View original post She only saved Rand's life directly during the Last Battle itself, and was one of the two women supporting him, that enabled him to use Callandor, and wield saidar & saidin there. Remember the importance of them being "as one" and the way the linking process was always described. One of the critical points for Rand was that he be able to trust the women he was linked with. From the first conversation about the reality of men and women linking, way back in tFoH, the role of trust and control was portrayed as significant, including the debates between Sammael, Lanfear, Rahvin and Graendal about their plan to link to capture Rand. Nynaeve was important, because she spent the previous 11 books establishing that she was one of the people Rand could trust the most. She proves it by saving him from Alanna's death, being both smart enough to figure out a problem and motivated to do something about it for Rand's sake. Not even his girlfriends really did as much of their own hook for Rand as did Nynaeve. Cadsuane acted because he was the Dragon Reborn, Moiraine's actions were shaded by her White Tower perceptions, and even the girlfriends' view of him was shaped by his development. Tam was entirely locked into the perception of him as a kid. Nynaeve was the only one who knew him before, and stayed friends with him the same way as he developed.