Re: That's not what I meant... - Edit 2
Before modification by DomA at 25/09/2010 09:54:08 PM
But Jason clearly said was (paraphrased): The last book ended with Rand on DM, looking at the sky and asking "why". This book begins with Rand coming down the mountain, like Moses, to have a long overdue chat with someone.
That's terrible, but I can still see one way out of disaster:
Chapter one is a kind of epilogue to TGS. It's not a meeting with Egwene, it's Rand getting back to reality, and reflecting what he now has to do and how his new worldview will, concretely, be reflected in the way he will fight the Shadow etc. It ends with his decision to start his "tour" with a long overdue chat with someone... (we may not even be told who yet! The other option is to end the chapter with a short Egwene POV in her study, as a novice tells her the Dragon Reborn wishes an audience with her).
Brandon could use this chapter as a kind of introduction (a book end, or teaser sort of introduction), to make clear to all the casual readers these events appear quite ahead of when Perrin (especially) and Mat (less so) are now in the timeline. Rand could think of them, and the colours will give us a not too spoilerish glimpse of what Perrin and Mat are respectively up to, that later in the book (when we see these moments happening) will serve to synchronize us with Rand/Egwene. Okay, so now Perrin has reached the day when Rand comes down from DM. Also, until this point is reached, we will know the Seanchan attack hasn't yet happened, the Tower isn't yet reunited, Rand is not yet in Tear, and so on. Perrin doesn't need this as much, because Tam's departure with Nynaeve (or Cadsuane, I forget if we know which of the two actually fetched him) could serve this purpose.
Brandon could then wait for Perrin and Mat to catch up, before starting the Egwene and Rand bridge chapters.
While I tend to agree Egwene and Rand (I thought it would be Logain, but Rand would work too) might together brung about the reunion of Light at the end, my hunch is that it's too early in chapter 1 to set this in motion.
This should really be left for mid-book, when all the characters are more or less in synch. Otherwise, it means Egwene and Rand will set in motion events that happen way too far ahead (that would also mean they'd "stall" to wait for Perrin and Mat after only a few chapters), and might even spoil a bit the endings of Mat's and Perrin's story lines (if in chapter one Rand says "I know where Perrin is, and I will fetch him... we'll spend the whole book waiting for this to happen.)
the first there was "Questions of Leadership", which is a fairly fitting title for a discussion between Rand and Egwene.
It fits, but among many other possibilities, though. It would also fit perfectly for a chapter in which Rand reflects about his own (terrible) leadership, and decides to take matters in hands and become a whole other kind of leader he's been.
It could be about Perrin and the wolves. It could be about Perrin as leader of his group. It could be about Galad regaining his leadership, or his men deciding to rescue him because they won't accept Asunawa's leadership anymore. It could Loial, it could be Lan. It could be about so many things. It could also be indeed the meeting of Egwene and Rand by mid book, establishing his leadership. If chapter one is only Rand coming down and reflecting - or reaching Egwene's study (first chapters are always fairly slow) then we would guess or know the meeting of Rand and Egwene is about to happen, and we would eagerly await that, yet we might have little idea what will come out of it - and we might not see the meeting until we're much, much further along in the timeline, and Perrin/Mat have caught up. It's quite possible then something unpredictable, or exciting, comes out of the meeting of Rand and Egwene. In chapter 1.... that sounds most, most unlikely something momentous could take place between Rand and Egwene.
Here's a prediction: since the end point of ToM is definitely going to be ahead of that of tGS (since there has to be a reunion), I think the role Rand and Egwene will play is in making this reunion happen. It may well be that even with their differences, these two decide that they need to get their respective factions in order for a big meeting before they decide how to push against Shayol Ghul. Rand will deal with his in-house issues, followed by the Black Tower and maybe Arad Doman/Saldea. Egwene will whip up the Tower, work with Elayne on Andor and Cairhein. Once all this is set, they may plan for a big push to resolve the Seanchan issue (since they both will now think this is the thing that has to be tackled before TG). Decision made, they'll part to do their thing, and I think there on, we'll kind of loose focus on them and shift to Mat and Perrin. I think both their stories will move more quickly towards the end point of tGS (when the clouds break over DM, and the attack on the Tower is one day old).
This seems to go too far in the story, and leave too little for AMOL. I expect most of the Seanchan conflict to be dealt with in AMOL only. It's either that, or the Black Tower. I find more likely that the BT will be the hot topic in TOM, and the Seanchan will make their big return in AMOL, once Mat is done with his "Andoran" story line.
I think Rand might have to convince Egwene there's nothing to be done against the Seanchan for now, that they must stay focussed on the Shadow. The hot topic between them might, most likely, be the escape of the Black Ajah. Rand has long suspected Taim is a traitor - he was just pissed off big time that Logain put it under his nose. There's the matter of the disappearance of Egwene's envoys to tell Rand about, and there's the disappearance of the Reds yet to surface. My feeling is still that Logain has not given up on Taim, and its his spies who will discover that the BA escapees are at the BT. It may well be that Rand will grant Logain the authority to join his forces to Egwene to strike at the BT, while himself continues to set things in order for the LB on his side.
My hunch is still that Rand's reason to be in Caemlyn at the end of the book will be to reunite Aviendha, Min and Elayne and marry them. It doesn't exclude the possibility he also comes to be there, protecting the palace and Elayne, on the day Egwene and Logain are set to attack the Black Tower.
For anything like this to be true, the meeting between Rand and Egwene can't possibly take place in chapter one as it would be way, way too revealing. Chapter one would have to be about deciding he will go meet Egwene, then vanishing from the book while Mat and Perrin catch up. Egwene, I think is more likely to reappear a bit sooner, as it sounds likely she has a few things to deal with before meeting Rand. She might have her intro chapter, perhaps two, before an overly excited novice tells her "Mother, the Dragon Reborn is here and wishes an audience with the Amyrlin Seat".
I can almost see Rand's smirk, puts the sort of show Lan taught him to deal with Siuan, and calls Egwene "Mother", and Egwene struggling to control herself because she's sure he's mocking her. I hope this chapter is seen from Egwene's POV - it will altogether be funnier.