Moiraine and her Warder, Lan, begin ‘The Wheel of Time‘ by hunting for the legendary Dragon Reborn, who is said to have the world’s fate in their hands.
As the epic drama progresses, we learn more about Lan’s sad past and his apparent link to Malkier.
The more Moiraine and her group draw closer to the ominous Eye of the World and the Blight, the more Malkier appears.
So, what is Malikier, what happened to it, and what does Lan have to do with it? Let’s have a look.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Exactly Is Malkier?
Malkier is a nation located in the northwestern part of the Westlands, near the walled city of Shienar.
The kingdom was overrun by Shadowspawn from the surrounding Blight many years ago as a result of a coup and internal strife.
Malkier has been in the hands of the Dark One ever then and is uninhabitable for mankind.
The kingdom’s perilous location also puts it close to Shayol Ghul, and a massive black mountain is said to be the Dark One’s power centre.
We don’t get to see Malkier in Season 1, despite the fact that he is mentioned multiple times.
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While crossing the Blight on their route to the Eye of the World, Moiraine and Rand come across the crumbling Seven Towers, which mark the location of the kingdom’s previous capital, which is now in ruins.
The capital city, named after the Seven Towers, appeared to be encircled by multiple poisonous lakes that contained a lethal kind of Shadowspawn.
Malkier is characterised as an old kingdom rich in tradition in Robert Jordan’s book series, on which the show is based.
The men can be identified by the Hadori, a braided leather rope worn on their heads. Lan also wears the Hadori, which indicates that he is a Malkier native.
When the group arrives in Shienar, and the Warder runs into some old friends, further information about Lan’s link to Malkier begin to surface.
Is Lan the Malkier King?
The kingdom was controlled by Lan’s father, King Al’Akir Mandragoran, whose brother’s wife, Breyan, plotted against him, according to little we know of Malkier’s final days before it was overtaken by Dark forces.
She conspired to assassinate the King and his son in order for her own son, Isam, to be anointed, King.
A Darkfriend joined the plot as well, resulting in a terrible, if ultimately unsuccessful, coup.
Shadowspawn from the Blight were able to penetrate and overrun the kingdom during the tumult of the revolt.
Before being murdered while defending Malkier from the Dark monsters, Al’Akir named his son Lan the King of Malkier.
The little kid was subsequently transported to Shienar to be nurtured in safety, which explains why Lan still appears to have a strong bond with the guarded city when he meets Moiraine and her crew there.
In truth, the family Nynaeve sees him eating dinner with is the same one who reared Lan when his rightful kingdom was assaulted.
As a result, Lan is the lawful King of Malkier’s ancient realm, but his country is extensively diseased by the Blight and hence largely inaccessible.
After the Last Battle and the defeat of the Dark One, the Blight fades, and Malkier is once again a sovereign nation, ruled by Lan and his queen, Nynaeve, in Jordan’s novels.