Theory about Gavilar

[Aashyma she/her]

Yes, this could very well be a step they needed to take. In fact It could be taht the Parshendi are also looking for evidence the Alethi are worthy allies themselves. Doesn't one of their sharbearers say "I found you at last" or something like that to Dahlinar near the end of book 1?

Chapter 8 Eshonai:

Why didn’t the Shardbearer just finish him? The Parshendi giant leaned down, then spoke. The

words were thick with accent, and Dalinar’s mind nearly dismissed them. But here, up close, Dalinar

realized something. He understood what was being said. The accent was nearly impenetrable, but the

words were in Alethi.

“It is you,” the Parshendi Shardbearer said. “I have found you at last.”

Emphasis present in text.

[Dros]

Perhaps they killed Gavilar because he wasn't the right one to unite them. Maybe Gavilar was flawed in a fatal way and they thought he was unworthy.

That would explain when the Parshendi in Shardplate saw Dalinar he said, (to paraphrase)"It's you, I finally found you." Dalinar is who they need/want to ally with, although at the time they didn't know who exactly they were looking for. And since Dalinar had swore to never seek the throne, this was what they needed to happen to get the "right one" in place.

[Jazzman]

Brandon has already shown a penchant for having characters in the cosmere hang around in various ways after they die. The Parshendi are skilled warriors, and the Shardbearer Dalinar encounters seems relieved to be face to face with him. They in fact, act honourably, much more in line with the codes of conduct suggested by the Way of Kings and the ancient Alethi codes of war.

...What if the Parshendi Shardbearer is somehow Gavilar himself, or at least shares a mind connection/memories with Dalinar's brother, psychically (or Spiritually/Cognitively, in cosmere-speak) connected to them as part of his treaty? This would explain his(Gavilar's) utter confusion of the Parshendi sending the assassin. The Parshendi may have needed to kill him in order to 'rescue' him from the intrigues of the Alethi court (which we have already seen are lethal when they go against 'the way things are done'). He has finally found his brother after all these years of living amongst a people who are truly honourable.

No one yet has a satisfactory explanation of why the Parshendi would A) know or care who Dalinar was in the first place,and why they would bother to send a full Shardbearer if all they wanted to do was find him.

[Ari he/him]

That's an interesting theory. It's a little more complicated than the idea that the Parshendi were simply looking for an honourable opponent, but certainly worth keeping an eye out for in future Stormlight volumes.