A Memory of Light

"Which is why they raid one another", Rand said, rubbing his temple. "To keep up their skills. That is why I exempted them. Light, Perrin! I think this is going to be a disaster. If we include them in this document . . ".

"I don’t think you have a choice, now", Perrin said. "The others will never sign it if the Aiel are left out".

"I don’t know if they’ll sign it anyway", Rand said. He looked longingly at the sheet on the table. "It was such a beautiful dream, Perrin. A dream of good for humanity. I thought I had them. Right up until Egwene called my bluff, I thought I had them".

It was a good thing others couldn’t smell Rand’s emotions, or everyone there would have known that he’d never refuse to go against the Dark One. Rand showed not a hint of it on his face, but inside, Perrin knew he had been as nervous as a boy at his first shearing.

"Rand, don’t you see?" Perrin said. "The solution".

Rand frowned at him.

"The Aiel", Perrin said. "The tool that needs to be used. A treaty that needs to be enforced . . ".

Rand hesitated, then grinned widely. "You’re a genius, Perrin".

"So long as it’s about blacksmithing, I suppose I know a thing or two".

"But this . . . this isn’t about blacksmithing, Perrin . . ".

"Of course it is", Perrin said. How could Rand not see that?

Rand turned, no doubt ending his weave. He strode up to the document, then held it up toward one of his clerks in the back of the pavilion. "I want two provisions added. First, this document is void if not signed by either the Seanchan Daughter of the Nine Moons or the Empress. Second . . . the Aiel—all but the Shaido—are to be written into the document as enforcers of the peace and mediators of disputes between nations. Any nation may call upon them if they feel abused, and the Aiel—not enemy armies—will provide redress. They can hunt criminals across national borders. They are to be subject to the laws of the nations in which they reside at the time, but they are not subjects of that nation".

He turned to Elayne. "There is your enforcement, Elayne, the way to keep your small pressures from building".

"The Aiel?" she asked skeptically.

"Will you agree to this, Rhuarc?" Rand asked. "Bael, Jheran, the rest of you? You claim to be left without purpose, and Perrin sees you as a tool that needs to be worked. Will you take this charge? To prevent war, to punish those who do wrong, to work with the rulers of nations to see justice served?"

"Justice as we see it, Rand al’Thor", Rhuarc said, "or as they see it?"

"It will have to be according to the conscience of the Aiel", Rand said. "If they call for you, they will have to know that they’ll receive your justice. This will not work if the Aiel simply become pawns. Your autonomy will be what makes this effective".

Gregorin and Darlin began to complain, but Rand silenced them with a look. Perrin nodded to himself, arms folded. Their complaints were weaker now than they had been before. He smelled . . . thoughtfulness from many of them.

They see this as an opportunity, he realized. They view the Aiel as savages, and think they’ll be easy to manipulate once Rand is gone. Perrin grinned, imagining their defeat should they attempt that course.

"This is very sudden", Rhuarc said.

"Welcome to the dinner party", Elayne added, still staring daggers at Rand "Try the soup". Oddly, she smelled proud. Strange woman.

"I warn you, Rhuarc", Rand said. "You will need to change your ways. The Aiel will have to act together on these matters; the chiefs and Wise Ones will need to hold council to make decisions together. One clan cannot fight a battle while other clans disagree and fight for the other side.

"We will speak of it", Rhuarc said, nodding to the other Aiel chiefs.

"This will mean an end to the Aiel".

"A beginning as well", Rand said.

The Aiel clan chiefs and the Wise Ones gathered separately to one side, and spoke in soft voices. Aviendha lingered, with Rand staring away, troubled. Perrin heard him whisper something, so soft Perrin’s ears barely made it out.

" . . . your dream now . . . when you wake from this life, we will be no more . . ".

Rand’s clerks, smelling frantic, came forward to begin working on the document’s additions. The woman Cadsuane watched all events with a stern expression.

She smelled extremely proud.

"Add a provision", Rand said. "The Aiel can call upon other nations to aid them in their enforcement if they decide that their own numbers will not be enough. Give formal methods by which nations can petition the Aiel for redress or for permission to attack a foe".

The clerks nodded, working harder.

"You act as if this were settled", Egwene said, eyes on Rand.

"Oh, it is far from that", Moiraine said. "Rand, I have some words for you".

"Are they words I will like? he asked.

"I suspect not. Tell me, why do you need to command the armies yourself? You will be traveling to Shayol Ghul where you will no doubt be unable to contact anyone".

"Somebody needs to be in command, Moiraine".

"On this point, I believe all would agree".

Rand folded his arms behind his back, smelling troubled. "I have taken responsibility for this people, Moiraine. I want to see that they’re cared for, that the brutalities of this battle are minimized".

"I fear that is a poor reason to lead a battle", Moiraine said softly. "You do not fight to preserve your troops; you fight to win. This leader need not be you, Rand. It should not be you".

"I won’t have this battle turn into a tangle, Moiraine", he said. "If you could see the mistakes we made last time, the confusion that can result when everyone thinks they are in control. Battle is turmoil, but we still need an ultimate commander to make decisions, to hold everything together".

"What of the White Tower?" Romanda asked, stepping—half shoving—her way up beside Egwene. "We have the resources for efficient travel between battlefronts, we are coolheaded in times that would crush others, and we are trusted by all nations".

That last bit prompted a raised eyebrow from Darlin.

"The White Tower does seem the optimal choice, Lord Dragon", Tenobia added.

"No", Rand said. "The Amyrlin is many things, but a leader of war . . . I do not think it a wise choice".

Egwene, oddly, said nothing. Perrin studied her. He’d have thought that she’d jump at the chance to lead the war herself.

"It should be one of us", Darlin said. "Chosen from those who would go to battle here".

"I suppose", Rand said. "So long as you all know who is in command, I will cede this point. You must meet my other demands, however".

"You still insist that you must break the seals?" Egwene said.

"Do not worry, Egwene", Moiraine said, smiling. "He is not going to break the seals".

Rand’s face darkened.

Egwene smiled.

"You are going to break them", Moiraine said to Egwene.

"What? Of course I’m not!"

"You are the Watcher of the Seals, Mother", Moiraine said. "Did you not hear what I said earlier? ‘It shall come to pass that what men made shall be shattered, and the Shadow shall lie across the Pattern of the Age, and the Dark One shall once more lay his hand upon the world of man . . .’ It must happen".

Egwene seemed troubled.

"You have seen this, have you not?" Moiraine whispered. "What have you dreamed, Mother?"

Egwene didn’t respond at first.

"What did you see?" Moiraine pressed, stepping closer to her.

"His feet crunching", Egwene said, staring Moiraine in the eyes. "As he strode forward, Rand’s feet stepped on the shards of the Dark One’s prison. I saw him, in another dream, hacking away at it to open it. But I never actually saw him opening it, Moiraine".

"The shards were there, Mother", Moiraine said. "The seals had been broken "

"Dreams are subject to interpretation".

"You know the truth of this one. It does need to be done, and the seals are yours. You will break them, when the time is right. Rand, Lord Dragon Reborn, it is time to give them to her".

"I don’t like this, Moiraine", he said.

"Then not much has changed, has it?" she asked lightly. "I believe you have often resisted doing what you are supposed to. Particularly when I am the one to point it out to you".

He paused for a moment, then laughed, reaching into the pocket of his coat. He slipped out three discs of cuendillar; each split by a sinuous line down the center. He set them on the table.

"How will she know the time?" he asked.

"She will", Moiraine said.

Egwene smelled skeptical, and Perrin didn’t blame her. Moiraine always had believed in following the weave of the Pattern and bowing to the Wheel’s turnings. Perrin didn’t see it that way. He figured you made your own path, and trusted in your own arms to do what needed to be done. The Pattern wasn’t a thing to depend on.

Egwene was Aes Sedai. It seemed that she felt she should see it as Moiraine did. Either that, or she was willing to agree and just take those seals into her hands. "I’ll break them, when I feel it must be done", she said, taking the seals.

"You’ll sign, then". Rand took the document as the clerks protested the hastiness with which they’d had to work. It now had several additions on the back. One of the clerks cried out, reaching for the sand, but Rand did something with the One Power, drying the ink instantly as he placed the document before Egwene.

"I will", she said, holding out a hand for a pen. She read the provisions carefully, the other sisters looking over her shoulders. They nodded one at a time.

Egwene put pen to paper.

"And now the rest", Rand said, turning to measure reactions.

"Light, he’s grown clever", Faile whispered beside Perrin. "Do you realize what he did?"

"What?" Perrin said, scratching his beard.

"He brought with him all he knew would support him", Faile whispered. "The Borderlanders, who would sign practically anything to garner help for their homelands. Arad Doman, which he helped most recently. The Aiel . . . well, all right, who knows what the Aiel will do at a given time? But the idea stands.

"Then he let Egwene gather the others. It’s genius, Perrin. That way, with her bringing this coalition against him, all he really had to do was convince her. Once he swayed her to his side, the others would look foolish to stand apart".

Indeed, as the rulers began to sign—Berelain going first and most eagerly—those who had supported Egwene started to fidget. Darlin stepped up and took the pen. He hesitated for a moment, then signed.

Gregorin followed. Then the Borderlanders, each in turn, followed by the King of Arad Doman. Even Roedran, who still seemed to find this entire thing a fiasco, signed. Perrin found that curious.