#narg

STAR WARS EPISODE II: Attack of the Clones 00:40:56 - 00:41:00

Because of the limit on keywords, here is a list of everything mentioned in these images for search purposes:

Winternight

Dumai's Wells

Road to Taren Ferry

Welcome back to the reread that has caused both my tablet and my fire cube to glitch out in horrible, frustrating ways for no apparent reason! There are many spoilers going forward (like the fact that this will cause me to snap), so if you don't want that sort of thing, run.

In the Two Rivers that often included three or four generations under one roof, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and nephews. Tam and Rand were considered out of the ordinary as much for being two men living alone as for farming in the Westwood.

Makes you wonder what did happen to Tam's family. Presumably there were some deaths (maybe that's why he left the region in the first place; trying to get away from grief), but you'd think he'd have some cousins or something that would merit a mention. Or maybe the al'Thors were incredibly inbred and used to be a Congar/Coplin tier clan until they all died.

“I’ll start some stew for supper. And as long as we’re here, we might as well get caught up on a few chores.”

Already it's the worst Bel Tine ever, but don't worry Rand, it will get worse.

A broad oaken table was the main feature of the room other than the fireplace, a table long enough to seat a dozen or more, though there had seldom been so many around it since Rand’s mother died.

Because of course it's up to women to coordinate social events, even if they're outlanders who don't have the decades of social networking that their husbands do.

I skipped over a whole bunch of chores, btw. It's good scene setting but there's not much else to say about it.

...The Travels of Jain Farstrider sat on the table...

Hi Jain! For the first few books, your own title sounded like something rather old and well-established, The Travels of Marco Polo not as seen by his contemporaries but by the people of the 1500s. Now we know it's actually a very recent tome, not much older than Rand, which means that he's lucky to have a copy at all. Maybe Tam bought it in Illian.

There's actually a lot of domesticity stuff I'm skimming over. It helps set the calm mood that is about to be so violently shattered.

When Tam came back, Rand stared in surprise. A thick belt slanted around Tam’s waist, and from the belt hung a sword, with a bronze heron on the black scabbard and another on the long hilt. The only men Rand had ever seen wearing swords were the merchants’ guards. And Lan, of course. That his father might own one had never even occurred to him.

Of course even before that we get the mounting dread as Tam locks and bars the doors and starts rearranging the furniture.

Rand doesn't recognize the significance of the heron, which is a little odd. You'd think the sign of the blademaster would be exactly the sort of thing that stories would harp on about endlessly, like how Rand never shuts up about his man crush Lan.

“I got it a long time ago,” Tam said, “a long way from here. And I paid entirely too much; two coppers is too much for one of these. Your mother didn’t approve, but she was always wiser than I. I was young then, and it seemed worth the price at the time. She always wanted me to get rid of it, and more than once I’ve thought she was right, that I should just give it away.”

And this right here is virtually all the info we get about what might have happened in the Tam prequel that Jordan wanted to do. Two coppers doesn't seem like anything other than a complete steal for such a valuable blade, but something about Tam's statement makes me wonder if there's a lot more going on than just spending two coppers.

He had always vaguely supposed his father must have gone outside—his mother had been an outlander...

Shame that in all your years you never asked your dad about how he met your mother. Usually we get some kind of nod about how "Father never spoke of Mother" in these kinds of stories but Jordan's never actually said that and Tam seems quite open and supportive so it's just odd, like his lack of any relatives in the area. I will now endeavor to never think of these incongruities again because they don't really matter, they're just the kind of thing that you look back on make you go, "Oh yeah, these guys are fictional and not real people".

Then the Trollocs show up!

Rand felt the beginnings of an odd sort of relief. Whoever this was, it was not the black-cloaked rider.

Welp, Rand's gone into shock. Thankfully he snaps out of it and...

The creature roared, part scream of pain, part animal snarl, as boiling water splashed over its face.

Even in the first book the Trollocs are getting punked. This is only a distraction before Tam actually takes it down, but still.

Shadows, he told himself. Only shadows.

Yes Rand, the Shadow has finally come for you. Save this feeling that it's a completely inconsequential copy of what's real and true; it'll help you later. (Sadly, he will not.)

“They’re coming in the back!” The words came out in a croak, but at least they came out. He had not been sure they would. “I’m outside! Run, father!”

He starts and ends on good notes, but when you're being hunted by the forces of darkness you never give away your position even a little.

In mid-stride Tam whirled, not running toward Rand, but at an angle away from him. “Run, lad!” he shouted, gesturing with the sword as if to someone ahead of him. “Hide!”

After Rand gives away his position AGAIN, Tam bravely covers for him. You shoulda spent less time on meditation and more on emergency situations. What kind of novel by a semi-libertarian type is this that our heroes who live out in the woods besides a minimalist democratic government aren't crazy preppers whose irresponsibly placed bear traps have already killed fifteen government agentsShadowspawn?

Suddenly a hand closed over his mouth from behind, and an iron grip seized his wrist. Frantically he clawed over his shoulder with his free hand for some hold on the attacker. “Don’t break my neck, lad,” came Tam’s hoarse whisper.

Coulda whispered quicker. Geez, Rand probably pissed himself.

They kill for the pleasure of killing, so I’ve been told.

Don't sound too different from real people, do they Tam?

But that’s the end of my knowledge, except that they cannot be trusted unless they’re afraid of you, and then not far.

Is it just me, or is this rather an odd piece of trivia to know? Most good people aren't going to need to know this. Maybe Kari *had been* a Darkfriend back before she settled down and knew these things from experience?

No, of course not. But it's funny to imagine and since we don't get a prequel anymore we're all welcome to come up with the stupidest headcanons imaginable.

If he had to do it against a Trolloc he was surely just as likely to run instead, or freeze stiff so he could not move at all until the Trolloc swung one of those odd swords and. . . . Stop it! It’s not helping anything!

Realism doesn't hurt, Rand. It's good to acknowledge that battles are scary and that since you're not trained you're not likely to make a positive difference.

Creeping from tree to tree, he tried to make a plan, but by the time he reached the edge of the woods he had made and discarded ten. Everything depended on whether or not the Trollocs were still there.

Jordan, being a military man, is smart enough to know that plans don't really last in conflict, and this spreads to Rand. He also is again aware of his limitations and knows that if the house has Trollocs in it his only smart choice is to run back.

It was the light that decided him. The barn was dark. Anything could be waiting inside, and he would have no way of knowing until it was too late. At least he would be able to see what was inside the house.

Of course, you'll be quite visible as well, especially if there's anything in the barn watching. Can't blame you for not thinking everything through though - and luckily, nothing is in the barn, so that's all going to work out.

Four twisted bodies made a tangle in the remnants of the furnishings. Trollocs.

Tam did pretty fucking well to only be semi-mortally wounded while taking out four and distracting all the rest, especially for someone who claims to have had no experience with Shadowspawn, which are quite distinct from human opponents in several ways.

“Others go away. Narg stay. Narg smart.”

In a book filled with early installment weirdness, Narg really takes the cake, huh? He's also incredibly popular, though much like another incredibly popular non-human in this series I don't really get it. He's a fun but to me very forgettable meme. (NOTE TO SELF: Put in more of these hot takes in the hopes of getting angry replies to boost viewership.)

Did Jordan intend for there to be more distinct Trolloc characters over the course of the series and just never got around to it, or had to abandon them as the plans changed? Was this just laying the groundwork for Shaidar Haran? The world will never know.

Desperately he brought his sword up. The monstrous body crashed into him, slamming him against the wall. Breath left his lungs in one gasp. He fought for air as they fell to the floor together, the Trolloc on top. Frantically he struggled beneath the crushing weight, trying to avoid thick hands groping for him, and snapping jaws.

Rand's first fight. Like so many of his physical confrontations, this one ends ignominiously. His most "epic" fight is in a Sanderson book and besides that one I feel like most of his battles have high prices, ambiguous outcomes, or other weirdnesses that stop him from being Gilgamesh and keep him more at a Samwell Tarly kind of level when it comes to combat. You'd think the dude would have clued in sooner that his focus wasn't meant to be on the material world, but he is just a sheepherder I guess.

He was sure he was forgetting any number of things they would need, but Tam was waiting, and the Trollocs were coming back. He gathered what he could think of on the run.

He actually does pretty well. In a crisis, Rand tends to have a pretty clear head when he's not succumbing to madness. Anyway, he heads into the barn (it's empty and the wagon is wrecked) and promptly breaks down the wagon to at least have something to carry Tam in.

When the shaft fell free, he looked at the sword blade in wonder. Even the best-sharpened axe would have dulled chopping through that hard, aged wood, but the sword looked as brightly sharp as ever.

Every fantasy series needs to have magical blades that don't need sharpening no matter how often they're used. Jordan was probably one of the first to state that it all happened because the wizards and witches forging the blades were manipulating them at the atomic level. Even this is a cliche in the modern era though.

That thought was like a beacon as he pulled on his coat and bent to tend Tam’s wound. They would be safe once they reached the village, and Nynaeve would cure Tam. He just had to get him there.

I'm starting to wonder if any of these chapters will end without irony at this rate. Rand does *not* have the gift of Foretelling, that much is for sure.

Narg

Bela