She didn't spell it out, but it's obvious... her next thought was wondering if she should not make a similar move to gain the allegiance of the BT to Andor, and if she dares to wait and risk the alliance of Rand's lands to move first.

Elayne has her own ideas and notions about the post-TG world and how the channellers will fit into it. Egwene envisions all the (for the present, female) channellers tied to the WT in a collaborative alliance. Egwene is among other things striving to create a framework that will smooth out any conflict between the groups of channellers. She envisions the WT regaining its influence over the nations, and through the WO and Windfinders, extending it even more. Elayne rather envisions Andor-Cairhien as the center of an alliance of nations and groups of channellers, allied to the WT through her. She intends this "greater Andor" to stand as the greatest political, economical and military power, to keep in check an alliance of Illian-Tear, and the Seanchan.

Elayne sees the Tower not anymore as above all the nations and neutral, but as a partner and open ally of her fledging Covenant/Empire/High Kingdom.




Not really, it's far less clear than this. Elayne acted with the Kin both as emissary of the Amyrlin Seat and as a High Seat of Andor (later as Queen - the daughter-heir status conferred her no power in Andor). It's this emissary of Egwene who told the Tower has always known about them, and used them. It's as head of the embassy Elayne passed the message of the Amyrlin that the Kinswomen would be offered a new chance at the Tower, and that those who fail will be tied to the WT in a new way from now on, openly, and serve as an organization the old Aes Sedai would retire intol. The Amyrlin later asked Elayne Sedai, not the Queen of Andor, to keep the Kin in Caemlyn for now until she's get out of the political imbroglio Elayne had created by the bargain with the Seafolk.

So the Amyrlin Seat asked Elayne Sedai to oversee the Kin in Caemlyn for a time. She's never asked the Queen of Andor... she's asked the Aes Sedai, because she was Aes Sedai.

It's Elayne who didn't separate her status as Aes Sedai from that of High Seat. She's used her auhority over the Kin as Egwene's agent to bring them to help House Trakand's bid for the Lion Throne, (she also met and bargained with the Borderland rulers as Aes Sedai), to help against the BA, and now as Queen she's offering them a permanent seat in her lands. It's the Queen and no longer the AS who tells them this isn't incompatible with the plans of Tar Valon for them, that the organization in which the AS retire will simply be located in Andor-Cairhien! Elayne continues to act as if she spoke for the WT with the full authority of the Amyrlin, but that stopped being true after the events in Ebou Dar, after Egwene chastised Elayne and Nynaeve for what they've done. On top of that, there's Nynaeve's meddling that lead a faction of the Kinswomen to look fairly negatively at the idea of tying themselves to the Tower, which goes completely against the official (announced in the Hall) efforts of the Amyrlin, and her vision for female channellers.



It doesn't really matter, as this is not what I was discussing. Yes, I prefer Elayne and Nynaeve's vision of things on the whole, and I think it's really important in the end because they're bringing into the upcoming alliance an aspect that Egwene's plans are currently lacking, and this is a very important factor that threaten to make them fail : the Aes Sedai have to return to Service, and to living more among the non-channellers.. like the WO, the Windfinders, the Kin. Egwene still sees the role of the WT as too political. She doesn't yet see that the key to the influence she seeks the WT to have goes through sending back the sisters to work in the world. The day the people and the nations and their rulers see Aes Sedai as invaluable, the way the Aiel see the WO, the Ebou Dari saw the healers, or the Seafolk their Windfinders, the problems of the WT will all vanish. The Amyrlin would be an extremely influential figure in the world (and contributing massively to world peace, and progress), because the rulers don't want to lose the services of AS, and the people will value AS so much they won't stand for their rulers angering the Tower and risk losing help with their crops etc. The Seanchan would have met massive opposition had the people loved and valued the Aes Sedai. They would have fought for the AS, like the Aiel intend to fight for the WO, like the Seafolk fought for their Windfinders....

Nynaeve is very close to thinking this way. It's why it's such a good thing she's spending time near Egwene and the Hall. Egwene's plans for the channellers aren't bad, but they're missing the key element, the most revolutionary element: Aes Sedai must return to living up to their names and become again Servants of All. It would incidentally go a long way to convince the WO, Windfinders, Kin (and eventually) Asha'man they belong to the WT, if the WT was more like them, instead of a political entity.

Anyway... I think Elayne and Nynaeve are the set up to the final resolution. Elayne is the one going too far. What she doesn't realize is that she might provoke the conflict she seeks to avoid the way she's handling things. She's setting Andor to become a counterweight to the Seanchan, but is moving so powerfully and so fast she risks painting herself as a threat that must be stopped, before the Andoran Queen herself ends up ruling an Empire over the Westlands.. and worse, since she's Aes Sedai, the rulers prejudiced against the Tower might see her as the tool of the WT to establish its dominion over the Westlands, turning the nations into provinces... Elayne's plans would see two "super powers" at war, with the smaller fish forced to choose a side. She is also risking a Bonwhin/Hawkwing type of conflict with the Tower, and could even cause Egwene's downfall if she gets blamed by the Hall for mishandling Elayne and failing to get her back in line.

Nynaeve seems positionned to be able to step in when the first sparks of an Elayne vs. the Hall-Egwene conflict appear, and to make it peter out. It's Nynaeve who has the vision AS are meant to serve, and return to the nations. She has the influence to step in and make the point what Elayne wants of the Kin she should get from the whole Tower, not only her but all the nations who support the Tower (the future "greater Tower" at this point, ie: including the groups allied to it like WO and Windfinders) should be offered the same services by the Aes Sedai, and then Egwene's plans become vital, and must be extended to include the male channellers (otherwise some of the nations that don't currently trust the Tower will be tempted to secure an alliance with the Ash'aman to get the same services minus the political pressure, or try to convince the Seafolk to offer services for a price and so on. Before long, the groups of channellers would be rivals, and siding with nations... the possibilities of conflicts would be massive)



There are plenty of Aes Sedai in Caemlyn not aligned with Elayne. Stories about the siege must abound.

I don't think this will come to trial or anything of the kind. It's too late in the series. I think it might become the final conflict between Egwene and the Hall, and a heated conversation between Elayne and Egwene that Nynaeve will step in and diffuse by offering the way out. Egwene might cover the blow to her authority it would become if it is known Elayne has overstepped herself by announcing it was always part of her plan to offer new services to the nations, and encourage the sisters to live more in the world once TG is won. Elayne will get what she wants, but she will have to share these services with all the other rulers who wish them. The Tower won't let her secure them as an advantage for Andor. Her ideas about the BT might be what alarms Egwene and make her realize she must include them in her alliance, or else someone else might make a move and secure their allegiance first.






Again yes. My angle was more to demonstrate where she's crossed the line and where it might create a conflict with Egwene at a time when the Light could not afford this (neither before or right after TG).

There's no question in my mind Nynaeve and Elayne have a much better and much more interesting idea of what the role of channellers in the world would be.

I think Elayne's solutions are preparing the future foreseen by Aviendha, however: big opposed alliances, Egwene's plans not working and the Tower doomed, and the Seanchan eliminating them one by one. And obviously in this future Elayne doesn't rule very long (and thus, she probably gets assassinated).




Absolutely. I'm actually pretty convinced the situation Elayne is setting up will be diffused. She might be the next Age's Hawkwing, Mabriam en Sheered, Heir of the Dragon rolled into one, butt I really doubt Jordan intended to leave his world on the eve of another Hundred Years War, which is the future Aviendha foresees, and Elayne and Tuon are both setting up.

Everything will change when the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place (starting with the Egwene-Seanchan woman dream where they must help each other finally happening).