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I'm reading the Heritage series, and finally got to Talismans of Shannara. There's a part of Chapter 2 that is just awkward for me. Par, Damson, and Padishar are all running from some Federation soldiers. Damson gets separated from the other two. Par says something to Padishar about having to go back for her, to which Padishar responds "Keep running, Valeman, before I forget who you are!" I don't understand this threat. It doesn't seem to be discussed later on. So why would he threaten Par?

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  • We only have 20 or so questions about Shannara, so it seems like we don’t need a tag for each individual book. Feel free to add it back in if you feel differently, though.
    – Adamant
    Commented Oct 3, 2016 at 20:55

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The actual dialogue is ""Keep silent, Valeman, before I forget who you are."

The context that you're quoting is also different. The escape is mostly complete; Padishar and Par are with the Mole and still moving, but lost Damson in the chaos of the tunnel battle and flight. Par is angry about losing Damson and is hissing at Padishar that they should have gone back for her.

In that context, Padishar is equally as angry, and doesn't really need Par's attempts at being Captain Obvious and his backseat hero ideas. Padishar was there to get both of them free of the tunnels, and only managed to get one, and he has a stronger connection to Damson. The threat is telling Par to shut the hell up about something Padishar already feels all too keenly.

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  • I can see that. It still felt odd to have such a violent sounding threat toward Par with no discussion about it later, you know? Like, a "WTH was that back there?" type of thing. And what would Padishar have done had Par continued his "We have to save her" mentality? Just really an awkward exchange.
    – PiousVenom
    Commented Oct 3, 2016 at 16:29
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    @MyCodeSucks - He probably would have knocked him unconscious and then dragged him to safety while pondering whether he was worth it. Padishar has been leading rebels for some time and is skilled at violence and planning; Par might be running the advanced survival course in this plot but his big skill is ... singing. They're allies, and if friends, Padishar is more friend to Damson than he is to Par. You might be right, it could still be awkward; I've yet to meet a perfect writer.
    – Radhil
    Commented Oct 3, 2016 at 16:41

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