Elhokar Kholin
Template:AlethiInfobox Elhokar Kholin is a character from the series The Stormlight Archive.
Elhokar was the reigning king of Alethkar and was 27 years old in The Way of Kings. He was a Shardbearer, whose Shards were won for him by his uncle, Dalinar. His Shardplate was painted gold and his Shardblade was called Sunraiser.
Despite his own uncertainty in his ability to rule, Elhokar was capable of making decisive action and manages to control the Highprinces, if just barely. He was also a capable warrior, despite being easily defeated by his uncle.
Family
Son of Navani and Gavilar, nephew of Dalinar, sister of Jasnah, and cousin of both Adolin and Renarin.
Plot
Elhokar mainly serves as an unwitting obstacle to Dalinar as his uncle attempted to unite the Highprinces. Elhokar's father and the former King of Alethkar, Gavilar was assassinated by Szeth, prompting the ten Alethi Highprinces to declare war on the Parshendi under the Vengeance Pact, after they claimed responsibility for the assassination. Due to Elhokar's youth and paranoia his ability to rule was questioned by those under his rule and he maintained a weakened authority over the ten Highprinces. The King's paranoia stemmed from the assassination of his father and he feared that he would meet the same fate, although he overcompensated on the battlefield and often acted recklessly to the dismay of his family and guards. This paranoia was furthered by his ability to see strange creatures (possibly symbolspren) in mirrors. Due to this ability it is theorised that Elhokar could become a Soulcaster like Jasnah and Shallan Davar, and be able to Soulcast without the use of a fabrial.
Elhokar's deep fear of assassination caused him to fake an assassination attempt on his own life by cutting the girth strap on his saddle, in order to trigger an investigation on those who wish him dead. Although this rash action placed suspicion on his uncle Dalinar, this method did yield results as is was found that weakened gemstones were placed in his Shardplate by a yet unknown individual.
Powers and Abilities
As aforementioned, it is theorised that Elhokar could become an innate Soulcaster, one who does not require the use of a fabrial in order to Soulcast.
“I see their faces in mirrors. Symbols, twisted, inhuman”
—Elhokar[1]
This seems very similar to the apparitions that Shallan observes in her drawings.
“a figure with a sharp, angular symbol hovering above its collar instead of a head”
—Shallan Davar[2]
As these "symbolspren" are linked with Shallan's ability to Soulcast, it seems likely that Elhokar could have the potential to gain the same abilities.