  00-00-0000, 00:00 PM  Bringing us back to topic, does all of this mean that we essentially agree that Aviendha's experience during her second walk through the columns was not in fact a firm future, but rather a potential one that can be avided?  You can (and should) reach that conclusion on narrative structure alone, without having to resort to the mechanics of the OP. You do NOT put a vision of doom in the penultimate act without the future being changed in the final unless you are planning a sequel. RJ was not planning a sequel to WOT that would have dealt with this particular plot thread, and therefore, as I've said time and time again, it is Chekov's Prophecy. 