Yup.

Egwene fears this alliance, but all her thinking points to ideas on how to absorb the other groups in the Tower in original ways that will work, so sooner or later, she'll get there. Significantly, Jordan totally omitted the possibility she does the same to male channellers down the line, that would have been way too unsubtle. Also significantly, Jordan has waited for a time when Egwene's power would be solid enough at the WT that she can pull this off.

As for foreshadowing, it goes way back to small things (incl. the Fal Dara scene), like how Moiraine explained early in EOTW in a private conversation with Egwene how the male channellers were not evil, etc.

The big turning point was when Egwene made the decision to free Logain, and what she told him then. She was the first Aes Sedai not trying to use him. Rand has repaid Egwene's loyalty fairly badly, and Logain's loyalty about as badly. He ressents Logain's leadership of his faction, and confines him to secondary tasks.. insulting ones like the fly whisk thing, but usually just menial stuff, like be a messenger, or guard a border. Rand trusts neither Egwene nor Logain (and supports Taim and dreams of a faction of AS lead by Alviarin that will crawl at his feet. It's like Alviarin's faction and Taim have been destined to be united all along!), but the seeds of trust between Egwene and Logain are there. Siuan can attest to Logain's character too. Siuan used him, but Logain stayed loyal to her nonetheless.

In a very short amount of scenes, since COT, Jordan has built up a big leadership crisis between Rand and Logain. He likes Rand, his decisions and his attitudes about as much as Egwene does. Logain like Egwene is loyal to the Light, but they both see Rand as a tyrant, and Egwene is just a step ahead of Logain in her thinking that Rand has no right to treat the channellers the way he does. Rand did almost nothing for the BT beside starting it. Logain's men are most likely far more his men than Rand's, and Rand has not acted in ways to convince these men he values them as more than tools/weapons, or is pleased Logain came to him, or showed his loyalty.


I think this is the meaning of Egwene's dream, where a laughing Logain steps over a crumbling Rand: Egwene will offer Logain's faction a proper place in the Tower as Aes Sedai, and will "free" Logain and his men from Rand. Oh, they will follow him in the LB and all, but they won't be his servants anymore.

I think in her big confrontation with Rand (which I expect to happen in Caemlyn in TOM, right before the battle with the BT, and will center on the fact Rand sent the AS to Taim despite Logain's warnings about the man, that and how Rand let the BT become a nest for the Shadow), Egwene will force Rand to recognize her authority over all AS, will make him agree to release from oaths of obedience any AS under his control, and then let slip " oh and by the way, this includes the male Aes Sedai as well. Logain has brought the Asha'man to me and they're all Aes Sedai now."

I guess I expect Egwene and Logain to put a kind of Fateful Concord sort of thing on Rand soon, then when Rand agrees to her conditions, she will commit all Aes Sedai to follow him in the LB.


Before his epiphany, Egwene would probably have ended up balefired if she pulled that off with Rand (during TGS anyway), but after the DM events, I guess Rand is likely to be angry yet understand the men are not just weapons, they're free to choose their leader like the Andorans and everybody else, and he's been a very bad leader to them so far, and Egwene has offered them a much better future than he could ever have hoped for them by welcoming them back among the Aes Sedai.