Weaving Of The Web and The Web Tightens, p. 588-618, The Eye Of The World

This is definitely top five material - Rand climbs up to the Lion Palace walls to get a look at Logain, but falls into the Palace Garden when Elayne startles him. Much fun ensues, with our first glimpses of Elayne, Gawyn, Galad, Morgase, Gareth, Elaida, and the inimitable Tallanvor. Suffice it to say that Rand gets off light. Real light.

One of Jordan's early themes was the struggle of the Two Rivers boys to overcome their naivete and country-boy innocence. It's amazing that Jordan never lets Rand realize that a few days earlier, he was sleeping in a ditch, and now he's hitting on a Princess. Being a ta'veren is hard work. Elayne's wide-eyed mix of brattiness and compassion is instantly attractive, although Gawyn is curiously underdeveloped (mama's boy?). We find out Galad is a dick, and Elaida just might be the Wicked Witch Of The West, or some such thing. But the kicker for me, the moment that sends this scene into the stratosphere, is when the heron-mark is revealed, and Gareth Bryne tells the Court and the faithful reader that the sword belongs with Rand. It's a powerful moment, pregnant with meaning, that hints at the destiny and gives Rand an authority he never had before. Now, we understand, Rand is not just a farmboy with a stubborn streak. Now, Rand is someone to be reckoned with.

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