Coiren Saeldain

Coiren Saeldain heads the embassy that Elaida has sent from the White Tower to the Dragon Reborn, a party of six Aes Sedai quartered in Lady Arilyn's palace in Cairhien. Her charge is exactly the sort of work her Ajah trains for: she comes bearing gifts of gold and an invitation for Rand al'Thor to travel to Tar Valon, all of it framed in the language of honor and protection. Gawyn Trakand commands the guards who will escort the party back to the Tower, and everything about the arrangement, from the fine palace to the ceremonial gifts, is meant to convey how seriously the Tower takes this errand.

Behind the grandeur sits a careful planner. Coiren keeps close track of Rand al'Thor's movements, talks strategy with her sisters, and sees that preparations are made against any threat before one has a chance to appear. When she calls on the Dragon Reborn himself, she chooses her companions deliberately, bringing sharp-eyed sisters like Nesune Bihara and Galina Casban to a meeting where every courtesy is weighed. Her sisters may roll their eyes at the way she fills a room, but none of them mistakes the performance for the whole of her. Ceremony is her instrument, not her weakness.