Chapter 34 (The Last Village)

More traveling and passing of time "Only three nights since Howal Gode and Four Kings, two since Paitr had surprised them in Market Sheran. Just a bare day since the nameless Darkfriend woman tried to kill them in the stable of The Queen's Man, but even that seemed a year ago, or a lifetime." But how many nights since they left two rivers? How many days since Shador Logoth? Is it is any surprise that the passage of time is so hard to follow in the Wheel of Time, especially in later books when they stop mentioning even this? 


The boys arrive at this village - Carysford and the reader can sense how they boys have *finally* grown up a little bit, a little from Rand's thoughts...."Carysford seemed normal enough, on the the surface, at least....But what's underneath?" Thus arriving at the peaceful seeming village, the boys are wary, but the stress of the past (days/weeks) has caught up with them. Mat - "I'm not walking another ten paces unless there's a place to sleep at the end of it." 

Even as a first time reader I noticed that of the three boys Rand was the one to whom the other two deferred. Even here in this chapter - Mat asking Rand for reassurance that they'll make it, which Rand gives. While Rand has his own doubts he tends to keep them in his own head, unless he's speaking out at night in a fever or nightmare of course. I'm sure others have wondered why this is...is it because as a "farm-boy" Rand's used to being self sufficient? 

During my re-read I've noticed and liked how much simple depth Jordan gives to each character who has appeared. Even Almen Bunt, plays his part a simple old, talkative, crusty farmer who gives the boys a ride to Caemlyn. But Bunt never feels like he's just an engine to get the boys from one place to another. Bunt feels like a real person, he's fleshed out enough that Jordan could come back to him and Bunt would feel familiar and his own individual. But also, in my opinion, Jordan doesn't over personalize Bunt or any (many) of the characters. The reader gets a feel for the side characters that our main characters interact with, but as a reader, I'm never left feeling like Jordan just wasted my time or paragraphs explaining/describing someone I'll never meet again, which for me is incredibly important. 

And the boys reach "Caemlyn, the grandest city in the world."