...on Rand's part?

In the first place, he appears to have anticipated his survival, as the first thing he does upon awakening is observe that Alivia did her job in providing him with exit support. How was that arranged beforehand?

"Hey, Alivia buddy, there's a chance I might live through this, so just in case, I survive against every indication I have personally given voice or thought to, I want you to have a change of clothes, weapon and some cash on hand so I can slip away without anyone knowing. Okay? Thanks!"

"You know Rand, I am not very plugged in to your society, and it might be a little difficult for me to arrange all that for you. Not only that, there are a lot of people with far superior resources who are surely higher in your affections and trust than I. Why not ask one of them?"

"Duh, whom do you think I'm trying to get away from? All you have going for you is your fanatically blind loyalty, that should have precluded your even questioning me on this."

"That's right, of course, my Lord Dragon. Cannoli only put those words in my mouth to make a point. I will me more than happy to do what you ask, despite the extreme oddity of this request, and my previously demonstrated willingness to subvert your orders in favor of your girlfriend's preferences."

"I already lost one hand to that little twit's preferences. I'm going to try to arrange for her to be conscripted by one of the ruler-types so as to fight the Last Battle without my favorite arm-tumor, and to keep her too busy to play 'Rand's blanket' if I get wounded."

"True, if mean. Sounds like you've go that under control. Cash, sword, clothes, horse. Check."


But seriously, where did his expectation of survival come from? I recall he expressed an intention to discuss his Aelfinn answer with Alivia if he could do so out of Min's hearing (and where in the prior context, that was a commentary on her hysteria regarding the topic of his death, in hindsight, perhaps his intention to talk to Alivia alone had to do with his plans to keep Min in the dark about his potential survival), so maybe they figured it out together.

That still doesn't really explain why he'd leave his father and like, 99.999999% of his non-bonded acquaintances and every single solitary non-bonded person he cares a damn about, to believe he is dead. I can see wanting to sink back into relative anonimity, but do you have let Tam think his only son is dead, along with the wife he's been carrying a torch for the last decade plus. Lan, Moiraine, Thom, Nynaeve - they busted their humps for him, trying to save his life or otherwise help him at various times in the recent past. Nynaeve, at least, is also dealing with the loss of Egwene, and feeling that her original reason for leaving the Two Rivers is like 50% failed. If his secret is so important, he has certainly noted Moiraine's & Nynaeve's ability/propensity for keeping things to herself in the past, and has no reasons whatsoever to doubt the discretion of Thom or Lan, especially where he is concerned, much less their willingness to help him.

Mat & Perrin, too. Okay, granted they, each for his own reasons, didn't seem over concerned with his death, not to mention being married to deadly hand-to-hand combatants who don't seem overly fond of him and who he is pretty sure would sell him down the river in a heartbeat if it served their respective agendas (not to mention, Rand being out of the way removes a de jure obstruction to Perrin's rule of the Two Rivers). But still, a quick "Hey, bro. I'm still alive, just keeping it on the down low, 'cause my life would be so tough with a permanent excuse not to do anything I don't want to ever again, plus three drop dead gorgeous women of great influence, wealth and/or power slavishly devoted to me, and I'm also apparently a god now," might be the decent thing to do.

And then there are the women. I confess I have never been a fan of the ridiculous tripartite relationship, symbolic purpose or not. I would also be the first one to make the jokes about running, rather than staying with three wives (love how after all the internet has been calling them that for the decade+ I've been online, the four of them are just about the last unmarried characters left), but inside the story, and from the characters' positions, this is a real thing.

If it's a real thing, if you genuinely love a woman, have consumated that relationship, and made a tacit lifetime commitment by letting her magically bond you for life, you don't sneak out and leave her crippled, pregnant or in the clutches of a borderline sociopath in an assassination-happy society. Especially when each of those conditions is the result of things you did to her or asked her to do (though Min's situation might be considered a long-overdue lesson in keeping her mouth shut; she blabs an awful lot for someone who always talks about how she doesn't want to talk about her talent).

"Aviendha, watch my back, and keep anyone from sneaking into Thakandar after me. Oooh, you lost toes doing that? Sucks, to be you! I got my missing parts back and I. Am. Outtahere! I'll toss a look over my shoulder while you hobble through my fake funeral with people judging you for not being sad enough. Buh-bye."

"Elayne, ever since the fact of my adoption came up, I have been haunted by the questions of my biological parents, and though I can't really miss what I never had, I still wish I could have seen their real faces. This is exactly the experience I want our kids to have. Oh, and the fact that what you have said so far about your plans for them should be anathema to me and my regular person values, nonetheless, I think leaving my offspring in the hands of a person whose childhood and upbringing could be considered dysfunctional at best, and who has no context of a healthy family dynamic to draw on, is the right thing to do! And whatever you do, please don't name one of the little bastards after me."

I might add that his reasons for that last bit are rather specious, since his identity as their father is general knowledge (having their mother verbally assert her love for you at an international summit meeting should pretty much have queered any notion of disassociating them from your troublesome legacy), not to mention, there might actually end up being a bunch of kids named Rand running around in the near future, for no other reason than that's how people usually roll. With all the myriad declarations and manifestations of loyalty and support he has seen, one more kid named Rand shouldn't have that much of painful legacy. "Sorry kids, you don't have a daddy like the other children, because he really had more fun things to do somewhere else, and no, you don't even have his name, because he begrudged you that just as he did his time or affection."

Of all characters, Rand al'Thor should most be in a position to understand that showing up is 99% of fatherhood, and a one-night stand with the mom counts for jack-all, especially when you aren't even in a position to learn about it for another six months. Though, giving the relative levels of concern he shows his children and their mother, Hanlon might have made the greatest blunder of his career in killing her, and taking the babies for hostages. At least Rand could be bothered to give Elayne a fake flower and an angreal-making doohicky, which is more than he intends to give their kids.