Decisions, p. 125-140, The Shadow Rising

Selene drops in on Rand in his bedchambers, where she reveals her true identity (Lanfear, for those who missed it), as well as her intention to make him love her. After a Gray Man attempts to kill Rand, he discovers the Stone is being attacked, and he joins the fray. Lanfear offers to help him learn how to use the One Power, and then reminds him he left Callandor up in his room. He snags the powerful sa'angreal and creates a unique lightning storm that kills the remaining Trollocs and Myrddraal. All that One Power, though, is not enough to bring a little girl back from the dead, and Rand is shaken by the limitations of his gift.

There are two things about this scene that stand out for me: Lanfear's deliciously contemptuous handling of Rand, holding his life in her hands, and yet letting him go because she loves the guy. I believe this is the first time we are actually told Lanfear's got the hots for Randy, and his willpower (considering his later loss of will during the Far Snows Dance) is nothing short of miraculous. Then, after facing death from a Forsaken, he tries to use the One Power to bring life back to a little girl, and I can still feel the sadness and frustration he had. What good is a Power if it can take a life but can't give it? We also see the true beginnings of Rand's constant need to keep moving, to keep forging ahead on whatever plan he's got going on, because he will always remember that people died because of three days he 'wasted' stealing kisses from Elayne.

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