In the darkness just before dawn Rand followed Moiraine down to the back hall, where Master Gill and the others were waiting, Nynaeve and Egwene as anxiously as Loial, Perrin almost as calm as the Warder. Mat stayed on Rand’s heels as if he were afraid to be even a little alone now, even as much as a few feet away.
What I love about early-book Mat is how attached he is to Rand. He's basically like, "Look, don't leave me. Forget about your girlfriend. I need your protection!"
When Egwene is near "I can handle everything by myself," Mat is like, "I'm not that proud. Can I hold your hand, Rand? It's scary."
When reading about Faile, you can believe that her feelings for Perrin could truly last a lifetime, while with many of the other girls, what we mostly see is either a crush on an attractive person or a "prophecy-driven" romance.
From the moment we first meet her, she, non-channeler, refuses to let Moiraine and Lan bully her and insists on staying with their group. (In the same book, we see how easily Min is pressured by Moiraine and separated from Rand).
When Berelain beats her in a fight, Faile immediately gets back up and is ready to keep fighting, even if it means getting beaten again. She is not afraid to stand up even to the Dragon Reborn if it means standing up for Perrin.
Faile has the most compelling reasons for loving Perrin. Her thoughts about why she loves him are among the most beautiful in the entire series.
She loved Perrin with every fiber of her being, and he confused every fiber. Actually understanding men was impossible, of course, but he was so unlike anyone she had grown up with. He never swaggered, and instead of laughing at himself, he was . . . modest. She had not believed a man could be modest! He insisted that only chance had made him a leader, claimed he did not know how to lead, when men who met him were ready to follow after an hour. He dismissed his own thinking as slow, when those slow, considering thoughts saw so deeply that she had to dance a merry jig to keep any secrets at all. He was a wonderful man, her curly-haired wolf. So strong. And so gentle.
She also loves Perrin because nothing would stop him from rescuing her. In fact, one reason she tries so hard to escape captivity is that she knows Perrin would destroy everything in his path to reach her.
She accepts his wolf nature and effectively uses knowledge of his abilities to advise him and help him in ways that others do not notice.
She teaches Perrin how to be a lord. She brings men to an almost lost battle. She is the first wetlander to learn the Maidens' secret hand-talk, and she organizes her own society, Cha Faile, convincing young lords and ladies to follow her. She also gives Perrin the idea of spreading rumors that he intends to restore Manetheren, which later gives him a useful tool for negotiating with the Seanchan.
Many hate that she keeps slapping Perrin. But every woman in the series (except maybe Elayne) hits or kicks her man at some point. Min even threw a knife at Rand's face! Besides, Perrin himself spanked Faile for her behavior."
People criticize her for being jealous and call her toxic because of it. However, her jealousy is not based on a belief that Perrin will fell for another woman. She is jealous because she feels that Perrin treats Berelain with more honesty and directness than he treats her. He is willing to shout at Berelain or be harsh with her, while he tries to be gentle and careful around Faile. This makes her sad that he does not see her as an equal or respect her strength as much as she respects his.
Faile wants respect and an equal relationship, not just love.
Men had died in thousands, by his order or by his hand, but it was the faces of the women that haunted his dreams. Each night, he made himself confront their silently accusing eyes.
Some names (like Red Ajay’s dead sister, who was one of his kidnappers) are added to the list by themselves.
“Do not keep me waiting, Alanna,” she said in an icy tone. She had no sympathy for the other woman. Alanna was another in a line of sisters, from Moiraine to Elaida, who had bungled and worsened what they should have been mending.
Why didn’t Cadsuane insist on releasing the bond? She saw how useless the bond with Rand was, and she thought that Alanna had committed a serious crime.
Was it because of some Aes Sedai rules about Warders? Like, no one can forbid another Aes Sedai from keeping a Warder she already bonded?
The girl [Cyndane] was stronger in the One Power than she herself! Even in her own Age, that had been uncommon among men, and very rare indeed among women.
So, in the Age of Legends, the level of the One Power was determined by comparing all channelers, unlike in the Third Age. And Graendal and Lanfear were the strongest among all channelers, not just among women.
As he prepared to push his way through, Gallenne roared, “Make way, you mangy hounds!” Heads whipped around, and men wriggled sideways in the mass, opening a narrow path. Perrin wondered what would happen if he called the Two Rivers men mangy hounds. Probably earn him a punch in the nose. It might be worth a try.
I dealt with the Queen, so maybe I’ll get lucky and someone will punch me.
She did not doubt her husband’s love, but she could not treat Berelain as the woman deserved, and that forced her, against her will, to play a game with Perrin too often as the gaming board. And the prize, so Berelain believed. If only Perrin did not sometimes behave as if he might be.
Faile respects Berelain because she is smart and brave (and kicked her ass).
But because Perrin seems to want to be the main prize in their “game,” and because he treats Berelain as an equally strong woman while being gentle with Faile, as if he’s afraid to hurt her (which likely makes Berelain seem to be winning their game), Faile feels forced to play.
I enjoy this kind of "polyamory" way more than Rand’s.
With a gasp of relief, Alliandre kissed his hands. Perrin did not think he had ever been so embarrassed in his life. Standing hurriedly, he drew her to her feet. And realized he did not know what to do next. A proudly beaming Faile whispered no further hints. Berelain smiled, too, relief so strong on her face she might have just been pulled from a fire.
“Rina’s your Aes Sedai? But how could you run into her? The bond lets you know where she is.” That nudged something in Perrin’s memory, but whatever it was melted away at Elyas’ reply.
It’s about Alanna and Rand ..
Yet he is easily distracted and has to concentrate to understand things.
Tenobia demands so much from a future husband. And since the Pattern has a very strange and dark sense of humor, she might instead fall in love with an absolutely pathetic man: a cowardly, boastful, and foolish one. Weiramon Saniago?
When the Borderlanders showed up in Andor and Ethenielle muttered something about marriage regarding Tenobia in their meeting with Elayne, I wondered if they were going to propose a marriage alliance with Rand. He comes pretty close to ticking a lot of her boxes. He's a blademaster, Herid Fel calls him a good student, and he's a patron of the sciences, he can play music and earns both grudging compliments and the gift of his backup flute from Thom, whom I suspect is no more given to cheap praise in his field than Lan, he can walk the line between deference to a female partner, and also take charge without pissing her off (once he stops dating Egwene "What do you mean you're not prepared as soon as I float the notion, to leave behind your home, friends and family to come with me as I pursue a Wisdom career?" al'Vere anyway).
Quite apart from that, it seemed like marriage was being foreshadowed somehow by Ethenielle's internal monologue in the tPoD prologue, and the Borderlanders' comments to Elayne suggest that they want some sort of assurance or commitment on Rand's part.
That could lead to Elayne writing Rand a fourth letter:
Dear Rand,
I am sending the Borderland rulers toward Murandy. You should meet with them, it sounds really important and you need them on your side, after all. They did me some favors, so I'd appreciate it if you could throw them a bone or two, thanks!
Love, Elayne
P.S. I'd really like to speak to you in person with some other news, preferably in the next nine months!
ET
And then he meets with the rulers, they suggest he marries Tenobia and he vows to never ever read another letter from Elayne.
“Make friends with them if you can, Aram. But if you decide to moon over one of the women, be sure it’s Lini. The other two are taken.”
The man had a smooth tongue for any pretty woman, but he managed to look surprised and offended, both. “As you wish, Lord Perrin,” he muttered sulkily. “I’ll catch you up quickly.”
Aram might really have some feelings toward Perrin, not only seeing him as an example of the pure violence he wants to be himself, but something more.
Aram is surprised that Perrin thinks he likes women, and he’s offended because he likes Perrin and, in his mind, he has been showing it quite clearly.
Perrin didn’t understand it, because he can’t interpret emotions whose “smell” he doesn’t know.
Just like he didn’t notice that the Wisdoms had crushes on him, and that he had such an easy way with them not because of his clever mouth. Faile instantly understood why women lose their wits in his presence.
Likewise, he didn’t understand Berelain’s intentions for a long time.
In Perrin’s catalog of emotions, there is no category for “a woman pursuing a man” or “a man feeling attraction toward another man,” and so he is blind to those emotions.
Could Faile really want him to . . . ? No, it was unthinkable. Blinking, he realized he had missed something Alliandre had said. “Your pardon, Alliandre,” he said politely. “I was thinking about Rand—the Dragon Reborn.” Of course it was unthinkable!
He tried to find the best way to explain why he hadn’t listened to her and chose “daydreaming about Rand.”
Not for the first time he realized that however much her anger hurt and confused him, it was her disappointment he feared. If he ever saw that in her eyes, it would rip the heart out of his chest.
Rand: This mission is highly secretive. We’ll even stage a fight so people won’t know where you’re going or why. I know you’re a reasonable man who can hold your tongue.
Perrin: I am Perrin Aybara. The Dragon Reborn sent me, and I’ll hang anyone who looks at me cross-eyed!
