Perrin discovers that Lord Luc is lying through his teeth about Trolloc numbers and is actually the dream-assassin Slayer. After wounding Slayer in Tel’aran’rhiod and seeing Luc limp away in the real world, Perrin realizes he’s surrounded by enemies. In a desperate bid to save Faile, he tricks her into a “mission” to Caemlyn, which she only accepts on the condition of an immediate common-room wedding. The chapter ends with a marriage built on a foundation of mutual manipulation and impending doom.
Let’s go back to Perrin in the Two Rivers. Things are tense. The town is under siege, with attacks coming day and night. Perrin sits in the Winespring Inn reviewing supply levels with Tam, Abell, and Cenn.
Faile is there too. Luckily, their relationship seems to have evolved past physical abuse, and now it’s centered entirely around psychological espionage:
[Faile] had turned out to be a fairly good shot, but he hoped she never discovered that [he gave her] a boy’s bow; she could not draw a man’s Two Rivers longbow, though she refused to admit it.
Isn’t this the sort of situation that Beavis and Butthead are supposed to snicker about?
Heh-heh, heh-heh. He gave her a boy’s bow. Cuz she’s, like, a girl. Heh. She’s so weak. Heh-heh.
Loial and Gaul return to Emond’s Field. Their mission to permanently close the Waygate has been a success.
LOIAL: But many Trollocs came into the area.
GAUL: Several thousand, most likely.
LUC: [galloping in] Nonsense. We’re on the home stretch, lads. There’s a few hundred left at most.
It’s Luc’s nightly ritual, riding into Emond’s Field proudly waving a bag full of Shadowspawn heads about. Has anyone actually seen this guy kill a Trolloc? Or is believing in Luc’s abilities purely an act of faith? Perrin allows Faile to bring him to his room at the inn so he can get some sleep. He’s more inclined to believe Gaul than Luc, but why rely on anyone’s word at all? Perrin closes his eyes and “logs into the Matrix” for some World of Dreams surveillance.
In his dream, Perrin finds a disturbingly large concentration of Trolloc encampments to the East of Emond’s Field. Far more encampments than around the neighboring towns. In Taren Ferry, the ferry is still in working order. Across the Taren, Perrin investigates the aftermath of people fleeing the area, and narrowly misses being struck by an arrow. It’s Slayer!
Perrin runs about and stalks Slayer. When he sees the man’s face again, it is disturbingly similar to Lan’s. Who the hell is this guy, anyway? Perrin manages to gain a stealth advantage, and he shoots an arrow into Slayer’s chest. The mystery man howls in pain and fades out of the dream. Mission success?
When Perrin awakes, the village is abuzz with talk about Lord Luc riding off into the night, hunched over like he was hurt. Hmm… could it be that pretty-boy and Slayer are somehow one and the same? Perrin orders the guards to put Luc under guard if he returns.
Let’s see, how shall we end this chapter? Perhaps with bookends. We started this chapter by psychologically diminishing Faile, so let’s go back to that.
PERRIN: Darling, I have a very important mission for you. Only you can do it! The ferry across the Taren is working. I need you to travel to Caemlyn, explain our situation to Queen Morgase, and return with soldiers.
FAILE: Fine, but only if you marry me.
PERRIN: Yes, I’ll marry you.
FAILE: Tonight!
PERRIN: …
FAILE: …
PERRIN: Fine, tonight.
So Perrin and Faile are wed that night in the common room at the Winespring Inn. Ah, young love. Their relationship may be dysfunctional, and I know I level a lot of criticism at it, but at least it’s plausible. At least these two have been through struggles together. Nynaeve and Lan, you two have some catching up to do.