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God, I can't stand Rand fanboys/girls. Some facts, please. The Angry Druid Send a noteboard - 02/12/2011 06:12:14 PM
Look, I've had my issues with Egwene, but try to look at it from her perspective.

First off, from books 7-12 Rand is going insane. And not only that, he's become uncaring and unfeeling. Inhuman. Both Nnneave's trip into Rand's mind after healing Naeff in ToM and his own viewpoint in Veins of Gold confirm this.

He almost kills Tam in a fit of rage. Even Tam himself says, "Unstable?" Tam asked. "Nynaeve, that boy is right near insane. What has happened to him? I understand what battle can do to a man, but ..."

Nyneave is with him for a lot of these episodes, and the balefire one a Natrim's Barrow. Egwene talks with her. As have other AS and eyes and ears to witness varying episodes of behavior from Rand that are, to put in mildly, troubling. Temperamental, distrustful, arrogant, and erratic are the words the eyes and ears have used to describe Rand. (ToM, The Amyrlin's Anger, Siuan POV). And it's hard to argue they are inaccurate.

Second, the idea that Egwene has never been a good friend to Rand is just silly.

Despite all this negative information she is getting on Rand, she still doesn't turn on him in ToM. Even though she seems set to before their meeting. Thinking of him as a criminal. And before all you Egwene bashers jump in, this is a view even Rand himself shares: "I should have wished for such a convenient set of backs on which to heap the blame for my crimes." ToM, The Amyrlin's Anger, p83, HB.

Egwene thinks to herself: "There didn't seem to be madness in his eyes. She knew those eyes. She knew Rand." "Light", she thought, "I'm wrong. I can't think of him only as the Dragon Reborn. I'm here for a reason. He's here for a reason. To me, he must be Rand. Because Rand can be trusted, while the Dragon Reborn must be feared."

Still, breaking the seals is a bridge too far for her, despite her thoughts that Rand could be trusted with the fate of the world (ToM, HB, p. 84). But she wants to change his mind, not oppose him violently.

And most of her opposition comes from the dream she has misinterpreted (him hacking the globe, which, I believe, deals the with future of the Aiel, the 23 Stars, being, I think, a WO+chief for the 11 clans remaining, + 1 for the Shaido and + 1 for the Jenn). Regardless, I don't think it has to deal with the Seals.

She doesn't turn on him in ToM, and she hasn't the whole series. Let me count the ways. In EotW she overcomes her initial reaction to Rand being able to channel and hugs him anyway, telling him she doesn't care. In tGH she helps Rand escape from Fal Dara. Throughout the whole series, she never once tells anyone what he is until it is already common knowledge. She stands up/lies to Elaida on this score numerous times in the Tower, and even to Moiraine as well. She and Elayne try to help Rand learn to channel in tGH, and to detect a woman's channeling. She conspires with Elayne to pass him off to her best friend. Even when leading the rebels, she still can't believe Rand would forcibly bond sisters. And these are just the ones off the top of my head.

And this idea that Rand doesn't like or respect Egwene? It's foolishness. No doubt, they've butted heads on some issues (bonding AS, for instance). And been wary of each other from time to time. But what does Rand thinks when Siuan tells him that Egwene is an incredible Amyrlin? "I should have expected nothing less."

Rand isn't just counting on Egwene to oppose him. Which is only natural. Break the seals? That would free the DO. Everyone one knows if the DO breaks free, everything is doomed. How often has a character said, "If the DO was free already, we'd all be dead!" Thus, the notion of breaking the seals sounds crazy to anyone who hasn't been inside Rand's head for the entire series. Or almost everyone (Nynaeve, Perrin, Elayne, etc). He's counting on her to be able to unite the rest of the world and get them there in less than a month. And she does deliver.

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It's good to be right. Especially when you see Rand list his good influences in ToM - 30/11/2011 03:24:55 PM 2129 Views
This is clearly a Sandersonism... - 01/12/2011 02:35:39 AM 934 Views
Of course it is... - 01/12/2011 11:03:49 AM 873 Views
Re: Of course it is... - 02/12/2011 06:16:01 PM 968 Views
Can't think of a single time that Egwene was a good friend to Rand *NM* - 01/12/2011 07:16:39 AM 487 Views
TGH, TFoH and TDR. *NM* - 01/12/2011 01:23:28 PM 422 Views
Bah, bull and pffft. - 01/12/2011 03:26:07 PM 1025 Views
Re: It's good to be right. Especially when you see Rand list his good influences in ToM - 01/12/2011 01:26:49 PM 922 Views
In tGH he was still immature and reflexively giving props to his love interest *NM* - 01/12/2011 03:04:17 PM 511 Views
Re: In tGH he was still immature and reflexively giving props to his love interest - 03/12/2011 02:39:47 AM 871 Views
... - 03/12/2011 09:13:13 AM 885 Views
God, I can't stand Rand fanboys/girls. Some facts, please. - 02/12/2011 06:12:14 PM 1436 Views
I can't stand people who don't know stuff but act like they do. - 04/12/2011 03:23:47 AM 829 Views
Self-contradiction, much? - 04/12/2011 08:20:00 AM 909 Views
No, just dealing with a fickle hypocrite. - 05/12/2011 04:27:32 AM 983 Views
Re: No, just dealing with a fickle hypocrite. - 05/12/2011 10:56:17 AM 854 Views
Except somehow, Egwene always ends up opposing him on the wrong stuff - 05/12/2011 03:55:50 PM 1038 Views
Of course there's the fact that by most people's standards.... - 06/12/2011 12:31:13 PM 1026 Views
About Cadsuane... - 06/12/2011 05:22:39 PM 1009 Views
Go Egwene! - 09/12/2011 07:47:47 AM 870 Views

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