Merise Haindehl

Author: Atarah al'Norahn

General

Merise Haindehl is an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. She is aligned with neither the White Tower nor the rebels, but is instead a follower of Cadsuane (WH, Ch. 23). She is bonded to Nethan, Bassane and Jahar Narishma (WH, Ch. 23; WH, Ch. 25).

Merise is originally from Tarabon, and the accents of her home nation are still strong in her voice. She has blue eyes and dark brown hair that she wears drawn back severely from her face (WH, Ch. 13; WH, Ch. 13). Her face is more than handsome, but very stern. She is a tall woman (WH, Ch. 23).

Merise is usually quite serious, does not smile a lot, and does not often go on at length (CoT, Ch. 23). In Shalon's opinion, Merise sometimes makes Cadsuane seem lax (WH, Ch. 23). She has a firm hand with her Warders (WH, Ch. 13).

Timeline

• Merise asks Jahar to be one of her Warders. It takes him two days to decide to accept, and according to Alanna, she never pressured him about it (WH, Ch. 25).

• When Alanna collapses as a side effect of Elayne, Aviendha and Min bonding Rand, Merise has her taken to a bedchamber and sends Jahar to find Cadsuane. She tries to Heal Alanna, but nothing comes of it. When Jahar returns with Cadsuane, Corele, Sorilea and Verin, Merise snaps her fingers and points, and Jahar retreats to a corner of the room (WH, Ch. 13).

• Merise is one of the Aes Sedai to accompany Cadsuane to Far Madding in search of Rand. Harine sees her directing four men leading packhorses after she steps through the gateway that takes them from Cairhien to Far Madding (WH, Ch. 23).

• Cadsuane and her party ride into Far Madding. When some of the Warders protest against having their swords peace-bound by the guards, Merise silences their protests (WH, Ch. 23).

• When Cadsuane, Kumira and Verin go to speak to the Counsels of Far Madding, Cadsuane tells Merise to keep everyone together and ready to leave until she returns (WH, Ch. 24).

• When Rand and Lan are imprisoned in Far Madding, Merise, Daigian, Corele, Nynaeve, Min, Alivia, Narishma, Hopwil and Flinn accompany Cadsuane to the Hall of the Counsels to persuade the Counsels to release them (WH, Ch. 34).

• Merise and the others Travel with Rand to Shadar Logoth so that he and Nynaeve can attempt to cleanse saidin (WH, Ch. 34).

• Merise links with Elza and Jahar to aid in the defense of Rand and Nynaeve, who are defenseless against the Forsaken while they cleanse saidin. While the other three circles and Alivia patrol the area, Merise's circle, as well as Cadsuane, stays near Rand and Nynaeve. Merise allows Elza to control the Circle when she asks permission. Cadsuane, using her ter'angreal to detect channeling, points the positions of the Forsaken out to them so that Merise, Elza and Jahar can attack them. Cadsuane sees Merise telling Jahar to hold steady (WH, Ch. 35).

• Most of the day passes while Rand and Nynaeve work. During one of the quiet times, when there are no attacks on the hilltop where they are situated, Jahar sits on a stone with Merise sitting on the ground beside him. Her head is on his knee and he is stroking her hair. They are still linked to Elza, who is pacing the hilltop, still in control of the circle (WH, Ch. 35).

• Still controlling the circle that contains her, Merise and Jahar, Elza attacks Osan'gar and kills him (WH, Ch. 35).

• After everything is over, Merise allows Cadsuane to link with Jahar to find out if saidin is really clean. Later, Merise sits with Jahar's head in her lap. She strokes his hair gently as he marvels about saidin being clean (WH, Ch. 35).

• Merise goes to Lord Algarin's manor in Tear with Rand and the others after the cleansing of saidin (CoT, Ch. 23).

• When Rand gives Jahar a dragon pin to signify that he is a full Asha'man, Merise takes it away; according to Merise, Jahar is still at the stage where he has to learn to accept only what she says he can (CoT, Ch. 23).

• Beldeine speaks to Merise about her concern that she has no Warder yet, and mentions that she is thinking of bonding an Asha'man. Merise suggests that Beldeine speak to Daigian about it (CoT, Ch. 23).

• As Cadsuane is on her way to speak to Rand, Merise walks with her. They speak of Daigian, who is grieving for Eben, and of whether or not saidin is truly clean. They stop to look down at the courtyard where the Warders are practicing, and Merise talks to Cadsuane regarding some of her concerns about Jahar. She asks advice, but Cadsuane doesn't give her any. When Cadsuane resumes her walk towards Rand's apartments, Merise stays to watch Jahar practice (CoT, Ch. 23).

• Merise, Jahar and her other two Warders pay a visit to the rebel Hall of the Tower bearing a proposal from Rand. Merise tells Jahar to give the proposal, since it is not rightly hers to give. Before he can do so, however, Malind brings Nacelle, another Green sister, into the pavilion and has her try out a new weave. The weave is one that can detect if a man is channeling. Nacelle orders Jahar to channel something so that she can test her weave, and Merise becomes angry with her for giving orders to one of her Warders. After Nacelle leaves, Jahar gives the Hall Rand's proposal: that any sister faithful to Egwene may bond an Asha'man up to a total of forty-seven (KoD, Ch. 23).

• While Rand goes to his meeting with the Daughter of the Nine Moons (Semirhage in disguise), Merise and the other Aes Sedai, Asha'man, Saldaeans and Maidens of the Spear wait while Rand and his six companions go down to the designated meeting place, Lady Deirdru's manor. As Jahar is one of Rand's chosen six, Rand sees Merise speaking firmly to him and giving him instructions (KoD, Ch. 27).

• When, after Semirhage's attack on Rand, the waiting Aes Sedai, Asha'man, Saldaeans and Maidens of the Spear Travel to Lady Deirdru's manor, Merise rides over to Jahar and Heals him without a word (KoD, Ch. 27).

• She is with Cadsuane when Rand returns from Arad Doman with Rodel (ToM, Ch. 32).

Relationships

Merise is one of Cadsuane's followers. Cadsuane thinks that she trusts Merise perhaps more than any of the other Aes Sedai who have gathered around her and Rand (WH, Ch. 13).

Merise's Warders always seem to be content. In Cadsuane's opinion, she handles them well (CoT, Ch. 23; TGS, Ch. 5). They all jump fast whenever she points (WH, Ch. 23). While understanding the relationship between any Aes Sedai and her Warder(s) can be difficult, Cadsuane cannot even begin to fathom what passes between Merise and her Warders (WH, Ch. 35).

Jahar Narishma willingly accepted Merise's bond, though it took him two days to accept. According to Alanna, Merise never pressured him about his decision (WH, Ch. 35). When Rand suggests to her that she release Jahar from his bond, she is shocked, and Rand gets the feeling that he might as well have asked her to abandon a puppy by the side of the road (CoT, Ch. 24). Merise practices linking with Jahar. Because he is an Asha'man, one of her concerns is that he will become stronger in the Power than she is (CoT, Ch. 23).

Rand doesn't like that Merise gives Jahar orders, but he can do nothing about it. She has sworn no oaths to Rand, and Rand thinks that she would just ignore him, especially when it is about her Warders (KoD, Ch. 27).

Romanda respects Merise because she has not only bonded an Asha'man, but because she can handle him well (KoD, Ch. 23).

Miscellaneous

• Merise is stronger in the One Power than Beldeine, Corele, Daigian, Erian, Elza, Kumira, Nesune and Sarene (WH, Ch. 23).

• She has no problem with calling down other Aes Sedai's Warders (WH, Ch. 23). However, other sisters' Warders do not particularly interest her (CoT, Ch. 23).

Quotes

"I do not know, Cadsuane. Saidar is a calm ocean that will take you wherever you want so long as you know the currents and let them carry you. Saidin... An avalanche of burning stone. Collapsing mountains of ice. It feels cleaner than when I first linked with Jahar, but anything could hide in that chaos. Anything." (Merise to Cadsuane; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 23).

"I do not know where the al'Thor lad got this, but he gave it to Jahar. Apparently, for Asha'man, it is akin to attaining the shawl. I had to take it away, of course; Jahar, he is still at the stage where he has to learn to accept only what I say he can. But he is so agitated over the thing... Should I give it back to him? In a way, it would come from my hand, then." (Merise to Cadsuane about Jahar's dragon pin; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 23).

"My name is Merise Haindehl, and me, I will stand with no sister who wishes to contend against other sisters while the world hangs in the balance. Our enemy, it is the Shadow, not women who wear the shawl as we do." (Merise to the rebel Hall; Knife of Dreams, Chapter 23)