Perrin and Gaul meet Loial near a gate of the Stone of Tear. Faile is already there, with Bain and Chiad in tow. As they prepare to set out for the Waygate, something shakes the entire Stone of Tear. Once clear of the city, everyone follows Loial to the Waygate and their journey through the darkness begins.
Perrin makes his way with Gaul to the stables in constant apprehension of running into Moiraine. The text mentions it repeatedly, and after the third or fourth time, I felt like grabbing him and saying, “Listen, you little shit. You know Moiraine can’t force you to do anything, right?” What is he afraid of? That she’s going to scold him for traveling to the Two Rivers to save his family?
On reaching the gate, Perrin finds that Faile has also gained an Aiel contingent in the form of Bain and Chiad. Gaul’s clan has a blood feud with theirs, so this group truly does work out to be men vs. women with poor Loial caught in the middle. Suddenly, something (most likely Rand-related) makes the entire fortress shake, and disagreements are forgotten as they hightail it out of Tear and toward the Waygate.
Before we get into the Ways, we need to talk about spanking. You heard me. Here are some actual quotes from the book:
PERRIN: [about Faile] If she gives me away to Moiraine, I vow she’ll not sit down for a week.
So, if Faile rats him out, he’ll spank her? Perrin, dude, that’s not a great deterrent. In my experience, women tend to like that. A bit later:
GAUL: [about Bain and Chiad] They mean to teach you a lesson, for Faile’s sake, and you will not sit on that animal so easily if they manage what they plan.
In other words, Bain and Chiad mean to teach Perrin a lesson… by spanking him? This isn’t the first time this sort of thing has been suggested in the series, but thanks to Mr. Jordan bringing it up twice in a single chapter, it’s on my radar now. There is a deep undercurrent of something running through this text, but I can’t tell if it’s childishness or sadomasochism. Either way, it’s weirdly specific.
Perhaps our old buddy Machin Shin will be on the other side of the Waygate to remind them all that the fate of the world hangs in the balance? Alas, no such luck. Loial opens the gate, and the group heads into the murky darkness.