Chapter Fourteen (The Stag and Lion)

Football season is here, my Russian 101 class is starting soon and I'm already wanting to read Towers of Midnight, but here I am on chapter 14 instead.  My husband said that Towers could be one of my "other" books, and I declined, I'd probably start taking notes while I was reading!  Now, where were we?  Well, I'll touch on at least two things this chapter.  What I believe is the first subtle ta'veren scene, and of course Rand's dream. 

The first scene, in the baths with Ara.  This is a great scene, and this is even before the reader knows what is going on with the boys.  See this line speaking of Ara: "He finished with his mouth still open, then snapped it shut, appearing surprised that he had said so much."  If you haven't read the entire series, keep reading and tell me what you think of this as a ta'veren scene.  If you have read the series, what do you think of as this being the first ta'veren scene?  Oh, and if you've read/heard interviews that confirm or deny this, please let me know.  Simply put, I love how the scene was written, even if it wasn't the first ta'veren one.  Other reason being it exemplifies the characters so well.  Mat's quick tongue and not having any regard for authority getting him in trouble, Thom so quick to cover for him and Rand jumping in as well.  Perrin just explaining the obvious.  Maybe a simple scene on the surface, but one that will definitely stick with me as I continue reading.

Rand's dream holds so many things that I could go over, but I want to focus on the seemingly innocuous details in the conversations.  Simply by reading the Prologue along with this chapter the reader can infer that the "Ba'alzamon" is Elan Morin.  No, I didn't catch it on the first read, but then again, I'm not sure how much I paid attention to the Prologue on the first read.  By the second read, of course I knew, and now, naturally I can connect dot for dot, but that's not the point.  Yet still, that's not the innocuous part - here, how much can Rand trust what Elan Morin is saying?  We, the readers, know that half if not most of what he is taking credit for with Lews Therin is lies.  The best lies are mixed with truth, which may be another reason I skimmed right over it the first time.  This time though when I read that part, it made me question the rest of what he claimed. 

Quick aside - this quote here :"I whispered again and the High King sent his armies across the Aryth Ocean, across the World Sea, and sealed two dooms.  The doom of his dream of one land and one people and a doom yet to come" Does anyone know what this "doom yet to come" is?  It's been bugging me since I read it. 

Back to the dream - essentially he's trying to make Rand feel as if he only has two choices.  Serve him or "dance on Aes Sedai strings."  When I read this the first time, I remember wondering how he would get out of either trap and I think that's exactly where Jordan wanted to leave the reader. 

Chapter 15 notes are written down in my notebook, I'll try to decipher my handwriting tomorrow or mid-week.  Chapter 16 is the one I read though, forgetting to take notes, so that one should be okay to get back into.  I'm trying to get into a rhythm and I'm finding that weekends are the best time for posting, but I'm also catching up with my notes.  Wish me luck!