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The King Kvothe Kills Is Cinder Possessing King Roderic Calanthis

fringe identity · popularity 117 · 1 source thread

Kvothe kills the king because the king is Cinder, a skin dancer posing as Roderic Calanthis and Denna's patron.

About: Cinder, Roderic Calanthis, Kvothe

Also involves: Denna, Auri, The Lethani, Maer Lerand Alveron, Ambrose Jakis, The Chandrian, Skin Dancer

The theory§

The king Kvothe is destined to kill is here identified as Cinder, wearing the body of King Roderic Calanthis of Vintas and acting as Denna's mysterious patron. Cinder is taken to be a skin dancer who, like the demon in the film Fallen, leaps into a new body the instant his host dies, which would let him survive the killing that earns Kvothe his name. The theory adds that Auri is Cinder's daughter, and that Kvothe destroys this innocent through rage or a lapse from the Lethani. The chief supporting consequence is dynastic: with Calanthis dead, Maer Alveron — who funded Kvothe — would stand to inherit the throne and become the Penitent King, which fits the known shape of the story. The objections are heavy: a Chandrian could not plausibly hold the throne of Vintas and vanish for days on murderous errands, and if Cinder is also the bandit leader in the Eld he would be stealing his own taxes; competing readings place Ambrose Jakis, who boasts of being twelfth in line, on the throne instead.

Evidence§

  • Kvothe kills the king because it's Cinder, AKA King Roderic Calanthis, AKA Dennas patron.
    OP's core claim: the king Kvothe kills is Cinder wearing Calanthis and acting as Denna's patron. — u/tp3000
  • I STILL see Cinder being a skin dancer, AND LIKE THE MOVIE FALLEN WITH DENZEL WASHINGTON, Cinder jumps out right before he dies.
    Mechanism: as a skin dancer, Cinder leaps to a new body before the host dies, surviving the kill. — u/tp3000
  • Auri being the daughter of Cinder FITS, I can see Kvothe killing this angel because of a mistake or because of his rage and not following the Lethani.
    OP extends theory: Auri is Cinder's daughter, killed by Kvothe through rage or a lapse. — u/tp3000
  • the biggest connection with Calanthis being the king that Kvothe kills is that it makes perfect sense for the Maer to become the penitent king. … with Calanthis' death, the Maer would be king.
    Supporting consequence: killing Calanthis lets Kvothe's patron the Maer inherit the throne. — u/ASeaofStars235
  • My question would be what makes you think that Cinder is a skin dancer? We never hear about Bredon or the skin dancer in the Waystone Inn having all-black eyes.
    CounterCounter: no evidence Cinder is a skin dancer; the black-eyes tell is absent. — u/ASeaofStars235
  • how does the king explain it when he suddenly disappears for days on end on some murderous jaunt on the other side of the Four Corners? … Kinging is not an absent job. I don't think it stacks up under scrutiny.
    CounterCounter: a Chandrian couldn't credibly hold the throne while leaving for murderous errands. — u/RoxtaBoxta
  • We have good reason to believe that Cinder is the bandit leader in the Eld. … If that is so, then Cinder is stealing taxes from himself.
    CounterCounter: if Cinder is both king and Eld bandit, he absurdly steals his own taxes. — u/MahoganyPinceNez
  • I always had this idea that Ambrose somehow ended up king (he loves to brag he's Twelfth in line) and Kvothe would kill him.
    CounterCompeting reading: Ambrose, twelfth in line, takes the throne instead of Calanthis. — u/nickynick15

Book refs: WMF

Tier reasoning§

tier verified: stacks Cinder-as-king plus Auri-as-daughter, both speculative and countered in-thread, fringe is correct

Contributors§

Source threads§