Author's notes: Here's a fandom I haven't yet written for. Indeed, crossovers notwithstanding, this is the first fanfic based on non-video game work.

SPOILER WARNING: There are major spoilers up to the end of the first two books of the Stormlight Archive (Way of Kings and Words of Radiance); if you haven't completed both books, then you should read them first before reading this fic. Conversely, if you're reading this after the third book is released, the third book (and beyond) may contradict this fic, though I tried to set this fic up so that direct contradictions won't generally occur.

Surrounded

Plopping himself down on his new bed, Adolin sighed. Life had happened so fast in the past couple of days. He and everyone else on the Shattered Plains had managed to travel to Urithiru - the legendary city itself - and moreover, the bridgeboy he'd been teasing for the past few months was a Radiant. A storming Knight Radiant. And so was his betrothed. And, if everything went well at the top of the tower today, his father would soon be one, as well.

He wasn't going to admit it out loud, but he was jealous, an emotion he wasn't too familiar with. After all, he was the firstborn son of an important Highprince, the heir to the Kholin family, one of the most skilled swordsmen in the army.

But he couldn't fly.

He almost chuckled at the thought. It sounded like one of those unachievably silly wishes that a child would tell his or her parents, not one that a man of more than twenty years should be having.

But now, he was surrounded by people of amazing skills. Flying. Conjuring images of light. Binding objects to the ceiling. Recovering from Shardblade injuries. His bodyguard, his fiancée, now his father… It seemed that Adolin himself was the only one who wasn't a Radiant.

Well, OK, King Elhokar was certainly not. Nor Aunt Navani. Nor Adolin's brother Renarin.

The last thought gave him pause. This uselessness was what Renarin must have felt all the time, always being overshadowed by the capable fighters in the family. What did he make of being among the Radiants - indeed, if all went well with Dalinar and the Stormfather, being related to one of them? Surely, he was handling it better than Adolin was right now?

Sitting up on his bed, he decided to go see what Renarin was doing. Anything would be better than this pitiful moping he was doing over nothing.

But before Adolin could even stand up, there was a knock at his door. "Adolin," a soft voice called in. "Are you in there?"

That was Renarin's voice. Adolin replied, "Come in."

His brother quietly entered the room and shut the door behind him. Vaguely, Adolin noted that Renarin was not wearing his glasses. When was the last time Adolin saw him with his glasses?

"I've been looking all over for you," Renarin said. "I need to talk to you…" He frowned, looking at Adolin's hunched-over position on his bed. "Adolin, what's wrong? You aren't normally cooped up in your room in the middle of the day like this."

Adolin glanced away from his brother's gaze. How could he explain his feeling of uselessness?

"Is this about Father, and his plan to become a Radiant by dint of the Stormfather?"

Adolin chuckled dryly. "You know me better than I know myself. I didn't realize that I would sulk like this when I found out that everyone around me is a Radiant, and I'm not."

Renarin shuffled slightly awkwardly. "Er… what do you mean by 'everyone'?"

Adolin blinked. "Shallan, Kaladin, and now Father… everyone important in my life seems to be a Radiant. … Er, no offense to you, Renarin; you're important to me, too, of course."

Renarin was silent. Adolin looked over at him, frowning.

"You said you were looking for me," Adolin said. "And it wasn't because I was moping, I'm sure. Is there something you want to talk about?"

Renarin glanced at a dark corner of the room nervously. Then, he said, "Don't worry; it can wait."

As Renarin turned back towards the door, Adolin grabbed his wrist. "There's something seriously troubling you."

Renarin shrugged and pulled his hand back. "I'm used to it. You're not."

"Used to what? Feeling useless?"

"Feeling troubled. I don't want to burden you with more problems."

"Tell me."

Renarin took a deep breath. "Well, Kaladin, Shallan, and Father are all Knights Radiant. Jasnah was one, if my sources—suspicions—are correct."

"Jasnah was a Radiant?" Adolin exclaimed. Then, he paused. "Actually, that really shouldn't be too surprising. It seems like something she would be."

Renarin just nodded absently. "But there's one more whom you know." He paused, averting his gaze from his older brother's eyes. Just as Adolin was about to ask him to continue, Renarin finally said, "Me."

Adolin stepped back from him. "You too?"

Renarin flinched and backed away from his brother.

Adolin immediately felt bad. "Renarin, I don't mean that aggressively. It's just that… well, I was just talking about how everyone is a Radiant, and then you arrive and…"

"I know," Renarin said. "And… again, I'm sorry for burdening you with this knowledge. I haven't told anyone else yet. Especially since I have all the disadvantages of being one, and none of the advantages. I can't touch a Shardblade without it screaming in my ear about how I killed it. I go mad with visions of the future at highstorms - the carved numbers on the walls? That was me, not Father. But I can't control gravity. I can't conjure up images of light, though my spren tells me that I should be able to. I didn't know until very recently how to heal injuries with stormlight, and even then, I'm horribly inefficient at doing so. Even as a Radiant, I'm a useless one."

Adolin stared. "'Useless Radiant'? Renarin, I've never heard of a more ridiculous term. There are only four living Radiants in the world that we know of, and you're one of them."

"And you're not," Renarin said. "I think we both wish that you were the Radiant, and not me. You'd be a lot more of a useful one. I can go insane at highstorms. That's my power as a Radiant. Father has the same 'power,' and he's not even a Radiant yet."

Adolin sighed. Putting a hand on his brother's shoulder, he said, "Renarin? You're a storming Radiant. Stop feeling bad about yourself. You have the capability to do amazing things, if you learn how. Maybe you should talk to the other Radiants, and Shallan can help you with the lightweaving that you said you're supposed to be able to do, or Kaladin can help you with the battle advantages that Stormlight is supposed to give you."

Renarin looked at Adolin, unimpressed. "That's what everyone says about my normal battle abilities: being a warrior is in my blood, what with you being a matter duelist and Father being the Blackthorn. I just need to learn how to overcome my blood weakness and tap into my potential. Same thing here: I have a lot I can achieve, but I need to learn how to overcome my… inability to do anything."

Frowning, Adolin ushered Renarin towards the door. "Just go. Now. Go talk to Father and Kaladin and Shallan. Assuming Father is successful at binding with the Stormfather, then the three of other Radiants are up at the top of the tower. You belong with them. You, like them, are part of the reforming Knights Radiant. You are not useless."

Renarin gave a humorless half-smile. "So you're OK with me being a Radiant, even when you're still not? At least one of us feels better after this exchange."

"Renarin! Of course I'm OK with you being a Radiant! You should stop being so—"

"No, don't worry. I'm going to meet with Father and the others now." Renarin reached for the door handle, but paused. "Seriously, though, I appreciate that you're always there for me to talk to. We're brothers, right? We have to stick together, even when we feel surrounded by these incredible people. It's wonderful to have a brother I can depend on—not as a beacon of strength and skill, as others see you, but as a confidant, one with whom to share my insecurities and stresses."

At last, Adolin smiled. "I have to agree wholeheartedly. Thank you, Renarin. Good luck."

With that, Renarin opened the door and left.

Published November 7, 2014