Heart-Clenching moments from Rhythm of War

[Ramona Tehradin]

We have seen some of best moments in Cosmere, and some which disappointed us in Rhythm of War. We have our favorite moments from our characters and then there are those moments which have gutted our souls out. I created this thread so that we can share our sorrows (and joyful tears) and divide them among ourselves, discuss what broke our hearts in ways tears started to spill from our eyes. 

I'll start by stating the moments which wrecked me apart: 

• Spoiler

   

  • Gaviliar mocking Navani for not being a true scholar. (Can this man die again?)
  • Kaladin freezing in front of Moash after Roshone's death. This was so true because I know the sheer strength of trauma which paralyzes your bones. Your mind is screaming to move but you just can't...you just want to end it all and feel pain no more. 
  • Dalinar relieves Kaladin off duty. Damn. The clenching in my stomach just made me sick.
  • Teft stays behind to support Kaladin and they start a support group for people who have endured traumatic events. (Damnation that hurt) 
  • Teofil and his battalion die a valiant death, buying time for Navani to protect Sibling and other scholars. 
  •  
    Spoiler

    Kaladin stood with one hand on the wall, one hand on the door, breathing deeply. Wind surged through the window behind, brushing past him, bearing with it two twisting windspren that moved as lines of light.

    “Kaladin …” Syl said, landing on his shoulder.

    “It was a nice dream, wasn’t it, Syl?” he asked. “That we could escape? Find peace at long last?”

    “Such a wonderful dream,” she whispered.

    “You ready for this?” he asked. She nodded.

    Ah, this moment when we know Kaladin has no option but to save by being the soldier he has become. 

  • Spoiler

    “Storms …” Lirin whispered. “Storms, my son has become a monster… .”

    It broke me. But Kaladin didn't. 

  • When Jaxlim first starts to lose her memories. 

  • Kaladin being tortured non-stop by Odium....damn you! 

  • Dalinar riding the storm and finding a battered Kaladin, hanging barely to still reach his friends. 

  • Navani lamenting that she'd failed to protect the tower after 3rd node is destroyed. It hurt more than Navani's imposter syndrome began manifesting starkly after this. 

  • Knowing how much both factions prejudice Rlain since beginning yet this Listener grabs to threads of love which Bridge Four gave him.

  • Shallan finally letting go of Veil...puffing away in mist of radiant light.

  • Maya shouting 'We CHOOSE' and Adolin lending her his strength. 

  • The Dog and the Dragon...no explanation needed. 

  • Teft was worth saving. Yes, his spren was best thing that happened to him. Yes Bridge Four was best thing that happened to him...his family was long gone but with Bridge Four, he discovered love again. 

  • Reboniel killing her daughter...my baby, free at last.

  • Navani knowing that no matter how much she cared, Reboniel was her enemy and...the Fused was going to kill Radiant sprens with the weapon Navani created. 

  • Spoiler

    “And you?” Teft said. “You’ll follow, right?”

    Kaladin hesitated.

    “If I run, you run,” Teft said. 

    “I could try that.”

    “Give me an oath, lad. We can’t do anything more in this tower. We need to reach Dalinar. I’m going to head that way with as many Radiants as I can rescue. You’ve got my back, right?” Teft said.

    “Always,” Kaladin said, nodding. “I swear it. Get as many of the ­Radiants out as you can, and then run. Once you do, I’ll follow.”

    The worst part...it never happened. 

  • Spoiler

    No, Nanavi, thought, staring at the ceiling. No, don’t you dare take that distinction for yourself. If she’d been a scholar, she’d have understood the ­implications of her work.

    She was a child playing dress-­up again. A farmer could stumble across a new plant in the wilderness. Did that make him a botanist?

    Oh, Navani. 

  • Spoiler

    Forward. Only forward. One step after another. 

    But with all these people believing in him—­falling in behind him, whispering with hope and anticipation—­perhaps he could resurrect Storm­­blessed for one last battle.

    AHHHHHH KALADIN!

  • You did good with that one, Teft, he thought—­giving himself permission to feel a little pride. You ruined your own life something fierce, but you did good with that one.

  • Spoiler

    “Tell yourself that lie, Moash,” Teft growled, gripping the hand that held him, his own hand clawlike from the horrible pain. “But know this. You can kill me, but you can’t have what I have. You can never have it. Because I die knowing I’m loved.”

    Moash grunted and dropped him to the ground. Then he stabbed Teft directly through the neck with his Shardblade.

    Confident, and somehow still full of hope, Teft died.

    AHHHHHH BAWLING MY EYES OUT HERE

  • Spoiler

    Kaladin clung to Teft’s limp form and felt it all crumbling. The flimsy facade of confidence he had built to let himself fight. ­ The way he pretended he was fine. 

    It was all just … over. What was there to life if he couldn’t protect the people he loved?

    Oh, Kaladin...

  • THE WHOLE SEQUENCE WITH TIEN AND then 4th IDEAL had me rolling on floor, weeping the heck out of me. Brandon! Why do you wreck us so much!  

    Say them, Tien whispered.
    “I have always known these Words.”
    Say it, lad! Do it!

  • “Please,” Leshwi said to Longing, “ask your spren. Do they know of an honorspren named Riah? She was my friend once. Precious to me.

  • Spoiler

    Not good enough.

    Not a scholar.

    Not a creator.

    You have no fame, accomplishment, or capacity of your own. Everything that is distinctive about you came from someone else.

    “Lies,” she whispered. And they were.

    YES NAVANI!

  • Spoiler

    “I do wish …” Raboniel said, “I could hear … rhythms … again… .”

    “Then sing with me,” Navani said, and began to sing Honor’s tone. 

    “End it … Navani …” Raboniel whispered, letting the song cease. “Make sure they let it all … end.”

    The best antagonist of SA ever. 

  • Spoiler

    Eventually, Kaladin stood up and embraced Teft’s statue. Then he wiped his eyes and nodded to Syl.

     

   

   Do share yours, our Rhythm of Melancholy. 

Edited December 8, 2020 by Ramona Tehradin

[Awesomness]

I'll add 2 little moments. Sorry I don't have the quotes

1 - When Kaladin grabs a knife to fight and freezes, and Lirin basically gaslights him by telling him to not trust his mind, but to trust him... --> My man Lirin, I know you are a good guy, and feel guilty and want to protect Kaladin, and I know you were a good father to lil´Kal. Buy Stoms you are such a pain this book!!

2 - When Raboniel´s daughter mumbles to the wall, asking for her mom. Navani asks Raboniel where is her mom and she replies: Right here.

[SirWolfe]

1 - When the Sibling tells Navani that "You are not worthy." 

2 - When Venli finds her mother, and she hears “Your Words are now accepted.” "Now" being the keyword.

[Karger]

Basically any time Raboniel and Navani are in the same room.

Next time try not to be so trusting!

Living long enough and you learn to appreciate anything..

Also Raboneil telling Venli I would have liked to write your reports and save everyone the time.

[Dreamwa1ker]

The scene in the basement with Moash and Kaladin, I was a wreck.

When "Formless" took over I was terrified Shallan was going to destroy all the good things in her life and take a dark path.

At the end with Tien, I wept.

The final scene with Eshonai riding the storm was so beautiful, bittersweet tears there too.

Edited December 9, 2020 by Dreamwa1ker

[mmcnulty111]

This scene absolutely killed me:

"But sir, do you know why I get up each day?” Lirin shook his head. “It’s hard sometimes,” Noril said, stirring. “Coming awake means leaving the nothingness, you know? Remembering the pain. But then I think, ‘Well, he gets up.’” “You mean Kaladin?” Lirin asked. “Yes, sir,” Noril said. “He’s got the emptiness, bad as I do. I can see it in him. We all can. But he gets up anyway. We’re trapped in here, and we all want to do something to help. We can’t, but somehow he can. “And you know, I’ve listened to ardents talk. I’ve been poked and prodded. I’ve been stuck in the dark. None of that worked as well as knowing this one thing, sir. He still gets up. He still fights. So I figure … I figure I can too."

[Maddie The Survivor]

I cried the hardest when Teft died, that was the hardest thing in SA for me to read. I actually had to stop reading and take a break.

The whole Tien scene was the second hardest for me to read- Icried nearly as hard.

i have to say, it took me a few weeks to fully recover after reading this book, which may sound a little dramatic, but I get attached to characters really easily, so even when Elhokar died, I cried really hard. 
 

Also, when Dalinar released Kaladin from the army, I started bawling for some reason.