Both characters have their faults, but the fact that they are extremely good-hearted and would move mountains to help the people they love.

Nynaeve would do anything for those she loves. Anything . Yes, she was bossy in the past. Yes, she used to make comments about how stupid men were. She got over both of those things. What's more, she is the only channeler in the series who would have agreed to help Rand cleanse saidin without demanding that she be the one controlling everything. Every other channeler, Elayne included, would have called him a moron and refused to help unless he allow Aes Sedai to approve first. Egwene would have flat out refused and yelled at him for even thinking of it, then done whatever she could to stop him. Nynaeve was his only choice, not only because of her strength in the One Power, but because he knew that she - despite any problems he has had in the past with her being overbearing - would agree to help him because that is simply who she is.

That wasn't the first time she did such a thing either. She did not think twice about going to rescue Egwene and risked her own neck to do so. The fact that she let Lan go do what he felt was his duty is yet more proof of this. She sacrifices herself for others, steps back so they can move forward, and she does so without expecting anything from them in return. She may want more - for her husband to love her enough to let go of his vendetta and be happy with her, for the girls she helped raised to have enough respect and compassion for her to not treat her like crap, for Rand to value her enough to listen to her advice instead of cutting her out like everyone else - but she doesn't demand it. Contrast that with people like Egwene, who stomps over anyone who stands up to her and will turn her back on her friends if it means getting more power, or Cadsuane who makes Nyn's past bullying look like child's play.

The difference in Nynaeve comes from where she places herself and where the others place themselves. Egwene places herself above everyone else, friends included, because she rules the Aes Sedai and believes that that, by default, makes her more intelligent and "better" than everyone else in the world. Cadsuane is much the same, though she holds tightly onto her toothless wilder story as to why she is better than everyone else. Elayne is a queen and thinks it is her birthright to look down on everyone as though they are her subjects.

Nynaeve's attitude came from not just her position, but from the fact that she had a hand in helping to raise the Two Rivers kids. To her, they were kids. She looked upon them much like a mother does her children and she had problems letting them go. I think one thing people forget with her is that she lost her parents at a young age. Her mentor died when she was still young. Nynaeve suffered a great deal of loss at a fairly young age, so it makes sense she would try to hold onto everyone she loves as tightly as she could; if she did not do that, she might lose more.

Throw in the fact that her attachment to people is personal, rather than whatever purpose they may serve (as subjects, adventures, or paths to power), and it makes even more sense that she had problems letting go. It wasn't her reputation or her power at risk - it was her heart. That is also one reason why she was so ornery all the time - if you keep people at arm's length, they can't hurt you. Kids, for her, were different, because she could keep them safe whether they liked it or not. As soon as she stopped seeing them as kids, however, and accepted that they had to do what they had to do, she risked losing them again. She risked yet more heartache from watching people she cared about die and, at the beginning of the story, she was not equipped to deal with it.

Don't get me wrong; there are things I do not like about Nynaeve. I hated that she turned into a wimp with Egwene and, later, with Cadsuane. I hated in TGS that she went to Cadsuane for help with Rand instead of figuring it out herself (when I knew bloody well she could have dealt with it herself if she put her mind to it). I hate that she has given in to the Aes Sedai way of thinking - if any character had the personality and spine to learn what she could from the AS then toss her ring into a river and go about her own way, it was Nynaeve. But, overall, she is by far the best female character in the series. And she is one of the few who doesn't view men as complete and utter dolts who must be controlled at all times. Being around Rand and marrying Lan helped with that, I think, though Lan really is kind of a dolt...

As for Faile, again I have my problems with her, though other than the fact that I used to blame her for turning Perrin into a pansy (it was not her fault, however) my main problem with her is her attitude toward Rand. Other than that one thing, I think Faile is pretty awesome. She has a great deal of inner strength, she is dedicated to the man she loves, and she is pretty badass. That she can't channel but still manages to be badass makes her that much more awesome (like when she threatened Alanna if she tried to bond Perrin, and I think somehow she would have managed to kill Alanna if it came down to it, which makes me love Faile more!).

Faile's interactions with Perrin might be annoying, but they are understandable. She gets accused of expecting him to know Saldaean ways, but Davram flat out told Perrin how things are in Saldaea. That Perrin didn't listen is his fault, not Faile's. I know that Two Rivers men are raised to treat females like china dolls while being expected to take whatever abuse they dish out without retaliating, but Perrin knows what Faile wants - she wants him to treat her like an equal and act like a man instead of some whiny emo doormat. Given all she is willing to do for him, I don't think it's too much for her to ask!

Anyway, this was longer than I planned, but I just wanted to say that both Nynaeve and Faile are awesome. The other women of WoT? Not so much.