#or better yet captured him much earlier with egwene

[queenofmalkier]

Now I'm stuck on how unhinged and depraved and AWFUL Tuon/Gawyn could be.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Dragon Reborn! Chapter 14: The Bite of the Thorns

I forgot to do a rambling, pointless, painfully unfunny spoiler warning last time and I won't do it again! I assure you dear reader that this paragraph will express its concept in far too many words and far too few jokes. I won't simply say "Don't keep reading if you haven't read the whole Wheel of Time series" because that might be useful or informative! And if that (or the spoilers) is a problem for you, don't keep reading!

I believe this is the first appearance of the mirrored women chapter icon. It's one of the ones I like the most graphically, and obviously it comes to prominenence when the Black Ajah is about or at least being discussed.

Darkfriends in the White Tower. Faugh! I’ve spent my life denying that.

And look where it got you! Sounding the alarm as Amyrlin might not have ended well for Siuan personally, but forcing the Tower to acknowledge the danger earlier might have led to them being on a better footing against the Black Ajah now that it's ready to come out of hiding and start fucking things up. Observing the law of the Three Oaths without caring about their spirit leads to ruin.

“I should be able to trust Leane and Sheriam, at least. But do I dare? Verin?” Her shoulders shook with a quick, silent laugh. “I already trust Verin with more than my life, but how far can I take it? Moiraine?” She was silent for a moment. “I have always believed I could trust Moiraine.”

Of the four women named, two are Black (even if Verin isn't a threat as one) and neither is the one who Siuan is doubting at this point. And of course Siuan, despite what she says, isn't trusting the girls in this room either because she won't admit that she knows Rand is the Dragon Reborn and that she's trying to support him.

If you want my opinion, Moiraine is not to be trusted.

It's a miracle Nynaeve ever changes her opinion on this.

Liandrin tried to stuff you headfirst into a weir, and it may well be she left because she learned you were returning, and could unmask her, so I have to believe you aren’t—Black Ajah.

Between this and Siuan's earlier statements about denying the Black Ajah, I think that Jordan hadn't quite solidified the full backstory he'd go with in New Spring. Siuan seems genuinely uncomfortable discussing the subject at all.

“So you can keep your temper, when you want to. I had to know that.” Egwene wondered how much of it had been a test; there was a tightness around the Amyrlin’s eyes that suggested her patience might well be exhausted.

Since Siuan can't lie but I trust Egwene's instincts, I think that it was a very impromptu test that Siuan came up with as soon as she opened her mouth to yell.

Liandrin and her twelve went, but did all of them go? Or did they leave some of their number behind, like a stub in shallow water that you don’t see till it puts a hole in your boat?

Siuan is almost naive to say "some" were left behind. The thirteen who left are barely a rounding error in the full ranks.

“They are all full Aes Sedai. Egwene hasn’t even been raised to Accepted yet, and you know I cannot channel enough to light a candle unless I am angry, not of my own free will. What chance would we have?”

Almost no chance at all, since of the 13 you guys only each capture one. Sometimes I think that this particular plotline got away from Jordan, like the Shaido but at least with a firm number of assailants.

“As one of the Accepted, you choose your own studies, within limits, and the times for them. And the rules are a little easier for Accepted. A little easier. They must be found, child.”

I think this makes it pretty clear that if Siuan hadn't needed Egwene for the hunt, she and Elayne probably would have stayed novices.

I would make her one of you if I could, but at the moment Morgase gives me enough problems as it is. When I have her combed and curried and prodded back on the proper path, perhaps Elayne will join you. Perhaps then.

I guess Siuan can't think the answer is outright no (or she wouldn't be able to say perhaps), but I still get the feeling from how she says it that the idea of making Elayne a hunter outright is the furthest thing from her mind.

Nynaeve opened her mouth, and Egwene felt a flash of anger; it was such a relief after fear.

I think the Seanchan debacle is a big part of the changing dynamics between Egwene and Nynaeve and why Egwene is so vicious about it: if she's going to feel negative emotions (and after being da'mane you bet your ass she's feeling negative emotions), anger at least lets her feel more in control.

If you have even a suspicion, report it to me.

I can't help but feel that neither Egwene nor Nynaeve actually heard this sentence.

She opened the black box on her table, hesitated and looked at the other two women as if still unsure she wanted to do this, then took out a number of stiff, folded papers. Sorting through them carefully, she hesitated again, then chose out two. The remainder she shoved back into the box, and handed those two to Egwene and Nynaeve. “Keep these well hidden. They are for an emergency only.”

Again, I feel like the girls don't listen to this particular instruction at all.

A Darkfriend won’t heed that any more than a Whitecloak would. They would both likely kill you just for having it. If that paper is a shield . . . well, paper shields are flimsy, and this one may have a target painted on it.

Not mentioned is the sheer disaster letting such an enemy have the paper would be. Moreso the Darkfriends than the Whitecloaks, but I imagine even the latter could do some real damage with such a seal.

Next time: A new type of Shadowspawn shows up!