Itās not āillegalā to say āVote Simionā ā itās just restricted on election day in Romania, to keep things fair. Also, you canāt say āVote Nicusorā.Ā
Maybe focus less on āfree speechā and more on handling those charges youāre still facing in #Romania.Ā
"He said somebody was after him. He said..." The chinless man swallowed and went on more slowly. "Said they'd kill him if he didn't go. 'One of us has to die, and I mean it to be him.' His very words."
"He did not mean us," Loial rumbled. "We are his friends."
"Of course, good ā uh ā good Ogier. Of course, he didn't mean you. I ā uh ā I don't mean to say anything about a friend of yours, but I ā uh ā I ā think he's sick. In the head, you know."
"We will take care of him," Perrin said. "That's why we're following him. Which way did he go?"
"I knew it," Simion said, bouncing on his toes. "I knew she could help as soon as I saw you. Which way? East, good master. East, like the Dark One himself was on his heels. Do you think she'll help me? Help my brother, that is? Noam's bad sick, and Mother Roon says she can't do anything."
Perrin kept his face expressionless, and bought a little time to think by propping his bow in the corner and setting his blanketroll and saddlebags on one of the beds. The problem was that thinking did not help much. He looked at Loial, but found no help there; consternation had the Ogier's ears drooping and his long eyebrows hanging down on his cheeks. "What makes you think she can help your brother?" Stupid question! The right question is, what does he mean to do about it?
"Why, I traveled to Jehannah, once, good master, and I saw two... two women like her. I couldn't mistake her after that." His voice dropped to a whisper. "It's said they can raise the dead, good master."
The Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time #3, Chapter 8: Jarra)
Let's (re)Read The Dragon Reborn! Chapter 9: Wolf Dreams
Spoiler alert: Just because he's a good boi does not mean he won't fuck you up if he has to. Also spoiler alert: This post and every other post in this series spoils everything for Wheel of Time ever (even the future, like the second TV show they'll make in the 2050s) so if you don't want to know about those spoilers, don't keep reading!
This chapter has the Dragon's Fang symbol because of Rand's Darkhound solutions.
āI have been expecting you for some time,ā she said. āI have not spoken about this before because it was obvious you did not want me to. After tonight, though. . . . What do you want to know?ā
Note that this is how she STARTS the conversation, before Perrin even gets a word in. Moiraine has been really trying to respect Perrin's boundaries here (in part because if she trampled over them it would only make him ignore what she has to say) and while of course implict statements from Aes Sedai should never be trusted, it is important that she closes with a statement that both affirms Perrin's agency and all but promises to be helpful. If only she were this good with dealing with Rand.
She said that some who talked to wolves lost themselves, that what was human was swallowed up by wolf. Some. Whether she meant one in ten, or five, or nine, I do not know.
Moiraine is usually pretty good about remembering the whole memory fades spiel, so I think the fact that she's emphasizing the exact words of an unreliable source shows that she very much wants it to be a trustworthy document that shows that Perrin still has a shot. She likes the boy even if he's been annoying lately.
āFrom what I have read of Aes Sedai who had the Talent called Dreaming, Dreamers sometimes spoke of encountering wolves in their dreams, even wolves that acted as guides. I fear you must learn to be as careful sleeping as waking, if you intend to avoid wolves. If that is what you decide to do.ā
This of course must be where the idea of spirit animals and such comes from, more or less. Wolfbrothers, their equivalents if there are any, and the Dreamers who got a taste of the guidance and assumed they were getting the whole thing.
āIf I can keep you whole, I will. I promise you that, Perrin. But I will not endanger the struggle against the Shadow. You must know that, too.ā
As cold as this is, it's actually a bit of a kindness too: she could obfuscate and let him think he's safe with her entirely, but she won't do that even though it would be better for their relationship on the whole. I suppose in a way, dealing with Perrin on this little stint is how Moiraine learns to deal with Rand better in the next couple books.
āIt would not aid you, Perrin. The shielding is for dreams from the outside. The danger in your dreams is within you.ā
Are there shields that the One Power can wield to keep Dreamers and similar people from dreaming? I suppose Aran'gar did SOMETHING with the power to fuck with Egwene later, but it's understandable that Moiraine wouldn't know of any equivalent ability when the Tower has no real use for it.
āHopper?ā he said wonderingly. He was sure he knew the wolf whose thoughts he heard. Hopper, who had envied the eagles. āHopper is dead!ā
Speaking of spirit animals, it's time for Perrin to meet his!
A man stood there, blinking at him uncertainly, in strangely cut coat and breeches, the coat flaring over his hips as the bottoms of the breeches flared over his boots. Both were bright yellow, and his boots were only a little paler.
Okay, so this is... Actually I have no idea who this is. Presumably he's an actual nobleman, but from where I couldn't possibly guess except "not Seanchan" since he speaks with a quick accent and "not Illian" since he doesn't be all "do be" about stuff. Does anyone know?
Frozen, Perrin stared at the bloody shape wearing the manās clothes, screaming and thrashing on the floor. Unbidden, his eyes rose to the pale thing like an empty sack that dangled from the ceiling. Part of it was already absorbed by the black strip, but he had no trouble recognizing a human skin, apparently whole and unbroken.
Well, either this dude was having one hell of a dream on his own (bad luck and not the kind that Perrin proximity causes), T'A'R has an ecosystem we never learn about (unlikely), or dude was just ganked by someone in the Shadow, so I guess that narrows it down a teensy bit.
Even as he recognized her, she lifted her head and looked straight at him. Her eyes widened, in shock, in anger. āYou! What are you doing here? How did youā? Youāll ruin things you could not begin to imagine!ā
Frankly, even "well obviously Lanfear killed that dude" raises further questions about motive. Perhaps this guy was a Darkfriend somewhere on Rand's path, and by taking him out she's protecting Rand in a plausibly deniable way?
Perrin turned, and Hopper was there, a big gray wolf, grizzled and scarred. āYou are dead. I saw you die. I felt you die!ā
Perrin buddy, you know you're sleeping. This is like the least remarkable part of your current dream.
The water turned pink as he washed his face. Pink with the blood of that strangely dressed man.
T'A'R is actually really awful when you stop to think about it for a few seconds.
Rand huddled under the trees in the night, watching the heavy-shouldered black dog come nearer his hiding place.
Rand being active at night speaks again to the sleep deprivation he's got to be suffering under. Even when he was on that hellish run with Mat he was able to claim downtime, but not here.
The Power filled him. Something leaped from his outstretched hands; he was not sure what it was. A bar of white light, solid as steel. Liquid fire. For an instant, in the middle of that something, the dog seemed to become transparent, and then it was gone.
Hooray for balefire: cleaner and more effective than nukes! Note Jordan's skill by introducing Rand discovering it randomly in a battle that has no real narrative tension so it's not a cheap victory but still does set things up for Moiraine to use it at the climax of this book to great effect.
He wanted to lie down and die. He wanted Nynaeve to give him some of her medicines, or Moiraine to Heal him, or. . . . Something, anything, to stop the sick feeling that was suffocating him.
When the chips are down, the two ladies Rand always misses most are Nynaeve and Moiraine. Foreshadowing!
Pushing himself away from the tree, he waded a shallow, icy stream, then settled into a steady trot eastward. Cold water filled his boots, and his side hurt, but he ignored both.
So many of Rand's bad habits really start up in these early books, under circumstances where he doesn't have any choice but to embrace them.
Next time: Egwene is ready to have PTSD episodes and chew bubblegum, but bubblegum hasn't been invented yet!
