Rand discovers he is second in command after Ingtar, who hands him a bundle from Moiraine containing the Dragon banner. When Mat and Perrin discover him with it, they learn that he is the Dragon Reborn. Separately, Padan Fain is revealed as the one who killed the Fade, gloating that Rand is now chasing him.
The men make camp early that day, probably to make up for how shaken the tableau in the village left them. It’s not every day you see a Fade pinned to a door like a moth in a schoolchild’s science project, and the mind naturally tries to figure out what could do that. So let’s examine the clues. It has been suggested that the only things more powerful than Fades are the Forsaken and the Dark One himself, and nearly every chapter drops hints about a watcher or a woman who is there one moment and gone the next. Combine that with the prophecy about Lews Therin’s crazy ex-girlfriend escaping Shayol Ghul, and it’s practically a foregone conclusion that Lanfear is about to crash the party.
Unfortunately, Rand doesn’t quite get that far in his analysis. When he asks what could kill a Fade like that, Ingtar dodges the question by handing over a bundle from Moiraine. Ingtar explains that Rand was named as second in command, at Moiraine’s guidance — so if Ingtar should fall, it’s Rand who is leading the men. Uh oh — Ingtar, buddy, I hate to break it to you, but you are definitely gonna die in this book.
Rand carries the bundle into the woods to examine it privately. It turns out to be exactly what he feared — Lews Therin’s banner of the Dragon. Scarcely has it been unwrapped for a minute before Mat and Perrin appear. They’re ready to tease him about people treating him like a lord, but seeing the banner knocks the wind out of their sails.
RAND: Moiraine says I’m the Dragon Reborn. But I won’t let her use me.
PERRIN: Rand, can you channel?
RAND: I can’t help it.
MAT: Holy shit, they’re going to name us Darkfriends and kill us!
As usual, Perrin plays diplomat and tries to get Mat to calm down, but you can feel the shift — Rand isn’t just “Rand from down the road” anymore, he’s the Dragon Reborn. And once your friends find out you’re the messiah, forget it: the last twenty years might as well have been a costume party. Suddenly you’re not the guy they talk sheep prices with; you’re the guy who heals the sick, fulfills ancient prophecies, and accidentally immolates a meadow. Kiss those late night chats about village girls and harvest seasons goodbye. Now it’s going to be, ‘Hey, remember that time you accidentally incinerated a whole village while trying to light a campfire?'”
Meanwhile, Padan Fain is gloating, but not for the reasons you’d think. It turns out I gave him way too much credit by assuming he’d be competent enough to separate the Horn from the Trollocs and the dagger. No, Fain is gloating because now Rand is chasing him, a role reversal that Fain finds absolutely delicious.
He’s got a whole contingent of Trollocs and Darkfriends at his command, all obeying out of sheer, pants-wetting terror. In the last village, it was Fain who murdered the Fade with the dagger and nailed him to the door. It was the ultimate “first day in prison” move, a spectacular show of force that made it clear to everyone just how unhinged he really is. With a resume like that, neither Trolloc nor Darkfriend dares challenge his command.