Elayne Trakand
From A Wheel of Time Wiki
“A wise ruler takes advice, but should never be seen to take it. Let them think you know more than you do. It will not harm them, and it will help you.”
— Elayne to Rand
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| Elayne Trakand | |
|---|---|
| Race | Andoran |
| Nationality | |
| Rank | Daughter-Heir of Andor, Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah |
| Title | |
| Position | |
| Occupation | |
| Affiliation | |
| Gender | Female |
| Born | 981 NE |
| Died | |
| Height | 5'6" |
| Build | |
| Hair | Red Gold |
| Eyes | Blue |
| First Mentioned | TEOTW 39 |
| First Appeared | TEOTW 40 |
Elayne Trakand is 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.
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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.
The group arrived in Salidar the arrival of the brand new Amyrlin Seat, Egwene al'Vere. Elayne went with Nynaeve, Aviendha and Mat Cauthon to Ebou Dar, and after using the Bowl of the Winds, shepherded a large group of channelers, known as the Kin, to Caemlyn when the Seanchan invaded. After a lengthy campaign, she secured the Throne following her mother's absence and supposed death.
After being captured by the Black Ajah and subsequently rescued, followed by a brief assault in which she utterly defeated her opposition's army, she obtained enough houses to secure the Throne of Andor.
[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.
