Mat would find himself "political poison" for Elayne, and by Thom's mumblings it seems I may have analyzed this correctly.

Mats's publicly known as Dragonsworn, and he has an army camped at her gates. Thom is no better. There are HS there who will recognize him as Morgase's devious old Bard and accomplished political and scheming "grey eminence" at her side. Thom wouldn't be welcome near Elayne by these people. Not quite. Mat's timing is just by happenstance really bad. Elayne has made a big show that she isn't tied down by Rand nor Dragonsworn - and convinced the HS to give her the throne despite Rand's proclamation about her, and the minute she's Queen, a famous army of Dragonsworn comes knocking at her door. Elayne has to make a show of ignoring him, she has no choice.

If you remember, Elayne had to make a public display that she wasn't an associate of the DR, and that she didn't recognize his authority over Andor (she teared up his banners and put back Andor's). Which angered Rand, until he understood why she had to do a public display of rejecting the authority he had appeared to take over Andor, and make his ill-advised proclamation that the Throne was hers forgotten...

Mat has sent his army (and then come himself) to her very gates without even a warning or request for permission to come (which he could not have gotten). Elayne might be quite annoyed with his arrival at this moment, probably not *angry*, but most likely annoyed at this complication. Her personal gratitude and her acknowledgement they are allies in the same battle against the Shadow is already demonstrated by the fact she discreetely sent Norry to give him permission to camp nearby. She would not have done that just for anyone. Mat just doesn't see this, Thom seems to have understood all this.

Elayne is facing powerful Houses, a lot of the HS probably still int he city, and among them more than a few who barely agreed to give her the crown. She is consolidating her rule right now. She already has Taim's presence nearby to deal with, and it's been pointed out that there is a food problem already (an army like the Band eats a lot, and that's less food for the Caemlyners, who already have to cope with Elayne's armies, and the High Seats).

The last thing she needs, really, is more Dragonsworn demonstrating how close she is to them, especially Mat whom she can't trust to behave himself with proper discretion in public and might be too familiar with her (he's used to be...), causing people to understand they know each other too well.

Mat is looking at this personally as ingratitude. He forgets who Elayne is. She is Queen of Andor now, and the interests of Andor are her duty. The interests of Andor call for the Queen to remain independant and hide her personal ties to people like Rand and his associates. Even the fact she's a close personal friend of the Amyrlin Seat isn't something Elayne will ever publicize. All this would be political poison to her - Andorans are fussy about their sovereignty, and Elayne has to cope with that. Morgase faced riots largely in part thanks to the fact she was seen as too close to the Tower, which the WC exacerbated in the population. That's Andor, that's the political realities Elayne has to deal with now.

She is behaving with Mat no different than she did with Davram Bashere, who unlike Mat understood that Elayne could not afford to be tied to him openly. Davram she could trust to understand and behave accordingly. Mat? She simply doesn't want to risk it now, apparently (there may be too many people she doesn't trust in her inner circle at the moment, HS and such).

Once he's been there a while and she's made a public show at court of having no personal interest in the Band and ignoring them - and the HS will stop watching what she might do about this army, an envoy from Elayne (Birgitte? Norry again?) will probably show up - and a secret meeting with Elayne might even be arranged.


Elayne just has to keep her distance at first, and it appears Mat has not told her *why* he needs to meet her, just that he wants to. Had he told Norry, something might have already been arranged, though Mat doesn't seem to realize it will be a problem for Elayne that if she commits the foundries, she would publicly tie herself to Mat... unless Aludra agrees to equip the Andorans with dragons, a ruse with which Elayne could commit the foundries to the task and equip the Band on the side. Except... Aludra was alluding to the fact she'd basically request all resources of Andor for the Band, which is quite unreasonable. Elayne can't accept that, there's nothing for Andor in this (unless Mat pays, and even then some of these resources are likely needed for the national needs!), and she will be blamed and called a bad ruler if she agreed to Aludra's request.