How should she have tried? Nynaeve was avoiding dream contact, and she has months to go yet. - Edit 1
Before modification by Cannoli at 22/07/2010 01:03:49 AM
Do you think this news might have brought about a similar change of Rand as the change we saw at the end of TGS?
No. Before his epiphany, Rand would have been catastrophied to learn Elayne was pregnant, to the point it would have overwhelmed any joy he could have felt from the news, and in turn it would have caused much pain to Elayne and the other two to see this.
Not that I disagree with this or the rest of your explanation, but I still think that Elayne should have told Rand. She has many reasons not to since it is first politically difficult to approach the dragon, second dangerous to her children if it is found out, third she is extremely busy, and fourth Rand is very busy himself.
But, there is one overwhelming reason to tell Rand and that is because it is his right to know. Elayne was raised without a father with a nurse that was in many ways her true parent. But even with the best nurses and Elayne's attentions the babies still need a father that is involved from the beginning.
I don't know how Rand would have respond, but neither did Elayne and she did not even try.
Given that Elayne's father did not die until after she was born, I am sure that her concerns with her children having a father will center on his involvement in the parts of their life they remember, which does not look like it will happen. Remember, she still doesn't know about the Cleansing yet, so even setting aside his prophecied death, there is the seeming certainty of his limited life expectancy. I think at this point she's not worried about making sure he's involved in their lives, because it doesn't seem to be possible, regardless of how informed he is.
And then there is the issue that she has no way of making contact with Rand. All the reasons that Aviendha brought up for not going to the Cleansing are still valid. Just because she CAN find him does not mean she should. She has no way of knowing what he is doing at any given time, and her visit could coincide with the next attack by thousands of Trollocs, or his next parlay with the Seanchan or the next surprise ambush by one of the Forsaken. He knows where she is, he knows there generally isn't a lot of action there so it is usually safe to visit discreetly, and she has certain knowledge of his affection for her and thus his willingness to be in her company. Given all of this, the smart and sensible thing for Elayne to do is wait for him to find a good time to visit. Or is it that you people want another excuse to excoriate her for taking "needless" risks?