Am not trying to suggest that I hope she is still alive, nor am I unaware of the thematic undermining of the Forsaken from legend to petty squabllers. My point was just to examine more closely the events.

Also, in terms of Rand, to find out that he killed, no, balefired, so many innocent people for nothing could be truly devastating for our hero.

Ishameal is the Betrayer of Hope. While I appreciate wrapping up plot lines and moving the story along, the details and logic of the story still need to be intact. Games within games was something RJ loved, and things not always being what they seem. Arad Doman was always intended to be a mine or mind field (grin), and would serve the larger story more to see Rand gripping again with the ethics or what life is about.