Re-Reading "The Dragon Reborn": Chapter 37: Fires in Cairhien," "Chapter 38: Maidens of the Spear," and "Chapter 39:Threads in the Pattern"
As Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne make their way to Tear, they find themselves running into some unexpected perils, even as they also meet up with some new potential allies.
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For this week’s Wheel of Time Wednesday–the first of 2025!--we return to our regularly scheduled programming, with a trio of chapters from The Dragon Reborn. These three chapters focus on Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne as they continue to make their slow and steady way toward Tear. After their ship runs aground, the three women, at Nynaeve’s insistence, begin making their way by land to the nearest town. On the way they encounter both a group of Aiel but also some rather nasty brigands, the latter of whom take them captive.
One of the things that becomes very clear in these chapters is the extent to which the tension between Nynaeve and Egwene continues unabated. In many ways this is totally expected. After all, they’re both very powerful and independent women, and neither of them are particularly good at compromising or putting their own egos aside. Since we’re in Egwene’s mind for these moments we get to see why it is that she remains so steadfastly opposed to Nynaeve acting as if she can have things all her own way the entire time. Egwene has worked very hard to become a mature adult–and she’s also endured quite a lot during her imprisonment by the Seanchan–so it makes sense that she wouldn’t take kindly to the other woman insisting on treating her like a child.
I personally love the comment when the three of them encounter the Maidens of the Spear, who are the epitome of badass women (Jordan deserves a lot of credit for giving women in fantasy far more agency than they are given by many other male authors). Though it isn’t yet clear at this moment, one still gets the sense that the arrival of Aviendha will be something that changes the trajectory of many of the characters (most notably Rand).
This whole exchange also reveals some important things about Aiel culture, including the fact that their Wise Ones are almost certainly women who channel. As time will tell, this is an aspect of their society that will have profound implications for both the Aiel as well as for the broader continent, particularly as the Last Battle draws closer and everyone is called upon to do their part to fight back against the Dark One. Now that they are seeking out He Who Comes with the Dawn, they too will be drawn into the alliance of nations that will have to stand against the Trollocs, Fades, and other horrors evil will unleash.
Undergirding all of this is the realization, on Egwene’s part at least, of just how little the people of the west really understand the Aiel, their customs, and their entire way of looking at the world. You can tell even at this early point that Jordan is having a field day creating a society that is so foreign to everything that we as readers have come to expect, up to and including the relations between and among women (which are often just as hard for us as readers to keep track of as it is for the characters). Also of note is the fact that the Aiel, almost too a person, are absolutely terrified of any body of water larger than a stream. One can see why they would find themselves something more than a little disturbed and discomfited by this new land into which they’ve wandered.
For me, though, the highlight of this entire exchange is the moment in which Nynaeve Heals Dailin. Say what you will about this young woman, but she does genuinely care about others, and she takes Healing seriously as a craft and as a purpose for her life and her control of the One Power. It’s just a good thing that she gets so angry about the waste that she sees in people trying to kill one another which, in its own way, also says a great deal about her character.
This moment finds its echo in the next chapter when Nynaeve once again finds that she has to get very upset before she can do the necessary task of healing Elayne. She might be one of the most powerful people born with the Power in almost a thousand years, but that doesn’t mean that she has an easy road when it comes to overcoming her block. At the same time, however, her adherence to peace and bone-deep aversion to violence also sets her apart, and it helps to ensure that she doesn’t become one of those who lets the One Power lead her down a dark and perilous road. Unlike the Aiel she has a hard time ever truly accepting the inevitability of death, particularly if she feels that it could have been prevented. She is, ultimately, a truly good person, and we can’t help but love her.
At the same time, she also isn’t afraid to use all of the considerable might at her command when doing so means saving the people that she loves and cares about. Not only that, but she also manages to weave Balefire itself during the fateful exchange with the Myrddraal. It’s a good thing, too, since it’s entirely possible that they all would have perished had she not brought this to bear. It’s also yet another of those moments that shows just how much the world is changing around them and, just as importantly, it demonstrates the extent to which Nynaeve’s tremendous potential as a future Aes Sedai is going to have some major repercussions down the road. Anyone who can wield so much of the One Power can’t help but be drawn into the great doings of the Third Age, even if she still can’t access her abilities without being angry.
The Dragon Reborn is still struggling a bit when it comes to finding an actual plot. Yes, we’re getting lots of exploration of Egwene’s psyche, which is a good thing, considering how prominent of a role she’ll play in subsequent events in the series, but it still feels a bit strange to spend so little time with Rand, considering that he is the main character of both the novel (it is named after him) and the series as a whole. Then again, given how irritating I find Rand to be, it’s actually kind of a relief to spend so much time with Egwene. Though she can be frustrating in her own ways, she still has a remarkable strength of character and, when the need arises, she can be more flexible and adaptable than Nynaeve.
As time will tell very soon, all of them will need that ability.
Thank you all for sticking with me through 2024. I look forward to an even more productive–and Wheel of Time loving–2025!