Chapter 4: Halfway to Newarre
Halfway to Newarre with no luck is bartering himself a replacement horse earlier in the day, the sun was going to beat Chronicler in a race to the horizon and it was time to plan for the night. Stumbling around like a well educated buffoon, he spots a cloaked man sitting around a fire set in the ruins of house. Only two of its walls were still standing and Chronicler was getting hungry.
Startled, the cloaked man asks him why he's such a buffoon (more or less). Not wanting trouble, he apologizes for intruding, but it's too late for apologies--there were demons out there in the night.
"There's no such thing as demons," Chronicler scoffed like he had never scoffed before.
Appearing to appreciate a man who scoffs at such ludicrous superstitions (unlike the town-folk back home who tell ghost stories to each other while getting drunk on a nightly basis), the red haired man gives him quick instructions on what to do when they come.
"Scraelings," the red haired man corrected his earlier description.
And like a swarm of insects, five in total, the creatures begin skittering around them and their fire. One of the scraelings goes for Chronicler with unanticipated speed, knocking him to the ground. He does what he's told, but is soon knocked unconscious with a hit to the head. When he comes wakes, he finds that the scraelings had already been fought off and some of his injuries had already been bandaged. The red haired man then gives instructions to burn and bury the bodies.
Kote begins tending to his own wounds, removes his old blacksmithy gloves and reveals an equally old blacksmithy apron underneath his clothes.
(He came prepared.)
* * *
Best Day Ever
Just like his encounter with the soldiers and being robbed of everything of value, he now is injured and bruised after trying to warm up against a fire and possibly finding something to eat. Chronicler is prone to bad luck and together with his nonchalant attitude, I hope he never changes. At this point, I'm much more interested in him than in Kote/Kvothe.
Our Two Heroes (?) Meet
In chapter 2, I figured that Chronicler was on his way to interview Kvothe. Even though it was never said, I figured that this was the reason for his travel. But after this encounter, it's obvious that Chronicler that isn't in search of a red haired man who killed a king after all. Interesting.
Songs, Fables, and Stories
In these first four chapters, one of the big things that has stood out for me was the incorporation of songs, fables, and stories as part of the book's narrative. I think it's great. In chapter 1, you had Old Man Cob telling stories of "Taborlin the Great." Then in chapter 3, you have Kvothe outing himself with an extended version of "Tinker Tanner." And here in chapter 4, after Kvothe tells Chronicler instructs him on how to "burn and bury" the scraeling, Chronicler gives a laugh... "just like the children's song." All good stuff. It makes their world much more colorful.
Waiting to Die By the Wayside
Long time reader (and friend of the blog), Anonymous writes in response to some of my thoughts in chapter 1:
Gah I liked you for a second. He was a great and powerful man who has for all intents and purposes given up to play inn keeper. He is waiting to die by the wayside ;-) as opposed to fulfilling his destiny.
We learn more as we read.
Also hero do not commit suicide and allow innocents to die with them.
Well, he is a "kingkiller" after all. And like in Interview With a Vampire, whoever said the vampire being interviewed was the protagonist of the story? (Whoever said Kvothe was a hero?) Judging from the first four chapters of the book, I think Chronicler would do a fine job in filling the protagonist role in this story.
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