I haven't glossed over that. I've considered all this many times before, and concluded Alanna's behaviour isn't so suspicious if you consider the ta'veren nature of the three boys, the fact Alanna is of the Battle Ajah, standing ready for the LB, and a Borderlander. As we see in TGH with Vandene (and comments by Cadsuane about events in Shienar she learned about and puzzled out too late), some Green Ajah were even pretty much convinced TG was coming even then.

TG coming means the Dragon is alive. Before Alanna making "weird moves", there was Moiraine and Siuan acting most, most suspiciously - and Elaida coming to the Hall to raise alarms about Moiraine meddling with ta'veren in Caemlyn, and then there was those two exceptional girls linked to them, from the same village. Alanna was one of the two official representatives of the Green Ajah on Siuan's voyage to meet this ta'veren Elaida warned the Tower about. She was chosen by her Ajah. The Green Ajah in TGH was extremely suspicious of Siuan, Moiraine and the Blues (it even tried to stop Siuan from going to Fal Dara), and Alanna is another who was Accepted with those two and must remember all too well their friendship. Officially these two Ajahs are allies, but as we see later with Cadsuane (and two Green deciding to vote to depose Siuan later - one BA,) the Greens don't fully trust the Blues, all the more when the Blue tries to keep the Green out of matters they consider their main business: Dragon, Last Battle. Cadsuane had spies on Moiraine and Siuan for years.

Alanna's curiosity isn't so suspicious, if anything it's the aloofness of many of the other representatives about these ta'veren which was.... though in many cases it probably was just discretion... they observed and reported to their AH, while Alanna overstepped herself and took personal initiatives.

Alanna was most likely simply doing her job, observe and get to the bottom of what the Blues were up to. She's impulsive, and tends to take personal initiatives that aren't so well thought out.

The "coincidence" of Alanna bringing the TR folk to adopt the wolfhead banner is telling. She may even have discussed her suspicions about Perrin with Verin, as Verin herself made a very clear (in hindsight anyway) allusion to the Wolf King prophecy to Perrin (about his hammer). It sounds like Alanna has puzzled out Rand was the Dragon Reborn, and got very curious about the other two ta'veren from the same village.. It's not really surprising from a Green, one of their main interest must be the KC prophecies, which is natural to women waiting for the signs of TG.... Cadsuane has obviously given a great deal of thought to the KC and everything Last Battle related. Why not Alanna? Only Moiraine seemed to think sometimes she was the only one ...

Her interest in the wondergirls simply derives from their ties to Moiraine, and the boys. After returning to TV, they were her last link to the boys, her best hope to find information and confirm her suspicions about who they were, and what Moiraine and SIuan were trying to hide from their allies of the Green Ajah and the WT....

Alanna's behaviour was suspect, yet too suspect. She wasn't discreet about her interest in the boys, the way Sheriam, Verin, Alviarin, Delanna were. It seems she had no special motive to be discreet, because unlike the BA her interest wasn't nefarious, and she didn't have to hide her real allegiance...

Verin, BA, helping to undo the Shadow's campaign in the TR (their channelling, Alanna's military advice (hers, and her warder's), Healing... this all played a massive role in Perrin's victory) can be explained by her real allegiance, if she had the excuse that her hands were tied by Alanna's presence.... It becomes hard to explain that Verin could do this if she had another, real, Black Sister at her side, and no other Aes Sedai. Why were they not working secretely with Slayer, or at least refusing to help? They could easily have gone away...

Alanna rather made moves to strenghten and motivate the TR folk by giving them a symbol, a leader. She sure manipulated Perrin and them... but for the Light, by all signs. She simply seems to have puzzled out what Moiraine did not: Perrin was probably the Wolf King with a hammer from the KC.

Verin warned Perrin to be cautious around Alanna. Alanna was under shock, her emotional behaviour made erratic by the loss of her warder. Verin obviously suspected Alanna might do something "crazy". That doesn't mean Verin thought her BA. She may simply have suspected Alanna might try to bond Perrin.... Faile sure puzzled it out, and gave a warning to Alanna to back off Perrin.

Verin has a POV on Alanna (in Caemlyn, right after she bonded Rand). This POV doesn't suggest Verin was surprised or devastated by the bonding, and she blames the loss of the warder and Alanna's state of mind for her harshness, not "darker motives". Verin has also tried to keep the bonding secret. It's Alanna who lacked discretion... and the first time it was to bring a group of sisters to Rand when he was in great danger... She was manipulated into leading Cadsuane and others to him after the Forsaken attacked him... She negotiated a real settlement for him in Tear...

All this looks to be exactly what it appears to be: Alanna puzzled out who Randreally was very early, and unlike Moiraine (but like Verin) she made the connection between the other twoand the KC. The Blue Ajah (actually not really... Siuan and Moiraine) were scheming with the DR, keeping the rest of the Tower in the dark. It's not really surprising that an impulsive Green decided to take matters in her hands when she saw an opportunity, Moiraine apparently gone and all. It backfired... she paid for it. She's done nothing even remotely nefarious before or since... If she were BA, she could have made use of her bond long since... She's not compelled by Verin like Elaida's envoys.


And as far as my answer to why Alanna exited stage left just before Rands new ability. Well lets see, Min clearly can sense the difference within Rand thru the bond and it is more than just a mood shift.



It doesn't explain how Alanna would anticipate that Rand would return with the ability to spot DF by looking them in the eyes, or his return to Tear for that matter.

It doesn't explain why Alanna would flee from Rand, but not mask the bond! She could be found by Rand at any time! If he can spot DF by look, surely he would feel her connection to the Shadow through the bond...

Alanna also seems to have kept completely secret what she knows about Rand's other bonds... and that doesn't speak of a BA. She's protecting Rand. Cadsuane has also puzzled out that Min is bonded to Rand, and is similarly discreet.

Verin had many reasons to think Alanna's bond is about to become a great danger to Rand during TG. Verin didn't know about the other bonds, which may or not protect Rand from going into a frenzy if Alanna gets killed. She likely also didn't know the Shadow hardly needs Alanna to find Rand. She didn't know about his bond to Moridin either. From her perspetive, in made perfect sense to consider it's time to tell Alanna what she really got herself into, and to advise a course of action. Why is Alanna in the state she is? Well... she must have gone through what Rand experienced, some of his despair and darkness. From a Green, on the eve of TG, that's a good reason to be devastated. Then, one thing Verin had to have told her is that Alanna is cornered and must make a choice between options that would horrify her, because Verin knew for a fact the Shadow knows about Alanna's bond to Rand - that Alanna has reached the day where she must face the fact that what she's done might threaten the world: first, she can release Rand's bond - something Aes Sedai consider loathable, unless to spare their warder from insanity, when they see their death coming. This way, she wouldn't be a danger to Rand. She can also decide to pass the bond to a sister Verin has chosen, a sister she trusts, who won't put herself at risk (a retired one, like Vandene, for instance) and that the Shadow will never learn about. Alanna would hate that, fight against it.. but that's one of the responsible thing to do, as it would protect Rand, yet preserve a bond to him for someone, which could be useful to the Light. Finally, Alanna, a Green, can also make the choice that would horrify any Green: renounce fighting in TG, go safely in hiding till its over, because if she fights and dies, if the Shadow captures her and decides to wait to kill her until Rand is for instance at SH, this would likely doom the world. The redondant bonds may well prevent this, but Verin didn't know (in Min's case, at least not for sure) about these bonds, and anyway it's a huge gamble to make to judge that the bond to Min would save Rand's control if Alanna is killed.

Finally, I would raise the point that Rand himself, when he was told about Alanna's disappearance, was hardly alarmed. He rather casually brushed it off, in essence telling Cadsuane and co. "Oh don't worry, she's just fine. She's North, probably in Arafel". This suggest almost for certain Rand isn't feeling any alarm, danger, terror from Alanna. Otherwise, why not simply answer "Alanna is BA. She can't hide anymore. I will deal with her myself. Don't worry about the Shadow finding me though her, the Shadow has far more reliable ways to find me. I'd know if Alanna approaches me, and I know not to go to her.. so...".