Difference between revisions of "Summary:The Way of Kings"

Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Condensing Chapter 1 Summary)
Five Years Later
 
[[Cenn]], a new recruit in [[Brightlord]] [[Amaram]]'s army, is terrified. TheHe firstis battleabout ofto face his careerfirst as a soldier is about to begin,battle and he has almostno noreal idea of what to expect. They'reCenn fightingis againstpulled another Alethi army overinto a minornew border dispute.squad, Mostthat of the[[Kaladin full-time well-trained soldiers areStormblessed]], at the Shatteredlast Plains,minute fightingfor areasons warhe against the Parshendi, so the leftover squads and new recruits are used to fight unimportant battles like thisdoesn't oneunderstand.
 
[[Dallet]], a sergeant, picks Cenn up and returns him to the squad. They are soon joined by Kaladin, who asks Dallet to take care of Cenn during the battle as he won't know the group's signals. They then fall to discussing tactics.
Cenn is transferred to the squad of [[Kaladin|Kaladin Stormblessed]] at the last minute, for reasons he doesn't understand. He thinks it has something to do with camp politics. He is being guided by a veteran named [[Dallet]], one of the senior members of Kaladin's squad.
 
The opposing force arrives and the battle begins. Kaladin's squad does not lose a single man. At one point, Kaladin singlehandedly fights off six enemy spearmen to save Cenn. When an enemy [[Brightlord]] appears, Kaladin and his squad attempt to take him out. They are hindered, however, by the arrival of an enemy [[Shardbearer]]. Cenn is killed by blood loss, and the scene cuts out.
Kaladin appears, and Cenn is amazed to discover how young he is. He appears to be no older than 19. Kaladin and Dallet discuss tactics for the upcoming battle briefly, and point out a promising hill to make a stand. Then Kaladin asks Dallet to help Cenn, since he won't know any of the squad's signals.
 
The battle begins, and Brightlord Amaram's untrained army is unable to hold a line, even against the other Alethi force, which is just as poorly-trained. Kaladin's squad races to be the first to the enemy lines, as doing so separates them from the rest of Amaram's army, and makes them a less appealing target for archers. They reach the hill that Kaladin and Dallet had chosen earlier, and make a stand there. They use various formations to shield their wounded while still effectively attacking the enemy.
 
Kaladin's men continue holding this hill for the better part of an hour without losing a single man, though they do have several wounded. Then, a large portion of Brightlord Amaram's army breaks, and Kaladin and his squad try to assist in keeping the enemy away while they reform formation. In the confusion, Cenn is isolated, and runs into a group of six enemy spearmen. He attempts to attack them, but takes a leg wound. Just as one of the enemy spearmen is about to kill him, Kaladin appears, somehow killing all six enemy spearmen before the rest of the squad can even arrive.
 
An enemy Brightlord appears on the battlefield. Cenn mistakes him for a Shardbearer, but Dallet tells him that no Shardbearers will take part in the conflict, as they're far to important to waste on simple border disputes, especially with the war with the Parshendi. Kaladin and his squad decide to try to kill the man, as it will make it more likely that they will be sent to the Shattered Plains, where they believe the true, honorable soldiers to be. Kaladin and his squad leave to engage the enemy Brightlord. Dallet explains to Cenn that a runner will come for him to take him to the surgeons, because Kaladin spends most of his pay on bribes to be certain that his men are well taken care of.
 
Cenn and Dallet discuss briefly that Kaladin is not like other men. He cares about what happens to his men, and he fights “like a storm,” as Dallet puts it. Cenn asks why Kaladin brought him into his squad, of all the soldiers. Dallet responds that Kaladin will often take in young new recruits, that many of the men in the squad started out that way. He thinks that they remind Kaladin of someone.
 
By this time, Cenn is suffering from severe blood loss. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of a Shardbearer on the battlefield. Dallet is shocked by the use of a Shardbearer in such a mundane and unimportant battle.
 
Cenn thinks that the man's Shardplate and Shardblade are beautiful. The chapter ends with Cenn thinking to himself, “You didn't fight something like this. And that gorgeous, intricate, sinuous sword. It was like....like the Almighty himself had taken form to walk the battlefield.
 
And why would you fight the Almighty?
 
Cenn closed his eyes.”
 
===Chapter Two: Honor is Dead===
Retrieved from "https://coppermind.net/wiki/Summary:The_Way_of_Kings"