Essande

Author: Kyria d'Oreyn

General

Essande is a pensioner in the Royal Palace who now serves as Elayne's personal maid. She is dignified and slender with white hair (WH, Ch. 9).

She has a niece, Melfane Dawlish, who becomes Elayne's midwife (KoD, Ch. 15).

Timeline

• Essande helps Elayne out of her riding clothes (WH, Ch. 9).

• She is waiting in the dressing room when Elayne wakes (WH, Ch. 26).

• Essande lays out appropriate garments for Elayne's meeting with the rulers of the Borderlands and helps her dress (WH, Ch. 27).

• Elayne regrets not having taken Essande along on her trips to some of the manors of loyal lords and ladies (CoT, Ch. 10).

• She trains Naris and Sephanie Pelden, two new tirewomen (CoT, Ch. 12).

• She undresses Elayne for her bath. When Zaida appears, Elayne sends her for some wine for the guests (CoT, Ch. 12).

• After the bath, Essande allows Sephanie to dress Elayne, but combs Elayne's hair herself (CoT, Ch. 13).

• When Elayne comes back wet from outside, Essande sends Naris to fetch meals for her and Aviendha. She then towels Elayne dry and helps her dress for the meeting with the mercenaries (KoD, Ch. 15).

• She helps Melfane when she checks Elayne on her health (KoD, Ch. 31).

• During the audience with the High Seats of eight Houses, she serves wine and tea along with the other servants (KoD, Ch. 35).

Miscellaneous

• She does not talk very much beyond suggestions on clothing (WH, Ch. 9).

• She denies having aching joints, even when Elayne offers Healing (WH, Ch. 9), but Essande's niece confirms that they do bother her (KoD, Ch. 31).

• She only wakes Elayne when she is ordered to (WH, Ch. 26).

Quotes

"No matter that the throne was not yet hers, Essande wanted to dress her every day as a queen readying for an audience." (Elayne; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 13)