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Prologue Confusion (AFfC Spoilers)


Dornish Bannerman

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From what you've said here it sounds like you've finished Feast. So this explanation is spoiler heavy for those who haven't finished.

Yes, it's figured that the alchemist in the prologue is Jaqen. The description exactly fits the description of what his face looked like when he left Arya. So Jaqen kills Pate in the prologue. Then assumes Pate's face and identity and that's the Pate who Sam meets at the end.

Jaqen kills Pate.

Jaqen becomes Pate and meets Sam.

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Frankly, I didn't discover this myself aswell. Didn't notice that Jaqen was the Alchemist and I didn't notice that Pate died in the prologue but appeared again in Sam's chapter. Pathetic me.

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I skipped the prologue. It was too boring. Might be I'll go back and read it when I'm done, but fantasy prologues are usually boring and pointless, and even though so far in these books they have not been, I started to read this three times before I just skipped it and went into the main story.

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I too assume final chapter pate is probably Jaqen, or much rather noone. Syrio was also bravoosi, was he not? I'm wondering if he too may not have been Syrio at all, and much rather noone. In that case, Aryas deliverance to the god of many faces has been a long time coming.

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One thing is for sure, he is Jaqen, I've read some parts of the epilogue again, and Jaqen's apparition in aCoK, and the discription really matches, mainly because of his scar on the right cheek. Martin's words are not the same in both passages, but they are very alike, so the readers can figure it out. But who is Jaqen we can't know for sure. Though I don't believe he is Syrio, they might have some connection in the end.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Why does the Pate at the end have to be Jaqen taking Prologue!Pate's identity? There are several Pates in the series: Tommen has a whipping boy named Pate, the BWB finds Arya in a cornfield owned by an old farmer named Pate, and there are one or two others. So why can't Epilogue!Pate be a completely different Pate?

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let me pose a second question here then... why would jaqen want the key that pate gave him? this part still confuses me.

I don't have AFfC anymore (gave it back to the library & have yet to buy my own copy) but if memory serves me, Pate stole the key from the feeble/forgetful Archmaester Walgrave to give to the Alchemist/Jaqen. I'm guessing this key must open something that contains something that Jaqen wants.

The question for me is, who is Jaqen working for & what is that person plotting?

I have to say, I didn't pick up the Alchemist's true identity until it was pointed out in the Forum. I've taken to keeping short chapter notes about the things being revealed that might be of future relevance for just this reason.

I like the idea that Jaqen was Syrio Forel. That makes me think that someone is watching out for Arya since Syrio helped her learn to 'dance' & Jaqen was an instrument of her revenge and a key to open Braavo to her.

As for Faceless Men. I guess they have an original identity that never changes but they can assume the identity of anyone but unfortunately must kill them to do so. Certainly makes them ultimate assassins.

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Frankly, I didn't discover this myself aswell. Didn't notice that Jaqen was the Alchemist and I didn't notice that Pate died in the prologue but appeared again in Sam's chapter. Pathetic me.

to be fair i dont recall pate beyond all doubt dying...didnt it just say the ground rushed up to meet him?

dwd

we dont know how the coin works until very late in dwd right?

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Unfortunately, Syrio can't be Jaqen. Read Jaime's first AFFC chapter, when he is speaking to Longwaters.

I don't have AFfC anymore, could you summarize Jaime's 1st AFfC chapter?

I thought Syrio still being alive would be too good too be true. But his spirit will always live on in the knowledge that he imparted to Arya.

I guess I always feel that unless a POV character sees someone die, they may not be dead.

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