At the manor of House Matherin, Elayne finds herself eager to get back to Caemlyn. She has been traveling by gateway to various noble households to recruit men to defend against the siege of Caemlyn. Pickings are slim at this manor, as they have been elsewhere, because Lord Aedmun, hearing of Elayne’s claim to the throne, already departed some time ago with his best men, and is on the march somewhere between his home and Caemlyn.
Elayne is startled when the maid attending to her suddenly screams, claiming to have seen the ghost of Lord Aedmun’s grandmother. She assures the girl that the dead cannot harm the living, and secretly thinks that she must be some kind of ninny.
She is joined by Aviendha, who fusses over her until Elayne replies sarcastically. Thinking of her baby always makes her think of Rand and wonder how he is; he is too far away for her to know much more than that he is alive, and off to the west somewhere.
“He is well,” Aviendha said almost as though she could read her mind. They had their own shared sense of one another since their mutual adoption as first-sisters, but it did not go as far as the Warder bond they and Min shared with Rand. “If he allows himself to be killed, I will cut off his ears.”
The odd Aiel sense of humor makes Elayne laugh. She agrees that Rand is well and will remain so, but she also knows that he will die eventually—the taint on saidin guarantees it.
She schools her features back to Aes Sedai serenity as she is approached by the household manager, Fridwyn Ros. He addresses her as “my Queen” despite the fact that she hasn’t yet won the throne, and apologizes that all the men he has found to go with her are either very young or very old. Still, he guarantees that “they all know which end of a halberd has the point.”
Quietly, Aviendha asks Elayne if these excursions are worth it. Elayne explains that her current preparations are not about winning the throne but about what comes after, about letting herself be seen as a Queen calling men to her banner, so that the news will spread to all the remote areas of Andor.
“Most Queens in our history spent the first years of their rule gathering the people solidly behind them, Aviendha, and some never did, but harder times than these are coming. I may not have one year before I need every Andoran to stand behind me. I can’t wait until I have the throne. Harder times are coming, and I have to be ready. Andor has to be ready, and I must make it so,” she finished firmly.
Proudly, Aviendha declares that she is learning much from Elayne about being a Wise One, and Elayne finds herself blushing. Her emotions have been difficult to control and all over the place from her pregnancy.
They ride out to the meadow where they first arrived, and Aviendha embraces saidar. She has been making most of the gateways on their travels, claiming to want the practice, and Elayne wonders if she is also doing it out of a desire to protect Elayne—though Elayne can’t imagine that channeling would be dangerous to her baby.
Before Aviendha can begin the weaves, however, their attention is suddenly drawn towards the west, where they can feel so much saidar being channeled that it’s like a blazing beacon. Somehow Elayne knows Rand is there, and she tells Aviendha that they must go to him. Aviendha responds that they know nothing about what is happening, that they could surprise Rand with their arrival and cause him to make a mistake, or to attack them before he realizes who they are. She also admits that she has another reason for staying away: her visions when she went to Rhuidean. There, she experienced all the possible directions of her life. Although it is too much for any one woman to remember, she is often left with impressions and bits of memory that can guide her. Aviendha knows that something bad will happen if they go to Rand now, though she can’t say what. Elayne is forced to consider that, Rhuidean vision or not, Aviendha’s arguments are sound. She declares that Aviendha is much wiser, not to mention braver, than Elayne herself.
Aviendha makes the gateway. As they pass through, Elayne ponders over the fact that Rand is the love of her life, but Andor is her duty.
They arrive in the Queen’s stableyard, where an area has been marked out for traveling by gateway. Elayne notices that there isn’t a single person channeling saidar in the Palace and assumes that everyone must be distracted by the beacon in the west. Her guards stay vigilant until her nine-woman bodyguard arrives to take their place, walking in a ring around Elayne.
Birgitte arrives, feeling irritated and sporting a hangover that Elayne can feel through the bond. She inquires first after Elayne’s health, then reports that something strange is going on with the Aes Sedai, as well as with the Kin and Windfinders, though no one will tell Birgitte what is wrong. As they walk through the halls towards Elayne’s rooms, she explains about the intense amount of channeling to the west. She, Birgitte and Aviendha try to maintain a positive attitude, given there is nothing they can do about it.
They spot Vandene, Merilille, Sareitha and Careane in the hall, followed by a respectful Garenia and Kirstian in their novice white. Elayne notices, not for the first time, how thin and gaunt Vandene has become since the murder of her sister. Vandene and the novices pass by, but the other Aes Sedai stop to greet Elayne. Careane suggests that they should be prepared to evacuate, just in case. Merilille timidly suggests that if they must from necessity leave Caemlyn, it would not violate the Bargain with the Atha’an Miere. Sareitha is mostly concerned with making sure the Kin are kept under Aes Sedai control.
Elayne reminds them all, firmly, that an Aes Sedai’s job is to soothe other people’s fears, not to spread gossip and panic. She also reminds them of Egwene’s order to remain in Caemlyn and to treat the Kin with every courtesy until they are welcomed back into the White Tower. Talk shifts to making Vandene take her turn at teaching the Windfinders, but Elayne shuts this down just as firmly.
They run into Captain Mellar, and Elayne learns from a disapproving Birgitte and an enraptured Sareitha that a hundred of Lord Luan’s men tried to reach the city but were caught by three times as many of Nasin’s men. Mellar led a sortie out to rescue the men, saving eighty of the hundred. The fighting nearly reached the gate he had left open behind him.
Mellar is clearly full of himself for the action, but Elayne points out that Lord Luan has not yet declared for Elayne, which means Mellar has brought her eighty men who must now be watched.
“Eighty out of a hundred. And how many of hers had he lost? And he had risked Caemlyn doing it, burn him!”
She tells Mellar it is now his responsibility to look after these men, and to keep them off the walls and out of trouble. Mellar appears stunned at being taken to task so sternly in front of an audience, and stalks away. Merilille and Careane clearly approve, but Sareitha tries to defend the man. Elayne sends the Aes Sedai away, but is left wondering what they are thinking about, and which one is hiding her guilt over Adeleas.
After Elayne’s apartments receive a thorough inspection from her guards, she and Aviendha have baths, though Aviendha is still uncomfortable about using so much water and being attended to by Elayne’s servants. As they wash, Birgitte gives Elayne a report on the merchant trains of food that are being brought into Caemlyn by gateways made by the Windfinders. The Windfinders have also brought the news that High Lord Darlin, who claims to have been left as Steward by the Dragon Reborn, is under siege in the Stone of Tear by nobles who want the Dragon to leave Tear completely. There is still no news of Gawyn, despite the fact that Elayne has sent messengers to the White Tower. She doesn’t blame Gawyn for his support of Elaida, as many sisters had been confused about what was happening, and the younglings could hardly be expected to know more than a sister. She also knows that Gawyn has been caught between his oath to defend the Tower and his love for Egwene, especially given how he has already bent that oath by letting Siuan escape.
Elayne is less eager to have Galad home, especially since he is sworn to the Whitecloaks. She has always believed that he resented her, and Gawyn too, but although she has never really been able to love Galad, she does hope that he is well.
There are still Aes Sedai coming and going from the Silver Swan, but Elayne is at least confident that they aren’t in Caemlyn to kidnap her. She suspects that they may be sisters who are sitting out the division in the Tower, and worries about what schemes the undeclared sisters might be hatching.
Suddenly they can hear the Guardswomen arguing loudly with someone outside in the hall. Zaida and two Windfinders, Chanelle and Shielyn, come into the room, and Zaida informs Elayne that the Mistress of Ships has been killed by the Seanchan. The First Twelve must meet to choose her replacement. Zaida declares her intention to take all the Windfinders with her, and as many Aes Sedai as are available.
Elayne has Zaida taken into a sitting room where the two negotiate. Elayne reminds Zaida that the Atha’an Miere were promised twenty teachers, to be selected by the Amyrlin Seat, and that the White Tower will fulfill its obligation properly. However, the use of the Aes Sedai currently in Caemlyn was a temporary situation, a separate bargain from the one made with Nesta din Reas Two Moons. Elayne agrees to let Merilille go with Zaida, since Merilille has already agreed to be one of the teachers. Zaida agrees to return Merilille to Elayne if needed, as long as a replacement is provided.
Elayne can sense there’s something else on Zaida’s mind, and eventually the Wavemistress offers to leave a few Windfinders behind. In exchange, she wants Elayne to give the Sea Folk one square mile of good land on the River Erinin. After the two bargain, Elayne is guaranteed nine Windfinders under her command to make gateways and to remain in Caemlyn until Elayne’s crown is secured, while Zaida will have the land she asked for.
Oh yes, Elayne, I’m sure that maid is just a silly goose and definitely didn’t see a real ghost as, I don’t know, a prelude to a bubble of evil rising or some other sign of the Dark One’s ever-more-noticeable encroachment upon the world. Sure, sometimes people’s weapons start attacking them, or mists rise from nowhere that are full of monsters that eat people, and you’re continually encountering new kinds of Shadowspawn and ones resistant to channeling, but yeah, that maid is probably just imagining things. This moment won’t come back to haunt you at all.
These aren’t the most riveting chapters, I’ll admit, but there is something very thematic about them. Elayne’s trials and struggles aren’t exactly trivial, but they do almost feel mundane compared to much of the action we have been following for the last few books. Most of the people involved in this power struggle don’t know, or at least don’t believe, that Morgase was manipulated by one of the Forsaken; without that detail, this struggle for the throne of Caemlyn is a somewhat ordinary, even expected, political occurrence. While Elayne has certain advantages, such as Traveling, over those queens who won the throne before her, most of her strategizing and political maneuvering in this area would be exactly the same if Morgase’s rule had faltered and ended for more ordinary reasons.
Of course, it is also true that Morgase’s rule wouldn’t have faltered in such a way, and Elayne would have had a much easier time securing her succession, if Morgase hadn’t made so many enemies while under Rahvin. It’s interesting to me that Elayne doesn’t think about this more frequently, especially given how difficult it’s been to recruit the larger Houses to follow her. I’m not sure if the subject is too painful to spend much time on, or if she is just trying to be practical and focus on the future she is actually facing, rather than the one she could have had without the Forsaken’s interference.
Throughout these chapters, Elayne is continually reminding herself that right now she has to focus on solidifying her claim to the throne, and that her duty to Caemlyn must come before her love for Rand or even her identity as an Aes Sedai, though she has mostly found a way to reconcile the latter. Thus, there is a sort of dichotomy in these chapters, a push and pull, of “normal” political maneuvering and the extraordinary circumstances in which they are occurring. Her recruiting visits to the more distant (and smaller) manors and villages is a perfect example of this collision of ordinary and extraordinary. A ruler calling upon those who owe her allegiance is, of course, expected, as is visiting the more distant parts of her nation to remind them who their queen is and to give that sense of personal attention. Not only does Elayne have the ability to do this in an extraordinary and unprecedented way, via Traveling, but she also has an unprecedented reason to be doing it now, even before she has won the throne.
This comes up in the beginning of chapter 10 when she explains to Aviendha the reason behind the visits, saying that nothing that she is doing is going to make a difference in whether or not she secures the throne, but she can’t afford to spend years consolidating Andor behind her once she has won the throne itself. The Last Battle could come at any time, so she needs to be in a strong position basically from the moment she is crowned, both to protect Andor from the coming storm and also to be able to marshal as many forces as possible to join Rand in that fight. We know that the world must be united behind him in order for the forces of Light to have any chance of winning the Last Battle, and you can’t unite the world if the countries can’t even be united within themselves.
It doesn’t help that most countries are being torn apart, rather than brought together, by the fact that the Dragon Reborn has been declared and the Last Battle is near at hand. Tear is already trying to oust Rand’s representative from power, and Cairhien would no doubt do the same if they thought they could get away with it. Several other lands, of course, have been thrown into chaos by the Seanchan. Although not all of this chaos is the work of the Forsaken, they have had a hand in most everything: Rahvin is responsible for the instability in Andor, while Sammael helped facilitate the Shaido’s rampage, both by helping it along and by scattering them across the continent. We know Suroth is a decently high-ranking Darkfriend, and I expect that there’s probably a Forsaken directing her movements; who’s to say that the date of the Return wasn’t chosen by one of the Dark, through some kind of manipulation of people or of the signs that the Seanchan seem to use to direct their lives. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we eventually learned that Masema, too, is being manipulated by the Shadow, and of course we know that the division in the White Tower was mostly orchestrated by Alviarin and the other Black Sisters; Elaida may have been the one to bring the idea of ousting Siuan to Alviarin, but it was Alviarin and her followers who made it possible, and who have been building suspicion between the Ajahs even before Elaida considered trying to take the Amyrlin Seat for herself.
I find this all very fascinating, because it isn’t just power and experience that the Forsaken and the forces of the Dark have on their side—it’s also time. They have been working behind the scenes for many years, laying the foundations of destruction that will render the nations incapable of rallying for the last battle, and undermining the Aes Sedai who would be leading in that fight. When I first started reading The Wheel of Time, I never thought that there would be such a short span of time between Rand discovering that he is the Dragon Reborn and the advent of the Last Battle, but Elayne’s point to Aviendha—that she might not even have a year to consolidate her hold on Andor before the Last Battle commences—is a reminder not only of this fact, but also that those who know the Prophecies of the Dragon are likewise aware that there isn’t much time, or at least that there might not be.
My spouse, Emmet, has often complained to me about the phenomenon you get in a lot of action films and superhero movies, in which the hero or heroes will have to go somewhere and train to become whatever it is that they are supposed to become, and that this timeframe will be somewhere in the span of weeks or maybe a few months. As a result, the heroes’ goals seem to come magically, without any of the real effort and time and practice that the skills they need require, even if you have super speed and super strength, or you can control metal with your mind, or whatever.
That same phenomenon exists here. Rand becomes basically as skilled as a blademaster after training with Lan for a few months, and becomes one officially when he kills Turak only a short time later. He, Elayne, Nynaeve, and Egwene are all so preternaturally gifted in channeling that they can recreate weaves perfectly after only seeing them once. The explanations given for the channeling is that this is just how it works for very powerful channelers, but that feels largely unsatisfactory. The idea that skill in channeling is about being naturally gifted and not about one’s strength and dedication to learning is on par with how our society talks about skill in general, but it isn’t nearly as interesting as showing the hard work that great skills, be they in war, or politics, or art, or anything else, actually takes.
I think Jordan is aware, on some level, of how unrealistic the kids’ leveling up is. There are a lot of cheats they get, like the extra memories Mat and Rand have, and the extra weaves the girls learn from Moghedien, and the forcing Egwene endured as a damane and from Siuan’s training. There is nothing wrong with this device, but I do find it very interesting from a sort of meta-narrative perspective, because it suggests to me that the Pattern is directing this rapid leveling-up of these very young people, practically handing them the tools and skills they need to be prepared to face ancient evils that have had, in some cases, thousands of years to prepare, instead of three or four.
It also makes me think about what the world will look like if Rand manages to defeat the Dark One and the Light wins the Last Battle. So many things will be different, and it will be like the world takes a huge leap forward in progress. Channeling will look very different, with new weaves for Traveling allowing for communication, travel, and commerce to change drastically as well. There will be male Aes Sedai (or Ahsha’man, or whatever they end up calling themselves once they are allowed to be more than just weapons) as well as female, and the structure of the White Tower, with its knowledge of the Windfinders and connection to the Kin, will look very different. A powerful Aes Sedai will sit openly on the throne of Caemlyn, perhaps also openly wedded to the Dragon Reborn, with a possible Daughter-Heir also of his lineage. Plus, there’s the schools Rand has been founding, which are pushing non-channeling technologies along as well.
To get back to the present, it seems clear to me that Elayne is one of the smartest characters in The Wheel of Time. I really enjoyed watching her negotiate with Zaida. Of course, part of the success one achieves in negotiations is down to what one has to bargain. Zaida and Elayne seemed about equally matched in this respect; they both needed something badly, and had something the other needed just as badly. The Sea Folk trading routes might also look very different on the other side of the Last Battle. They already negotiated for these one square mile pieces of land in any of the lands controlled by Rand, and now they have been promised one in Andor, as well. This will probably affect the kinds of things they can store and ship, and the profits they can make, but it will also affect the kind of commercial trade and shipping other nations can engage in.
There is a moment when Elayne is considering the sisters staying at the Silver Swan and wondering what schemes they might be hatching. There are two interesting moments in that pondering. The first is when she considers that the sisters are wrong not to choose a side; she believes that they are acting cowardly by waiting to see who prevails rather than doing what they think is right. It is a fair point, in a way, but it is also unfair. As she herself recognizes, many sisters didn’t know or understand what was happening during the coup against Siuan, and couldn’t be expected to, which is why Elayne doesn’t hold Gawyn and the Younglings’s defense of Elaida against them. Many of the sisters who weren’t in the White Tower at the time might still be struggling to understand what happened and why, and what each declared Amyrlin actually stands for. They might be resisting choosing a side because they don’t yet know which side they believe is right.
Cadsuane is mentioned in this same paragraph, and she is certainly someone who is doing what she thinks is right. Cadsuane largely seems to be ignoring the division in the White Tower because she has something more important to do, which is to guide and protect Rand, and to teach him what he needs to learn. Once that is accomplished, she may turn her attention to deciding which of the Amyrlins she wants to back—and her backing would have a big effect on who the undecided sisters allied with, although I feel like things might end up having been decided by the time she’s free to think about it.
The other thought of Elayne’s that gave me pause is the fact that the Tower isn’t actually divided into two halves but more into thirds—Elaida’s camp, Egwene’s, and the undecided. The actual battle, if Egwene’s siege of Tar Valon comes to that, will be fought between Gareth Bryne’s soldiers and the White Tower’s guards, not between Aes Sedai, but I’ve always thought of Egwene’s Aes Sedai being outnumbered by Elaida’s, not that their numbers were closer to equal. That feels very significant in the struggle between the two.
Another really enjoyable thing about this chapter was how much of it was just women working with women. Except for Mellar and a few side characters, all the players in this section are women: the Sea Folk, Elayne’s guards, her Warder and sister. Jordan gets a lot of credit for the female characters he created, which sometimes feels a little overblown to me, but in this instance is entirely fitting. Seeing women in positions of power working with, and occasionally against, each other is a real joy, especially in a book that was published in 2003.
Speaking of Mellar, there is a stressful bit of dramatic irony. Elayne seems to think that Mellar is just an idiot who didn’t realize what he was doing when he rescued Luan’s men, but since I know that he’s a Darkfriend, I can’t help but assume that the “mistake” was entirely purposeful. As Elayne recognizes, he was able to kill off some of her good soldiers, present her with another logistical problem to manage when she already has far too many, and leave Caemlyn open to her besiegers in the process. I get that Elayne is using him as a decoy so nobody will suspect that her pregnancy is due to Rand, but between this and the way he behaves towards women, including the Queen’s guards and Elayne’s friends and allies, I’m not sure that protection is worth the trouble he’s caused. Frankly, if it weren’t for the pregnancy, I imagine Elayne would have dismissed him by now, and that just shows that he’s pretty bad at being undercover.
I’m not sure how I feel about the suggestion that Birgitte and Elayne’s bond is different because they are the same gender. It fits with the rules of the One Power, I suppose: Balance is created by men and women working together, so links between women are, I guess, unbalanced? However, we’ve seen other kinds of linking, such as all-female circles, and the use of the a’dam, which don’t seem unbalanced or flawed in any way, so I’m not sure why this should be different. It feels a little too convenient as a thematic device, I guess?
Aviendha and Elayne’s friendship, on the other hand, is a real joy. I appreciate that their connection has grown far beyond their shared love of Rand. Yes, that is a part of their bond, but although Jordan doesn’t always develop relationships clearly—with a lot of bonding, both platonic and romantic, occurring outside the narration proper—their friendship feels fully realized and complex. The way they teach each other is one of my favorite parts, with each providing experience and wisdom, and each valuing her sister’s contribution. Aviendha is learning a lot about leadership, in particular, while Elayne is adding the Aiel mental discipline and sense of duty to her own. The cultural exchange they are sharing will help each understand the other’s world, and as the Aiel become a part of the wetlands’ story, this will prove both useful and important, I think.
I’d almost forgotten about Rhuidean, until Aviendha brought up her experience there. This is another example of how the Pattern is helping to speed-shape our heroes in preparation for the last battle. Aviendha has this instinct-like understanding of her future from the experience, given to her by the Pattern through the Rhuidean ter’angreal. We’ve seen others benefit from such knowledge, including Moiraine, Mat, and even Ingtar, way back in The Great Hunt. I liked having it come up again, though it makes me wonder if any of the other Wise Ones are experiencing similar moments as they navigate the new lands they’re finding themselves in. Do any of the Shaido Wise Ones have a dim memory of where Sevanna’s greed will lead their clan? Do those allied with Rand have instincts about how the Aes Sedai should be handled?
Maybe not everyone has as important a memory as Moiraine or Aviendha, but surely some must. I suppose we will have to wait and see.
Next week we will cover chapters 13 and 14, finishing up Elayne’s section with the return of Dyelin and with some discoveries about Elayne’s baby and the relationship between channeling and pregnancy. Which… should certainly be interesting. Until then, I wish everyone a very good week!
