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=== Assassination of Gavilar ===
On the night of Gavilar's assassination, Navani was organizing the preparations for the feast that celebrated the Alethi and Parshendi treaty. After speaking with [[Maratham]] about accommodations for the Parshendi and their drums, sheShe encountered Aesudan and two ardents in the palace gardens. She recognized one of the ardents as Rushur Kris, an accomplished artifabrian. Though she tried to speak with Kris about his discoveries, Aesudan used Navani's presence to abruptly end the conversation. Navani then approached the palace steward, who told her that Gavilar was missing from the celebration. Despite her irritation with Gavilar, she dealt with the guests' concerns during the feast, all while making small talk to cover the king's absence.
She eventually excused herself to find Gavilar, whom she discovered in her study. He was, speaking to [[Nale]] and [[Kalak]] there. Navani overheard parts of their conversation and glimpsed an array of violet-black spheres, which Gavilar had arranged on the table. After Gavilar dismissed Nale and Kalak, Navani expressed an interest in the spheres. Gavilar's rebuked her and put the spheres away. Thisrebuke initiated an argument between her and Gavilarthem, where they discussed Jasnah's failed betrothal to Amaram, Gavilar's disregard for her, and his plans for Alethkar. ThoughWhen Navani threatened to tarnish his legacy, Gavilar calledinsulted her aand whore,said questioningshe her past decisions and her identitywas asno atrue scholar. Once he left, an angry Navani inscribed a glyphward praying for his death and burned it. She returned to the feast to fulfill her role as queen.
Following the end of the feast, Navani washeard visited by a messenger girl, who brought her tofrom the grief-stricken palace steward. The steward told Navani that the Parshendi had assassinated Gavilar. Although Navani didn't believe what happened, the truth sank in when she saw Gavilar's broken body. She felt a pang of guilt over the glyphward, but soon realized she pitied Gavilar andinstead didn'tof grievegrieving for him at all. Navani vowed to herself that she would be the better person in this situation. In her estimation, letting Gavilar have his legacy andas pickingshe cleaned up the pieces aftermesses his deathreign was the best thing she couldhad domade.{{book ref|sa4|Prologue}}
=== Aftermath of the Assassination ===
=== Returning to the Shattered Plains ===
Navani's return to the Plains from Alethkar iswas three-fold: she brought word that the [[Veden]]s had perfected the [[half-shard]]s, she wishes her son to be protected, and she needs to speak with Dalinar.{{book ref|sa1|22}} She also realized that leaving the Plains had been a political mistake because the warcamps became the true center of their kingdom. While in [[Kholinar]], she determined that that Aesudan was sufficiently endowed with the requisite skills needed to hold the city. (The very argument that had originally convinced Navani to return to Kholinar was that the Alethi absence from their homeland was dangerous.){{book ref|sa1|22}}
Later, she confessesconfessed to Dalinar that the real reason of her return iswas the feeling of not having a home. ExpectedThe court expected to sit out of important events because her husband iswas dead. LoungePeople believed that she would lounge around, pampered but ignored and, making people uncomfortable with her presence.{{book ref|sa1|61}}
=== Recording Dalinar's visions ===
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