Chosen One” from among the Chosen, I guess. But why? There seems to be something unique about his soul, in particular, in relation to the other baddies. If we view this whole thing like a board game, then Moridin is the most important piece for the Dark One in the same way that Rand is.
Have we seen any reason to guess as to why yet? Somewhat. Ishy was the only one of the Forsaken to avoid 3,000 years of captivity. He – single-handedly – organized the global organization of Darkfriends, he set into motion the Trolloc Wars, he played a key role in organizing and subverting things such as the international collection of the Prophecies of the Dragon. He’s uniquely responsible for everything that happened re: the Seanchan Empire’s formation. So… yeah. He’s been way more useful than anyone else.
So naturally Shaidar Haran shows up to enforce Moridin’s rule over the other Chosen.
Worth noting that Shaidar Haran (the super Myrddraal) is basically just an avatar for the Dark One himself. In the long run, *he* will be the true ruler of the world if Moridin wins. In a sense, then, Moridin is a pawn for the Dark One in the same way that Rand is a pawn in the hand of the Pattern / Creator. Moridin doesn’t have much of a choice for what he’s doing. Shaidar Haran can see to that. He’s smart enough to realize that though and is leaning in. It’s a weird dynamic, though. Worth keeping an eye on.
Anyway… Cyndane is so obviously Lanfear in a new body that I’m annoyed Graendal didn’t guess. As far as I know, Moggy doesn’t guess, either. Nobody has guessed about Moridin being Ishy yet. It never occurred to any of the Chosen how “immortality” might work vis a vis the Dark One.
It seems Graendal is holed up in the Tarabon / Arad Domon area creating chaos. To what end, we don’t yet know, though. She’s definitely pretty gross (go figure, for one of the Forsaken.) “Taste my charms.” Bleck. I enjoyed Cyndane calling her out for her over-use of Compulsion. It grosses her out, too.
Graendal is essentially occupying a role we might more naturally ascribe to a man. She’s the worst kind of rapist. She’s got a harem and she’s essentially mind-raped people to a point they have no free will. It’s also hard not to see the parallel between her slaves and how she uses them, and the Seanchan slave system. In both cases, people are displayed naked or nearly so for aesthetics and nothing more. In both cases, the One Power is used to remove free will from people. The Seanchan though don’t use their enslaved damane as sex slaves. They view them as animals and further view anyone who would have sex with them as the worst kind of perverts. Graendal views her sex slaves as human, but she views herself as more than human. So she can do to them whatever she wants and it’s fine.
Let’s just say both are so evil that it’s hard to comprehend it.
I *really* enjoyed the Cadsuane and Sorilea encounter. I think Sorilea might have gotten the better of her, and Cadsuane might know it and appreciate that she did. the interesting thing here is that I *think* we now know with complete certainty that Cadsuane is a good character, working for the Light (in her own way.) She recognizes that Rand’s emotional state is a gigantic problem that needs to be addressed. And it makes sense. You can’t have Darth Rand going to confront the Dark One, because even if he wins, he’s going to lose and the world with him. She seems to be the only Aes Sedai who sees this problem.
We can argue that she is going about it the wrong way, but to be fair, she started without knowing just how much everyone before her messed things up. She knows now, though. I like that she includes Moiraine in her list of people who bungled things, too, because if we’re being honest Moiraine is a huge part of the reason that Rand doesn’t trust Aes Sedai. She spent the first four books trying to bully Rand into doing what she wants instead of showing him respect. Rand learned to mirror her and not show respect in turn. Even her eventual submission to Rand reinforced to Rand that his only path forward is to be domineering. Every other Aes Sedai Rand has met did the same things with him as Moiraine (with the White Tower captivity being an absurdly abusive version of that.) Alanna bonding him against his will was basically mind rape.
Now Cadsuane has to take that dog’s dinner of a situation and reel Rand back in. It’s worth noting, I think, that if she is the one who captured Logain… she must have done a relatively good job with him. Logain is handling his relationship with saidin better than just about any male channeler we’ve met (though admittedly the list is small.) Grady has been good, too, and he’s married. It seems like the madness is wrestled better if you manage your emotions well.
Anyway… Sorilea is pleased to finally meet an Aes Sedai who recognizes that Rand’s mental / emotional state is important. She never says so, but you can tell. I’m sure it was a shock to her to find out so many of the Aes Sedai were never trained to manage their emotions. She mentions in the start of the section to Cadsuane that Kiruna needs to own her pride, rather than the other way around.
We see in this a critique from Jordan about the education system. If you only learn about knowledge, but you don’t educate one’s emotions, then you might unleash a more dangerous unstable person into the world. (This is what the White Tower has done for centuries.) Given that Western education makes no attempt to educate emotionally or spiritually, the critique also jumps off the page and into real life, too. Cadsuane does not suffer from this failing and she seems to be the only Aes Sedai who doesn’t.
Sorilea wants Rand to care about the Aiel, as a people. This has been the Wise Ones’ goal for him all along. Cadsuane wants Rand to care. So they have some common ground and we got that really excellent water oath moment at the end of the chapter.
I think we have to assume that the lesson Min has told us (via Viewing) that Cadsuane intends to teach Rand and all the men who can channel is that they need to feel their feelings. Rand cant’ forget to be human and he can’t forget to view other people as human.
Not for nothing, Sorilea shows Cadsuane how to Travel. Egwene already figured this out, but it’s worthwhile that another ally of Rand in the Aes Sedai camp also knows how to do it. Rand might not like that she knows how, but it’s going to be for his own good. And he really doesn’t have a right to object, given that Eggy figured it out on her own.