“With nothing to do beyond sit in the wheeled chair that he’d deemed had become both his prison and his only path to seeing the world, Chaol took in the details of the sprawling palace perched atop one of the capital city’s countless hills.”

This passage illustrates how Chaol’s perception of his worth and role in life closely relates to his physical abilities. Having grown up as a soldier and protector, his inability to move freely compromises this role. Characterizing his wheeled chair as simultaneously a prison and his only path to see the world, Chaol describes his feelings of confinement—both physically and psychologically.

“That long-ago first khagan had been wise. Not once during the three hundred years of the khaganate had a civil war occurred.”

This passage emphasizes the Khaganate’s long-standing stability and dominance. The mention of the absence of civil war for 300 years demonstrates that the Khaganate is a powerful force to be reckoned with. However, it also serves as a foreshadowing of the potential disruption should they engage in external conflicts. It raises the question of whether they will be willing to leave the peace of their empire to come to aid another continent in a costly battle.

“No word—there had been no word about Aelin. Where she was now, what she’d been doing. Aelin, who might very well be the thing that cost him this alliance.”

This passage reflects Chaol’s lingering emotional conflict. Despite his efforts to overcome his deep-rooted grievances with Aelin, his unresolved resentment illustrates the depth of his internal struggles. With time, Chaol may overcome these barriers, but this still festering wound emphasizes the many emotional and psychological wounds that feed on him.