Jamie and Claire run down all the times he’s almost died in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 13
Jamie and Claire run down things they’d been up to during the day in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 13. It leads to a question about how many times Jamie has died.
We know a couple of chapters ago, Jamie thinks back to a time in France. He remembers a fortune-teller going through how he has nine lives. Understandably, he’s been thinking about that off-page, and it comes up during this chapter. He wants to run through just how many times he’s died.
Jamie doesn’t class everything that Claire would. I’m sure he doesn’t class everything we would, either. However, it’s clear that he’s wondering if this fortune is going to turn out to be true.
There is a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. We know there are more deaths to come. Well, more near-misses at the very least.
It hasn’t been used in the TV series just yet. I don’t think the show will make a huge deal of this chapter in Outlander Season 6, but there is a way to include it. I’ll touch on that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 13.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire and Jamie running through their day. Claire tells Jamie all about Lizzie’s malaria and the attempt to help her and mentions Bobby Higgins’s hookworms. Sometimes I do have to question her telling Jamie so many details. I guess she doesn’t believe in doctor-patient confidentiality in this time. She should even keep some of these details from Jamie!
She does go through some of the treatments that she did come up with. Lizzie’s treatment could be delivered topically instead of orally, while she’s figured something that she can use to get rid of the hookworms.
After getting caught up on that, we move on to Jamie asking about all the times he’s nearly died. He runs through the four times that he and Claire can immediately remember. We have the abbey after Wentworth Prison, Culloden, Laoghaire shooting him, and the snake bite.
He refuses to accept the night he met Claire as one of those times he nearly died even though he almost bled to death. Claire does bring up the time Dougal hit Jamie over the head with an ax. He has to include that, so he’s used five of his lives up.
He doesn’t tell Claire about the fortune-teller. She’s not really sure why he’s thinking about this, but she points out one thing. He is a difficult man to kill, and she’s grateful for that.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is some foreshadowing in this chapter when it comes to Jamie’s near-death experiences. There are still more to come. We know there are some that happen in the books, including one that happens in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.
I’ve always questioned, though, whether some of the times Jamie doesn’t count do actually count. What about the fever he got while he was at Fort William? And shouldn’t he count being shot when Claire had to treat him?
I guess we’ll find out when it comes to the end of the books. What happens on that 10th “near-death” experience? Will Claire be able to bring him back?
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
The chapter hasn’t been used yet, but it could be used in Outlander Season 6. I do think this has to be worked in carefully, though. It’s not all that important to the main plot and more of a chance to learn a little more about Jamie’s life before Claire.
So, it’s more likely that it can be used when Jamie’s injured. He can bring up the fortune-teller and run through the times he’s almost died with Claire. It wouldn’t have to take up a lot of time and would be a great Easter egg for book-first fans.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 13? Let us know in the comments below.
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