Merilille and Talaan

[Luckers]

A week or so ago I saw someone asking about this, but I didn't have a compute. But giving it's a topic I like to bring up every once in a while, I thought I might raise it again.

 

In CoT; 14, What Wise Ones Know, Merilille and Talaan disapear. Yurith sees Merillile leaving the Royal Palace with Talaan, and then they are never heard from again--which is odd, because the apparent reason for them leaving would be to take Talaan to the Tower for training (and gives Merilille a tangible reason to flee the Windfinders). They should have been at the White Tower a long time ago. It should also be noted that Elayne had every Inn in Caemlyn searched, and there was no sign of them.

 

Now its possible its just taking them some time to make the trip, as it did for Tarna from Salidar, but myself, I think they're dead. More than that I don't think Merilille even made it out of the Royal Palace. :)

 

Naughty, Naughty Careane

 

Ok, so the crux of this is Careane. At the time she was tasked by Mili Skaine (Lady Shiaine) to drive the channelers out of the Royal Palace so that the Black Ajah could get to Elayne--and presumably in preperation for the assault on Caemlyn. At the same time several of the Kin seemingly run away, but we learn in KoD; 17, A Bronze Bear, that this is Careane doing--she has been killing Kin members and had been hoping the others of the Kin would realise, and flee.

 

Such a tactic would obviously not work on the Windfinders--they are too wary of Aes Sedai, too inclined to stick together, and too powerful and capable as channelers for Careane to be easily able to lure them aside, and too unlike the Kin, whom Careane had reason to believe would break and run, they had not shown any penchant for cowardice.

 

So what I believe happened was that Careane killed Merilille, and then using illusion took her place and agreed to take Talaan to the White Tower (given Talaan begged Nynaeve, it's usurprising she might have tried with other sisters). Once she had made sure she'd been seen she killed Talaan, and doubled back to resume her place in the Tower.

 

It would have the image of Merilille breaking her oath to be one of the teachers (which, lets not forget, was odd, even under the idea that she was upholding it by bringing Talaan to get training), which would be a violation of the Bargain (which maintained a teacher couldn't leave until a replacement had arrived), and would involve the apparent kidnapping of a powerful apprenentice who was close kin to some of the most powerful and influential Windfinders around.

 

In effect, it'd be a very good way to try and make the Windfinders leave Caemlyn.

 

 

So that's my theory. Thoughts? :)

[Superhal]

The only flaw I see in your reasoning is that unless Careane was exactly equal in the OP to Merrille, Taalan would have known that Merrille (or disguised Careane) was stronger/weaker in the OP than when they met before.

 

More likely would be Careane killed both, hid the bodies, and spread the rumor of kidnap.

[Luckers]

I considered that, but the rumour came from Yurith, who led the Bodyguard against the Black Ajah. I reguard her as being fairly reliable.

 

There is a simpler explanation--Careane may simply have masked her ability, and told Talaan it was in order to be sneaky. Alternatively it is possible to mask strength in the Power--make yourself feel weaker than you are. There is no indication that Moghedien gave this knowledge to the girls, but you never know.

[Manscher]

I was under the impression that the Black Ajah didn't know how to create disguises with the One Power or mask their ability to channel. The Forsaken have after all been rather tight mouthed about teaching their "pets"

[dwn]

It's certainly possible, but I think the simplest solution is that they just Traveled somewhere (anywhere) to wait till the Tower was reunified. Why Elayne would even bother having the inns checked is beyond me.

 

Also, if I were Careane in that situation, I'd prefer to leave Merilille where she is lest I be chosen as a replacement teacher.

 

-- dwn

[GB]

what if merrille just didnt want to go to the Tower to face the repurcussions and instead went somewhere else? though Talaan wouldn't have gone unless she said she will take her to the Tower.

[herid]

A week or so ago I saw someone asking about this, but I didn't have a compute. But giving it's a topic I like to bring up every once in a while, I thought I might raise it again.

 

In CoT; 14, What Wise Ones Know, Merilille and Talaan disapear. Yurith sees Merillile leaving the Royal Palace with Talaan, and then they are never heard from again--which is odd, because the apparent reason for them leaving would be to take Talaan to the Tower for training (and gives Merilille a tangible reason to flee the Windfinders). They should have been at the White Tower a long time ago. It should also be noted that Elayne had every Inn in Caemlyn searched, and there was no sign of them.

 

Now its possible its just taking them some time to make the trip, as it did for Tarna from Salidar, but myself, I think they're dead. More than that I don't think Merilille even made it out of the Royal Palace. :)

 

Naughty, Naughty Careane

 

Ok, so the crux of this is Careane. At the time she was tasked by Mili Skaine (Lady Shiaine) to drive the channelers out of the Royal Palace so that the Black Ajah could get to Elayne--and presumably in preperation for the assault on Caemlyn. At the same time several of the Kin seemingly run away, but we learn in KoD; 17, A Bronze Bear, that this is Careane doing--she has been killing Kin members and had been hoping the others of the Kin would realise, and flee.

 

Such a tactic would obviously not work on the Windfinders--they are too wary of Aes Sedai, too inclined to stick together, and too powerful and capable as channelers for Careane to be easily able to lure them aside, and too unlike the Kin, whom Careane had reason to believe would break and run, they had not shown any penchant for cowardice.

 

So what I believe happened was that Careane killed Merilille, and then using illusion took her place and agreed to take Talaan to the White Tower (given Talaan begged Nynaeve, it's usurprising she might have tried with other sisters). Once she had made sure she'd been seen she killed Talaan, and doubled back to resume her place in the Tower.

 

I assume you mean to resume her place in the palace in Caemlyn, not the Tower, right?

 

Anyway, while this theory is a possibility I'm certain that this is not what happened. If Careane killed them I don't see why this would remain kept hidden from the reader at this point. The deaths of the Kin who supposedly ran away that Careane killed were revealed after Careanne was finally unmasked and I see no plot reasons to treat Merilille and Talaan differently. Also, I've always felt that Talaan's character was being developed for grander things in the future, not to die so ingloriously.

 

As to where they are now I don't have any specific ideas - they may simply be hiding someplace. Merilille would face repercussions when discovered so she may not be too eager to go to the Tower just yet.

 

It would have the image of Merilille breaking her oath to be one of the teachers (which, lets not forget, was odd, even under the idea that she was upholding it by bringing Talaan to get training), which would be a violation of the Bargain (which maintained a teacher couldn't leave until a replacement had arrived), and would involve the apparent kidnapping of a powerful apprenentice who was close kin to some of the most powerful and influential Windfinders around.

 

In effect, it'd be a very good way to try and make the Windfinders leave Caemlyn.

I don't see this episode as nudging the windfinders to leave. They certainly never expressed any desire to do so after Talaan disappeared (they never even blamed Elayne for this, at least not onscreen) and I don't see why they would. They are determined to hold on to their bargain to get Aes Sedai teachers and Elayne was the only one they could pin it on. In any case they could not leave without breaking their new bargain with Elayne made in CoT. Merilille wasn't really part of that and they only claimed her because she promised to be one of the teachers arranged by the first bargain that Elayne and Nyn made with the Seafolk in CoS. By running away Merilille broke her personal oath but not the bargain they made with Elayne in CoT. The Seafolk would not break that one themselves.