Verin's Letter

In tGS Ch. 36, Verin gives Mat a letter and sets some very peculiar rules about when he can open it. So just what could be in this letter and why does she set all of these rules? Answering the second question provides a good hint for the first, and knowing that Verin was a double agent is a valuable clue.

Let’s look at the exact rules Verin lays out for Mat:

• He can’t open the letter until the tenth day after she leaves him in Caemlyn. On that day he must follow the instructions. She explains that he can’t open it yet because she might not need him to go through with the instructions, rather, that she hopes to return and take the letter back.
• If he chooses not to open the letter, he must remain in Caemlyn for at least thirty days (compromised down from fifty days originally).

Importantly, the next time we see Verin after this scene is when she reveals herself to Egwene, and has poisoned herself because she could not lay hands on the Oath Rod to remove her Black Ajah oaths as she had hoped. This indicates that Verin hoped to use the Oath Rod to remove her oaths, then return and take the letter back from Mat without him ever reading it. Having Mat open the letter and follow its instructions must be a backup plan only to be carried out if Verin cannot do it herself because she is dead. It also indicates that Verin could not carry out her plan while her dark oaths were still in place. Therefore, the letter must constitute a betrayal of the Shadow, breaking her dark oath "I swear not to betray the Great Lord, to keep my secrets until the hour of my death." This is also why she had to make Mat promise that he wouldn’t open the letter for ten days – it ensures that she will be dead by the time he opens it (if it comes to that) and therefore is not breaking her oath by leaving him with the letter.

So knowing this, what is in the letter - what are the Shadow's plans that she is betraying? First off, Verin says that she doesn't think that Mat will find her instructions harsh. Now, of course Verin can lie because she's not under the truth oath, but she does usually tell the truth (probably to avoid being found out as BA), instead just using typical AS word twisting. So it probably isn't something that Mat wouldn't want to do - it could well reveal a Darkfriend plan to kill Mat, and Mat of course would not find it egregious to be required to foil a Darkfriend plot against his own life (which could well be being orchestrated by one of the Forsaken, likely Cyndane or Moghedien following Moridin’s orders based on Graendal’s thoughts about their activities in the tGS Prologue). This idea is supported earlier in the same scene in tGS Ch. 36. She tells Mat that he and Perrin are in grave danger, to which Mat replies – big deal, he’s been in danger since he left the Two Rivers. Verin next makes an interesting statement:

“This is different,” Verin said, growing stern. “The level of danger you are in … I … Well, let us simply agree that you are in great, great danger. I suggest that you be very careful during the next few weeks.” -tGS, Ch. 36

Verin does not usually get tongue-tied, so why does she seem to have trouble getting this sentence out? Because she is trying to warn Mat, but cannot tell him exactly the danger he is in because it conflicts with her oath. It seems she may know exactly what danger he is in. This would also explain her second stipulation, that if he does not open the letter he must wait in Caemlyn. Why would Verin want Mat to wait around in Caemlyn if she dies and he decides not to open the letter? For it cannot be the reason she gives (that it may take her longer to return than she expects) because if he’s waiting more than ten days and she has not returned for the letter it means that she died. Waiting in Caemlyn must be a way to try and protect Mat. She knows that if he goes to Caemlyn he will be the personal guest of Queen Elayne and therefore be surrounded by a huge army as well as a set of channelers that have been purged of BA (due to their capture in KoD after they tried to kidnap Elayne). What better place for Mat to lay low as Verin suggested?

But it seems likely that Mat will go ahead and open the letter after ten days, based on his personality. Verin even seems confident that he would with a knowing little smile near the end of the scene. Despite all he said about not getting tied up in Aes Sedai plans, he did take the letter. Mat’s too curious for his own good, and she knows it.

We can infer that Verin’s other letters are betraying various other Black Ajah and Darkfriend plots that must be taken care of by others if she dies. She may have given a similar letter to Perrin (since she mentioned Perrin being in grave danger along with Mat). In Towers of Midnight, we will find that Verin left even more of a legacy than the Black Ajah purge – the foiling of some of the Shadow’s most important plans.

Quote of the Day:

“That, among all things, is the most sacred duty of the Brown – to arm the world with knowledge. I’m still one of them. Please see that they know, although the word Black may brand my name forever, my soul is Brown. Tell them…”

-Verin’s last words, tGS, Ch.39