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Reading The Wheel of Time: Egwene Wears Green (Metaphorically) in The Gathering Storm (Part 23)
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The Wheel of Time
Reading The Wheel of Time: Egwene Wears Green (Metaphorically) in The Gathering Storm (Part 23)
Finally, an answer to the Verin question…
By Sylas K Barrett
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Published on April 21, 2026
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Welcome back to Reading The Wheel of Time! This week we are covering chapters 38 and 39, in which things start to happen for Egwene and Verin’s secret is finally revealed. I’m so excited to get into it, so without further ado, let’s get recapping!
Sitting with Egwene in Tel’aran’rhiod, Siuan tries again to convince the Amyrlin to let them rescue her. Egwene finally agrees to sanction a rescue attempt if Elaida sentences her to death—though she insists that her own death by execution would still be a victory. She is also concerned about the ongoing fight for power in the rebel camp, urging Siuan to do whatever she can to keep the Aes Sedai together.
Siuan tells Egwene about Gawyn’s arrival in the camp, and Egwene reacts with forced casualness, although she is not successful in fooling Siuan. Siuan doesn’t know exactly what the young man wants, but mentions that he has been meeting with Lelaine and Romanda.
When asked, Egwene admits that her cell is too small to stand up or lie down flat in, and declares that once she is restored to her proper place, she will have this and any other such cells filled in. It occurs to her that what she is experiencing is very similar to what Rand went through, only in his case the box was even smaller than her cell, and he had no reprieve of visiting the World of Dreams, and no sustaining belief that his beatings meant something.
“Regardless,” Egwene said, “I have Tel’aran’rhiod. During the days, my body is captive, but my soul is free at night. And each day I endure is another proof that Elaida’s will is not law. She cannot break me. Her support from the others is eroding. Trust me.”
Once Siuan has left the Dream, Egwene finds herself reluctant to return to ordinary sleep. She moves to the Tel’aran’rhiod version of the rebel camp, observing the way the tents are grouped and how they suggest the lines of division that are beginning to form among the Salidar Aes Sedai. Next she finds herself in a Tinkers camp, reminiscing about the time she and Perrin spent traveling with a band of Tinkers. She remembers flirting with Aram, and wonders where he, Raen, and Ila are now. She imagines that they must be in a camp like this one, hiding away from the coming Last Battle and continuing to dance.
Finally she travels to Tar Valon, finding herself standing beneath the shadow of the White Tower while a stormy sky boils above it. She wonders if she is seeing an omen, and whether it is time to let the Tower fall. But she decides to wait a few more days.
Waking in her cell, Egwene does her best to stretch her body within the limited confines of her cell, reminding herself that she wants to be here, and could escape any time. This helps her stave off the panic of being enclosed in such a small space. Around noon she is dragged from her cell for her daily beating, which is considered a reward for the two Reds who have to stay and maintain her shield. But before the beating can begin, they are interrupted by Katerine, who informs Egwene and the two Reds that Elaida has decided that Silviana, as Mistress of Novices, is partly responsible for this particular novice being out of line, and that Egwene is to be returned to her rooms and placed under the authority of the new Mistress of Novices, Katerine herself, now that Silviana has been removed from the position.
As her two guards take her back to her room in the novice quarters, Saerin appears, and after successfully staring down the Red sisters, walks beside Egwene and fills her in on what has been happening. Egwene learns that she was released not because Elaida suddenly came to a decision, but because Silviana came before the entire Hall and formally condemned Elaida’s actions, calling them unlawful and demanding Egwene’s release, as well as the removal of Elaida as Amyrlin. Elaida ordered Silviana to put on the dress of a novice; when Silviana refused, Elaida sentenced her to stilling and execution.
Egwene exclaims at once that the action must be prevented, and orders Saerin to go to the Hall and attempt to stop it. As the Brown Sitter hurries off, Egwene asks her two guards, Barasine and another sister whose name Egwene doesn’t know, if they want to go find out what happened. She sends a nearby novice to fetch some forkroot from the kitchens. Once she has drunk it, Egwene is left alone.
She goes to her room to clean up, where she is surprised to find Verin sitting on Egwene’s bed drinking tea. Egwene is dismissive of Verin’s presence until the Brown sister remarks that Egwene’s dress is green. At first, Egwene assumes that Verin can lie because she has had the oaths removed, but realizes that she has never fully trusted Verin. Verin confirms that this is a wise impulse, as she is Black Ajah.
Verin rambles on about how good the tea is and how Laras is an impressive woman, then begins to compliment Egwene on her work trying to reunite the Tower. Verin herself has avoided getting involved, deeming it more important to continue her research and to keep an eye on Rand. She remarks that she doesn’t believe that Rand understands how the Great Lord really works, and that not all evil is as obvious as the Chosen.
She compares the Chosen to children who are all fighting for their father’s attention, and muses that of all the qualities that the Great Lord wants in his leaders, selfishness might be the most important.
“It makes them predictable. A tool you can depend upon to act as expected is far more valuable than one you cannot understand. Or perhaps because when they struggle against one another, it makes only the strong ones survive. I don’t know, honestly. The Chosen are predictable, but the Great Lord is anything but. Even after decades of study, I can’t be certain exactly what he wants or why he wants it. I only know that this battle isn’t being fought the way that al’Thor assumes it will be.”
When she returns the conversation to Egwene’s achievement in infiltrating Elaida’s regime and turning the Hall against her, Verin’s rambling, absent-minded attitude falls away, and she takes on an intensity so strong that Egwene wonders if this is the same woman she knows. She explains that, many years ago, she “found [herself] in a position where” she had to either swear oaths to the Dark One or admit that she never had any intention of doing so, in which case she would have been executed. She decided to swear, in order to study the Dark from the inside, and in order to save her own life.
She admits that Tomas is also a Darkfriend. He was looking for a way out, and while Verin couldn’t offer exactly that, she did offer him a way out. She also admits that she and Tomas have both taken poison. Verin’s is in the tea she is currently drinking.
Verin explains that the oaths one takes to the Dark One are quite specific—and for channelers, also quite binding. She quotes them for Egwene: “I swear not to betray the Great Lord, to keep my secrets until the hour of my death.”
Egwene sees the loophole at once, and Verin wonders why the Dark One would leave such a loophole in his oaths of loyalty. Egwene theorizes that he doesn’t see suicide as a threat; Darkfriends are far too self-centered to choose to end their own lives just to betray the Dark.
“Every woman in the Brown,” Verin said, “seeks to produce something lasting. Research or study that will be meaningful. Others often accuse us of ignoring the world around us. They think we only look backward. Well, that is inaccurate. If we are distracted, it is because we look forward, toward those who will come. And the information, the knowledge we gather… we leave it for them. The other Ajahs worry about making today better; we yearn to make tomorrow better.”
She presents Egwene with two books, one of which explains the cipher she used to write the other. The second is a collection of everything she learned about the Dark—their leaders, their prophecies, their goals and motivations. She also has a list of Black Ajah members that she believes is nearly complete, though there are probably a few she didn’t catch. Egwene is astounded at this treasure, and deeply moved by what she imagines of Verin’s life as a spy among the Black.
Verin points out that the Black has many spies, and it was time the Light had one among them. She shows Egwene how the two books can be fit together with the attached bookmarks to cause both to become invisible, thanks to a weave she discovered from the Age of Legends.
“I will admit that the poison was a backup plan,” Verin said. “I am not eager for death; there are still things I need to do. Fortunately, I have set several of them in motion to be… seen to, in case I do not return. Regardless, my first plan was to find the Oath Rod, then see if I could use it to remove the Great Lord’s oaths. The Oath Rod appears to have gone missing, unfortunately.”
Egwene realizes that Saerin and the others must have taken it again, though she doesn’t tell Verin this. Verin adds that removing the oaths might not have worked anyway. She also tells Egwene that she knows that one of the Forsaken, Mesaana, is in the Tower, but that she was unable to discover who the Forsaken is disguised as. She urges Egwene to be careful how she uses the information, and where she strikes. She is confident that Egwene will be Amyrlin, and remarks that the Amyrlin should always be well armed with knowledge. Egwene thanks Verin for the trust she has placed in her.
As Verin lies back on the bed, she asks Egwene to tell everyone that, though her name may always be associated with the Black, that her soul was Brown. Egwene promises to do so, but she also tells Verin that her soul is not Brown, but a pure white, “like the Light itself.”
Egwene holds Verin’s hand until she dies, then checks to make sure she is actually dead, just to be sure this isn’t some trick. Just then, Turese, one of the Reds, opens the door and looks in. Egwene explains Verin’s presence, using Aes Sedai misdirection to avoid outright lying, insinuating that Verin lay down to rest, exhausted from her travels. Turese instructs Egwene not to disturb Verin.
Once Turese has gone, Egwene repositions Verin to make the ruse more effective, then sits down to look at the books. She begins by looking through the names of all the Black sisters. Katerine and Galina’s names in particular catch her attention, and she is shocked and upset when she sees Sheriam’s. It’s discomfiting to read the list of names, and see the numbers of Black among every Ajah, a little over two hundred in total. She is relieved, at least, to see that Cadsuane is not on the list, and neither are any of Egwene’s closest confidants. Elaida’s name also isn’t there; Verin assumes that Elaida was being manipulated by Alviarin and Galina.
When Meidani eventually comes to see her, she notices that Verin is dead. Egwene explains that Verin was poisoned by a Darkfriend and, aware of the poison, she came to pass on important information to Egwene. Meidani recovers from her shock with an effort, and reports that Elaida is still Amyrlin, but only by a hair. She was roundly censured by the Hall for acting like an absolute ruler and has been given penance. Silviana is still imprisoned, and there is talk of issuing penance to her, as well.
Egwene tells Meidani to go to the others and to inform them that Alviarin is Black Ajah. She instructs them to capture Alviarin and test her using the Oath Rod. She also tells Medani to take Verin with her, as it will look much less suspicious if Verin vanishes than if she is found dead in Egwene’s room. She also has Meidani take the cup of poisoned tea.
Once Meidani is gone with Verin’s body, Egwene lays down on her bed and goes to sleep, waking in Tel’aran’rhiod. She has to wait for a little while in the appointed meeting place, but as soon as Siuan arrives Egwene warns her that Sheriam and Moria are Black Ajah. Siuan is baffled and disbelieving as Egwene warns her to watch them until they can be taken prisoner.
Egwene is about to explain the change in her circumstances when suddenly she feels herself being pulled out of the World of Dreams. She wakes to find herself being shaken awake by a panicked Nicola. As the Tower shakes and Nicola babbles about flying Shadowspawn and the Last Battle, Egwene realizes that it isn’t the Last Battle but something almost as bad. The Seanchan attack has begun.
And so, we finally learn the answer to the mystery of Verin Mathwin, and I, for one, am quite satisfied with it. I’m also a little surprised at myself for never considering the possibility that Verin might be a double agent. The reveal perfectly explains her actions and contradictions, and the strange vibes that we get from her—where she usually seems to be acting for the good, and yet comes off as untrustworthy all the same.
Like when she used a form of Compulsion on the captive Aes Sedai to convince them to swear to Rand, for example. It is not impossible for a sister to violate Tower Law, of course, so technically any ordinary sister could have done what Verin did. Just as we saw Moiraine use balefire. However, there is something particularly dark about Compulsion, even in comparison to another forbidden weave like balefire, and seeing Verin use it so intently on so many women did feel a bit questionable, even if they were women who were party to Galina’s torture of Rand. As we are seeing with Rand himself, the idea of “the ends justify the means” can be employed by anyone, but it tends to lead towards a dark place. Balefire is physically dangerous to the world, but Compulsion, even Verin’s cobbled-together Compulsion Lite, is morally dangerous.
The fact that Verin was considering poisoning Cadsuane is another moment where she felt more Dark. Reading that scene, I found myself considering that she might actually be Black Ajah and was trying to sabotage Rand’s success by removing an important and knowledgeable advisor. But the moment was from her POV, and I couldn’t find a way to spin Verin’s conclusion—that Cadsuane is actually trying to help Rand—and the subsequent decision not to poison her, in a way that would point to the motivations of a Darkfriend. And after all, though murder is always morally questionable, there is technically nothing preventing an Aes Sedai from murdering someone, as long as they don’t try to do it with the One Power.
If anything, Verin has always seemed like she was acting entirely from her own motivations, neither directed by the Dark or by the White Tower. Which I suppose she was, in a way. Verin’s desire to study the Dark and to record as much useful information as she could puts her on the side of Good, but it is an independent project that no one in the world (except maybe Tomas) knew about; she seems to have made her own choices, motivated solely by her own desires, in service of the search for knowledge. She obeys the White Tower as much as she needs to but mostly avoids oversight by being a Brown. She obeys the Dark because she has to, all the while working against them as she studies their methods and records the names of their operatives. She does many awful and terrible things, things she does not believe she can be forgiven for, and yet she believes that what she has been able to achieve was worth such a sacrifice. To borrow from the D&D alignment chart for a moment, I might classify her as truly neutral—neither lawful nor chaotic, neither Good nor Evil. Except for the fact that her love for and search for knowledge is based not solely in knowledge for its own sake, but in care for the world. This drive, as Egwene points out, makes Verin truly Good after all.
I appreciated that Egwene noted the same dichotomy in Verin that I felt as a reader. Even when Verin proves that she can lie, Egwene assumes that Verin either never swore the oaths, just as Egwene herself hasn’t, or has had them removed, which she knows is possible because of the activity of the Black Ajah hunters. This shows that she has some instinctive sense that Verin is not evil, since in many ways it would make more sense to assume a lying Aes Sedai is Black Ajah before coming up with some other way she could have escaped the oaths. But at the same time, Egwene is also aware that she never fully trusted Verin, which Verin herself remarks is probably wise.
Verin is very circumspect in the way she describes her decision to swear allegiance to the Dark One. Her use of the passive voice when she says “I found myself in a position” feels a little telling, but it is also true that she specifies that she never wanted or intended to swear to the Dark. This seems to imply that she was researching the Dark, or at least looking into the Black Ajah, and got caught. In order not to be killed, and to continue her work, she pretended she was snooping because she wanted to join, and swore allegiance to the Dark One. But there is probably a lot more to the story we will never know.
Interestingly, Verin also notes that the Dark Oaths are quite binding for channelers. This of course refers to the use of the Oath Rod on the Black Ajah, and I think it’s really fascinating that even as Darkfriends, the Aes Sedai are expected to be bound by the Oath Rod in order to be trusted. But this also implies that swearing to the Dark One is not as binding on ordinary people, which touches on my ongoing question about whether or not someone who has dedicated themselves to the Dark can return to the Light to the point where their soul is no longer in danger of going to the Dark One when they die.
Like Ingtar, Verin was only able to manage to return to the Light by choosing death as a means of redemption, and since she revealed that Tomas also took poison, we have only ever seen Darkfriends turn back to the Light in this way. Granted, Verin had hoped she could remove her oaths to the Dark One using the Oath rod.She may very well have been able to do so, as we’ve seen other Darkfriend channelers like Amico, or Asmodean, be released from the physical restraints on their obedience to the Dark One and act against him. However, neither that situation nor the death of characters like Verin or Ingtar tells us what happens to someone’s soul in this case. Asmodean seemed to believe he would still return to the Dark One’s clutches if he died, and the Dark One’s insinuation that he can’t resurrect Asmodean because he died by balefire seems to confirm this belief as accurate—though there is always a chance the Dark One is lying, or at least not admitting that Asmodean might have been beyond his reach for other reasons. If a member of the Chosen was ever to slip out of the Dark One’s grasp, he certainly would never admit it.
Not that I think Asmodean, who turned to the Dark because he wanted to be famous forever and who only sided with Rand out of a bid for self-preservation, had returned to the Light in any meaningful way. I’m just wondering if it would be possible, if his heart had actually been in it. There is the oath taken at Shayol Ghul to consider, after all. In that place, reality can be altered and souls can be trapped in alarming ways. I kind of doubt anyone can escape the Dark One once they have sworn at Shayol Ghul itself. But I digress.
Only the Chosen swear at Shayol Ghul, though, so ostensibly the only thing keeping an ordinary Black Sister more bound to the Dark One than an ordinary non-channeling Darkfriend would seem to be the Oath Rod. I’m guessing Tomas killed himself not to escape oaths or pass on secrets, but because he has a family. We have seen what happens to the families of Darkfriends who betray the Dark or fail to carry out orders. The only way for Tomas to protect his family would be to die himself.
I assume that is why Tomas was “looking for a way out” in the first place. He couldn’t just foreswear the Dark or run off, because his family would have been in danger. Verin couldn’t protect them, but she could offer him a way to be Good again, by working with her.
When you get right down to it, Verin might be the cleverest person in the entire series. Though technically not bound by the Three Oaths, she would have been forced to follow them often, in order to not be found out as Black, while at the same time she was bound by her oaths to the Dark One while secretly working against him. It’s easy to imagine how much maneuvering and planning and clever Aes Sedai wordplay she would have had to do to maintain both of her covers, all the while carrying out, or at least seeming to carry out, the orders she was given by her superiors both in the White Tower and in the Black Ajah.
Verin’s comment that he doesn’t understand the Dark One or how the battle is actually being fought struck me as a very important clue to where Rand’s character arc is leading us to. This is something I have been working on for a separate essay, so for now I will only say that as Rand becomes harder and colder, as he focuses entirely on winning a physical battle at any cost, I have been thinking more and more about how all Rand’s initial confrontations with the Dark One—or rather, with Ba’alzamon masquerading as the Dark One—were about trying to corrupt and recruit Rand to serve the Dark. Many times throughout the series, both those who walk in the Light and the servants of the Dark have considered that all the Dark One needs to do to win the Last Battle is to kill Rand… and yet the Dark One has continually forbidden his followers to do this. It seems clear that he needs Rand for something, and that it has to be in service to the Dark One’s only true, knowable goal: to break free from his prison.
The Dark One doesn’t work the way people think he does. This is no doubt in part because he would intentionally obscure his motivations to manipulate people into serving him as he desires. But also, he is a being so far outside of normal creation that I don’t believe he could be fully fathomable to a human being. Not a living one, anyway. And Verin observes what I have always thought and written about the Forsaken: that they foolishly think they know what the Dark One’s intentions are, and that his promises to them are true. In her time studying the Dark, Verin has realized that the Forsaken are so petty and so self-focused that it actually makes them kind of stupid, even though most of them seem to have high intelligence in other areas. The idea that the Dark One specifically looks for selfishness in his leaders because it makes them predictable and easy to control is one I have had often, and I maintain my belief that the Dark One has no intention of keeping any of them around if he is successful in breaking free of his prison. The title of Nae’blis is, in my opinion, an empty promise. It’s just a carrot the Dark One can use to motivate his most powerful followers, a sparkly jewel he can dangle in front of them, distracting them from seeing the truth.
Though I do wonder how Ishamael/Moridin views the Dark One. His perspective has always been somewhat different from the others, and his relationship to the Dark One is different, too. After all, we have seen the Dark One punish his lieutenants for their failures, and for getting themselves killed. Ishamael’s death was certainly that… and yet he seems to have been rewarded, given a young, hot new body and made Nae’blis. Of course, we don’t know what kind of suffering he experienced before he turned up in the narrative against as Moridin, but even if he was punished, he’s still back in a position of power pretty quickly.
Speaking of Rand, I’ve been observing for some time how Egwene’s journey to becoming Amyrlin has been paralleling much of Rand’s journey, and although it feels a bit obvious, Egwene’s realization that her time in the too-small cell is much like Rand’s time in the box does fit with those parallels. It also shows the difference between them: Egwene feels like her position, her identity, is a choice she believes in, whereas Rand feels like his is a trap he was born into, a burden thrown upon his shoulders without his consent.
One could argue that Egwene had very little agency in becoming the Amyrlin; she was elected as a political move, intended to be a symbol and a figurehead. But she did have a choice. She could have refused the summons to leave the Aiel and return to Salidar, giving up her bid to become Aes Sedai for the life of a Wise One. Once in Salidar she was under enormous pressure to accept the role she was asked to fill, but she could have said no. Once elected, she could have allowed herself to be used as the rebel Hall intended, content to be what she was asked to be and no more. I’m sure from Egwene’s point of view she would consider these options no choice at all, but that is because of her desire to be Aes Sedai and her love for the White Tower.
Rand, on the other hand, was born into the identity of the Dragon; he never had a chance to feel like it was something he chose. He lacks the sense of agency Egwene has: Just as her beatings have meaning for her, while his had none for him, her identity has meaning for her. She chose to take up the metaphorical sword; she chose the heavy burden of being the Amyrlin Seat. Refusal would have meant disaster, which makes the responsibility especially heavy, but she could have refused. Rand can’t.
Except, Rand can, of course. Technically there was nothing stopping him from running away and hiding, or turning to the Dark as Ishamael prodded him to do, or even from killing himself. He didn’t do any of these things because he believed that such a choice would doom the world forever, and he couldn’t allow that. However, unlike Egwene, he doesn’t credit himself with that choice. He doesn’t take pride or find sustenance in the fact that he has continued to refuse to back down, no matter how he suffers, no matter how impossible his task feels. Where Egwene has found meaning and encouragement in her own resilience, Rand has increasingly dwelt on the fact that being the Dragon Reborn is something terrible that is happening to him. Which is true, to an extent. But I think this shows exactly what perspective can do for a person. And to a person.
Perhaps that is why chapter 38 includes Egwene stumbling upon the Tinker camp in Tel’aran’rhiod. It was pretty painful when she was reminiscing about Ila, Raen, and Aram, and assuming they were safely camped somewhere, hoping to wait out the Last Battle far from harm. But even more striking, for me at least, was when she wondered if the Tinkers were still dancing, as they had when she and Perrin stayed with them, given everything that is going on in the world.
That had been a simpler time; though the Tinkers always seemed able to make a simpler time for themselves.Yes, this group would still dance. They would dance right up until the day when the Pattern burned away, whether or not they found their song, whether or not Trollocs ravaged the world or the Dragon Reborn destroyed it.
Egwene goes on to reflect on her own motivations and what parts of life are truly important. Again, I saw the difference between where she is mentally and where Rand is. As Min pointed out to Nynaeve in chapter 37, Rand has forgotten how to value the very thing he is fighting for. But throughout Egwene’s story, from her early days realizing she can channel to her time as a damane, to her studies with the Aiel, to her rise to Amyrlin, Egwene has always asked herself these questions, and always reaffirmed her desires and motivations to herself.
Egwene can be very cutthroat as a character; in some ways I have never found her the most interesting of the core crew. But this clear-sightedness makes her a very special person, and a very special player on the board, so to speak. I’m so eager to see her reunite with Rand. As Amyrlin, she is going to feel like a threat to him and he to her, but Egwene’s reflections on Rand’s suffering make me think she might be in a better place to understand him than most people. Perhaps that understanding and wisdom, coupled with their shared history, will help her reach him when others have failed.
After all, the division between male and female channelers was a part of the conflict that led to the tainting of saidin and the Breaking of the World. Whether it was the cause of Lews Therin’s failure or the only thing that saved both halves of the One Power from being tainted we’ll never know, but what we do know is that healing the world must include healing the divide between channelers. After all, we have been told from the very beginning that the greatest works of channeling can only be accomplished by both halves of the One Power being used in tandem. In this Age, the Dragon Reborn and the Amyrlin Seat are the symbols of each half, as well as the collective leaders of all the majority of channelers.
Verin’s comments about Laras being an extraordinary woman reminded me of Laras’ actions in helping Min and Siuan and Leane escape the White Tower, and how Laras also tried to help Egwene escape, because she was fundamentally opposed to seeing a woman broken. In some ways, Laras’ perspective foreshadowed Silviana’s. Like Laras, Silviana saw Egwene’s treatment as unjust, and refused to be party to it. The fact that Silviana was willing to stand up to Elaida in such a public way shows that she is someone who both believes in justice and law, and is willing to fight for it, which is especially refreshing to see in a Red.
In this very chapter we learn that there are more Black sisters among the Reds than any other Ajah (no surprise there) and also that getting to beat Egwene is considered a reward for the Red sisters who have had to spend their time in the dungeons maintaining her shield. The Red Ajah has never been painted in a good light; they are usually cruel, suspicious, and have a particular dislike for the Blue Ajah, which predisposes the reader to dislike them. It’s always bothered me a little that there’s a “man hater” Ajah, and that the reds are the bad guys as much, or at least nearly as much, as the Black, but we do have examples of good women, and good Aes Sedai, among the reds. Pevara is one, and so is Silviana.
Now Egwene knows the truth about the Black Ajah, and how much they were actually behind the division in the White Tower. Verin has correctly deduced that Elaida was manipulated by Black sisters close to her and has also recorded the identity of many Black sisters in positions of power in Salidar, revealing that it’s not just Elaida who has been a puppet for the Black. I really felt for Egwene’s grief over learning that Sheriam was black, and I can appreciate her disgust at having someone so close to her be black after the revelation about “Halima” and Delana. She’s now also been put in a position to consider herself the same as Elaida (in this one very particular way).
“How the Dark One must have laughed to see two rival Amyrlins, each with one of his loyal minions at her side, pitting them against one another.”
Then again, she considers Verin’s words that no one can be certain what the Dark One wants, or why he wants it. It seems important that Egwene is becoming aware of the way that humanity anthropomorphizes the Dark One, attributing human desires and human reactions to a fundamentally inhuman being. If Rand comes to understand this as well, the fight against the Dark may become very different, and how they handle Darkfriends, even the Forsaken, may as well.
There was a moment that caught my attention from a continuity perspective. When Turese looks in to see who is channeling and sees Meidani demonstrating one of the 100 weaves, it is mentioned that the weave “blocked her sight of Verin’s face.” It was always my understanding that weaves are only seen in the metaphysical sense, that they are not actually visible to the eye. This is certainly true at least some of the time; when Nynaeve delves Logain, Leane, and Siuan to examine the effects of their stilling/gentling, the narration describes what she is seeing in visual terms, but obviously she isn’t looking inside them with x-ray vision.
I can’t point to a specific description of “seeing” weaves that proves my interpretation correct, but it is interesting that Sanderson visualized them as being seen in a more physical way, such that they could block your view of something else. It makes me curious as to which way Jordan imagined them.
Moments I really enjoyed in this chapter:
When Verin lies about the color of Egwene’s dress, she says that it is green. It felt like a little allusion to the fact that Egwene would have chosen the Green if she’d had the opportunity. I doubt it was consciously intentional on Verin’s part, but it felt right, thematically. Maybe it even reflected Verin’s impression of Egwene, or her feelings about the battle they are both fighting.
Verin was impressed that Egwene wasn’t still “dawdling” outside the Tower wasting time, but Egwene ending up in the White Tower was a complete accident—a stroke of bad luck that actually turned out to be good luck. It makes you think about the designs of the Pattern and how much of what happens is the Wheel exerting its will on the threads of people’s lives.
I also enjoyed the little interlude while Egwene waited for Siuan to join her at the meeting place. She reflected on how the gardeners and other servants keep the Tower running, as Amyrlins rise and fall and Tower politics continue on, and how in many ways they are the White Tower, more than any individual Aes Sedai. This is a reflection we see in other areas as well, when we encounter the people who run the palaces, manors, and other important places owned by the nobility.
We’ll be moving on next week to cover chapters 40 and 41, and possibly 42, since it’s mostly action. The Seanchan attack that Egwene Dreamed of and Tuon set in motion in chapter 36 has come to pass, and no one is emerging from it unscathed.
But before I bid you all a good week, I wanted to bring up one more thought. When Egwene is reflecting in the Tinker camp and reminding herself of what in life is really important, she takes a moment to interrogate her own motivations: whether she is fighting for the White Tower for power or pride, or if it’s because she truly believes that it is what is best for the world. Then she wonders if she is going to “to suck herself dry” in the fight.
Siuan has also been warning Egwene, almost continually, about the dangers of stretching herself too thin, of taking on too much. This is compared to how Siuan fell, but it could also be compared to the way Rand is exhausting himself. In Rand’s case, he is fully expecting to die in the Last Battle, and does not see either the literal or moral reason to protect any reserves for himself. His view of himself is more pessimistic, more self-destructive, but is it very different from Egwene’s, really? How many times has she said that her death would be a victory? How often has she determined that there is no sacrifice too great for the good of the Tower, and the world?
What if Rand isn’t the one to die at the Last Battle. What if… what if it was Egwene?
This is one of those moments that feel a little silly, because I’m speculating about something that most, if not all, of my readers already know the answer to, but I have always felt that Rand’s death, narratively speaking, is unlikely. The more he is convinced he won’t make it, the more I am convinced that he will. From a storycraft perspective, it just makes sense to subvert that expectation.
But it also makes sense that we will lose someone important in the Last Battle. Probably a few someones. And looking at Egwene’s journey, I can’t help but think that she is a prime candidate.
And oh, how that would hurt.[end-mark]
The post Reading The Wheel of Time: Egwene Wears Green (Metaphorically) in <i>The Gathering Storm</i> (Part 23) appeared first on Reactor.
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