Kile Woodwork is the son of Marlee and Carter Woodwork. He is one of the main secondary characters in The Heir and The Crown, as he participates in Eadlyn's Selection. He is one of the six Elite and the top two along with Henri Jaakoppi.
Biography
His mother was in the Selection for Prince Maxon and was best friends with America Singer before she fell in love and got married to Carter, who was a guard. After the Selection, they became the first two casteless citizens of Illéa by King Maxon and decided to spend their lives as palace attendants, so that they may remain at America's and Maxon's side. Kile was born a year after their marriage. He also has a younger sister by four years, Josie.
According to America, while Kile was a baby, "he was the only male who regularly spent time in the Women's Room without expressly asking for permission". Once as a baby, he crawled on the set of The Report and Gavril Fadaye held him for the closing of the broadcast. The Woodwork family still lives in the palace on the same floor with the Royal Family. Thus the Schreave and the Woodwork children have been raised together almost like siblings.
Kile is studying architecture and design. For six months before the beginning of The Heir, he had gone to Fennley to enroll in some accelerating course in architecture, and his mother had been lamenting his absence ever since the day he left, until he returned some days before the beginning of Eadlyn's Selection. Kile has wanted to leave the palace for a college education, but his mother has been reluctant to let him.
Even though Kile and Eadlyn have been raised together in the palace, the two of them have had a hateful relationship for ages. However, a mysterious someone placed his name in the drawing, and Kile was chosen to participate in the Selection, much to his and Eadlyn’s resentment. During this time, though, the two began to know and to take a liking to each other, though Eadlyn had denied liking any of the Selected Men. They shared three kissing sessions. The first was a staged one, with a hidden photographer, in order to give some romance to the public. The other two were more spontaneous and heated, away from the public.
They gradually learned to talk to each other: Eadlyn shared her thoughts and some secrets about the Selection, while Kile liked "to show his designs to her and laugh with her". When he first asked her about her feelings about the Selection, Eadlyn dismissed his question, mocking him and declaring he is not her boyfriend. However, she later admitted that she was glad he was selected, as she felt very comfortable talking with him, sharing activities together and being herself around him. Kile comforts Eadlyn when the press criticizes her, declaring that he is in the Selection for her and he also wants to participate in the contest. He reveals to her a design idea to create small houses for industrial workers in the poorer provinces.
Features
Kile has blond hair like his mother and blue eyes like his father. In the beginning of The Heir, he didn't care so much about his clothes or hygiene. Eadlyn noted that "Kile's hair flopped across his eyes... He was in desperate need of a cut and a shave, and his shirt was too big for him". However, after being Selected, with the mandatory styling of the Selection, he now wears suits and he styles his hair back, so his eyes are actually apparent. He has a crooked smile like his father has.
Eadlyn has described him as 'handsome' and he is thought to be very good-looking.
Trivia
- He has known Eadlyn since they were both in diapers.
- His name means "strait, narrow, channel" in Scottish and in Irish "narrow land, handsome" . It also means "church or wood" in Gaelic, which matches his last name.
- He is the first one of the Selected Men to kiss Eadlyn.
- He has a middle name that does not start with an "A".
- Thanks to King Maxon and Queen America, his parents Carter and Marlee Woodwork, had the honor of becoming the first casteless citizens in Illéa, before the abolishment of the castes was even announced publicly. Thus, their son Kile was one of the first children in Illéa to be born without a caste. If the castes were still in place, Kile would be a Two.
- The Barnes & Noble edition of The Heir in USA includes a written conversation between Kile and Fox Wesley, after they fought with Burke Renn. It can be read here
- He did not put his name in to compete in Eadlyn's selections, his sister, Josie did.
- It is stated in the bonus epilogue of the Barnes and Noble edition that Kile is married to a girl named Alice.
- Kile was one of the citizen's favorite competitor in Eadlyn's Selection, similar with his mom Marlee who was also a Favorite before being caned.
- He and Eadlyn had their first kiss when he was 6 and she was 4.
- He tells people that his first kiss was with the daughter of the Saudi prime minister.
- According to Kiera Cass, "Kile was supposed to be spelled Kiel, but I was assured by everyone that you would pronounce it Keel, so it was changed. I still like Kiel better."
Quotes
- "Right. Because I'm such a simpleton. It's a miracle I manage to bathe myself." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "You're not a queen yet, Eadlyn. Take it down a notch." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "I'm tired of [the palace]. I'm over the rules, I'm over being a guest, and I'm so over your bratty attitude." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "You are exceedingly spoiled... But you are tough, because you have to be. You are going to be the queen, and while I've seen things unfold in the palace, I've never actually had the weight of your work on me. It's not fair for me to judge." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "I have a vague recollection of you running around in nothing but a diaper. It was a good look." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "Kile’s messy room was one of the most comfortable places I’d ever been." — Eadlyn
- "You are so spoiled and you are so obnoxious... but I'm here." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "I want to travel, I want to build, I want to do more than read about things. Sometimes I think one more day behind these walls might kill me." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "Behind the books and the snippy remarks there was a curious, engaging, and sometimes very charming person." — Eadlyn about Kile
- "I stared into his eyes. How had I ever thought he was anything less than smart and funny and handsome and kind?" — Eadlyn about Kile
- "Kile leaned down, lips meeting mine, holding them there. Then his lips parted, and closed, and parted again. I drew a breath in the moment between kissing, sensing he would come back again. He did and thank goodness, because I hadn't been kissed like this before and I needed more. The few times I've kissed boys were rushed, sloppy moments hiding in a coat room or behind a statue, but this with so much air around us and no one coming to check on me was different. [...] He pressed his mouth to mine again and I was so surprised to get another kiss like that. It felt like my bones were turning into mush. I wrapped my fingers up into his hair, shocked at myself for having the urge to hold him in that pose all night." — Eadlyn in her kissing scene with Kile Woodwork
- "Okay, if clothes are coming off, we really ought to go to a room. And you should probably know my middle name." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "See, this is why you stick with butter." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "Don’t let this stuff get you down. You’re bigger than the Selection." — Kile to Eadlyn
- "I remembered how angry I was when I saw his name come up the day of the drawing, like I was being cheated somehow. Now I didn’t care how that form ended up in the pile; I was just glad it did. I hoped that he felt the same way." — Eadlyn about Kile
- "I think [the Selection] will be a perfect launching pad for him. Kile has always been smart, and I cannot imagine him and Josie living their lives in the shadow of the Schreaves. With the interviews and specials we air, I’m hoping his skills will be seen, and this will lead him to a life outside the palace walls, which is all he wants in the world." — Ahren about Kile