Pate (novice)

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Pate
Pate TheMico.jpg

Alias Cressen
Title Novice
Allegiance The Citadel
Culture Westermen
Born In 281 AC or 282 AC[1]westerlands
Died In 300 ACOldtown
Book A Feast for Crows (POV)

Pate is a novice of the Citadel. He is the POV Character of the Prologue of A Feast for Crows.[2]

Appearance and Character

Pale is pale, soft, and pasty-faced.[3]

Pate used to dream of being a maester in a castle, respected and admired. His duties include looking after old senile Archmaester Walgrave, who sometimes thinks Pate is someone called Cressen, and tending the ravens in the Ravenry. The white ravens know his name, and often quork "Pate, Pate, Pate" whenever they see him. Pate is afraid of Maester Gormon, who once accused him of theft.[2]

History

Originally from the westerlands, Pate is named after the folk hero Spotted Pate, the pig boy, but he hates it when people refer to the story. He has not earned any links for his maester's chain in five years at the Citadel.[2]

Recent Events

A Feast for Crows

Pate has met a person who calls himself an alchemist, who has promised Pate a golden dragon coin if he brings him the personal key of Walgrave in three days. The personal key of an archmaester can open any lock in the Citadel. Pate thinks about this offer for two days, as he does not want to be a thief. However, he needs the gold to claim the maidenhood of Rosey, the youngest serving girl of the Quill and Tankard. Pate dreams of running away with Rosey, and serving the smallfolk with the medical knowledge he has learned at the Citadel.[2]

On the third day, Pate is with his friends, Alleras, Mollander, Armen, and Roone, in the Quill and Tankard, celebrating Alleras's newly acquired link. They meet Leo Tyrell, who mocks them and claims he will have Rosey. Shortly afterwards, the other boys go back to the Citadel, leaving Leo and Pate, who is waiting for the alchemist.[2]

Eventually, Pate thinks that the alchemist will not show up, and heads back to the Citadel. Outside the inn, he runs into the alchemist, who has Pate follow him into a narrow alley. The alchemist gives Pate the coin, and Pate bites down on it as he has seen others do with gold coins. Pate asks the alchemist to show his face, which is revealed to be that of a young man. He has a slight scar on his right cheek and a hooked nose, while his hair is thick, black and curly.[4] Pate does not recognize him, and asks who he is, and the alchemist replies, "A stranger. No one. Truly." Pate gives the alchemist the key, thus proving himself to be a thief. When Pate leaves, he falls to the ground, his legs weak and his heart hammering, and dies. His last thoughts are of Rosey.[2]

Later, Samwell Tarly comes to the Citadel and meets Alleras, Leo, and a boy calling himself Pate, "like the pig boy."[3]

Quotes

Ebrose might not think him worthy of the silver, but Pate knew how to set a bone and leech a fever.[2]

—thoughts of Pate

He had no time to think about it, to weigh his choices. The alchemist was walking away. Pate had to follow or lose Rosey and the dragon both, forever. He followed.[2]

—thoughts of Pate

References

  1. See the Pate (novice) calculation.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 A Feast for Crows, Prologue.
  3. 3.0 3.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 45, Samwell V.
  4. This description matches the appearance that Jaqen H'ghar takes when he changes his face before Arya Stark in A Clash of Kings, Chapter 47.