Egwene POV#

Egwene gets another spanking from Silviana. She is getting better at embracing the pain as the Aiel do. Afterwards, Katerine and Barasine meet her to escort her to attend Elaida. Egwene goads them on what Elaida has done to the Tower. Alviarin arrives for her punishment, but she is late.[1] On their way, Egwene thinks on the failures she has been promoting, kidnapping Rand, the Black Tower mission, the demotion of Shemerin. As they pass through the halls, the corridor suddenly dead ends at a mural of Caraighan Maconar ending the rebellion in Mosadorin. Another change in the Pattern. Egwene decides her best option to deal with Elaida is silence. This is her first look at Elaida since she, Elayne and Nynaeve left the Tower to hunt the Black Ajah. Meidani is there. Elaida has her researching punishments for traitors. She jokes about demoting Shemerin. She does not believe the Seanchan are a threat and talks of a fourth Oath of obedience. Infuriated, Egwene dumps the soup bowl to keep from reacting. Meidani helps clean up and Egwene orders Meidani to send for her. Meidani agrees. In a rage, Elaida sends her out. She goes to the novice dining hall for dinner where she can hear Laras in the kitchens. She now realizes that Elaida will eventually destroy herself with her arrogance. Egwene's job is to hold the Tower together and keep it whole. She feels urgency for the White Tower to provide guidance for Rand. She returns to Silviana for another spanking, intending to visit Leane afterwards. She laughs when she realizes the pain of spanking is nothing beside the pain of the White Tower crumbling. Embracing pain is not about being hard; it is about understanding its insignificance. She reminds Silviana that Elaida's misguided orders only carry weight if Sisters accept them.

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