[{Table style='width:100%'

| [{Image src='Chapter Icons/btar_lft.gif' link='Wiki.jsp?page=TDR,Ch54'}] 
| %%(display:block; text-align:center;) [{Image src='Chapter Icons/dragon_bw.gif' align='center' link='Wiki.jsp?page=Dragon Chapter Icon'}] ''[TDR|The Dragon Reborn]: What Is Written in Prophecy'' %% 
| [{Image src='Chapter Icons/btar_rgt.gif' link='Wiki.jsp?page=TDR,Ch56' align='right'}]
}]

%%tabs
! __Rand__ POV

[Rand|Rand alThor] enters the [Heart of the Stone|Stone of Tear] and [Be'lal|BeLal] confronts him. He calls [Rand|Rand alThor] [Lews Therin|Lews Therin Telamon] and tells him to take %%ot [Callandor]%%. [Rand|Rand alThor] accuses him of caging [Egwene|Egwene alVere], [Elayne|Elayne Trakand] and [Nynaeve|Nynaeve alMeara]. [Be'lal|BeLal] confesses surprise, then says [Lews Therin|Lews Therin Telamon] always put his heart ahead of power. [Rand|Rand alThor] asks who he is and [Be'lal|BeLal] again reacts with surprise saying that [Ishamael] said [Rand|Rand alThor] remembered nothing but he did not really believe it. He announces that his name is [Be'lal|BeLal] and once again tells [Rand|Rand alThor] to take the sword. He says he will give [Rand|Rand alThor] this one chance because they were once allies. [Rand|Rand alThor] brags that he has denied [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael], the [Dark One|ShaiTan], and again [Be'lal|BeLal] is surprised that that is what [Rand|Rand alThor] thinks. [Be'lal|BeLal] suddenly holds a sword of black fire[1] and tells [Rand|Rand alThor] to defend himself. [Rand|Rand alThor]'s sword of fire appears and they fence, but it is soon apparent that [Be'lal|BeLal] is the better swordsman. Other fighting surrounds them, [Aiel] versus [Defenders of the Stone|Tear (City)]. [Rand|Rand alThor] trips over a body and falls as [Be'lal|BeLal] prepares to kill him. [Moiraine|Moiraine Damodred] strides into the room and commands him to stop. Once again [Be'lal|BeLal] is surprised saying he thought she was out of the way. He starts to do something to her but she [balefires|Weaves] him before he can act. All the fighting stops. [Moiraine|Moiraine Damodred] tells [Rand|Rand alThor] it is too soon, but now there is no choice. He must take %%ot [Callandor]%%. Whips of black lightning throw her across the room and a black shadow descends from the ceiling resolving into [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael]. [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] says he has twice offered to let [Rand|Rand alThor] serve him and twice he has been wounded. Now he will take [Rand|Rand alThor]'s soul. [Rand|Rand alThor] feels an excruciating tearing. He throws out his hand and grasps %%ot [Callandor]%%. [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] escapes through a twisting of reality. [Rand|Rand alThor] twists reality in the same way and follows him.[2]

! __Egwene__ POV

As [Egwene|Egwene alVere] approaches the dungeon the entire [Stone|Stone of Tear] shakes.[3] She continues on and locates the dungeon, finding a very faint [Amico|Amico Nagoyin]. Evidently she is drifting in and out of sleep while holding one of the %%ot [ter'angreal|Angreal]%%. She shields [Amico|Amico Nagoyin] who screams, then steps out of the dream.

She wakes back in the cell. [Elayne|Elayne Trakand] and [Nynaeve|Nynaeve alMeara] tell her they heard a scream. It feels different now but they are still shielded. [Egwene|Egwene alVere] says she will have to try again and [Nynaeve|Nynaeve alMeara] sings her to sleep.

! __Mat__ POV

[Mat|Matrim Cauthon] and [Juilin|Juilin Sandar] enter the dungeon and see [Amico|Amico Nagoyin]. [Juilin|Juilin Sandar] warns [Mat|Matrim Cauthon] that she is one of the [Aes Sedai] who took the girls. [Mat|Matrim Cauthon] is suitably cautious, but though she seems awake she just looks at him and asks for help. He carefully takes the key and unlocks the cell by her. [Nynaeve|Nynaeve alMeara] and [Elayne|Elayne Trakand] are kneeling by [Egwene|Egwene alVere]. They react to him with disapproval[4] and wake [Egwene|Egwene alVere]. They spot [Juilin|Juilin Sandar] behind [Mat|Matrim Cauthon] and look like they are ready to kill him. He apologizes and says [Liandrin] forced him to aid her. They exit the cell and [Nynaeve|Nynaeve alMeara] punches [Amico|Amico Nagoyin], knocking her out.[5] [Egwene|Egwene alVere] takes the %%ot [ter'angreal|Angreal]%%[6] from her. Free to [channel|True Source] again, [Nynaeve|Nynaeve alMeara] [Heals|Weaves] [Egwene|Egwene alVere] and [Elayne|Elayne Trakand]. [Mat|Matrim Cauthon] tells them he is rescuing them, but they ignore him and walk out of the room. [Mat|Matrim Cauthon] and [Juilin|Juilin Sandar] follow.

! __Perrin__ POV

[Perrin|Perrin Aybara] and [Hopper] continue to search for [Faile|Zarine Bashere]. Twice more they found her, but she disappeared. [Perrin|Perrin Aybara] smashes a brass door with his hammer. Inside, a flock of falcons attacks him cutting him with their talons. There is a perch with a falcon chained to it. The lock is shaped like the [hedgehog]. He breaks the chain and blacks out.

[Perrin|Perrin Aybara] wakes back in the private dining room of [The Star]. [Faile|Zarine Bashere] is tending his wounds. The [hedgehog] is broken. They whisper sweet nothings to each other.

! __Rand__ POV

[Rand|Rand alThor] follows [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] through a strange version of the [Heart of the Stone|Stone of Tear]. The entire [Stone|Stone of Tear] rings like a gong.[7] [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] tries to [balefire|Weaves] him, but he uses %%ot [Callandor]%% to deflect the beam. As he flees, [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] leaves behind him a plethora of traps and dangers, but [Rand|Rand alThor] springs them without thinking and follows. Finally, [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] returns to the [Heart of the Stone|Stone of Tear]. [Rand|Rand alThor] confronts him and sees black wires running from [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] into the shadow surrounding him. [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] calls on the [Dark One|ShaiTan] to aid him and the shadow swells, but [Rand|Rand alThor] uses %%ot [Callandor]%% to sever the black wires.[8] [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] seems to dwindle and grow larger at the same time as though there were two of him.[9] [Rand|Rand alThor] stabs [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] through the chest with %%ot [Callandor]%% and the shadow vanishes. Suddenly they are both back in the real world. [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael]'s body has a hole burned through the chest and burned pits where his mouth and eyes were. The fighting has resumed in their absence. [Rand|Rand alThor] thinks he has killed the [Dark One|ShaiTan] and won [Tarmon Gai'don|Creator]. He brings down lightning with %%ot [Callandor]%%, commands the fighting to stop, and claims the title of the [Dragon Reborn|Rand alThor]. Everyone kneels to him.
%%

%%collapsebox-closed
! Notes (Possible Spoilers)

[#1] It is not clear if this "sword of black fire" is some manifestation of the [True Power] or just an ordinary [One Power] weaving that only bad guys use.\\
[#2] They both [Travel|Weaves] into %%ot [Tel'aran'rhiod|TelAranRhiod]%%.\\
[#3] It is not clear if this is [Mat|Matrim Cauthon]'s explosion, [Rand|Rand alThor] taking ''[Callandor]'', [Perrin|Perrin Aybara] smashing the door, or something else.\\
[#4] This is a big mistake on their part and it continues to build until [ACoS,Ch22].\\
[#5] Somewhere in all this [Amico|Amico Nagoyin] is [stilled|stilling]. There are unique aspects to this stilling that make it difficult to say for certain exactly what happened to her.\\
[#6] This %%ot [ter'angreal|Angreal]%% is the [iron disc]. ([TSR,Ch11])\\
[#7] This time it is clear that this is [Perrin|Perrin Aybara] breaking the door.\\
[#8] What are these black wires? See the discussion in the [FAQ, Section 1.3.1|http://steelypips.org/wot-tgs/node/45.html].\\
[#9] Compare this with the severing of [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] in [TEotW,Ch51], the severing of [Asmodean] in [TSR,Ch58] and the crossing of the [balefire|Weaves] beams in [ACoS,Ch41].\\
%%
----
More [Category Chapters|Category.Chapters], [Dragon Chapter Icon]