KKC Theory Wiki

Did Ambrose Secretly Dose Kvothe With Trust-Altering Alchemy?

fringe mechanism · popularity 109 · 1 source thread

The taste of lemons after Kvothe meets Ambrose may signal a hidden alchemical effect, not just a poison symptom.

About: Ambrose Jakis, Kvothe

Also involves: Fela, Abenthy, The Cthaeh, The Lackless Box, Alchemy

The theory§

During Kvothe's second hostile encounter with Ambrose Jakis, after Kvothe rubs his face his mouth tastes strangely of lemons, a sensation the narration flags as a side-effect Abenthy never mentioned for narlrout. This theory reads that pointed anomaly as authorial signposting that Ambrose has secretly dosed Kvothe with an alchemical compound, possibly one Ambrose meant for Fela to make her more pliable, rather than a mere poison symptom. The recurring lemon motif is marshaled as support: the Cthaeh is accompanied by a smell of smoke, spice, leather and lemon; the Lackless box holding her husband's stones gives off a maddeningly familiar near-lemon scent; Kvothe's own thrice-locked chest carries it; and Roah wood smells of lemon. The reasoning leans on Kvothe's repeated insistence that he is poor at alchemy, which is read as the kind of disclaimer that precedes a clue he himself misreads. A weighty objection notes that Kvothe's other symptoms, the dimming lights, the burning stitches, the sluggish thoughts, all set in before he handled Ambrose's candle, suggesting the dosing happened earlier or was simply narlrout.

Evidence§

  • I'm pretty sure the taste of lemons isn't actually a symptom of narlrout, and the reason why the author drew attention to it is to signal that it's an alchemical effect.
    OP's core claim: the lemon taste is authorial signposting of alchemy, not a poison symptom. — u/rio425ee
  • Which I think he had initially intended to use on Fella, to make her easier to manipulate.
    OP proposes Ambrose's compound was meant for Fela to make her pliable. — u/rio425ee
  • I'm proposing the placeholder name of Lemon-Bob for this hypothetical piece of alchemy that either surprises skepticism or increases trust
    OP names the hypothesized trust-altering alchemy and states its supposed effect. — u/rio425ee
  • It's after Kvothe rubs his face with his hands that his mouth tastes strangely of lemons—and is explicitly stated to be a side-effect that Abenthy had not mentioned. That line, more than anything, gives credence to your theory that there's more at play in this scene than what meets the eye.
    Commenter pinpoints the textual anomaly: a side-effect Abenthy never mentioned, supporting the theory. — u/Haiyichshmir
  • “I smelled a strange, sweet smell. It was like smoke and spice and leather and lemon.” … “A familiar smell I couldn't quite put my finger on. … something almost like lemon. It was maddeningly familiar.” … Cthaeh in the books equals lemon.
    CounterAlternative explanation: the lemon scent traces to the Cthaeh, not Ambrose's alchemy. — u/Anonymoushamric
  • There's also the fact that Roah wood smells like lemon, among other things. Could there be a connection there?
    Adds another lemon source (Roah wood), complicating the alchemy reading. — u/No-BrowEntertainment
  • the lights in the room seemed to grow dimmer for kvothe, burning sensation of pain from his stitches and his symptoms of sluggish thoughts happened before he got the candle.
    CounterKey objection: other symptoms began before Kvothe handled Ambrose's candle, undercutting the dosing timeline. — u/Haiyichshmir
  • now that you mention it, I always found her reaction weird. … Her behaviour in the library scene is not in line with her over-all character at all. … Ambrose isn't planning on using something on her, he has already used it, and that's why Fela is acting out of character
    Refines the theory: Fela's out-of-character library behavior suggests she was already dosed. — u/headnecklace

Book refs: NOTW

Tier reasoning§

tier confirmed: fringe, contradicted by symptom timing

Contributors§

Source threads§