Was this asked already? Where is Merilille?

[mike hunt's here]

I know she dug out somewhere and its 50/50 she may be BA.

 

But shes one of those unfinished thingies. Maybe she's with Alanna?

 

I thought about this after reading the post that Demandred "could" be the Sea Folk guy, since Meri ran away with a Sea Folk woman.

[Suttree]

I know she dug out somewhere and its 50/50 she may be BA.

 

But shes one of those unfinished thingies. Maybe she's with Alanna?

 

I thought about this after reading the post that Demandred "could" be the Sea Folk guy, since Meri ran away with a Sea Folk woman.

 

No word on what happened to her after she snuck away with the WF apprentice. Doubt she is BA, at least Elayne seems to think she is not.

[Luckers]

I think she and Talaan are dead. I think Careane orchestrated the whole scenario as part of her mission to drive channelers from the Royal Palace (in the same way that she killed Kinswomen in ways meant to be recognised as poorly hidden murders in order to scare the Kinswomen away). Obviously this wouldn't work on the Windfinders--they travelled in packs, were strong in the power, and too wary of Aes Sedai for Careane to kill them in any case. But to make it appear as if Aes Sedai have broken the Bargain (Merilille leaving before her replacement showed up technically breaks the Bargain) AND kidnapping a Apprentice, who is family to very influential woment... Seems a reasonable ploy.

 

As for how--of course she may simply have convinced Merillile to take Talaan--providing her with a Siuan-like logic of the relative importance of the duty to fulfil the Bargain and to bring strong novices to the Tower--but unless she snuck after them and killed them it still leaves the oddity of where they are unanswered. And that would really be pointless because Merillile taking Talene and leaving would serve the same purpose (except maybe Merillile might have genuinely meant to return and Careane would have to stop that--maybe).

 

Personally though, I don't even think Merillile knew. I think Talaan approached Careane like she did Nynaeve (and, realistically, like she would not have approached Merillile given Talaan still respected the Windfinders position re: the Bargain, and expected the Aes Sedai too as well). Careane said no, and maybe suggested Merillile, or simply went and killed Merillile and went back and got Talaan, and left ensuring to be seen by a reliable witness, then killed Talene and returned to continure formenting chaos.

 

It does leave the problem of Careane and Merilille's strength and Talaan sensing the difference. A simple answer to that (given not many know the trick of concealing the amount of strength that Mesaana and Lanfear use) is that Careane masked her ability and told Talaan it was part of them making their sneaky escape (sounds legit).

 

 

But yeah, unless something happened to them their absense is wierd (because the logic that enabled Merilille to supposedly leave her promise to be a teacher was the Siuan-like need of a higher duty of taking Talene to the Tower or the Rebels, which necessitates she do so). Careane seems the most likely thing to have happened to them.

[csarmi]

Careane, Talaan. Sorry for nitpicking, but the Talene one is actually very confusing (Talene is the green turned black who was hidden).

[Luckers]

Yeah. Fair enough [and fixed], was replying at work, and doing ten million things at once. Thanks csarmi. The weird part is that the Careane one fixed itself after two, and I didn't notice that I'd been referring to her as the Return.

[sleepinghour]

I think she and Talaan are dead. I think Careane orchestrated the whole scenario as part of her mission to drive channelers from the Royal Palace (in the same way that she killed Kinswomen in ways meant to be recognised as poorly hidden murders in order to scare the Kinswomen away). Obviously this wouldn't work on the Windfinders--they travelled in packs, were strong in the power, and too wary of Aes Sedai for Careane to kill them in any case.

 

I was thinking about that theory earlier when we were discussing Aviendha's Rhuidean visions and wondering why everything—including the Aes Sedai/Sea Folk/Aiel exchange student program—seemingly fell apart after the Last Battle. If their most promising channeler turned out to have been killed by Aes Sedai, that might be a dealbreaker for the Sea Folk. I actually found it a bit strange that Talaan wasn't even mentioned during their meeting with Egwene considering how furious they were over Talaan's disappearance in KoD.

[joeron bigelow]

The only issue I have with them being dead is...with careane gone, who will tell their story?

[Luckers]

The only issue I have with them being dead is...with careane gone, who will tell their story?

 

Marillin, Mili Skane (Shiaine) or Falion are reasonable possibilities, since all three were working with Careane on that plot. Though if they were to be used so the interogation scene would have been a good place to reveal it, so maybe not.

[herid]

what makes you think that Careane was working together with Mili Skane's group? I see no evidence to support this. Marillin was the only one of them who knew that Careane was Black (they were likely in the same Heart). and they didn't appear to know any new weaves Careane knew such as Traveling and masking the ability to channel (not sure if Careane knew that one) or the new Healing (Chesmal uses old Healing on Elayne in TOM). Also, Hanlon definitely didn't know about her being Black. The only thing I can think of in favor of her working with them is that her warder said that she felt confident through the bond when she went to arrest them with Elayne in KOD. But that could simply be because she knew they were Black.

[Luckers]

what makes you think that Careane was working together with Mili Skane's group? I see no evidence to support this. Marillin was the only one of them who knew that Careane was Black (they were likely in the same Heart). and they didn't appear to know any new weaves Careane knew such as Traveling and masking the ability to channel (not sure if Careane knew that one) or the new Healing (Chesmal uses old Healing on Elayne in TOM). Also, Hanlon definitely didn't know about her being Black. The only thing I can think of in favor of her working with them is that her warder said that she felt confident through the bond when she went to arrest them with Elayne in KOD. But that could simply be because she knew they were Black.

 

Winter's Heart, Chapter Ten.

 

"I wasn't lying about that," Marillin said slowly. "I really wouldn't get ten feet. But there's a woman already in the Palace. She can do what you need. It may take time to make contact, though."

 

"Just make sure it's not too long a time, Marillin." So. One of the sisters in the Palace was Black Ajah, was she? She would have to be Aes Sedai, not just a Darkfriend, to do what Shiaine needed.

 

Careane, of course, was that sister, and her suddenly taking an interest in getting women who can channel to leave the Palace (which was her purpose in killing Kinswomen in ways supposed to be realised as murder) was an act on behalf of doing what Mili needed--which was probably Elayne as per her statement to Mellar about getting a Queen (getting rid of channelers from the Palace makes abducting her possible), though it could well have been simply getting channelers out of Caemlyn for the invasion in TofM.

 

Her not passing on the new weaves was likely the result of the difficulties in contact Marillin mentions (though it could just be Aes Sedai/Darkfriend self-interest).

[herid]

Ah, I forgot about that scene, thanks.