brandondash

In that case let me respectfully yet vociferously disagree with the majority of voices in this thread. Shallan and Kaladin don't know each other. They have a confusing connection due to a single day of intense stress and shared secrets. That isn't a relationship, romantic or otherwise. So many comments here talk about their story fizzling or not going anywhere. That's because there was no story. There was three years of fans obsessing over what might happen. Adolin and Shallan have had days, weeks, and months in each other's company. They have had huge amounts of time and interaction that we don't see because it wasn't explicitly written. They have a real relationship. Yes, Shallan sometimes gets caught up in Kaladin's wake. As near as I can figure everyone gets caught up in Kaladin's wake (except perhaps the Kholin women). Literally every character in the series who has met Kaladin has been greatly affected in one way or another. At no point did I ever take "Shaladin" seriously, and I am more than a little surprised that so many people did/do.

Sure are a lot of people in this thread who are ignoring that there are two more books to go.

Only time will tell I guess! Your idea is totally plausible, but also much easier to write. I mean after all "I define what is right" makes Kaladin a walking Deus Ex Machina. It will be much more difficult to resolve the cognitive dissonance going on in the Lirin/Kaladin debate. I have noticed a common style of Mr. Sanderson is to never waste a piece of the story, and Lirin's philosophy was put in early and revisited often. I don't think that was by accident.

A few thoughts: Based on what we learned about the Skybreakers, the fifth ideal for each order is very difficult to achieve; as in, next to impossible. There is a reason the Stormlight heals everything but his slave brands. He feels like he's is supposed to have them. He locks up in the gallery when he watches first hand the effects of killing to protect, which is a perfect segway into... Lirin has been right all along. This leads me to theorize on not only the fourth ideal but also the fifth: 4: Acknowledgement that he cannot protect everyone - or maybe forgiveness for his failures. This will be a very dramatic scene where his brands finally heal. I think that's pretty clear based on Dalinar's story arc and not nearly as interesting to me as... 5: You cannot kill to protect.