Chapter 134: The Road to Levinshir

Kvothe, Krin, and Ell make slow progress toward Levinshir, leading three Edema-trained horses. The roan, which Kvothe dubs Burrback, repeatedly strays, adding to the delay. To engage Ell, who remains dazed, Kvothe asks her to lead the gentle mare Greytail, giving her a simple, caring task that steadies her.

Exhausted and unable to nap while the girls walk, Kvothe broods over Alleg, the slaver he mortally wounded. He regrets leaving Alleg a waterskin, recognizing that it prolonged a painful death out of anger rather than mercy. He also relives the killings and the branding, fearing judgment for having slain women among the impostors.

That night, Kvothe dreams of hunting and killing, his victims’ faces shifting into those of his former troupe. He wakes to find Ell clinging to him, sobbing “no” in terror. He comforts her until she sleeps, and the act reframes his rage and guilt; after this night, his nightmares cease.

The next day they near Levinshir. Ell is quieter but more present, and both girls take turns riding Greytail as landmarks become familiar. Anxiety returns at the town’s edge: Krin fears her father’s anger; Ell despairs that no one will marry her now. Kvothe insists their worth is unchanged and that blame lies with their captors, not them.

Ell’s anger flares into hatred of men, which Kvothe acknowledges while asserting not all men are like their abusers. After water and a brief rest to steady nerves, Kvothe leads them over the rise and brings the girls home to Levinshir.