Welcome back to bridge4 as we continue our detailed summary recap of Robert Jordan s
The Wheel of Time book series. Today s video covers the journey from their campsite north
of the Taren River to the city of Baerlon. Chapter 13 -- Choices
This chapter picks up with the group of 7 in the cave of trees after they escaped from
the Myddraal, Trollocs, and Draghkar. Moiraine used the power to heal everybody, except herself.
Egwene loved it, but the boys were scared by it, yet too scared to say no Moiraine.
Lan said she didn t have to help him, but she did anyway. And Thom scowled through the
entire thing. After just one hour of sleep, Lan woke everyone
except for Moiraine. They cleared all traces of ever having been there, mounted their horses,
and rode north to Baerlon, riding slowly to conserve their horses. And it s worth noting,
Moiraine s magical fog still held firm, up and down the river behind them.
The kids had never been so far from Emond s field, causing Rand to enter a waking dream.
Memories of Emond s field and Bel Tine, the way it had been.
The journey to Baerlon took almost a week, and during that time, Lan and his horse named
Mandarb, or Blade in the Old Tongue, covered twice the distance as everyone, scouting ahead
and examining their backtrail, too. And Lan would get on their case any time anyone would
let their horses move at more than a walking pace, including Moiraine and her horse named
Aldieb or Westwind in the Old Tongue. The wind that brought the spring rains.
Although their week-long journey was slow, it was not easy, as Lan had them circle for
miles to avoid any sign of men or civilization. During their first stop, Lan began teaching
the boys what to do with the weapons they carried, starting with the bow. All three
of the boys were great at the bow, especially Rand, who summoned the flame and the void,
the empty calm that let the bow become a part of him, or him of it.
Lan also gave Perrin tips with his axe, and did the same for Rand and his sword, telling
him, moving the blade is not enough though some think it is. The mind is part of it,
most of it. Blank your mind, sheepherder. Empty it of hate or fear, of everything. Burn
them away. He told Mat and Perrin that you could do the same with any weapon: axe or
bow, spear, quarterstaff, or even your bare hands. This philosophy reminded Rand of his
father s teachings in regards to the bow. The mental state that Tam had referred to
as the flame and the void. During the evenings, Lan wouldn t let Thom
play the flute or harp, but Thom entertained the group by juggling, or telling stories,
such as Anla the Wise counselor or an adventure with a happy ending such as The Great Hunt
of the Horn. One morning, Egwene awoke and unbraided her
hair, highlighting that she was changing, and part of that stemmed from her private
chats with Moiraine Sedai each night. Elaine told Rand that she unbraided it because Aes
Sedai don t braid their hair, at least, not unless they want to. And she would be Aes
Sedai, just as soon as they reached their destination: Tar Valon. A confused Rand asked
her why, since Egwene is no Dark Friend and Egwene s response was basically, grow up,
Rand. Forget the stories and use your eyes. Moiraine is not a Dark Friend. She saved the
village. Their argument grew in volume until everyone was listening. Whoops, Rand thought,
trying to recall what he had said about Aes Sedai and Darkfriends.
Two nights later, with the fire burning low, while Lan was off scouting and Egwene was
off chatting with Moiraine, Rand, Perrin, and Mat had a chat of their own. Mat was carefree,
assuming they were no longer being followed, and excitedly commented on seeing a real city.
Not just the one they were headed too, Baerlon, but places like Illian, since Illian wasn
t full of Aes Se he cut off, mouth still open, as Moiraine and Egwene returned to the fire.
A few days respite, and you are ready to give up. A day or two of quiet, and already you
have forgotten Winternight. Is that the way you all feel? You are all eager to run off
to Illian and forget about Trollocs, and Halfmen, and Draghkar? The Dark One is after you three,
one or all, and if I let you go running off wherever you want to go, he will take you.
Whatever the Dark One wants, I oppose, so hear this and know it true. Before I let the
Dark One have you, I will destroy you myself. Moiraine and Egwene s nightly talks were a
sore point for Rand, so he spied on them one night, discussing the Five Powers: Earth,
Wind, Fire, Water, and Spirit. Egwene told Moiraine that is doesn t seem fair that men
were able to wield the two strongest Powers: Earth and Fire. To which Moiraine responded,
is there a rock so hard that wind and water cannot wear it away? A fire so strong that
water cannot quench it or wind snuff it out? Egwene asked if it was the men who tried to
free the Dark One and the Foresaken, not the women, which showed Moiraine that Egwene had
a healthy fear of the Power. So Moiraine comforted her, telling her how brave she was to have
left Emond s Field and seek adventure, despite her fear. She was brave for refusing to let
her fear best her. For having asked how a woman becomes an Aes Sedai.
Moiraine also pointed out that few women these days had the ability to become initiates,
much less the wish to. Surely never before two in one village. The old blood was indeed
still strong in the Two Rivers. Moiraine had not meant to say that. That was a major slip,
which will pay off in the next few chapters. But for the time being, it was a slip. So
Moiraine changed the topic without saying who the second woman was. She went back to
addressing Egwene s fear. Yes, it was the men who caused the Breaking of the World,
but they were no more wicked than other men. They were insane, not evil. And the Aes Sedai
in Tar Valon are just as human, no different from other women except for their abilities.
So there are brave and cowardly Aes Sedai, strong and weak, kind and cruel, warm-hearted
and cold. Becoming an Aes Sedai does not change a woman.
Egwene then asked why the Trollocs came to Emond s Field, and right at that moment, Moiraine
s head swung and she looked straight at Rand s hiding place. So he slowly melted back into
the deeper shadows then scrambled away on all fours back to camp. A moment later, Moiraine
appeared out of the night. So Rand closed his eyes, breathed evenly, and when he opened
his eyes again, she was gone. Rand then had a nightmare where all the men
in Emond s Field claimed to be the Dragon Reborn, and all the women had blue stones
in their hair like the one that Moiraine wore. After that night, Rand did not try to overhear
Moiraine and Egwene ever again. On into the sixth day, the slow journey stretched.
Perrin carried Mat s bow as Mat practiced juggling three small stones under Thom Merrilin
s watchful eye. The gleeman had been giving lessons each night, and so too, had Lan.
Speaking of Lan, Lan rode up after one of his scouting sessions and spoke to Moiraine
privately. Meanwhile, Mat bragged at being able to juggle four before Rand as they topped
a long hill, and below them, a scant mile away through the stark trees and the stretching
shadows of evening, lay Baerlon. Rand gasped, trying to smile and gape at the same time.
A log wall, nearly twenty feet tall surrounded the town, with wooden watchtowers scattered
along its length. Smoke drifted up from chimneys, hundreds of chimneys. It s bigger than Emond
s Field and Watch Hill and Deven Ride all put together, Rand thought. And maybe Taren
Ferry, too. So that s a city, Mat breathed, leaning forward across his horse s neck to
stare. Perrin was not so impressed, wondering how so many people could live in one place.
Egwene simply stared. And the well-traveled Thom Merrilin snorted. City. Moiraine asked
Rand what he thought, to which he responded: I think it s long way from home. And Mat and
Perrin s faces agreed. Moiraine warned everyone that danger had begun
again. She told them not to mention Trollocs or Halfmen or any such. To not even think
of the Dark One. She pointed out that some in Baerlon have even less love for Aes Sedai
than do the people of Emond s Field, and there may even be Darkfriends there.
Lan switched out of his color-changing cloak for a more ordinary brown one, though of fine
cut and weave. Then the group was told that, in Baerlon, Moiraine goes by the name Alys,
and Lan by the name Andra. They made haste to get inside the city walls,
which close from sundown to sunrise, a plot point that comes back into play a few chapters
from now. But haste was not enough. They were too late. When they got to the gate, it was
already closed, and the wrinkle-faced gatekeeper named Avin told them that it was too late
in the day to be opening this gate. He told them to go around to the Whitebridge Gate,
but then he noticed Moiraine. He recognized her and opened it up for them.
Inside Baerlon, Avin jested about Moiraine collecting downcountry folk with hay in their
hair, and then recognized Thom Merrilin, whom he had let through a few days back. Lan then
pressed a coin into the gatekeepers hand saying, I hope you remembered to forget letting us
through, and letting us back in too. The gatekeeper updated Lan on the latest worldly
news. How Children of the Light had arrived to Baerlon the day that he and Moiraine had
left. And Children hated Aes Sedai as much as they did Darkfriends, Rand remembered.
The gatekeeper said that the Children arrived on back of what s going on down in Ghealdan.
Because there is man there who calls himself Dragon, and the Children claim that this man
is stirring up evil there. But the Governor of Baerlon doesn t trust the Children of the
Light, so he only lets ten or so Children inside the walls of Baerlon at one time. The
rest of the Children of the Light were camped out a little ways north of the city.
The gatekeeper also mentioned the trouble in Saldaea and a big battle down in Ghealdan,
which caused Moiraine to draw a soft breath, since she had heard that Aes Sedai were going
to Ghealdan. Supposedly, the man calling himself Dragon could use the One Power, thousands
were following him, and he was moving his army east and south toward Tear.
Thom then told Rand about the prophecies regarding Tear. The Karatheon Cycle. How the Stone of
Tear is the fortress that guards the city. The Stone is said to be the first fortress
built after the Breaking of the World, and in all this time, it has never fallen, though
more than one army has tried. One of the Prophecies says that the Stone of Tear will never fall
until the People of the Dragon come to the Stone. Another says the Stone will never fall
till the Sword That Cannot Be Touched is wielded by the Dragon s hand. And how the fall of
the Stone will be one of the major proofs that the Dragon has been reborn.
Lan then opened a gate which led into the backyard of a stableyard of an inn. An employee
yelled at them, but Master Fitch stepped outside and said they were expected. Welcome to the
Stag and Lion. Welcome to Baerlon.