Rand evaluates Elayne before he even knows she's the Daughter-Heir. Beautiful with elaborate clothes and a lofty attitude, and seemed to be two to three years younger than himself.
- Let's pause for a moment because I'm only going to really say this once, I hope - The various ages of the characters don't really terribly interest me except either knowing one is older than the other, example here with Rand being older than Elayne or Ewin back in Two Rivers being younger than our three boys. Or when one is obviously older than the other and in my opinion as a reader it doesn't read...well - as I stated in my post about Lan and Nynaeve. Otherwise, I like to believe Jordan left it vague on purpose and only when pushed for encyclopedias and FAQ answers did he put together more solid information on how old each character was, how long the entire story took, etc.. Maybe that means I'm definitely not as into details as many people, or maybe it just means that, as I said in a previous post - in doing this re-read with commentary I've realized I really just prefer being able to merge my imagination with the author telling the story. Although, I will admit, blatant inaccuracies in someone's fan art does bother me a little. Mostly - all too often Perrin looks much older than the other two, or Mat's dice are wrong (anyone who has read the books knows Mat's dice are squared the same, but the pips are placed differently). But I'm still not so picky as some... -
Moving on from the pause - we met the Daughter-Heir and First Prince of the Sword. While many people had issues with Elayne straightaway, I had no problems with her, in actuality, I rather liked her. Fair, self-sufficient, not running screaming from a "vagabond" who fell into her garden. Gawyn I had a very similar impression of - his job was to take care of Elayne - and he was ready to do so if he felt Rand was a threat, so he deferred to Elayne, but I got the feeling he was ready to "overrule" her as needed (though I got the impression he'd lead Elayne to believe it was her own idea). They both were strong characters from the beginning and the reader was witness to their evident sibling bond, as well as witness to the discord Elayne had with Galad. One could also see the...honor...in Gawyn for refusing to really speak badly of Galad, whereas the reader got the impression Elayne just flat didn't want to try.
The scene with Morgase, the queen - I really liked her and I also really liked Gareth Bryne, when he was asked by the queen what his recommendation was he stated it clearly and without hesitation. Then when she stated (and this is part of why I like her) clearly and more than fairly, what she decided, he did not, as Elaida did, seek to change her mind. The entire scene with Elaida soured me on her, and I'm not sure if Jordan intended his reader to step away from that scene disliking her as much as I did, or just questioning her.
And she leaves us with...
"This I foretell and swear under the light that I can say no clearer. From this day Andor marches toward pain and division. The Shadow has yet to darken to its blackest, and I cannot see if the Light will come after. Where the world has wept one tear, it will weep thousands. This I foretell.....
This, too, I fortell. Pain and division come to the whole world, and this man stands at the heart of it...."
Well, I was going to leave it there until I remembered, I really liked Jordan's creation of the "custom" in Andor of "escorting the guests as far as the gates but not to watch them go. It is the pleasure of a guest's company that should be remembered, not the sadness of parting." Just more of what helped spring this world into being. Songs, legends, sayings, customs....Jordan's world is alive, each part unique and believable.
On towards the end - only 13 more chapters to go!
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