The Next Fairy Tale

A taste of the fantasy novel I’m writing. I love working on this book. Hope you enjoy!

PROLOGUE

Calliope’s boots made no sound as she ran down the corridor. All of the Star Palace was dark at this hour, but the eyes of the Great Tapestries watched as she ran past them. Judging her. Well, let them.

She swiftly descended the spiral stairs, grateful for the breeches the Godmistress complained about so often, and ran silently across the midnight marble. Stars sparkled in the floor beneath her and the ceiling above. Any other time, she would have paused to admire them.

The Fairy Godmother slowed as she ascended the dais steps. She could not suppress a shiver of fear and wonder as she scaled them and stopped before the Mirror. Light lanced from the glass on occasion, throwing random beams about the room, though where the light came from she could not have said. The rest of the Great Hall was dark and still, but for the twinkling stars.

Calliope took a shuddering breath. She had known this would be the hardest part, had tried to prepare herself. The tears still came as she said in a choked voice: “I have to go. Not just for me, but for her.”

Tendrils of smoke whispered through the glass, smoke that became whirls of color, then twisted into the shape of a face. The eyes that stared back were pools of emptiness where the whirling colors were not, but there was warmth in them.

“I know,” was all the Mirror said.

It still felt good to hear the words, and when the face in the glass grinned, she managed to return a tiny smirk. She was glad she had risked this one goodbye. She had left so many others and so much else undone.

The word would not come. Instead, she said: “I’ve a question, if you are willing. It would give me peace to know.”

She did not have to ask it. The face stared from the glass, tendrils of color glowing faintly as they swirled and danced and changed. The Mirror seemed to hesitate.

Calliope forgot her question for an instant, shocked by the pensiveness in that face. The Mirror answered questions, or it did not. This was something new.

When the face in the glass finally spoke, its voice was gentle. “It will not be easy, but yes. One day.”

Calliope swallowed down the sudden tightening in her throat. “Thank you, Mirror. Thank you for everything.”

She turned and sped down the dais steps. The enormous double-doors that led from the Great Hall into the courtyard swung silently open as she reached them, then shut silently behind as she sprinted to the stables.

Goodbye. I’ll miss you. She sent the thought into the night, knowing the Mirror would hear it, still sorry she hadn’t been able to say it out loud.

She heard those words again as she climbed onto Wind’s saddle, plain as they had been upon the dais:

“It will not be easy, but yes. One day.”

Smiling broadly, Calliope rode into the night.

Moiraine

WARNING: SPOILERS!

I just finished making the fifth episode of “Wheel Talk.” It’s been exciting to restart The Wheel of Time. I find myself looking ahead to the moments I’m dying to talk about. This blog gives me the opportunity to skip ahead of my reread, and dive into all of the topics I can’t wait years to discuss.

Of all the Wheel of Time characters, places, and events I could write about now, one sings to me above the rest. Rereading The Eye of the World brings me back to the awe I felt when I first picked up this series. The awe I felt for her.

Moiraine Damodred is one of my favorite characters in fantasy. There are plenty of Wheel of Time females who fall into this category, but she’s high on the list. She has the magic of Gandalf, the wisdom of Aslan, the goodness of Dumbledore, and more mystery than all three combined. I’d also be lying if I didn’t say: I love that she’s a woman.

I said in my last post that I would write these entries as Recappa Sedai. As I sat down to write today, that felt wrong. I love being Recappa and making Wheel Talk, but in this blog, I prefer to be Brian. The Wheel of Time means a lot to me, as does the upcoming show. Not all of what I have to say is funny. What I do have to say comes from the perspective of a gay male—one who felt left out when he first read this series—and I prefer not to play a character while writing this blog.

I identify with the women in fantasy. My favorite character in Lord of the Rings? Eowyn. Avatar: the Last Airbender? Kitara, Toph, and even Azula. Narnia? It’s all about Lucy and the White Witch. And I’ve always been 50% Hermione, 50% Luna Lovegood. You see the pattern.

If I do fall for a male character, it’s usually someone in the Gandalf archetype. I love a wise old man who shakes things up. Who doesn’t? But when a female steps into this role, I fall head-over-heels.

I can think of a few other females who occupy this role in fantasy. The Disreputable Dog from Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series comes to mind, as does Tsukoku from Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus. I love those characters more than I can say, but Moiraine takes the cake.

For me, Moiraine’s mystery is what elevates her above the rest. I want to trust her because she falls into that Gandalf archetype. She’s our greatest hope. Part of me needs to trust her. And yet, she is the ultimate Aes Sedai: secretive, manipulative, and dangerous. Can I trust her? I asked over and over when I first read The Eye of the World. The question haunted me. If she’d turned out to be Black Ajah, I’d have been devastated. I give the first book credit for keeping that question alive in my head.

It wasn’t until the end of The Eye of the World that I trusted Moiraine completely. I remember what a good feeling that was. An epic battle lay ahead, and we were going to need her. I counted on Moiraine the way Rand did. She was going to carry us through this. Thank the Light.

I remember lying in bed when I read that fatal chapter in The Fires of Heaven. I remember Moiraine taking down Lanfear, and how “white light swallowed everything.” She couldn’t be gone. She couldn’t. But when Egwene heard the news and started crying, I cried along with her. Moiraine was, at least for the moment, gone. The Wheel of Time had changed forever.

I swore to myself in that moment: I will finish this series. Whatever happens, I will finish these books and make it to the Last Battle. I owed it to myself. In a way, I owed it to Moiraine.

I could (and perhaps I will) write another piece on Moiraine’s role in the Last Battle. I had hoped her role would be more specific—something only she could do. Nynaeve got that payoff when she healed Alanna, but I never felt like Moiraine got her moment in Tarmon Gai’don.

Still, the fact that she was there meant everything. Moiraine’s return puts Gandalf’s to shame. She’s back, I thought. She’s back, and the Last Battle is starting. We’re here.

I love The Eye of the World for introducing me to Randland, but more than that, I love the book for introducing me to Moiraine. She is the character who brought me back into the world of fantasy. She reminded me what it feels like to be in awe of magic. She reminded me what it means to put your faith in a character as a fantastic journey begins. I’ll always love her for it.

Please share any Moiraine thoughts you have, and thank you for reading! Walk in the Light, and keep it Wheel.

Brian Adam Davis

Wheel Talk

I began reading The Wheel of Time when I was in college. I was writing a fairy tale-themed musical, and for research, I began to read all the fantasy novels I could get my hands on. A friend recommended The Wheel of Time, so I went to the campus bookstore and bought The Eye of the World. I still remember sitting at a table in a cafe, eating my muffin, reading those words for the first time:

“The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.”

I fell in love, and I was late for class.

I remember sitting on my mother’s couch about two years later, reading Brandon Sanderson’s introduction to The Gathering Storm. I hadn’t known that Robert Jordan had died. I quietly shut the book, went to the room that used to be mine, and cried. I had read and loved other fantasy series, but not like this one. I had never experienced the death of an author before a series had been finished. I grieved for the tragedy that he would not get to write his last books. It seemed so unfair after all he had done, all he had given us.

Reading The Gathering Storm, I felt such an immense gratitude toward both authors. How wonderful that Robert Jordan had left behind extensive notes, left an ending for us all. And how wonderful that Brandon Sanderson had given us this book. The Gathering Storm is one of my favorites, as are the last two books.

Robert Jordan’s world has been my second home since I first visited. I have read the series several times, sometimes on the page, sometimes with the audiobooks. I have often asked friends to join me, but none are willing to commit to such a lengthy series. It can be lonely, when no one you know enjoys your favorite thing.

It took me a while to believe that a television show was really happening. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. As it sank in, I became ecstatic, and the feeling hasn’t left me. My family and friends are going to experience The Wheel of Time. I'll be able to talk about it with them. I still can’t quite believe it.

We’re a few weeks into quarantine, and production was put on hold because of the pandemic. The community seems confident that we’re still getting a show, thank the Light, but there’s no telling when that is going to happen. I’m desperate to start talking about these books, so I’ve decided not to wait.

I posted the first episode of “Wheel Talk with Recappa Sedai” two weeks ago. The supportive response has been wonderful, and I’ve loved engaging with people about The Wheel of Time. It has taken me too long to seek out others who love this story like I do. There’s a wonderful community of fans out there.

I plan to write future posts as Recappa Sedai, but I thought the first should come from me. For any who are wondering: I’m a cis gay man who puts on a wig for the “Wheel Talk” videos. I go by he/him. Recappa Sedai, a fictional cis woman, goes by she/her (and wields Saidar). Neither of us identifies as transgender. If I discuss gender or sexuality as Recappa, it will be from the perspective of a gay male. I expect those conversations to come up. I have a lot of thoughts about The Wheel of Time and gender.

I plan to post occasionally as I reread the series. It has been wonderful to start The Eye of the World again. I’ve loved discussing it in the “Wheel Talk” comments, and I hope to continue the conversation here. Thank you for reading. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and continue to visit.

The Light illumine the Wheel of Time community!

—Brian Adam Davis