Samwil Hark

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Author: Kyria d'Oreyn

General

Samwil Hark is a remarkably successful cutpurse in Caemlyn, Andor. He is average-looking with brown hair and eyes; no feature stands out at all, so he is easily forgettable (KoD, Ch. 16).

Hark has lasted at least twenty years as a cutpurse, although he acts like he is about to trip over his own boots half the time; his ordinary appearance is presumably one of the reasons for his success. He is a collector of purses he cut and has well over a thousand of them. Hark knows how to talk his way out of things, although his arguments do not always work. He claims to be a clerk; however, he does not have a neat hand and his way of speaking is not always grammatically correct. He is going to be employed in Halwin Norry's services (KoD, Ch. 16; Ch. 31).

He cannot ride very well, which he has no need to as a cutpurse (KoD, Ch. 31).

Timeline

  • Hark claims that he did not take part in the rioting in Caemlyn, but that he wore Queen Morgase's colors (KoD, Ch. 16).
  • A rival cutpurse hoped to lessen his own sentence by telling on Hark, otherwise the Guards would not have caught him. Halwin Norry takes him to Elayne in chains. Hark claims that he is innocent, but everything speaks against him: In his rooms, thousands of neatly cut purses were found, which Hark has been picking up as a sort of amusement, according to him. Next to that, there were coins to the value of one hundred twenty gold crowns hidden everywhere; Hark excuses this to be an inheritance from an aged aunt, which he did not trust to bankers. The investigation showed that Hark did not know inheritances had to be registered. He also claims that he worked for Wilbin Saems as a clerk, until the merchant's death. Elayne tells him that he will either hang or can agree to finding out where Doilin Mellar goes at night. If he does, he will only be exiled to Baerlon. Hark agrees to follow Mellar and Elayne weaves a Finder around Hark's clothes so she that will always know where he is. Birgitte then orders Afrim Hansard, a Guardsman, to arrange for Hark to see Mellar's face (KoD, Ch. 16).
  • Eleven days later, Norry takes Hark to Elayne again. Hark reports that Mellar often goes to a house in Full Moon Street. He does not know who lives there, but he saw two Aes Sedai (Falion and Marillin) letting Mellar in. After giving this information, Hark hopes to get rid of the Finder, but Elayne wants him to take her to the house first. When Elayne asks him if he would not prefer staying in Caemlyn than to being exiled, Hark says he always wanted some fresh country air like in Baerlon, but in reality he only wants to get rid of the Finder. Elayne is certain Hark would try to escape from Baerlon after the Guards' backs are turned and then he would hang for breaking his exile, so she asks Norry if he could not use a man with Hark's talents, which he Norry apparently can. Overwhelmed, Hark says that he needs something to drink and Elayne lets him have a cup of wine before he leads them to the house in Full Moon Street (KoD, Ch. 31).
  • He wants to slip away after the Warders run off into the night, but two Guardswomen seize him on Birgitte's orders (KoD, Ch. 32).

Quotes

"'I picks them up when I sees one, I does, my Lady.' Hark spread his hands as far as his chains allowed and shrugged, the very image of injured innocence. 'Maybe it were foolish, but I never saw no harm. Just a harmless sort of amusement, my Lady.'" (Hark on collecting purses; Knife of Dreams, Chapter 16)