Welcome back to my re-read, recap, and reaction to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. This post will only have spoilers through the current chapter.
You can find my previous chapter recaps HERE.
Chapter 13: A Small Room in Sienda
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Elayne Trakand
Nynaeve and Elayne are traveling in a coach driven by Thom, with Juilin as the coachman. Nynaeve is upset about playing the role of maid and tries to make Elayne’s life miserable in return. They are traveling east through Amadicia and yesterday went past the capital city, Amador. Elayne finally tells her to stop sulking which Nynaeve does to some extent. The coach stops when the horses are frightened by boar horses from a menagerie. Valan Luca comes over to apologize and also begins to flirt with Elayne.
Luca tries to talk them into a performance then finally admits they are broke due to unforeseen happenings in a nearby town. Elayne won’t take the time to see the show but asks Nynaeve to help him out with some of their money. Nynaeve gives Luca the smallest coin she can and has Thom drive off, leaving a fuming Luca in the road.
They reach the town of Sienda and find one inn has had the sign torn down and a hole in the door. The other inn has many soldiers and Whitecloaks in the common room but they need to stay there for the night. Tonight Nynaeve is going to meet Egwene in tel’aran’rhiod so she begins getting ready for bed early. Elayne asks Nynaeve to pass a message to Rand that she loves him, only him.
REACTION
I really wish we had been privy to Nynaeve’s inner thoughts so that we could know from her perspective what set her off before the chapter starts. Is it just standard pride and insecurity from her? Probably. Could Elayne have unknowingly contributed? Undoubtedly. Was Elayne putting her in her place kind of satisfying? Yes.
Of course, once we get to Sienda, we gain some idea of what might have happened before. Elayne did not necessarily need to embarrass “Nona” publicly, in front of the Innkeeper, by talking about how much she snores. Is it the sort of thing a Lady might say about her servant though? Possibly. Was it a necessary dig? No. Was it a veiled dig at Nynaeve, and not just a lie to make an excuse for their sleeping arrangement? Yes.
Honestly, neither of these two women come off very well in this chapter. There’s something of an “odd couple” routine happening here from Jordan (poor, unlettered, perpetually angry rural village Wisdom + snooty Andoran princess), but the comedy doesn’t really work for me. Part of the problem is that they both treat the men terribly and unappreciatively. I need a reason to love them, to laugh and not be annoyed, and Jordan isn’t giving enough reasons to love them. After all the help Thom and Juilin have been, Elayne’s POV re: them as the chapter is ending is… dismissive and patronizing. Nynaeve is no better in that respect (whatever character growth progress she gained from her apology at the end of the last chapter has been wiped out, it seems.)
In the previous book, I thought they played off each other better. There, though, Jordan was more subtle. The unintentional good cop / bad cop routine that the two of them did while negotiating with the world around them was actually funny. The bickering is… dare I said it… a slog to read.
I just keep wanting Nynaeve and Elayne to part ways and go on separate adventures. I have LOVED Nynaeve throughout the series when she’s not been partnered with Elayne. The version of her from the last couple of chapters is hard to recognize.
A few notes:
- You don’t introduce a circus and then not revisit the circus soon thereafter.
- The story seems primed for this World of Dreams visit to go dramatically, if not badly.
- The boar horses are obviously elephants.
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