The world saw Aes Sedai as a monolith, towering and solid, or it had before the current division in the Tower became common knowledge, yet the pure fact was that the Ajahs stood apart in all but name, the Hall their only true meeting point, and the sisters themselves were little more than a convocation of hermits, speaking three words beyond what was absolutely required only with a few friends. Or with another sister they had joined in some design. Whatever else changed about the Tower, Egwene was sure that never would.
— Crossroads of Twilight, chapter 17
When I first read the above paragraph, I was actually a little shocked. It’s true that the Aes Sedai have never appeared to work well together at any point in the series, but I always put that down to the fact that the White Tower is a very old, very well-established institution that is accustomed to having control over most of the important goings-on in the world. Rand’s very existence has undermined the way the Aes Sedai have always been accustomed to doing things; of course it would have trouble adapting to the rapid changes brought on by the coming of the Dragon Reborn.
He is a man who can channel but can not be gentled. He is, by prophecy and by the nature of his being, an authority in channeling and the One Power, which historically has been the sole purview of the White Tower. Also the historical purview of the White Tower is controlling who becomes the heads of nations and directing many of their decisions, especially international ones—yet from the moment he revealed himself, Rand began exerting his own authority and control over the nations he “conquered,” issuing edicts and appointing governors much more openly than the Aes Sedai ever did. In addition to all that, Rand’s coming also supposedly means the breaking of all bonds, an effect which can be seen within the greatest of the world’s nations and institutions as well as the lowliest.
All this seemed enough to explain the almost paralyzing inefficiency we see from the Aes Sedai as a group, and I do think there is a lot of truth in that analysis. However, in Crossroads of Twilight Egwene’s observations, supported by Siuan’s teachings about the history of the Tower and the Hall, show us that, although all the individual Aes Sedai feel connected and loyal to the concept of being Aes Sedai, to the idea of what the White Tower is, none of them feel very connected to each other. There is some unity within individual Ajahs, but even within those, each sister is focused on her own individual goals, which sometimes lead her into alliance with other sisters, but just as often put her at odds with them—and, even in alliance, she almost certainly still has secrets that she is keeping to herself.
This isn’t to say that the Hall doesn’t have any power over those it leads. But it does show how, despite being a democratic body in a functional sense, the Hall of the Tower doesn’t actually lead by committee. It follows one or two strong women, be they Sitters or the Amyrlin herself, who have to manipulate, cajole, and convince the rest that her goal is the right one, and that her approach is the best way to achieve that goal.
Both before and after Egwene was able to establish herself as the true Amyrlin, she has had to spend most of her time manipulating the Hall either from behind the scenes, or cleverly using custom and law to her advantage, or both. From presenting the specter of Mat’s army to frighten the Hall into deciding to actually move out of Salidar, to secretly relying on Siuan and Leane as spies and informants, to exploiting Tower Law to gain control of her position, Egwene has never once achieved anything through open and honest conversation with any of the Sitters, and aside from Leane and Siuan, there aren’t really any other Aes Sedai she can fully trust to speak truthfully to her and to support her, without any other hidden agenda. She is keeping her plans for the siege a secret from everyone, possibly even Siuan. She mainly intends to achieve her goals for the future of female channelers—the release of those sisters who came from the Sea Folk, as per the Bargain, and the eventual retirement of sisters from the Aes Sedai and into the Kin—by being clever enough and lucky enough to get the Hall to support Egwene’s decisions without really realizing the extent of what they are agreeing to.
The intricacies of Aes Sedai politics are fascinating, and one could spend a long time dissecting them, but what I find most interesting is what they mean for Egwene in her position as Amyrlin. The fact that she ended up in the position at all almost feels like a design of the One Power, as though the Pattern pushed events to place her there. Siuan’s desire to prepare the White Tower for Tarmon Gai’don was her motivation in manipulating the Hall into appointing Egwene, and although Siuan ended up serving Egwene rather than directing her, Egwene’s raising was the best move anyone could have made towards that goal. In the same way, Egwene’s childhood connection to Rand was a factor in the Hall’s decision: They hoped to use her to manipulate him, but they actually ended up with someone who would use the Hall towards the same ends Rand is after, preparing for the Last Battle.
I remains to be seen whether Rand and Egwene will easily achieve cohesion in that goal, and whether the White and Black Towers will find an alliance more easily because of that childhood connection. However, whether Rand and Egwene believe they are working well together or not, an outsider can see how aligned they are in their goals, and in the way they think. Egwene’s narration has even changed a lot since we last had her POV, and she sounds a lot more like Rand now than she did.
While observing the sisters and students working on the cuendillar objects, Egwene finds herself considering that, if sisters watched Nicola and Areina too closely, Egwene might find herself forced to lie in order to cover up “matters she dared not expose.” She thinks to herself that it’s a pity she didn’t allow Siuan to arrange “two quiet deaths” for the girls, the way Siuan had originally wanted to.
Her head jerked in shock at the thought. Had she gone that far from Emond’s Field? She knew she would have to order men to die in battle sooner or later, and she thought she might be able to order a death if the need was great enough. If one death could stop the death of thousands, or even hundreds, was it not right to order it? But the danger presented by Nicola and Areina was simply that they might reveal secrets that could inconvenience Egwene al’Vere. Oh, Myrelle and the others might be lucky to get off with a birching, and they would certainly consider that more than inconvenient, but discomfort, however great, was not sufficient reason for killing.
It is impossible to read about anyone considering how much they’ve changed since they left home and not think of Rand. Although Egwene hasn’t ever used the word “hard” regarding how she thinks and feels now, there have been several moments, including the one above, that reveal such a mindset. One must be hard to order a death, even knowing it may save countless others; one must be strong and determined and able to despite the natural human guilt that comes with such an act, as Rand well knows.
Egwene also finds herself unable to trust most of the people around her, even the ones who seem to be on her side. She must be on guard against the Black Ajah, just as Rand must be on guard against Darkfriends, but she also knows that even allies can make things worse for you without realizing, and that even strong oaths can be broken by most people. She is isolated, as Rand is, by her position of power but also by the fact that her potential missteps have much greater consequences than almost anyone else’s.
Egwene even has her own pain, inflicted by one of the Forsaken, to contend with. Unlike Rand, she doesn’t know where that injury comes from, but she is often forced to push through her headaches with little more than sheer strength of will, just as he must endure the agony of his two wounds.
There have been many similarities between Rand’s journey and those of Perrin and Mat, especially when it comes to the effects of being ta’veren on one’s life, and to the burden of being a leader. However, only Egwene is in a position to truly match Rand’s experience, because she sees her duty to the White Tower as part of her duty to the world. While many (though certainly not all) Aes Sedai see the Tower’s needs first, and assume that what is good for the White Tower is right for the rest of the world, Egwene is aware that the Aes Sedai’s main importance, at least at this point in history, is to lead the world into the last days before Tarmon Gai’don, and to lead during the Last Battle. As a result, she isn’t experiencing leadership as a lord, the way Perrin is, or a general, the way Mat is, or even as a queen, the way Elayne is—she is seeing her position the way Rand sees his. As he is the most powerful male channeler, so has she become the head of the most powerful organization of female channelers. As he has left behind the shepherd from the Two Rivers, so has she left behind Egwene the innkeeper’s daughter. They both stand as heroes, as saviors, facing the coming of the Last Battle without turning aside or flinching, the way most people do, dragging the rest of the world behind them.
When Robert Jordan began writing The Wheel of Time, his intention was to explore the idea of what it would feel like for a chosen one to discover their identity, how terrible a revelation that would be, how great a burden. But although Rand is the Chosen One of the story, and although the series revolves around a huge cast of characters, an entire world of nations and societies, of governing bodies and secret organizations, the forward thrust of the plot still rests on the shoulders of individual heroes. There are many of these, it’s true, and all play an important part in events; so many people have supported both Rand and Egwene to bring them to where they are, and even great heroes need backup. But at the end of the day, Rand is the Dragon Reborn, and facing the Dark One is his responsibility. No one else carries that burden, but I think Egwene comes the closest by far. I will be very interested to see how she is shaped by that responsibility moving forward.
I also can’t help but wonder if this dual connection between Egwene and Rand, their childhood love and their similarities as leaders of the White and Black Towers, won’t be the key to uniting the world in truth, and if they won’t end up being two halves of a whole, just as saidar and saidin are—neither complete without the other, neither enough to win the Last Battle on their own.
