Elayne and Nynaeve are coequal main characters with Rand, Mat, Egwene, and Perrin. Their storyline often took primacy over Egwene's among the Wondergirls-as-a-unit until Book 6; then there was the Bowl of the Winds, then Elayne in Andor and Nynaeve vs. Cadsuane.
If you asked me to name the least independent of the main characters, it would be Mat. His character development didn't begin until Book 3, and except for his excursion in TDR, the few paragraphs in Finnland, and a couple of chapters in TFOH and LOC he was very much an adjunct to Rand. Then he becomes an adjunct to Nynaeve and Elayne–a good chunk of it from Mat's POV, but it isn't his story–, then disappears for an entire book. His plotline as a wholly individual character doesn't really begin until chapter 15 of Winter's Heart.
(If I wanted to be nasty I could use this space to make jokes about Perrin, too)
If you asked me to name the least independent of the main characters, it would be Mat. His character development didn't begin until Book 3, and except for his excursion in TDR, the few paragraphs in Finnland, and a couple of chapters in TFOH and LOC he was very much an adjunct to Rand. Then he becomes an adjunct to Nynaeve and Elayne–a good chunk of it from Mat's POV, but it isn't his story–, then disappears for an entire book. His plotline as a wholly individual character doesn't really begin until chapter 15 of Winter's Heart.
(If I wanted to be nasty I could use this space to make jokes about Perrin, too)
Provisional calendar for Towers of Midnight: https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0ApFWTyzG9G_UdHZCUjQzVGNLeUJyMkUycXkzQlExSFE&output=html
Nynaeve should not have been made to swear the Oaths
- 07/12/2010 03:12:00 PM
1979 Views
*shrugs* ... the oaths are lame and so full of holes the only value they bring is
- 07/12/2010 03:26:21 PM
946 Views
I wonder what would have happened if she refused and left the tower entirely.
- 07/12/2010 03:30:58 PM
940 Views
I doubt they would have stopped her ... but there was no real reason for her to refuse the
- 07/12/2010 03:34:20 PM
924 Views
no there wasn't a real reason for her to refuse. It'd still be interesting if she did *NM*
- 07/12/2010 03:37:45 PM
442 Views
would have made for an interesting spin on the plot
- 07/12/2010 05:37:31 PM
916 Views
How is she not a lead?
- 07/12/2010 06:25:45 PM
866 Views
She has never really had her own unique plot line
- 07/12/2010 06:34:40 PM
876 Views
I'm going to have to disagree with you on that
- 07/12/2010 07:46:08 PM
891 Views
Nothing to really argue here except perspective ... to each their own 
*NM*
- 07/12/2010 10:26:04 PM
431 Views
*NM*
- 07/12/2010 10:26:04 PM
431 Views
That would have been good - I think she was probably the only woman with such an opportunity
- 07/12/2010 10:59:50 PM
941 Views
Personally, I think it would have been a brillaint twist if Nyneave didn't become Aes Sedai *NM*
- 08/12/2010 12:02:05 AM
476 Views
Re: *shrugs* ... the oaths are lame and so full of holes the only value they bring is
- 07/12/2010 10:49:12 PM
935 Views
she shouldn't have, although I think they should trash the oaths in general
- 07/12/2010 03:29:21 PM
865 Views
Especially since Egwene herself didn't really think it necessary for herself to take the tests
- 07/12/2010 03:43:18 PM
915 Views
well it looks like such a coalition is part of the plan
- 07/12/2010 03:47:03 PM
891 Views
I meant one that would destroy the White Tower 
- 07/12/2010 03:53:35 PM
972 Views
- 07/12/2010 03:53:35 PM
972 Views
I agree with you. Hopefully Post LB there will be a new structure to the AS organization
- 07/12/2010 05:34:01 PM
831 Views
She was always going to have to swear the Oaths
- 07/12/2010 04:42:59 PM
883 Views
Brace yourselves, everybody...
- 08/12/2010 02:56:43 PM
826 Views
The only problem with that scenario was that Nynaeve had stuff to do, and could not as Accepted
- 09/12/2010 01:09:45 AM
978 Views
And what? To miss all the awesomeness she had before/during/after the test?
- 07/12/2010 06:27:23 PM
838 Views
- 07/12/2010 06:27:23 PM
838 Views
I agree about the test, kind of. The Oaths was going too far.
- 07/12/2010 07:02:43 PM
1008 Views
Re: I agree about the test, kind of. The Oaths was going too far.
- 16/12/2010 10:40:39 AM
766 Views
It's supposed to be a required part of being Aes Sedai.
- 08/12/2010 08:52:34 AM
877 Views
On the contrary, being Aes Sedai means she had to swear the Oaths.
- 14/12/2010 04:53:28 AM
794 Views
Re: On the contrary, being Aes Sedai means she had to swear the Oaths.
- 14/12/2010 11:53:43 AM
882 Views
Passing your scars on
- 14/12/2010 07:07:43 PM
728 Views
They believe Oaths necessary, thus an Aes Sedai refusing sets herself apart from and above the rest.
- 16/12/2010 02:26:45 PM
1297 Views
So?
- 15/12/2010 11:40:32 AM
886 Views
From the standpoint of actually changing Tower rules and traditions I agree with you.
- 16/12/2010 02:13:44 PM
1300 Views