Rand whacks female merchant and her retinue

[wallpad]

I'm reading The Dragon Reborn, and I came upon a chapter where Rand encounters a female merchant and her guards. Without hesitation, Rand chops off all their heads with a saidin-made sword, and then uses saidin to prop up their corpses to kneel to him.

 

Two questions:

 

1. How did Rand know they were bad guys? (How do I know?)

2. What's with the weird bit where he poses their corpses? It's only book 3; he's already off his rocker?

[BrainFireBob]

1) He sensed the Grey Man. Only DFs would willingly transport a Grey Man. However, he's unsure if they all were or not- which is why she's the first to go on the list.

 

2) He's dissociating from the stress, etc.- it's my honest opinion he's never been right in the head since this time, possibly (I speculate) this is where Lews Therin actually begins to proto-manifest, giving Rand weaving knowledge, etc. The basic integration preparatory to the intense physical work (blade and hands and feet) in the next book, that allows the gestalt to use both physical skill sets (how else do you think Rand became so good with a sword so fast? Even Lan commented it should have taken longer).

 

Plus, from an archetype perspective, it's Rand's "in the wilderness facing temptation" phase.

[Dunedain Fal]

I am surprised that he hasn't added her name to his list of women whose deaths he felt responsible for.

[BrainFireBob]

She *is* on the list- a woman without a name, but he remembers her face. One of two women without names on his list- the other, I believe, is the women who died from the tile flying through her window due to ta'veren effects.

[jowhn]

the second woman rand did not know the name to was the assination attempt by whitecloaks in caemlyn. he only tells the aiel guards to find out who she was and make sure her family is taken care of financially. i think it is in LOC. but don't quote me on it.