I’m going to try to keep this as short and sweet as possible since it’s a fairly long chapter. Egwene, running on fumes, is taken to the Accepted trials forthwith. Elaida is particularly grumpy because it’s late, and the Amyrlin is out of line for wanting to do this RIGHT NOW, but them’s the breaks. The ter’angreal arches are waiting. Egwene still has her paperwork and her ter’angreal ring in her arms, but she hadn’t realized until after she accepted the trials that she should have squirreled them away somewhere. BUT, because she would get kicked out of the Tower for declining at that point, she places her clothes on top of the pile and hopes no one in the room rifles through the paperwork.

Alanna Sedai notices a weird hum, and she only brings it up because it has never happened before in her history of participating in the Accepted trials. The hum leaves as quickly as it came, and they begin the trials.

THE WAY THINGS WERE: Egwene is married to Rand and they have a baby. They’re still in Emond’s Field. Rand speaks news of a war going on with the Seanchan and complains of headaches. One particular headache causes him to collapse, and while he screams and cries in pain, the arch opens up and Egwene walks through it sobbing herself.

THE WAY THINGS ARE: Egwene is in Caemlyn, or what’s left of it. The city is ruined, her dress is torn, and Darkfriends are swarming the streets. She runs through the rubble, steps around an Aes Sedai’s dead body, and finds Rand stuck under a fallen beam. The whole room would collapse if it were moved. Rand laughs and says he could move the whole beam and the ceiling if he damn well wanted to. If the Darkfriends catch him, though, they’ll turn him to the Shadow. And he can’t have that. So Rand begs Egwene to kill him, and she cannot even dream of such an action. He begs, she cries, the arch opens up and Egwene walks through

When Sheriam tries to goad Egwene through the third arch, Egwene asks if Darkfriends — Dreadlords — are actually able to turn people to the Shadow. After a time, Sheriam hisses that it’s not unheard of but many do not know the information. One who channels is susceptible to this if thirteen Dreadlords weaves their Power through thirteen Myrddraal. Egwene is like “oh yeah, uh, Liandrin left with twelve Darkfriends”, and Sheriam tells her to cork it and continue with the trial.

THE WAY THINGS WILL BE: Egwene is the Amyrlin Seat of the Green Ajah. Things don’t seem right. It’s like she simultaneously knows she’s Head Honcho and just a novice who has never taken the Three Oaths. Her Keeper, Beldeine, says “they” will be growing impatient, and then leads Egwene to the Hall of the Tower. There, Elaida — recognized as Egwene’s rival — stands up and asks to bring in Rand. He has declared himself the Dragon Reborn, so let’s gentle the fuck out of him and then grab some lunch. Egwene ekes out a very minor beginning of a refusal, to which Elaida is all like TRAITOR! Beldeine knocks Egwene over the head, and then Egwene wakes up naked in a room with thirteen Dreadlords and thirteen Myrddrall. Egwene screams and starts channeling, burning all the Myrddraal to crisps. She runs away and finds Beldeine, who insists that she was stilled and extorted to betray Egwene. Rand is now getting gentled at the Traitor’s Court. Egwene “can help more than they think” because she has never held an Oath Rod. No swearing Oaths, and yet here she is.

Egwene hears voices outside an arch that sound like frantic Aes Sedai trying to hold the doorway open. Egwene goes through the arch at the last second, sad to be betraying Rand once again.