We find Kote leafing through a book in the inn two days after chapter one's felling night. Graham brings a mounting board he's made of roah wood and engraved with "Folly." To Graham's eye, Kote looks sickly and hollow - noticeably less vibrant and alive than he had even a month ago. In his mind, he compares him to a wilting plant. This echos the "cut-flower" of the prologue.
When Bast becomes aware of the mounting board, he is seriously freaked out. He demands to know what Kote is thinking.
Kote's reply is very interesting: "I tend to think too much...My greatest successes came from decisions I made when I stopped thinking and simply did what felt right. Even if there was no good explanation for what I did. Even if there were very good reasons for me not to do what I did."
Hmmm.... The rest of this book will tend to show that a false notion, I suspect. I'm thinking of when he used sympathy to link the air in his lungs to the air around him with nearly fatal consequence. More on that in a few chapters.
But then, in "A Wise Man's Fear", we see him transition to Lethani driven "Spinning Leaf" state. Maybe this is what he's on about here?
Either way, after hanging the board behind the bar, Kote asks for the sword, which Bast has been keeping under his bed. From what is described, it really sounds like a sound the caliber of Caesura. Ancient but not worn. At least the handle and hilt are different. But the blade is of that caliber.
Personal thoughts: Caesura was given with the understanding that when he died, it would return to the Ademre. What if he faked his death? Would it then be returned? Or do the Ademre know the difference between a faked death and a real death? If the latter, did they alter the sword's appearance to protect him?
After hanging the sword on the mounting board, and going about the normal chores, they receive the visit of a caravan. This brings Kote a bit out of his funk, as there is much to do and the caravan reminds him of times long gone.
"For the first time in a long while there was no silence in the Waystone Inn. Or if there was, it was too faint to be noticed, or too well hidden."
As the evening progresses, there is music and singing, and then they sing "Tinker Tanner." This is the first mention of this standard, but it won't be the last. And as Kvothe had spent considerable time with his friends making up new verses for it, it is no surprise that Kote sings more verses than anyone here had ever heard before.
Unfortunately for him, this causes him to be recognized by a well-dressed and mannered sandy-haired man, who calls him "Kvothe" and "Kvothe the Bloodless" for the first time in the book. He had heard Kvothe sing in Imre. It had moved him to cry his eyes out. It had broken his heart.
More interestingly, the boy claims to have seen where he killed "him", and says that the cobblestones by the fountain where it happened are broken and cannot be mended.
Who did Kvothe kill there? Is this an exaggeration of the time he calls the wind and breaks Ambrose's arm? Could be, especially if Ambrose is the king he kills (and it really strikes me as being likely he is). Or maybe this is where he killed someone. Would this be the king (there are no kings in the commonwealth), or the Poet (remember Old Cob calls Kasura [Ceasura] the Poet-Killer)?
Nice foreshadowing either way.
Rather than deny he is Kvothe, Kote takes it as a compliment, and says that they say he looks a lot like the Kvothe. He then fakes a re-injury of the knee he says he got an arrow shot in three years ago so he can excuse himself.
He tells Bast he's been recognized and sends him to drug the sandy-haired boy to sleep. Bast spreads a false cover story for Kote's life, and sees to the caravan before they depart in the morning.
Kote has been flirting with Kvothe. He is mounting a sword that if it is recognized could mean his death in the common room. He is singing, and apparently in a voice that is clearly Kvothe to those who have heard him sing before. Is this why there is "of course" no music in the Waystone Inn?
After they are gone, Kote gets some pig iron and a used up smith's apron and forge gloves from Caleb the smith, purportedly to deal with a bramble patch. Caleb questions taking on such a task when the ground is so dry. Kote says, "In autumn everything is tired and ready to die." Wow.
He closes up early for the first time ever. Bast it worried.
Other points of interest in this chapter: The first time we hear the children chant about the Chandrian.
One of the many scars on Kvothe's body is neither smooth nor silver, but no further explanation is given.
We get to see a real tinker at work for the first time.
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