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#siuan: pretty DANGEROUS I SAID PRETTY DANGEROUS
dorrinverrakai1 · 11 months
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I’m infected with the need for quality content for Siuan and the girls in wot season 2. Especially since we are getting condensed book 2 and 3 and for later events to be believable these characters need to form relationships and bonds. With that said I really wish….
Spoilers books 2-6
That they keep the teaching scene between Nynaeve and Siuan and innocent bystander Egwene from the ship home from Fal Dara. Firstly it’s important imo for Nynaeve to run up against someone that will show her that at this point in her life skill can overcome her power. Secondly it’s fuckin hilarious.
In my mind’s eye this should take place after Nynaeve’s Accepted test she still does on entry to the Towre and after it’s apparent she has a block and can’t channel at will and must be angry. Preferably Nynaeve has outburst of anger with the power and needs to be paired with strong teachers. She can alienate all her teachers. (as is canon) She’s having magic explosions. It’s not pretty being only able to channel when you’re raging.
Anyways queue Siuan bustin in on a lesson or something that ends up with an angry Nynaeve attacking her, the shield happens, and now Siuan has an excuse as one of a few in the people strong enough to deal with Nynaeve’s power temper tantrums to be around Nynaeve and summon her for lessons. As well as Egwene and Elayne sometimes too.But like when Nynaeve goes to be taught by Siuan she just shows her complex weaves with zero explanation about what they are and they never actually release them to see what they do. 
Some time later when Nynaeve is trying to fight the Seanchan it clicks for her that Siuan’s been showing her these fighting weaves and she blows lots of people up it’s great. Also a begrduging nod to Siuan, her benefactor, smart enough and crazy enough to lose her on the Tower’s and the worlds enemies half cocked with dangerous knowledge.
All of this nicely ties the book 2 and 3 themes between the two characters and are nice growth for Nynaeve. I want it so bad but I’m sure we’ll get something very different. Both characters deserve the chance to start their frenemyship. There also really needs to be some stronger ties established between the Tower and Siuan and the girls…
Also for the future how… bittersweet… to witness Egwene watching and imitating Siuan as Amyrlin….
Anyways live with this cursed wish as I have for the last 6 months.
Honorable mention to the book 3 spit turning scene between Siuan, Laras, the kitchen staff, and Nynaeve. We deserve the elements of that too.
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butterflydm · 1 year
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wot reread: new spring (chapters 1-4)
spoilers for new spring and as far into the main series as knife of dreams
NS is actually going to end up having at least one more post than expected, because despite being shorter than CoT & KoD, NS feels a lot more substantive.
1. Jordan is pretty good at these evocative setting descriptions and helping the reader feel what the environment is like by what the character is feeling. Lan Mandragoran is currently thinking about the dangers of fighting the Aiel and this chapter is about introducing us to this younger version of Lan but it’s also about fixing us in time -- the Aiel have poured over the Spine of the World, have already destroyed Cairhien. It’s nearly but not quite time for the prophecy that kicks off Moiraine’s search for Rand.
2. Lan thinks about how he avoids Aes Sedai as much as possible, because of how it’s said that they tie strings to people and seldom care who they use up in their schemes. Something that is really sad to me about the book series, and something I hope maybe the show can change, is how Lan probably thinks just this thing about Moiraine again now, after what she did with the bond. Moiraine blames her and Lan growing apart on him getting attached to Rand and Nynaeve, but she is on the same side as Rand and Nynaeve so their goals were aligned. She’s the one who burned the bridges between them by not respecting Lan’s choices and making plans ‘for him’ rather than making plans ‘with him’. The relationship between Aes Sedai and Warder seems more balanced in the show so far, so I’m interested to see where they take Moiraine and Lan’s relationship in the future and how that balances out against his growing relationship(s) with Nynaeve and Rand.
3. We meet one of Lan’s teachers, Bukama, and we learn here that Lan was trained to be a silent warrior from a very young age. Raising a child all their life to fight in a doomed war is... honestly pretty depressing. It certainly makes sense that this was his childhood, given what we know of who he is in the main series, though. Bukama is one of the five warriors who survived the journey out of Malkier, when Lan’s parents sent him away to safety as the Blight swallowed up their country. We learn that even though he was sent away as an infant, Lan still thinks of Malkier as his home and feels the pull to go north. We also learn that Lan’s teacher believes that all the Aiel are sworn to the Dark One. Yikes, bro.
4. We are currently two years into the Aiel War -- Cairhien has been burned and... okay, the geography here is confusing me. Lan thinks about how the Aiel went through Cairhien, then they apparently swung south into Tear and the west into Andor, and now they’re attacking Tar Valon... from the west? The only way this makes sense is if they are following the fleeing King Laman. Okay, yeah, that makes sense. And no one currently fighting knows that they’re just here to kill this one guy -- they are just assuming it’s a full-scale invasion (though we know it was just four out of the twelve clans).
5. “What Aes Sedai knew, they held close, and doled out by dribbles and drops when and if they chose.” Honestly, this is actually the Aes Sedai trait that bites them in the ass the most, once we get to modern times. Moiraine was trained to keep secrets and manipulate people politically first as a Cairhienin but then refined it as an Aes Sedai, and (not always Aes Sedai! There’s a lot of people who keep secrets) secrecy causes a lot of issues throughout the series. A brief list of things that it Would Have Been Nice To Know:
If Siuan had been open and honest with Gawyn and Galad, neither of those boys would have fallen into bad company. They are dedicated heart and soul to Elayne -- USE THAT instead of stonewalling them.
If Moiraine had been honest with Rand instead of playing games with him and encouraging his other advisors to leave, lots of issues in future books could have been avoided. I’ve talked about this one multiple times in my reread.
No one ever tells Rand anything, especially if they are Aes Sedai. In general, people try to ‘manage’ Rand instead of communicating with him like a person (yes, I am VERY MUCH including Min in this; Min is constantly ‘managing’ Rand instead of talking to him like a grown-up).
iirc, Rand is also stonewalled on Elayne’s activities in Tanchico, told that they’re “Aes Sedai” business, despite them being actively and entirely related to him. The entire reason that Elayne and Nynaeve go to Tanchico is to address a danger to RAND and yet he only gets the tiniest morsels of information about what happens there.
Egwene & Moiraine refused to give Rand any details about Salidar (not even the name), which leads to him massively underestimating their numbers and sending Mat in with an offer to help them that they just find offensive and terrifying, and which eventually ends up with Mat getting trapped in a crappy marriage with a slaver instead of being Rand’s general.
Instead of trying to send a message back to Rand, ever at any point, Egwene sends Mat off to Ebou Dar with Elayne and keeps his army as long as she can. Egwene never tries to contact Rand to create an alliance between the rebels and the Dragon Reborn -- it was pre-Egwene Salidar who sent the embassy to him, and it’s Rand who sends first Mat and then Merise & Narishma to try to talk to Egwene (as of KoD).
Elayne, Nynaeve, Egwene, and Min apparently never told anyone on Rand’s side after Falme that the sul’dam are capable of channeling too and that the Seanchan are completely unaware that channeling learners are a thing that even exists. Min doesn’t tell Rand this even after he starts fighting against the new invasion of the Seanchan. This is something that would have actually made her relationship with Rand have a point, if she’d given him that information when it became relevant. (I do understand Egwene not mentioning it - a. because of The Trauma and b. at that point, they didn’t have any reason to believe the Seanchan would be back any time soon). Like when I realized in TPoD that Rand didn’t know about the sul’dam secret, I’m pretty sure I actually blue-screened in my reread. HOW was it even possible, I wondered!
...did they ever even tell Moiraine or Verin? Or was this literally a Wondergirls + Min secret until Rand sent the sul’dam/damane pairs to Elayne and she told the people in her storyline? Like, a lot of secrets, I understand why people keep them even if I wish they’d be more trusting with their allies. But this is a secret about AN ENEMY that would greatly weaken them if it were publicly known - it should be trumpeted far and wide! Elayne should have sent out a public proclamation from Caemlyn after she escaped Ebou Dar! EVERYONE on Rand’s side should know about this! There’s no reason to keep it a secret! The only people keeping this a secret benefits are the Seanchan military & nobility! Honestly, I feel like the only reason that the sul’dam secret stays a secret is Jordan putting his finger on the scale in favor of the Seanchan, because it makes zero tactical sense but it sure does give them an advantage!
Elayne, Aviendha, Nynaeve and their various hangers-on never tell Rand that his best friend was left behind in enemy territory. I guess Rand probably eventually figured out that SOMETHING WEIRD happened with Mat going to Salidar but no one has ever told him the story. That’s his best friend! WTF, guys!
On Rand’s side, he doesn’t tell Elayne and Aviendha that he’s going to cleanse saidin. Literally baffling choice on his part. I understand keeping it a secret in general (before it happens) but not from literally two of your romantic partners.
Now, to a certain extent, secrecy is understandable, especially since there are Black Ajah in the White Tower. But if you can’t trust the Dragon Reborn not to be a Darkfriend, then you (and the whole world) are screwed anyway. So much of this ties back to Jordan’s apparently firm belief that men and women find communication with each other incredibly difficult and hazardous at every turn. But also it feels like Jordan didn’t know when to stop. Same thing with Rand’s downward spiral tbh. It felt like he knew how to make it worse but didn’t know how to make it better (which is why I very much doubt he could have actually finished the books series in fewer pages than Sanderson managed and suspected it would have been a GREAT DEAL longer tbh). He was just addicted to people not talking to each other.
6. Lan notes that it seems like every thousand years, some huge war happens -- a thousand years after the Breaking of the World was the Trolloc Wars. A thousand years after that, it was the War of a Hundred Years after Artur Hawkwing’s Empire fell. And there are rumors that the Dark One was involved in that war as well. And he’s thinking that this Aiel War is the current Next Horrible Thing but little does he know that the Last Battle is scheduled to happen in his lifetime. ~dramatic irony~
7. But Lan’s belief that the Dark One is directing all these great wars is why he came south and pledged to fight against the Aiel, and he no longer believes that the Aiel are servants of the Dark One, so he’s doubting his reasons for being here now (but he’s made an oath, so he’ll stick it out to the end).
8. Lan struggles with an internal culture clash -- the way he was raised in the Borderlands tells him that the recently arrived Tairen Lord who has come with a message about a new battle plan is behaving extremely rudely and making it impossible for Lan to respond to him properly as well. Because the Tarien Lord didn’t offer his name, Lan believes that he can’t ask the man his name without sounding boastful so he just... never finds out the guy’s name. Lan is so upset by how rude this guy is being that he needs to find the ko’di (the oneness; what Rand was taught as ‘the flame and the void’) so that he doesn’t fly off the handle. Nameless messenger rides off. We also learn here that apparently Borderlander culture is nearly as big on dueling on Ebou Dari culture is, as challenging people to duels for being rude is a thing up in the Borderlands. I feel like we were not given this info in the main series.
9. Interesting! Lan thinks about how there are some Malkieri in the consolidated forces against the Aiel but Lan will not lead them. Part of how he feels like he has to face his burden against the Shadow alone, I’m guessing? (a bad habit that he passed on to Rand while training him)
10. ...does Lan have a beard? I could have sworn that a beard has never been mentioned, but he thinks of a kid here as a “beardless youth”. The kid is apparently a “cheerful killer” and an archer of rare skill.
11. Okay, Lan is currently in sight of the White Tower itself during this battle, it seems. That wasn’t entirely clear until now. He’s three leagues away from Tar Valon. He sees Dragonmount and thinks about how it is a mountain of prophecy, a prophecy of hope and despaired that would be fulfilled “one day”, but he definitely doesn’t believe that it will be any time soon.
12. Ah, Lan here is able to ignore the cold, and the ‘trick’ that he uses is just “the oneness”, but used in a slightly different way. I guess that’s what it was meant when we were told that it was simply a matter of concentration.
13. The Aiel who are coming (at least twice what Lan was told they would be) spot Lan among the other soldiers and recognize him. I don’t think we’re ever actually told why the Aiel care enough about Lan to give him a special name. They don’t normally care about the wetlands, so why would they mark the fall of Malkier? A mystery! Anyway, the Aiel don’t attack, probably because they killed Laman and it’s time to go home, but they don’t explain that to anyone. They just leave. It actually kinda sounds like Lan might have been set up to die here and the plan only failed because the Aiel had accomplished their task? Hmm.
14. We shift gears and head into the White Tower to ‘meet’ Moiraine Damodred. She is inside the White Tower, in the Amyrlin’s sitting room along with her “closest friend” Siuan Sanche, and she is also very cold. We learn that she’s an Accepted and that, even from inside the White Tower, she can smell the smoke from the burned villages around Tar Valon.
15. Since the war began, the Accepted have all been confined to the Tower grounds. Moiraine is frustrated and feels like she has a right to know how the war is going, since her uncle is the one who started it all. In addition to Moiraine and Siuan, the other two people in the room are Tamra (Amyrlin Seat) and Gitara (currently Keeper for the Amyrlin and the person who, before she came back to the White Tower, set up the events in Andor that would lead to the creation of the very person she’s about to have a Foretelling about). Moiraine has a lot of admiration for Tamra -- a leader that she sees as fair and just, and often kind.
16. Gitara, on the other hand, Moiraine views as usually fair and always just... but never kind. She’s believed to be over three hundred years old, which is old even for Aes Sedai. Moiraine notes that both Gitara and Tamra seem nervous -- Gitara has spent the last four hours ‘writing’ a letter (mostly staring at blank paper) and Tamra has been reading the same page for hours as well. They had not been nervous when she’d seen them yesterday. This is also the third day of fighting in the area of Tar Valon. Gitara and Tamra are the only two full Aes Sedai currently in the Tower -- the rumor is that the rest of the Aes Sedai are out helping heal their wounded soldiers, who are getting injured in great numbers.
17. We get our first Moiraine/Siuan “aaah” moment in the book when Moiraine sees Siuan smiling at her and notes that it turns her face from “handsome to pretty” and makes her clear blue eyes twinkle. We also learn here in a side note that white is color of mourning in Cairhien, which I’m not sure we ever learned in the main series. The two things that Moiraine found most difficult when she was a novice was wearing white all the time and learning to rein in her temper (so both Moiraine and Lan are established here as having tempers that they must keep reined in).
18. Moiraine/Siuan “aaah” moment number two: “Siuan had that gift, making her smile when she wanted to frown and laugh when she wanted to weep.” She and Siuan have some things in common: they are both orphans (mothers died when they were young; fathers have died in the time since they entered the White Tower) and both were born with the spark. The differences between them are more substantial -- culturally, “wealthy” Moiraine comes from a place that respects Aes Sedai and she was given a “grand dance” in the Sun Palace to celebrate her departure for the White Tower; while “poor” Siuan comes from a land where channeling is outlawed and she had to leave on a ship for the White Tower as soon as her channeling was discovered. Siuan also has full control over her temper, is good at puzzles (Moiraine is not), hates horses (Moiraine is a horse girl), and Siuan is a much quicker learner in all things outside the One Power (which they learned at an equal pace). Moiraine and Siuan both completed their novice training in three years, which only one other woman has ever done (”detestable” Elaida). Elaida also completed her Accepted training in a record three years and Moiraine and Siuan hope to outdo her in that.
19. Moiraine/Siuan “aaah” moment number three: “Moiraine was all too aware of her own shortcomings, but she thought that Siuan would make a perfect Aes Sedai.” Awwww. She has so much admiration and affection for Siuan.
20. The sound of hundreds of trumpets comes from the battlefield and Moiraine is told to go and see if there is news, while Siuan makes tea. Moiraine has just returned to report there is no news, when a terrified Gitara bolts to her feet and has her Foretelling (about Rand): “He is born again! I feel him! The Dragon takes his first breath on the slopes of Dragonmount! He is coming! He is coming! Light help us! Light help the world! He lies in the snow and cries like thunder!” Then she slumps into Moiraine’s arms and dies. Tamra orders the both of them to tell no one about Gitara’s Foretelling -- as far as they are concerned, she died without speaking.
21. lol, the way Moiraine describes how drafty the White Tower is, it sounds like a misery to live in. Aaah moments number four: Siuan suggesting having breakfast not because she herself is hungry but just to keep Moiraine company if SHE’S hungry.
22. Moiraine thinks about how glad she is that the White Tower hasn’t rubbed away all of Siuan’s rough edges -- they’re a part of her (moment #5). She also thinks about how Siuan is a natural leader and she’s glad to follow her (moment #6) and that she believes Siuan will be a Sitter and an Amyrlin in the future.
23. Genuinely SO sad for Siuan’s lost dreams here? She wants to travel! She wants to explore! She wants to see what’s beyond the horizon! (sadly, it’s just slavers beyond that horizon). Moiraine feels a pang of sadness at the idea of Siuan going off on her adventures alone, without Moiraine (moment #7).
24. haha, hilarious! Gitara’s Foretelling LITERALLY SAID he “takes his first breath” and yet Moiraine thinks about how it means that the Dragon Reborn will be born “soon”. Pretty sure it just happened, Moiraine. I get why she thinks that. It is called a FOREtelling, but it’s funny.
25. Getting some very nice and useful description of what the White Tower looks like here. The Wondergirls spent so little time in the White Tower itself, comparatively speaking -- only a handful of months (yet still so much more training than any of the boys get). Moiraine and Siuan have been there for over three years at this point, learning things. Honestly, one of the big things that tripped Jordan up in the series was that the timelines really got skewed because the boys were all tripping into leadership without doing training beforehand, while the two female characters who become leaders spend a lot of time doing pre-leadership stuff. So by the time Egwene is ready to be Amrylin and Elayne is ready to be Queen, so much of Rand, Mat, (and especially) Perrin’s storylines have already been burned through, so they ended up just treading water while Elayne and Egwene do their leadership arcs.
26. I like this dive into Moiraine’s opinion on the Prophecies, because that’s going to be what influenced the way she treated Rand once she found him: that the Prophecies say he will fight the Dark One but do not say if he will succeed. That it is known that he will channel tainted saidin, which means that he will go mad and thus she worries that the Dragon’s victory has the potential just as bad as the Dark One’s victory, though she reassures herself that it must be better, if only slightly. Actually a lot of the characterization that we see in the show’s Moiraine is laid out here in New Spring. In general, between this and the still-alive Siuan relationship, it does feel like Rafe kinda gently lifted the NS!Moiraine and placed her into EotW!Moiraine.
27. Moiraine now thinks about how few women occupy the White Tower in comparison to how many it was housed to hold -- less than half of the rooms for Accepteds are filled, while back when the White Tower was at its strongest, the rooms held two women to a room, so the White Tower is essentially operating at a quarter of the strength that the founders planned for it to use. The waning influence of the White Tower is a fairly large and looming plotpoint for much of the main series -- the reforms that Egwene wants to make would return the White Tower to the numbers that it once used to boast. The White Tower is failing, Moiraine thinks to herself. But she also thinks: “The Tower taught its students to live with what they could not change too. But some things were important enough to try even if you were sure to fail.”
28. Moiraine and Siuan are so emotionally close that Moiraine feels a ~tingle when Siuan channels (moment #8). "The tingle was unusual. Women who spent a lot of time together in their training sometimes felt it, but the sensation was supposed to fade away over time. Hers and Siuan’s never had. Sometimes Moiraine thought it was a sign of how close their friendship was.”
29. They are also pranksters (though it’s a common thing in general, to relieve the tension of how stressful the training is). They pranked Elaida harder than anyone else, because of how hard she was on them during their novice lessons, holding them to impossibly high standards. They had one year with Elaida when she was still an Accepted, then one where she had the shawl, and then she was gone. So, wow, Elaida became Morgase’s advisor after only being Aes Sedai for a year? And she’s been gone from the Tower for years now but Moiraine still thinks of her as The Worst (tm).
30. Moiraine and Siuan practice for the test to become Aes Sedai and we learn the details of how the test works -- the student must create a hundred different weaves “perfectly and in a precise order while under great stress” and maintaining complete calm. So the ‘Aes Sedai coldness’ is essentially their last great test before they become Sisters. They have to be able to focus and remain calm despite provocations. I have so much curiosity about how these traditions got started, because I’m pretty sure this test is yet another “ter’angreal that was originally created for another unknown purpose but, hey, we figure it works well enough for this” like the one for going from novice to Accepted. But I feel like some kind of testing was certainly in place back in the Age of Legends, because the Aiel Wise Ones also test using a ter’angreal.
31. It’s interesting to hear about how difficult it is for them to use more than one or two weaves at once, because I’ve gotten used to being in Rand & the Wondergirls PoVs, who are all massively powerful by comparison and are able to split their flows much more easily. And, of course, Moiraine herself is much better at it twenty years from now as well. Hmm, I also wonder if these intricate “useless” weaves are possibly handed down from before the Breaking unchanged, because they don’t “require” hand gestures (which none of the weaves do, but the current Aes Sedai believe that they do). Creating beautiful weaves for the sake of being beautiful and not for any particular purpose sounds like art and not survival-mode (as things tend to be in the current Age).
32. Which takes me to a tangent on which weaves survived. Healing in particular, it’s fascinating to me that the big Healing weaves didn’t survive, only the most basic ‘battlefield’ healing. The one that was less intricate, that was easier to teach and easier to use, because it didn’t require as many flows being divided? Or Traveling and Skimming... those, I wonder if they perhaps got lost because the Breaking of the World changed the landscape so much that the weaves for Traveling and Skimming stopped working for a time. But also, so many of the most powerful channelers who could handle those ‘big’ weaves likely died in the fighting and, then, in the aftermath of the counterstroke and the Breaking of the World.
33. Yikes! Moiraine thinking here about how the Dragon Reborn would need to be gentled after he wins the Last Battle. “A grim fate, to save the world if he could, then for reward be cut off from this wonder [of using the One Power]”. Moiraine and Siuan are talking here about how likely it is that the Red Sisters would be able to hold back from gentling even the Dragon Reborn, as there are rumors that they don’t try very hard to take men who can channel alive. She thinks about how it should count as murder but she can almost understand why it doesn’t, given how destructive men who can channel end up becoming (due to the taint on the Source).
34. I feel like Jordan pulls a bit of a retcon here when he notes that Myrelle thinks that the Last Battle might be coming due to the presence of the Aiel outside the Waste. IIRC, we don’t really get any hint that the Aiel are believed by any Sisters to be involved in the Prophecies when Moiraine is arguing with Rand back in The Shadow Rising. But here, it’s said that Sisters have been arguing over the subject back and forth since the beginning of the Aiel War.
35. One of the ways that Siuan attempts to distract Moiraine during their practicing for the shawl test are “embarrassing caresses” *wiggles eyebrows* (moment #9).
36. Our next White Tower cameo is Tarna. She spent nine years as a novice, and has few friends. She’s come to tell them that novices and Accepted have a free day from classes today, because Gitara has died. Luckily, this means that Myrelle assumes that this is the ‘secret’ that Siuan and Moiraine were hiding from her.
37. Ah, interesting, Moiraine thinks here that getting Tuatha’an novices is just as rare as getting Atha’an Miere, but we (the readers) know that the Atha’an Miere are deliberately hiding from the White Tower how many channelers they have and how strong those channelers are by only occasionally sending relatively weak in the Power women to make it look like they just don’t have the talent at the Power. With the Tuatha’an... we’re told that “they did not want to channel or become Aes Sedai” and if anyone is discovered to have the spark, she is immediately taken to the White Tower, so that puts a darker spin on them being so eager to live in Seanchan lands in KoD. Perhaps they’re fully willing to throw their poor sparkers at the Seanchan as the blood-price for the rest of them getting to live protected. Also, Verin is shorter than Moiraine, which I hadn’t known before!
38. Oooh, Tamra’s secret hunt for the Dragon Reborn is that she is offering a ‘thanksgiving’ bounty to any woman who gave birth “between the day when the first soldiers arrived and the day the threat ended”. The Accepted are to be sent out to try to record the names of all these women and their information. We’re reminded that Whitecloaks are currently part of the consolidated forces and “if he can safely put an arrow through [an Accepted’s] back, it will please him as much as if she were an Aes Sedai”, so the threat of the Whitecloaks was present twenty years ago as well. That’s another place where it feels like the show drew on New Spring for inspiration. Moiraine thinks “when an Aes Sedai went out into the world and vanished, as sometimes happened, the first thought was always the Whitecloaks. The Children called Aes Sedai Darkfriends and claimed that touching the One Power was blasphemy punishable by death, a sentence they were all too willing to carry out”. And Moiraine and Siuan are the only two here who know that Tamra is sending them out to try to find the Dragon Reborn.
39. Ah, Moiraine gets a ‘getting ready for traveling’ scene here, like she does in the opening of the show, including making sure to bring her dagger with her. I am reminded of how much Jordan liked to describe clothing in great depth, though. I have to admit, I absolutely skim over his descriptions of clothing most of the time, because I just. Don’t care that much lol.
40. I have to admit, when I originally read this in publication order (which was between CoT & KoD), I’m pretty sure that it made going into KoD make me despise the Seanchan even more deeply, because of how we get to see the inner workings of the White Tower and get to see more of the people that the Seanchan/Tuon will remorselessly brutalize in twenty years (this thought came to mind as I ran across a mention of Edesina, who is one of the Aes Sedai who came with Mat out of Ebou Dar). I must profess my PROFOUND bafflement that Jordan could choose to write the Seanchan storyline the way that he did in CoT & KoD in Perrin’s and Mat’s storylines and yet, in between those books, he wrote this prequel which showcased the complicated humanity of all of these women that Tuon and her Empire want to strip of their rights and freedoms. What was going on in his brain? How did he reconcile writing NS with having Mat genuinely feel like he “more than likes” slaver empress Tuon (who he is still terrified will enslave him, personally) and Perrin thinking about what a likable person his slaver BFF Tylee is (while she’s in the active process of enslaving people)? Baffling. CoT & KoD just... screwed over all the momentum of the Seanchan storyline, presumably all for the sake of a spin-off series that will never happen.
41. Moiraine bought a horse for herself to celebrate being made Accepted and she’d wanted to buy Siuan one as well (moment #10) but anti-horsegirl Siuan refused the offer.
42. lol, Moiraine disses on the random Andorans in Tar Valon so hard. “stubborn, overproud, and they lacked imagination”. And you’re gonna get stuck with five of them in the future! lol. She hates how plainly they dress, too, in comparison with people from other countries. We also get a very loving description of Tar Valon here (pg 69-70, for reference). Moiraine feeling so awed at actually being allowed to leave Tar Valon even though she’s still only Accepted is another fascinating contrast against how not-normal Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne’s experience in the White Tower was.
43. Yeah, the brazenness of the Whitecloaks here, momentarily blocking Moiraine & Co’s path out of Tar Valon, very much reminds me of the angle that Rafe took with the Whitecloaks in the first season.
44. “After six years practically in one another’s belt pouches” (moment #11). And Moiraine makes Siuan blush here. We see that they help keep each other in check and from going too far, when necessary.
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bonbonyenne · 7 months
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The Wheel of Time Rolls
And I, a longtime fan, watch it with my new-to-the-story husband.
In fact, NONE of the people I regularly interact with face to face have read the books, and so I turn to you, Dear Friends, to witness his thoughts with me.
1. Now that Moraine is cut off, he is Very Focused on whether she can lie or go back on the oath she swore to Siuan last season because he's pretty sure it was her own magic stopping her. Has been watching like a hawk on that score.
2. Thoughts on magic, in DND terms: Perrin's magic, to him, feels more "Primal" than the "Arcane" One Power. Like possibly there are multiple sources of magic and Perrin's came first, or is somehow decoupled from the One Power issues. He says "I don't think Perrin is in danger of going mad the way Rand and Mat are, I think his rage issues are something else."
3. Ajah predictions:
Nynaeve: Green or maybe yellow.
Egwene: Green because of Nynaeve's test? But she "doesn't feel formed into one ajah yet, she could go anywhere except maybe red."
Elayne: Gray or maybe even red.
Doesn't think we'll get any more prominent novices "unless there's a time skip and some new novices report to like Egwene or something in season 6."
4. More DND:
Perrin's class: Barbarian. Nynaeve: Sorcerer. Egwene: Wizard. Moiraine is a Wizard too but better than Egwene. Lan is a Fighter. Rand (who was a Fighter last season) has some Sorcerer multiclassing now. Mat is a Rogue.
In the future: Perrin could go Ranger. Mat could get some Warlock. If Nynaeve starts shaping her power she could multiclass but doesn't know where.
5. His new favorite character is Elayne.
Spoilers for the books below the cut:
I thought Moiraine was just in a very strong tied off shield but I am actually Super For this stilling thing. Realistically she doesn't really do much with the Power that someone else can't after book 1 and also it totally gives her purpose for dumping them like she did in book 2. Love that for her. Love that hubs picked up on the potential for lying and breaking oaths now too!! Interested to see if she stays this way, hogs the stilling plotline, or if any other prominently book-stilled characters 😉 still have that happen as well. Feel like Moiraine being stilled also would help Rand trust her later on.
2. I still can't tell whether he thinks Mat is a channeler or not??? He clearly said Rand and Mat in danger of going mad from the One Power but then classed Mat as a Rogue. Then again Rogue can use magic so... 🤷
3. Love his Egwene musings 😆😆
Also, I nearly SCREAMED when the Seanchan came out with Texan accents I was SO afraid they'd get generic British fantasy accents and I am SO HAPPY THEY DIDN'T.
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apocalypticavolition · 3 months
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Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 18: To the White Tower
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Obviously now that I'm vaguely back in the groove we can cut right to the chase: Spoilers, Whole Series, Don't Keep Going, Blahblahblahblah. Thank you, now click the Keep reading button and absorb all my secrets!
This chapter has the Flame of Tar Valon as its icon because it's about arriving in Tar Valon and the Amyrlin Seat herself.
The wind had risen as soon as the last of them was aboard the ships, back in Medo, and it had not failed or flagged for an instant since, day or night.
Rand gets the bulk of the wind as destiny imagery as the main prophetic figure but I'm sure we all agree that this is very appropriate for the first journey of the future Amyrlin to the city she'll call home.
The ship lurched with wind and current, and Nynaeve swallowed. “I’ll never step on a boat again,” she said breathlessly.
Or, hear me out: Every major life event you're going to have in the next year and a half will be boat-related. Robert Jordan, I mean, the Wheel really likes making you suffer.
She had never been very good at keeping things from Nynaeve, and she had not tried with the dreams. Nynaeve had tried to dose her at first, until she heard one of the Aes Sedai was interested; then she began to believe.
The shifts in the dynamics of their relationship are quite subtle at first, aren't they? Heck, the shifts in Nynaeve's acceptance of channeling are subtle. But little sentences like these are building up to the main events, as it were.
I like the woman, Nynaeve; I do. But she won’t tell me what I want to know.
And again we see the consequences of setting yourself up as all-knowing when you aren't. Egwene can't help but be resentful because she doesn't get that Anaiya is just as clueless as her.
Three times the man whose eyes were fire had been in her dreams each time when she dreamed a dream that convinced her Rand was in danger. He always wore a mask across his face; sometimes she could see his eyes, and sometimes she could only see fire where they should be.
Ish is laying the groundwork for Egwene's flight from the Tower pretty early. No wonder he's laughing at her so much. She has no clue what she's dealing with.
“And sometimes, Nynaeve, you sound just like Anaiya Sedai!” She put a special emphasis on the title, and was pleased to see Nynaeve grimace.
More little shifts...
“I said, sit!” The Amyrlin’s voice cracked like a whip, but Nynaeve kept rising, wavering. She still had both hands on the bed, but she was almost upright. Egwene held herself ready to catch her when she fell.
Unstoppable force, meet immovable object.
“I’d rather one of the Warders taught me how to use a sword,” Nynaeve growled. She swallowed convulsively, and opened her eyes. “There is someone I’d like to use it on.” Egwene looked at her sharply; did Nynaeve mean the Amyrlin—which was stupid, and dangerous besides—or Lan? She snapped at Egwene every time Lan was mentioned.
Maybe she wants to use it on you, Egwene, since you won't shut up about the man she loves. Hell, maybe she wants to off herself to escape the hell that is being on a boat to Tar Valon.
It's probably just a veiled threat at the Amyrlin though.
The sword became a paring knife. There was no shrinking; it just was one thing, then the other. “This, now, is useful.” The paring knife turned to mist, and the mist faded away. The Amyrlin put her empty hand back in her lap. “But either takes more effort than it is worth.
Since Siuan is quite powerful, if she judges what seems like a relatively simple weave as more trouble than it's worth, we can assume that most women wouldn't be able to maintain it in combat at all. I wonder why it's not worth it though exactly; is it particularly draining or is it just that there are so many simpler combat weaves? Or is it that this weave is harder to pull off because of the Oaths?
“If I must learn all this,” Nynaeve broke in stiffly, “I would as soon learn something useful. All this—this . . . ‘Make the air stir, Nynaeve. Light the candle, Nynaeve. Now put it out. Light it again.’ Paah!”
Nynaeve is being extra stubborn here, since it doesn't take much imagination to understand how mastering the basics of two of the elements would lead to far more impressive skills. Besides, being able to light a candle at a distance is plenty useful.
“Release me!” Nynaeve grated. Her eyes glared, and her head jerked from side to side, but the rest of her sat as rigidly as a statue. Egwene realized that she was not the only one held. “Let me go!”
We can see this as a good indicator for the girls' current comparative skill levels at the fundamentals of channeling. Egwene is quite capable of recognizing when a struggle is useless and becoming passive while Nynaeve is kicking and screaming the whole way even though there's no reason to freak out.
You might reach out with your hands and pick up a chest that weighs as much as you do; you look strong. But take hold of yourself however you will, you cannot pick yourself up.
While obviously the low technological nature of the setting makes it difficult to ascertain how the One Power reacts to the four fundamental forces of modern physics, one can't help but observe that a possible resolution to the discrepancies between gravity and the other three is that gravity seems to be a far stronger limiter on the Power than the others. You can make as much lightning as you want and tear things apart at the molecular level with Traveling, but you can't lift yourself into the air even though the Source surely has the raw strength for such a task.
Suddenly the Amyrlin flew backwards so hard her head rebounded from the wall, and there she stayed, as if something were pressing against her.
Nynaeve really is terrifyingly powerful when you get down to it. Forced to choose between surrendering to Siuan or saidar, she picked the latter and is quite formidable.
Nynaeve, floating in the air with her eyes ablaze, said, “You let me go right now, or I’ll—” Abruptly a look of amazement came over her face, a look of loss. Her mouth worked silently.
Of course, the problem with only being able to surrender under duress is that sometimes it works entirely against your best interests.
Nynaeve’s eyes widened, and she had just time to start a yell before she dropped, hitting her bed with a loud thud. Egwene winced; the mattresses were thin, and the wood beneath hard. Nynaeve’s face stayed frozen as she shifted the way she sat, just a fraction.
This isn't TECHNICALLY a spanking, but it's functionally one, so here we go with an early instance of this particular Jordan fetish.
As the door closed behind the Amyrlin, Egwene raised one hand; a tiny flame sprang to life, balanced a hairbreadth above the tip of her forefinger, then danced from fingertip to fingertip. She was not supposed to do this without a teacher—one of the Accepted, at the very least—to watch over her, but she was too excited at her progress to pay any mind to that.
And so we set up one Egwene's more glaring flaws - hardly a major one to have of course, but I do think it's disappointing she never suffered any consequences for her various private studies. It feels like a narrative unfinished.
She never could do very much unless she was angry, and then it all burst out of her. After failure upon failure, the Amyrlin had done everything she could to rouse her again.
I really do wonder if the Aes Sedai teaching would have ever been able to break Nynaeve's block if she'd been able to just train at the Tower without all the upcoming interruptions. It seems so far out of their usual wheelhouse that I question if they'd have ever adapted to it, or if they even could. Nynaeve being a main character might mean that any Mirror World version of her where she didn't pursue heroism would be stunted forever.
Compared to Nynaeve, the Amyrlin had only coaxed her, smiled at her successes, sympathized with her failures, then coaxed again. But all the Aes Sedai had said things would be different in the White Tower; harder, though they would not say how.
Really, as jealous as Egwene must be that Nynaeve gets to skip a grade, it's really for the best for her that she gets to have a class to herself. She'd hate being stuck around teachers constantly dealing with the Wisdom.
And as for how it's different, as best as I can remember it's mostly that there are more students and a shitton of chores to worry about.
The walls of the city, the Shining Walls of Tar Valon, glistened white as the sun broke through the clouds. And on the west bank, its broken top leaking a thin wisp of smoke, Dragonmount reared black against the sky, one mountain standing among flat lands and rolling hills.
So if the island and the mountain are painfully obvious metaphors for genitals, does that make the thin wisp of smoke slowly leaking out a metaphor for...
*coughs*
Some structures did not look like buildings at all, but like gigantic waves breaking, or huge shells, or fanciful, wind-sculpted cliffs. Right in front of the arch lay a broad square, with a fountain and trees, and Egwene could see another square further on. Above everything rose the towers, tall and graceful, some with sweeping bridges between them, high in the sky. And over all rose one tower, higher and wider than all the rest, as white as the Shining Walls themselves.
We need more urban design like this. When are the Ogier coming?
Honestly I don't have much to say about the Aes Sedai flat out not paying Nynaeve or Egwene any attention or helping them off the boat. It's exactly the attitude you'd expect from an organization that doesn't understand why it's having recruiting problems. Sheriam will talk about this here in a bit but like... she's obviously only interested in diverting Black Ajah candidates to the right mentors, not increasing or decreasing the sum total in any appreciable way.
“They care,” the woman said, smiling. “I came here to meet you, but I was delayed speaking with the Amyrlin. I am Sheriam, the Mistress of Novices.”
Delayed speaking to the Amyrlin or to Ishamael?
The work is hard, and even for one with the potential they tell me you have, it will not be made any easier. If you cannot stick to it, no matter how hard it is, or if you will break under the strain, better we find it out now, and let you go on your way, than wait until you are a full sister and others are depending on you.
One of the few sensible policies the Tower seems to have, though as we'll see this book their implementation of this policy is insanity.
“I told you I spoke with the Amyrlin. Rest your worries for your friend. Novice training is hard, but not that hard. That is for the first few weeks of being one of the Accepted.”
I'm still going with my paranoid theories, Sheriam.
But it's sweet that Nynaeve worried about Egwene. Like I said, their dynamic hasn't exactly shifted yet, though this chapter actually does lay a lot of the groundwork for it.
Next time: Rand flirts with hypothermia, much to Lanfear's frustration.
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birgittesilverbae · 2 years
Conversation
moiraine: this is my wife, siuan. she's 'handsome rather than beautiful'
egwene: this is elaida. she's also 'handsome rather than beautiful'
moiraine: egwene what the fuck
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avermillionmiles · 2 years
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Everything I have complaints about in episode 6 of Wheel of Time put together isn't even a tenth of the one big complaint I had for episode 5, so on the whole I'm pretty okay with it.
That's an excellent point, about Siuan's origins. I think I always thought about her being from Tear being about the humbleness of it, but the exact circumstances never really hit me.
Also decent fishing metaphors, this makes me happy. And we get an understanding of Tear being hostile toward Aes Sedai in general! Demonstration of the Dragon's fang at work! (Though it looks suspiciously like faded orange spray paint? I didn't stop to scrutinize but it didn't look scrawled so much) All in all completely approve of this scene.
How much of a pain was it to make a floor with seven-pointed symmetry?
Are the women escorting Logain Accepted? (Actually I think saw a man later in the same garb, but still. Who knows?)
What a show everyone is putting on.
"I was unaware?" I suppose it's technically not "I was unaware until that moment" and could mean something more like "I was unaware until I met her" but a lot of people are gonna have problems with this one. Heck Liandrin should have known she could channel after coming within arm's length, let alone literally any other Aes Sedai to give her a second glance. Are they just not gonna do that thing where they can see/detect potential? That'd be fine, but then how can they justify Egwene? This one little thing has a whole mess of implications.
Oh, and Liandrin bringing up things in completely different regions—like is it Moiraine's responsibility to identify every danger across the entire world from wherever she is? Is she the only active Blue? Surely each of those regions had someone there who could have said something. What were those people doing? Twiddling thumbs? There was a way to do it properly, and this was close, just not quite there for me.
Considering they're supposed to cut ties to who they were I feel like that insinuation about her background shouldn't have happened, but at the same time it makes the accusation that much more insulting. The stuff about the Amyrlin being impartial was a real concern though, and it was good to bring it up. Maybe not in this way, though? I feel like it's not the kind of thing you bring up
to her face
in front of others
in the middle of an important meeting
any and all of the above
...is that a pear? Persimmons and pears? What's next, passionfruit?
Sorry I can only laugh at Rand and Mat both assuming things. "I know what Aes Sedai do to men like me" indeed. Rand needs to learn how to use a sword. I think I missed how Moiraine got the dagger away from Mat because I was still laughing. Did he try to stab her or what? Interesting stuff with the dagger, I'm holding out on judgment until... probably next season, if this is where he's getting written out. I wonder if... that shiny-shiny Mat has fate with is in the Tower instead? Hmm. But it would be difficult to justify its theft there, and it would complicate Ingtar, maybe.
Moiraine would it actually kill you to tell these kids what they want to know. ...this is true enough to character. And since she said it both times she probably knew both times she said it.
We finally have a bigger bite on what makes it maybe Perrin, but at the same time... he had how much time in this episode? Still feels like he's not getting enough attention.
I was expecting Siuan/Moiraine stuff but having it happen immediately after being reminded this is super against Tower regulations is kinda... y'know? Like it's important stuff that as an Aes Sedai you leave your connections behind, and that the Amyrlin is no longer of an Ajah. Tower culture demands so much dedication to the Tower, so much abandoning of everything else, and that most of all from the Amyrlin, the highest seat. I wonder if her station is book-canonically (I haven't read NS) why their relationship ended (also kind of why I was expecting to get it only in flashbacks). I can get over it. The essentials of the difference between the public perception of their relationship and the true nature of it, plus the plot they're involved in is there.
The rest of it is very reminiscent of their first talk, and the mention of a five-headed Dragon is intriguing. I guess I can buy the "we're not convinced of anything" thing and much more so the "I'm so tired just let me say I found them" thing, maybe less so the "I know Nynaeve's too old but hear me out" thing.
I honestly do not care about a single word in this conversation between the Amyrlin and the girls. Except for maybe one thing I could be remembering wrong. Wasn't it a bigger deal to call Siuan by name? Like once you become Amyrlin that is who you are and no one calls you anything else? I seem to remember her complaining that she couldn't get Leane to drop that formality so she hadn't been called by name in ages until they were reunited. I can understand Moiraine, especially in this context, but to be this casual with outsiders? It could've been special if that had been brought up in their scene together.
What was on Siuan's side of the painting? Also weirdly this random ter'angreal is closer to what could have been a Waygate than the actual Waygate, with the little glowy tree and then whoosh! Y'know? Aside from the size, anyway.
I really wish they'd had Loial do something to open the Ways. He was right there, and they were built for the Ogier, after all. Channeling is something Ogier have nothing to do with, so having them opened by channeling is, uh... Really Problematic. I saw someone saying maybe the Ogier would have their own way to open them but then WHY THE HECK DID LOIAL NOT DO SO. I'll stop here because I'm sure you've seen other frustrations and I doubt I have anything new to say.
Oh I forgot where it was but the stuff about muting? muffling? what was the word (masking, it was masking)—anyway about the bonds was good. Getting that in there so we're not overwhelmed by the concept later.
The Oath Rod I thought was going to be really insulting (it still is, kinda) considering they can't lie, a normal oath should have sufficed, and if she'd come back it would have been to pointed fingers naming her a Darkfriend. The contents being as small as "I won't come back to the Tower until I'm given permission" made me forget all that, for the most part.
I suppose it was actually for the formality of "exile" more than anything, as other parts spoke of formality, rather than the necessity of the oath. The turning of backs, etc. For reasons I dare not mention, it's probably a good thing she swore the way she did. Can you imagine the mess otherwise?
The Oath Rod itself was better than I thought it would be, with seeing the weave pass through it to become binding. I do hope we get the whole range of ter'angreal quality, from "wow this really pretty piece of marble can yeet you into another dimension" to "this thing made of gold makes your hair curl slightly if you channel unsafe amounts of Power through it" to "lol this random piece of wood I picked up yeets you to another dimension and curls your hair but also you might die if you use it too close to a doorway"
I think over all it wasn't as bad as I was worried it would be from what I heard, but "not a single Aes Sedai in that whole camp had any idea Nynaeve could channel" and "what are they even doing with the Waygates" are the biggest issues, long term. I don't really care what they're doing with the Eye of the World, so long as they can justify themselves decently. It was a little iffy in the book and it didn't really make sense to me until I read a few outside explanations about what it was and why it was (barely) important. I kind of hope we get to see the Green Man but it'd take some explaining that might be hard to do smoothly.
They have not been saying names out loud often enough. General complaint for the series, really, but especially. The horses. They've got to tell us what Lan's horse is named before Faile gets here. It's important to me. They had a good chance setting them loose before entering the Ways, but just pats? Missed opportunity. Maybe when we get more into the Old Tongue?
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neuxue · 5 years
Text
Wheel of Time liveblogging: The Gathering Storm ch 43
I get the argument I’ve been waiting for, and Egwene wins (in absentia) the battle she’s preparing for
Chapter 43: Sealed to the Flame
Egwene sat quietly in her tent, hands in her lap. She controlled her shock, her burning anger and her incredulity.
YES. THANK YOU. This is precisely the reaction I was hoping for and I’m so very glad we’re continuing almost exactly where we left off, because I want to watch this.
Now let just a little of that control go and break up with Gawyn, please.
Egwene had allowed no attendants besides Chesa this morning. She had even turned away Siuan, who had undoubtedly come to offer some kind of apology.
Less dramatic than throwing an inkwell at her, but really I’m just here for the ‘Egwene being furious at being “rescued” against her will’ and will be content with more or less any form it takes.
Egwene needed time to think, to prepare, to deal with her failure. And it was a failure. Yes, it had been forced on her by others, but those others were her followers and friends.
Ah, Egwene. This was not your fault. You did everything you could.
And as I was typing that it occurred to me…this is right after the chapter where Rand absolves himself of responsibility for what is happening in Arad Doman, tells himself he’s done everything he can and there’s nothing else he can do, and walks away. And so of course we immediately get Egwene doing almost the opposite. Taking a situation where she really has done just about everything she could, and still looking at it critically for places where she could have done better.
She was carried away via gateway, just like Rand, but unlike Rand she looks back.
Perhaps she had been too secretive. It was a danger—secrecy.
3.5 MILLION WORDS BUT WE FINALLY GOT THERE.
Okay, fine, other characters have occasionally expressed similar sentiments. Still. For the effective Amyrlin Seat of all people to even consider that there are dangers to secrecy, that secrecy could be a failure is…quite something. Round of applause for Egwene.
Egwene ran her fingers along the smooth, tightly woven pouch she wore tied to her belt. Inside was a long, thin item, retrieved secretly from the White Tower earlier in the morning.
Vora’s sa’angreal? Or…the Oath Rod? And by ‘earlier in the morning’ does she mean she went back into the Tower? I suppose the game is kind of up at this point in terms of her being a captive of any sort, so she could in theory come and go as she pleases…
Yes, Egwene had made mistakes. She could not lay all the blame on Siuan, Bryne, and Gawyn.
It’s fine; if you don’t, I will. Egwene’s probably in the right here but do I care? Not particularly. (Oh wait, that was Gawyn’s mistake. Damn it, now I’m conflicted. FINE, Egwene, be the voice of reason).
She had likely made other mistakes as well; she would need to look at her own action sin more detail later.
I like this, because it’s honest self-criticism and self-examination without self-loathing or self-flagellation. (‘Self’ no longer looks like a word). It’s a more difficult balance than it seems, sometimes, and this is such a calmly rational example. She has made mistakes, and she can accept that and know that she needs to learn from them, without dwelling needlessly on them and berating herself for them. She can’t change what has happened, after all, but she can try to learn from it and do better next time. What a weirdly healthy and productive way of dealing with things!
She’d been pulled from the White Tower on the brink of success. What was to be done?
That’s a difficult question, especially given the huge blind spot she has in terms of: what is happening in the Tower right now? Also, how close to success was she? Narratively speaking, it feels like she was PRETTY DAMN CLOSE, and also there was that whole paragraph of ‘surprise! Elaida’s out of the picture’ but Egwene doesn’t even know that. So will those in the Tower decide that she is Amyrlin in truth, or will they look for another solution? And what can she do to push that the right way, without fucking everything up completely? It’s such a fine balance, and there are so many unknowns, and anything she does risks disaster.
So, no pressure or anything, Egwene.
So she remained seated, arms on the hand rests, wearing a fine silken gown of green with yellow patterns on the bodice.
Green and Yellow, for battle and healing. Battle or healing? Either way, both represent the conflict with the Tower right now.
Yeah, she definitely can’t just go back and resume her old role—she knows full well that only worked because they thought she was actually a captive. And in a way, the realisation that she wasn’t, that she could have left anytime she wanted and spared herself all that pain, might be another thing for those still in the Tower to think over. How many would willingly subject themselves to that, all for the sake of the Tower? It could certainly add to her…legend, I suppose. Or it could undermine her. It just depends on who’s looking at it and how they want to spin things. So many unknowns…
She was realising more and more that being the Amyrlin wasn’t different. Life was a tempest, whether you were a milkmaid or a queen. The queens were simply better at projecting control in the middle of that storm. If Egwene looked like a statue unaffected by the winds, it was actually because she saw how to bend with those winds. That gave the illusion of control. No. It was not just an illusion.
Surrender to control. Accept that she is as subject to the whims of the Pattern as anyone, and instead of fighting that, use it. Power is an illusion of perception, so creat the image of control, of power, of calm, and you’re halfway there.
It’s not the first time she’s had to think along these lines, but it feels like a…closing bookend, in a sense, where the opening one was Moiraine telling her ‘because I remembered how to control saidar’ and Egwene being faced with that notion, and what it truly means, for the first time.
She had to be as logical as a White, as thoughtful as a Brown, as passionate as a Blue, as decisive as a Green, as merciful as a Yellow, as diplomatic as a Grey. And yes, as vengeful as a Red, when necessary.
Of all Ajahs and of none, in truth. It’s what the Tower as a whole needs to be; the Ajahs must work together to make the Tower an entity unto itself, rather than a collection of disparate fragments. And so, in Egwene, that unity and diversity is embodied. And it’s not just empty words; she understands what it means to be of all Ajahs and none, and the importance of it.
That left her with a difficult decision. She had a fresh army of fifty thousand troops, and the White Tower had suffered an incredible blow. The Aes Sedai would be exhausted, the Tower Guard broken and wounded.
Ah. That’s…I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that this is her conclusion, given the information she has and the position she’s in. Because she’s right; if she’s going to do this, she has a very small window of time, and she could maybe succeed with minimal casualties, if the Tower is weakened enough to surrender rather than fight.
But…she just protected the Tower in battle. To bring another battle against it feels…
She hoped that history would eventually forgive her.
Oh, Egwene.
(Forgive me, for calling this mercy as well).
It just feels like a mistake, though from where she’s standing it’s entirely reasonable, and maybe the best option. She can’t wait for the Aes Sedai in the Tower to call her back as Amyrlin, because she has absolutely no guarantees that they would do so. She can’t wait here, because then the Tower will regain its strength and an attack would only be worse. She’s tried the diplomatic route, such as it is. She doesn’t know Elaida is gone. What choice does that leave her?
And she hates it; she is not approaching this unfeeling. But what else can she do?
It still feels like the wrong choice.
Seriously, Gawyn? You slept outside her tent? Someone needs to teach this boy the difference between ‘romantic’ and ‘excessive’.
But I am ready for this confrontation. For this to be a confrontation, that is, because if it is ANYTHING ELSE, I will probably just lose my shit. And not in a good way.
It was not the time to be a lovesick girl. It was time to be Amyrlin.
I like the way she consistently recognises the separation, and can shift between those roles without…losing herself, I suppose. Being the Amyrlin doesn’t mean killing the girl entirely, it just means knowing when to set her aside. And, fair, these days that’s most of the time. But she still allows that girl to be a part of who she is.
“Gawyn,” she said, raising a hand, stopping him as he stepped toward her. “I haven’t begun to think about what to do with you. Other matters demand my attention.”
THIS IS WHAT I WANTED. Well, honestly, I was up for just about anything that involved a confrontation, but Egwene opening with this not-mad-just-disappointed-don’t-talk-to-me-right-now calm yet exasperated and so very this-is-not-my-priority-go-wait-in-the-corner, only-adult-in-the-situation is DELIGHTFUL.
“No,” Gawyn said, stepping up in front of her. “Egwene, we need to talk.”
“Later.”
“No, not later, burn it! I’ve waited months.”
Oh, poor you. You know who else has waited months? Egwene. To deal with the Tower. Not just waited, but has been actively working towards this. This has been her job, Gawyn, and she needs to deal with it right now because it’s sort of non-trivial in case you haven’t noticed, and your ego can take a damn number and wait. You are not the most important thing here. It’s time you recognised that there is more going on than the things affecting you.
But that’s Gawyn’s whole…thing, isn’t it? He self-deprecates like no other, but he still sees himself as the centre of this story. He is the perfect heroic archetype, the golden prince who knows exactly how his story is meant to go, who knows the script and still cannot understand why it’s not…working. Cannot understand what story he’s actually in, and hasn’t yet worked out how to look past that and see the truth of what’s actually happening, unclouded by the lens of his own perception that tells him to look at everything through the eyes of the Hero Of The Story. That was who he was raised to be, after all, until the Pattern decided to deal him a hand of ‘fuck you’.
I’ve said it before; it’s a fascinating thing to do with a character—to basically have him read out, say, Romeo’s lines while everyone around him is doing Twelfth Night—but right now, when it’s getting in the way of Egwene being awesome and making him into every stereotype of That Guy, I’m just fed up with it.
Telling her ‘no, you need to talk to me because I’ve been waiting’ when she’s about to go do her job is just. No. Don’t be that guy, Gawyn.
“I said that I hadn’t sorted through my feelings yet,” she said coolly, “and I meant it.”
He set his jaw. “I don’t believe that Aes Sedai calmness, Egwene.”
Oh man I’ve heard this conversation. Hell, I’ve had this conversation. LISTEN. TO. WHAT. SHE’S. TELLING. YOU. When she says she’s not sure, or that she needs to think about something, especially when she’s angry at you, it’s probably a terrible idea to just…say that you know better. That you know what she’s thinking better than she does.
“I’ve sacrificed—”
“You’ve sacrificed?” Egwene interrupted, letting a little anger show. “What about what I sacrificed to rebuild the White Tower? Sacrifices that you undermined by acting against my express wishes? Did Siuan not tell you that I had forbidden a rescue?”
“She did,” he said stiffly. “But we were worried about you!”
“Well, that worry was the sacrifice I demanded, Gawyn,” she said, exasperated.
YOU TELL HIM, EGWENE.
When I said I wanted to be a fly on the wall when Egwene wakes up, this is exactly what I meant.
Because someone needs to get it through Gawyn’s head that he is not the only agent in this story. That yes, he has made sacrifices and yes, he was worried, but that doesn’t give him any sort of priority over other people who have done the exact same. It doesn’t give him priority over Egwene’s responsibilities to the Tower and her role, and it sure as hell doesn’t give him authority to override her decisions.
Do you even know what she’s been through, Gawyn? What she’s accomplished? What she’s working for even now? Has it ever occurred to you to ask?
Or did you never think beyond what you’ve been through and what you’ve done in order to be with her. Because obviously only your actions and thoughts matter in that regard, right? Because once you’re together she’ll just…exist exactly as you want and everything will go according to your plans and you’re the only one who could possibly make it so and what business could she possibly have of her own outside of that?
Am I being a little unfair to Gawyn? Maybe. But wow does this push all of my buttons regarding a specific pattern of behaviour a lot of guys show with regards to their female love interests, both in fiction and in reality.
So watching Egwene tear him a new one over it is wonderfully cathartic, I must say.
“Don’t you see what a distrust you have shown me?”
YES. THIS. EXACTLY.
He decided to rescue her against her express orders because…well, of course he has to rescue her! Of course he knows better than she does! And there is absolutely no trust in that. Even if Egwene were wrong, even if she did need to be rescued—and that’s certainly a possibility; there’s no way of knowing what would happen if she were still in the Tower—going against her wishes like this, without even asking her or trying to find a way to communicate with her or persuade her or explain your view of the situation to see if it matches hers is a massive display of…not even distrust but of failing to even consider her competence. It’s patronising.
Anyway I just love watching Egwene articulate all of this. She’s not just angry; she’s very clear about why she’s angry. And she gets pretty quickly to the heart of it: that he didn’t trust her. Or consider that her opinion and her read on the situation should be trusted. He just came in with barely any knowledge of the situation and assumed, immediately, that he knew better than she did.
Gawyn didn’t look ashamed; he just looked perturbed.
Yeah, well, he should. I’ll give him some credit if he actually takes to heart what she’s saying, but that remains to be seen.
“You love me, Egwene,” he said stubbornly. “I can see it.”
*flings book across the room*
Guys? Friendly piece of advice. Telling a woman how she feels, while ignoring what she is telling you regarding how she feels? Not attractive.
Anyway Egwene is doing a rather excellent job here.
“Egwene the woman loves you,” she said. “But Egwene the Amyrlin is furious with you. Gawyn, if you’d be with me, you have to be with both the woman and the Amyrlin. I would expect you—man who was trained to be First Prince of the Sword—to understand that distinction.”
Gawyn looked away.
DRAG HIM.
That was beautiful. Calm, cool, entirely justified, and right on target.
She has to walk that line so carefully herself, between Egwene the woman and Egwene the Amyrlin, and she’s absolutely right that if he is to be with her, he has to understand and—perhaps more importantly—accept that. Accept that she has a role and a duty that exists entirely outside of him, no matter what he might want, and that she can’t toss it aside for him. Nor does she want to.
And…yeah, he should understand that, raised as he was to be First Prince of the Sword to a sister who would be Queen. He should, but he doesn’t, because he was also raised to be the hero of his story, and Egwene is…not playing the role he thought she would, and he’s confused.
And being a dick about it.
“You don’t believe it, do you?” she asked.
“What?”
“That I’m Amyrlin,” she said. “You don’t accept my title.”
“I’m trying to,” he said as he looked back at her.
Yeah sorry but that only gets you a very, very small amount of partial credit. I get that it’s a surprise, and he’s hardly the first to react with disbelief, but…even if he doesn’t fully believe it, and even if it’s a struggle to get his mind around it, he needs to not let that affect his trust in her.
The appropriate response would be something like ‘yeah it’s a surprise, and honestly kind of hard to believe—how did it happen? Is there anything I can help with?’
Even Mat looks better in comparison—he acted like a complete arse when he first heard that Egwene was Amyrlin, but what he did just before he left for The Worst Plotline Ebou Dar, bowing to her and calling her ‘Mother’ to make a point in front of the Aes Sedai who saw her as nothing more than a puppet, was far more the right thing to do. He still doubted, but outwardly he did what he could to support her, and to let her know he supported her.
“But bloody ashes, Egwene. When we parted you were just an Accepted, and that wasn’t so long ago. Now they’ve named you Amyrlin? I don’t know what to think.”
‘But Egwene, it doesn’t make sense to me with my incomplete knowledge of the situation, so you must be wrong’.
Oh, sorry Gawyn, am I putting words into your mouth? Telling you how you really feel? Wonder what that feels like.
“And you can’t see how your uncertainty undermines anything we could have together?”
FUCKING YES.
DO NOT LET HIM OFF EASY.
ASSUMING SOMEONE’S INCOMPETENCE IS NOT ATTRACTIVE.
Every bit of this conversation—no, that’s a lie, every bit of Egwene’s side of this conversation—is exactly what I was hoping it would be and more.
And finally he’s like okay fine I’ll try to change but you need to guide me because I can’t seem to work it out for myself and need someone to hold my hand every step of the way.
I’m paraphrasing, but he deserves it.
“Fine,” Egwene said, passing him. “I can’t think about that now. I have to go order people I care about to slaughter another group of people I care about.”
What a beautiful dismissal. What a beautiful assertion of priorities. Sorry, Gawyn, go wait in the corner with your confusion and your feelings because the grown-ups have some tough decisions to make about, you know, the fate of the world and stuff.
On another note entirely…it’s again a contrast in the making of those harsh decisions between Egwene and Rand. For her, the caring is inextricably tied to it. This is a hard decision and people will die and she has to make it anyway, knowing that.
Gawyn’s like ‘but won’t that make you sad’ and yeah, Gawyn, it will. Better that it would than that it wouldn’t, because we’ve seen what happens when the latter state of mind is reached. (I mean, it was one hell of a beautiful scene, but it wasn’t exactly uh. A good thing).
“I will do what must be done, Gawyn,” she said, meeting his eyes. “For the good of the Aes Sedai and the White Tower. Even if it is painful. Even if it tears me apart inside. I will do it if it needs to be done. Always.”
And she will accept that pain as she has accepted so much pain already, accept it and let it tear her apart inside and go on anyway. She doesn’t spend time hating herself for it, or trying to wall it off; there’s no point. And so she accepts what she must do, and the pain as part of it, because she believes in her reasons for doing it. Because she’s fighting for something. She’ll make these decisions, but she will weigh them against those costs and against that pain and she will not take the harshest route simply because it is the easiest.
But she will take it, if she has to. She has the capacity to be ruthless, and if she needs to, she will be. She will order death today, unless something happens to prevent it. Like Rand, she will do what she believes is necessary, even if there is a cost.
‘This was your fault’ is always a good way to start a scene. No futile arguments here, definitely not.
We’re with the Ajah heads—that much was obvious from the opening dialogue, really. Who else would sit in a circle discussing whom among them is to blame? Get it together, please.
I’m pretty sure we’re in Jesse Bilal’s POV but it’s a little hard to tell. Okay, yes, we are. And she’s not exactly singing this group’s praises. That at least is promising; maybe Egwene’s not the only one capable of learning from her mistakes.
Ferane Neheran—First Reasoner of the White—was a small, stout woman who, oddly for a White, often seemed more temper than logic. Today was one of those times: she sat scowling, her arms folded. She’d refused a cup of tea.
What is wrong with you?
(I’ll take that tea, if you’re not having it.)
(And I no longer trust Ferane.)
Jesse, Adelorna, Ferane, Suana, and Serancha. Pretty sure we knew most of those, but it’s good to have a solid list.
“There is little use in assigning blame.” Suana attempted to be soothing
And, more importantly, the rational adult in the room, it would seem.
Meanwhile Adelorna’s still spoiling for a fight. Save it for Tarmon Gai’don.
“and the Dragon Reborn still walks the earth unfettered.”
In more ways than you know.
At least now they’ve moved on to ‘our’ fault, rather than ‘your’ fault. Accepting responsibility is helpful. Trying to pass it off to the next person like a hot potato is less so.
The first [opportunity] had been the easiest to take hold of: send Sitters to the rebels to steer them and hasten a reconciliation. The most youthful of Sitters had been chosen, their replacements in the Tower intended to serve only a short time. The Ajah heads had been certain this ripple of a rebellion could be easily smoothed over.
And so Siuan’s strange ‘pattern’ has an explanation at last. That’s…not too far off what I was thinking, though I certainly didn’t put together the whole of it. It makes sense—or at least, it makes sense that they would at least try something like this.
They hadn’t taken it seriously enough. That had been their first mistake.
Yours, and so many others’.
The didn’t take it seriously enough, and they vastly overestimated their own ability to control their agents. And vastly underestimated Elaida’s capacity to fuck shit up.
“And then there were the rebels. Far more difficult to control than presumed.”
Thanks in very large part to Siuan, Leane, and Egwene. Without those three, the Ajah heads’ plan may well have worked.
We never should have let Elaida disband the Blue Ajah, Jesse thought. The Blues might have been willing to come back, had it not happened. But it was such a dishonour that they dug in. Light only knew how dangerous that was; the histories were filled with accounts of how dogged the Blues could be at getting their way, particularly when they were forced into a corner.
Or trapped in another dimension?
“I think it is time to admit that there is no hope to save our plans,” Suana said. “Are we agreed?”
“Agreed,” Adelorna said. 
One by one, the sisters nodded their heads, and so did Jesse herself. Even in this room, it was difficult to admit fault. But it was time to cut their losses and begin rebuilding.
Jesse’s not understating it—that’s a hard thing for anyone to admit, much less leaders of a group known for pride and stubbornness. For them to agree to move past it, to focus on rebuilding rather than on clinging to a plan and to power they’ve lost, is a major step.
Now make the right decision, you five.
So far so good: they’re pretty much immediately unanimous in the decision to abandon Elaida to her fate.
“The Amyrlin is buried somewhere in a mass of Seanchan captives”
An experience both Amyrlin claimants now share.
Of course, this means the days of keeping Travelling from the Seanchan are over, but that always felt like an inevitability. Too many people know it at this point; eventually, something was going to go wrong. You can’t keep a secret with that many.
“Then we need a replacement,” Serancha said. “But who?”
Three guesses how this ends.
But this is what Egwene has been driving towards. Not Elaida’s fall so much as the Aes Sedai’s choice. Her battle wasn’t truly against Elaida; it was a fight to unite the Tower around her, to heal the cracks with it and give them a leader they could trust and rely on and look to. And for that to work, they have to choose her.
So in that sense, it doesn’t matter than Elaida is out of the picture so much as it matters that they choose Egwene. It is about the choice, not about the fight.
“What about Saerin Asnobar?” Jesse asked. “She has shown uncanny wisdom of late, and she is well liked.”
“Of course you’d choose a Brown,” Adelorna said.
And that, right there, is why Egwene is going to win this. Because the divisions between the Ajahs still run too deep for any sister who wears the shawl to gain support. No matter the Ajah, it would be seen as unfairness.
Maybe a Blue would have a chance, as the Blue was disbanded within the Tower and therefore wasn’t really able to become as much a part of the inter-Ajah enmity. But that would mean choosing one of the rebels, and choosing someone who none of them have seen or interacted with for almost a year, and people don’t work that way.
So of course they all start advocating members of their own Ajah, and defending their own Ajah’s virtues as the best for the situation, and you’re all missing the point. All of those things are needed. That’s why the Amyrlin is meant to be of all Ajahs and none; because no one virtue or goal is sufficient on its own, or better than the others. But they can’t look past the Ajah traits and stereotypes to accept that a woman chosen from one Ajah could indeed embody all.
“Are we just going to squabble as the Hall has been doing all morning? Each Ajah offering its own members, and the others summarily rejecting them?”
I mean…yes. That’s exactly what’s happening, and it doesn’t take the Foretelling to have predicted it.
Which only leaves one eligible candidate, really. Who has, coincidentally, spent the past weeks running a rather effective campaign.
Of course, they still don’t jump to the obvious conclusion, but first have a go at choosing one amongst themselves. Before rejecting that idea, too, as it would upset the delicate balance here.
Any day now, ladies.
“They’re so divided they can’t agree on what colour the sky is.”
Yeah, well, neither could the clouds in the Prologue, so at least they’re in keeping with the Pattern.
Suana really is the only adult in this room, and her patience is truly that of a saint. How many times has she had to say something along the lines of ‘okay, but we still need to deal with the actual issues here’?
Serancha shook her head. “I honestly can’t think of a single woman that a sufficient number of Sitters would support.”
“I can,” Adelorna said softly.
And so here we are. Finally. It seems inevitable…but the way it’s played out also feels very true to who the Aes Sedai are.
“She was mentioned in the Hall several times today. You know of whom I speak. She is young, and her circumstances are unusual, but everything is unusual at the moment.”
And more importantly, she is the one person among them all who has put more effort into uniting than dividing. The others have accepted that they must work together, but it is still a fragile acceptance, and as this conversation shows, difficult to maintain when things get complicated. It’s too easy to retreat behind the walls they’ve built around their Ajahs, too easy to cast blame and judgements. Too easy to fall apart. But Egwene has been working tirelessly to unite them despite that; Egwene, who never chose an Ajah, and who fought for a Tower even as it tried to reject her.
Who else could they choose?
The others still aren’t so sure, but they’re very quickly talking themselves into it. That’s what happens when there isn’t much choice. And when she has made quite the case for herself.
“You’ve heard the reports of her actions during the attack,” Adelorna said. “I can confirm that they are true. I was there with her for most of it.”
And called her Mother, as I recall.
“Surely some of what was said is exaggeration.”
Adelorna shook her head grimly. “No. It isn’t. It sounds incredible…but it…well, it happened. All of it.”
This is almost as good as the outsider POV realisations of what—or rather who—was happening during that battle. The part of me that reads fantasy for good old-fashioned wish-fulfilment loves these moments where characters realise, or point out, or are faced with, just how incredible another character is.
And this is what Egwene has worked for, and bled for. She deserves this, and they’re recognising it, and Gawyn should be taking notes.
“If the Sitters will not stand for someone of another Ajah, what of a woman who never picked an Ajah? A woman who has some experience—however unjustified—in holding the very position we are discussing?”
Never underestimate the value of previous job experience in a candidate for a leadership position. Ahem. I am absolutely not in any way speaking of a real-life political situation here, whatever gave you that idea?
As for the rest…it fits rather nicely with Egwene’s thoughts about the virtues of each of the Ajahs earlier in this chapter, and of how the Tower requires all of them; how she must be able to embody all of them.
But how had the young rebel gained such respect from Ferane and Adelorna?
Good old-fashioned sweat, blood, and tears, mostly.
Also some well-timed fireballs and a killer Heroic Silhouette.
“Didn’t you yourself say that we had to heal the Tower, no matter what the cost?” Adelorna asked. “Can you honestly think of a better way to bring the rebels ack to us?”
That is also a very, very good point. It goes a long way towards allowing the rebels to rejoin the Tower and still save face; this way, both sides capitulate to a certain extent. The Tower accepts Egwene as Amyrlin, and the rebels accept the Tower, and Egwene can take care of the rest.
“You aren’t foolish enough to assume this woman will be led by the nose, are you?”
Good. Because the last…everyone…who tried that learned the hard way that no, she will not.
And so it is done.
Now we just have to hope they get word to Egwene before she orders an attack on the Tower, because that would ruin everything. After all she’s done…
Over to Siuan, who is watching Sheriam enter an apparently secret meeting with Egwene. Interesting.
At least she and Bryne understand that Egwene is Not Entirely Pleased with them and why.
“Nobody likes being disobeyed, least of all the Amyrlin. I will pay for last night, Bryne. You’re right that it probably won’t be in a public way, but I worry that I’ve lost the girl’s trust.”
Siuan, you are bonded to the man—I think you can call him by his first name.
As for the rest…Siuan still thinks she made the right choice, but the difference between her and Gawyn is that she also accepts the consequences of it. She knows she has likely damaged the trust between herself and Egwene, and she knows why, and doesn’t go on about how unfair it is.
“And what of the other costs?” Bryne added.
She could feel his hesitation, his worry. She turned to him, smiling in amusement. “You’re a fool, Gareth Bryne.”
He frowned.
“Bonding you was never a cost,” She said.
*Shakes head* what are we going to do with you two. Just kiss, damn it.
And coming from me, that’s saying something.
“I think I actually understand you now, Siuan Sanche. You are a woman of honour. It’s just that nobody else’s requirements of you can ever be more harsh or more demanding than your own requirements of yourself. You owe such a self-imposed debt to your own sense of duty that I doubt any mortal being could pay it back.”
That’s…a high compliment, from Bryne. And kind of sweet, I suppose. Either way, it’s a good contrast to Gawyn’s conversation with Egwene, in that this one is based on actual mutual understanding rather than on ‘I know half the situation and so I will Tell You How You Feel’.
Siuan’s still not entirely here for it, though.
“Are you going to tell me that other demand, or are you going to make me wait?”
He studied her stone face thoughtfully. “Well, frankly, I’m planning to demand that you marry me.”
And that’s…well, not the weirdest marriage proposal in these books, because Mat and Tuon exist, but it’s an entertainingly odd one. And fitting, for the two of them. Their entire relationship is like that—kind of adorably exasperating.
“But only after you feel the world can care for itself. I won’t agree to it before then, Siuan. You’ve given your life to something. I’ll see that you survive through it; I hope that once you’re done, you’ll be willing to give your life to something else instead.”
Aw. He gets it. He knows what this cause means to her, and he’s not going to ask her to decide between it and him; he’ll stand by her through this and then they can deal with what comes after. It really is a lovely contrast to Gawyn at the moment, who is…intentionally or otherwise demanding almost the opposite.
I think what makes this relationship relatively tolerable to me is more or less exactly this—it doesn’t really interfere with their plotlines. I mean, okay, it kind of does in the sense that it’s what brought Bryne to the rebels in the first place, but for the most part the two of them do their jobs first, and each other second. (Actually, I don’t think they do do each other; last we heard, Siuan was thinking about how he never even tried to kiss her, but my point is…)
I hope they do live through this. Mostly I hope Siuan lives through this, because the woman deserves some happiness in her life, and deserves to get to have a life, and I still need her reunion with Moiraine.
He replaced his hand on her shoulder. Soft, not forceful. Willing to wait. He did understand her.
TAKE. NOTES. GAWYN.
All right, Egwene, let’s see what this secret meeting of yours is all about.
Sheriam had seemed troubled as she entered. Did she realise what Egwene knew? She couldn’t. If she had, she’d never have come to the meeting.
Ah, is that what she’s called all the Sitters here for? A secret meeting, to do away with a very large secret, perhaps?
After what Egwene had been through in the White Tower, this squabbling felt ridiculously petty.
No shit. It’s all about perspective, isn’t it? Even the battle against the Seanchan begins to look almost petty when weighed against the imminent Last Battle…
“You said that there were important revelations to make,” Varilin added. “Is this regarding the Seanchan attack?”
Somehow I don’t think so. After Egwene’s thoughts earlier this chapter about secrecy, and the dangers of keeping secrets…
So it was the Oath Rod she took from the Tower this morning. Which means…
Huh. Of course. First, it means Egwene finally takes the Three Oaths. Here, with all the rebel Sitters to stand witness. A final step, in some ways; they’ve long since had to get over any hangups regarding her status as Aes Sedai, but those in the Tower still don’t all see it that way, and even amongst the rebels it was something that set her apart. If she is to unify them, she must be one of them.
However she may feel, or may once have felt, about the Oaths themselves, the point isn’t in them so much as it is in the indication of unity and community. They have these literally bone-deep oaths in common, and it’s been part of the Aes Sedai identity for so long that to question them, especially at a time when the Tower is already falling apart, could mean breaking the Aes Sedai completely. She has to swear, and have them witness her swearing, to demonstrate her commitment to that unity, that identity. To reaffirm it, almost, because in so many other ways they have lost sight of who they are.
None of them said anything about her not having taken the test to gain the shawl. She would see to that another day.
That almost does seem absurd, given everything they’ve seen her do, but again it’s more symbolic than anything.
“And now that you’ve seen me use the Oath Rod and know that I cannot lie, I will tell you something. During my time in the White Tower, a sister came to me and confided that she was Black Ajah.”
Oh, wow, we really are going for full transparency here.
Then again, this is one of those cases where the truth is more shocking and compelling than any evasion or truncation she could present them with. And Egwene does have something of a tradition of shocking the Hall.
“It is shameful, but it is a truth that we—as the leaders of our people—must admit. Not in public; but among ourselves there is no avoiding it. I have seen firsthand what distrust and quiet politicking can do to a people. I will not see the same disease infect us here. We are of different Ajahs, but we are single in purpose. We need to know that we can trust one another implicitly, because there is very little else in this world that can be trusted.”
But what colour is that trust, Egwene? Surely not any of the Ajah colours.
It’s such an important statement, though; and even more important that she’s backing it up by example. So much of this series has been focused around the consequences of not trusting, of keeping secrets, of operating on only partial information. And on those rare occasions when characters have truly trusted one another, it has almost always been rewarded.
They will have to trust one another if they are to face the Last Battle united. They will have to learn to work together, learn to be united, because otherwise they play into the Shadow’s hands.
Egwene looked up. “I am not a Darkfriend,” she announced to the room. “And you know it cannot be a lie.”
She demands trust and transparency, and so she begins by showing herself to be worthy of it. By telling them of that secret, and swearing in a way they know must be true that she does not serve the Shadow. Maybe they never doubted, but as with so much, it’s the symbolic act that counts here. She asks nothing of them that she will not do herself, and she proves herself trustworthy even as she demands that trust of them.
And now she’s going to use the same trick Seaine and the others used. Which might work in this sealed tent, but how is she planning to do that with all of the Aes Sedai, without word getting out or some of them running—or just attacking? Careful, Egwene.
Sheriam embraced the Source.
Ah. Well, there’s one. Subtle, Sheriam.
“Are you Black Ajah, Sheriam?” “What? Of course not!” “Do you consort with the Forsaken?”
(I’d have phrased that one a little differently, just saying…)
“No!” Sheriam said, glancing to the sides. “Do you serve the Dark One?” “No!” “Have you been released from your oaths?” “No!” “Do you have red hair?” “Of course not, I never—” She froze.
Does that actually work? If so, this is why you listen before you agree, and read the fine print before you sign. It’s well played on Egwene’s part, certainly, though it seems like Sheriam had already implicated herself enough by acting exactly like a child who’s just been caught with a hand in the cookie jar for the other Sitters to have restrained her and demanded that she swear on the Oath Rod, just as Saerin and that lot did with Talene.
But that would be less dramatic, wouldn’t it?
Or maybe Sheriam’s real secret is that she actually dyes her hair that colour.
“Ah, then,” the woman said softly, eyes mournful. “Who was it, now, who came to you?”
That’s…strangely accepting. I would have expected more fight from Sheriam, but in a way I suppose this also fits. There’s nowhere for her to go now, after all. And she only ever joined as a way to get ahead; I think she’s been regretting aspects of that choice for a long time now.
“Verin Mathwin.”
“Well, well,” Sheriam said, settling back on her chair. “Never expected it of her, I’ll say. How did she get past the oaths to the Great Lord?”
“She drank poison,” Egwene said, heart twisting. 
“Very clever.” The flame-haired woman nodded. “I could never bring myself to do such a thing. Never indeed…”
It’s a quiet sort of testament to Verin’s strength, that she alone could exploit that loophole. That even someone like Sheriam might, in her way, admire her for it. Verin found a way out.
And Egwene isn’t hiding that. She promised Verin she would make sure the others knew she was never truly Black Ajah, not in her loyalties. And so Egwene tells what she knows, and doesn’t hide what Verin was and what she did, and what she sacrificed for it. She makes sure they know Verin for the hero she was, that her name is not tainted by the Ajah she had to claim.
Nice try, Moria. I’m still kind of bummed about that one, I’ll admit. She was such a critical voice in the vote to reach out to the Black Tower, and an important supporter for Egwene.
Egwene is not even remotely here for Romanda or Lelaine trying to start shit right now. Just…don’t even try it, you two. Not today. Or ever, really, but now is just so very not the time.
But they both submit to her request to re-swear the oaths, which in a way is almost a sign of respect.
Huh, none besides Sheriam and Moria, it seems. I’m a little surprised.
“From now on, we continue as one. No more squabbling. No more fighting. We each have the best interests of the White Tower—and the world itself—at heart.”
Clever of her, to tie those things together this way. The beginning of a…cleansing of the Black Ajah, and the need for unity and trust. She makes this into something that binds them, into a symbol of that trust she so desperately needs them to find, makes this as much a shared part of their identity as the oaths themselves, and directs it at the Tower and the world, aims it at a purpose. She binds them with this, and it works. Because she’s not just asking them to trust each other; she’s showing them why they should—showing them what they share, and proving the reasons for that trust, by also showing them who the enemy really is and forcing them to share in facing that truth.
It's very, very well done.
Now if she can do the same in the Tower…Seaine and Saerin and their group have made a good start, but part of their problem was the need to do it in secret, because they weren’t sure where they stood with Elaida, and also it was dangerous as all hell.
It still is, but if Egwene can work out a way to force this into the open, to make it a binding not just of these Sitters here but of all the Aes Sedai, to make it a point of shared trust and unity, and force them to recognise and look upon their true enemies—not each other, but the Shadow and those who serve it—it could go a long way towards closing those rifts.
She saw something of this, in her Accepted test. She remembered something about a ‘Great Purge’. So much from that test has come true, if often in a different way than how she saw it…
“It will be difficult, as we will have to seize all of them as simultaneously as possible.”
Their greatest advantage, beyond surprise, was going to be the inherently distrusting nature of the Black Ajah.
I mean, it’s not just the Black Ajah who are inherently distrusting, but I like your optimism.
Then again this is Egwene; she will make the rest of them trust each other through sheer force of will if she has to. She’s already made a good start.
Ah, so she does have a plan for how to accomplish that simultaneous arrest. IT could work.
“Light, what a mess,” Romanda muttered.
You’re not alone, Romanda. That’s a common sentiment these days.
“And what of the White Tower?” Lelaine said. 
“Once we have cleansed ourselves,” Egwene said, “then we can do what must be done to reunify the Aes Sedai.”
“You mean—”
“Yes, Lelaine,” Egwene said. “I mean to begin an assault on Tar Valon by this evening.”
That’s…not a lot of time, for the Tower to get word to her. If the Ajah heads can even convince the Hall in time.
Could Egwene not make it an assault on the Black Ajah specifically, instead? Turn up in the Tower with the Oath Rod and find Sitters she can trust and tell them what Verin told her, and get them to swear? Even as I’m typing this I suppose there are so many ways that could go wrong. But there are also so many ways a battle against the Tower could go wrong, so…
“Light preserve us,” Lelaine whispered. “And forgive us for what we are about to do.”
My thoughts exactly, Egwene added.
A perfect echo of her thoughts. And a warped echo of another plea for forgiveness… This is not right. This could so easily break everything she has tried to build, and right as it’s about to pay off…
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