The Wise Man's Fear

Stapes helps Kvothe learn local etiquette to prepare for the banquet. At the dinner, he is seated next to Meluan and is struck with a sense of familiarity. They banter and Kvothe discovers she hates the Edema Ruh, but despite that they have a good time. After dinner, Kvothe drafts letters and songs, giving Alveron wooing instructions.

Kvothe spends his days with Denna, using his affection for her as inspiration to write for Meluan. Denna vanishes after two weeks and Kvothe experiences writer’s block. To clear his head and lose dependency on Denna, he pretends that Caudicus still poses a threat to Alveron and offers to make him a gram.

Kvothe makes Alveron’s gram and starts on his own, but still experiences writer’s block. Denna returns and, with her, his inspiration.

Denna writes for Kvothe late one night and they meet. He smuggles her into Alveron’s gardens for a stroll and shows her the selas flower, a night-blooming flower that he once told her reminded him of her. She comments that he is unique amongst her companions who are men and has never pressured her, a conversation that grows romantic until they are interrupted. They hide in the bushes while Alveron walks by with Meluan.

Kvothe stops the story and brings out cards just as the mayor enters to use Chronicler’s services. Bast and Kvothe wait in Kvothe’s room, where Kvothe asks him to break into his thrice-locked chest. Bast fails.

Kvothe finishes writing a song and goes to Denna but sees her walking through the streets and decides to follow her. He watches her intercede between a girl and a man, then take the girl to an inn. He follows them inside and eavesdrops on their conversation.

Denna finishes her first composition and asks Kvothe to listen. However, the version of history she represents is not the version Kvothe knows, which is linked to the Chandrian. They fight. Afterwards, Kvothe tries to write a letter explaining that his family was murdered by the Chandrian but cannot find his words.

Kvothe drinks until Alveron visits him and bemoans the bandits attacking his tax collectors. He believes that magic is involved and asks Kvothe to accompany a team to deal with the bandits. Kvothe agrees, although internally expresses frustration. He meets up with the other four mercenaries and they leave town.

Kvothe acquaints himself with his new companions: Tempi, the red-wearing quiet Adem mercenary; the loud and hot-tempered Dedan; the reserved woman Hespe; and the tracker Marten, who Kvothe notes should be the leader of the group. They run into a tinkerer, one of the rare class of merchants who are widely regarded to be fair and deserving of respect. Kvothe purchases some needed items and arranges for a letter to be delivered to Denna.

Kvothe uses magic to light a fire, much to the disturbance of his traveling companions who have never seen the arcane before. It takes two days before they relax again. Kvothe tries to bond with Tempi.

They arrive at the Pennysworth Inn and experience some tension about finances. A woman flirts with Kvothe but his inexperience makes him fumble the interaction. Marten and Kvothe talk about Hespe and Dedan, who have feelings for each other but seem unaware of the other’s affections. Later, Dedan loudly talks about their task of finding bandits with local farmers. Kvothe distracts him by talking about the barmaid, then smoothly asks him to ensure the rest of the group does not talk about their plan, mitigating the tension.

The group gets to know each other as they travel. After five days, they find a long stretch of road that is likely for bandits, and Kvothe establishes a plan that surprises the others with his knowledgeability. Dedan and Tempi have an altercation when Dedan insults Tempi’s capability, but the fight turns playful and they reconcile.

Marten teaches Tempi and Kvothe how to track people through the underbrush.

As they watch over camp, Tempi teaches Kvothe Ademic. They have a pleasant time miming and teaching each other, but when Kvothe asks him to sing a song, Tempi gets embarrassed.

At camp that night, Dedan tells the story of Felurian, a Fae woman who kills men with intercourse. Hespe is offended and hurt by his descriptions and storms away, leaving him confused and hurt as well.

Kvothe and Tempi continue their language lessons as they move camp. Kvothe makes some wax sympathy dolls as Tempi bathes. Kvothe realizes that Tempi’s hand fidgeting is emotional expression, explaining why his face is so stoic. Kvothe learns that the Adem think of everyone else as barbarians. Kvothe mimics Tempi’s stretching routine but finds it difficult.

The group continues to tell stories around the campfire, even though 12 days have passed and tensions increased. Kvothe tells a joke story that only Tempi likes. After the others go to bed, Kvothe ruminates with Marten about the nature of impossible questions and has sudden perspective on Elodin’s teaching style.

Tensions continue to rise as they keep searching the woods and find no hint of bandits. Tempi starts to teach Kvothe his stretching ritual. Marten arrives with an old plant that dies when it encounters humans, then reinforces the ancient wildness of the forest they have arrived in.

Kvothe pauses his story once again when a young couple and their children arrive to use Chronicler’s services. After they leave, Kvothe and Bast explain the difficult taxes of recent years. Kvothe notes that he has a different perspective on his bandit-hunting actions now.

After 20 days of searching, Kvothe hears a story he has never heard before from Hespe about a boy who fell in love with the moon. Midway through the story, Dedan interjects with his frustration at their slow searching pace. Tempi breaks the tension with a joke and Hespe promises to retell the story the next night.

Tempi and Kvothe go to town for supplies. They stop at an inn for a meal and there is unease with Tempi’s presence. A man berates Tempi and fights him with two companions. Tempi wins handily. As Kvothe and Tempi walk back to camp, they speak of the Lethani, a way of thinking and fighting. Tempi summarizes it as “doing right things” (649) but claims he cannot teach it because he is a man. Kvothe struggles to understand the mindset.

That night, spirits are high and Hespe finishes her story, which is an explanation to explain the changing cycles of the moon. The next day, it begins to rain, ending the good mood.

On the 28th day as Kvothe and Dedan are fighting, Tempi arrives and shares that he has killed two men. Kvothe, Tempi, and Marten go into the woods to track the bandits, ordering Hespe and Dedan to guard camp.

Kvothe studies the bodies as Marten finds the trail. They realize they are being followed and set up a trap, only to recognize Dedan and Hespe. Kvothe is outvoted about keeping the group together and taking care of the bandits that night, so makes them swear to follow his orders. Tempi, Kvothe, and Marten continue towards the bandits, kill a sentry, and lay eyes on the encampment.

When they see the encampment, they realize that they are outnumbered. Marten goes to send Dedan and Hespe back to camp. Kvothe and Tempi make plans to kill off some of the bandits and flee when Marten reappears, unable to find the other two. The encampment awakens as bandits react to Hespe and Dedan, who are fighting a sentry on the other side of the camp. Kvothe uses the body of the dead sentry to cause injuries to the living ones, then uses sympathy to snap the bandits’ bowstrings. He begins to experience binder’s chills, having had to use his own energy to create magic. Knowing that he will die from shock or the bandits, he uses an arrow and a tree to call down lightning.

Kvothe fades in and out of unconsciousness and listens to Marten tell Dedan he will never speak of what he saw Kvothe do.