Dareth d'Rahien
Soldier
Having just finished A Path of Daggers, this seems like a good time and place for some speculation. Spoilers through book 8 (and no further, obviously).
Mat:
Faile:
Rand:
Tar Valon:
I certainly haven't covered all the balls this series has in the air right now, but those are the main thoughts I have for now. I'm looking forward to laughing at my past self when I come back to this later in my readthrough.
Anyone else at this point in the series (for the first time)? What do you think?
Mat:
Despite a wall falling on him, he obviously can't be dead - he's still got some Horn-blowing to do yet - but not seeing him for the entirety of APoD is a bit worrying. On the other hand, being caught in a town the Seanchan have taken over does seem like a good time for the whole "Daughter of the Nine Moons" thing to come into play. So, I suspect Mat may not be making it out of Ebou Dar as a single man...
Being taken prisoner by the Shaido - and specifically as a result of Sevanna's desire for more gai'shain[SUP]1[/SUP] - will put Faile close to Sevanna, while Sevanna expects perfect servility from her. Faile's notions of honor are... not exactly the same as Aiel notions, and I imagine the idea of voluntarily remaining a servant to satisfy honor is something she finds silly. Long story short, I don't expect this to end well for Sevanna. On the other hand, given that Berelain seemed to be escaping and that she'll have reason to believe Faile likely dead, I also predict that she'll use that to get closer to Perrin and perhaps try to comfort him in what I imagine is the only way she knows how. And Faile, when she escapes captivity and returns to Perrin, will be Not Amused.
[1] Huh, I just noticed that gai'shain is awfully similar to "geisha". I wonder if that was intentional. The role of "geisha" seems to be more "ceremonial hostess" than "ceremonial servant", but there are definitely some similarities in their expected demeanors...
[1] Huh, I just noticed that gai'shain is awfully similar to "geisha". I wonder if that was intentional. The role of "geisha" seems to be more "ceremonial hostess" than "ceremonial servant", but there are definitely some similarities in their expected demeanors...
The attack on Cairhien and the disaster with Callandor have obviously both shaken Rand deeply, and I don't know how he's going to react. Though with two women needed to link with Rand to wield Callandor, and two of Rand's three love interests being channelers, I can see some convenient collaboration here. On the other hand, I don't know whether it's even possible to exclude Alanna from that link while she still has Rand bonded. One thing for sure, though - when Elayne inevitably discovers that Rand has been bonded, she's not going to be pleased. I don't know what else to expect from Rand, though - short of the Last Battle, he's a pretty hard character to predict.
I presume we'll be seeing more of the Siege of Tar Valon than the bit of rumor at the very end of Book 8. The Salidar Aes Sedai aren't as firmly united behind Egwene as she might hope, but they're in far better shape than the White Tower itself at the moment, and the revelation about the Black Ajah being finally proven to exist is not going to do Tar Valon's unity any favors either. If the Sitters that discovered the Black Ajah take the evidence to Elaida, she's not going to be pleased - but if they manage to do it in such a way as to make the proof clear to her, and don't get intercepted by Alviarin, then there may be hope that the White Tower can handle it well. That said, Elaida's not really in the most rational place at the moment - so ultimately, I think proof of the Black Ajah is just going to make things worse for the Tar Valon Aes Sedai.
Anyone else at this point in the series (for the first time)? What do you think?
