Contents
Chapter 107: Fire
Overview
Kvothe returns from the Fae to the Pennysworth and finds his companions recounting his apparent loss to Felurian. He reveals himself, unsettling the room with his changed manner and living shaed. After confronting a skeptical fiddler, Kvothe crafts a palatable tale of his escape, restoring his reputation. Losi claims him afterward, underscoring the profound, disorienting shift Felurian left on Kvothe.
Summary
Arriving at the Pennysworth after nightfall, Kvothe senses something wrong: the taproom is silent as everyone listens to Marten recount how Kvothe chased Felurian. Tempi explains his training against temptations, while Dedan—his arm broken during Hespe’s intervention—confirms Kvothe ran after the faerie. The company describes finding Kvothe’s torn cloak, presuming him lost.
Kvothe enters, announces himself, and immediately feels dislocated by the mortal world after his long stay in the Fae. Human sights, smells, and customs seem absurd, and he briefly fights wild laughter. Regaining control, he confronts the room’s doubt. A hawk-faced fiddler, Ben Crayton, calls him a liar, nearly provoking a fight with Dedan before Kvothe defuses it.
The shaed’s unnatural motion alarms patrons, drawing Penny, the innkeeper, who recognizes Kvothe through his new beard as the “fresh-faced” lad Losi had pointed out weeks before. Losi and Penny perceive a “fae look” in him, and Penny silences the skeptic. Losi challenges Kvothe about Felurian’s beauty; Kvothe answers carefully, flattering Losi without denying Felurian’s allure.
Pressed to explain, Kvothe chooses a story the room will accept: he pursued Felurian, pleased her with love and music, fought her with magic when she refused to let him go, and won mercy, gifts, and a shadow cloak. He omits the stranger truths, blending mythic beats to convince the crowd.
Afterward, Losi takes Kvothe upstairs. He reflects on how mortal passion can rival faerie lovemaking, likening lovers to instruments with different music. The night with Losi underscores both his maturation and the lingering, unsettling transformation left by the Fae.
Who Appears
- KvotheReturns from the Fae changed; displays his shaed, counters a skeptic, tells a tailored escape tale, and spends the night with Losi.
- LosiRed-haired serving girl; recognizes Kvothe’s change, challenges him about Felurian, and claims him after his story.
- PennyInnkeeper; recognizes Kvothe, quells the skeptic, and lends credibility to Kvothe’s story.
- Ben CraytonHawk-faced fiddler; denounces the Felurian tale as lies, is overruled, and storms out.
- DedanBig mercenary; arm broken after Hespe restrained him; defends Kvothe’s honor and nearly fights the fiddler.
- HespeMercenary; prevents Dedan from chasing Felurian, effectively breaking his arm; sits possessively by him.
- MartenTracker; recounts Kvothe’s pursuit of Felurian and the party’s search and findings.
- TempiAdem warrior; explains his discipline against temptations and admits he might have followed Felurian too.