What Happened To Merilille and Talaan?

[Luckers]

Ok so Merillile supposedly runs off during CoT with Talaan, but are things as clean as that? My first question would be this--why didn't she travel away? Using Talaan as a battery she could have woven a gateway and been halfway accross the world before anyone knew. And why did she have Talaan cloak herself, but than walk boldly out, her face bare to the world. Merilille was a bit unhinged at the time, but if she had the presense to make good her escape it makes the rest of the thoughtlessness seem a bit clumsy.

 

Consider that at the same time Careane had been charged with clearing the non-Aes Sedai channelers out of the palace so that the Black could get at Elayne. She did this by killing Kinswomen and leaving hints that they were being slain in an effort to scare off the others. Yet this still left the Windfinders, who were all very strong and well-trained--in effect no effort was being made to clear of the ones that it was most important be gone.

 

The methods used against the Kinswomen wouldn't work. The Windfinders are too untrusting of Aes Sedai, and too ready to move around in packs (and too strong and talented for Careane to easily deal with). Careane would never have been able to get one off on her own to kill her.

 

Making it look like Talaan and Merilille had run off together, on the other hand, is almost the perfect wedge to drive between the Windfinders and Elayne. An Aes Sedai breaking the bargain and kidnapping the most promising apprentice the Windfinders have, a girl who is close kin to the most powerful windfinders around.

 

Functionally it would not be that difficult. Careane could have suggested this all to Merilille, guided her into doing it, and doing it poorly. Merilille was very suggestable by this stage, it would not take much to convince her. Alternatively she could simply have killed Merilille, who did not even know there was a Black sister about. Mask of mirrors deals with the face long enough, and Talaan would have gone along eagerly enough.

 

The single problem with her killing Merilille and replacing her for a time is the difference in strength between Careane and Merillile. There is no way as far as we know to make yourself appear stronger than you are, and Merilille was stronger than Careane. That being said Careane could simply have masked her ability and told Talaan that she was being cautious to make good their escape.

[Phariah]

ya this part always made me confused the only thing i can think of is maybe Mer was BA either by her choice or 13 method which could account for her nervousness. and she took Tal to turn her because she is strong. she would make a fine new shadow weapon.

[Braus]

Dont really see the problem tbh, talaan wanted to get away from the sea folks customs, because she had heard about the "powerful" Aes Sedai.

 

They not traveling away could just mean that Mer thinks its humiliating to let someone else do it, or she havent learnt it, or w/E. Besides i doubt she knows exactly where the rebels are(how sharing is elayne with the meeting with egwene in the dreams exactly?) And a last thing its not that extremly far to tar valon from Caemlyn, a few days riding and some days on a boat >.<

[Luckers]

They not traveling away could just mean that Mer thinks its humiliating to let someone else do it, or she havent learnt it, or w/E. Besides i doubt she knows exactly where the rebels are(how sharing is elayne with the meeting with egwene in the dreams exactly?) And a last thing its not that extremly far to tar valon from Caemlyn, a few days riding and some days on a boat >.<

 

No she knows how to travel. She's witnessed the weave being woven several times. And, given her fear of the windfinders is the reason she did this, pride and aversion to humiliation seem strange reasons.

[EramofAmandous]

Maybe she thought her chances better to get away without channeling. Traveling takes quite alot of the OP so....

 

I think that Mer was just trying to help Tal and the WT at the same time.

[mb]

Actually, Merilille and/or Talaan might have done Traveling; but after they were out of sight of the Palace, maybe also out of range of being detected.

 

Some possible locations on where they could be:

-Back at Ebou Dar (though unlikely since the Seanchan is there)

-Checked at Salidar then tried to follow path

-Tar Valon (or near by) then saw camp

-With other Windfinders (though this also unlikely since Talaan seems to want to avoid them)

 

[Braus]

Well obviously if they traveled, they traveled to get closer to the rebel camp. Unless luckers are right about some to silly/complex(imo) darkfriend scheme. Which i dont believe since talaan and Mer both wanted to escape the windfinders and their culture, and Talaan told Nynanvea openly that she wanted to become an AS, but that she never thought the windfinders would send her to the tower since she was to powerful.

[Luckers]

Well obviously if they traveled, they traveled to get closer to the rebel camp. Unless luckers are right about some to silly/complex(imo) darkfriend scheme. Which i dont believe since talaan and Mer both wanted to escape the windfinders and their culture, and Talaan told Nynanvea openly that she wanted to become an AS, but that she never thought the windfinders would send her to the tower since she was to powerful.

 

Yes, because Aes Sedai are never silly or complex. That being said this is not overly complex--Careane was required to get the channelers out of the palace, and making the Windfinders angry enough to break the bargain was the only way she could achieve that. And making it look like an Aes Sedai had stolen such a valuable apprentice as Talaan was really the only option Careane had. Nothing else would have come close to cutting it.

 

Whether she incited Merilille into doing it, or she killed Merilille and did it herself, I reckon Careane had a hand, and her hand was why it was so obvious Meilille had fled with Talaan.

[Braus]

cant argue more without rereading that part >.<

 

But they could still have traveled like someone said to the rebell camp once they left Caemlyn. Maybe the traveling grounds in Caemlyn was to occupied to not raise suspision, or merl just thought it was safer to leave the city before doing it. Ofc she could proberly just enter some alleway and do it, but Aes Sedai are strict when it comes to how to do things and its a new weave so she might aswell have waited until she had left people behind.

Then the reason we havent seen them in the rebell camp yet(or maybe they have arrived but we havent been told because the sisters in the rebell camp thinks its beneath notice to tell Egwene in the world of dreams. Or the Caemlyn POV's are just abit further ahead in time, compared to the rebell camp POV's.