Latelle Luca

Author: Atarah al'Norahn

General

Latelle is a member of Valan Luca's circus. She is a bear-trainer (TFoH, Ch. 17).

Latelle is a stern-faced woman with dark eyes and short, black hair. She sneers a lot (TFoH, Ch. 17). When performing, she wears a high-necked black dress with spangles on it (TFoH, Ch. 25). She wears more sequins sewn on her dress than any of the other women in the menagerie (TFoH, Ch. 37).

In "Crossroads of Twilight," we learn that Latelle has married Valan Luca (CoT, Ch. 2). She cooks for him, spicing the food so strongly that Mat considers it inedible, but Valan seems to enjoy it (KoD, Ch. 6).

Timeline

• Latelle is present when Nynaeve, Elayne, Thom and Juilin are presented by Valan Luca as the circus's newest performers. She is the only one who doesn't welcome them warmly. She scowls when Nynaeve and Elayne receive invitations for tea and meals from the other performers. She is watching while Nynaeve and Elayne speak to Cerandin (TFoH, Ch. 17).

• While Elayne and Nynaeve are eating with the Chavana brothers, four of Valan Luca's performers, the four men flirt with Nynaeve. Latelle walks up and starts beating Nynaeve with a stick, calling her all sorts of terrible names. Nynaeve fights back, and the Chanvana brothers have to tear them apart. Latelle is carried back to her wagon, and Elayne does not think she will be leaving it for a few days (TFoH, Ch. 24).

• Valan Luca makes Nynaeve apologize to Latelle (TFoH, Ch. 25).

• When Nynaeve tries to push Cerandin into telling her more about the sul'dam and damane, Cerandin gets angry and beats Nynaeve up. Latelle hands Cerandin a stick (TFoH, Ch. 33).

• Valan Luca's circus arrives outside the city of Samara in Ghealdan. On the day of the first performance, Luca stalks through the camp shouting instructions. He wants Latelle to have the bears on their feet, snarling, when they drive through Samara (TFoH, Ch. 36).

• When Birgitte challenges Valan Luca to a shooting contest, the other performers place bets. Latelle puts money on Luca, who looses, and Juilin has to grab Latelle's arm and speak to her angrily before she pays up (TFoH, Ch. 36).

• During the performance, Latelle's bears do not attract as much attention as some of the other performers (TFoH, Ch. 37).

• When Nynaeve, Elayne and the others leave Valan Luca's circus, all of the performers show up to say goodbye. Latelle does, as well, speaking words of regret, though her eyes say that she will carry their bundles if it makes them leave sooner (TFoH, Ch. 48).

• Valan Luca's circus ends up camped outside of Ebou Dar. Valan and Latelle have married. Thom and Beslan make arrangements for Mat and company to travel out of Ebou Dar with Valan Luca's circus (WH, Ch. 15; CoT, Ch. 2).

• When Mat gives the order, the circus prepares to move away from Ebou Dar. Valan and Latelle Luca run around getting everyone moving (CoT, Ch. 2).

• When the circus camps outside of Jurandor, Altara, and Mat goes to take Tuon and Selucia shopping, Valan and Latelle are getting the show ready for performances. Latelle is worried that Tuon will get caught, thus putting them all in danger (CoT, Ch. 29).

• After Egeanin is stabbed by Renna, Latelle and Luca are with her when Mat arrives. They are both very worried that Renna will escape and bring ruin down upon them by disclosing the fact that Tuon is with them (CoT, Ch. 29).

• When Mat returns from tracking down and killing Renna, he finds that Tuon is in Valan and Latelle's. Latelle is offering her a plate of pastries (CoT, Ch. 29).

• She leaves with Luca when Mat and the Menagerie separate (KoD, Ch. 25)

Relationships

Latelle and Nynaeve do not get along. Latelle dislikes Nynaeve because, when she joins Luca's circus, the unattached men are no longer hers to pick and chose from (TFoH, Ch. 25). Nynaeve is certain that Latelle wants to get back at her. Nynaeve claims that "[Latelle] is the woman I ought to shake. I didn't hit her half hard enough" (TFoH, Ch. 33).

Latelle seems to worship Luca (CoT, Ch. 2). Tuon thinks that Latelle is a good wife for Luca, and Mat wonders fleetingly if Tuon hates Luca, or if that is the type of wife that she intends to be (CoT, Ch. 29).

Mat doesn't particularly like Latelle. He thinks that her bears do their tricks out of fear that she might bite them (CoT, Ch. 29). Latelle doesn't seem to like Mat, either, though he can't see why (KoD, Ch. 6).

Latelle and Valan Luca are the only two people among the menagerie that know who Tuon is (CoT, Ch. 29).

Miscellaneous

When Birgitte threatens to beat Nynaeve to make her see sense regarding their encounter with Moghedien, she says that she is sure Latelle will be happy to provide the switch (TFoH, Ch. 37).

Remembering Cerandin and Latelle, Nynaeve wonders if she is trying to get around her block by being angry all the time (TFoH, Ch. 54).

Latelle dislikes the idea of a woman running away from her husband (CoT, Ch. 2).

Latelle likes gold nearly as much as her husband does (CoT, Ch. 2). Mat thinks to himself that Latelle is even better than Luca at judging the weight of a purse before the drawstrings are undone (CoT, Ch. 29).

Apparently, Latelle is not a very good cook. Mat doesn't think that he ever wants to eat something that she has made (CoT, Ch. 28).

Mat thinks that Latelle is ten times tougher than Luca (CoT, Ch. 29).

Mat thinks to himself that while Latelle is very good at sneering, Tuon's stern expression makes her seem mild (CoT, Ch. 29).

Quotes

"The Chavanas tried to pull [Nynaeve] off Latelle, and Taeric will likely limp for days, not to mention Brugh's swollen lip. Petra had to carry Latelle to her wagon, and I doubt she'll put her nose out for some time." Elayne shook her head. "Luca did not know who to blame -- one of his acrobats lamed and his bear trainer weeping on her bed -- so he blamed everybody, and I thought Nynaeve was going to box his ears as well. At least she did not channel; I thought she was going to once or twice, until she had Latelle down on the ground." (Elayne to Egwene about the fight between Nynaeve and Latelle; The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 24).

"A moment later, [Luca] was back again, dashing back down the short stair followed by his wife drawing a black velvet cloak, sewn with glittering spangles, around herself. A stern-faced woman, she wrinkled her nose at Mat as though he had a bad smell and gave Egeanin a look that likely made her trained bears climb trees. Latelle disliked the idea of a woman running away from her husband even when she knew it was a lie. Luckily, she seemed to worship Luca for some reason, and she liked gold nearly as well as he did." (Mat; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 2).

"Remember," she said quietly, "if you send us to the gallows, you send yourself." (Latelle to Mat; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 29).