Jamie and Young Ian head out to see the Cherokee in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 14
We get a chance to see Jamie in his new role as Indian Agent in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 14. Of course, he takes Young Ian along with him for this first meeting.
The chapter gives us that first look at the line Jamie is going to need to walk. He needs to keep the relationship with the Cherokee since they’re his closest neighbors. At the same time, he needs to do the job he has been assigned by the new Governor of North Carolina.
The best thing he can do is take Young Ian with him. Young Ian can speak some of the language and will have other connections that will help keep the bond between the two neighbors. However, it’s clear that the Cherokee isn’t too happy about the entire situation.
This chapter includes a little bit of foreshadowing for Jamie and Young Ian. I’ll get to that when it comes to that section.
We haven’t seen this chapter used on the series just yet. I don’t think we will see it, and I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 14.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Jamie going to see two of the Cherokee men with Young Ian. They meet with Bird-who-sings-in-the-morning and his brother Still Water.
Jamie is there to discuss trade treaties. He also wants to find out if it is the Cherokee who have been burning down the homes. The two men don’t admit that they are responsible, but they also don’t deny it. It’s clear there is more to this plot.
The two pairs of men do manage to get some sort of initial agreement. There’s still more work to be done.
For the night, they’ll spend time in a hut. However, they’re shocked to find two women in the hut; two naked women! One woman wants to lie with Jamie, but he refuses. Young Ian points out that the women will still need to sleep in the hut. Does Jamie really want to send them out in the rain?
Before Jamie falls asleep, he thinks about how this is the first time he’s heard Young Ian really laugh since returning from the Mohawk. He doesn’t think too much of it, but it’s clear that there is something in this thought for Young Ian’s storyline.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. The first is this thought of the burning homes. Jamie wonders if it is the Cherokee, but there’s something in this conversation between them that it’s not the Cherokee. Someone else is up to something, and it connects to Young Ian almost being killed in the woods during the first chapter.
The other bit of foreshadowing that I see is in the comment of Young Ian laughing. It’s clear that Young Ian has been through something. There’s a reason he hasn’t laughed a lot at Fraser’s Ridge, but he feels comfortable around the Cherokee women. We will get more of this story in the coming chapters, and it is all about everything he lost after leaving the Mohawk.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
The chapter hasn’t been used in Outlander so far. I don’t think it’s going to be used. This is just one of those chapters that is important in the development in one specific storyline in the books. It’s a storyline that isn’t going to be used in the series. At least, I don’t see it being used.
The burned cabin was already brought into the story. It all connected to Hodgepile and Lionel Brown’s storyline. We just didn’t need a big focus on it in the series, and there won’t be much time to include it in Outlander Season 6.
There is already a lot more important storylines to add in. We need to see Roger become a minister and we have the Christie storyline.
I would love to see more of Jamie’s balance between everything he tries to do. I’d love to see Young Ian connect with the Cherokee neighbors. However, in the grand scale of things, this chapter just isn’t needed.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 14? Let us know in the comments below.
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