KKC Theory Wiki

Kote's Bitter Laugh After the Soldier Beating Echoes the Cthaeh's Promised Joke

plausible connection · popularity 130 · 1 source thread

Kote laughing while beaten by soldiers is the Cthaeh's foretold 'joke' about forgetting who he is.

About: Kvothe, The Cthaeh

Also involves: The Amyr, Maer Lerand Alveron, Vintas, Denna, Bredon, The Penitent King

The theory§

This theory connects the bitter, private laughter Kote gives after being beaten by two of the king's soldiers in WMF chapter 136 to the Cthaeh's parting promise in chapter 104 that Kvothe would eventually 'get the joke' and 'laugh when the time comes.' Because Vintas is ruled by the so-called Penitent King, whose nickname carries a religious cast, the theory wonders whether the king's soldiers might in some sense be styled as Amyr, making their beating of Kvothe the dark punchline. A simpler and bleaker reading sits closer to the text: the soldier sneers 'who do you think you are?', and Kote, after taking the beating, chuckles a jagged, joyless sound and admits, 'Forgot who I was there for a minute.' The irony is that he truly is Kvothe and should have been able to handle two soldiers with ease, yet as Kote he no longer knows how. The Cthaeh's actual words tie the joke to the Amyr and the Maer, hinting the true punchline concerns Bredon, who lives near the Maer, uses a walking stick, and vanishes when Denna does.

Evidence§

  • In WMF chapter 136, Kvothe get beaten up in his inn by two soldiers and, lying on the ground, starts to laugh : "it was a laugh, full of dark amusement, as if the red-haired man had heard a joke that only he could understand".
    OP's core observation: Kote laughs darkly after the soldier beating. — u/Mez_008
  • I couldn't help thinking it was a reference to WMF chapter 104, when the Cthaeh told him : "remember what I just said. Eventually you’ll get the joke. I guarantee. You’ll laugh when the time comes".
    OP links the laugh to the Cthaeh's foretold joke. — u/Mez_008
  • since the current king of Vintas is nicknamed "penitent king", which implies a religious aspect, could his army be nicknamed as "amyrs" as a prolongation of his holiness, hence the "joke" ?
    OP speculates the king's soldiers could be styled as Amyr. — u/Mez_008
  • “Damn fool. Pasty little innkeep against two of the king’s own.” He shook his head and spat again. “Honestly, who do you think you are?” … He chuckled again, a jagged, joyless sound. “Forgot who I was there for a minute.”
    Refines: the joke is self-contained, triggered by the soldier's taunt. — u/endor-pancakes
  • He thought he was Kvothe, not Kote, the bitter irony being: he _actually_ is Kvothe. Or should be, he just doesn't know how anymore.
    Explains the irony: he is Kvothe but no longer knows how. — u/endor-pancakes
  • That's a great catch. … But I'm not convinced this was the joke. … I don't see what these things have to do with the kings' men. Maybe the Amyr were the King's own?
    CounterCounter: doubts the soldier scene is the joke; ties it to Amyr/Maer. — u/qoou
  • I personally think it’s a reference to Bredon who lives near the Maer. He uses a walking stick and coincidently when Denna leaves Bredon is also gone from town. If he was one of the Amyr it would also explain why he’s so secretive to Denna … I’m assuming the (dark) joke comes when Kvothe realizes the person he played games with is also the person he was looking for
    CounterAlternative: the real joke concerns Bredon being an Amyr. — u/sirbfk

Book refs: WMF, WMF ch 104, WMF ch 136

Tier reasoning§

tier kept: plausible cross-reference of two text moments

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