Season three of The Wheel of Time is only days away, but before the first three episodes drop, it might be helpful to go back and remember just where we were when the sweeping arc of season two ended.
It began, of course, with Rand’s friends believing that he died at the confrontation at the Eye of the World. Scattered in different directions, Nyneave, Egwene, Perrin, and Mat had to find their way through dangerous places, traps, emotional struggles, and new enemies; Rand followed his own path; Moiraine and Lan struggled with their relationship and their hunt for the truth about who was released from the Eye of the World.
But the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and by the end of season, all our heroes were drawn to Falme, and into a great battle against the Seanchan and Ishamael. Here’s where the season left each of them:
Rand
Rand bribed the imprisoned Logain to teach him to channel, and began a relationship with a woman named Selene. When Selene’s true identity was revealed to be that of the Forsaken named Lanfear, Rand was rescued by Moiraine. Eventually he ended up a prisoner of the White Tower, where he learned that Siuan and her Aes Sedai intend to use him as a weapon in the Last Battle. In a dream, Rand asked Lanfear to rescue him, and Lanfear took him to Ishamael, ostensibly so that he could rescue Egwene from the Seanchan, but actually so that Ishamael could attempt to turn him to the Dark. Rand’s friends found him in Falme and helped protect him from Ishamael’s attack, and when Rand was wounded by Mat’s poisoned dagger, Egwene’s new roommate, Elayne, healed him. Rand was able to stab Ishamael using his sword, apparently killing him.
Egwene
While grieving for Rand, Egwene studied as a student in the White Tower until she learned of Nynaeve’s intention to leave and help Perrin. Following Nynaeve led to Egwene being captured by the Seanchan. Chained as a damane, she engaged in a battle of wills against her sul’dam, Renna, and eventually proved the stronger, killing Renna and reuniting with Rand, helping to protect him during his fight with Ishamael.
Moiraine
Throughout the season, Moiraine struggled with the fact that Ishamael took away her ability to channel. Despite this, however, she stayed true to her goal of protecting and guiding Rand, even when it brought her into conflict with her own family, and then with Siuan. Lan was able to discover that she hadn’t been stilled but merely shielded by Ishamael, and Moiraine’s ability to channel was restored. After being separated from Rand by Lanfear, she and Lan ended up on a beach outside of Falme, where the two repaired their strained relationship. Moiraine used her Power to sink the Seanchan ships, stopping the damane from attacking Rand, and then conjured the symbol of the Dragon over the city, declaring the identity of the Dragon Reborn.
Nynaeve
As a student in the White Tower, Nynaeve struggled with the inability to channel at will, and was also courted for the Red Ajah by Liandrin. After a traumatic experience in the Accepted Trials in which she saw a future she will never have, Nynaeve was lured away from the White Tower by Liandrin telling her that Perrin was in danger. After Egwene was captured, Nynaeve and Elayne teamed up to try to rescue her, reuniting with Perrin and Loial in Falme. Nynaeve was present at the confrontation between Rand and Ishamael at the end of the season, but was unable to channel to Heal Elayne when she was injured, or to Heal Rand.
Perrin
Hunting for the Horn of Valere with Loial and some of the Shienarans landed Perrin in trouble with both the Whitecloaks and the Seanchan. He also learned more about his abilities as wolfbrother, and made friends with Aviendha, an Aiel warrior he saved from imprisonment. While fighting the Seanchan in Falme, Perrin’s wolf friend, Hopper, was killed by Geofram Bornhald, causing Perrin to pick up an axe for the first time since Laila’s death and kill Bornhald with it. He helped Egwene shield Rand against Ishamael’s attack and witnessed Ishamael’s defeat.
Mat
After being imprisoned by Liandrin, Mat escaped with fellow prisoner, Min, only to end up being delivered by her into Ishamael’s hands. Ishamael taunted Mat with his failures and gave him a strange tea that caused Mat to see many of his other lives. Left alone with the ruby-hilted dagger from Shadar Logoth, Mat was able to resist its call and use the dagger to escape without touching it. Mat and Loial retrieved the Horn of Valere. Unable to get it to Rand in time, Mat blew the Horn himself, summoned the Heroes of the Horn to help in the battle, and discovered that he himself is one of them. Later, he tried to stab Ishamael with the ruby-hilted dagger, but was tricked into stabbing Rand instead.
Siuan
When she learned that Moiraine had been stilled by Ishamael and was hiding it, Siuan believed she had no choice but to take over the guardianship of Rand al’Thor. She had him imprisoned and kept shielded by Aes Sedai, intending to keep him safe until he could be used as a weapon in the last battle. But she was betrayed by Alanna and Verin who, along with their Warders, helped Rand, Moiraine, and Lan escape. Siuan confronted Moiraine after seeing her channel to open the Waygate, and used the oath Moiraine swore on the Oath Rod to compel Moiraine’s obedience, until they were interrupted and attacked by Lanfear. Siuan was left behind, unconscious or dead, and her fate is uncertain.
Ishamael
Ishamael spent much of the season scheming to get Rand to a place where he might be susceptible to being turned to the Dark, using Rand’s friends as pawns to this end and spending a lot of time discussing a sort of existentialist philosophy about how the cycle of reincarnation only leads to human suffering. He also released Lanfear from her imprisonment, despite not trusting her, and let her go after Rand. Ishamael’s manipulations were nearly enough to defeat Rand, but Lanfear’s treachery and the strength of Rand’s friends won the day. Suspecting that Lanfear would betray him, Ishamael released the other members of the Forsaken from their imprisonment before his confrontation with Rand and apparent death.
So that’s where all the main players have landed! Whose journey are you most excited to follow in the upcoming season?
