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Egwene ate conte pots at washing up in the other roo was different about her Watching Elaida, finally confronting the woman who had been her rival all of these ht
She had i control of the White Tower from within Now she realized that she didn’t need to under that herself Why, Egwene could picture the reaction of the Sitters and Ajah heads when Elaida announced her intention to change the Three Oaths!
Elaida would topple eventually, with or without Egwene’s help Egwene’s duty, as Amyrlin, wasn’t to speed that fall--but to do whatever she could to hold the Tower and its occupants together They couldn’t afford to fracture further Her duty was to hold back the chaos and destruction that threatened thee the Tower As she finished off her soup, using the last piece of bread to wipe the remnants from the bowl, she realized she had to do whatever she could to be a strength to the sisters in the Tower Ti to the world without guidance? When would the Seanchan attack to the north? They’d have to cut through Andor to get to Tar Valon, and what destruction would that cause? Surely she had soe the Tower before the attack cawene took her dish into the kitchen proper and washed it herself, earning a nod of approval frowene et her punishht, as was her custo Silviana at her desk, leafing through a thick towene entered, Silviana th of red cloth, then shut it The worn cover read Meditations on the Kindling Flawene sat down on a stool before the desk--not flinching at the immediate sharp pain of her backside--and spoke cal the fact that she’d dropped the bowl of soup on purpose She did, however, say that she’d dropped it after Elaida had talked of revoking and changing the Three Oaths
Silviana looked very thoughtful at that
"Well," the wo her lash, "the A up and positioning herself on the table, skirts and shift up for the beating
Silviana hesitated, and then the strapping began Oddly, Egwene felt no desire to cry out It hurt, of course, but she just couldn’t scream How ridiculous the punish the sisters pass in the hallways, regarding one another with fear, suspicion and distrust She reue And she remembered the sheer horror at the idea of everyone in the Tower being bound by oath to obey such a tyrant
Egwene remembered her pity for poor Meidani No sister should be treated in such a way I with her, hinting at the torture to cos was a pain inside of Egwene, a knife to the chest, piercing the heart As the beating continued, she realized that nothing they could do to her body would ever co the White Tower suffer beneath Elaida’s hand Co was ridiculous
And so she began to laugh
It wasn’t a forced laugh It wasn’t a defiant laugh It was the laughter of disbelief Of incredulity How could they think that beating her would solve anything? It was ludicrous!
The lashing stopped Egwene turned Surely that wasn’t all of it!
Silviana was regarding her with a concerned expression "Child?" she asked "Are you all right?"
"I ahts?"
She thinks I’ve broken under the strain, Egwene realized She beats wene said "I don’t laugh because I’ve been broken, Silviana I laugh because it is absurd to beat me"
The wowene asked "Don’t you feel the pain? The agony of watching the Tower cru cowene thought / didn’t realize what the Aiel did I assumed that I just had to be harder, and that ould teach h at pain But it’s not hardness at all It’s not strength that
To let the Tower fall, to let the Aes Sedai fail--the pain of that would destroy her She had to stop it, for she was the Amyrlin Seat
"I cannot refuse to punish you," Silviana said "You realize that"
"Of course," Egwene said "But please re What was it you said about She the shawl from her?"
"It was because Shemerin accepted it," Silviana replied "She treated herself as if she really had lost the shawl She didn’t fight back"
"I will not make the same mistake, Silviana Elaida can say whatever she wants But that doesn’t change who I ae the Three Oaths, there will be those who resist, who hold to what is correct And so, when you beatenough to wene enificant, impatient for the punishment to cease