Happy Elantris Reread Day, Cosmere Chickens! Did you miss us? We’re back with Raoden and Sarene chapters, and they finally meet! We’ve been waiting for this for a while, so watch out for the much anticipated meeting and join us in the city of Elantris while Raoden discovers who Shaor really is and Sarene begins her Widow’s Trial!
(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!
Trigger warnings: Chronic pain
Last time on Elantris: Outsmarted…
Sarene plays her hand with Iadon, revealing that she’s not an idiot. She brokers a deal to save him financially (thereby wrecking Wyrn’s plans for a peaceful takeover) and in the same fell swoop secures her right to enter Elantris on philanthropic missions. Before the chapter ends, we learn that maids have been going mysteriously missing, and someone’s been sneaking around in the hidden passageways of the palace…
Meanwhile, Hrathen decides that Dilaf is too dangerous and tries to send him away—however, he quickly learns that Dilaf has seen this move coming and has neatly outmaneuvered him.
Chapter Essentials
POV Character(s): Raoden
Discussion
Chapter 22
Once these scraps had produced wondrous effects, their powerful magics demanding unparalleled prices.
L: You know, this begs the question… if Elantris was such a utopia and they could make food out of almost anything, why were they charging huge prices for enchanted goods?
P: I couldn’t help but wonder the same thing. What need of money did they have? Though they did have the bank mentioned below for the merchants of Kae to use, so perhaps they let merchants sell goods within Elantris? I can’t figure it out.
The Elantrians maintained the place for the local merchants to keep their wealth. A bank inside Elantris was seen as far more secure than one in Kae.
L: More about the economy of the Elantris That Was… which raises even more questions. The wording implies that the Elantrians had no use for money themselves (which makes sense). But then why are they charging so much for their wares? Where is that money going?
P: I tried to find a Word of Brandon about it, but it turns out that’s a rabbit hole I don’t have the time or the inclination to dive into. Anybody know, off the top of their head?
Aon Edo
“Bring me food!” wailed a high-pitched voice.
Raoden froze. He craned his neck to the side, peeking into the vault, then recoiled. At the back of the chamber, sitting on a pile of what appeared to be gold bars, was a young girl in a pristine, unsoiled pink dress. She had long Aonic blonde hair, but her skin was black and grey like that of any other Elantrian. Eight men in ragged clothing knelt before her, their arms spread out in adoration.
L: Today on “unexpected twists…”
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Under the Smokestrewn Sky
P: Yeah, creepy unexpected twists. Shaor the brutal gang leader turns out to be a little girl, who we learn from Raoden was Lord Telrii’s spoiled, insufferable child. There will be no bargaining with her.
He was getting weaker. Galladon had warned him it would happen—an Elantrian’s muscles atrophied the most near the end of his first month. Exercise couldn’t stop it. Even though the mind still worked and the flesh did not decay, the body was convinced that it was dead.
L: This is utterly fascinating. I do wonder what’s going on biologically here, since if the body truly thought it was dead, rigor mortis would set in for a while. Don’t ask why I know this, but rigor mortis IS a temporary thing and the muscles do become limp again about 36 hours after death, so certainly there should have been a period of time in which this were the case? There must be something more going on, from a biological perspective.
P: Doesn’t it have something to do with his healing as a child? His current weakness and pain that’s worse than it should be after his short time in Elantris?
“Her father, Duke Telrii…”
L: Ooooooh I’m sure that’s not going to come back at any point. /sarcasm
P: Can’t wait for that to come out! I mean, poor child, but I want it to bite Telrii in the ass!
Aon Soi
Raoden began to feel sick as they walked toward the chapel, the mounting pains of his several dozen bruises and scrapes suddenly pushing against him with suffocating pressure. It was as if his body were encased in a blazing fire—his flesh, bones, and soul being consumed in the heat.
“I’ve failed them,” he said quietly.
L: Paging Kaladin Stormblessed…
P: As you well know, I get those two mixed up sometimes. This kind of character is definitely a specialty of Brandon’s.
“It’s all connected somehow, Galladon. The Dor is linked to Elantris, just as it’s linked to Arelon itself.”
“But why would the Dor do this, sule?” Galladon asked with a shake of his head. “Why destroy the city?”
“Maybe it’s not the Dor,” Raoden said. “Maybe it’s the sudden absence of the Dor. The magic—the Dor—was a part of this city. Every stone burned with its own light. When that power was removed, the city was left hollow. Like the discarded shell of a small rivercrawler that has grown too big for its skin. The stones are empty.”
L: Makes sense to me, especially if the stone were imbued with strengthening magic.
P: Oh, absolutely. Take away that magic and the stone starts to crumble, just as Elantrian bodies can’t take the pain anymore.
…”We’re being invaded.”
“By whom?”
Mareshe half smiled, then shrugged. “We think she’s a princess.”
L: ABOUT TIME!
P: And here we see Sarene starting her Widow’s Trial. It’s not the disaster that I thought it would be. Maybe that’s the next day when she comes? After Shaor’s men discover what happened? We shall see.
“Our people are just starting to get a sense of independence; they’re beginning to focus on the future and forget their pain. If someone hands them food now, they’ll forget everything else. For a short time they’ll be fed, but Widow’s Trials only last a few weeks. After that, it will be back to the pain, the hunger, and the self-pity.”
L: Unfortunately, this is most likely true. Sarene’s good intentions are about to bite her in the backside.
P: And undermine everything Raoden has worked so hard to build.
Chapter 23
“We’re nearly there,” the guide said. He was a taller man, about the same height as Sarene in heels. The grey parts of his skin were a little lighter than those on the other Elantrians she had seen, though she didn’t know if that meant he had been pale-skinned before, or if he had simply been in Elantris a shorter time than the rest.
L: Poor Raoden is getting a chance to speak to his wife face-to-face for the first time.
P: It’s almost painful, that he has to encounter her like this and she doesn’t even know who he is! Poor Raoden!
“Look,” Sarene said, “let’s be frank—you’re obviously not very good at this, and so extended negotiations would be a waste of time.”
L: Oof. Sarene, 1. “Aanden:” 0
P: Yes. She, on the other hand, seems to be very good at this.
She had assumed they would request weapons, perhaps even gold. Karata’s demands, however, began with cloth, moved through various grains, some worked-metal sheets, lengths of wood, straw, and ended with oil. The message was clear: Rule of Elantris depended not on force or wealth, but on controlling basic necessities.
L: I get the reasoning behind all of these (clothes, shelter, food) except oil. Lamps for light, perhaps?
P: It all seems relatively normal considering the situation the Elantrians are in, with so few resources.
“Perhaps you judge them too harshly,” Shuden said. “They seemed less like tyrants and more like people trying to make the best of a very difficult life.”
L: Once again Sarene is demonstrating her naïveté. Shuden is being far more observant than she is, looking behind the mask to see (part of) the truth that lies beneath.
P: Sarene is nothing if not naïve, despite her skill at politics thus far.
“These are a people who live in fear, Shuden. I’ve seen it before in Fjorden, Hrovell, and a half-dozen other places. I know what an oppressed people looks like.”
L: It’s a fair point she makes, but she’s still off the mark.
P: Oppressed, sure… but I can’t wait for her to learn more about what it’s like to be an Elantrian.
She hit the ground at the wrong angle, however, and slipped in the muck. She tipped backward, waving her hands and yelping.
Fortunately, a pair of hands caught her and pulled her upright. “Be careful,” Spirit warned. “Walking in Elantris takes a little getting used to.”
L: (romantic sigh)
P: This cracks me up… because I recently reread a scene in one of my WIPs that has something very similar happen. Romantic sigh, indeed.
Sarene saw him give a bag to what must have been a little girl, though her head was bald and her lips creased by wrinkles. The girl smiled with an incongruous innocence, then scampered away. Ahan paused for a moment before continuing his labor.
L: Well, at least HER plan is working, even if she IS screwing up Raoden’s.
P: Hopefully, she doesn’t screw them up too much!
“My lady, don’t you think you might be overextending yourself? You’ve decided to confront the gyorn, liberate the court women from masculine oppression, save Arelon’s economy, and feed Elantris. Perhaps you should just let this man’s subterfuge go unexplored.”
“You’re right,” Sarene said, “I am too busy to deal with Spirit. That’s why you are going to find out what he’s up to.”
L: I do love their relationship.
P: I want a seon, too!
We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapters 24 and 25.
Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.
Lyndsey lives in Connecticut and makes magic wands for a living, as well as working as the costumer for two of her local Renaissance Faires. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!
