Re: Aviendha (spoilers) - Edit 1
Before modification by Fanatic-Templar at 09/11/2010 04:13:22 AM
What can she do about this? The 2 most obvious answers are not to have any descendants, or to make sure to tell those descendants exactly what the outcome would be of actions like these and caution the kids against them. The third and less obvious answer is to go to Rand with her new knowledge and convince him that to ensure the safety of her people, his people, he cannot go to TG without settling the Seanchan once and for all.
Given the context of Aviendha's appearances in the book, it seems likely that what she really has to do is find a new purpose for the Aiel. This is made fairly explicit in that the entire reason for the conflict between the Aiel and the Seanchan is justified thus:
"But war?" Padra said. "Is it right?"
"I do not know, Ronam said softly. "We are Aiel. It is what we know how to do."
It is also suggested that Rand, not understanding the Aiel, had nothing prepared for them after they had served their purpose in the Last Battle.
I wonder if, now that Rhuidean's ter'angreal has been re-purposed, the other Aiel Wise Ones will return to Rhuidean for the third time, and learn the future of their people. If I were a WO and Aviendha returned and told me all of THAT, I would be like, "Well, come on gals, looks like we're Traveling to Rhuidean. I need to see this for myself!"
The ter'angreal is dead, Aviendha broke it.
And the biggest question that I know everyone asked themselves after reading this, Is this the definite future, can it be changed, or was it just one possible outcome? The worst possible outcome that has to be avoided at all costs?
Well, it contradicts the Rhuidean Prophecy which I personally trust as being more absolute, so it is pretty much certain that it not only can be changed, but will be changed. It clearly goes against the "remnant of a remnant" prophecy, because in the short term a huge number of Aiel survive - witness the "very large sedentary camp that is not a city" in Arad Doman, and the fact that there are still enough Aiel for them to be represented by eleven Clan Chiefs. Or that they think they can win a war against the Seanchan. And in the long term, well, they're pretty much all dead. And I really don't think you can blame that distant of a conclusion on Rand, really. There were countless people involved, numerous decision points.
So by my reckoning, it's actually an impossible future, unless I were to grant it precedence over the Rhuidean Prophecies. Which I don't, as the Rhuidean Prophecies have already demonstrated a measure of accuracy.