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| %%(display:block; text-align:center;) [{Image src='Chapter Icons/ravens_bw.gif' align='center'}] Ravens[1] %% 
|   [{Image src='Chapter Icons/btar_rgt.gif' link='Wiki.jsp?page=TEotW,Earlier' align='right'}]

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__[Egwene]__ POV - It is late spring and [Egwene] is nine years old.[2] She is fetching water from the Winespring Water for the shearing of the sheep. She intends to be the best water carrier. She notices a raven acting unusually bold and wonders about tales of spies for the [Dark One|Shaitan]. [Kenley Ahan] teases her a bit then heads off with his bucket and [Egwene] follows. 

The shearing takes place in Widow [Aynal|Fictional Characters]'s Meadow. [Egwene] watches for her oldest sister, [Berowyn al'Vere]. She sees [Kenley Ahan] snatch a honeycake from the tables and thinks he is as bad as [Ewin Finngar]. [Corin Ayellin] catches him. [Egwene] sees [Perrin Aybara] in the crowd with his parents, little sisters [Deselle|Deselle Aybara] and  [Adora|Adora Aybara]  and baby brother [Perrin Aybara]. [Joslyn Aybara] and [Con Aybara] are talking with Master [Perrin] about [Perrin] becoming his apprentice. [Cilia Cole] is nearby making calf eyes at [Perrin]. [Egwene] notices more ravens watching the meadow. [Egwene] fetches more water. When she returns, she bumps into her youngest sister, [Egwene], arguing with [Dag Coplin]. Another of [Egwene]'s sisters is [Nynaeve]. She then passes the Wisdom, [Doral Barran], and [Nynaeve] bandaging [Bili Congar]'s leg. [Nynaeve] has been her apprentice for three years. The Wisdom is suspicious of [Nynaeve]'s work.[3] [Nynaeve] knows [Egwene] is there without even seeing her.[4] [Egwene] thinks about teasing [Nynaeve] about Mistress [Egwene] and a pie.[5] Continuing with her rounds, [Egwene] runs into her other sister, [Nynaeve], with [Jillie Lewin] folding fleece. She is a year older than [Nynaeve] but does not have her hair braided yet. [Calle Coplin] nearby is twenty and still does not have hers braided. [Egwene] goes to look for [Perrin] and [Mat]. [Wil al'Seen] sends her to one of the sheep pens. [Paet al'Caar] and [Jac al'Caar] both brought sheep. [Perrin] and [Mat] are behind one of the pens with [Rand], [Dav Ayellin|../characters/d/dav_ayellin], [Lem Thane], [Bandry Crawe] and [Elam Dowtry]. [Dannil Lewin] comes with a message that [Bran al'Vere] sent for the boys. On the way they pass [Natti Cauthon] with [Tam] and [Tam]. The Village Council members including [Cenn Buie] and [Master al'Dai|alDai], [Bili al'Dai]'s grandfather, are all shearing the sheep except for [Master Cole|Cole] who is napping. [Tam] asks [Tam al'Thor|Tam alThor] to tell a story. [Tam] tells about the [Age of Legends] and the [War of the Shadow|Shadow War]. The [Dark One|Shaitan] touched the world and [Trollocs] and [Myrddraal|Fade] came in armies. Some [Aes Sedai] sided with the [Shadow|Creator], the [Forsaken]. The [Shadow|Creator] was winning the war until the [Tam], [Lews Therin Telamon], and his Hundred Companions went to [Shayol Ghul] and sealed the [Dark One|Shaitan] back into the prison the [Creator] made for him along with the [Forsaken]. No one knows what a "[Tam]" is, not even the [Aes Sedai]. [Tam] sends the boys back to work and [Egwene] notices many more ravens in the trees that take off flying west.


! Notes

[#1] This additional prologue only appears in the Starscape edition, "From the Two Rivers."\\
[#2] [Egwene]'s nameday is later in the year making the year 991 NE. [Rand], [Mat] and [Perrin] are twelve. [Nynaeve] is seventeen.\\
[#3] She has probably caught on to the fact that some of [Nynaeve]'s "cures" are unusually effective.\\
[#4] From [Healing|Weaves] her of breakbone fever the previous fall. ([TEotW,Ch21])\\
[#5] [Nynaeve] stole a plum pudding from [Mistress Ayellin|Corin Ayellin] and got a whipping for it. ([TFoH,Ch55])\\