Chapter 18 - To the White Tower

Summary

Egwene al’Vere and Nynaeve al’Meara arrive at Tar Valon aboard the River Queen, where the Amyrlin Seat personally instructs them in the One Power, demonstrating its utility by immobilizing Nynaeve with air and shielding her from the True Source to prove her exceptional potential before releasing them. Upon docking, the two women find themselves ignored by the Aes Sedai delegation and navigate the city alone until they are intercepted by Sheriam, the Mistress of Novices, who escorts them to the White Tower and clarifies that while Nynaeve is destined to be an Accepted, Egwene will begin her training as a novice under strict conditions.

Characters

• Egwene (the new novice) — Egwene rides the River Queen to Tar Valon, undergoing a rigorous channeling lesson from the Amyrlin Seat that leaves her exhausted but successful in controlling the One Power. Upon arriving in the city, she is initially overlooked by the Aes Sedai delegation but is eventually met by Sheriam, whom she promises to endure the difficult novice training.
• Nynaeve (the Wisdom) — Nynaeve travels to Tar Valon with Egwene, where she endures a painful demonstration of the Amyrlin’s power that leaves her physically helpless and cut off from the Source. She is informed by Sheriam that she will be made an Accepted immediately, bypassing novice training, a fact that shocks her despite her previous desire to avoid the novice stage.
• Siuan Sanche (the Amyrlin, Mother, the Amyrlin Seat) — The Amyrlin Seat arrives in Tar Valon and is greeted by a delegation of shawled Aes Sedai, but she leaves Egwene and Nynaeve to fend for themselves until Sheriam, the Mistress of Novices, arrives to guide them. Earlier, the Amyrlin had demonstrated her mastery of the One Power by manipulating air to immobilize Nynaeve and shielding her from the True Source, proving her authority. Sheriam confirms that the Amyrlin instructed Nynaeve to be raised directly to the Accepted, a rare precedent, while Egwene begins her noviceship.
• Leane — Leane walks at the Amyrlin Seat's side as she disembarks from the River Queen and walks onto the wharf in Tar Valon, carrying her flame-tipped staff.
• Sheriam (Mistress of Novices) — Sheriam, the Mistress of Novices, meets Egwene and Nynaeve on the wharf after being delayed by the Amyrlin. She explains the rigorous nature of novice training to Egwene and informs Nynaeve that she has been appointed directly as an Accepted due to her exceptional potential, then escorts them toward the White Tower.