ChapterTrack

Chapter 46 - Fal Dara

Summary

The group emerges from the Ways into the bleak, frozen landscape of Shienar and rides to the fortified city of Fal Dara, which is overcrowded with refugees fleeing the approaching Blight. Upon entering the fortress, they are greeted by Lord Agelmar, who reveals the severity of the Trolloc threat and the potential collapse of the Borderlands. Agelmar presents them with a captured stranger, who is revealed to be Padan Fain, now corrupted and claiming servitude to Ba'alzamon, prompting Moiraine to request a private audience with him while the group prepares to rest before their imminent departure into the Blight.

Characters

  • Rand / Rand al'Thor — Rand travels with the group through the desolate landscape of Shienar, observing the frozen trees and abandoned farms. He tries to convince Nynaeve and Egwene to stay at Fal Dara for safety, but they refuse. Inside the fortress, he is led to Lord Agelmar's study where he witnesses the grim reality of the Borderlands and the arrival of Padan Fain.
  • Mat — Mat rides with the group, shivering from the cold and complaining about the situation. He observes the empty farms and the crowded, silent streets of Fal Dara. Later, in Lord Agelmar's study, he recognizes the filthy stranger as Padan Fain and reacts with fear when Fain reveals his corruption.
  • Perrin — Perrin accompanies the group, noting the silence of the refugee-filled streets of Fal Dara. He rides through the town and sits in Lord Agelmar's study, listening to the grim report on the Trolloc wars and the arrival of Fain.
  • Egwene — Egwene rides Bela, shivering in the cold and observing the abandoned farms and silent crowds of Fal Dara. She joins the group in Lord Agelmar's study, where she is present when Padan Fain is brought in and reveals his connection to the Dark One.
  • Nynaeve (Wisdom) — Nynaeve rides with the group, reacting to the signs of abandonment in the farms and the crowded state of Fal Dara. She firmly rejects Rand's suggestion that she and Egwene should stay behind, asserting their place in the Pattern. She eats and drinks silently in the dining chamber.
  • Moiraine / Moiraine Sedai — Moiraine leads the group to Fal Dara and meets with Lord Agelmar, confirming the severity of the Trolloc threat. She dismisses Agelmar's offers of military aid, insisting on their journey to the Eye of the World. She confronts Padan Fain, recognizing his corruption and demanding a private audience to speak with him.
  • Lan (Dai Shan, Warder) — Lan rides ahead, leading the group into Fal Dara and enforcing the local custom of exposing faces. He meets with Lord Agelmar, expressing his despair over the destruction of Malkier but remaining steadfast in his duty. He stands by Moiraine as she confronts Fain.
  • Loial (Ogier, Builder) — Loial rides with the group, saddened by the destruction of the Ogier grove. He engages in formal greetings with the guards of Fal Dara and speaks with Lord Agelmar about the absence of the grove. He remains present in the study during the confrontation with Fain.
  • Aldieb — Aldieb is Moiraine's white mare, ridden through the forest and into Fal Dara. She quickens her pace as Moiraine approaches the fortress and is led through the streets and into the keep.
  • Bela — Bela is Egwene's shaggy brown mare, ridden through the cold landscape and into Fal Dara.
  • Red — Red is Rand's bay horse, ridden through the desolate hills and into Fal Dara. He is untied from the saddle and handed over to a liveried groom in the fortress courtyard.
  • Mandarb — Mandarb is Lan's black stallion, ridden into Fal Dara. He is led by Lan through the gates and into the fortress, where he is dismounted.
  • Agelmar (Lord Agelmar, Lord of Fal Dara) — Lord Agelmar, the ruler of Fal Dara, receives the group in his stark study. He reveals the dire situation regarding the Trolloc hordes and the potential fall of the Borderlands. He presents the captured Padan Fain to Moiraine and the others.
  • Ingtar — Ingtar, a knight of Shienar wearing a yellow cloak with a gray owl, leads the group to Lord Agelmar's study. He reports on the desperate state of the town and later brings the captured stranger, Padan Fain, to the study.
  • Fain / Padan Fain (peddler, madman) — Padan Fain is brought into the study in ragged, filthy condition, initially acting like a pitiful beggar. He suddenly shifts demeanor, claiming to be a servant of Ba'alzamon and asserting his ability to defeat the Dark One. Moiraine identifies his corruption and takes him away for questioning.
  • Ragan — Ragan is a guard in golden yellow surcoat who runs alongside Lan's horse as they enter Fal Dara, asking if the Golden Crane will fly again before falling away.