I think you just give way too much credit to "rumours".

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.


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).




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.