The Way of Kings

In Kharbranth, King Taravangian eats lunch with Jasnah and Shallan. Eventually, he reveals his desire for a portrait of himself made by Shallan. The young woman immediately agrees. After lunch is finished, she sets out to sketch the king. However, after looking at the finished picture, Shallan realizes that she has also sketched “two tall and willowy creatures with cloaks that split down the front and hung at the sides too stiffly, as if they were made of glass” and that “where the creatures’ heads should be, each had a large, floating symbol of twisted design” (579). No such figures are visible in real life and Shallan quickly destroys her work, claiming she made a mistake and promising to draw a different picture later.

The men of Bridge Four accept Kaladin as their leader and begin training in earnest. Kaladin also begins teaching his crew how to carry the bridge at a slant to provide some protection from Parshendi arrows.

Six years earlier, the new lord Roshone torments Kaladin’s family. While Kaladin’s father Lirin continues healing people, Roshone encourages them not to pay him, and the family lives in deprivation. Roshone wants Kaladin’s family to start spending the fortune given to them by the previous lord, which includes special spheres capable of capturing stormlight.