So I’ve seen a bit of debate and (understandable) outrage over the fact that along with the Falchion, what remained of Molly’s Summer’s Dance sword is at the bottom of the kiln now, too. While it’s inherently sad (for both us and Fjord, I imagine) to lose another piece of Molly when we don’t have that many left in the first place, here’s my one overarching thought on the matter:
Molly would’ve fucking loved it.
Mollymauk Tealeaf, a person so wholly and completely at odds with the concept of ever being truly bound to anything. Who shed all of his past lives like layers of clothing and said: this body is mine, it belongs to me and me alone. If there’s one association we can make with Molly from his time with the Nein, it’s between him and freedom. Freedom from his aforementioned past, freedom from legitimate roots in any one place (going from town to town with the carnival? come on), even freedom from the gender binary. Molly. Did. Not. Like. Being. Shackled.
Now flash forward: Molly is dead and Fjord honors him the only way he knows how, by carrying his blade. Physically making it a part of himself. The Falchion and the Summer’s Dance are one, because at least Fjord knows the Falchion isn’t going anywhere. He’ll always have a piece of Molly by his side.
But the Falchion has other ties, too. Ones no one could’ve predicted would become so strong. The Nein’s grief over Molly came before they ever stole a ship and became pirates, don’t forget. Fjord couldn’t have known when he took on the Summer’s Dance how frighteningly manipulative Uk’otoa was. He didn’t even know his patron’s name. So while Molly’s memory naturally fades with time, the negative association with Uk’otoa and, most importantly, the sword and all it stands for, amps. All the time they’re at sea, on Darktow, even to when they’re in Xhorhas and Fjord’s powers are ripped from him. The sword is just another link to a patron that has him bound and chained.
Fjord throwing the Falchion into the kiln was an act of liberation. There’s no question. He takes the first step in freeing himself from Uk’otoka, sheds Vandren’s accent, and reclaims his own personality, for better or for worse. This is what Molly was all about, in the end. Answering to no one and making no apologies for who you are. If the Summer’s Dance, in any form, was some kind of shackle for Fjord I have no doubt Molly would’ve actively encouraged him to destroy it.
So if Fjord couldn’t honor him by sword, he’ll do it by setting himself free in Molly’s name, and hope that’s enough. And I think for that, somewhere, Molly is really fucking proud.
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