I agree, especially about Egwene and Elayne (as the new leaders of the status quo). Mat and Perrin are the only two of the 5 Randland 'kids' willing to go with the lesser of two evils choices and not have things fall in their laps. Mat is willing to slaughter thousands of Seanchan for no reason other than to get Tuon to safety - not because they were a direct threat to him or because he was trying to save Altara. And Perrin allies with the Seanchan and risk thousands to rescue a handful of people (that he ended up with many more wasn't planned).

Rand has been willing to a small extent, but how much more of a consolidated hold would he have on the land and be able to face (or already have defeated) if he'd (ironically) been more like the Seanchan in forcing conquered rulers to bow (I.e. the Andoran lords) and hang those who didn't? Sure he'd be a lot less popular, but a Tear, Cairhein and Andor with compliant rulers by part way through LOC. That and the Shaido dealt with. With a compliant Andor the Shaido could have been crushed and after Illian dealt with the Seanchan crushed with all his forces after the short campaign came undone at the end. Ditto time to deal with the festering sores of the borderlanders and the Black Tower, as they wouldn't be so bad as his attention wouldn't have been wasted playing politics.

For Rand especially, unlike Elayne and Egwene, attempts to be fair and preserve the status quo, have cost him dearly.

How much more interesting would the inevitable meeting of Rand and Elayne have been if he'd taken the Egwene with Gawyn route? 'Elayne as a person I love you with all my heart, but as Queen of Andor you must bow publicly to me or I'll put someone on the throne'. Now that sort of personal sacrifice where no matter how she answers it'd have driven a wedge between them. Not 'Here's the throne', 'What!?!? I'll get it myself', 'Ok', 'Yah, I've won it', 'Woo, it took months, cost soldiers much needed at Tarmon Gaidon, wasted time we could have worked together with Andors soldiers bringing other lands behind the DR to face the DO, but Wooo, you were obviously right!'.