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Perrin Aybara
PEHR-rihn ay-BAHR-ah
Nationality:
Andoran (Two Rivers)
Year of Birth:
978 NE
Gender:
Male
Hair Color:
Brown
Eye Color:
Deep Brown, Later Golden
Other Names:
Young Bull, Blacksmith, Perrin Goldeneyes
Article Author:
Traestorm/Daraus Sedai
Page Contents
Basic Information
Actions During the Story (Spoilers)
Character Summaries (Spoilers)
Basic Information
Appearance
Perrin has shaggy, near shoulder-length, curly brown hair, a short curly brown beard, and deep brown eyes, which later turn golden/yellow. Having spent eight years as an apprentice blacksmith Perrin is very muscular, one of the physically strongest human characters in the series, standing 6’1” (185cm) tall and weighing about 235lbs (107kg) his upper body proportioned in a way that makes him appear narrower in the waist and shorter than he actually was. Perrin is quite attractive to women, having his physique and general looks commented on throughout the series by several different women.
Personality
Perrin is a thoughtful man, taking his time to think through any problem and preferring calm and quiet over arguing with others, especially women. Often people assumed he was slow-witted, but in truth, he was quite intelligent but didn’t feel the need to be the center of attention; preferring to hang back until he was certain of his thoughts on a matter. Having matured physically at a young age, Perrin was almost always careful of his size, being afraid he might accidentally hurt someone if he wasn’t always paying attention. While he had a slow-burning temper it tended to be implacable once fueled; he has even been known to go into berserker type fighting rages.
While Perrin doesn’t think of himself as a natural leader, because he isn’t the type of man to push himself forward unless there is great need, he will take command when the situation calls for it. Showing he is an exceptional leader with the ability to inspire those around him to unwavering loyalty. Once earned, Perrin’s loyalty is nearly impossible to lose, he is willing to risk everything for the people he loves and anyone who he feels he has a responsibility toward. He often shows an almost too strong sense of responsibility, often assuming the blame for the actions of others or in situations where he believes his decisions have created a negative outcome. Perrin is somewhat socially awkward, oftentimes missing the nuances of group interactions, even when he knows there’s something deeper happening around him, he will frequently miss the mark on responding in an expected way.
Spoilers Below!!!
Actions During the Story
Actions Before the Story
Perrin was born in 978 NE, close enough to the end of the Aiel war that Moiraine suspected he could have been the baby Gitara Moroso foretold on the last day of the fighting near Tar Valon, the Dragon Reborn.
New Spring
Perrin does not appear during the events of New Spring; he was a small child living on a farm in the Two Rivers near the village of Emond’s Field.
Actions Between the Books
Perrin spent his formative years on a farm outside of Emond’s Field as a close friend of Rand al’Thor and Mat Cauthon. In 990 NE, around age 12, Perrin was apprenticed to master blacksmith Haral Luhhan and his wife Elsbet. He spent the next eight years living in the Luhan household and working in the Emond’s Field forge. During this time Perrin became adept as a blacksmith, and learned the other traditional skills of most Two Rivers youth, archery with the longbow, farming tabbac and caring for family orchards, herding sheep, milking cows and handling horses, he initially expressed interest in blacksmithing because he wished to be close to horses and shoeing the animals was his way to participate.
Eye of the World
Perrin Aybara first appears on-screen on the day of Winternight in EoTW Chapter Three: The Peddler, meeting Rand and Mat in front of the Wine Spring Inn as Padan Fain arrives. The boys are very excited for Bel Tine, and the appearance of the peddler gets them speculating that the rumored fireworks display may be real. Mat and Rand tell Perrin they have more to tell him, but the peddler begins to share stories of the outside world. Fain tells the village about the abnormally harsh winter all across the lands and about the war in Ghealdan with a False Dragon. The Village Council takes Fain inside to learn more and the boys discuss what they know. They are joined by the Wisdom Nynaeve al’Meara and the mayor's daughter Egwene al’Vere. Perrin hears about the gleeman in for Bel Tine and tells Mat and Rand that Moiraine had also given him a coin and that he had seen the mysterious rider on the edge of the village watching the smithy.
Thom Merrilin, the gleeman, comes out of the Inn complaining of being asked to leave by the Village Council and the Wisdom so they could question Fain. Perrin tells Thom about the boys' travels to the surrounding villages, further than most of the village. Thom wants the boys and Egwene to participate in his show later. Once the Council and Nynaeve finish questioning Fain Tam al’Thor tells the boys that there will be a watch established with the towns of Devon Ride, Watch Hill, and even Taren Ferry to the North. Perrin tells Mat that he will likely volunteer for the watch along with the other boys.
Trollocs attacked Emond’s Field that night, and according to Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred they specifically sought out the al’Thor farm, and the Cauthon home, and the Smithy. Identifying the three boys as their target. Moiraine convinces the three boys to leave with her and her Warder Lan Mandragoran to go to Tar Valon. They plan to leave and are joined by Egwene and Thom who have both discovered the group as they are making their preparations. Perrin has taken a battle axe with a broad half-moon blade on one side of the head and a curved spike on the other which Haral Luhan made for a merchant's guard two years earlier. Master Luhan had given it to Perrin after discovering the boy practicing with it.
The group leaves Emond’s Field and ride hard through the Two Rivers avoiding Trollocs and Myrddraal until they reach Taren Ferry. Moiraine and Lan secure passage across the River Taren using Master Hightower’s ferry, which mysteriously sinks in the river. Perrin witnesses Moiraine guide Egwene through her first touching of the One Power.
The party continues, now toward Baerlon. Perrin notes that the farms in the area seem no different than in the Two Rivers. Lan begins teaching the boys how to handle their weapons and is impressed by all of their skill with the longbow. He teaches Perrin a series of exercises with the axe, block, parry, and strike. When they arrive at Baerlon Perrin wonders aloud how so many people could live all in one place.
In Baerlon Min has viewings involving all of the boys and sees sparks and darkness around the entire group. She sees a wolf, a broken crown, and trees flowering around Perrin. After having nightmares Perrin stayed in bed when Mat and Rand went to see the city, but Perrin leaves the Stag and Lion to find Rand and Mat to tell them that Nynaeve has followed them and is in Baerlon. Perrin later witnesses Moiraine use the Mask of Mirrors to help the group leave Baerlon ahead of the Whitecloaks.
On the road, the group faces more Trollocs, and Myrddraal and Moiraine eventually decide to lead them to the ruined city of Aridhol, also known as Shadar Logoth. Despite being warned to stay in hiding inside of the building Moiraine had warded, the boys go exploring. Eventually, they come upon Mordeth who takes them to a treasure hoard and tries to get them to help him leave the city. Rand realizes that Mordeth does not have a shadow and the boys run back to the building where the others were hiding. Moiraine is furious at them and gives more detail about the nature of Shadar Logoth, revealing the terrifying history of the city and nation of Aridhol and telling the group that there are worse things than shadowspawn.
As the group attempts to flee the ruins, they are split up by the death fog known as Mashadar and are forced to flee the city and hope to regroup. Moiraine told them that she could track them if they got separated. Perrin finds Egwene in the city and the two flee to the river to escape both Mashadar and a horde of Trollocs that have been forced into the city by a Myrddraal.
Perrin awakes on the far side of the river and makes his way downriver where he eventually comes across Egwene who has managed to keep her horse Bela, some food, and even mysteriously had a small fire. The two decide to head toward Caemlyn hoping to reunite with the others along the way.
Making their way through the wilderness Perrin and Egwene work out a backstory to tell any strangers they may come across; they struggle with food being scarce and Egwene being unable to reliably channel to create fires. They eventually come across a lone man named Elyas Machera who takes them into his camp, who tells them he has been watching them for two days. Shortly, Elyas is joined by four wolves, Dapple, Hopper, Burn, and Wind, who he refers to as his friends, Perrin notices the man has yellow eyes like the wolves. Elyas goes on to explain that he can communicate with the wolves and that every wolf remembers the history of all wolves and that they had found him and that the ability could not be taught; it simply exists in some people and that the wolves believe Perrin is one such person.
Perrin tries to tell Elyas the tale he and Egwene have concocted, but the wolf Dapple knows the whole story is a lie, revealing that she can smell Trollocs and Myrddraal scents on them. Perrin then gives them the whole story. Elyas tells them he does not like Aes Sedai and that the Red Ajah and he had a bad history, but that his ability was not from the One Power. He then offers to help Perrin and Egwene on their journey.
As they travel with Elyas, Perrin and Egwene encounter a band of the Tuatha’an, Traveling People also known as Tinkers. Raen, Ila and Aram welcome the group hesitantly as they already know Elyas and do not approve of his violent life. The Tinkers explain the Way of the Leaf to Perrin and Egwene and show them great hospitality with food and dancing. Raen also shares a story about young Aiel women known as Maidens of the Spear, Far Dareis Mai, being found by a band of Tinkers and with her dying breath passed on a message “Leafblighter means to blind the Eye of the World, Lost One. He means to slay the Great Serpent. Warn the People, Lost One. Sightburner comes. Tell them to stand ready for He Who Comes With the Dawn.”. Neither Raen nor Elyas know what to make of the message.
Perrin travels for several days with the Tinkers but has begun to have dreams involving wolves and Ba’alzamon as well. When the Tinkers decide to and head in another direction Elyas tells Perrin it is time for them to leave the group. Traveling across the continent the group is forced to avoid the Dark One’s Eyes, massive flocks of Ravens. Perrin begins to see and feel the thoughts of the wolves, Egwene realizes that Elyas was correct, Perrin was a wolfbrother. Eventually finding their way to an abandoned Ogier Stedding, the sight Artur Hawkwing planned to build his capital.
That evening, as they make camp near the ruins of what appeared to be a statue, the group sees a group of men, Whitecloaks, also inside the Stedding. Elyas tells Perrin and Egwene to hide and wait for him, clearly not trusting the men to be anything but hostile. As they hide in the darkness Egwene notices that Perrin's eyesight, especially at night, is remarkable. When the Whitecloaks spot the pair, Hopper comes out of the darkness to protect them and his mind and Perrins intertwine, Hopper kills one of the men and then mentally tells Perrin to run. Perrin feels Hopper die at the hands of the Whitecloaks.
Perrin wakes in a large tent, bound hand, and foot, remembering little from the events of the previous night. Egwene is relieved he is alive, but the pair are now the captives of Lord Captain of the Children of the Light, Geofram Bornhald, and his zealous second in command, Child Jaret Byar. Byar reports that nine men have been killed, twenty-three injured (seven seriously), as well as thirty horses, being put down due to being hamstrung. Bornhald tells Byar that they do not have time to waste as their mission to Caemlyn is critical. Bornhald then questions Perrin and Egwene, determining that they are probably darkfriends and would be given to the Questioners if they did not admit and repent. However, and even if they were not, Perrin killed two of the Children and will be hanged for the offense once they arrive in Amador. As they travel for several days the zealous Byar repeatedly beats Perrin and tries to bait him into an escape attempt so Byar can kill him and Egwene despite the Lord Captain’s orders.
Perrin and Egwene are found and saved by Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve, leaving the Whitecloak encampment in even more chaos. Nynaeve examines Perrin’s injuries and notices his eyes are now yellow but does not understand how that is possible. Moiraine seems to have an idea of what this means, but is mysterious as always about it, merely telling Perrin there is nothing to Heal as it is not an illness. Perrin learns from Lan that Elyas Machera had been a Warder who had taught even Lan much about the sword and the Blight and that he hoped the man was well despite his circumstances.
Perrin is with the group when they find Rand and Mat at The Queen’s Blessing in Caemlyn. Learning about his friend's flight across Andor and the apparent death of Thom Merrilin. Rand introduces the group to the Ogier Loial and tells them about meeting the Andoran Nobles, Elayne, Gawyn, Galad, and Morgase and, of course, Elaida, Aes Sedai advisor to the crown. With Elaida searching for Rand and Moiraine’s fears regarding the Tinker message she decides the only course of action is to use the long dark Ways to escape Caemlyn and make their way into the Blight to find The Eye of the World.
Following Loial’s direction, the party navigate the Ways and eventually find themselves at the Waygate outside of the Border city of Fal Dara, once the mighty city Mafal Dadaranell. Moiraine is forced to use the One Power to burn through the Waygate as the soul-eating entity known as Machin Shin (the Black Wind) has found them. Narrowly escaping the Ways, the party head to the town to confer with Lord Agelmar Jagad of Shienar. While there Moiraine briefs Agelmar and the peddler Padan Fain, who had followed them through the Ways, is captured attempting to break into the fortress. Moiraine questions the man and learns of his transformation from mere darkfriend into hound for the Dark One through a series of torturous procedures, she also discovers that Fain had encountered the Black Wind, but for some reason, it did not consume him.
Moiraine leads the group into the Blight in search of the Eye of the World. Making their way past the fallen Malkieri city of The Seven Towers, and past the shadowspawn infested lakes planes of the once-proud nation, the party finds the Eye and meet Somestha the Green Man. They discover that the Eye itself is a huge pool of untainted saidin and Moiraine tells them she has brought the three ta’veren to the Eye in the hopes that together their power can alter the Pattern and seal the Dark One away from reality once again. Suddenly two wizened old men approach the Eye and reveal themselves as two of the Forsaken, Aginor, and Balthamel. The male Forsaken in some way was able to trace Mat through the Shadar Logoth dagger in his possession, but that Mat was not the one they sought. Aginor tells them that the seals on the Dark One’s prison have weakened enough to free them as well as Ishamael. Lan is knocked unconscious leading Nynaeve to attack the Forsaken. Mat and Perrin leap to help her and are also swatted aside. Moiraine uses her angreal to slow Aginor and the Green destroys Balthamel, being killed himself in the process. Perrin, Mat, and Loial run for the trees, but Rand sees Egwene attempting to help Moiraine by channeling the tiny amount of Power she could wield and puts himself between her and Aginor.
After Rand battles the Forsaken, Aginor destroys himself in an attempt to control the Eye, and Ba’alzamon being severed from the black cords and being consumed by flames, Perrin and the others discover what lay beneath the Eye. One of the Seals to the Dark One’s prison, broken, a curled golden horn, marked with a line of silver script inlaid around the mouth of the bell which read "Tia mi aven Moridin isainde vadin," (the grave is no bar to my call). The Horn of Valere. The final object found in the Eye was a long, white banner which seemed neither woven nor dyed or painted, but was imprinted for its entire length, with a figure like a serpent, scaled in scarlet and gold, but it had scaled legs, and feet with five long, golden claws on each, and a great head with a golden mane and eyes like the sun. Moiraine tells the group this is the banner of the Lord of the Morning when he led the forces of Light against the Shadow. The banner of Lews Therin Telamon. The banner of the Dragon. The group then makes their way back to Fal Dara to plan what to do next.
The Great Hunt
Having spent about a month resting in Fal Dara, Perrin is with the entire group when the Amyrlin Seat, Suian Sanche, arrives from Tar Valon with a large entourage of Aes Sedai. Perrin and Mat find themselves in conflict with Rand, who is coming to terms with his ability to channel and looking to push his friends away so as not to hurt them. Perrin is trying to understand the changes he has had since encountering Elyas and the wolves. Moiraine plans to send all three ta’veren south to Illian with the Horn of Valere in an effort to force Rand to accept his fate as the Dragon Reborn. Perrin meets the Keeper of the Chronicles, Leane Sharif when he attempts to visit Mat, who was left injured after the attack resulting in Padan Fain’s escape along with the Horn of Valere and the Shadar Logoth dagger. After sneaking back to visit Mat he tells him about the attack, Perrin can smell a wrongness to Mat but could not understand what it was. Leane returns and chides Perrin for disturbing her patient, but notes that Perrin is pretty enough to make her wish she was of the Green she then tells Perrin that Mat will be fine but in a roundabout enough way to convince Perrin that she was lying in some way. Leane takes note of Perrin’s eyes and understands that there is something supernatural about them, she Delves Perrin and tells him he is healthy as a young animal.
Returning to his rooms he finds Rand there and the two argue a bit before Rand apologizes for his earlier behavior. Perrin tells Rand that Liandrin, of the Red Ajah, was in fact in search of Perrin as well as Rand, and likely Mat as well. Perrin eventually storms away when Rand continues to insist he must leave on his own. The Amyrlin Seat then summons Rand and tells him she knows that he is the Dragon Reborn and wishes him to succeed in destroying the Dark One. Perrin and Mat will go with him on a quest to save the Horn and recover the dagger to save Mat’s life.
Perrin and Mat continue to distance themselves from Rand as they all depart Fal Dara with Ingtar, Uno, Hurin, and a small force of Shienaran lancers in search of Fain and the darkfriends who aided his escape and theft. Hurin is revealed to have a special ability known as Sniffing, he can smell violence and track those who committed it. As they track Fain the atrocities mount and Hurin and Perrin begin to dread each new discovery. Mat and Perrin discover Rand with the Dragon Banner and Rand tells them he will not be a False Dragon on Tar Valon strings, Perrin then pieces together that Rand is able to channel. After the realization, Perrin begins to quickly piece together Rand’s odd behavior and relents on his friend despite knowing the fate instore for any man who can channel.
When Rand, Hurin, and Loial suddenly go missing, Perrin makes deliberate contact with nearby wolves for the first time and is shocked to realize that they already know of him and have named him, Young Bull. After this he decides to approach Ingtar and tells him he can track Fain, admitting to his ability to communicate with wolves. Ingtar, who knows of Elyas, tells Perrin he will tell the others he is a Sniffer as they are familiar and comfortable with men like Hurin and it will cause less tension. Perrin then takes over the tracking of Fain's group, not long after this Verin Mathwin, Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah catches up with the party and tells them Moiraine sent her and reveals to Ingtar that Sniffers are no secret to Aes Sedai, but she is skeptical of being told Perrin was also a Sniffer but held her tongue.
Perrin tracks Fain and his group into the mountains of Kinslayers Dagger, just to the north of Cairhien. The wolves have informed Perrin that the darkfriends and Trollocs have been attacked by someone they call Shadowkiller. This is a reference to Rand who had managed to take the Horn and dagger from Fain and is heading toward the city of Cairhien, but Perrin does not know this yet. They then encounter Urien, of the Two Spires sept of the Reyn Aiel, a Red Shield, and note that the man looks like he could be related to Rand. Urien appears to recognize that Verin is Aes Sedai and refers to her as Wise One because the years do not touch Wise Ones in the same way as others and he recognizes the same look in Verin. Verin attempts to question Urien but Ingtar interrupts and wants to know if Urien has seen Trollocs, Urien replies that he would have killed them if he had seen any. Verin is surprised that Urien tells her he would die fighting her lightning but would not attempt to harm her. He then tells the group the Aiel are searching for a man they call He Who Comes with The Dawn and that the signs and portents of his coming but only knows that the Aiel will know them when they see them. Mat tells Perrin this must be Rand.
Perrin reunites with Rand in the city of Cairhien, and Mat tells Rand that Perrin is a Sniffer, but Rand hears Perrin call him Shadowkiller and is not convinced Perrin is being fully honest about his abilities. Rand goes on to tell the group about his strange journey through the mirror world and about the Portal Stones. He also tells them of the Horn and dagger being stolen and now they believe they are both within the palace of Lord Barthanes Damodred, who Rand believes is a darkfriend. Perrin stays behind with most of the Shienaran lancers when Rand, Mat, Ingtar, and Verin go to Barthanes party. When they return Rand tells him about how Fain had left via the Ways and was able to use Machin Chin in some way to prevent them from following him to Toman Head. They head to Stedding Tsofu to ask the Ogier Elders if they can access the Waygate there, encountering another group of Aiel, but ultimately they find the Waygate has also been guarded by Machin Chin. This forces Rand to use a nearby Portal Stone to Travel to Toman Head, which ends in disaster showing each of those in the party a series of flickering visions of alternate reality versions of themselves. Whatever Perrin saw was distressing enough to make him nearly rip his eyes from his head.
They have made it to Toman Head, but months have passed while they were trapped in the Portal Stone’s loop, thus saving them no time. Scouting the area, the group finds out about the Seanchan and tracks Fain and the Horn and dagger to the town of Falme. Verin tells the men about a prophecy “Five will ride forth” and sends Rand, Mat, Hurin, Ingtar, and Perrin into Falme to recover the Horn and dagger. Unbeknownst to Perrin, he is seen by the Whitecloak Child Jaret Byar, who goes on to blame him for the Seanchan destruction of the Whitecloak legion led by Geofram Bornhold. Within Falme, Rand duels and kills Seanchan Highlord Turak and recovers the Horn. Rand then tells Ingtar that he has seen Egwene in a damane’s collar and cannot leave her, Ingtar is stunned but has a realization that Rand is correct. As Mat, Perrin, and Hurin run from Seanchan, Ingtar sacrifices himself to buy them time to save the Horn and Egwene.
Trying to escape Falme, Mat blows the Horn and calls the Heroes back to help them escape the Seanchan and the Whitecloaks. Perrin then goes on to carry the Dragon Banner for Hawkwing and the Heroes to follow. Rand defeats Ba’alzamon in the skies over Falme and the party escapes onto Toman Head where they find Moiraine and Lan, as well as Egwene, Nynaeve, Min, and Elayne, have joined Verin and Loial. Moiraine sends Verin, Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve, and Hurin to escort the deeply ill Mat to Tar Valon for healing.
The Dragon Reborn
Jaret Byar, now in Amador’s Fortress of the Light reporting on the events of Flame, tells Lord Captain Commander or the Children of the Light Pedron Niall that the Legion led by Geofram Borhald was betrayed by Perrin Aybara of the Two Rivers. Niall sends Byar into the command of Lord Commander Eamon Valda who is near Tar Valon and is the commanding officer of Dain Bornhald, Geofram’s son. Padan Fain, now using the name Ordeith, is present and manipulates Niall into considering some action in the Two Rivers.
Perrin, still accompanying Rand, Min, Moiraine, Lan, Loial and the remaining Shienaran Lancers under Uno’s command, stands watch in the Mountains of Mist as Moiraine’s various eyes and ears send news of the fighting on Almoth Plain and the spread of Rand’s support as the Dragon Reborn. Soon Perrin spots a Tinker woman approaching, Perrin notes that she does not smell afraid, and admonishes himself, still fearing his abilities. The woman tells him she is looking for a woman who sometimes uses the name Moiraine and that her name is Leya. Perrin takes her to the camp of the Dragon Reborn.
In the camp Perrin encounters Min, who tells him she has had a vision of Leya, her face floating over her shoulder, covered in blood, eyes staring. Min knows she will die and tells Perrin the visions are never clearer in their meaning than this one, but she doesn't know when this will occur. Joined by Loial, Min and Perrin note that Rand has been arguing with Moiraine, wishing to join his followers on Almoth Plain, but she opposes the idea as it will expose him and likely lead to his capture. Rand and Perrin discuss events and the frustration of being ta’veren and for Rand, The Dragon Reborn. Rand suddenly begins to channel creating an earthquake and frightening the entire camp. Perrin tells Moiraine that what Rand did was an accident and Moiraine is displeased but goes back to continue her conversation with Leya, who fell and split her head during Rand’s display. Min tells Moiraine of the vision but is now unsure about the meaning and seems troubled by this, as she has never been wrong.
Leya’s conversation in Moiraine’s tent includes new information that there are as many as five thousand Whitecloaks now on Almoth Plain, claiming to be there to bring peace and are actively pushing the Taraboner and Domani forces out, but have strangely not moved against the various Dragonsworn groups. However, there have been several young men who fit vague descriptions of Rand who have been mysteriously murdered in villages Leya’s band of Tinkers has passed through. Uno suspects the Soulless, or Gray Men, are the assassins.
Perrin dreams that night of a well-dressed handsome man in his middle years who tries to convince him to abandon his axe and return to be a blacksmith. Perrin refuses to eat or drink what the man offers, prompting the stranger to tell him that three threads that are woven together can all be destroyed when one is cut from the Pattern. The man then vanishes. Still in the dream, Perrin is now faced with a mirror showing him a version of himself dressed in golden armor, and a beautiful woman dressed all in white, appears to tempt him with the image. He also refuses her offer of a drink and she tells him she will always be in his dreams, then vanishes. Perrin continues to dream, seeing a blur of a woman in white, a tall, dark, and slender man with silver in his black hair and a dark green coat embroidered with gold. Another man appeared wearing a black striped red coat with lace at the collar. Shorter and stockier than the other man with white hair and an arrogant air about him. The two men seemed to argue, but Perrin could not hear them, only sense their hate for one another. A third man, wearing black velvet and white lace, appears, Perrin almost recognizes him. The other men seemed afraid of him, but they all argued until the last man created a giant fireball engulfing the area. Perrin flees the scene and finds himself in a room of polished Redstone columns surrounding a sword, hanging hilt down in the air, it seems made of glass or crystal. He awakes when he hears a voice in his head saying, “The Twisted Ones come, brother.”
Perrin leaps from his bed and calls out for the others to wake up as Trollocs are attacking the camp. Perrin sees Leya come out of a tent and goes to protect her, only for a Myrddraal to appear and kill Leya as she attempts to distract it from killing Perrin. Perrin goes into a berserker type rage, thinking and fighting as a wolf, and destroys the creature the wolves refer to as a Neverborn. The wolf pack arrives to fight the shadowspawn and Perrin rejoins the fight, Young Bull fighting alongside the pack. Perrin recovers his human self after the fighting but is scared by how easily he had succumbed to his wolf side. Moiraine Heals Perrin and tells him she also Healed the wolves she could find; their arrival had saved all of their lives.
The next morning Perrin wakes to the news that Rand has vanished. Masema, one of the Shienaran lancers is particularly distraught, but Perrin eases his mind even though he thinks the man is going insane. Moiraine shows Perrin the note Rand left, and Perrin immediately recognizes that Rand was preparing to face Ba’alzamon once again. Perrin and Moiraine argue for a time, but he eventually tells her of his dreams, and she identifies the sword as Callandor, within the Stone of Tear, a legendary part of the Prophecies of the Dragon. Moiraine asks Perrin and Loial to join her and Lan to follow Rand, she sends the Shienarans into Ghealdan to await news and sends Min to Tar Valon with a message for the Amyrlin Seat. Before leaving Min pulls Perrin aside and tells her she has had visions regarding him. “An Aielman in a cage, a Tuatha'an with a sword, a falcon and a hawk, perching on your shoulders. Both females, I think. And all the rest, of course. What is always there. Darkness swirling 'round you, and —" … “One more thing," she said slowly. "If you meet a woman – the most beautiful woman you've ever seen – run!"
Traveling through the Mountains of Mist toward Ghealdan, the group arrives in a hillside town called Jarra where they go to an inn called Hardin’s Leap. A man named Simion gives them some information about strange events happening in the last two days, sudden weddings of nearly every woman of eligible age causing an uproar and celebrations, and a group of Whitecloaks dissolving into chaos. Perrin asks Simion if he has seen a man fitting Rand’s description and finds out that Rand had been in the village the night before but was behaving strangely. Simion goes on to tell Perrin he recognizes Moiraine as an Aes Sedai and wants her to help his sick brother, Noam, who has a mysterious illness that the local healer Mother Roon says she cannot do anything for. Perrin leaves Simion in Loial’s care and goes to warn Moiraine of the situation. Moiraine and Lan are irritated that Perrin was so overt, having themselves figured out Rand's presence due to the twisting of chance in the town being caused by a powerful ta’veren. Perrin informs them that Simion recognized an Aes Sedai and then takes Moiraine to Simion, who then takes Moiraine and Perrin to see Noam. Perrin is shocked when he sees that Noam is a wolfbrother, but has lost his human self to the wolf, becoming more beast than a man in demeanor. Moiraine tells Simion and Perrin that there is nothing she can do for him and even comforts Simion who is distraught seeing his brother locked in a shed for the rest of his life. Perrin frees Noam and covers it up so Simion wouldn’t be blamed for the escape. Simion tells Perrin the Whitecloaks had asked about Perrin, claiming he was a darkfriend, but no darkfriend would care about Noam and helped Perrin stay hidden so the rest of the village would not see his eyes. Perrin speaks to Moiraine to find out what she knows of his ability. She has only seen a fragment of a book from the Age of Legends which mentioned it as something that could have been a myth or legend even then, but the author wrote mostly of dreams and that wolves live partially in a world of dreams, and that the few Aes Sedai with the Dreaming Talent also wrote of encountering wolves.
Perrin continues to have dreams that feel real, encountering Hopper, who warns him to run from the dream. Egwene also encounters Perrin in tel'aran'rhiod but she is chased off by Hopper who is now guarding Perrin in his dreams.
Now in Altara, along the Lugard Road, Perrin follows Moiraine into the town of Remen, along the Manetherendrelle river. Remen has had an eventful few days, but Lan is not sure if this is due to Rand or something else. Perrin catches a scent that he associates with shadowspawn, but it is not from Trollocs or Myrddraal. Perrin sees an Aielman in a cage suspended in the town square and recalls his meeting Urien in Kinslayers Dagger months earlier and Min’s viewing that an Aielman in a cage will be a turning point in his life. The group follows Lan to an inn, Waylands Forge, where Gainor Furlan tells them about the Hunters for the Horn, Lords Orban, and Gann, staying at the inn who have captured the Aielman and killed many more but have been injured in the process. Perrin notices a young dark-haired woman staring at him, she is no older than he, with slightly tilted dark eyes and a nose that just missed being too large and too bold, a generous mouth, and high cheekbones. Furlan also tells the group about the Prophet of the Dragon Reborn in Ghealdan, who Perrin and Lan recognize to be Masema. Perrin asks Moiraine if she had sensed anyone far gone to the Shadow and explains about the girl he saw. Moiraine tells him he is a handsome man and that some girls admire broad shoulders.
After listening to Orban spin tales of his and Gann’s exploits and the fight against a large group of Aiel, Perrin leaves the inn and makes his way back to the town square and the caged Aielman. Without truly considering what he was doing, Perrin lowers the cage to the ground and breaks open the lock. The Aielman notes that it took three men to hoist the cage up and is confused as to why Perrin is freeing him, to which Perrin replies he does not like seeing people in cages. The man tells Perrin he needs a moment to get his legs to uncramp and introduces himself as Gaul, of the Imran sept of the Shaarad Aiel, a Shae’en M’taal, a Stone Dog, and tells Perrin ``my water is yours”. Gaul tells Perrin he is searching for He Who Comes with The Dawn, and Perrin tells him to head to Tear. The pair then fights a group of Whitecloaks who have discovered them afterward Gaul runs into the night and vanishes, but Perrin sees the girl from the inn has seen them. Returning to the inn Perrin finds Lan and explains what has happened, Lan furiously sending Perrin to get Loial and go to the stables, they must find a ship that night.
Boarding the Snow Goose that night Perrin finds the girl has followed them and negotiates passage to wherever Perrin is going, Illian. She tells Perrin she is a Hunter and that she intends to follow his group due to the strangeness of the party. Perrin laughs when she tells him to call her Mandarb, meaning blade in the old tongue, he then points out that this is Lan’s horse's name. She blushes and tells him her true name is Zarine Bashere, but the name is not suited to a Hunter. She then tells Perrin she will assume the name Faile, or falcon, Perrin immediately thinks of Min’s viewing and hopes it is merely a coincidence.
Perrin, joined by Hopper in the wolf dream, sees darkfriends being spoken to by a Ba’alzamon, who kills a man for failure in Tar Valon and warns the others to succeed or face the same fate. Ba’alzamon is then joined by the most beautiful woman Perrin had ever seen and the two argue revealing the woman to be Lanfear, one of the Forsaken. Hopper tells Perrin that all wolves come to the dream when they die and then shows that he can fly in the dream. Perrin has visions of Rand fighting shadowspawn including something that smelled of Sulphur. Perrin tries to warn Rand, but Rand channels and Perrin wakes. The injury from the dream lingers as a burn on his chest, he goes to Moiraine and explains the dream, she believes it to be real based on what she knows of Aes Sedai Dreamers. However, she refuses to Heal the injury, saying it will serve as a reminder to him to be careful. They discuss the name Zarine, Moiraine explaining it is Saldaean and indicative of an indolent woman. He does not tell Moiraine that Zarine is aware she is Aes Sedai or that she is following them, though.
Snow Goose arrives in Illian after an eventful voyage with Zarine and Moiraine, Perrin fighting with both women throughout the trip, including one shouting match with Zarine which revealed to the entire crew of the ship that Moiraine was Aes Sedai, creating even more tension. When Zarine refuses to be left behind, Moiraine tells Perrin the girl is his responsibility, although she threatens Zarine and tells Perrin she had done what she could to discourage Min’s falcon from taking perch, but his ta’veren nature forced the issue. They head through the city of Illian to an inn known well to Moiraine, Easing the Badger in the ironically named Perfumed Quarter. The innkeeper, Nieda, greeting Moiraine warmly and revealing the woman as a Blue Ajah eyes-and-ears, is told that Moiraine has been away from Tar Valon but is sure Adine has been noting the messages. Nieda tells Moiraine that she has been having odd dreams, as have many people she knows, of Lord Brend of the Council of Nine.
While having dinner the group is attacked by six Gray Men, forcing Moiraine to channel and reveal herself as an Aes Sedai to those at the inn. Moiraine leaves to investigate, alone, angering Lan. Lan asks Perrin how he knew the Gray Men were there, not even Aes Sedai or Warder's senses could detect the shadow assassins. Perrin admits to having smelled them. Lan then has Perrin follow him to search for other dangers or clues outside the inn. Perrin smells the Sulphur scent again and then sees Lan looking at what appeared to be a large dog print pressed into stone. Lan tells Perrin the creature is a Darkhound, shadowspawn not seen south of the Mountains of Dhoom since the Trolloc Wars, then leaves to find Moiraine as she is in grave danger not knowing about the creature's presence.
Perrin dreams that night of Mat dicing with Ba’alzamon and tries to find Hopper. Eventually, the wolf comes to him. The wolf tells him that he is not experienced enough for the wolf dream and to leave and tries to explain the nature of the dream. Perrin learns the wolves' names for Ba’alzamon, Heartfang, and Lanfear, Moonhunter but Perrin still does not understand what Hopper is trying to show him. Perrin tells Hopper about the Darkhound and Hopper immediately tells Perrin to run, the Shadowbrothers are a great danger to him, and that this means the Last Hunt is coming. Waking to Zarine in his room demanding information, Perrin is surprised when Moiraine crashes into the room announcing his wolf dreams are as accurate as an Aes Sedai Dreamers and that one of the Forsaken now rules Illian.
Lan has killed the Darkhound, but Moiraine is certain that Lord Brend, whom she has identified as the Forsaken Sammael, will realize a Warder is in the city and that they must flee immediately. When Perrin demands more information, he accidentally tells Zarine that Rand is the Dragon Reborn, forcing Moiraine to tell the girl she is now sealed to the group and cannot go another way. Nieda is then told to take everything and everyone she loves and flee Illian as well. They leave the city and reach the Maredo Causeway leading through the marshes around Illian. Galloping ahead of the pack of Darkhounds now hot on their heels. Finding high ground to fight the pack off, Perrin uses his bow, but it has little effect on the Darkhounds. At the last moment, Moiraine uses the One Power, the air between her hands caught fire and streaked toward the Darkhounds, vanquishing the night. She tells the group she has used something that has been forbidden for nearly two thousand years by vows almost as strong as the Three Oaths.
Now in Tear, Perrin and Zarine discuss events since Illian. Lan takes the group to the Star, an inn run by master Haret, wedged between a weaver’s shop and a smithy. Perrin, Loial, and Zarine are told to stay near the inn while Lan and Moiraine investigate Tear for signs of Rand. Perrin finds himself drawn to the smithy and begins helping master Dermid Ajala, whose own apprentices had simply walked away, muttering of nightmares. After Perrin makes several items for the man Ajala tells him he is worthy of being a master himself and gives him the hammer he had used throughout the day. Returning to the inn Perrin learns that the Highlord Samon is the Forsaken Be’lal. Moiraine knows little of Be’lal but is sure even the weakest of the Forsaken would sense anything she attempted, but that balefire would destroy even the most powerful if she can get close enough to use it. Loial is asked what the Ogier know of Be’lal and he tells them Be’lal was obscure and not often written about, but had once been a leader for the Light, was a swordmaster and after turning to the Shadow became known as the Netweaver, a patient and cunning schemer who had envied the Dragon as well as the other Forsaken. Moiraine deduces that Be’lal is trying to lure Rand into taking Callandor so that he can take the device from Rand. Moiraine and Lan prepare to enter the Stone to stop Be’lal.
Moiraine discovers that Rand is in Tear, which accelerates her planning to stop Be’lal, however, the Black Ajah group led by Liandrin has laid a trap for Moiraine. Zarine is caught in the trap, triggered by a ter’angreal in the shape of a small hedgehog, which has placed her in a suspended animation-like state. Moiraine can only sense residues of pure flows of Spirit, something rarely used alone in weaves of the One Power. Moiraine tells Perrin what she knows of the Dreaming Talent and tel’aran’rhiod as the only clue she has to what happened to Faile. Perrin swears to save the girl and to always call her Faile now and with Loial placing himself on guard to protect his friends Perrin steps into the trap to save Faile. Immediately recognizing the wolf dream, Perrin transforms himself into a wolf and along with Hopper who warns him that he is in the dream too strongly, begins to hunt for Faile’s trapped soul. Perrin/Young Bull and Hopper go through many trials searching for Faile, fighting their way through the Stone of tel’aran’rhiod. Eventually saving Faile, but gravely injured.
The Shadow Rising
Perrin has moved to the Stone of Tear with Faile, Rand, Mat, Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve, Moiraine, Lan, and Loial in the aftermath of Rand drawing Callandor and defeating Ba’alzamon, who Moiraine believes was a man, possibly Ishamael.
A bubble of the Dark One’s evil rolls through the Stone, animating Perrin’s axe, nearly killing both him and Faile, but Perrin is able to subdue the weapon. Angrily believing this to be Rand’s unintentional channeling, Perrin goes to find his friend and confront him. Perrin and Faile encounter The First of Mayene, Berelain sur Paendrag Paeron along the way, she is scantily clad and terrified, Faile does not like that Perrin was polite to the woman and leaves Perrin when they get to Rand’s rooms where Perrin discovers an injured Rand and calls for Moiraine to Heal him. Moiraine deduces that the events were not the work of one of the Forsaken and explains that “bubbles of evil” could be floating up from the Dark One as the Seals are weakening, and to expect more such occurrences, especially around the ta’veren.
Perrin begins looking for rumors he thinks will entice Faile to leave Tear for another adventure without him. Faile wants to leave the Stone but is trying to convince Perrin to go with her. Trollocs attack the Stone, Rand noticing they appear almost afraid of Perrin’s eyes, Rand uses Callandor to defeat them. Perrin eventually learns of Whitecloaks in the Two Rivers and begins planning to return home so he can save his people, but is worried that Moiraine will prevent him from leaving, or worse that Faile will want to come with him, and he does not want her to see him be executed by the Whitecloaks, the pair fight after Berelain comes and flirts with Perrin in an attempt to manipulate him into speaking to Rand on her behalf. When Perrin eventually goes to Loial for help using The Ways to travel to the Two Rivers, he finds Faile has already commandeered the Ogier through trickery. Along with Gaul, Bain, and Chiad, the group entered The Ways, Faile insisting Perrin and Gaul must follow her lead in order for Loial to keep his promise to her.
Arriving at the Waygate where the city of Manetheren was once, on the edge of the Mountains of Mist and the Two Rivers. The party is attacked by a force of Trollocs led by a Myrddraal, also in the Ways, escaping to the outside world just as Machin Shin, the Black Wind, was drawn to the skirmish. Loial can lock the Waygate from the outside, thinking to block more shadowspawn from using it to enter the Two Rivers.
Entering the wolf dream to investigate a flock of ravens he suspects are shadoweyes, Perrin encounters a man with a cold, inhuman scent and follows him to the base of a two-hundred-foot-tall tower, gleaming like burnished steel. Hopper appears and tells him that the man, Slayer, is dangerous to wolves and anyone who dies in the wolf dream dies forever. A woman with golden hair in a thick braid suddenly appears and tells Perrin the Tower of Ghenjei is dangerous for humans, she claims to be an archer, not an Aes Sedai, and admits she is warning him despite prescripts against doing so. She is surprised to learn Perrin can speak to wolves but knows the ability once existed long ago. She goes on to tell him to beware of the World of Dreams and of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn, as they are not to be trusted. Explaining that they are the creatures the game Snakes and Foxes were in remembrance of, referencing 'Courage to strengthen, fire to blind, music to daze, iron to bind.'. Perrin thinks he recognizes her but cannot place who she is and is surprised when Hopper tells him that he didn’t see a woman there at all. Hopper gives Perrin one last warning about Slayer and tells him that Slayer has driven the wolves from the Two Rivers because he is killing them in the dream.
Perrin first heads for the al’Thor farm in the Westwood, only to find it has been burned to the ground, but no one was there, but the damage appeared to be from the Whitecloaks rather than Trollocs and what remained of the flock of sheep had been rounded up and herded off.
Early the next morning Perrin and Gaul make their way to the village of Emond’s Field, sneaking into the Winespring Inn on the eastern edge of town and approaches the Mayor Bran al’Vere and his wife Marin al’Vere. The couple informs Perrin that he should leave, the Whitecloaks are looking for him and claim he is a darkfriend, which they know is absurd. He tells the al’Vere’s and Faile, Bain, Chiad, Gaul, and Loial that he has killed Whitecloaks and that is why he is being sought by them and that he intends to hand himself over to them in order to get them to leave his home. Master al’Vere then tells Perrin that his entire extended family has been killed by Trollocs, which takes Perrin some time to process. However, it was Padan Fain under the guise of Ordeith who incited a group of Whitecloaks to kill the family, and Child Jared Byar and Lord Dain Bornhald, son of Geofram, participated in the coverup. Bran also informs Perrin that the Whitecloaks under Bornhald have taken the Luhhans and Natti, Bodewhin, and Eldrin Cauthon (Mat’s mother and sisters) into their custody and holding them prisoner in Watch Hill. Despite the Whitecloaks' actions, the Two Rivers people are frightened that if they leave the Trollocs will have free reign to rampage throughout the area. Lord Luc, a Hunter for the Horn who has come to the Two Rivers, has been attempting to get the farmers to organize and fight the Trollocs, but they fear leaving their families unprotected.
Marin then takes the group to a hiding place Bran suggests, the old sick house, as they are leaving the Inn the group encounters Cenn Buie who wants to turn Perrin in. Marin puts Cenn straight and he agrees to stay quiet. When they arrive at the old sick house, Perrin finds two Aes Sedai and their Warders being hidden there by the Women’s Circle. Verin Mathwin, of the Brown Ajah and her Warder Tomas are accompanied by Alanna Mosvani of the Green Ajah with her Warder Ihvon. The Aes Sedai claim to be in the region searching for stories and girls with the ability to channel, Nynaeve and Egwene creating quite a stir in the White Tower due to their great strength in the Power. However, Alanna, being emotionally distraught due to one of her Warders being killed, asks questions about Rand and Mat leading Perrin to question their motivations. Shortly Tam al’Thor and Abell Cauthon arrive bringing food, feeling uneasy with the Aes Sedai who had performed Healing on them and not wanting to be beholden to them for the service.
Perrin decides to go to Watch Hill to see what can be done about the Luhans and Cauthons. Accompanied by Verin, Tomas, Abell, Tam, Faile, Gaul, Bain and Chiad Perrin heads to farms in the area and gathers men as well as convincing the farmers to head into the villages for protection. Verin believes his ta’veren nature is why he is able to convince people in a matter of hours to do something they were completely unwilling to do up to that moment. While at the al’Seen farm, the group meets Lord Luc, who Perrin takes an immediate dislike toward. Verin also warns Perrin to be careful of Alanna, telling Perrin there are many designs in the White Tower which might find a ta’veren useful, she also asks Perrin if Rand has taken Callandor, which he confirms for her. Perrin then sneaks into the Whitecloak encampment near Watch Hill and rescues the Luhans and Cauthons and sends them with Tam and Abell back to the old sick house. Taking the group of young men he had gathered along the way to Watch Hill, Perrin decides to hunt the Trollocs.
After six days of rain, thanks to Verin’s Cloud Dancing, Perrin visits the gravesite of his family under the trees of the family orchards. Faile and Lord Luc join him from Emond’s Field and inform him that the village has decided to bar the Whitecloaks from entry, going so far as to arm themselves and are housing the former prisoners at the Winespring Inn. The people from the outlying districts have also come into the village and are preparing defenses should the Trollocs attack Emond’s Field. Perrin is not ready to return to the village yet, believing there are still many Trollocs out in the forests, even though they have killed many already. The group is ambushed by Trollocs led by a Myrddraal, resulting in Perrin being gravely injured and twenty-seven Two Rivers young men being killed, something Perrin blames himself for bitterly. As the injured band makes its way to shelter, they come across a band of Tinkers, including Raen, Ila, and Aram whom Perrin had met a year earlier while traveling with Elyas Machera. They refuse to go to Emond’s Field, worrying about violence. Faile finally tells Perrin about her true identity as the daughter of Davram Bashere and cousin to the Queen of Saldaea, after this Perrin tells Faile about his wolfbrother abilities.
In the wolf dream, Perrin sees that the Waygate is no longer locked and that more shadowspawn are entering the Two Rivers. He once again encounters the man known as Slayer, who he realizes looks very much like Lan Mandragoran and he wore the hadori, a customary male Malkieri headband. Perrin fights Slayer, but eventually realizes that the man is drawing him into an ambush and he then steps out of the dream. Perrin, still in the Tinker camp, is told of the sa’sara dance by Faile, which scandalizes Ila. The groups part ways and the Two Rivers people head back to Emond’s Field, where Perrin is shocked as he enters the town that he is being hailed as Perrin Goldeneyes and even more surprised to find a red-bordered white banner displaying a red wolf’s head, Verin informs him that Alanna had told some of the villagers that Trollocs feared wolves and that the people wanted a symbol. Perrin’s injury has become infected and he is barely conscious, but he insists that he must go to lock the Waygate, Verin tells Faile that her ability with Healing is not enough to the task and that they must find Alanna. Perrin collapses and is taken to the Inn where Alanna removes the barbed arrow from him and Heals him. This leaves Perrin quite weak and when he awakes, he is told that Gaul and Loial have gone to seal the Waygate. Perrin wants to follow, but Faile, with help from Marin al’Vere keeps Perrin occupied in Emond’s Field. Trollocs have been raiding the village but as Bain and Chiad come into the village at a run they announce that a force of roughly five hundred Trollocs are less than a mile behind them. The village is attacked and using their longbows and catapults Alanna and Verin instruct them to build and annihilate the attacking Trollocs before they can get into the village. Perrin realizes this was a test of the Emond’s Field defenses and is preparing for more and larger attacks. Soon a group of ragged Tinkers come into the village, having been caught by Trollocs most of the band has been killed, including the Mahdi Raen’s daughter, Aram’s mother, leading Aram to take up the sword and fulfilling one of Min’s viewings about Perrin. The Whitecloaks come to Emond’s Field looking to arrest Perrin, and bring news that Taren Ferry was destroyed by Trollocs the night before, Lord Luc (who has also appeared in Emond’s Field) is surprised by this news and asks about Padan Fain/Ordeith making Perrin wonder how the man knows him. The villagers are not willing to hand Perrin over to Bornhald, but Perrin insists they allow the Whitecloaks to stay as they would be killed if they leave.
The Trollocs have begun to attack the village regularly, looking for weaknesses in their defenses. Dannil Lewin brings news that there is a message for Perrin and brings him to a gravely injured man at the edge of the village. With a Trolloc arrow in his chest the man tells Perrin “We are - coming. Sent to - tell you. We are co-” dying as he delivered his message. The sentries had found the man several miles south of the village, but none of the men recognized him. A young curly-haired boy rushes to Perrin to inform him that there is movement being seen in the Westwood. Bursting from the trees Loial, carrying Gaul, runs toward the village. Perrin is relieved to learn that Loial and Gaul had managed to permanently seal the Waygate four days earlier. However, Loial is certain there are several thousand Trollocs already in the area and as many as fifty Myrddraal. Luc disagrees with Loial, but Gaul backs up the Ogier’s assessment.
Perrin enters the wolf dream that night and has visions; Egwene, standing in a crowd of kneeling women which included Nynaeve and Elayne, Rand in rags and a bandage covering his eyes. Perrin does not understand the nature of these visions and is not sure if they are connected to anything in real life or not. Pushing himself to focus on the task at hand, Perrin heads into the dream to see what he can find around the shadowspawn in the Two Rivers. Once again encountering Slayer, Perrin lays a trap and shoots the man in the chest with an arrow, driving him from the dream. When he wakes, he hears that Lord Luc had ridden out of Emond’s Field hunched over as if injured. This leaves Perrin confused as Slayer and Luc looked nothing alike. Perrin then asks Faile to carry a message to the Queen of Andor to send help, she agrees but tells him he must marry her first. They wed in the common room of the Winespring Inn.
With Faile heading away from Emond’s Field, Perrin writes her a letter explaining his actions, while he is struggling with this Aram comes to tell him that an attack on the village is imminent, with a force of thousands coming in from both north and south. The village is prepared, with the Tinkers and women on the green prepared to escape with the children and the men ringing the village with longbows. The Whitecloak force being held in reserve to help the defense wherever the fighting was hottest. Bornhald attempts to renege on the agreement, but Perrin promises to give himself over to Bornhald if they all survive the Trolloc attack. Bornhald agrees but does not trust Perrin’s word. The battle begins and the shadowspawn forces push the fighting into the town, the Whitecloaks offering no help despite the agreement made with Perrin. Eventually, the women come to help the men hold the line between the very houses of the village. Just as all seems to be lost, a young boy, Jaim Aybara a distant cousin of Perrin’s, runs to tell Perrin that forces from Watch Hill with Faile at the head and from the southern town of Devon Ride arrive and begin attacking the Trolloc army from behind, eventually destroying the shadowspawn entirely. Faile and Perrin reunite and he learns that the men of Watch Hill were ready and needed minimal convincing to come to Emond’s Field’s aid and she had suspected what the message “we are coming” had meant but didn’t want to get hopes up without confirmation. Bornhald attempts to arrest Perrin but is sent away for not meeting his end of the bargain to help in the fighting. After the Whitecloaks ride off, the Mayor of Watch Hill, Jerinvar Barstere, comes to tell Perrin that the village council and women’s circle from Watch Hill will be coming to see Lord Perrin Goldeneyes of the Two Rivers.
Fires of Heaven
Perrin does not appear in the book. He is mentioned on several occasions by Mat, Nynaeve, Egwene and Rand.
Lord of Chaos
Still in the Two Rivers, recovering from the Trolloc attacks and dealing with being Lord, largely forcing Faile to do the work. The Two Rivers girls with Verin and Alanna talk to Rand about Perrin’s saving the Two Rivers but make it clear that Perrin has been vague about what Rand has been doing since leaving Emond’s Field. Faile threatened to kill Alanna if she bonded Perrin before the Aes Sedai left the Two Rivers. Egwene has caught glimpses of Perrin in tel'aran'rhiod but believes them to be her imagination, but continues to have true Dreams which include Perrin, one with a wolf at his feet and a hawk and a falcon perched on each shoulder and another involving a Tinker. Berelain, now in Cairhien with Rand, asks about Perrin and tells Rand to send her warmest regards to Perrin when he next sees him. When three Ogier, Elder Haman, Eldrith, and Covril come to Rand looking for Loial, he tells them he is with Perrin in the Two Rivers and takes them via a gateway to the Two Rivers, however, Perrin and his entourage have already left the area and are in route to Caemlyn to join Rand.
After two months of traveling, Perrin arrives in Caemlyn and finds Saldaean soldiers guarding the city, Faile is more concerned about encountering her mother than her father. He tells the men that he is there to see Rand. Gaul, Bain, and Chiad head to the Aiel encampment outside of the city while Perrin, Faile, Loial, and Aram head to Rand in the palace. Rand congratulates Perrin and Faile on their wedding and introduces Faile to Min, the pair dislike one another immediately. Perrin and Rand catch up on events of the last months, eventually, Rand wanting Perrin to go to Tear. Perrin refuses saying he had someone to speak to in Caemlyn. Rand tells Perrin that Moiraine is dead, killing Lanfear as she died. Perrin also learns that the White Tower has indeed divided. Rand believes the split is helping him remain autonomous from the Aes Sedai as they have not been able to focus on him fully, but still believes there is a third side ready to kneel to him.
Perrin meets his father-in-law Davram Bashere, who threatens him with death if Faile’s mother doesn’t approve of the marriage. Perrin explains that he was unaware of who Faile’s father was when they met and tells Bashere about Faile becoming a Hunter for the Horn and the tales she made up about her father’s professions. Perrin struggles to hold his temper when Bashere tells him their marriage could be annulled by Deira Bashere and tells Davram that he would not lose her, even if he had to fight through 9,000 Saldaean soldiers. Perrin and Bashere go to see Deira and Faile. Perrin is surprised by Deira’s questions about how to be a husband, but ultimately the Basheres accept Perrin and Faile’s marriage. Min tells Rand that she had a vision that Perrin will need to be there twice or something bad will happen to Rand.
After a confrontation with the Rebel Aes Sedai embassy, Rand decides to return to Cairhien and takes Perrin and Faile with him. Immediately upon their arrival, Perrin’s relationship with Faile is put under strain when they find Berelain at the Sun Palace. Perrin begins seeking respite in a variety of ways, the Library, and hunting with Gaul among them. The Tower embassy meets with Rand but announces that he has left without a word and leaves the palace for the manor house in the city. Perrin is quite surprised by this turn of events. Perrin discovers the Aes Sedai have left the city, three days before the Festival of Lights.
Lord Dobraine Taborwin comes to Perrin to tell him of some active political maneuvering happening in Cairhien, at the instigation of Lady Colavaere Saighan. Suddenly, Berelain enters the rooms, enraging Perrin, but she reveals Rand’s sword and the Dragon buckler inside a blanket she carried. Sulin immediately realizes that this must mean Rand has been kidnapped by the Tower Aes Sedai embassy. After rallying forces from Dobraine, Berelain, and the Aiel, including the Wise Ones who can channel, Perrin determines to catch up to the Aes Sedai and rescue Rand.
Communicating with wolves to track the Aes Sedai Party, Perrin and his entourage travel hard to catch the Aes Sedai party. Loial gives Perrin some history on the capture of past False Dragons by the Tower and Perrin realizes the Aes Sedai party much be larger than the six women they knew about, likely at least thirteen Aes Sedai would be present when they caught up to them, and Perrin was not sure if his force could take on such a group successfully. Seven days outside of Cairhien Perrin’s group crossed paths with his contingent of Two Rivers bowmen who were making their way from Caemlyn, the Rebel embassy, consisting of nine Aes Sedai had accompanied the men. Perrin learns that Alanna could also track Rand, which was a surprise to Perrin. The Aes Sedai are furious to learn that Rand had been taken by the Tower and are determined to stop them.
Perrin and his force finally catch up to the Aes Sedai with Rand at Dumai’s Wells, only to find a massive army of Shaido, with hundreds of Wise Ones fighting the encampment of Aes Sedai and Younglings under Gawyn Trakand’s command. Perrin eventually has his force attack the Shaido from behind in an attempt to battle through to Rand. As they fought through, a group of Asha’man appeared, stepping from gateways, and immediately began fighting the Shaido with saidin. Perrin finds Rand and the Asha’man and watches in horror as saidin-wrought destruction slaughters the Shaido en masse. In the aftermath, Rand forces the Aes Sedai to swear fealty to him as Perrin watches.
A Crown of Swords
In the aftermath of the Battle of Dumai’s Wells, Perrin is with the force returning to Cairhien with Rand. Perrin is disturbed by suggestions to kill the Aes Sedai who have been captured as he views them as helpless women now that they are shielded from the One Power. Perrin has little patience for the Aes Sedai who have sworn themselves to Rand though and consistently pushes them away but is concerned when the Wise Ones declare the prisoners da’tsang and Rand gives all the Aes Sedai into the custody of the Wise Ones. Throughout the return trip, Perrin becomes more concerned about Faile who was still in Cairhien, and is beside himself when he learns that both Bain and Chiad are among the Aiel with Rand. Rand and the leaders around him give various advice on how to handle Rand’s return and how to prove he is not an Aes Sedai puppet.
Arriving in Cairhien, where Colavaere Saighan has managed to have herself crowned as Queen, Perrin is relieved to find Faile alive but does not understand why she has placed herself as one of Colavaere’s Ladies in Waiting. Faile denounces Colavaere and gives testimony that the woman engineered the murders of other Nobles to ascend to the Sun Throne, but admits that her source, the maid Maire, has gone missing and she fears was killed by Colavaere. Aes Sedai, Annoura Larisen of the Gray Ajah, Berelain’s advisor, confirms that Maire has gone missing and offers further evidence from the First’s thief-catchers proving more proof that Colavaere was behind the murders of High Lord Meilan and Lord Maringil. Rand condemns Colavaere and strips her of all her titles and lands excepting only her smallest farm holding, banishing her to a subsistence existence. As they head to their rooms Faile informs Perrin that she has accepted a group of young nobles who have begun emulating the Aiel as her retainers, known as Cha Faile. Faile also explains that she deliberately attached herself to Colavaere to spy on her for Perrin and Rand.
Rand comes to Perrin and asks him to go to Illian, but Perrin refuses, saying he is not a general. Perrin and Rand eventually come up with a plan to stage a fight, allowing Perrin to secretly leave and lead a force including the Asha’man Jur Grady and Fager Neald as well as several Wise Ones led by Edarra of the Neder sept of the Shiande Aiel and Aes Sedai sworn to Rand, Masuri Sokawa of the Brown Ajah and Seonid Traighan of the Green Ajah also under Edarra’s supervision. Along with Berelain’s Winged Guards they use a gateway to Travel to the far west with a mission to bring the Prophet Masema, and Queen Alliandre Maritha Kigarin of Ghealdan into Rand’s alliance.
Path of Daggers
Now outside the town of Bethel in Ghealdan, Perrin’s entourage considered the best ways to approach Queen Alliandre who is within the town. Berelain and Faile each argue that they should lead the group entering the town as they hold noble titles sufficient to earn a meeting with the Queen. Seonid also tells Perrin that as an Aes Sedai, and one who is known in the area, she could arrange to meet with Alliandre as well. Perrin eventually sends Berelain and Annoura into the town to meet with the Queen and bring her Rand’s offer.
Perrin comes across a band of ruffians, who are part of the vast group of men following Masema. These men are attacking a small group of people and Perrin moves to stop the Prophet’s men, rescuing Maighdin (aka Morgase Trakand), Lini, Martin Tallanvor, Balwer, Basel Gill, Lamgwin Dorn, and Breane Taborwin. Perrin is disgusted by the actions of the Prophet’s men and sends a threat to through the men that he will hang those he finds committing crimes.
Returning to the camp with the refugees, Perrin is surprised at the vehemence Maighdin shows when she sees the Wolf and Eagle banners from the Two Rivers. Perrin then greets master Gill and Lamgwin, who tell Maighdin that Perrin is a good man. Gill tells Perrin a curated story about why the group is in Ghealdan and having run from the Seanchan invasion of Amador. Perrin offers to escort them back to Caemlyn. Faile eventually offers to take the group into service as part of Perrin’s household staff. Balwer, now serving as Perrin’s secretary, begins giving Perrin surprising bits of information, specifically about the Whitecloaks but has also managed to puzzle out many things about the Seanchan presences as well and believes the Prophet is in a town called Abila. Perrin goes to meet with the Wise Ones, and they tell him the Dreamwalkers have told them that Masema is a danger and needs to be killed. He also argues with the Wise Ones and Seonid about how the Aes Sedai are treated under Wise One care. The Wise Ones are surprised that Perrin fears they may kill the Aes Sedai, something he inaccurately concludes due to their scents. Seonid then tells Perrin she also believes Masema is a rabid animal and should be put down, but Masuri believes he can be used to help Rand.
Elyas Machera joins Perrin’s group, finding Gaul and surprising the man, which shocks the Maidens to discover. Elyas lets Perrin know that the wolves have informed him that Perrin is involved with the Dragon Reborn and that they sense a change coming. Elyas is worried that Masuri might recognize him even though he does not know her, few Warders run from their Aes Sedai, but Elyas is not interested in finding out what a Sister would do to him if they discovered his past. Elyas gives Perrin some advice about Saldaean women as well, which is surprising to Perrin, and offers to stay and help guard Perrin’s back.
Berelain returns with Queen Alliandre secretly in tow and they discuss the situation with the Prophet and the Seanchan. Alliandre informs Perrin of rumors of Aiel in Ghealdan. Perrin reassures Alliandre that the only Aiel in the region are with his group and that Rand would deal with the Seanchan. The frightened queen abruptly swears fealty to Perrin in place of Rand because he is present, likely an effect of his ta’veren nature. Perrin leaves the women with Faile when he hears shouting coming from the Mayener camp. Faile goes on to manipulate Alliandre into staying with Perrin’s forces under the guise of stopping a man who has raised the banner of Manetheren. When Perrin arrives in the Mayener camp he finds the men have arrested a group of Masema’s followers for burning a farm and the people inside it. Perrin orders their execution by hanging. Moments later there is a sudden change in the weather indicating the long-delayed winter has begun.
Perrin arrives near Abila and goes to meet the Prophet with his message from Rand. Masema recognizes Perrin and is less than friendly due to Perrin’s ordering the execution of his followers. Masema, who is clearly a madman, is also angry to find Aes Sedai in Perrin’s entourage, claiming that only the Lord Dragon is allowed to touch the True Source and that all others are blasphemers. The Prophet accepts that the Aes Sedai and Asha’man have sworn to the Dragon, but refuses to use Traveling to join Rand, insisting on riding the whole way back to Cairhien.
While Perrin is bringing Masema to heel, Faile, who has learned from Cha Faile that Masema has been meeting with the Seanchan, along with Alliandre, Maighdin, Lacile, and Arella are captured by a band of Shaido. While Parelean of Cha Faile is killed in the attack, Berelain escapes the Aiel and is able to bring Perrin this dire news.
Winter's Heart
Perrin argues with the Wise Ones and Aes Sedai regarding Masema, with even Masuri wanting to kill the man after meeting him. Balwer informs Perrin that he has heard the Seanchan in Amadicia have utterly crushed the resistance of King Ailron, killing nearly the entirety of the nobles of the country in the process. Returning to his camp Perrin is informed that Faile has been captured and goes into an emotional tailspin and sidetracks his mission to recover Faile.
Perrin goes deeply into the wolf dream in an effort to track Faile, ultimately being told by Hopper that he must find Faile in the waking world. Driven to near madness Perrin ends up exposing his physical body to the extreme cold and nearly dying, only being saved by Berelain who has Annoura Heal him and bring him to her tents. Eventually, rumors that Perrin is sleeping with Berelain spring from Berelain’s maids Rosene and Nana which causes many doubts about his leadership. Cha Faile agrees to follow Perrins orders until Faile is returned from the Shaido. As Perrin discovers more about the ambush and his fears increase, even though the Aiel in his party assure him gai’shain would not be harmed. Masema agrees to help Perrin save Faile, which makes Perrin even more nervous about the situation.
Perrin continues to track the Shaido through Ghealdan, Amadicia, and into Altara. Balwer has co-opted Cha Faile and brings Selande to inform Perrin that Nerion followed Masema’s courier into Amadicia but lost him. Perrin is unhappy that Cha Faile is doing more than passively observing. Selande warns Perrin that Masema’s group is raiding into Altaran towns, but that there may be Altaran’s willing to spy on Masema. And tells Perrin that Haviar had seen Masuri visit Masema along with a second woman he was sure was Annoura. Perrin later asks Balwer if he has any idea why the Aes Sedai, and the Wise Ones, would meet with the man. Balwer is unsure but suggests placing Cha Faile near the Aiel and Berelain, Medore holding sufficient rank to approach the First if necessary.
Perrin is out riding, clearing his head when he comes across a familiar scent, and discovers paw prints of Darkhounds in the nearby area. The tracks appear to be more than an hour old and he realizes he had first caught the scent while dreaming. He sends Aram back to the camp to warn the group that Darkhounds have been in the vicinity and to keep a close watch. Berelain joins him and under the guise of flirting she hands him a basket of food which contains a letter her thief-catcher Santes has taken from Masema’s lap desk. The letter is a correspondence with the Seanchan High Lady Suroth Sabelle Meldarath of Asinbayar and Barsabba, placing Masema under her personal protection in the name of the Empress and proving Masema has engaged in traitorous behavior against Rand. Berelain tells Perrin that Annoura wanted her to destroy the letter so they could deny having it when Perrin tells Berelain she is alarmed by the revelation but is determined to discover why her advisor is meeting with Masema.
Masuri approaches Perrin and investigates the Darkhound prints, admitting to having made a study of the creatures. She has personally crossed paths with seven packs, which some writers have claimed is the totality of packs. Masuri has never encountered this pack and notes that it is also a remarkably large pack with over fifty hounds when most packs are no more than ten to twelve strong. Masuri believes the pack is looking for something other than Perrin or they would not have moved on without attacking him. Masema joins the group and tells Perrin of a small town, So Habor where he believed they could restock on supplies.
Elyas returns with news that he had tracked the Shaido to a fair-sized town about forty miles from Perrins location, but the Shaido forces were significantly larger than expected, with as many people as Mayene or Ebu Dar within the camp and at least 10,000 Aiel algai’d’siswai. Aram claims the Two Rivers men had fought tens of thousands of Trolloc, but Elyas warns him that the victory had been because the Two Rivers men had been able to put the Trollocs in a pincer and grind them down, the Aiel would not easily be put in the same situation. After some discussion of offering a ransom for the prisoners, Perrin determines this would be a bad decision and asks Elyas to take him to see the Aiel for himself.
Asha’man Jur Grady creates a Gateway and takes Perrin and a small group to investigate the Shaido camp. What they find is disconcerting to Wise One Marline, who informs Perrin that she believes every Shaido Wise One with the ability to channel, between 400-500 women, is in the camp below. Annoura is shocked that there are so many, nearly half the numbers of the White Tower, from a single clan. Suddenly all of the channelers with Perrin feel a massive amount of both saidar and saidin being wielded far to the north, an amount so great that Annoura tells Perrin it must be the Forsaken using a sa’angreal of immense power. Perrin has the color swirl sensation and sees Rand sitting with Nynaeve and tells the channelers that it is Rand, Annoura still insisting they Travel to the location to investigate.
Perrin, now planning how to rescue Faile from the Aiel in the town of Malden, takes a group including Berelain to the town of So Habor for provisions. While there they discover the people of the town have been seeing ghosts and that the warehouses are infested with pests, signs that the Dark One is touching the world. Seonid herself sees one of the walking ghosts and wants to stay and help the town, Perrin refuses her. Returning to the camp Perrin finds that the Maidens have captured five Shaido algai’d’siswai for questioning. The prisoners have been brought to the Ghealdanin tents under Gerard Arganda, however, when Perrin arrives, he finds the Prophet and his men using hot coals to torture the Aielmen. Embracing the pain, the Stone Dog captives are proving difficult to pry information from, driving Perrin to desperate measures. He uses his axe to chop off the left hand of one of the Aiel, having Seonid immediately Heal him. Once Healed, Perrin informs the men that there will be no torture, but refusal to answer questions will result in further permanent mutilation and abandonment in a village to live their lives as beggars. The technique was effective, but the men did not know where Faile or the others were located. Disgusted with himself Perrin hurls the axe into the woods and forsakes the weapon in favor of the hammer permanently.
Crossroads of Twilight
Perrin is brought to speak to a gai’shain captive, Galina Casban, who calls herself Alyse Sedai, who tells Perrin that Faile and Alliandre are well and under her protection. Perrin has her look at his maps of Malden and Galina tells Perrin his chances are hopeless, but that she will take Faile and Alliandre with her when she leaves the Aiel.
Moridin orders the remaining Forsaken to kill both Mat and Perrin on site.
Perrin meets with Banner-General Tylee Khirgan of the Ever-Victorious Army, who quotes a bit of prophecies of the Dragon to him “When the Wolf King carries the hammer, thus are the final days known”. They discuss the situation with the Aiel and after Perrin shows Tylee the letter Suroth had given Masema they eventually come to an alliance to destroy the Aiel together and go their separate ways.
Perrin travels to the Amadician town of Almizar to meet with a Seanchan Imperial functionary to obtain forkroot tea from the manufacturing site, they take four thousand eight hundred seventy-three pounds nine ounces. As they leave the town an assassination attempt is made on Perrin, who is later Healed Neald. Perrin returns to Malden and uses the aqueduct system to lace the city’s water supply with the forkroot, eventually rendering a large group of the Shaido Wise Ones unconscious and enabling him and Tylee to successfully attack and defeat the Aiel.
Perrin’s plan also served to destroy a large part of Masema’s followers who led the charge on the Aiel position and were cut down quickly. During the fighting Perrin is attacked by Aram, who had been corrupted by Masema. Aram is killed by Shaido during the fighting. Perrin finds Faile and kills Rolan, the Aielman who had taken Faile captive and later protected her from Shaido. Faile and Perrin connect that Galina must be Black Ajah as she blatantly lied to them both and when Seonid learns of this she declares that Galina must be tried by three Sitters in a court and if found guilty would be Stilled and executed. Faile agrees that justice by law is the best way to handle Galina if they ever find her. After the fighting, Perrin, Faile, and Tylee confer, and Faile claims the contents of Sevanna’s tent in order to pay for the nearly one hundred thousand refugees. Tylee takes Sevanna away along with several hundred Wise Ones who will be made damane.
Knife of Dreams
Leading his now large army of refugees, exhausted troops, Asha’man, Aes Sedai and Wise Ones Perrin headed toward Caemlyn. Faile secretly ambushes and kills Masema before he can create further chaos but hides the fact from Perrin. Balwer has questioned some of the freed captives and has learned how the Shaido came to the region, Perrin realizing this must have been the work of the Forsaken.
Perrin’s group is forced to march to Caemlyn as by this time the Asha’man are both exhausted and do not have the strength to maintain gateways for the many hours necessary to transport the massive amount of people still with Perrin.
Perrin continues to go to the wolf dream and communicate with Hopper, knowing that he must learn better control in the dream as the Last Battle approaches. Hopper warns Perrin he comes to the dream too strongly and that this can kill him, then pushes him out of the dream.
Rand tells Nynaeve where to find Perrin, but Nynaeve insists on knowing why Cadsuane wishes to find Perrin. Cadsuane evades answering her, but after some conversation Nynaeve tells Cadsuane that Perrin is camped in the shadow of a statue of an enormous sword, fallen to the earth as if stabbing it. Cadsuane recognizes it as “The hand of amahn’rukane” near the Jehanna Road and tells Nynaeve she is not actually searching for Perrin, but others who are with him. They later go to bring Tam al’Thor from Perrin’s camp and hope he can help Rand’s growing insanity.
The Gathering Storm
Perrin continues to try and learn control of the wolf dream but struggles with the advice he gets from Hopper, realizing that his normal dreams and the wolf dream are beginning to merge, but he does not fully understand why or what it means. He is disturbed by the death of Aram and thinks about his near berserker-rage while fighting, realizing that is when he allows his wolf side to come more to the forefront and is concerned that it is a dangerous line to cross.
Perrin continues to gather followers along the Jehanna road, swelling his ranks with all manner of refugees, some who may well have been soldiers or even bandits. They flock to his group when they discover that his food doesn't spoil overnight. Perrin is then told that the roads to the north are almost impassable for wagons and carts due to mud, forcing Basel Gill to take an alternate route to Caemlyn, through Lugard. With his mission complete with Alliandre in tow and having found Masema’s body outside of Malden he assumes the man was killed by bandits, Perrin feels an increasing sense of urgency to return to Rand, but with the Asha’man still too exhausted and sick to make gateways, Perrin's army has little choice but to continue marching.
Aiel scouts bring Perrin to the Wise Ones and Seonid, who are standing near the side of the Jehanna Road. Seonid and the Wise One Nevarin both recognize that the area has become like the Blight, with rot beginning to affect the land. As they continue on they come across a strange village with no inhabitants. Masuri claimed the construction was unlike anything she had seen before and not native to Ghealdan and Berelain worries about the various effects the Dark One’s touch is having. Perrin has the Aes Sedai and Wise Ones use the Power to scour the blighted area of vegetation and burn the village.
Back in the wolf dream, Perrin meets a small pack led by Oak Dancer. Whisperer, Morninglight, Sparks, and Boundless along with a dozen others, some living wolves dreaming and others the spirits of dead wolves, call to him to hunt with them in the dream. Perrin realizes he is not far from Jarra, the town where he freed the wolfbrother Noam, and thinks that this cannot be a coincidence. Perrin runs with Hopper through the dream and sees visions of Mat being stalked by a shadowy figure with a bloody knife in its hand. He also sees visions of Faile, Grady, Elyas, and Gaul walking toward a cliff followed by thousands of others. He then returns to the pack and embraces his duality as man and wolf, and begins to lead the pack in the hunt, transforming into wolf form in the dream and realizing that only as a wolf can Hopper teach him to master the wolf dream.
Graendal meets with Moridin and is given a Dreamspike and the use of Slayer to use against Perrin and promises of more access to the True Power if she can kill Perrin. She is also shown a dark prophecy she has never seen before that appears to say Perrin will die by the hand of the shadow.
Perrin, meeting with his advisors and being served tea by Maighdin/Morgase, discusses options for his army, arguing with his leadership about Alliandre returning to Ghealdan and his banners, Tam al’Thor telling him that the people put their faith in those symbols. Perrin believes the Two Rivers people have gotten too attached to these banners and is attempting to rid himself of leadership by pushing everyone away, Perrin decides to send a scouting party to Cairhien to seek information and it is agreed that Seonid along with her Warders, two Maidens, Pel Aydaer, Camaille Nolaisen, and Balwer will go. Eventually, the Wise Ones and Aes Sedai reveal that they may be able to puzzle out how to link with the men to give them more strength for Traveling. Perrin is then informed of a Whitecloak army of more than twenty thousand men directly in front of them. Perrin orders a message of parley to be sent to the Whitecloaks, who are holding Basel Gill’s group in their custody. Grady informs Perrin that Neald, Masuri, and Edarra have puzzled out linking, allowing the Asha’man to increase their Power and generate larger gateways.
Grady, while asking permission to visit his wife and children at the Black Tower, also tells Perrin that several weeks prior, the day of the massive display of the One Power to the north, he and Neald had sensed a change in saidin, and have realized that the taint is no longer present. Perrin considers if the man has gone mad but trusts his sense of smell and tells Grady he believes him but wants to know why Grady needs to go to the Black Tower now. Grady tells Perrin that his father had possessed the ability to channel and was Gentled by the Red Ajah while Jur was an infant. He had grown up expecting the ability to manifest and went to the Tower to become a soldier and give purpose to what he believed would be a short life but now realizes that he is not doomed to madness and death because of the taint and he will be fighting because he has a reason to live.
Dain Bornhald rides to the camp under a white flag, demanding to speak with “the criminal Perrin Aybara”. Bornhald tells Perrin that the Lord Captain Commander is waiting to speak to Perrin up the road. Perrin reluctantly accepts but has Grady change clothes to appear as a Two Rivers man and has Gaul, Sulin, and Edarra join him as well. Meeting Galad Damodred Perrin demands the return of his people and a formal parley, Galad refuses and demands Perrin to meet his army on the field of battle.
Faile and Perrin celebrate their Shanna’har, first wedding anniversary, in the way Tam al’Thor and his wife Kari had done, a picnic in a new place each year. Faile telling him that she sees the wolf in him and that he should use that strength, Perrin is still hesitant to embrace being a leader. Perrin goes on to tell Faile the entire story of leaving the Two Rivers, Shadar Logoth and the night killed the Whitecloaks in the abandoned Ogier Stedding and of the berserker frenzy he felt in battle. Telling Faile about Hopper and the wolf dream as well. Faile then tells Perrin about her experiences in Malden and how they have shaped her outlook.
Back in the wolf dream Perrin scouts the Whitecloak camp and ponders using the Wise Ones and Asha’man to destroy them. Eventually confirming the location of Master Gill and the other captives. Hopper then appears and Perrin feels the presence of Oak Dancer, Sparks, and Boundless as well. Perrin tells Hopper he is ready to learn. Hopper begins teaching Perrin how to follow him in the dream and tells Perrin that he must learn from inside himself as well and explains to Perrin more about the nature of the dream and how to ground himself using emotional ties to Faile and his sense of self. Eventually, they find themselves in front of a translucent violet wall that cuts directly through the roadway and extends into the sky and distantly to both the right and left. Hopper tells Perrin this thing is a wrongness that should not be here. The wall suddenly vanishes, and Perrin follows Hopper to another place for practice.
Seonid and the scouting expedition return from Cairhien to report that the country is still in disarray and needs a ruler on the Sun Throne soon. The people are aware that Elayne Trakand is the intended ruler, but she has been occupied securing the throne of Andor. Seonid has deduced from her time in Cairhien that Rand has gone to Arad Doman. Edarra confirms that the Aiel have been sent to Arad Doman to secure the country and concerns of the Seanchan on Almoth Plain, Edarra noting that there is a potential blood feud brewing between the Aiel and Seanchan over Wise One’s, not just Shaido, being taken as damane. Perrin confirms his intention to continue to Caemlyn and plans to meet with Elayne. Seonid and Faile are each concerned that Elayne will not be open to meeting the man who raised the flag of Manetheren from an Andoran province.
Edarra tells Perrin that they had also sent Maidens into Andor due to the rumors of a Forsaken operating in the area and confirms that Rahvin had indeed been impersonating Lord Gaebril. Maighdin, who is in the room, asks for confirmation and Sulin tells them that she had been present when Rand killed Rahvin in Caemlyn and the One Power had been used. Edarra tells the group that Rand had been heard speaking of the Forsaken using Compulsion on people in the palace to secretly rule the country. Maighdin then leaves the tent, visibly shaken by this news, Faile announcing that the woman was from Caemlyn. Perrin plans to send those who wish to return home away and discusses battle tactics using the Archers and Channelers to destroy the Whitecloaks. Balwer then approaches Perrin to tell him he has heard the Whitecloaks are also in league with the Seanchan and that the force they are facing may have support they are not aware of, that he had heard Rand was also seeking an alliance with the Seanchan and then shows Perrin pictures of Perrin and Mat that are being circulated among criminals in Cairhien. Perrin pushes Balwer to tell him about his past and Balwer admits that he had been a man he respected who had been killed by Whitecloaks. Perrin offers Balwer more money and the man seems horrified by the offer as he knows that money would make him more obvious to potential enemies.
While training in the wolf dream Perrin finds many wolves on the slopes of Dragonmount. Upon returning to the area of his camp he witnesses the wolf Moonlight murdered in the dream by Slayer and using his new skills follows the assassin to the docks of a city Perrin did not know. Slayer uses incredible skill in the dream and drives Perrin to run. Waking Perrin goes to think and speaks to Elyas about the past, Elyas tells Perrin he avoids the dream but knew Aes Sedai of old could also go there and that it was dangerous. Perrin tells Elyas he has decided to meet the Whitecloaks. The next morning Perrin leads his army to battle and is told by Grady and Neald that something is happening that is preventing their gateway weaves from forming, although all other weaves seem to be functioning normally. Perrin asks the Wise Ones and Aes Sedai for help stopping the battle because he has realized that Rand will need every person possible to fight the Last Battle.
Using Grady to amplify his voice Perrin announces to both armies that he intends to march to the Last Battle and asks Galad to meet with him before they fight each other. Galad reluctantly agrees and rides with fifty of his men to parley. Galad is immediately taken with Berelain’s beauty and tells her he is the stepson of Morgase Trakand of Andor and half-brother to Elayne. Perrin tells Galad his side of the story regarding the deaths of Whitecloaks and demands a trial to determine his guilt or innocence, suggesting Alliandre as a Queen or possibly one of the Aes Sedai, Galad rejecting these options as biased toward Perrin. As Galad turns to leave he comes face to face with his stepmother Morgase in her guise as Maighdin and announces her true identity. Morgase tells Galad that Perrin, while rough, is no darkfriend and that he has treated her well, unlike the Children of the Light. Galad puts Morgase forward to act as judge in Perrin’s trial and Perrin agrees.
Returning to the wolf dream Perrin meets Hopper who takes him to see the returned violet wall, which turns out to be a dome, Hopper tells Perrin this is a thing the wolves had seen very long ago. The dome prevents Perrin from willing himself inside its perimeter. Perrin can feel that Slayer is within the area, killing wolves, and walks through the wall physically, nearly losing himself in the process. Once inside the dome, Perrin’s abilities in the dream are returned to normal and he seeks to find and stop Slayer. Finding the wounded Sparks Perrin along with Hopper and Boundless run for the boundary, escaping Slayer for the moment although the man had killed Whisperer. Returning to the real-world Perrin is determined to figure out the connection to the dome and what is happening in his camp. A bubble of evil strikes Perrin’s camp causing a delay in the trial and Tam al’Thor tells Perrin he must leave the camp but has sworn to Aes Sedai to reveal nothing else.
Perrin returns to the dream and trains with Hopper, learning of fear-dreams, nightmares, and how to detect and escape them. Hopper tells Perrin that the Last Hunt will either come or there will be nothing. Perrin then goes to the top of Dragonmount and watches as Rand struggles to find himself, urging him on. As Rand overcomes his demons Hopper tells Perrin that they will live, and the Last Hunt has come. Perrin continues to practice his control of the dream through fighting nightmares.
In the waking world, Perrin prepares for the trial and has begun to realize the dome is connected to the Asha’man being unable to form gateways and that Slayer is using the creation in some way as a snare for Perrin. Perrin asks Galad to vow that the trial will not turn to battle as all of these men are needed for the Last Battle, but Galad tells him he will only promise if Perrin swears to abide by the ruling if it goes against him. Morgase sits in judgement and listens to the charges Galad brings against Perrin and hears Perrin’s defense where he admits to his ability to communicate with wolves but that this ability did not make him the darkfriend the Whitecloaks accused him of being. Perrin swears to Bornhald that he had nothing to do with his father Geofram’s death and tells the story of Flame and the Horn of Valere, when Byar claims Perrin killed Geofram even Galad has doubts of how he could know this, and that the Seanchan have beaten the Children numerous times. Ultimately the once Queen determines that Perrin is guilty of illegally killing mercenaries rather than murder because the Whitecloaks were an unauthorized military group within the realm of Andor. She declares that Perrin’s sentence is Galad’s responsibility. Galad then accepts that Perrin’s sentence will be due after the Last Battle but does not say what the punishment will be.
After the trial, Perrin tells Faile his plan to enter the dream and try to find and destroy the source of the dome and that she needs to be prepared to have gateways opened to Caemlyn as soon as he can destroy the dome. He also tells Faile that he believes Slayer is Lord Luc, even though they smell different and he looks like Lan. Perrin also discusses the coincidence of being so close to where he first encountered and freed Noam and believes all of this, the Whitecloaks, Noam, and Slayer’s presence are connected somehow.
In the wolf dream, Perrin and Hopper make for the center of the dome, hunting for Slayer and whatever is creating the dome to destroy it. Attacking Slayer with the help of Oak Dancer, Sparks, and Boundless when they encounter the man. Slayer kills Oak Dancer and injures Sparks badly in the fighting, showing incredible strength within the dream. Sparks vanishes, but despite being injured finds the source of the dome and sends Perrin a vision of what must be a ter’angreal, a thin silver rod, two handspans high that appeared to be made of dozens of fine wire-like bits of metal woven together like a braid. Sparks tells Perrin the device is in the dream physically, leading Perrin to move the devices and thus the dome to the far north near Dragonmount, with Slayer’s continued attacks Perrin and the remaining wolves enter the city of Tar Valon hoping for some advantage with the cover of a city. Unbeknownst to Perrin Egwene and the Aes Sedai are fighting Mesaana and the Black Ajah in tel’aran’rhiod within the White Tower and have been trapped by the power of the dreamspike he is carrying.
Together, Perrin and Hopper fight Slayer, who has regained the dreamspike, throughout the city and Perrin catches a glimpse of Egwene, who uses the One Power to grab at Perrin, and is quite surprised when his will is able to push her weave from him. Now recognizing Perrin, Egwene attempts to bind him for his own safety as she must continue her own deadly fight. Again, Perrin stops her using the force of his will. A member of the Black Ajah bursts in and uses balefire, which Perrin also stops from reaching him. Egwene is stunned by this, but Perrin tells her it is only a weave. With one last comment for Egwene to be cautious in the dream, he leaves to continue his pursuit of Slayer. Finding the man at the top of the White Tower just as he is killing Hopper. Perrin leaps to the wolf’s defense, grappling with Slayer and taking a wound in his arm. Perrin desperately tries to save Hopper’s life but is badly injured and cannot Heal himself in the dream. As Slayer approached Perrin drives himself and the other man into a nightmare inside the dream. The city of Tar Valon is burning in the nightmare with crowds of terrified people screaming of Tarmon Gai’don. Perrin resumes searching for Slayer, hoping the man is unfamiliar with a nightmare, giving Perrin an advantage. Using the nightmare Perrin is able to retake the Dreamspike and injure Slayer badly. Perrin hurls the dreamspike into a flow of lava, destroying the ter’angreal and stop the fear-dream. With his dying thoughts, Hopper tells Perrin to flee and to seek Boundless who will have an answer for Perrin's questions.
Perrin wakes and is immediately Healed by Masuri and Faile tells him that gateways are working again and that nearly everyone aside from a few thousand soldiers has been safely moved. Perrin tells Faile about Hopper’s death and that Slayer was not acting alone and there would be another army coming to ambush them soon. After some rest, Perrin summons the Asha’man, Wise Ones, and Masuri. Perrin begins to force a piece of iron and Neald uses the One Power to help, instinctively Neald begins to weave and links with the Wise Ones and Grady aiding the forging. Perrin feels the Power going through him along with a part of himself into the forging, making a hammer out of the iron. When complete the hammer was four feet from bottom to top with a powerful head like a maul of sledge but the back was formed cross-face and flattened like a blacksmith’s tool and the ornamentation was a crosshatch pattern with a leaping wolf stamped on one side, it looked like Hopper. Perrin finally accepts the oaths from the people following him and embraces leadership and names the hammer “he who soars” Mah’alleinir in honor of Hopper.
Perrin takes his army to find the Whitecloaks and while his followers expected that he intended to destroy them, Perrin actually plans to save them from an ambush by a Trolloc army sent by Graendal using a weak male channeler to bring the Trollocs through a Portal Stone. Finding Galad on the battlefield Perrin saves the man and gains his respect. Galad tells Perrin he has decided on his punishment, which will be a fine of five hundred gold crowns paid to the families of the men killed, and that Perrin is required to fight in the Last Battle with all his strength. Dain Bornhald then kills Child Byar who attempts to kill Perrin during the fighting. After the fighting Galad agrees to follow Perrin to fight in the Last Battle, swearing the Whitecloaks to fight under Perrin’s command.
Outside of Caemlyn, Perrin sets Neald to make Power-wrought weapons for soldiers to use during the Last Battle and presides over the wedding of Morgase Trakand and Martin Tallanvor. Morgase telling Perrin she would speak on his behalf to Elayne. After the ceremony, Perrin encounters Mat Cauthon, who has caught a badger in a sack, who has come to warn Perrin of assassins and to be careful. Morgase, now reunited with Elayne, speaks on Perrin’s behalf as promised, telling the now Queen that Perrin’s aid is how Morgase survived to return to Andor. Perrin and Faile go to Elayne, and after a tense negotiation come to terms that Perrin will be named High Lord and Steward of the Two Rivers sworn to Andor but exempt from taxes to the crown as autonomous lands of the Dragon Reborn.
Perrin meets Mat and Thom Merrilin and catches up with the two men, eventually giving them access to Jur Grady for Traveling to the Tower of Ghenjei to rescue Moiraine. Perrin then gathers his forces and Travels to meet with Egwene and Rand as one of the leaders heading into the Last Battle. Graendal is punished by Shaidar Haran for her failure to eliminate Perrin and the resulting destruction of Mesaana due to Perrin’s actions. Perrin goes to the dream and attempts to bring Hopper back to life, failing, but remembering Hopper’s final message to seek Boundless. Finding the wolf in his home range near Ghealdan, Perrin discovers the truth that Boundless was once the man Noam who had chosen to be the wolf due to a lifetime of pain and sorrow. Perrin realizes that he has control to make his choice to stay a man.
Towers of Midnight
Perrin spends time catching up with Rand, telling him stories of the Two Rivers people rather than events. Perrin sees that Rand has found inner peace and learns of Rand’s integration with Lews Therin Telamon. Balwer tells the men that something has happened with Elayne but is unsure what she is up to. They discuss the Seals and Egwene opposing Rand’s plans for them, Perrin agreeing that re-forging the bore would be better than trying to repair the Seals, but insisting that Rand promise he would not let the argument come to fighting among the Light. Perrin learns from a messenger that Caemlyn has been destroyed by shadowspawn and quickly tells Rand who tells him the Shadow general Demandred is attempting to draw Elayne away from the alliance.
Perrin is present while Rand is fighting with the world’s rulers when Moiraine enters the pavilion and shocks Rand and all others present. Moiraine goes on to recite prophecy backing up Rand’s idea to destroy the Seals, ultimately even Egwene agreeing to the terms. When Aviendha demands that Rand include the Aiel in the Dragon’s Peace, Perrin has the idea of using the Aiel to enforce the Peace allowing the armies of the Light to begin to plan for the Last Battle. Perrin and Elayne go to the Ogier and find that Loial has convinced his people to join the fight for the Light. When Elayne wants Perrin to take over the food supply chain he refuses as he knows Rand will need him elsewhere, Faile eventually taking the task on in her husband's stead. Elayne then tells Perrin and Faile that Egwene needs to arrange for the Horn of Valere to be transported safely to Mat. Perrin asks Edarra about entering the dream in the flesh and she tells him that it is a thing of evil, something that strips part of a person’s humanity each time it is done and it is a thing the servants of the Shadow do not Wise One Dreamwalkers.
As the Last Battle truly approaches Perrin realizes that Rand needs him and charges Tam al’Thor to take command, naming him a lord and Perrin’s heir should he not return. The Asha’man Neald informs Perrin that gateways to the Black Tower do not work, and Perrin realizes a dreamspike must be in place preventing Traveling. Bornhald then admits to Perrin that Trollocs had not been responsible for the death of his family, Padan Fain had murdered them and the Whitecloaks had covered it up. Perrin and Gaul then go to Rand near Shayol Ghul to ask him if he knows a way to enter tel’aran’rhiod in the flesh. Rand knows there is a trap at the Black Tower and Perrin tells him he knows at least part of what is going on there. Rand makes a gateway to the dream and Perrin tells him to have an Asha’man create a gateway once a day so Perrin and Gaul can return.
Within the dream, Perrin tells Gaul to be careful and keep an eye out for Lord Luc, who is Slayer within the dream, and explains how the world works. Gaul is undaunted as he explains how he is often nearly powerless around the channelers he has been surrounded by in the real world. Perrin and Gaul proceed to find the dreamspike, passing through the violet dome. Near the Black Tower Perrin encounters Moonhunter/Lanfear who tells him she is no longer allowed to use that name and that she seeks vengeance against the one who caused her imprisonment, then vanishes after a surprised look to the sky. Gaul asks Perrin if she was Aes Sedai and stunned to learn the woman was Lanfear.
Reaching the village around the Tower Perrin takes Gaul to a position on a nearby rooftop with his bow and proceeds to scout the area. Finding two Asha’man placed in tel’aran’rhiod as guards, Lanfear reappears and tells Perrin they have been Turned to the shadow and knocks them unconscious by imagining forkroot in their wine. She tells Perrin she is helping him because she is fond of him and is no longer one of the Forsaken as the privilege of the title has been taken from her for her betrayal then vanishes again. Perrin wonders what she sees in the clouds that he cannot and realizes that she is masking her scent from him. Returning Lanfear tells Perrin she is helping him in the hopes that she can be redeemed and helps him disarm the dreamspike.
With the dreamspike in hand Perrin and Gaul hunt for Slayer, assuming the man will come to the dream to discover what has happened. Many wolves reach out to Perrin asking if Young Bull will lead them in the Last Hunt. He then learns of another Forsaken in the dream, Heartseeker, and goes to confront her. Finding the woman spying on Rodel Ituralde’s tent Perrin moves to stop her. By her description, Heartseeker can only be the hideous rebirth of Graendal known as Hessalam. When she sees Perrin, she becomes enraged and tells him he is to blame for what has happened to her and attempts to balefire Perrin, surprised when he bent the weave around him. Perrin fights her and forces her from the dream by filling her mouth with forkroot. Lanfear appears again and tells him he should have killed the woman and tells Perrin that she was once Graendal, but now known as Hessalam, which means “without forgiveness”. Lanfear warns Perrin that Graendal is a dangerous fighter and to be wary of her even though her skill in the dream is not as great as others. She tells Perrin that he could learn to shift his physical form into the dream without the use of the One Power.
Learning he and Gaul have been in the dream for a week, Perrin is surprised and goes so far as to ask Lanfear to create a gateway for him to return, she refuses saying he must learn how to make the shift himself and tells him the dream Graendal had been invading was that of Davram Bashere, his father-in-law.
Perrin finally gets news of Slayer in the dream and rushes to confront him. Finding himself in Shayol Ghul, Perrin stops Slayer from assassinating Rand, Nynaeve, and Moiraine as they confront Moridin at the bore. Gaul confronts and is injured by red-veiled Aielmen while Perrin returns to fight Slayer. Slayer eventually realizes Perrin is in tel’aran’rhiod in the flesh and is much stronger than in their last confrontation. Slayer vanishes and Perrin goes to help Gaul, stopping the Samma’nsai. Once again Lanfear appears and tells Perrin to kill the men, and that death in the dream is not permanent for men the way it was for wolves. She heals Perrin and Gaul after Gaul kills the Aielmen. Gaul tells Perrin he does not trust her and believes she is toying with them.
Perrin enters the Pit of Dhoom and is able to speak to Nynaeve and then sets the dreamspike to prevent Traveling into the area. Returning outside he is told by Gaul that what he thought was only a few moments was over two hours to Gaul. Perrin decides to leave the dream before the Last Battle passes them by due to the slowing of time. While returning to the battleground Perrin encounters Slayer three more times, but the man vanishes each time. He and Gaul hear from the wolves that Graendal had been back in the dream near Egwene’s camp. Returning to Shayol Ghul they discover Graendal entering the tent of Ituralde but did not follow the Forsaken into the waking world. One of the wolves is Long Tooth, Elyas, and he offers to take a message back to the waking world, Perrin realizes Graendal is corrupting the Great Captains and tells Elyas to warn Egwene and the others. Slayer appears and Perrin sends Gaul to guard Rand while he confronts the man.
Perrin and Slayer fight across the world of dreams, Slayer telling Perrin some of his experiences and that he had been in the presence of the Dark One and that he followed because he knew the Dark One did not discard useful tools such as Slayer. After nearly being killed, Perrin encounters Lanfear yet again, Perrin begging her for help and feeling shamed by his failure in her eyes. She leaves him saying he did not deserve her. On the brink of death, Perrin wakes from the dream and shifts himself back to the waking world. Haral Luhan brings Perrin to the Aes Sedai hospital in Mayene for Healing.
Waking in Berelain’s palace with the Wise One Janina nursing him. Perrin is told he has been there for ten hours and asks Janina to remove his weariness the way Moiraine had once done. Janina refuses and tells Perrin his participation in the Last Battle is over. Berelain tells Perrin that his message about Graendal had been received, just in time to avoid destruction and that Faile’s caravan had been destroyed by a bubble of evil but Faile’s body had not been found. Perrin believes Faile is still alive.
Awakening again to find Chiad in the dark room, Perrin tells her he must return to the fight. Encountering Master Luhan once again Perrin tells him that Padan Fain was responsible for murdering his family. Chiad brings Masuri to take Perrin’s fatigue and he insists she explain why she had been meeting with Masema. She admits that she had planned on using Masema to influence Rand and admits to being foolish and has since learned better. She takes Perrin’s fatigue, a weave she has a particular skill with. Bain and Chiad have decided to go to Merrilor to help bring the wounded in for Healing. Perrin then finds the pathway to shift himself physically into tel’aran’rhiod and goes hunting Slayer again.
Gaul, thinking that it has been two hours since he last saw Perrin, fights Slayer, trying to keep the man from the Pit of Dhoom. Just as Slayer is about to kill Gaul, Perrin appears to confront Slayer yet again. Gaul senses an incredible power from Perrin and takes the opportunity to run. Perrin, now holding nothing back in his fight with Slayer, quickly begins to overpower his enemy. Shifting back to the waking world Perrin sees Darkhounds in the Wild Hunt destroying human soldiers with ease, but he continues his pursuit of Slayer. Shifting back and forth between the dream and the waking world hunting Slayer, finally able to kill the man on the slopes of Thankan’dar. Finding a group of Aiel Perrin takes them to help stop the Wild Hunt. The Horn of Valere is blown and releases not only the Heroes of the Horn but the spirits of dead wolves. Perrin uses his hammer to destroy Darkhounds in a permanent way. He encounters Mat and tells him he has a score to settle with Fain. Mashadar attacks Mat but fails and Mat destroys Fain.
Perrin returns to the dream to save Gaul, bringing the injured man to be Healed before returning to guard Rand. Back at Shayol Ghul Perrin sees Lanfear at the entrance to the Pit. She is annoyed by the dreamspike but has sensed something within that she claims is the most important moment since the Bore had been drilled. Lanfear orders Perrin to kill Moiraine while she kills Nynaeve. She tells Perrin she has used Compulsion on him, making her no better than Graendal. She orders him again to kill Moiraine, but he breaks her Compulsion and snaps Lanfear’s neck.
After the Last Battle, Perrin seeks Faile, despairing that she is dead and learning that her cousin and parents have both been killed in the fighting. Returning to the dream Perrin hears the cry of a falcon and shifts himself to Merrilor and then the waking world, finding Faile pinned under a dead horse, carrying her to Nynaeve for Healing.
A Memory of Light
Character Summaries
Special Abilities
Perrin has many extraordinary abilities, Like Rand and Mat he is ta'veren, meaning Perrin is often in the right place at the right time. The Pattern draws people and resources to him that he might need to accomplish its goals. Like all ta’veren, Perrin’s very presence in a location can bend the Pattern with sometimes amazing results. The people around Perrin may make decisions or utter comments which they might otherwise have made only once in a thousand times just by being in the same room as Perrin. Like Rand and Mat, Perrin begins to be able to see the other ta’veren when he discusses or thinks about them for more than a few moments. This ability appears along with a swirl of colors and allows the three to see each other in that specific moment.
Perrin spent eight years as an apprentice blacksmith before the events of the series, he is skilled enough to be called a master by Tairen blacksmith Dermid Ajala after Perrin forges several pieces for the man during The Dragon Reborn. Perrin eventually goes on to forge his own Power-wrought war hammer Mah’alleinir.
Perrin is an expert fighter with weapons including the battle axe and war hammer. Having grown up in the Two Rivers he is also very skilled with the longbow and throughout the series, he becomes a highly skilled horseman, although he prefers to fight afoot.
Perrin possesses one of the “new abilities” that have appeared in the last century or so, Perrin’s ability is unrelated to the ability to Channel and is in the same category as such things as Sniffing and Reading the Pattern. Aside from Perrin, there are two other confirmed wolf brothers in the Wheel of Time whose names we know, Elyas Machera and Noam, but at least one other unnamed man was encountered during the Last Battle by Aviendha. Being a wolfbrother gives these men several superhuman traits, but the risk of losing/giving oneself to their wolf side is also possible until a level of control can be learned. Once the first contact with a wolf has been established some rather remarkable changes happen to an individual, the primary visible trait being a rapid change in eye color to a golden or yellow shade like a wolf.
Perrin has a telepathic ability to mentally connect with any wolf in his general vicinity, his range for this is a radius of several miles. However, this is not as simple as speech because the wolves form of communication is more image and scent-based and Perrin must mentally translate what he is being shown through his mind, meaning he would only be capable of understanding communication that he and the wolf have a mutual point of reference for, which often makes concepts such as distance and time difficult. This communication gives Perrin knowledge from the wolves as they seem to share some form of ancestral memory which stretches back to Ages before the Age of Legends. Being a wolfbrother does not grant Perrin direct control over wolves, they are still autonomous living creatures, but throughout the series, Perrin earns a great deal of respect from the packs of the world and ultimately becomes something of a global alpha wolf, or as is written in some prophecies the “Wolf King”. Eventually leading the pack of dead wolf souls freed by the Horn of Valere to destroy the Darkhounds.
In addition to having his hearing and vision become far more acute than a normal human, on par with a predatory animal, Perrin’s sense of smell is so developed that he can pick up and translate even the most minute shifts in a person’s scent, he often translates these differences into emotional reactions such as fear, anger, surprise or jealousy. While quite useful, the ability is also rather flawed; while Perrin can detect these differences in scents easily, he must still translate what he smells into what he believes is the accompanying emotion. This creates situations where he does not always understand the reasons for an emotion and has been known to react to a scent, even when the person in question is attempting to hide their true feelings and making the situation worse. It is also possible for a Dreamer who is aware of Perrin’s ability to mask their scent in the world of dreams.
Being a wolfbrother also grants Perrin a very strong ability to enter tel’aran’rhiod, where Perrin can see events happening to others, possibly even future events in a similar way to those with the Talent known as Dreamers. Powerful Dreamwalkers can bend the reality of the world of dreams in many ways, making the strongest willed of them nearly god-like while in tel’aran’rhiod, regardless of the ability to channel, and even more powerful when in the world of dreams in the flesh. Perrin’s abilities become so strong that he can nullify weaves of the One Power, including balefire, when used against him and eventually he is able to physically enter the world of dreams without the use of the One Power.
Notable Possessions
Perrin’s primary possessions throughout the series are his weapons, each of which has prophetic significance. Early in the series, Perrin takes a battle axe, made for a merchant's guard around 996 NE by Master Luhan, out of the Two Rivers when he follows Moiraine and Lan. Perrin’s size coupled with training given to him by Lan enables Perrin to become a fearsome combatant with the weapon, but the violence weighs heavily on the generally peaceful man. The axe is described as having a broad half-moon blade on one side of the head and a curved spike on the other and as we learn later Perrin must abandon the axe for the hammer as part of the prophecies.
Perrin obtains a plain blacksmith’s hammer during his stay in Tear from master blacksmith Dermid Ajala, who also labels Perrin’s work as that of a “master’s piece”. Perrin, who often struggles with the use of the axe, begins to use the hammer more often as his primary weapon, eventually following the prophecy and giving up the axe for his hammer altogether. Perrin seems to be able to easily translate his fighting skills with the axe to the use of the hammer and goes on to even greater skill as a fighter able to match Aiel warriors and a variety of shadowspawn.
Eventually, Perrin forges the great Warhammer Mah’alleinir, “he who soars”, named in honor of the fallen wolf Hopper. During the forging of this weapon, Perrin is in some way able to infuse part of himself along with enhancements given by the One Power wielded by the Asha’man Fager Neald and Jur Grady using saidin linked with a circle of six Aiel Wise Ones using saidar. The Warhammer itself is about four feet long and has a large, brick-shaped, head and a metal handle. It is imprinted with an image of a leaping wolf on the side of the head. Mah’alleinir is the first known Power-wrought weapon made since the Trolloc Wars, making it nearly indestructible along with other curious abilities. The weapon feels warm to Perrin’s touch and appears to burn anyone, including shadowspawn, who receives a blow from it and it can permanently kill Darkhounds. Mah’alleinir is an overt reference to Mjolnir, the hammer of Norse mythological god Thor, meaning Perrin could be a historical reference to Thor in a future age.
Legacy
Perrin Aybara is a key figure in winning the Last Battle and after the events of the series is in a position of great power within the world. He is the High Lord of the Two Rivers and liege lord to the Queen of Ghealdan and through his marriage, to Faile/Zarine Bashere he is the consort to the Queen of Saldaea. An alliance with Queen Elayne of Andor means that Perrin has also become The Steward of the Dragon in the Two Rivers, granting the region a more autonomous political advantage than other nobles within the realms of Andor and Cairhien. These roles place Perrin and Faile among the most powerful living people in the world, having political control over nearly all of the northwest areas of the continent, a territory stretching from Worlds End and the Mountains of Dhoom through nearly the entire length of the Mountains of Mist. Along with the Queen of Andor, the Aiel, and the Seanchan, Perrin is one of the leading world powers after the Last Battle. Perrin has close connections to the other factions through his relationships with Mat Cauthon, Elayne Trakand, and many leaders of the Aiel (Gaul and several Wise Ones) and will likely play a key role for many years to come.
Perrin’s role in the Last Battle was primarily within tel'aran'rhiod. While Rand fought his battle with the Dark One and Mat defeated the physical armies of the mundane world, Perrin entered the World of Dreams to guard Rand against the threat of Slayer and later Cyndane/Lanfear, this is heavily foreshadowed in The Dragon Reborn during the events in the Stone of Tear. Perrin is able to disarm the Dreamspike at the Black Tower, freeing the Asha’man and Aes Sedai there to escape and fight the Last Battle and use the device to prevent Traveling to the Pit itself thus keeping the remaining Forsaken from attacking Rand. Perrin also battles with Graendal/Hessalam/Heartseeker, driving her from tel’aran’rhiod and eventually kills Slayer. Perrin becomes the prophesized Wolf King when he leads the dead wolves called back by the Horn of Valere, using Mah’alleinir to destroy Darkhounds. Eventually, Perrin goes to Shayol Ghul within the world of dreams and kills Lanfear/Cyndane allowing Rand, Moiraine, and Nynaeve to complete their defeat of Moridin and the Dark One. Afterward, Perrin finds Faile and brings her to Nynaeve for Healing.
Ultimately Perrin’s character arc is quite straightforward when compared to Rand or Mat, having fewer and less involved subplots, especially later in the series, meaning his storylines have far fewer twists and turns and his actions rarely set up long term plot lines after The Shadow Rising, being more focused on wrapping up loose ends with side-character arcs such as Morgase, the Whitecloaks, and the Prophet.
Perrin’s storylines are often criticized as being part of the series known as “the slog”. However, he has an impressive list of major deeds throughout the series that perhaps suffers due to the way the books split out the storylines.
In Other Media
Twenty-five-year-old British actor Marcus Rutherford has been cast in the role of Perrin Aybara for the upcoming Wheel of Time TV series being produced by Amazon Studios. The character is set to appear as a major recurring role throughout season one and beyond.
Rutherford has a list of film and television acting credits since 2017 including roles in Bulletproof, Obey, Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators, and short films A Stitch in Time, and County Lines.
Rutherford was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards for his work in Obey.
