An Aiel named Couladin, who has been making trouble since Rhuidean, claims to be the Dragon at Alcair Dal. Somehow he got the tattoos without actually going to Rhuidean, not that he’s going to admit it. Rand counters by revealing the shameful history of the Aiel to the entire crowd, causing a theological meltdown. When the clan chiefs accept Rand as the Dragon, Couladin makes an attempt on Rand’s life and escapes. Rand conjures a massive rainstorm to mollify the crowd. Lanfear finally drops her “Keille” mask to reveal that Asmodean is currently on his way to Rhuidean, forcing Rand to pursue.
I’ll confess, I’ve made an omission. I skipped mentioning Couladin. I had him pegged as a useless, throwaway character. This type of character comes in degrees. Most of the time, they’re completely inconsequential, like the serving man who kept filling Elayne’s wineglass the evening she got drunk in Tanchico. Even though he showed up in a subsequent chapter or two, he had zero impact on the plot. Now, don’t get me wrong — Couladin has been fairly inconsequential to the plot. How else could I have gotten away with not mentioning him for thirty-four chapters? But I can’t get away with it this time.
You’ve got to understand, I thought Couladin was just the latest entry in the Shitty Names Club. You know, founding member: Caniedrin. His lieutenants: Gelb and Urien. Couladin does indeed sit on the Club’s board of advisors, but surprisingly he still has a plot-relevant role to play. I admit it, OK?!?
So here is a brief history of Couladin. When Rand arrived at Rhuidean, Couladin was there at the camp. He was supporting his brother, Muradin, who had entered Rhuidean some days prior. The Wise Ones wouldn’t let Couladin enter Rhuidean, so you can imagine how pissed he was when Rand’s group literally appeared out of thin air and a bunch of them headed straight for the forbidden city. When Rand returned bearing the mark of He Who Comes With the Dawn, Couladin seethed in the shadows. He was always there, traveling with the rest of the Aiel to Cold Rocks Hold. And when Couladin learned of Rand calling a meeting of tribes at Alcair Dal, he led his tribe there ahead of Rand. To what end? We’re about to find out.
There is a place in Alcair Dal called the Golden Bowl, where the acoustics of the rock face amplify a man’s voice who speaks from a certain ledge. It’s the natural geological equivalent to the Sydney Opera House. All the Aiel are gathered here. Couladin addresses the crowd, identifying himself as He Who Comes With the Dawn, and even showing double dragon tattoos around his forearms. Ah, fake Messiah! Let the show begin.
Everyone who knows what Couladin was up to at Rhuidean is shocked to see the Dragon tattoos on Couladin’s arms. Earlier, the text describes the tattoos as “a sinuous golden-maned form scaled in scarlet and gold” with scales that “sparkled in the sunlight like polished metal.” It sounds pretty hard to fake. Couladin makes a fiery speech about conquering the wetlands, and even Rand wonders how he managed the tattoos.
Couladin claims he got the tattoos by sneaking into Rhuidean during the night. He says he took a journey through the glass columns but refuses to speak of what happened. Rand has no such reservations, knowing that the details of his experience in Rhuidean will convince the clan chiefs. He speaks of witnessing Aiel history through the eyes of his ancestors, back to the Age of Legends when they followed the Way of the Leaf, just like their long-lost cousins, the Tuatha’an. The crowd gasps. No, it can’t be true!
But the clan chiefs know it is true. They saw the same visions when they stepped through the glass columns. The only way Rand could know about the Tuatha’an is if he went through the columns as well. One by one, they name Rand al’Thor as He Who Comes With the Dawn. With a vicious snarl, Couladin hurls a spear at Rand, but one of the Maidens of the Spear blocks it. The crowd erupts into chaos, so Rand embraces saidin and conjures a rainstorm more massive than the Waste has ever seen.
Suddenly, a translucent dome surrounds Rand. Lanfear is there, minus the Keille disguise. She castigates Rand for “wasting all [her] time and effort.” She says she involved Asmodean — another Forsaken — so he could teach Rand how to work with saidin. But since Rand made this too difficult, Asmodean has changed plans and is pursuing the artifacts at Rhuidean instead.
Here’s what I don’t get. Why is Asmodean only traveling to Rhuidean now? If he wanted the artifacts held there, he’s had months. Rhuidean didn’t suddenly become less forbidden, less guarded, or less dangerous today. The only difference is that Rand just finished a dramatic public unveiling, which makes Asmodean’s timing feel less like strategy and more like narrative choreography.
Preparing himself for another exhaustingly metaphysical final battle, Rand opens a doorway through space and time and steps through.