Perrin takes a moment to mourn his cardboard cutout family. Lord Luc interrupts and tries to convince everyone the war is over so they can go get drunk in Emond’s Field. Gaul shows up with a one-word reality check: “Trollocs”. Perrin walks into a trap, losing nearly thirty men and taking an arrow to the gut. Ouch — not quite a superhero moment, is it?
Perrin contemplates the charred ruins of the Aybara farm where he grew up, and the fresh graves in the landscape nearby. Hey, give the man a moment. They may have been cardboard cutouts, but they were family cardboard cutouts, and now they’re rotting in soft peat. C’mon, shed a tear — we’re manufacturing a moment of anguish here. Just pretend!
Faile and Luc return from escorting the Luhhans and Cauthons back to Emond’s Field. Even though their arrival interrupts the pity party, Perrin and Faile still come together like a couple of lovebirds. Looks like they finally kissed and made up? We’ll see.
Faile reports that people from the region have flocked to Emond’s Field in numbers, citing inspiration from Perrin Goldeneyes, hunter of Trollocs. Hmm… as superhero names go, that’s not bad. At the very least, it’s better than the lame-ass Young Bull name the wolves gave him.
Luc is of the mind that everyone in the camp ought to head to Emond’s Field and kick back with a pipe and a mug of ale. Think of it, he says. They’ll be heroes. Trollocs? Nobody has seen any Trollocs for days. Maybe we’ve killed them all! Let’s everyone go home and get nice and drunk, good and stoned. Follow Lord Luc!
Gaul returns from scouting.
PERRIN: What did you find?
GAUL: Trollocs.
Oh, how embarrassing for Lord Luc. But he doubles down:
LUC: Alas, I must return to Emond’s Field and defend your people.
Luc tries to entice Faile into joining him, but perhaps she can smell the slime that is practically oozing off him? You can tell she wants to like Lord Luc, but subconsciously she knows he’s a selfish asshole.
FAILE: I will remain with Perrin, Lord Luc.
Oh, snap. Rejected, pretty-boy “Hunter of the Horn” Luc gallops into the sunset. Perrin’s group tracks the Trollocs, with Gaul guiding them to where he scouted them earlier. Everything is too quiet, and suddenly:
PERRIN: They’re behind us!
Twenty-seven of Perrin’s men are killed in the ensuing battle, and Perrin is pierced by an arrow shaft. Uh-oh. Is this Perrin’s The Empire Strikes Back moment?