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The rumour is almost certainly just a rumour.... DomA Send a noteboard - 17/09/2010 07:41:48 PM
The timeline is seriously horked or our understanding of it is
* In this chapter Mat has been clearly in Caemlyn from between 4 to 10 days and yet 'rumours' clearly point to this being sometime after Egwene being raised.


I think you just give way too much credit to "rumours" and misusing your hindsight that the Tower will soon be reunited.

There are many reasons why a false or exagerated rumour that the Tower is already reunited might have spread in Caemlyn. There's a BA-Red envoy from Elaida in the city that met Elayne, notably... the Rebel Amyrlin has been captured too, and in Tar Valon Elaida has hardly kept that secret. It's a short step for a rumour to start as "the Rebels are all but finished now" to become "The Tower is reunited".

There were very few news out of Tar Valon lately, as the roads were blocked by the untimely winter, and only recently re opened (even Gawyn is barely aware of what is happening in Caemlyn).

The timeline would have to be really really screwed up for the news of reunification to have time to get to the well-informed people, and to spread to taverns and such. It would mean the Tower had been reunified weeks earlier, not days (and we know from Brandon that Egwene seing the clouds clear up on DM happened at the same time Rand was there - Mat after a few days in Caemlyn is quite a bit behind that event.... SC extrapolated maybe a month, though Brandon has once mentionned this happened toward the end of June/beginning of July - so that'd be a bit later than SC has it).


It think the fact that basically confirms there's nothing wrong with the timeline and the rumour is just a rumour among many others about the Tower (and false at this point) is the very important missing bit that is as much if not more "shocking", and that Teslyn (not to mention Mat) would have made a huge point about if she heard it: before reunification, the Tower faced a major attack from the Seanchan. When that events happen, tons and tons of pigeons from merchants and such in Tar Valon will fly to other cities with that news, and if Mat heard that, he'd swallowed his hat (that's his wife who attacked the Tower!!! Mat doesn't fully realize how committed Tuon is against Egwene, and Rand - and in how much of a political nightmare he's caught with his divided allegiances...).

That rumour seems just a plot device to get Teslyn and company to decide to go back to Tar Valon (will they really leave after all? That remains to be seen).


Particularly odd given that Elayne prayed for both Mat and Thom in CoT and KoD.


Not odd at all, since you mention this completely out of context. Elayne wanted Thom when she when she could have used his advice during the succession (and as a friend too. she was worried about him).
She wished Mat Cauthon was there (Mat, not Mat plus the Band of Dragworn!) when she had great need for a general during the siege.
And him too she cared about.

Her current situation is completely different, and now a huge dragonsworn army at her gates is political poison. That's why Elayne is making a show of having no interest in them, no hurry to treat with them or give their leader any audience.

Mat just has to be more patient. He does not realize (and in part can't - he's missing too many facts.. though Thom appears to understand the situation) this is nothing personal, and Elayne can't make contact with him for the moment. When the dust settles around the fact the Band has showed up uninvited, and her indifference to them is taken for granted at court (the last thing she can do is show up these people are personal friends and allies!), she'll be able to send a discreet envoy (like Birgitte) or arrange a meeting with Mat. Mat is naive. He looks at this as if he's shown up at Master Luhhan one day and Perrin slammed the door in his face. Before being a friend personally indebted to him, Elayne is a Queen of Andor who needs to secure her rule and thread carefully with her public outside allegiances, as Andorans are suspicious of those, and rumours spread all too fast in the city. Morgase paid for that sort of things.

As for the mystery of the gholam in Caemlyn, Mat seems to have forgotten the gholam isn't just hunting him, it's equally hunting Elayne. It might have dropped following Mat at some point and headed for Caemlyn instead (and I'm pretty sure another bit unknown to Mat is that this gholam propably knows how to use the Ways. It was already the most plausible explanation how it killed Fel in Cairhien then got back to Sammael in Illian and reached Ebou Dar so quickly).


This message last edited by DomA on 17/09/2010 at 07:55:53 PM
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*SPOILERS* Discussing Chapter 8 (chapter revealed by the great hunt) - 17/09/2010 07:01:34 AM 2625 Views
I noticed the timeline thing right away. - 17/09/2010 07:15:49 AM 879 Views
It has been confirmed that the rumors are just that - rumors. - 19/09/2010 12:43:57 AM 982 Views
long arse post - 17/09/2010 07:18:13 AM 1219 Views
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That golden haired woman in the inn (Clare?) is Birgitte in disguise. Mark me. *NM* - 17/09/2010 09:51:28 AM 388 Views
Oh snap!! - 17/09/2010 10:20:07 AM 884 Views
Elayne could just be trying to hide her pregnency from Mat - 17/09/2010 10:57:22 AM 930 Views
Re: Elayne could just be trying to hide her pregnency from Mat - 17/09/2010 12:30:32 PM 818 Views
Re: Elayne could just be trying to hide her pregnency from Mat - 17/09/2010 02:32:11 PM 944 Views
Well your post is dammning the possibility of Graendal being involved with Elayne - 17/09/2010 04:43:31 PM 1286 Views
#2 ---not enough info - 17/09/2010 05:08:17 PM 821 Views
But speculation is so fun.... - 17/09/2010 06:13:19 PM 983 Views
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Yes and... - 17/09/2010 10:26:48 PM 940 Views
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AOL I-Pod... very funny *nm* *NM* - 23/09/2010 07:24:44 PM 323 Views
Seems like Verin and Moiraine are already on balance scales. - 17/09/2010 05:17:35 PM 804 Views
It's either Verin or Elayne and Moiraine, but... - 17/09/2010 05:22:06 PM 809 Views
The rumour is almost certainly just a rumour.... - 17/09/2010 07:41:48 PM 951 Views
Occam's razor suggests you're right... - 17/09/2010 09:27:48 PM 770 Views
Re: Occam's razor suggests you're right... - 17/09/2010 09:45:36 PM 835 Views
<waves hands placatingly> - 17/09/2010 10:36:20 PM 841 Views
Its way too specific for that... - 18/09/2010 04:16:31 AM 765 Views
Re: Its way too specific for that... - 19/09/2010 01:57:10 AM 1263 Views
Just a general question, some admin/mod/whoever can explain. - 18/09/2010 01:06:37 AM 778 Views
Nice chapter! - 18/09/2010 11:01:44 AM 923 Views
Wow, someone really likes using Mat's name! - 19/09/2010 11:08:02 PM 687 Views

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