Elayne's Role in MoL

[Nightangel486]

So, the Last Battle approactheth, and Elayne is still pregnant. How far along is she? If she's still with child during the battle and having difficulty channeling, then will she just stay in Andor? With this battle in Caemlyn set up in ToM she may just have to stay behind, unless it's settled quickly. It would be a bit disappointing to me to have her not be involved in the LB at all, since it would be a waste of her powerful channeling abilities.

 

But, Min said her babies would be born healthy, so if she IS still pregnant, does that mean the Dark One will therefore be defeated? He'd kind of have to be in order for there to still be a world for her to give birth in.

 

I also read that any of Min's viewings that occurred after the Dark One began messing heavily with the pattern are less reliable, but I can't remember if she had the one about Elayne before or after all the crazy pattern warping started going down, so perhaps the entire viewing is no longer valid.

 

Thoughts? Speculations?

[aross]

"If Rand loses, there is no pattern"

 

That is what Min said and what Cadsuane confirmed. Her viewings come true only if they win. Otherwise, forget it. Everything fails and everyone is a goner.

 

Min has not yet had a viewing that failed. So long as the pattern remains, her viewings will be reliable.

 

Elayne isn't due yet, and The Last Battle will get there before the twins.

 

On the subject of speculating what happens to her...? She probably does return to Caemlyn to fight the Shadowspawn army. Eventually, she must return to Rand. His death or rebirth (or both) involves his three loves.

[Sid]

Elayne in AMoL:

 

Goes to FoM

Finds out about trollocs in Caemlyn

Rushes to Caemlyn and does several foolhardy things

Gets kidnapped

Hanlon almost has his way with her

Is sad when Birgitte dies while saving her from her own foolishness again

Is sad when Rand dies

Sniffs while looking down her nose at someone

Goes on a boat ride

Ends up as one of the five most powerful rulers in the world

[MasterAblar]

Elayne in AMoL:

 

Goes to FoM

Finds out about trollocs in Caemlyn

Rushes to Caemlyn and does several foolhardy things

Gets kidnapped

Hanlon almost has his way with her

Is sad when Birgitte dies while saving her from her own foolishness again

Is sad when Rand dies

Sniffs while looking down her nose at someone

Goes on a boat ride

Ends up as one of the five most powerful rulers in the world

 

As well as numerous bathes of course. That is a must.

[David Selig]

The only 100% certain thing is that whatever she does, plenty of people among the fandom will complain about it at length.

 

IIRC at the end of ToM Elayne is about 5 months into her pregnancy, so chances of giving birth before the LB seem really low.

[Raistlin]

Most twins come early. 6 months for twins is common tbh. Probly why she is having twins. So the timing of the last battle and there birth are very close.

[rand4747]

Most twins come early. 6 months for twins is common tbh. Probly why she is having twins. So the timing of the last battle and there birth are very close.

 

Premature back then are very likely to die.

[sandoz12]

Most twins come early. 6 months for twins is common tbh. Probly why she is having twins. So the timing of the last battle and there birth are very close.

6 months common? Are you sure about that? That is only 26 weeks which is the borderline where they have decisions to make whether it is even worth trying to save the baby. I find it hard to believe that 6 months is common for twins.

 

*Edit* Just had a quick look online and found this:

Research from the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs (NOMOTC) indicates that about half of multiples are born before 36 weeks gestation. An informal, unscientific poll on my site indicates 18% delivered before 28 weeks, and only 15% after 38 weeks. The National Vital Statistics Report for 2006 reports that 60% of twins were born preterm (less than 37 completed weeks of gestation) and 12% were considered very preterm (less than 32 completed weeks of gestation)

Source: Twin Pregnancy FAQ.

 

So 12% under 32 weeks (5 months) which is still higher than I would have thought but not what I would call 'common'. Especially the percentage at 26 weeks (6 months) would be a lot lower still.

[David Selig]

Min's viewing is pretty clear - Elayne's babies will be healthy and strong. I am hardly an expert on pregnancy, but it seems to me there's no way they will be born more than a month early.

[FarShainMael]

At the end of ToM29, after Elayne has watched the cannon deno with Birgitte, her PoV mentions that 'She felt some odd indigestion' and wonders whether she ate something bad for lunch. Speaking as someone who has given birth twice, I'm pretty sure that's a hint of an early labour. (Not yet, though!)

 

It is possible for premature babies to be born healthy if underweight.

[Stitch]

Its ALSO possible that with the DO's influence on the pattern what has previously been seen may no longer be reliable - even if the DO is defeated and the pattern continues to exist - it does not mean that everything that has previously been seen must exist as it would have had the dark one not taken a chunk out of it (think of it as someone grabbing the loom and shaking it while you are trying to weave)...

 

With Elayne pregnant her channeling capabilities are touchy at best, however that is not the main source of her importance as a character or even as a contributor to the last battle - her major contribution would be leading the nation(s) she is responsible for. (Though to be honest I never really bought her claim to the Sun Throne). Given that, and the likely soon approaching last battle she will probably be still pregnant at the time - which means she will have impaired channeling OR her pregnancy will reach a stage where it no longer interferes OR they will come up with some BS reason why she can now channel without issues (they may try to link such to the reason why Rand's kids are capable of channeling so young).

[Suttree]

Min's viewing is pretty clear - Elayne's babies will be healthy and strong. I am hardly an expert on pregnancy, but it seems to me there's no way they will be born more than a month early.

 

Strong, healthy plus they are prob going to be Shivan and Calian reborn.

[sandoz12]

At the end of ToM29, after Elayne has watched the cannon deno with Birgitte, her PoV mentions that 'She felt some odd indigestion' and wonders whether she ate something bad for lunch. Speaking as someone who has given birth twice, I'm pretty sure that's a hint of an early labour. (Not yet, though!)

 

It is possible for premature babies to be born healthy if underweight.

 

Yes but that is if they are a month or 6 weeks early at the most. Babies under 34 weeks are seldom healthy (for example at my local hospital 34 weeks or early means they automatically go into a special care section of the hospital). They usually live and grow up to be fine and healthy but it requires a lot of care. So going by Min's vision I think the babies have to be carried for at least 7.5 months - but then again this is fantasy so it doesn't have to follow real life.

[Sleeper]

Elayne in AMoL:

 

Goes to FoM

Finds out about trollocs in Caemlyn

Rushes to Caemlyn and does several foolhardy things

Gets kidnapped

Hanlon almost has his way with her

Is sad when Birgitte dies while saving her from her own foolishness again

Is sad when Rand dies

Sniffs while looking down her nose at someone

Goes on a boat ride

Ends up as one of the five most powerful rulers in the world

That sounds about right. However, don't forget the many icy stares and haughty chin-raises she will give out to any number of men, along with the sniffing of course.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

min's viewing says they will be born healthy. it doesn't say who will bear them, or in what state. min's viewing says aviendah will have quads, and there's something unsusual about that. more than them being quads i assume, or why add that bit?

 

i've always had the feeling that elayne doesn't bring the kids to term, and that aviendah does. i don't know how, maybe something to do with being power wrought sisters, but weirder things have been done with the power in these books. plus, not much time for avi to get with child, so another thing pointing to an "unnatural" kind of childbearing for the dragonseed all around.

 

dunno. whole thing's pretty weird, no matter how it happens.

[USURP888]

I don't like Elayne's attitude being foolhardy because of Min's viewing, like Birgette pointed out, She could be maimed or knocked into a coma and the babies would still be born healthy. I sometimes wish Elayne's twins would be born with 3 eyes or conjoined or some other deformity but still healthy but it would be unfair to the babies, they did not choose to have a doofus for a mother.

[Nightangel486]

I guess I'm just curious to see if she'll be present at the Last Battle, or if she'll be busy somewhere else. Since she has been foolhardly bc of Min's viewing it wouldn't surprise me if she did insist on going into battle despite the pregnancy bc she thinks she'll be safe(if she regains consistent channeling ability that is).

 

But it also seems likely she'll be stuck in Andor "holding down the fort" so to speak, and if/when the DO is defeated be one of the few strong rulers left to lead everyone into the new age. I just hope that sometime before Rand goes to battle he'll at least find out he's a father!

 

I also feel Birgitte should be present at the LB, but since she's Elayne's Warder I guess her actions are tied to wherever Elayne is. I'll be really mad if she gets killed bc of Elayne's stupid actions!! Which reminds me...lately Birgitte has been walking around with a sword, which seems like it could lead to trouble since she's stated many times that everytime she's tried to use a sword instead of her bow, it leads to disaster. I wonder if that will come into play?

[b3arz3rg3r]

She'll distract Rand at the FOM so that he postpones his attack on Shayol Ghul.

 

Rand: "... and that's why I'll break the seals tomorrow and travel to SG"

Egwene: "That actually makes a lot of sen- ... Rand I have a surprise for you."

Rand: "Do tell?"

Egwene: "Elayne, mind coming here?"

Rand: "Elayne, you..."

Elayne: "Surprise!"

Rand: "What? When? How?"

Egwene: "Ehm Rand, so about your plan, how about we postpone it indefinitely?"

Rand: "Whatever! Why didn't you tell me Elayne?"

Elayne: "Well, you know..."

Egwene: "I'll leave you two to it. Bye"

...

Egwene: "Mwahahaha! Just as planned!"

Gawyn: "Your evil overlord laugh still needs a bit work."

Egwene: "Really? I thought I got it right this time."

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

i'm re-listening to new spring, and they really hammer home the moiraine could be in line for the throne thing. i know that was mostly to give her a reason to leave the white tower, but still...

[DemandredFO]

Elayne's role in AMoL will be to get some good and decent men and women killed because she has a continent-sized immortality complex.

[Arc]

Question for the pregnancy experts: is it possible that the twins arn't born at the same time? that i.e. one of them is born before the last battle, the other after but both are born healthy? They are still twins then right? Dunno if this actually contributes anything to the discussion, or if it might possibly cause some plot development, just curious.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

the record i think is near two months apart. usually the first born would be stillborn, and the delayed birth survive, but both living has happened. i think it unlikely here, because they seem to have been conceieved at the same time, and have the same gestational age, and i think the delayed thing tends to be when there's delayed conception of the second twin, esp in cases where both survive. i don't forsee the eventuality here though. i don't think it would add anything to the story at this late date.

[Himiko]

Maybe Elayne will get to faceslap Egwene again- its been too long :P

[David Selig]

Maybe Elayne will get to faceslap Egwene again- its been too long :P

That would be awesome.

 

The slap in TDR has always been one of my favourite moments in the series.

[Sid]

Agreed, she needed that badly then, and she'll need another one in AMoL depending on how she acts at FoM.