A friend of mine texted me saying, “The sexual buildup with denna, auri, fela and devi is getting crazy. Who’s he gonna [sleep with] first? Auri? Fela? Devi? Denna?” I’m gonna tackle this as a lit-guy and try to set my moral biases aside. There are some minor spoilers for WMF (at the start) so be on your gaurd.

This question, at its heart, has a flaw.

One could say, “Kvothe’s a fifteen-year-old kid, so he can’t possibly start sleeping around yet,” but this is a bit naive. I’ve heard this used in some other arguments, and people who say things like this aren’t paying attention to the main character or the world around them. Fifteen-year-olds have changed a bit since the last century, but they’ve also stayed the same. Same hormones, greater access to anything they can get their hands on. I discard this objection.

One might say, “Kvothe’s interested in the Chandrian only, he won’t waste his time with trivial things.” Okay, if there is a stoic in NOTW or WMF, it’s not Kvothe. This is a troubadour we’re talking about, one of the passionate Ruh. He might like books, but he’s no stoic or cynic. He’s a beer-drinking, song-singing, who… lady-loving gypsy at the end of the day.

No, instead it has to do with conflict of interest(s).

It won’t be Auri, obviously, because of her innocence. We’re talking about a girl who will run away if Kvothe even speaks during dinner, hiding under the Underthing for days. Remember: food = communion. How a character eats with another character shows their relationship. When they eat together, there’s no words shared. It’s a fun, playful, relationship of mutual acceptance where they’re content to sit in each others’ presence in silence. She’s timid. She’s scared. She’s a little kid in woman’s body. Not Auri.

Devi won’t work. Because she’s dangerous? Yes and no. No, because danger can be a “sexual calling card” for people, as my friend said in a later text, and Kvothe seems to find some mild attraction in that. Yes, because Kvothe’s brilliant and knows how to keep himself out of trouble. The biggest weight on his shoulders during the deal with Devi was his blood. If she got a hold of something else of his, despite her courtesy and honesty, he’d still feel that pressure. Despite the danger, manipulation like that’s a huge no-no for most guys (Kvothe included). Devi’s out.

Fela? This seems a responsible choice considering the encounter at the end of Name of the Wind, but think with a literary mind again. We’re at the end of the coming-of-age book, and Fela stands there as a sign of his childhood passing away. He’s already got a chance for it in Wise Man’s Fear, and said, “it would be like swallowing a rock. I just can’t do that.” While he’s under the influence of a plumb-bomb. Why can’t he? I think because he’s contrasting Fela with Denna.

Denna. Oh Denna. Obvious choice. Obvious love. Obvious insatiable hunger  to find her, pursue her, chase her down, hold her hand, even to get one solitary kiss from her. But no, that can’t happen. At least not all the way. Why?

Think of how he talks about her at the beginning, wrestling through how to describe her, about her flightiness, about how it all potentially began with her. These are not the words of someone who simply loved and lost, but someone who loved the one who got away and lost.

My conclusion? There won’t be a major sex-scene or whatever in the kingkiller trilogy that relates to plot or main character.

Looking forward to your thoughts both here, on the post about Rothfuss’ use of “shattered” and for your comments and questions on the discussion post.