Character from The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
A Saldaean noblewoman who married a blacksmith lord and became the Lady of the Two Rivers — fierce, politically sharp, and absolutely unwilling to let Perrin be less than he can be.
Faile was born Zarine Bashere, daughter of a Great Captain, and she ran away from that privilege to become a Hunter for the Horn because she wanted adventure and self-determination. She found both in Perrin Aybara — a man who didn't want to be a lord, which made him the best possible lord, which drove her crazy and made her love him simultaneously. She understands politics, court dynamics, and how to manage people in ways that Perrin doesn't and won't learn. She makes him a better leader by handling the things he refuses to handle and by pushing him when he retreats into self-doubt. Their relationship is a Saldaean marriage — passionate, combative, and fundamentally unbreakable. Her capture by the Shaido nearly broke them both. She survived through intelligence, alliance-building among the other captives, and the iron will she inherited from her father. She came back harder and more politically effective.
Dark-haired with a bold nose and tilted eyes that mark her Saldaean heritage. She's striking rather than conventionally beautiful, with sharp features and a direct gaze. She carries herself with noble poise even in camp clothes, and her expressions run hot — Saldaean women don't hide their feelings, they weaponize them.
Also known as: Faile, Zarine Bashere, Lady Faile, Faile ni Bashere t'Aybara