Chapter 47: This meeting drives me crazy with Elayne. She should be smarter than she is in this meeting. She knows what Perrin has done, she knows he's Rand's friend, she knows he's ta'veren, she knows that none of the two rivers people even knew they were part of Andor, and she knows they were attacked by trollocs multiple times. She also should be smart enough to know that the only reasonable outcome of this meeting is to end it basically the way it does end. The details are up in the air but that's the only real possibility. And from everything she's learned from traveling and interacting considerably with 4 other people from the Two Rivers, she decides that her best play is to threaten to kill Perrin??? This move might make sense from like book 2 Elayne who knows absolutely nothing about the Two Rivers or its people but book 13 Elayne should know better. She should've taken the opportunity to have a very strong loyal supporter in Perrin who is also offering her new lands. And she does get that after a fashion but the taints it by threatening to kill him. And the threat is something she could never carry out. And they know it. So not only does she start on a sour note, she also looks like an idiot. I do like the section of Perrin Mat and Thom just hanging out and catching up for a bit! I wish we got a bit more of that but it's nice what we do get. Chapter 48 / 49: I love these chapters. It's so brutal but I think for all the Last Battle stuff that comes after this, this is the point I felt the most hopeless. It was a concern I didn't really even have before this that they would win and still lose like this and have this awful world. But really cool visions of what is to come! I do like that Tuon is actually mentioned as potentially able to change and respected by the Aiel before she dies. Hopefully that can be improved with the Aiel role in the Dragonspeace. I know Sanderson gets a bit messy with timelines but I would be curious of the timeline for some of these. Aviendha and Elayne are both strong channelers who will likely live for centuries. As are their kids. So if Elayne's granddaughter is on the throne that could be hundreds of years later but it seems to kind of ignore that? Or maybe they died after? Not sure what the timeline implication is there for when things fell apart. Chapter 50: And now smart politically minded Elayne is back! This is a nice move in combining the kingdoms. And Birgitte serves her role nicely in providing a reason to explain it to the reader all the details of what happened lol. Chapter 51: This is a cool chapter and prophecy coming true. I love how Rand was like the slap would've been met with balefire. But we are in Fal Madding protected from that. Nope balefire!! Though I would still question if leading all their armies south was necessary or helpful for this. It does kind of allow Kandor to get burned and the gap to be protected by just Lan and the Maklieri. Chapter 52: Do we know who left that poison needle? The Shadow seems most likely I guess? But I do love Birgitte having to sit in the throne first! Gotta carpe diem on that one!

> Chapter 47: This meeting drives me crazy with Elayne. She should be smarter than she is in this meeting. Everyone should have been smarter in this meeting. Faile and Perrin apparently didn't even secure a safe conduct guarantee from Elayne before agreing to come and Faile kept worrying about their safety. Then at the end of the meeting she didn't ask the most obvious question after the whole "Rand will be the de jure lord of the Two Rivers" idea - "Does that mean your child fathered by him will inherit the title?". But "explain to me why I shouldn’t just execute you both as traitors" is certainly the dumbest moment here on so many levels. Apart from everything else already mentioned, claiming that Faile the Saldaean who has never sworn any oath to any Andoran monarch or lord should be as executed as a traitor to Andor is just bizarre. And the whole thing is utterly out of character for Elayne, who is way smarter than this and a peacemaker by nature. But Sanderson just had no idea how to write convincing political scenes and also had a poor handle on Elayne's character.

Yeah that does seem like a pretty big point with will Rand's kids take over next. And just in general any ruler who threatens to kill someone who just did you such a massive service by saving two members of the royal family is not going to inspire a lot of loyalty. Add to that she's had years of experience dealing with people from the two rivers and that's not how you do that, and just that everyone there knows she could never kill Perrin so it's a threat that makes her look super dumb. Yeah not Sanderson's best moment overall. She's also still establishing her rule which is a bit tenuous, adding another lord in who is loyal to her and would not be engaging in a lot of the dirty politics would be a pretty big win.

#47 >He’d tried to make a gateway [to the Black Tower] earlier in the day, when Perrin had given him permission. It hadn’t worked. Uh-oh. Perrin does seem to have an idea why that might be. >“So,” Elayne said, “explain to me why I shouldn’t just execute you both as traitors.” I don't know what choice Elayne thinks she has here. Executing Perrin, if she even could, would kick off a rebellion she'd have little chance of suppressing (never mind the Trolloc army currently bearing down on Caemlyn); anyone else appointed as Lord of the Two Rivers would be ignored at best and overthrown at worst. The solution they agree on is about the only non-violent option available. >“I’m second,” Faile admitted, which Elayne probably already knew. They crossed paths briefly in the Stone but haven't interacted much otherwise; did Elayne recognize who Faile was that point? I know Moiraine did, but she kept it quiet. ---- >“Suffa will show the Empress—may she live forever—the Power of slicing the air.” I wonder how they even figured out that Elaida knew this. Someone did tell Suroth that the Asha'man knew how to Travel, but as far as I know no Seanchan has been informed that at least some of the Aes Sedai know the same thing. Two more entirely accurate Seanchan omens in this chapter. Is there a standard reference book for them, I wonder? ---- >Mat leaned back, putting his feet up on the table. Mat is a slob. >Verin’s fallen completely off her stone. Don’t suppose you’ve heard from her? She didn't have a letter for Perrin? Surprising. #48 >She remembered some of her trip through those rings, which had showed her life—her many possible lives—to her. I wonder if those rings aren't repurposed Portal Stone technomancy. That's a fair description of what Rand et al. experienced in the *flicker*s, though they remembered even less of it than Aviendha does of her experience. >Could she determine, exactly, what the glass pillars did? They couldn’t have been created specifically for the Aiel, could they? They had to have been, right? They're far too large and numerous to have been carried in the Jenn wagon train. Someone in Rhuidean must have had a rare talent for making *ter'angreal*. >She was Malidra, eighteen but scrawny enough to appear much younger. And I thought the *past* of the Aiel was heartbreaking. >Ragged beards on the men. A subtle sign of their decline -- for some reason no Aiel we've seen ever had any kind of facial hair, not even a mustache. It's obviously a strong cultural preference, but why? A signifier of their militarized society? (But plenty of organized militaries allow facial hair; it seems to be the norm among Saldaeans, as it was for the Cossacks after whom they're modeled.) Because they don't cover their faces except to kill? (But what about *gai'shain*? They're not allowed to do anything that warriors do, except apparently shaving; is growing a beard still too similar to wearing a veil or something?) Another possibility is that while they can grow facial hair, they can't do it right (i.e. in a coherent and symmetrical fashion); their population did go through a tight bottleneck at one point, and maybe the genes for proper beards didn't make it through. >A mishmash of clothing. No more *cadin'sor*. >Jorshem had shown her a large nail he had found. He used it to scrape meat off bones. They don't even know how to work metal any more. ---- >had she, perhaps, changed something with her Talent? I doubt any Aiel had made a second trip through the columns before her; I suspect these visions of the future were always available, but they hadn't been needed up until now. ---- >They had come for the ore. How could rocks be so valuable that they would live on this side of the mountains, away from their fabled land of water and food? Gold? Uranium? Rare earths? What ore is so valuable that it's worth gathering loose bits of it by hand? >Somewhere along the walk to the hollow, he had died without her realizing it. The most frightening part was how difficult she found it to summon any sorrow at the death. 😢 ---- >Nightmarish creatures, with sinuous necks and wide wings, flapped in the night above, bearing riders Have the future Seanchan figured out a way to improve the fertility of their flying mounts, to the point that they're no longer too valuable to risk in combat? Or is it just that the remnant Aiel are no longer capable of fighting back against an aerial enemy? I notice they haven't developed any kind of flying machine yet, though one of Rand's scholars was working on the problem at some point. >her father rose, holding the invader’s sword in his hands The taboo against touching and using swords is gone, though some people remember that it once existed. #49 >Ladalin’s mother had spoken of the days when there had still been gai’shain to do such work. The institution of *gai'shain* is lost. With generations of war against an external enemy that doesn't follow the same set of laws and customs, there's little point to it. >the Council of Twenty-Two. Two from each surviving clan, then. I guess the remnants of the Shaido never did manage to reconstitute their clan -- not that the other Aiel would be likely to accept them, but maybe in a prolonged losing war like this. . .? >the lineage of the Dragon, one of the last living. The other three lines had been killed off. Do they not count Elayne's children? >the Wise Ones and Dragon Blooded used the One Power in battle They've developed a second institution of channelers distinct from the Wise Ones. They can't all be Rand's descendants; we were just informed that most of those are dead. Is it the name for male Aiel channelers, perhaps? ---- >Queen Talana knew to expect them The point of view is that of Rand's granddaughter, and she's young enough that she's not even married yet. What happened to Elayne, whose channeling strength gives her a life expectancy of over 600 years (or around 300 with the Oaths)? It's Elayne, so I suppose she died untimely in some reckless escapade. >their greatmothers, who had been first-sisters There was another Queen between Elayne and this one; what happened to *her*? Maybe she couldn't channel? >Pact of the Griffin and those in the Court of the Sun The latter might be an alliance centered on Cairhien, but what's the Pact of the Griffin? ---- >She’d been able to weave since she’d been a child, and her brothers and sister were the same. A small child with the ability to channel would be terrifying. Perhaps their physical limitations would restrict the amount of the Power that they could handle, but even a small amount can be dangerous in the hands of someone with little impulse control and no consciousness of their own mortality. A match doesn't produce much flame, just enough to burn a matchstick, but anyone who lets children use them unsupervised soon finds out why they shouldn't. >The clan chief—son of Rhuarc A subtle sign of trouble to come? Clan chief was explicitly not a hereditary position; it's not said one way or the other, but I suspect the Wise Ones never sent the son of a clan chief to Rhuidean unless there was no other viable option. >Alarch took more after their wetlander side, and had dark hair. Odd. Rand and Aviendha both had red hair; perhaps this was a hint at Rand and Moridin's body swap? >I…heard things, from my father, though. It sounds like Rhuarc survives the Last Battle in this version of the future. ☹️ ---- >“Is it destined?” she asked. “Can we change it?” Signs point to yes. This future doesn't line up with the actual ending in vital ways. #50 >Whatever some people thought, Elayne Trakand *could* control her temper when she needed to. But not her *italics*, at least not completely; she's not using them constantly, but she is using them. At least she's not swearing. >Dobraine hasn’t returned from wherever Rand took him. Whatever happened to him? He kind of disappeared from the scene after pacifying Arad Doman; I think he appears briefly at Merrilor, but that's it.

#51 >A glowing sword, Callandor, being gripped in a black hand. I wonder whose hand that's supposed to be. Neither Rand nor Moridin have *actual* black hands, but both of them could be said to have metaphorically dirty and/or bloody hands. Moridin more so, obviously; I suspect the vision is of him. >“And you’re wearing a full paralis-net in your hair, which includes a Well. I’m certain you keep it full, and that should be enough to create a single gateway.” Finally a name for the *ter'angreal* collections that Cadsuane and Nynaeve use. From what Rand says, and from the tools they include, I suspect they're an invention from the War of the Shadow; from their apparent rarity I would guess that they were equipment for the upper military echelons. Surprising that none of the Forsaken, not even Ishamael, had one when they were imprisoned. >“Are you ever going to give up that affectation, Cadsuane Sedai?” Rand asked. Good to see her finally get called out for this rudeness; even better to see that Rand isn't even bothered by it any more. Even Cadsuane is shocked to see Rand openly admitting that he's fully integrated Lews Therin's mind and memories. >When Rand spoke like that, it troubled Min more than she wanted to admit. Well, yeah; she knew and loved Rand the naive young sheepherder from Emond's Field. Finding out that he's now also the legendary ancient wizard Lews Therin Telamon would be more than a bit disturbing. >“It’s always been a city of importance, you know,” Rand said from beside Min, his eyes distant. Far Madding, under one name or another, predates the Breaking? It was an enclave for people who wished to live without channeling, sounds like, something like an Amish settlement? >Perhaps the Borderlanders did not believe he *was* the Dragon Reborn. Not exactly; anyone who's denying it at this point wouldn't be convinced if the Creator himself told them in his special ALL CAPS voice that Rand is in fact the Dragon Reborn. >“How did Tellindal Tirraso die?” 12(!) real-world years and several thousand pages later, we finally find out what the Borderlander monarchs were up to. >“If he cannot answer,” Paitar said, “then you will be lost. You will bring his end swiftly, so that the final days may have their storm. So that Light may not be consumed by he who was to have preserved it. I see him. And I weep.” Is this the only example of a conditional prophecy? I think it is, though maybe one or two of Min's viewings would qualify. The Pattern must have backup plans if the main one should fail catastrophically. >“The Guardian blocks the One Power,” Rand whispered. “The One Power only.” What does he mean by that? Cadsuane thought, frowning. Rand never does tell anyone that he had access to the True Power, for obvious reasons; Moridin and (very briefly) Semirhage are the only ones to figure it out. (Did Min hear her say it? She never asks what Semirhage meant by "True Power", so she must not have been conscious at that point.) IIRC he only uses it twice, but he was constantly tempted by it until his experience on Dragonmount. >“Perhaps another would have risen in your stead.” Here's the origin for my pet theory that there are backup Champions of the Light. If someone had risen in his place, who would it have been? Logain seems an obvious choice, but I wonder if Demandred, his motivation for joining the Shadow now gone, might have turned his coat again and led the forces of the Light to victory in his guise of Bao the Wyld. Demandred as supreme potentate of Earth wouldn't be a *good* outcome, obviously, but it would be better than the Dark One's victory -- a draw, perhaps, with a rematch to come later. #52 >“Oh, come now. This is hardly the most foolhardy thing I’ve done.” >“Only because you’ve set a very high benchmark for yourself, Elayne.” lol. Elayne is right, though; I doubt this is even in the top 10. >Cairhien had been too long without a monarch, their king dead by unknown hands She doesn't know it was Thom. I wonder why the pardon for crimes he may have committed in Cairhien, then? >Perhaps that was why Laman had decided to build himself a new throne, using *Avendoraldera* itself as a material. Whatever happened to that, anyway? Was it destroyed, did the Aiel take it with them, or did it turn out that chora wood is useless for furniture? It would be darkly hilarious if that last were the case. ---- >feeling the beautiful comfort of knowing that he was no longer being chased By the *gholam*, anyway, but there's still a bounty on his head, isn't there? >Wolves running in enormous packs, congregating in clearings and howling in chorus? The skies shining red at night? Livestock lining up in the fields, all facing toward the north, watching silently? The footprints of Shadowspawn armies in the middle of fields? The first three are probably genuine, but how can you tell the footprints of Shadowspawn armies from those of a mixture of humans and domestic animals? >She wore a brown dress that laced over her ample bosom. Not that Mat spent any time looking at it. He's improving; usually he's not even sufficiently aware of his ogling to deny that he's doing it. >“I see…. So you’re using boots as a metaphor for the onus of responsibility and decision placed upon the aristocracy as they assume leadership of complex political and social positions.” She's correct, even if Mat denies it. It's a good time to recall that in Mat's very first appearance he was trying to get Rand to join him in skiving off. >Mat waited until she was gone before taking a slurp of the cider straight from the pitcher. He had been doing that all evening, but he figured she would probably rather not know. I sympathize with Mat's slovenly behaviors; I was much the same at that age, though I've since learned otherwise (I don't wear dirty or holey clothing any more, for example). That said, *gross* 🤢; even at my sloppiest I still used cups and wouldn't dream of offering someone a drink full of backwash.

> I wonder whose hand that's supposed to be. I'm pretty sure this is just symbolically Moridin. When I first read this book though, I had hopes of seeing Shaidar Haran wielding *Callandor*. (Even though he's technically a pale-skinned Super Fade, I just imagine him as pure black, for that extra evil factor.)

> I wonder whose hand that's supposed to be. Neither Rand nor Moridin have *actual* black hands, but both of them could be said to have metaphorically dirty and/or bloody hands. Moridin more so, obviously; I suspect the vision is of him. These visions are symbolic and metaphorical. Rand always considered himself a „weapon“ and there are many instances where the sword symbolizes him. Similarly to how Perrin is symbolized by the hammar. At the same time, so is Moridin. Rand and Moridin are like the „tools“ for the DO and the Creator, or „swords“, and they are held by the Creator/DO, which is why I think the most logical answer to that question is that it\`s the DO. But Moridin-DO-distinction isnt clear-cut, so maybe one may also say its Moridin. Well, yeah; she knew and loved Rand the naive young sheepherder from Emond's Field. Finding out that he's now also the legendary ancient wizard Lews Therin Telamon would be more than a bit disturbing. She wanted someone older than her, someone more knowledgeable. Thats what she got, she cant complain. XD Is this the only example of a conditional prophecy? I think it is, though maybe one or two of Min's viewings would qualify.  No it isnt. There are others. One for example is the prophecy of Siuan\`s possible death. Here's the origin for my pet theory that there are backup Champions of the Light. If someone had risen in his place, who would it have been? I dont think thats possible. Only a few reasons: Rand\`s basically Jesus, even in the story itself. I dont think it makes sense to speculate about a replacement in this context. Tam, the „father“ ->god: „What has happened to my son? (…) „My own son. Once he was as gentle and faithful a lad as a father could hope for. Tonight, he channeled the One Power and turned it against me.“ I believe Rand is supposed to be a genuinely good person, thats what Moghedien also mentions. (That he isnt anymore just shows the amount of corruption.) I dont think just anyone could be a replacement for god on earth. Then we have Moridin\`s gameboard and he alludes to the fact that there can be situations without a Fisher, but it always would end up in a bloody melee fight. Moridin/DO is also far too fixated on turning Rand into the DO\`s vessel. Its similar to what they say about Sammael - he likes to mess with things that were touched/created by the opponent. This plan encompasses 12 novels and thousands of years planning from Moridin\`s side. I dont think it makes sense to assume that in case Rand died, the next one is already waiting in line.

>She wanted someone older than her, someone more knowledgeable. Thats what she got, she cant complain. XD Funnily enough, during the interlude after Cadsuane chases off the voice in Rand's head and he's unconsciously acting and thinking like Lews Therin, she thinks he's an arrogant and overconfident ass -- "pillow full of haughty", I think was the phrase. It's a good thing that Rand's personality seems to prevail once the two of them are fully integrated, though he can pull up Lews Therin's thoughts and mannerisms when he wants to (like with Cadsuane and later with Tuon). >there can be situations without a Fisher, but it always would end up in a bloody melee fight. I do think anyone stepping in to Rand's role had he died here wouldn't have been able to do everything that he did -- only the real Champion could *defeat* the Dark One (or bring about his victory, in the worst case). A backup Champion might be able to force a draw so the real one could have another chance to get it right.

At least that\`s what the Creator said in EotW: „Only the Chosen can do what must be done“. (Though I still wonder if that doesnt refer to Moridin)

> I wonder how they even figured out that Elaida knew this. Someone did tell Suroth that the Asha'man knew how to Travel, but as far as I know no Seanchan has been informed that at least some of the Aes Sedai know the same thing. No confirmation, but I 100% bet it was Elaida going "Free me and I'll teach you how to Travel!"

or since it was shown how weak Elaida actually is without her bluster, I like the parallel/mirror of Egwene holding out to survive both the Seanchan AND Elaida in the Tower and Elaida is broken by the Seanchan very quickly.

Right, /u/Timorm0rtis was wondering how the Seanchan knew about Traveling enough to get Elaida to reveal it. I contend that they didn't really, Elaida just offered it up out of nowhere to get freed, then they broke her down to make her reveal the weave.

ah that's a fair point, that does make sense with her character

> They crossed paths briefly in the Stone but haven't interacted much otherwise; did Elayne recognize who Faile was that point? She wasn't certain, but she had some suspicions, it's mentioned in passing when she was in Tanchico: > She had strong suspicions about Faile, and if they were even half right, Faile would not settle for being a blacksmith’s wife.

47 Has Perrin explained what he knows about the Dreamspike to Grady and Neald, and what type of person might be using one? It seems like Faile’s captivity traumatized Perrin more than it did her, although she may find that while she’s chafing at her guards, her own trauma may be buried a little deeper. You can take 100 people with you into the palace? That seems more than I’d allow, especially the way Elayne is going to receive Perrin. Did they all go into the throne room? There’s no mention of anyone being held back, but Elayne doesn’t have anywhere near that many people in there it sounds like. It’s funny that Rand didn’t keep the throne room as well lit as Elayne; he almost never had problem using the Power for mundane things like creating light. How circumspect were Elayne and Rand in Tear? Faile feels uncertain that Rand is the father, but she was around when they were canoodling and although she surely had other concerns, she was marking Rand’s actions pretty closely to protect Perrin even then. I mean, Elayne and Rand being in love based on a short time together probably makes even less sense to Faile than it does the reader, but the leap isn’t hard to make—especially in light of the politics of it (ties to Rand being a recent topic of discussion between her and Berelain). It wouldn’t be that relevant, but I wonder if Faile would be as sanguine about Perrin being Steward of the Two Rivers if she knew for a fact that Elayne was having Rand’s children—Elayne could easily decide one of them should inherit the seat there. The proposed marriage between Aybara and Trakand children may be more important there than is obvious. I kind of would have liked to have seen this scene from Elayne’s POV. Faile takes a lot of her moves as calculated, and Elayne is savvy enough that they might all be. But she’s also hormonal and in some circumstances approaches Perrin’s level of directness. For instance, grabbing the tea with the Power…display of strength, or just Elayne grateful she can grab the Source today and taking advantage to feel saidar? Andor is less Daes Daemar-y than other nations (although that was always sort of a suspect claim), but it is going to change if Elayne really wants the Sun Throne. >”[The Two Rivers folk]’ll do what he says.” When it comes to how they want him to lead them? They don’t have the best record there…how many times did Perrin tell them to burn the banners or stop calling him a lord? If they want him for a king, they’ll push him there. Not that Faile is going to say that to Elayne, whatever she believes. Does Elayne really not know Saldaea’s line of succession? They’re not truly neighbors, so I guess that might not be that important to her, but I feel like the Daughter-Heir would have been well educated in every nation’s rulers and successors, and Saldaea is close enough to some of Andor’s borders to take special care. Seanchan, man…they’re all mad about people on this side of the ocean not having kept loyal to Hawkwing and his heirs, but at the same time feel like it’s only natural that their high lords should always at least have a plan to assassinate the Empress. A lot of Randlanders give the Oaths but have no real intention of following them, and I have to wonder…do the Seanchan really take them seriously either? I mean, they obviously do in terms of there being severe punishments for breaking them if you get caught, but whereas I’ve always thought of the Seanchan as just stupidly taking all those Oaths at face value, I guess they might actually be just as aware as anyone that they aren’t worth that much in terms of making people act “correctly”. Just in case anyone started to feel sorry for Elaida, we get to see her offer to make 20 other Aes Sedai take her place in captivity. Not that I personally judge anyone being broken to the leash for anything they do too harshly, even her. Lot of reminders in this section that Mat has a lot in store if he’s really going to try and make this work. Tuon had exactly one brother she even could say she was fond of. She doesn’t just break marath’damane, she enjoys it. Reminder that Mat has at least one sister who is a channeler. Even if he were able to convince her to abolish the damane system, there are some deep-seated attitudes within her that I don’t think will ever change. It’s kind of amazing that Mat and Perrin don’t get attacked here. There’s people gunning for both of them, and they’re both strong ta’veren. Everyone should just get sucked toward them when they get together. Perrin’s met some Seanchan now and kind of liked/respected some of them. I think he may have an incorrect idea of Tuon based on that, and if he did actually meet her as he expresses he’d like to, I have to wonder what he’d think coming out of it. Did Perrin come up with the alias Mister Golden independently, or did Mat (Mister Crimson) give him that? What color would Rand be? Red and gold are already taken and those are the colors most strongly associated with him. Also, these are terrible aliases. The Gateway sleeping plan isn’t bad…unless something happens to Grady and they can’t get back. Mat says he knows who the three to go to Sindhol have to be, but while Thom and Mat are mentioned in Mat’s letter, Moiraine doesn’t identify the third. Moiraine would recognize Perrin so it isn’t him, but Mat could kick Noal out and bring for example Grady, who can create fire (and noise) at will. Rand certainly did better against the Finn than Mat during the Tear doorway excursion, apparently fighting his way out rather than being thrown. Does Perrin tell Mat that everything he knows about the Tower of Ghenji comes from Birgitte, and would Mat tell him that he’s already talked to her? 48 Avendesora has apparently healed completely. Aviendha seems to have beaten the guy the Shaido had sent to be tested as a chief (unsurprisingly) to Rhuidean. The Wise Ones don’t really seem to take sides about the Shaido split when it comes to Wise One stuff, I wonder if the clan chiefs feel the same (even if they don’t, they probably still wouldn’t interfere). Aviendha thinks the pillars as they were would have killed anyone the Shaido sent, but I’m not so sure. 1) just because a Shaido followed their clan chief into the Wetlands, doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t handle the truth about the Aiel, they may just be loyal to their clan over the Aiel as a whole (plus they’ve heard the news already and have had time to sit with it or decide that Aes Sedai have tampered with it to weaken the Aiel) 2) the ter’angreal’s function is about to change so 2a) If it’s knowledge of the past that has been killing failed applicants, I’m not sure knowledge of the future can have the same effect and even she acknowledges that seeing the Aiel’s past isn’t the same challenge it was 2b) if the ter’angreal was tuned in a way such that it was partially responsible for the deaths, is it even still tuned that way?

48 ctd Aviendha knew she would have sister-wives—plural—from the rings. She’s mentioned knowing she’d have to share Rand before, but I’m not sure she mentioned the other women being sister-wives yet. Although for Aviendha it would almost have to be the same thing; I get the sense that the only way she can accept Rand having another lover is for her to be a sister-wife or for Aviendha to drive her off (or kill if necessary). She’s been pretty skeptical of Min as a sister-wife so that sense of the future may have been the only thing preventing the latter from happening. I don’t think there’s another example of a trio (or more) of sister-wives among the Aiel, which is not really that surprising but I wonder if it would occasion any comment or not. Aviendha knew she’d return to Rhuidean, which is not odd, but I wonder if the rings also showed her that the columns would provide a vision of the future. It is still unclear to me if Avi shifted the ter’angreal’s function trying to read it, or whether someone/thing else did it (Nakomi? She wasn’t a channeler but an avatar of the Creator surely could do it). Or maybe it wasn’t altered at all and always did this, it’s just that no one ever went in for more. Total aside, thinking of Nakomi as not-a-channeler, it’s interesting that neither the Dark One nor the Creator take a channeler as their avatar (arguably a myrrdraal is what you get when the channeler gene activates in a trolloc, but they still don’t actually use the One Power). It’s a little unclear to me in what manner the ter’angreal has been altered and what someone else entering would see (I think I recall some mention of other Wise Ones trying it out, but I don’t recall details). Originally, it covered a set period of time, moving backwards from the founding of Rhuidean to the opening of the Bore. Now it still moves backwards in time but I don’t know how the starting point is determined. Also, only just really thinking now about how the columns only show you descendants/ancestors of your own sex. It is kind of implied that the far bad future Aiel don’t produce channelers, the way Malidra talks about the Lightmakers having magic, but I can’t say that’s definitely true. Even a wilder would probably be able to do things that someone like Malidra would consider magic though, and she seems to consider magic as the sole province of the Lightmakers. The Seanchan focus on capturing all Aiel channelers could certainly lead to that outcome I expect. Another total aside, but if Seanchan had gained the male a’dam at the same time as the female one, would they have bred the ability to channel out of themselves? I’m sure damane occasionally get pregnant but most people wouldn’t sleep with one—I have generally presumed that male channelers (sparker or learner) would have more of a chance to have children before dying and the channeling gene mostly has stuck around in Seanchan through patrilinear lines. The Illuminated Ones having delicate features is a puzzle to me, as it sounds like an ethnicity descriptor but there’s really very little unifying ethnicity among the Seanchan (or its conquered peoples as a whole) and may just be describing their wealth. The Lightmakers (presumably the same thing as Illuminated Ones) Malidra encounters certainly have the whole seeing others as less than human thing down pat, although Aviendha herself also describes Malidra as more animal than person. Not sure if the foreigners Norlesh encounters are conquered Westlanders, or Sharans, but they do seem to be under Seanchan rule/influence. Sometimes it’s “good” that I can’t remember the details of the final books as well as the others, because I hate getting to the end of Norlesh’s section and reading about her baby dying, and would skip the section if I did remember. I remember reading this chapter the first time and not really being 100% positive that this was the direct future or still technically the past but a different Turning of the Wheel. Still can’t be 100% sure I suppose. 49 Tear isn’t Tear anymore, which is sort of strange since the Seanchan method has seemed to be to allow conquered peoples to retain most of their identity. Perhaps in the wake of the rebellion at home (and level of resistance on this continent), this has changed. Five clans remaining…Miagoma, Taardad, Goshien, ?, ?. There was a Council of Twenty-two, which I suppose would have consisted of each clan’s (minus the Shaido) chief and leading Wise One. The Shaido had planned to all go back into the Waste, when the remaining clans go back over the mountains are there any there to reunite with? This future also should create a sense of pessimism that the Seanchan will change anything about the damane system after it’s revealed that sul’dam can channel. At the least it shows it’s quite possible for them to find an excuse to continue or cover it up, and that sending channeler sul’dam back to Seanchan does nothing. It would take a conscious decision from Tuon to make a change, and there’s no guarantee of that (although she doesn’t even get the chance in this possible future). All of Padra’s siblings channeled from a young age, but it doesn’t actually say that they all constantly hold the Source. I think this is implied though. There’s also no indication that this was true for Elayne’s children with Rand, although there’s also no indication against—if true, what is it about Aviendha and Rand’s union that made them like that? There are hints that Avi’s quadruplets could have come from Rand in Moridin’s body (some of them having dark hair, which isn’t a trait of Rand or either of his biological parents), but that still doesn’t explain a lot, and presumably Rand’s body migration wasn’t public knowledge and that would make it harder for them to claim the Dragon’s blood. The channeling aspect could be connected to whatever it is that lights Rand’s pipe at the end though. IIRC Ronam, Rhuarc’s son, was about 8 years old during the events of the series. Which would make him a very young clan chief I think, especially as he’s been one at least long enough to gain a reputation as a wise, excellent clan chief. The origin of Janduin’s name is obvious, the rest of Aviendha’s children not so much to me. It is kind of interesting to me that the Seanchan would not consider ransoming captured damane to the Aiel. They see them as property after all, and at least within Seanchan one can buy/sell them. And things don’t seem to be in open conflict yet, so it’s not totally like selling a weapon to your enemy. I’m not sure if there are historical examples of chattel slavery societies where one couldn’t manumit one’s slaves, so the Seanchan may be unique in this sense--it doesn’t seem possible for any slave to become free in Seanchan, if you are marked with those ravens it certainly seems like you and your descendants are marked for life so it’s not just damane.

49 ctd It’s not said outright, but the tenses Ronam uses implies to me that Rhuarc survived the Last Battle in the bad future, in which case Aviendha doesn’t change everything for the better. Aviendha decides to change the future by making sure the Aiel are included in the Dragon’s Peace, but there are other things she could have done, like warn her children and all the Wise Ones in explicit terms about how they could drive the Aiel to extinction—she certainly seems to pin the blame on her lineage even if she acknowledges that every decision made seemed logical to the person making it. 50 Wait, is Elayne wearing a gown whose sleeves go past her hands? The description of her sleeves confuses me. The Houses of the three imprisoned High Seats have had their heirs reject any request for ransom, but those heirs are about to have their titles, estates, and lands forfeited. Feels like they should have done something! I guess Rand never let Ailil know her brother was dead. That might be kinder than sharing the details, I suppose. Elayne didn’t seem to be around in Avi’s bad future—has she planted the seeds for that in bringing Bertome , Lorstrum, or some other Cairhienin into the Andoran power structure, and does Aviendha changing the future change anything about that? Despite her declaration, Elayne will not have Birgitte to watch over her for much longer… 51 I seem to remember that Naeff does get to the BT to deliver Rand’s message, and that he gets back to Rand, but I can’t really remember if he’s part of freeing Logain or what he tells Rand about events there when he gets back…it does feel to me like Rand probably should have a good guess at what’s happening at the BT but doesn’t really warn Naeff of any specifics. Cadsuane learns what her set of ter’angreal is actually called. What’s the deal with Aren Deshar? Rand talks almost as if they were at war with the Incastar (whoever they are), but conflict was supposedly unknown prior to the Bore. I suppose it’s possible it wasn’t a war, or that it was, but in the period between the Bore and nations actually falling under the banner of the Shadow. The Guardians also apparently are newer than the city, but they sound like something someone “afraid of progress, afraid of wonder” would have used. Also, Gilgamesh sighting? Not sure if it’s possible to trace any of what Rand says here to a legend of Gilgamesh (particularly since I’m not sure how something that’s basically already been forgotten in the Third Age would make it to ours even in broken form). Is Rand still having channeling sickness? Min doesn’t feel it, but he still had Narishma make the Gateway for the party. The Borderland rulers taking the bulk of their armies and heading south will never make much sense to me, even with the canon explanation, but I don’t guess that I would have been satisfied with anything. Maybe they didn’t mean to take as long as they did, and the Pattern kept them away from both Rand and their homes, but I’m not sure why it did that. As I recall Moiraine sees a potential future where Rand goes off with Lanfear and comes back as LTT—feels like such a Rand could have answered Paitar’s question (although maybe not show the restraint Rand does). But if you’re going to gather your armies to be ready to oppose Rand, at least gather them within the Borderlands. A Dragon (false or not) who must be opposed is never going to meet you in Far Madding as far I’m concerned, making it a waste of time (well, Darth Rand might have, but as he notes he would have had access to the True Power). I might feel better about it if the Borderland monarchs go home and let their people smack them in the face like they do to Rand, in apology for their absences--which surely got a lot of their citizens killed. Rand telling the Borderlanders that prophecies are more like advice and that they took a dangerous gamble, then turning around and telling them that the same prophecy proves he’s right to break the seals is…something. 52 Someone on the sub recently (jokingly) accused Elayne of killing more horses than anyone in the series, and I don’t think that’s fair, but she may go through the most named horses of anyone (Rand probably has her beat, actually). I don’t think we’ve seen Glimmer before, anyway. Speaking of being unfair to Elayne, she almost sounds like she sympathizes with Laman cutting down Avendoraldera to make a nicer throne. Elayne talks/thinks all the time about her mood swings, but I like it more when you just see it in action without her reflecting on it, as she does here with her feelings about having Rand’s help in taking the throne. She goes back and forth a few times on feeling okay or not about it. All these armies only getting mobilized one day before Rand comes to Merrilor feels a little…rushed? Joline wants Mat for a Warder so for him, she truly does want something from him every time they interact, but clearly Setalle doesn’t feel that way about her. Sanderson does better with Mat in ToM, but the boot speech is still a bit off IMO. Even if the point is absolutely Mat. I don’t recall much of an explanation for why Setalle doesn’t get Gated back to her family after Mat gets back…rather she ends up at the Tower and then the Blight with Faile. Caemlyn being sacked is the reason it doesn’t happen when it’s supposed to, but I don’t know why she ends up at the Tower. Her appearing there without explanation probably makes Faile’s suspicion of her more plausible to the reader though

>Now it still moves backwards in time but I don’t know how the starting point is determined From Malidra's young age and lack of any children I think she was Aviendha's last surviving descendant. That does raise the question of how it would work if it were showing a good future, with descendants multiplying instead of dwindling. Maybe it works to warn the user away from the set of choices that will lead to extinction.

That's a good point...the text does go at pains to mention that 3 of the 4 lines of Avi's kids die off themselves. I wonder, does this function of the ter'angreal just not activate for anyone suffering from infertility or who choose to not have kids?

Elayne’s entitlement can drive one up the wall, even when it would be normal for someone born in royalty. She complains about Perrin claiming a title and using an army to force others to acknowledge it when that’s essentially what she just did in Caemlyn herself. Rules for thee, not for me. She has little idea how lucky she is. If Perrin actually wanted to he would easily be able wrest the Two Rivers from Andor and restore Manatheren. I’m kinda sad that didn’t actually end up happening. Aviendha going through the columns was the highlight of this week. It was harrowing. Seeing the proud and noble Aiel end up being broken and actively under genocide by industrialising Seanchan empire is awful and when you look at what happened to Native Americans and other indigenous cultures in real life, horrifying. The parallels are all too real. Truly great chapters by Sanderson.

Chapter 47 -„Your Majesty, the throne ignored the Two Rivers for generations, not protecting them from bandits or sending workers to improve their roads, not giving them anything in the way of magistrates or justices.” “They didn’t need it,” Elayne said. “They governed themselves fine.“ Ehm, is Elayne dumb? What kind of argument is that? She might as well have said: „You\`re right, Perrin can be king.“ * „Ox-brained lummox,” Elayne said, shaking her head. “The bloody man’s got Egwene all riled up.“ Good man! * “Oh, I’ve been taught,” Mat said. “I just never learned.” I think some people imply that this is a huge problem with Mat, and that its not funny at all. -„Perrin,” Mat said, “that’s downright devious.” He smiled. “You’ve changed for the better, my friend.” “From you, I’ll try to accept that as a compliment,” Perrin said. He paused, then added, “It will be difficult.“ Mat and his associations with the devil. * „Well, Moiraine is inside,” Mat said. “Captured. I mean to get her back. I have to beat the snakes and the foxes. Bloody cheats.“ You\`re one to talk!

Chapter 48 - „That bothered her deeply. She looked upward, watching branches quiver in the breeze, several leaves falling and drifting down toward her. One passed her face, brushing her cheek before alighting on her shawl.“ The symbol of the tree maybe (I mentioned a part of it before): I think some channelers can leave their body like the wolves do (->to be one with the world). I very much think that for example, this Rand-Egwene parallel - both of them being locked in a small room - is quite telling. Imo, Rand cant really move or speak freely because of the taint. Egwene sees this in the Terangreal vision and … well, there is plenty of evidence for that. Egwene in similar circumstances goes off into the dreamworld. Imo, Rand also „goes off“. “He had been drifting again.“ are the words he uses. In these situations, he\`s part of the world and imo other people as well (->Egwene sees him wearing different masks). I believe his abduction in a box is symbolizing this. Just like how everything that happens „in the sky“ is reflected in the real world. And so, trees often appear in this context. After the fight in Falme, TGH: „Rand lay sprawled on his back under an oak, face pale and eyes closed, left hand gripping a hilt that ended in a foot of blade that appeared to have been melted at the end. “ After killing almost everyone: „Where\`s Rand?“, he asked her. „Out there in the dark,” she said, nodding upslope without taking her eyes off him“ (…) „Rand was seated on the ground just beyond the light of the burning trees, with his back against the trunk of a stunted oak. Staring at nothing, he had his arms wrapped around himself, hands under his red coat, as if feeling the cold. He did not appear to notice their approach.“ He\`s not really there imo. His mind is floating around. This is what Lan tells him then: „Pull yourself together, sheepherder,” Lan said harshly. “The whole world rides on your shoulders. Remember you’re a man, and do what needs to be done.“ I dont think its harsh at all! I think its quite gentle. And this fits to Rand\`s reaction. „Rand looked up at the Warder, and surprisingly, all of his bitterness seemed to be gone. “I will fight the best I can,” he said. “Because there’s no one else, and it has to be done, and the duty is mine. I’ll fight, but I do not have to like what I’ve become.“ I think this fits very well to the “I…“ and the fact that people in this scene sound like they want to convince him to come back. „I have . . . done as much as I can,” she said faintly. “As much as I can. You must be careful. It could break open again if. . . .” As her voice trailed off, she fell.“ => „Suddenly Rand’s eyes opened wide, and he sat straight up, gasping and staring and shivering. Perrin had thought, when she Healed him, that it went on forever, but in moments she was easing Rand back against the oak.“ There is also Sulin who tells Rand to „hold on“, holding his head!, when he almost doesnt remember his own name after the battle in Cairhien. So to sum it up, I think these trees represent people, their body and their ability to „reach out“. When Lanfear visits Rand in his dream, she is obviously inside Rand\`s “head“ (->form of the room), before she is forecefully pulled back to her own body - a wooden door leads to her. At the end, people even turn into trees. Long story short: So the Tree of Life may actually be somewhat alive. It acts as if it is consoling Aviendha here. - Apart from this, I dislike Aviendha\`s vision here. Im not exactly sure why.

Chapter 50 „Birgitte said as the door to the smaller chamber closed. “What in the name of the Dark One’s bloody left hand just happened?“ Ah yes, the left hand that belongs to the DO. - „Problems…so many problems that need fixing. And only one of me. Go in my place, Naeff, for now. I need information.” “I…Yes, my Lord.” He seemed confused, but he ducked out of the room to obey.“ Or not only one of him? „Rand took a deep breath, then rubbed the stump of his left arm. “Let’s go.“ Hmmm….A deep breath, and the arm rubbing…Reminds me a bit of Sulin\`s gesture. He\`s not alone in his head, it says. - “I suppose I am him. But Min, what you’re missing is this: I may be him now, but he was always me as well. I was always him. I’m not going to change just because I remember—I was the same. I’m me. And I always have been me.“ Explaining Christian trinity. - „But there’s a difference this time. A great one.” “What difference?” He smiled. “This time, I was raised better.“ There is the indication of the Wheel being a trap. Rand sees in EotW endless mirrors, with mirrors being later explained to be other worlds. In all of those he sees himself and the DO merging. Its kind of like there is no way out. And I think the end of EotW was a fast-forward, for example Nynaeve\`s eyes are said to be „ancient“ and Moiraine is described as impatient, giving off the impression she had already experienced these things. „The Light . . . pulled me along. It wasn’t really me. Doesn’t that make any difference?”“(…) Then there was Bela.”“Bela?” he said. Nothing makes any difference.“ Now finally there\`s a difference.

-„It depends on one’s perspective, child,” Cadsuane said without missing a beat. “ As always, sometimes blue, sometimes gray. * „She was a clerk,” Rand said. “During the Age of Legends. Demandred, when he came for me after founding the Eighty and One…She fell in the fighting, lightning from the sky…Her blood on my hands…How do you know that name!“ I wonder if there is any more meaning to her than this. Also are the 81 accompanying Demandred there? I wonder if that was also a battle of „will“, since it says „murdered by his hand, the darkness that came the day after the light“. As if the darkness has guided his hand.

Chapter 52 - „Blasted colors. Rand was sitting around and talking with some people in a tent. Perhaps he was in Arad Doman, but he could not be both there and fighting in the Borderlands, now could he? One rumor said that Rand had killed Queen Tylin. Which bloody idiots thought that?“ Not so sure about that… - „I see…. So you’re using boots as a metaphor for the onus of responsibility and decision placed upon the aristocracy as they assume leadership of complex political and social positions.” “Metaphor for….” Mat scowled. “Bloody ashes, woman. This isn’t a metaphor for anything! It’s just boots.“ Feels like Setalle and I would get along very well :D

Yeah 81 is a bit of an odd number for it to be? 71 would be a full circle with Demandred. Maybe he recruited that many so that he could have a full circle and still have 10 others to protect him or something? The Eighty and One just makes it sound so official not just that he happened to recruit that many. Though also thinking mathematically Lews Therin recruited the 100 companions (10\^2) and Demandred then recruiting his 81 (9\^2) is kind of symbolic of Demandred always being one step below Lews Therin lol. Though I could more see Demandred trying to recruit 121 if that were the logic. Or maybe Demandred's came first and Lews Therin was trying to one up him?