Kaladin arrives to guard Adolin, wary of Shallan’s background and intent. Wit unexpectedly drives their carriage, chiding Kaladin over a lost flute and hinting he knows more about Kaladin than he lets on, asking only for “a story.” At Sebarial’s, Shallan surprises everyone by warmly hugging Wit and requesting a later talk. Despite Adolin’s protests, Kaladin rides inside to watch Shallan closely.

Shallan steers the outing from a winehouse to the menagerie, then presents research: Sadeas once slew Highprince Yenev by staging a dramatic duel, earning a king’s boon to demand a Right of Challenge. She urges Adolin to dazzle the crowd in his duel with Relis and another, then invoke the same right against Sadeas. They agree even a champion substitution would damage Sadeas’s standing. Kaladin calls it a “game,” but accepts these are the rules Sadeas plays by.

At the Outer Market, Wit vanishes, replaced by a hired driver. In the menagerie, Shallan eagerly sketches strange beasts while Kaladin broods; Syl teases him for his sour mood. Watching the displays, Kaladin contrasts safe captivity with freedom and admits he felt most alive leading Bridge Four and riding the winds, sensing he is almost ready to embrace that calling again.

They pause at a lethargic whitespine when a commotion draws the crowd. Kaladin finds Dalinar with Amaram, who wears a gold cloak bearing the double eye. Pressed by the proprietor’s questions, Dalinar announces under the king’s authority the refounding of the Knights Radiant, declaring Amaram the first to speak the oaths and the order’s head—an announcement with major political repercussions.