And Nynaeve's role is appropriately vague at this point.



I would rather imagine a mash up of both the fall of Malkier and Manetheren, though Nyneve doesn't intend in the least to go join Lan at this point, she feels her duty is to stay with Rand to the end. No doubt we'll see AS/Asha'man join Lan soon, but I get the feeling Nynaeve will merely point them to the right spot (if that).

In the light of the death of Farstrider (a Malkieri I suspect has found out about Isam, but this hasn't pan out and now it's too late), the issue of Isam is left hanging. There's no one left to tell Moiraine that Isam is indeed still around (an information from the DP in TGH she decided not to share with Lan) - I expected she'd get that information from Farstrider but she didn't.

So I'm very tempted to go with "plan B". Verin like Moiraine heard the prophecy, and there's a few clues that she puzzled it out while in the TR facing Lord Luc (and now we know her plan and the restraints she worked under, it makes a lot more sense as it was hard originally to understand why she didn't corner Luc more than she did when she was so obviously suspicious he wasn't who he pretended to be - and may actually have known from her first sight of him this was Luc Mantear, mentionned in the DP - nor has she warned Perrin about this weird Lord Luc. In the light of her plan, the fact Verin said nothing had credit to the belief she indeed puzzled it out, and by her BA oaths she couldn't talk. It puts her "interesting!" comment, when she heard the Shadowspawn use the name Isam as a war cry in another light as well. As BA, Verin has to be aware non-Forsaken usually don't get obedience from Shadowspawn, and if Isam does it's something to attract her attention. But that was then, and this is now. It is information that, if I were in Verin's place, I would want Lan Mandragoran to be the recipient of. It may be that Verin managed to track down Lan herself, but the most likely scenario for me is that she passed the information to someone who's seen Lord Luc, who can report to Lan what has happened with Luc/Isam in the TR, who can pass to him the wording of the Dark Prophecy, and someone who knows all too well the area in which Lan currently travels, as it's her own nation and its immediate neigbours. For all those reasons, I think it's Alanna Mosvani Verin tasked with that mission (I don't think Verin wanted to risk going anywhere close to Rand and his entourage). She likely expected it was a matter of Alanna Travelling back to Rand, something she was best equipped to do because of the bond, and talking to Lan, but Alanna in Tear probably heard that Lan has left Rand.

So I expect Alanna will show up at Lan's side. An eventually important bonus, one possibly Verin has taken into account if Alanna had enough information to tell Verin where Lan has gone, is the fact Alanna would be in a position to put Lan and Rand in contact fast, at need. It could even be Alanna who comes in extremis to Rand to warn him of how things are going for Lan (especially if it's "very badly". Nyaneve or Moiraine with Lan wouldn't know where to find Rand for help, or to tell him the last defenses have now fallen and Tarwyn's Gap is now blocked to the Light. Alanna would.

As for an AS task force, I expect Moiraine to offer to go with sisters, once she's reunited with Rand. Nynaeve wants to stay with Rand but fears deeply for Lan. Moiraine offering to go so Nynaeve can stay with Rand (and not only Rand...by staying with him Nynaeve is likely to get the whole litter of her lost kittens around her at last for the LB... Perrin, Mat, and even Egwene.

It would solve many things, including the Moiraine/Nynaeve relationship (it would provide the scene when they could have an heart-to-heart talk at last), and the back story element that long ago Moiraine has asked Lan to "give up his private war" to serve her cause and now this cause is fulfilled and it's Lan's moment that has come. It would be extremely fitting, and extremely noble (the best way to honor all his years of service as warder), for Moiraine to now decide to join Lan's war, and she's also aware the WT failed Malkier and bringing a group of AS to Lan now would resolve this thematic point (and it's much stronger if it's Moiraine who does it) as well. There's the issue of her strength that could prevent her from leading a group of AS, but on the one hand Egwene can place whoever she wishes in charge of a task force, and if she isn't involved (ie: if the group forms without official WT support because there's no time for that) I suspect this could be the reason why Jordan made sure Moiraine had a powerful angreal (and I wouldn't put it past Nynaeve. since she's going to be at Lan's side and it could save his life, to offer to exchange it to Moiraine for her own battle gear) and why he introduced the element that after her "death" fighting Lanfear, Moiraine has gained a status of legendary hero among the AS. I suspect even with her low strength Moiraine now would have no problem finding volunteers to join her to go to Lan.

I really get the feeling Lan and Nyaneve will never meet again.

In a way, it would cheapen the very solid and very moving KOD scenes where she brought Lan to the Borderlands and used the ring to get him an army. Those scenes brought together so many elements and foreshadowing, leaving very little to tell, and it was a very moving pinnacle to the Lan/Nynaeve love story. It would be very hard to top this with any "reunion" scene, and at the very least if Jordan planned a tragic ending for either or both of them, I really doubt he planned to reunite them first.