The season 1 finale leaves a subtle hint regarding Rand al’Thor’s destination in The Wheel of Time season 2. In a surprise twist, Rand deviated from the path of the character from Robert Jordan’s books by going into self-exile. Devastated by the realization that he’s the Dragon Reborn, Rand has decided to go his own way in the series, separating himself from Moiraine’s group.
This contrasts greatly with what happened in the source material. At the end of the first book, The Eye of the World, Rand realized he could channel but didn’t leave his friends. The second book, The Great Hunt, opened with Rand returning to Fal Dara with the others, allowing him to be involved when the time came for them to track down Padan Fain, who had stolen the Horn of Valere and the ruby-hilted dagger. If Rand’s ending in the finale is any indication, he won’t be sharing in this adventure in the show. Obviously, this marks a considerable shift in the trajectory of his story and raises questions about where he'll go instead.
Wheel Of Time Season 1 Hinted At Rand’s Next Destination
Before heading off on his own, Rand was shown looking at a mountain range in the Wheel of Time season 1 finale. This region can be identified as the Spine of the World, a major locale in Jordan’s Wheel of Time universe. In the books, the massive mountain range stretches across the far east side of the map. The nation where Fal Dara is located, Shienar, is the northernmost country bordering the Spine of the World. Another nation ading the Spine of the World is Cairhien, a place Rand visited in The Great Hunt. On the other side of the Spine is the Aiel Waste, a vast, desert-like region and the home of Rand’s ancestors.
For now, it’s not abundantly clear what adventures Rand’s trip across the Spine of the World will send him on. But with Cairhien and the Aiel Waste both being places that Rand is expected to visit sooner or later, either could be part of his season 2 journey. Going to the Aiel Waste would be a significant departure, though, since Rand doesn’t go there until the fourth book, The Shadow Rising. However, he does go to Cairhien in The Great Hunt, so it could be that he’ll travel along the Spine – rather than through – and head south to Cairhien, which was where he dealt with a Trolloc attack sometime before the final battle at Falme in the book’s ending.
Wheel of Time Season 2 Footage Makes Rand Going To Cairhien More Likely
Footage from The Wheel of Time season 2 confirms nothing about where Rand is going, but s the notion that his adventure will eventually take him to Cairhien. A brief trailer shows him in an inn somewhere. Theoretically, that inn could be in any Wheel of Time city, but combined with the Spine of the World tease, there aren’t many places that could be, as the lands beyond those mountains - the Aiel Waste – aren’t civilized areas. This strengthens the notion that at least a portion of Rand’s arc in The Wheel of Time season 2 will be set in the city of Cairhien.