"unite them" they say but the longer this goes on the more difficult it is for me to see why. "for the good of alethkar" they say, but are you sure it isnt just for the good of your conscience. are you sure you arent just hungry for more? you say you want the war to end and i believe you want to want that but how can you lead a kingdom dependent on tyranny outside of a war? you need to lead and you dont want to admit this need because you are still jealous of your brother who is dead because you failed him (but wasn't a small part of you relieved? wasn't there this small ugly corner in the back of your mind who had thought about doing it yourself?). you need to lead and you don't want to admit this need because you know you are unforgivable but why else would you have shown the king how easily you could kill him? you feel bad for not feeling bad because you would do it again. the slaughter and the killing and the pillaging and the murder. "unite them". it is for the good of alethkar after all. blood is the food that feeds our greatness. a small price to pay. only a brother. you are unforgivable because of that day. because of the drink. you want to believe the regret is because you couldn't save him. no more alcohol. the regret eats you alive so you have to lead. eat blood. in the end those are the same things. you are unforgivable because of that day and you want to believe that it is because you couldn't save him but there is that tiny ugly corner in the back of your mind. what is it that you regret? a difficult question to ask, better to become insane instead. not insane, just writing on the wall. save the bridgemen, be merciful, be a good ruler even if you aren't the king. you say you don't want to kill but you know the blood is necessary to save the machine. does this make you a hypocrite? you are not unforgivable for the killing you are unforgivable for not regretting you are unforgivable for that night. gavilar, radiant and beloved and always brighter, always more important, always more respected. you regret not being able to save him - yes, that must be it. anything else is inconceivable. although what difference does it make when you are unforgivable anyways. the king is all that is left from your brother. you show him how easy you could kill him, show yourself how dependent he is on you. the king that is terrified and paranoid and all that is left of your brother. the king, always in your shadow, almost like back then. you know you are unforgivable but you are too scared to ask why. it is not your fault that blood must be spilled. your sons are good. your sons are good. renarin needs to be a soldier but it is not your fault the world is the way it is. even if it is, sometimes. but only when you are brave. liquid courage, they say, which is why you don't drink anymore. the way of kings, you say, because how could someone so devoted to his brother's last words be relieved by his death. you need to lead, for the good of alethkar. a kingdom of tyranny needs war and blood and food which is why you never take off your uniform. the way of kings, you say, for the good of alethkar. you look at the king, the only thing left from your brother, and don't ask yourself what it is you can't be forgiven for.
Dalinar meeting the Nightwatcher
I don't find much time lately for fanart, but this one just fitted my mood that day. It is based on an old sketch from 2021 which I never fully rendered.
Sometimes a family can be you, your wife that you forgot, your girlfriend who is also your dead brother's wife, her heretic daughter, your two sons, the one son's betrothed who's dad(not apart of the family) may or may not have been part of a plot to kill your heretic niece(now daughter????), your nephew(now son???????) Who just happens to be king of a nation, your honorary son who's kinship was bound by the blood of the battlefield, and his family of 20-1000 ex-bridgemen.
everyone at dalinar: ewww you feel *negative emotions* at the thought of killing? you get nauseous when you end a life?? what an absolute loser lol the dementia is getting to him
Dalinar at the kid’s table practicing baby’s first glyphs with his grandson great-nephew / adopted grandson.
Actually this came from torithedormouse on instagram, prompting me to sketch Dalinar stuck in chairs too small for his big frame, after a bit in chapter 44 of Oathbringer, which describes him sitting on a small stool and looking entirely too big for it.
After promising to be present on both a romantic date with Adolin as well as an important meeting with her fellow Radiants, Shallan must use her Lightweaving to appear in two places at once. While practicing Surgebinding with Szeth, Kaladin misuses Cohesion and the two have to learn to get through the day literally stuck together. Dalinar is banned from the tower's book club after his suggestion every week is always the way of kings.