Elayne Trakand
From A Wheel of Time Wiki
—Elayne to Rand
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Elayne Trakand is currently the queen of Andor. She is described as exceedingly beautiful, with blue eyes and red-gold hair. She bears a resemblance both in name and appearance to Ilyena, the doomed wife of Lews Therin Telamon from the Age of Legends. She is also potentially one of the best Queens of Andor since its founding, and has shown intellect, delicacy and diplomacy in her doings. She is also accomplished at Daes Dae'mar.
Elayne is also one of the most powerful channelers to have been born in the last 1000 years. She must also exhibit good strength in Earth and Fire because she can create Ter'Angreal, which requires decent strength in both these powers. She is also the most skilled Cloud Dancer among the Rebel Aes Sedai due to the fact that she had taken Windfinder training. Elayne is the same strength potentially as both Egwene and Aviendha. She is one of the strongest among Aes Sedai, with only Nynaeve, Alivia, Sharina, Talaan and the Forsaken bettering her in strength, and she is probably stronger than Moghedien.
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[edit] Early years
The youngest child and only daughter of Queen Morgase Trakand of Andor, Elayne grew up in the Royal Palace in Caemlyn. She was Heir Apparent throughout her childhood, as only women can hold the Lion Throne of Andor.
Elayne's first appearance is when Rand al'Thor literally falls into the Royal Garden and makes acquaintances with Elayne, her older brother Gawyn Trakand, her half-brother Galad Damodred, and Queen Morgase herself. Later it is revealed that Elayne fell in love with Rand at first sight. However, she was unable to follow Rand both due to her royal duties and because, as a daughter of House Trakand, she was required by tradition to train at the White Tower, though she was the only member of House Trakand in memory to have had true strength in the One Power.
[edit] To the White Tower
However, Elayne is the first heir of Trakand in a thousand years to actually be able to channel the One Power with enough strength to become Aes Sedai; she is about as strong as her friends Aviendha and Egwene al'Vere. While at the Tower, she befriended some folk who, by coincidence, knew Rand quite well: his former childhood sweetheart Egwene al'Vere, and his village's Wisdom, Nynaeve al'Meara. She also got to know Min Farshaw, a young woman who had met Rand and was in the Tower for "safekeeping" at the time.
[edit] Out of the Tower
She went to Falme (having been sent there by Black Ajah Aes Sedai) and then to Tear, where she was sent along with Nynaeve and Egwene to hunt the Black Ajah by then- Amyrlin Siuan Sanche, and was present when Rand drew Callandor and proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn.
At this point, Elayne finally got her chance to express her feelings for Rand, especially when Egwene renounced him; the two worked it out in advance, though Elayne's part of the conversation did not go quite according to plan. Unfortunately, their time was limited - -soon Rand and Egwene went to Rhuidean, and Elayne and Nynaeve to Tarabon. They traveled by way of a Sea Folk ship, reputedly the fastest ships available, and Elayne quickly discovered how: Sea Folk Windfinders can channel. Elayne promised to keep this secret, as the Sea Folk fear Aes Sedai meddling. Sent by Lan and Rand to look after the two were Juilin Sandar and Thom, whom Elayne eventually recognized from dusty childhood memories as her mother's former lover. She has come to see Thom as a surrogate father, a role he gladly accepts.
In Tarabon they were instrumental in routing the Black Ajah and returning the Panarch Amathera to her office.
[edit] Bonding
On the way to Salidar, a series of events led to Birgitte Silverbow, one of the Heroes of the Horn, being ripped from Tel'aran'rhiod and expelled into the waking world to die. Elayne bonded the dying Birgitte as her warder in order to save Birgitte's life, and the famed archer has been a constant companion since. This was a unusual event as the bonded warder was a woman, and also because the bonder was only an Accepted and not full Aes Sedai. It should be noted that the Warder bond between the two women is not the same as the Bond between an Aes Sedai and a male Warder; for instance, their emotional states are tightly linked. Many believe that it is because both of them are women, something that has apparently never happened before.
[edit] Raised to Aes Sedai
She finally arrives in Salidar and is present when Egwene is raised as the brand new Amyrlin Seat. Elayne and Nynaeve are raised as Aes Sedai by Egwene's decree. Elayne went with Nynaeve, Aviendha and Mat Cauthon to Ebou Dar, find the Bowl of the Winds. Due to her being so strong in the One Power, she takes control of the Salidar embassy from Merilille Ceandevin, which the other Aes Sedai fall in line with. While in Ebou Dar she stumbles across the closely held secret by the White Tower of the Kin. She manages to finally find the Bowl with the help of Mat and Travels to the Kin's farm just before the Seanchan arrive and conquer Ebou Dar. She makes a bargain with the Sea Folk, for them to use the Bowl to change the endless summer back into the normal seasons. The bargain's terms do not work out too well for the Aes Sedai and Egwene is not too pleased with the results.
[edit] Escape from Ebou Dar
While trying to unravel a gateway she made out of Ebou Dar, the Seanchan try to attack. She loses hold of the weave creating a massive explosion. She then shepherds the large group of channelers of Aes Sedai, Kin and Windfinders, to Caemlyn. She also manages to secure a turtle shaped angreal for herself to use from the cache in Ebou Dar. She begins to investigate the ter'angreal in her possession to try and work out their functions. One ter'angreal in particular leads to a whole night of memory loss.
[edit] Campaign for the Lion Throne
On arrival back to Caemlyn she recieves Dyelin Taravin's pledge to back her for the Lion Throne. On of the first things she does is tear down Rand's dragon banners, which infuriates him. She also sends away the Aiel and the Saldaean soldiers from Caemlyn which cause the crime rates to soar. She begins to employ mercenaries for her army and promotes Birgette to Captain-General of the Queen's Guards.
Dyelin earns Elayne's trust when she is injured by the three rogues trying to attack Elayne. Elayne is poisoned with forkroot and is saved by Daved Hanlon, who she promotes as Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard. After becoming pregnant to Rand, she lets the rumor of Meller being the father run rampart and even gives off signals in front of others to support it. She later meets with the Borderlander Rulers and encourages them to move south through Andor promising not to raise an army against them.
She is confronted by the mercenary captains in her employ about being paid more gold due to a loss of men. She sends them away with no new agreement. She begins to find it very difficult to grasp the One Power now due to being pregnant. She has also started to become reckless due to Min's viewing of her giving birth to twins and believing that nothing can happen to her until then. She begins to teach Aviendha about ter'angreal and finds out that Aviendha may have the Talent for working out what they do. This discovery is short lived however, as Aviendha is summoned back by the Wise One's and required to leave Andor with them.
[edit] Capture by the Black Ajah
She hires a number of men to follow Hanlon, who all end up dead. She finally hires Samwil Hark who is in prison after being a very successful cutpurse before finally being caught. He follows Hanlon to a house on Full Moon Street, which is also occupied by the Black Ajah sisters Elayne had been hunting for some time. She enters the house with Vandene, Careane and Sareitha. They are caught unawares by other Black siters staying there and are all shielded. Careane is revealed Black Ajah and the one who killed Ispan and Adeleas and is killed by Vandene. Vandene and Sareitha are both killed by Chesmal Emry. Elayne is then captured and kidnapped by Mili Skane and the rest of the Black Ajah sisters.
Birgitte gathers a huge strike force and with the Windfinders help manage to defeat and capture the Black Ajah members. She then learns of Arymilla's forces attacking the Far Madding Gate and orders an attack. Her forces plunge into the back of the opposing army and soon defeats it. Arymilla's army finally surrenders and Arymilla and the rest of the nobles who supported her are taken prisoner. She obtained enough houses to secure the Throne of Andor.
[edit] Gaining the throne
The neutral High Seats ask for safe passage into Caemlyn and seek and audience with Elayne. At the meeting Luan Norwelyn wishes to form a temporary alliance to engage the Borderlands army. Elayne reveals that as an Aes Sedai, she gace them permission to travel through into Murandy to carry on seeking the Dragon Reborn. She also tells them about the Black Tower set-up and the unfortunate fact that she can't do much about its presence in Andor now. Luan and then Abelle Pendar declare their support for House Trakand. Pelivar Coelan, Arathelle Renshar and Aemlyn Carand all declare their support for House Trakand, but onlt for Dyelin. This gives Elayne the required number of High Seats now to obtain the Lion Throne.
[edit] Ter'angreal
The art of understanding and creating ter'angreal was lost to the White Tower in the time after the Age of Legends. After studying extensively a damane leash she obtained during her stay in Valan Luca's menangerie, Elayne learned how to make ter'angreal. She was the first in a long time to be able to not only understand the workings of some ter'angreal, but to also be able to create them.
She was able to create a number of ter'angreal that would allow access to Tel'aran'rhiod by examining existing ones recovered from the Black Ajah.
[edit] Rand's Women
Elayne is one of three women who love Rand al'Thor, along with Aviendha and Min. Elayne and Aviendha have a particularly strong friendship, and adopted each other as first-sisters in the Aiel fashion, and as such are able to sense each other to a degree. The three women are close friends and have agreed to share him, recently bonding him as their mutual Warder. Shortly thereafter, she and Rand spent some time together alone in Elayne's room, almost immediately demonstrating one of the downsides of the Warder bond and leading Birgitte, Min and Aviendha to get blinding drunk as soon as possible. According to Min's visions, Elayne is now carrying Rand's twin children, one of each sex, and uses that vision to put herself in harm's way under the belief that no harm can come to her or the babies until they are born, since what Min "views" inevitably comes to pass.
| Characters | |
|---|---|
| Protagonists |
Main:
Rand al'Thor · Matrim Cauthon · Perrin Aybara · Egwene al'Vere · Elayne Trakand · Nynaeve al'Meara · Thomdril Merrilin
Primary:
Aviendha · Faile Bashere · Min Farshaw · Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag · Moiraine Damodred · Lan Mandragoran · Loial · Birgitte Silverbow |
| Antagonists |
Dark One · The Forsaken · Padan Fain · Couladin · Pedron Niall · Eamon Valda · Mazrim Taim · Sevanna · Galina Casban · Liandrin · Alviarin Freidhen · Suroth Sabelle Meldarath
|
| Major Characters |
Siuan Sanche · Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan · Verin Mathwin · Leane Sharif
Other Allies:
Morgase Trakand · Juilin Sandar · Bayle Domon · Elyas Machera · Logain Ablar · Amys · Bair · Melaine · Rhuarc · Berelain sur Paendrag Paeron · Davram Bashere · Gaul · Bain · Chiad · Sebban Balwer · Gawyn Trakand · Galad Damodred · Gareth Bryne · Martyn Tallanvor · Lini Eltring
|
| Places | Items | Timeline | Concepts | |
