55. The Rules of the Game

Kaladin escorts Adolin to meet Shallan at Sebarial's warcamp, driven by the mysterious King's Wit. Shallan presents research on an ancient tradition that could allow Adolin to challenge Sadeas through a spectacle duel. At the menagerie, Dalinar arrives and publicly announces the refounding of the Knights Radiant with Amaram as their leader.

Kaladin serves as Adolin's sole guard for the day, suspicious of Shallan despite her betrothal to the prince. The King's Wit unexpectedly appears as their carriage driver, engaging Kaladin in cryptic banter and revealing he knows about Kaladin's Surgebinding. When they reach Sebarial's warcamp, Shallan greets Wit with an unexpected embrace of gratitude.

During the carriage ride to the Outer Market, Shallan shows Adolin historical documents revealing how Sadeas defeated Yenev eighteen years prior through a spectacular preliminary duel that impressed King Gavilar, who then granted him a boon. Shallan proposes Adolin use the same strategy: win a spectacle duel against multiple opponents, receive a boon from the king, and invoke the ancient Right of Challenge against Sadeas himself. Adolin sees promise in the plan, believing Sadeas must accept such a challenge despite his current strength.

At the menagerie, Kaladin continues monitoring Shallan while she sketches various creatures with enthusiastic interest. He experiences internal conflict, drawn to his recent experiences as a bridgeman—feeling alive despite the hardship—over his current role as a guard, which feels mundane. Syl observes his restlessness.

When a crowd gathers at another section of the menagerie, Kaladin investigates and discovers Dalinar with Amaram, who wears a strange yellow-gold cloak bearing a double-eye glyph. Dalinar publicly announces that under the king's direction, he has refounded the Knights Radiant, with Amaram as the first to speak the ancient oaths and lead the order.