The Wheel of Time (2021) s01e02 Episode Script

Shadow's Waiting

The Dark One is waking.
But there will be one who can stand against him.
Where next? The Two Rivers.
There are rumors of four ta'veren there, all the right age.
Nynaeve.
She thinks I'll be able to listen to the wind if I work with her.
It's a lonely life, being a Wisdom.
- I love you.
- I know.
Do you hear that? It sounds wrong.
You show up.
Then these things the next day.
They're here for the same reason as I am.
The Dragon has been born again.
And it's one of you.
We leave now.
From the Lord, Captain.
For your victory today.
May you always walk in the Light, sir.
Have you ever tried this? Mmm.
There's a brutality to the dish.
Because the flavor doesn't come only from the bird.
Its bones and beak and feet cut the inside of your mouth.
Not so much that it hurts.
Just enough that you bleed.
Don't be afraid, girl.
An Aes Sedai should know, above all others, that, sometimes, brutality is the only path to mercy.
Hyah! How much time? Not enough.
Then we need to move faster.
- Hyah! - Run! - Hyah! - Hyah! - Hyah! Come on! Come on! Come on! Draw rein.
The town's just up there.
Would it not be a good idea to head inside some walls? Walls won't stop Trollocs.
The only thing they fear is deep water.
No wonder they smell like piss.
Well, you've woken me then.
We need to cross the Taren, immediately.
Of course, mistress.
Of course.
My son will be here soon, and then we can Twice that when we're safely on the other side.
Have I not made myself clear? You're not the type of woman that hears no often? I am not.
Come.
Quickly now.
What-what are they? Servants of the Dark.
The riders of Fade.
A Fade can force a Trolloc to do most things, but they won't cross that river.
Come, we'll take you safely to the next town.
What? No.
No! My family! - There's no going back now, master.
- My son is on his way already.
He'll be there in a moment.
You have to help me! We can't leave him! If you go back, you'll give them a way to follow us.
I can't allow it.
No.
No! It's the only way to get my son across! The Whitecloaks are right.
You Aes Sedai, you're monsters! - Stop! - Don't! We need to help him.
He's He's gone.
This will slow them, not stop them.
We can lose them before they reach another crossing, but we need to move fast.
- Come on.
- Come on.
Let's go.
- Hyah! - Hyah! We've lost them.
Come, we'll find a place to rest while we can.
Be careful, everyone.
There are things more dangerous than Trollocs in this world.
They need their strength.
So do you.
Just imagine if Nynaeve was here.
She'd spend every waking moment disagreeing with the Aes Sedai.
She'd make Moiraine's life utter misery.
I saw it.
Nynaeve get taken.
One of those things just picked her up and tossed her away like she was nothing.
Something that quick, I promise you, she didn't feel a thing.
We need a plan.
You saw what Moiraine did to the ferryman.
What happens to us if we step out of line? What happens if she's right? If one of us is the, uh the Dragon Reborn? The most powerful channeler that ever lived? Moiraine said the Trollocs came for us.
And when we left, they did follow us.
Come on.
Who even knows what the truth is? They say the last Dragon broke the world, but the next one will save it.
Well, I heard the Dragon's gonna have wings.
Looking around at you lot, I don't see a feather.
Forget what you've heard about the Dragon.
For she or he will be all of those things and none of them.
Now sleep.
You're going to need it.
We leave at first light.
It's all right.
Come.
Sit.
Are you going to kill us, like you did that ferryman? What do you know of the Three Oaths? Uh they're the promises made by the Aes Sedai to end Artur Hawkwing's siege of the White Tower.
And what are they? To not kill, - to not lie.
- Exact verbiage.
Words are important, and how we use them is important.
I don't know.
One, to speak no word that is not true.
Two, to make no weapon with which one person may kill another.
Three, never to use the One Power as a weapon, except in the last extreme defense of her life or the life of her Warder or another Aes Sedai.
These oaths are bound by the One Power itself.
It's not that we do not break them, it's that we cannot break them.
I did not kill that ferryman.
He wasted his own life on a foolish cause.
He was just trying to get to his family.
If I had allowed him to take his ferry and cross the river, what would have happened? The Trollocs would have killed him.
Yes.
And then? - Followed us.
- Exactly.
The Power inside you is the smallest part of your strength.
It's your mind and how you use it that will mean much more in the battles to come.
The Power inside me? What do you call it? This skill that Wisdoms have to predict the weather? - They listen to the wind.
- You see, women all over the world have different names for it.
But it's the same thing.
It's the same thing for all of us.
One thing.
One Power.
And women like you and I, we are lucky enough to be able to touch it.
I'm no Aes Sedai.
But you could be.
Touching the Source will come to you whether you want it to or not.
Look at the stone.
Look at its surface.
It's clear and opaque, like the water of a river.
Imagine yourself floating in that river.
As the water moves, let it take you.
No thoughts.
Just let yourself drift.
Clear your mind of everything.
There are no woods.
There is no hunger, no exhaustion.
There is only the stone and the sound of rushing water.
Let it take you.
Surrender.
Let yourself drift.
Drift.
I thought I-I thought I felt something, but Those first two, those were mine.
That last, that was yours and yours alone.
You don't listen to the wind, Egwene.
It's the wind that listens to you.
- Sorry.
I - It's all right.
I just, uh I-I came out here to be alone.
Egwene, I It's all right.
I understand.
- Laila! - Perrin! Perrin.
Are you all right? Do you think we'll ever go back? Home? No.
No.
- How did - You saw them, too.
But it was a dream.
Did you do this? Did you put this in our dreams?! Who saw this? Who? All of you? What did you see? Bats.
Their necks just snapped.
Right in midair.
Like someone had them in their hands.
I could feel the crack.
Was there anyone in your dream? Did anyone speak to you? There was a man.
Eyes like embers.
He didn't say anything though.
If this happens again, you tell me straight away.
Dreams have power.
More than you know.
What does that mean? Come.
The horses are rested.
No, no, no.
No! Where are we going?! East.
To the river crossing at Whitebridge.
And then? And then to the White Tower.
I've told you this.
And then what?! Why should we trust you?! There's a place for Egwene, maybe.
But what does a man do at the White Tower? Other than become an errand boy for the Aes Sedai.
Go where you will then.
See, how come I don't believe you'd actually let me do that? I've run out of patience.
And time.
Hah! Well you got a reaction out of her.
Happy? Suit yourself.
One conversation, one conversation and you're on her side now? What did she promise you last night? That you're the one? Come on, do you really think she's any better than what's chasing us?! Of course I do! Those monsters killed Nynaeve and Laila and half the people we've ever loved.
Moiraine has done nothing but protect us, try to keep us safe.
Don't you see how pale she's getting, how weak? She's using the One Power to keep our strength up at the cost of her own.
And she does it, even with you being the stubborn bastard you are.
If I were her, I'd leave you behind, too.
You already did.
Don't be an ass.
We've got each other.
That's it.
You're right.
You're right about Moiraine.
She's not doing any of this for our benefit.
She's got a reason she's keeping us all alive.
And, soon as that reason's gone, we're as good as dead.
Till then, the lady does shoot fireballs, so let's try And stay on her good side.
Coming? Hyah! Whitecloaks.
Do not speak unless spoken to.
And try to answer any question as truthfully as you can.
Do not mention the White Tower or Aes Sedai.
I am a lady from a fallen house.
You are under my care.
Good afternoon.
If you would be so kind as to dismount your horses.
Are you headed to Whitebridge? Yes, sir.
I have a sister in the city who we hope will let us stay.
It's a dangerous time to be on the road.
War in the south.
The Aes Sedai heading in force from the White Tower.
Wars and witches don't concern us, sir.
We are just hoping to find a safe place to settle for the night, before the light fades.
Best be on your way then.
I'm sorry.
If you would indulge here a moment longer, we have one of the Questioners with us today.
He will be thorough but brief.
All those who seek passage through our land must be properly questioned.
This isn't your land.
Children of the Light hold sway wherever men walk in the Light.
Where did you say you were from? I didn't.
But I am from the Borderlands, where men know how to keep their hands to themselves, lest they lose them.
Search the horses.
They say the White Tower dispatched eight Sisters to deal with Logain's army to the south.
They can't help but get their fingers in others' business.
And those others usually end up dead.
I Sorry, sir.
I have a wound.
The pain, it It's not healing well.
What happened to you? You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
It was a monster, sir.
Eight feet tall, with a with a mouth like a boar.
It, uh A group of them overtook the village we were in.
This was in the Borderlands? No, sir.
No.
West of here.
Near the Mountains of Mist.
Can I see your wound, madam? Trollocs this far south.
The Dark One's eye is truly upon us.
What was the name of the town where you came from? Taren Ferry.
There were many people hurt there.
Perhaps you can help them.
Mm.
We Children try to steer clear of the Aes Sedai where we can.
When you get to Whitebridge, find one.
Only one of those women can heal this wound.
- Light be with you.
- All clear, sir.
The Light is always with you.
It needs no instruction.
I will not forget your faces should we meet again.
Sir, I will take a contingent of Questioners south.
The woman said the Trollocs went west.
You are meant for battle.
We Questioners have a higher purpose.
You said you couldn't break the Three Oaths.
I can't.
You did today.
I did? That Whitecloak, you lied to him.
You can heal that wound.
We can only heal others, not ourselves.
It's why we usually travel together.
And you have a sister in Whitebridge? All Aes Sedai are my sisters.
We will always tell the truth.
It just may not be the truth you think you hear.
So listen carefully.
It's good to remember Manetheren.
It's just a song.
No idea who Manetheren is, anyway.
In the Old Tongue, "Manetheren" means "Mountain Home.
" Used to be the name of the place you now call the Two Rivers.
During the Trolloc Wars, the army of Manetheren was small but strong.
A thorn in the Dark One's hand.
So he sent the entirety of his forces to destroy it.
But when this massive host arrived, the women and men of the Mountain Home stood before it, the shallowest bend of the river at their backs, ready to fight.
Their king, Aemon, like in the song, had sent messages to the neighbors they'd fought for in the past, and they were promised aid if they could hold for three days.
And somehow, they did.
Against that monstrous host, they held.
For an hour.
Then a second.
Then a third.
For three days, they fought.
And though the land became a butcher's yard, no Trolloc crossed the river.
But on the third night, no help had come.
So they fought on, alone.
For six days.
For nine.
And on the tenth day, they knew.
They knew no help was coming.
From the city, Queen Eldrene organized her people to take the children and find refuge in the mountain keeps.
Though many of them went not to safety but to join the army fighting for their home.
Not a step of ground was given up until it was soaked in blood.
But on the 13th day the army of Manetheren was gone.
Queen Eldrene felt her husband die.
Driven by grief, she reached out and she hurled the One Power at the Trolloc army.
A hurricane of fire washed across the land.
The Dark One's host ran like beasts, but they were not fast enough, for the flames caught them, consumed them.
But Eldrene had drawn more of the One Power than any woman could ever hope to wield, and it burnt her right through, from the inside out.
But the children and their minders, hidden in the mountains, had been saved.
There was nothing left of their farms, their villages or their great city.
But they returned, and they held the land that was theirs.
That is why the song says, "Weep.
" "Weep.
" Weep for Manetheren.
Weep for what is lost forever.
The old blood runs deep in you.
Remember that.
You'll need it in the days to come.
We can rest here the night.
I haven't seen sign of Trollocs for days.
Perhaps it's how close we're skirting Shadar Logoth.
Is that purposeful? It is too dangerous in the shadowed city.
We cannot go there.
That Whitecloak You think he's the one who killed the others? Did you not see my sisters' rings? Seven now.
He's not the only one who met a face he'll remember today.
Rest.
And, tomorrow, we'll figure out where to find a Sister who can heal you.
Do you want to talk about it? About what? Come on, Rand.
What do you want? You want me to just go back to the way everything was? No.
I Because we can't.
You made your decision.
You get it, right? I'm not going to be Nynaeve's apprentice, because she's dead.
And so is Laila.
And and here we are, in the middle of nowhere, being chased by the monsters that killed them, and you won't even look at me.
And I just want you to look at me.
And not hate me.
I don't need anything more than that.
I could never hate you.
Is she going to be all right? She needs sleep.
You all do.
We have to move.
Up.
Up.
Wake up.
Hurry.
They found us.
Moiraine.
You have to wake up, Moiraine.
- - Hyah! - Carry her! She can't move.
We need to get her out of here.
Ride! - Where? - East.
To the fallen city of Shadar Logoth.
Go! Now! Hyah! Hyah! - Whoa.
Easy, now.
- What's happening? - Easy, now.
- I don't know.
She just stopped.
Steady.
Steady.
Bela, come on.
What is that? Wait, look! The Trollocs.
Why are they all just standing there? Come.
The Trollocs won't follow us inside.
Hah! Listen.
There's no birds.
There's no bugs.
There's nothing.
- She's barely breathing.
- Yeah.
We'll stay here.
She needs to be kept warm.
Oh, Moiraine.
Shadar Logoth.
Sounds like the Old Tongue.
It means "Shadow's Waiting.
" But it was once called Aridhol.
During the Trolloc Wars, it was the richest, most powerful city in the world.
But when the world needed them most, they built their wall with no gate, locked themselves inside and let the other nations of man burn.
It was the people of this city who promised Manetheren aid.
And they were the ones who let them die.
When the Trolloc Wars ended, the survivors came here, to find food, shelter.
When they knocked, no one answered.
When they finally broke through the wall, there was no one inside.
It is said that evil itself grew from the city's heart and consumed everyone and everything that lived.
Ever since, the city has been abandoned.
Not even Trollocs will step foot behind these walls.
Couple of things.
Um, one, that's more words than you've said all day.
Probably ever.
And, two, why in Light's name did you bring us here? Touch nothing.
Eat only the food you brought.
You should have this.
Laila made it.
She always said she didn't make weapons; she made tools.
And that I'd probably use it a thousand times for chopping apples or whittling wood before I ever needed it to defend myself.
But to keep it sharp keep it clean, so that if I ever did need it It'd be ready.
A tool though, still.
To save my life or the life of someone that I loved.
And she thought that would probably be you.
Since she seemed to think if you ever got into any trouble, it would probably be my fault.
Although, to be perfectly honest, can't see how anyone could reasonably blame me for any of this.
Thank you.
The girls are gonna be fine.
My parents will be over at yours, checking on them.
Rand's and Egwene's, too.
I know.
What is that? No! No, wait! It's all right.
I'm here.
Where are we? You've killed us all.
What in Light's name? Let's get out of here.
Go! I'll find you.
Come on! Rand, let's go! Let's go.
There! - Which way? - I don't know! Here! Come on! Hyah! Come on! Hyah! Look! - Hoist me up.
- Why don't you hoist me up? Come on.
Ow.
Hurry.
Hurry! Hurry! Hyah! Hyah.
Hyah! Rand! Rand, come on! Now! Rand! Now! Come on.
You ready? Let's go.
We-we can't leave without them.
Pretty sure we can.
- Rand?! - Mat! Rand! Mat! If you don't take me to them right now, I'll slit your throat.

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