Young Ian gets back to Fraser’s Ridge with his head injury in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 3
Claire and Jamie get back home to find they have a visitor in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 3. Then Young Ian turns up with an injury.
We know Young Ian was injured in the first chapter of the book. It wasn’t clear then whether that took place in the current time or on the way to the Ridge after leaving the Mohawk village. This chapter confirms when it took place in the story, which connects to the burned-down cottage in the second chapter.
This wasn’t a chapter used in the series though. Not yet, at least. I don’t think it will be, and I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section.
As for foreshadowing, it clearly sets the seeds for a few things to come in the novel. I’ll admit that my memory is hazy when it comes to A Breath of Snow and Ashes and the next two books. It sets up something that I can’t quite remember.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 3.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire and Jamie getting home. Donald MacDonald is waiting for them, and he notes that Lizzie has gone off to her fiance’s home with her father. That’s left him to his own devices while waiting as Mrs. Bug is getting on with things around the land.
Donald has come from New Bern, which is where the new governor lives. It’s clear that the reason of the visit is due to something in New Bern, which doesn’t sit well with Claire. Donald and Jamie later go off to talk business, but not before Young Ian turns up with the wound on his head. Rollo is definitely worried.
Donald thinks that it’s a tomahawk, and it’s clear that he hopes that it is. However, Claire and Jamie both note that it looks like a branch hit his head and caused the head wound. Young Ian will have a concussion and he needs stitches, but that’s it.
I love that we see Young Ian and Rollo’s bond in this chapter. Rollo refuses to leave Young Ian’s side until he knows that Ian is safe. Even just being around Claire doesn’t settle him all that much. He needs to know that Ian is going to live and by knowing that, he can now have some food.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
The foreshadowing in this is clearly in the tomahawk comment. Donald wanted it to have been a tomahawk far too much, making it clear that there is trouble with the Native Americans in the area. There is a new governor, so that probably isn’t all that surprising.
What trouble? This all gets explained in the coming chapters. And really, it’s not the Native American tribes that are causing the trouble. Not that I can remember. This all links back to that Dutch cabin from the second chapter. I’m sure it does. Again, though, my memory on some of A Breath of Snow and Ashes is hazy as it’s been so long since I read it the first time.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
The chapter wasn’t used for the series. The business with Hodgepile’s group wasn’t as big of a deal in the show as it was in the books. That’s not surprising considering how much time it takes up and how little time there was in the show. Lionel Brown taking Claire was for a different reason, one that suited the storyline within the series.
Will we get to see this chapter? Well, since Hodgepile’s story is done with, probably not. There are ways to still include it, but it’s not all too important. And we probably won’t see Donald MacDonald as he’s really more of a supporting character every now and then. We haven’t seen him yet, so there’s no need to add him in for the sake of Outlander Season 6.
I don’t mind this change. The show has such little time to work with, and the parts of the story that need to be included are more important than some of these side stories.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 3? Let us know in the comments below.
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