Posted on by Dusty
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 25: An Unwelcome Return
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Elaida
Elaida meets with some of the Sitters trying to determine the accuracy of reports on Seanchan damane. They have plans to put Kings and Queens of their own choosing back in Cairhien, Tear, and Illian. The Rebel Aes Sedai are stuck in Murandy for the winter.
After the meeting, Alviarin Freidhen instructs Elaida to recant some of her directives and issue new and more disruptive orders. Elaida believed she was free since Alviarin had left the Tower for 2 weeks. Alviarin sends the Mistress of Novices to Elaida to remind her that Alviarin is in charge. Elaida hopes Alviarin’s blackmail an manipulation are exposed.
Point of view: Alviarin Freidhen
Alviarin reports to Mesaana. Mesaana reminds her to not rise above her station. Alviarin prostrates herself in front of Mesaana who is pacified. Mesaana is notified of Eliada’s decrees being distributed. Alviarin suggests Eliada’s removal but Mesaana brushes it aside. Instead Mesaana redirects Alviarin to inquire about the Ajah heads’ secret meetings, while regretting the loss of Galina for these matters. Alviarin notes Mesaana isn’t omniscient for not knowing the information and notices parts of Mesaana’s dress through her illusion, and hopes to find Mesaana unaware in the White Tower.
REACTION:
One of the reasons Jordan’s books are so long is that he’s maybe a bit more eager than he should be to give us scenes like the one we get in this chapter. Not only do we have about 10 regular protagonist characters’ POVs that we pop into and out of somewhat regularly, we also get to see inside of the thoughts of the antagonists, too. Here we get a very good glimpse into what is happening within the White Tower.
Why do this? Why spend all this time setting up Elaida vs. Alviarin and why let us see Elaida setting loose a hunt for traitors and why let those people on the hunt think that they’re looking for the Black Ajah when maybe that wasn’t quite Elaida’s intention? The best guess is that the plot is going to be spending a LOT of time inside the White Tower sometime soon. That implies to some degree that someone we like is going to be spending time INSIDE the White Tower – and that we need to know what the lay of the land is before that happens.
Eggy shares a tent with one of the Forsaken. Another of the Forsaken runs the White Tower via proxies. Eggy is probably in danger. But before we get there…
Elaida’s back and forth with Alviarin is interesting. Elaida got infected by Padan Fain a few books back. I think that’s at least part of the reason for her delusions of grandeur. That said… I feel like it might mean that Alviarin is underestimating her, to her own potential peril. In two weeks, Elaida almost had the entire White Tower back under her thumb.
One can feel a bit sorry for Elaida, too. She was infected by Fain and now most of the worst things she’s doing are done under duress imposed by the Black Ajah. However flawed she might be, she seems to want to walk in the Light and to see the Shadow defeated. Even her involvement in Siuen being deposed make sense – provided we aren’t biased. We know they make sense because Siuan herself (before it happened) thinks that if anyone knew what she was up to that they’d depose and still her. If we’d been in Elaida POVs for the first few books, being fed her perspective on Siuan, along with her desire to see the Light win, and her justification for her actions based on her own perceptions and Foretellings… we might have sided with Elaida when she deposed Siuan.
In a lot of ways, Elaida is a victim. Her actions post-Fain are barely her own. Anyway…
Alviarin’s interactions with Mesaana are fascinating. Why does Messy prefer to have Elaida on the Amyrlin Seat when she could have Alviarin? Maybe it’s as simple as wanting to have Alvi as an option for later promotion, in the event something happens to Elaida, or in the event she stops being under their thumb. That makes some tactical sense. It’s notable that she’s aware of the Ajah heads meeting in secret. That group hunting down the Blacks seem to be in trouble if Messy is starting to notice them.
Alviarin trying to find who her Mistress is masquerading as seems like a mistake. One can sometimes fly too close to the sun. That effort feels like that type of action.
In any case, this White Tower plot tangle feels like it’s a set up for the next book. I’m intrigued.
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