Shallans mom's friend

[Steeldancer he/him]

I've discussed this in a topic before, and I finally found where I got the whole lover thing from. The maids in one of Shallans flashbacks refer to him as being Shallans Mom's lover. 

I think it is interesting that he came with her to kill her own daughter, and I assume we will learn more about that eventually. 

I'm also a bit foggy on how he died. It is clear that Shallan killed her mom. But it is not clear whether she also killed the friend, or whether her Father killed the friend. I suspect that it was the father that killed the friend, and not Shallan herself. But I'm not sure. 

I'm sure we will eventually learn more about that fateful day. And when she actually first swore the first ideal. 

[Seloun]

It's actually not at all obvious that he's Shallan's mother's lover. That's a story that her father concocted to protect Shallan's reputation. In particular, he let it be rumored that he murdered his wife and her lover in a jealous rage so the fact Shallan killed them wouldn't be known.

And it's almost certainly Shallan that killed him, since near the end of WoR when she's recalling the scene she says

Quote

“He let everyone believe that he’d killed her,” Shallan whispered. “That he’d murdered his wife and her lover in a rage, when I was the one who had actually killed them. He lied to protect me.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive, The) (p. 1059). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.

(Emphasis mine)

It's theoretically possible that she means this metaphorically (she killed her mother for sure with the Shardblade, but it could have e.g. led to her father killing the other man) due to the 'blood' associated with the other man, but she also mentions that the bleeding wound wasn't what kill him. I don't think it explicitly mentions his eyes being burned out or that Shallan killed him (as a direct reference, rather than as the group) but it's very heavily implied.

There are lots of possibilities regarding why her mother and friend came after Shallan, but the most reasonable (and I think commonly assumed) theory is probably that she was associated with the Skybreakers. Given what we've seen from Lift's chapter and Edgebringer, and Helaran being associated with the Skybreakers, this is a pretty good bet.

[Calderis he/him]

@Seloun she has to mean it metaphorically. In her memories her mother was face down to hide the eyes until the reveal, but she distinctly remembers blood on the white carpet. 

Shardblades do not draw blood. So she killed her mother, burning out the eyes, and her father struggled and killed the man, causing the blood on the carpet. 

Shallan did nothing that could have drawn blood. 

[Nathrangking he/him]

The flashback where Lin sings a lullaby to her and puts her to sleep says straight out as @Calderis pointed out her mother lies on the floor face down to hide her burned out eyes. The other man is described as bleeding into the carpet. This makes it a certainty that the man must have been killed by Lin and not Shallan. Her statement of having killed them can be interpreted in several ways. One is as @Calderis said is a metaphor. Another is that she is almost definitely suffering from a form of trauma which is filling in the blanks that her mind is in denial about. It is reasonable to assume that she does not want to believe that her father was capable of killing at that point her mind contrived these details which fit into her narrative better than what actually happened.

[Azul he/him]

@Calderis The man's arm was cut with a knife in a struggle with her father so not metaphorically.

 

Quote

Her father barging in. Mother’s friend with a knife, the two struggling, the friend getting cut in the arm. Blood spilled on the carpet. The friend had won that fight, eventually holding Father down, pinned on the ground. Mother took the knife and came for Shallan.
And then . . .
And then a sword in Shallan’s hands.

I would imagine Shallan killed her mother and then killed the man holding her father down.  It is possible the man let her father up to go after Shallan and then her father killed him but I think that is just over complicating the scene.  She seems to be finally accepting the truth here so I think we can take her at her word when she says she killed them.

[Calderis he/him]

@AzulI remembered the order of events incorrectly. Thank you 

[Steeldancer he/him]

I agree that she is emotionally confused about the events there. 

I also am not suggesting that the man was her mom's lover. But I now know where I got that idea from in the first place- a different flashback. The man COULD be, but I doubt that's all that there is to him. Otherwise, why would a lover decide "grr I wanna go kill me some of my lovers daughter who's been doing some weird light stuff." There's more to the story. My question is WHEN WHEN WHEN 

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

4 hours ago, Seloun said:

There are lots of possibilities regarding why her mother and friend came after Shallan, but the most reasonable (and I think commonly assumed) theory is probably that she was associated with the Skybreakers. Given what we've seen from Lift's chapter and Edgebringer, and Helaran being associated with the Skybreakers, this is a pretty good bet.

It is wierd that Helaran didn't come for Shallan later though. No one ever showed up to murder her after the scene with her mother.

[Calderis he/him]

5 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

It is wierd that Helaran didn't come for Shallan later though. No one ever showed up to murder her after the scene with her mother.

The book says that Heleran "sought out" the Skybreakers. 

It never says he joined them. 

[Seloun]

22 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

It is wierd that Helaran didn't come for Shallan later though. No one ever showed up to murder her after the scene with her mother.

It's not really clear that Shallan's mother had a chance to tell anyone before she acted. It's possible that e.g. she wanted to deal with it quietly so she wouldn't be tainted by association. Helaran didn't run off immediately after her mother's death, either, so he had a long period of observing Shallan not Surgebinding. He definitely believed that her father killed her mother and friend:

Quote

“Draw plants,” Helaran said, “and animals. Safe things, Shallan. Don’t dwell on what happened.”

Tears trickled down her cheeks.

“We can’t have vengeance yet,” Helaran said softly. “Balat can’t lead the house, and I must be away. Soon, though.”

...

“I got word that you told the stable to prepare one of my carriages, Helaran!” Father bellowed. “I’ll not have you gallivanting off again!”

“There are more important things in this world,” Helaran said. “More important even than you and your crimes.”

“Do not speak that way to me,” Father said, stalking forward, finger pointed at Helaran. “I am your father.” Maids scurried to the side of the room, trying to stay out of the way. Shallan pulled the satchel up against her chest, trying to hide in her chair.

“You are a murderer,” Helaran said calmly.

...

“You are a vile corruption upon this house,” Helaran said. “I should shove this through your chest. To do so would be a mercy.”

“Helaran . . .” The passion seemed to have bled from Father, like the color from his face, which had gone stark white. “You don’t know what you think you know. Your mother—”

“I will not listen to your lies,” Helaran said, rotating his wrist, twisting the sword in his hand, point still against Father’s chest. “So easy.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive, The) (pp. 270-271). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.

(em mine)

[thejopen27 he/him]

I generally agree with Seloun about everything in this topic