Twenty years ago, in the White Tower, the Aiel War has just ended. Moiraine and Siuan, dressed in blue, happily discuss their future together, which they both hope will be spent outside of the tower. The women go to see Gitara Sedai, a blind, older woman, to tell her that the Aiel are retreating and the war is over. Gitara suddenly has a foretelling, that the dragon has been reborn, and charges Moiraine and Siuan to keep the secret and prepare the world for his coming. She then immediately passes away. So much for that future together they had planned.
In the present, in Cairhien, Leane brings Moiraine to see Siuan. Siuan wonders why Moiraine never mentioned in her letters that she had been stilled. She tells her that Alanna also knows about the dragon reborn. But Moiraine doesn’t have to carry this burden alone anymore. Siuan wants to help her and the first step is meeting Rand.
In the hallway, Lan prepares Rand for the meeting. He tells Rand that Siuan is a good woman and smart. Lan sees that Rand has learned some sword forms and suggests cat crosses the courtyard for this meeting, it will keep him looking relaxed. Lan gives Rand his fourth jacket change of the season and sends him in.
Rand stands before the Amrylin and says the words Lan taught him. Siuan tells Rand it is wise to be guarded in this world but she wants the truth from him today.
Mat wanders the Foregate looking depressed and is knocked out from behind by a hooded stranger. He awakens on the floor of a strange bedroom, with Lanfear standing over him wearing a fashionable pantsuit that I want immediately. Mat goes outside onto the balcony and looks out over Falme.
Down below, Nynaeve and Elayne are in the marketplace. Elayne is tired of listening to Nynaeve. She is the captain now. They are off to look for Loial.
In the desert outside Falme, some sul’dam are showing off their damane’s powers. Egwene and Renna are there, as well as Maighan. Renna threatens Egwene with violence if she embarrasses her.
In the palace courtyard, Yassica slips Verin an Ogier map of Cairhien. Across the way, Alanna and her warders discuss how they don’t trust Verin and Tomas and wonder what they’re up to. Speaking of people they don’t trust, where’s Liandrin?
Well, Liandrin is interrupting a meal in the Damodred house. As Anvaere says how honored she is to have her, Liandrin looks at an old portrait of Moiraine and smiles, evilly. I would definitely invite her to stay.
Moiraine berates Lan about spilling all their secrets. He asks her if she thought about killing herself these past few months and she says no, because she knew how important it was for her to guide Rand. She wants to know what Siuan’s plan is but Lan says she has to trust someone at some point.
Rand tells Siuan he hasn’t channeled very much but she says he will, he can’t help it. She tells him Tower law states that she must shield Rand and use him as a weapon in the Last Battle, under the control of the Aes Sedai. He seizes the source but Siuan shields him in two seconds flat. I guess that Logain lesson didn’t help!
In the desert, a damane creates a dust cloud that almost reaches the rest of the group. When Egwene steps up for her turn, she creates an explosion of air that knocks them all off their feet and can be heard and felt in the city. Nynaeve who, bitch?
Elayne and Nynaeve find Loial and chat with him in a hidden corner of the marketplace. He recognizes and genuflects to Elayne and it’s the greatest moment of my life. Loial tells them Egwene is in the kennels but only a sul’dam can get in there. Nynaeve swears that they will free him, too.
Ishamael makes Mat some hallucinogenic tea from the Age of Legends. He tells him to drink it in 15 minutes and it will show him his past lives and the truth about himself.
Perrin, Aviendha, and Hopper approach Falme from the desert. Perrin notices a woman in the sand and two more Aiel Maidens appear, Bain and Chiad. They take them to a gravesite of their friend, Jolien, who died of an infection in her wound. The Maidens use hand talk, as Aviendha prepares herself, and then the other two start wailing on her with their fists and feet. Hopper and Perrin both object to this but they can’t stop it.
Of course, Mat drinks the tea, and it’s hard to recap someone’s trip but I’ll try. He sees his mother, still calling him a prick. In a mirror, he sees a reflection of himself, hanging by the neck, dead. He sees a man drowning someone in a bucket, another man stabbing a woman. Both those aggressors eventually become Mat. The scene ends with Mat cradling himself on the ground. The cradler laughs maniacally while the cradlee screams.
Rand is still crouched on the ground, shielded, as Moiraine and Lan enter the room. Siuan refuses to release his shield. Moiraine says Siuan’s enemies in the Tower will gentle Rand; Siuan’s job was to prepare the tower for Rand, but Moiraine’s job was to guide him, not to get stilled, so no one really succeeded here, did they? Siuan’s in charge so tomorrow, before the Queen, they will announce Rand as Dragon Reborn.
In a cell, Moiraine explains shielding to Rand, while Leane sits in a corner, holding his shield. Rand says he was on his way to Falme to rescue Egwene from Ishamael. Falme is where the dragon is prophesied to proclaim himself. Rand figures the Forsaken probably wouldn’t want him to be a prisoner here.
In House Damodred, Barthanes dismisses his mother to speak to Liandrin alone. This sweet boy suddenly has a backbone and wouldn’t you know it? He’s a darkfriend. Hope Moiraine didn’t eat those sandwiches! Liandrin has an order for Barthanes to get rid of Moiraine, and tells him she’s in a cell in the palace. If Anvaere finds out, he should kill her too, but, of course, Anvaere has a secret listening hole and has heard the whole thing.
Ishamael awakens Mat by caressing his face and I swear, he has sexual tension with every character on this show. Ishamael gives Mat his whole “break the wheel” speech and it didn’t work when Dana said it but it seems to work now. Mat asks him, “How?”
Rand meets Lanfear in Tel’aran’rhiod and she’s back on her throne in her s&m gear. He says he needs her to break him out of the palace but she’s pissed that he’s with Moiraine. However, this request allows her to cause absolute carnage in the streets of Cairhien so she’s in. First stop? Blowing up most of the Foregate. Was this what Rand had in mind?
At the sanitarium, Alanna and Maksim discuss Lanfear being free in the world. Maksim says he misses the farm, and Alanna asks him if he thought they would fight the Last Battle against an army of kittens. Okay fine, I like them again.
Lan approaches Logain and asks him if he saw weaves on Moiraine. After some pushback, Logain finally admits he did see male weaves on her. Alanna rushes in with news about the fire in the Foregate. Lan tells Logain he will be going back to the Tower, to be studied by the brown Ajah sisters.
Lanfear has reached the main gate to the city and she blows it up. She’s pretending she doesn’t enjoy this but, she does.
Aviendha explains to Perrin that the beating was her fulfilling her toh, since it was her fault Jolien died. She sees Perrin’s wedding ring and says Bain will be disappointed she can’t sleep with him. Should have left the ring on the lantern, Perrin. The group reaches the ocean and the Aiel are shocked by the large amount of water.
At night, Nynaeve and Elayne stop a sul’dam in the street. Nynaeve distracts her, showing her the bracer on her wrist, then collars her and Elayne knocks her out with a stick. Love the teamwork.
In the kennels, Renna sponges off Egwene’s hands and face. She tells her the Seanchan empress has sent them to unite the world under the light, in preparation for the last battle. Sounds good in theory but… Egwene smiles and then sweetly says, “I will kill you.” Renna storms off with her bucket.
In the palace dungeons, Barthanes has asked a servant to trap and drug Moiraine. But no! Anvaere comes up behind him and traps HIM in the cell. Eat it, Barthanes! He tells his mother he did this for the family. And Moiraine doesn’t even care about them! Anvaere says her sister knows right from wrong and how hard it is to do what is right. She has already told the queen. She leaves Barthanes in a cell, screaming, as guards surround the door.
Verin rushes in to Moiraine and Rand’s cell. She says a bunch of statements to Leane about Siuan needing her, and Leane transfers Rand’s shield to Verin. As soon as she leaves, Verin drops the shield. She is getting the dragon reborn the f out.
Verin has used that Ogier map to find a waygate in the city they can use. Moiraine tells Verin they are heading to Falme, and Verin of course knows the prophecy. Outside, we get a rundown of the current good guy team: Moiraine, Lan, Alanna, Maksim, Ihvon, Verin, Tomas. Not Siuan. Ugh. Moiraine, Lan, and Rand head for the Waygate…
…while above, on the palace walls, Siuan and the other Aes Sedai, except Liandrin, overlook the havoc below. Siuan links with them- the right way- and creates a rainstorm to put out the fires. Leane shows up and Siuan realizes she’s been played. She leaves Leane in charge and heads off.
At the waygate, Lan has finally figured out that Moiraine is not stilled. Rand can see that male weaves are tied off on Moiraine. Lan explains that the Forsaken were able to shield people this way in the age of legends. Rand can’t untie the knot but he can cut it and he does. Okay then. That’s over. Moiraine can channel again! She opens the waygate but Siuan has arrived. Her partner of at least twenty years, surely nothing can go wrong. Psych! She shields Rand and orders Moiraine to close the waygate. Because Moiraine swore to obey her on the oath rod, Siuan commands her to close it, and she is physically compelled to do so. It’s a total physical violation and it changes things; they both know it. But they don’t have much time because Lanfear is here now, too. She tosses Siuan aside like a rag doll. Rand protects Moiraine from her and she loves it when he acts like Lews. Lanfear reopens the waygate and they all go through. All except Siuan, who lies broken and weeping on the ground, calling for Moiraine.
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