Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
The Farseer Trilogy
by Robin Hobb
The first series in Robin Hobb's larger Realm of the Elderlings universe, The Farseer Trilogy follows FitzChivalry Farseer - bastard son of Prince Chivalry. Called Fitz, the boy is treated as an outcast and blamed for his father's abdication of the throne. Until his grandfather, King Shrewd, senses that he may be useful to the country. Fitz is then trained as an assassin but that is not his only skill, and he just may be the one person able to save the country from ruin.
In this world, the nobility of the Six Duchies are named after attributes you would want a leader to have. For example, we start the series with King Shrewd, Prince Chivalry, Prince Verity, and Prince Regal. It is unclear if naming the child forces them to exemplify the trait subconsciously or if there is some sort of magic that leads them to personify their name, but it seems that the person really does embody the trait they are named for.
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Prepare for all the spoilers. Fitz begins to write the history of the Six Duchies, but it is impossible for him to do so without reliving his own history somewhat. When he was six years old, his grandfather deposited him at the closest home of the royals, where he could be cared for by his father. His father was the heir to the throne, the king-in-waiting, Prince Chivalry, who was not present at the time. Chivalry’s younger brother, Prince Verity, met the boy first. Verity had the child taken to Burrich, the man who tended to Chivalry’s dogs and horses and hawks… and apparently now also his son. Burrich placed the boy where he thought he would be safest, in the stables with the dogs, where Fitz quickly became warm and bonded with a pup named Nosy. That is Fitz’s first memory. He has none of his mother, other than her voice crying behind him as his grandfather dropped him off. His next memory is of meeting his father’s youngest half-brother, Prince Regal. Regal told Verity that the king, Shrewd, had ordered Fitz to be brought to Buckkeep (the capital of the Six Duchies and were the king sits in state) the next time Verity comes. Shrewd believes that the boy will prove to the people that Chivalry can father children, although he and his wife Patience have been trying unsuccessfully for years. Or perhaps it will lend Chivalry some compassion from the populace, seeing that Chivalry is also able to make mistakes sometimes. But Fitz does not get to see his father. In fact, by the time Fitz gets to Buckkeep, his father has already relinquished his claim to the throne and taken his wife to live as Lord and Lady of Withywoods, a sad end to the man who had been a warrior and excellent statesmen, who was supposed to be king, but who willingly gave it up. His brother Verity became King-in-waiting and Fitz never met his father, only knowing what he looked like from portraits. And yet everyone at the court knew who Fitz was, and what he had caused. Burrich takes Fitz to Buckkeep. At the moment the child has no name (his grandfather didn’t give them that information) and is called Fitz only by Burrich. Fitz has taken to Nosy the puppy and the two are practically inseparable. They are paid no attention by anyone in the keep and eventually make their way out into the port town, where they become part of a group of beggar children. One of the children, Molly (who the other kids call Nosebleed) has a drunken, abusive father and another, Kerry, teaches Fitz to charge to carry messages for others. Fitz and Nosy run around with this group of children until Burrich realizes what’s happening and pulls them away. That is not suitable for a child of Prince Chivalry! As Burrich lectures Fitz and punishes him, he notices something strange about relationship between the child and the puppy. It is as if they are sharing a mind. Burrich realizes that Fitz has the Wit, a power that allows him to speak to animals and use their senses as his own, even to access their memories. People with this gift slowly degrade into madness, becoming wild themselves, and they used to be killed for having it. When it’s clear that Fitz doesn’t understand why using the Wit is wrong, or why it’s dangerous. Plus, he and Nosy have become too enmeshed together. It hurts Burrich, but he knows what needs to be done. When Burrich tries to separate the two, Fitz repels Burrich’s body with just a thought. Burrich warns him not to do that again, but Fitz does not listen and finds himself repelled by Burrich instead, causing him terrible head pain. Burrich takes the puppy away and locks Fitz in the room, coming back only after he’s killed the puppy (regrettably but he insists to Fitz that there was no other way). After that, Burrich tries very hard to make sure Fitz doesn’t form any attachments to animals. For a couple of years, Burrich keeps Fitz close by. Fitz sleeps in his quarters and follows him during his tasks, learning how to care for the animals. Fitz occasionally manages to scurry off and visit his friends in the port town, but it is not often. Both he and Burrich are lonely, Fitz for obvious reasons and Burrich because his master had left him behind to care for his son, while an injury he has sustained does not allow him to hunt or ride and causes a limp when he walks. Burrich feels like less of a man than he used to be. Until one day, the king notices Fitz. King Shrewd is walking with Regal and points out the boy, asking Regal what he would make of Fitz. He can either care for Fitz and groom him into a man that is loyal to the family, to potentially perform jobs that need a delicate hand but are too dangerous for an actual prince; or he can cast Fitz aside and allow another to take Fitz under their wing, who may not have the Farseer family’s interests at heart and who may poison Fitz against them and use his royal blood for their own gain. The king then bids Fitz to approach him. He announces that he will care for Fitz from then on and if anyone tries to coax Fitz away, Fitz should let the king know right away. It’s about time. The next day, Fitz’s life changes. He is now to live in his own room at the keep, have his own horse (her name is Sooty) and the lessons that come with the responsibility of owning a horse, weapons classes with Hod (a woman!), math and writing and reading and history classes during the winter when he can’t be outside as much, and probably classes in the Skill later on - a gift through the Farseer bloodline. Fitz has already learned who at the keep to avoid: the Queen, Regal, Cob - Burrich’s apprentice who is jealous of the attention Fitz receives. Now he adds Brant to the list - an errand boy at the keep who dislikes Fitz for no particular reason. The first day that Fitz’s new education starts, he is shown his room at the top of the keep, complete with a tapestry of King Wisdom befriending the Elderling and the bed for just him. He is too tired to do anything but wish he had a life that wasn’t so lonely. Fitz gets a new wardrobe, in which the fancy versions of his clothes have the king’s emblem just like the princes wear, but with a red line crossing through it to indicate that he is a bastard. Burrich says that if he doesn’t like the sigil, he could choose a name and an emblem of his own - it’s likely that the king would give it to him. But Fitz doesn’t know what he would choose anyway, so he leaves it. In other even more depressing news, the name Fitz is commonly used to indicate that a child was born out of wedlock. It is usually attached to their father’s name, i.e. FitzWilliam. But only Burrich, and now Hod, calls him Fitz, no one else calls him a name at all. Fitz asks what happened to his father that he would set aside his chivalry and have a child out of wedlock, but Burrich has no real answer about that. Just that Chivalry was young and far from home. After having his new schedule for a while, Fitz is woken in the night by a man standing in his room. He beckons for Fitz to follow him through a secret door in his room, not even giving Fitz enough time to change out of his nightclothes first. They go to the top of one of the keep’s towers where the man finally introduces himself. He is Chade and he’s to be another of Fitz’s teachers. He will teach Fitz how to be an assassin, on the king’s orders. He will teach Fitz everything he needs to know but it will be up to Fitz to decide, when the moment comes, whether or not to use what he knows. Chade also mentions in passing that Galen refuses to train Fitz in the Skill, though Chade thinks that is foolish – Fitz didn’t even know it was on the table. Also, these assassin lessons are to be absolutely secret. They work for a few hours before Chade allows Fitz to go back to bed. In the morning, Fitz is very late for his lessons with Burrich. But something about Chade has loosened Fitz’s tongue and he’s much more talkative, he and Burrich discuss Chivalry and what his leaving meant for Burrich. Fitz begins to enjoy his nighttime lessons with Chade and no longer feels so alone. He excels at his studies - learning plants and their uses, how to steal, how to make friends and get information, how to get around undetected, how to observe, and how to lie. And how to take orders without questioning them. Until one night, Chade tells him to steal something from the king’s room. It doesn’t have to be big or important, it can be anything - but it’s the best guarded room in the keep and it will test Fitz’s skills unlike anything else. But Fitz refuses. He made a deal with the king, and this feels disloyal. Chade throws him out of the room and does not come and get him the next several nights. Fitz believes Chade will never return for him and feels alone again but even worse this time, as if everything he was becoming was worthless. He stops eating, barely gets out of bed. He hears people talk around him but can’t tell if it’s real or a dream. Then Burrich comes for him, and Fitz eventually leaves his bed to work in the stable. He cares for a puppy that likely would die without intervention. Fitz nurses the puppy to health and stays in the stable for a few days, being kept too busy to think. After a few days, Burrich lets Fitz get drunk and deposits Fitz in his room to sleep it off, but Fitz doesn’t sleep. He cries. For the first time in his memory, he cries for the child who was repeatedly abandoned. Then Chade comes in and holds Fitz as he cries, insisting that he will not be tested like that again. One morning not long after that, Fitz is called to see the king, who serves Fitz breakfast himself. He explains that it had been his idea, not Chade’s, to test Fitz’s loyalty. A king cannot be too careful, but it will not happen again. At the end of the meal, Fitz meets the king’s eyes and takes the little silver knife off the tray as the king watches. When he is next called to Chade’s lesson, Fitz places the silver knife on the mantel - imbedding the blade into the wood there. Fitz begins his winter lessons and takes to them as well as he has everything else. In fact, he does so well learning his letters that Fedwren, the head scribe, asks if Fitz would be interested in becoming his apprentice. It would allow him to see the world as they traveled together. But Chade counsels against it. Things are difficult at the moment. A drought in the south, the mountain people are less than thrilled about the use of their mountain passes, the trade fees keep rising, the outislanders are raiding more often so the coastal towns want warships to fight back while the inlanders say that the king only worries about the coast and they definitely don’t want to spend money on warships which may push them into war. A bad time for a bastard, when unhappy people may think Chivalry could have led them better, and if they can’t have Chivalry then perhaps his son would be suitable replacement. It is better for Fitz to stay where the king can see him and make sure he isn’t causing trouble; it will keep him safest. But Fedwren asks Fitz to go to town and get some supplies for him anyway, and Fitz is delighted that he may see some of his old friends. As he’s getting the supplies, he runs into an old merchant woman from the mountains who keeps saying “keppet” to him and then gets into a fight with the woman next to her. He leaves quickly and sees Molly “Nosebleed”, who he barely recognizes. He walks her back home, and they catch up. She asks him to read a few of her mother’s notes to her since she cannot read herself. He does, several of which are recipes, but the last is a note about the day Molly was born and how perfect she was. Her mother called her Molly Nosegay. Molly is overwhelmed and gives Fitz a few candles in thanks. On the way back up to the keep, Fitz sees Verity and Regal riding hard for the castle. They stop when they see him and tell him they just received word - Chivalry is dead. The word is that Chivalry died from a fall from his horse but neither Burrich nor Chade believe that. Chade tells Fitz to be careful, but Fitz is angry. Why should he mourn a father who didn’t care about him? Chade knew Chivalry well and points out that perhaps Chivalry did care and that was why he abdicated and left, so that no one would pay any special attention to Fitz. To keep him out of danger. Chade believes that whatever happened to Chivalry came from inside the keep and Fitz guesses the queen, but Chade has no proof of that. Either way, Fitz will be wary of the queen from now on. One day when Fitz goes to the stables to work, Burrich sits him down to teach him “manners”. Greetings, protocols around meals, etc. Fitz is to be joining Verity on a journey to the Duchy of Rippon, to Neatbay to see Duke Kelvar. He is in charge of three watch stations on the coast that serve to warn of raiding outislanders. The duchy to the south, Shoaks, says that Kelvar has been shirking his duty. The tower on Watch Island has twice not alerted them to raiders and it has caused a great deal of damage. Verity and his entourage are to go and suss out the truth of this claim. Chade later tells Fitz everything he needs to know. They (meaning Chade and King Shrewd) do not know the reason the Red-Ship Raiders come and destroy everything they see. They are not raiding and taking what they need, grain or sheep or goods, but laying waste so that the towns cannot be repaired. They do not fall for any traps laid by King Shrewd; it seems that the raiders are too familiar with the strategy that he and his advisors have been using. Is Kelvar working with the raiders for some reason they don’t know of? Fitz is to go as an attendant to the elderly Lady Thyme who has relatives in Neatbay. Fitz is to skulk around and see what he can find out. If Kelvar is innocent, do nothing. If he suspects that Kelvar is working with the raiders but have no proof, do nothing and report back to Chade and Shrewd. But if you are certain of Kelvar’s treason, then take care of the problem right away. Chade gives Fitz a powder that is undetectable in food or drink and would kill Kelvar a few hours after he ingested it. Fitz is thirteen years old at this point, probably. Before they leave for Rippon Duchy, Fitz has a run in with the king’s fool. It turns out the man is very well spoken and gives Fitz a message: Fitz fixes feists fits. Fat suffices. No one knows what it means but the Fool thinks the message is for Fitz since the jester knows no other Fitzes. The journey to Neatbay is awful, mostly because Fitz has to attend to a cranky old lady. When they arrive at the keep after depositing Lady Thyme at an inn, Fitz finds out that he’ll be staying in Verity’s room to attend to whatever Verity needs done. At dinner, Fitz meets Duke Kelvar and his wife, Lady Grace. The lady is much younger than the duke and is ostentatiously adorned in jewels. Fitz overhears complaints about brigands on the inland roads, repairs not being done to roads or buildings, shipments being brought in late, and he suspects that the money to fund repairs and soldiers is being worn by Lady Grace - not that she realizes it. He doesn’t think she has any idea of her responsibility to her people, likely being much lower born than her husband. Fitz gives his report to Verity that night before bed. While Chivalry was a soldier and a statesman, Verity is just a soldier and does not think like Chivalry did. Verity plans to tell Kelvar to do his job and put guards in the tower, but Fitz (like Chivalry) sees there is more work to do than just that. They need to find a way to get Kevlar to man the tower well (not just put untrained people there), take care of the roads and buildings and soldiers, keep his pride intact, and teach the duchess of her duty as well. Fitz wakes up starving and sneaks out of Verity’s room to the kitchens. While he’s finding food to eat, a serving maid comes down with a little dog she calls Feisty who she claims is dying. When Fitz takes a look, he realizes the dog has something stuck in his throat - probably a bone. He reaches into the dog’s mouth but can’t dislodge the bone, so he loosens it up using butter and then grabs the bone with a piece of hooked metal, pulling it out. The dog immediately settles down and Fitz chastises the girl. The dog should only eat red meat and not from the table! It’s then that he realizes the girl is no serving maid but Lady Grace. Fitz gives her a message inspired by his talk with the Fool, telling Grace that he had a dream. In that dream, she inspired Kelvar to post guards, and man the tower, and repair the walls and roads. That both her people and the king loved her in this dream. He suspects that she likes the vision he paints of her, and he may have just fixed the problem they were sent for. Fitz fixes feists fits, fat suffices indeed. He goes back to bed but is awakened soon, Lady Thyme needs him. He rushes into town to find that Lady Thyme is a complete ruse - it’s Chade in disguise! He came to listen to the women’s gossip and glean what he could from them. And he comes with bad tidings. The Red-Sail Raiders have struck again, but this time very close to Buckkeep. They’ve taken hostages and sent word to the king: bring them gold and they’ll kill the hostages. Don’t bring it and they’ll return the hostages to town. That’s not the way it’s supposed to go. In addition, as the message was given, the raiders all laughed maniacally. That does not bode well. Chade and Fitz need to head there immediately and find out what’s really going on. And how did the raiders know Verity would be away from Buckkeep right now - or was that a stroke of luck? And how did they get so close to Buckkeep undetected? Chade and Fitz ride hard but not too hard, yet Fitz notices that Chade’s health is deteriorating in front of his eyes. By the time they get to the boat, Chade’s skin is ashen and he’s barely staying on his horse. They rest on the boat, and the next time Fitz sees Chade, he looks so much better. But then Fitz smells the carris seed on Chade’s breath and understands that he’s taken a stimulant. Burrich has warned Fitz of carris seed and given him instructions to never purchase an animal that has been given carris seed because that animal will never be the same afterward. When Fitz questions Chade, he brushes Fitz’s concerns away. He explains that the hardest part of their journey is coming up and then they’ll ride hard to the town of Forge which the hostages were taken from. When they arrive in Forge, the raiders’ ship is already gone, and the hostages have been returned. When Fitz asks where the hostages are, Chade looks at him like he’s lost his mind. That’s when Fitz realizes for the first time that he really is different from everyone else. He can feel bonds, which he thinks of as strings. He knows when someone is coming up the stairs or is about to open the door. It’s how he knows there’s one more puppy in the litter hidden in the straw. It’s how he reads people, seeing the strings that attach them to the world and to other people. But the hostages that were returned have no strings, not to their families, not to their friends, not to the world at large. He would not have even realized they were even there if it weren’t for Chade. But now that Fitz notices them, he realizes that the hostages are no longer really people - baser than even animals. He takes Chade’s reins and quickly rides the horses away in a panic. Chade doesn’t understand, he’s sure it’s just the aftereffects of what has happened to them making them act so strangely, but Fitz knows the truth. As they ride toward the boat, they come upon some of Forge’s villagers who were not taken hostage but are now abandoning their homes and the family members who were just returned to them. The villagers see Chade and call him the Pocked Man, a legendary harbinger of disease. They chase Fitz and Chade away. The last thing they need right now is a plague. After careful thought, Chade knows that Fitz was right about the hostages. The fact that the hostages’ families left them behind tells him that. Soon the carris seed leaves Chade’s system and he’s barely able to ride his horse. They make it back to the boat and then back to Rippon Duchy, where they stay in “Lady Thyme’s” room for a few days to recuperate. Fitz goes into the town (it takes him less time to get back to normal) and he hears that Lady Grace has already done what she was supposed to, there are rumors of guards being hired and repairs about to be made all around. But there are also rumors of Red-Ship Raiders near Buckkeep. In the time that follows, they will hear more rumors: of the Pocked Man spreading his disease across the country and of the horrors that happen near Forge. Of the Forged (what they call the return hostages) and what they do to the people they meet. Stories so bad that Fitz does not like to think of what happens there. So bad that people avoid Forge at all costs. Chade decides to speak to the king and demand that Fitz learn the Skill. Bad times are coming, and they need to prepare while they can. Fitz returns to Buckkeep with the rest of Verity’s retinue. Over time, people start to refer to the hostages returned by the Red-Ship Raiders as “being Forged”. Another town is hit, but they kill their Forged people when they’re returned. Then another pays to have the raiders kill the hostages instead of returning them. Then a fourth, who chain their Forged people up in the hope that their senses will come back to them, but time passes, and the Forged do not get better. The general populace grows weary and blame the king as he does nothing. Chade says it would be better to have a show of strength and threaten the raiders, or declare an edict of what the towns should do if raiders come, or give money and weapons for the citizens to fight back. Literally anything would be better than what Shrewd is doing - nothing. In other news, Shrewd refuses to have Fitz trained in the Skill and Fitz starts to take walks with Molly on an almost nightly basis. Chivalry’s widow, Lady Patience, comes to Buckkeep and meets Fitz almost immediately, though he doesn’t realize who she is. They meet a few more times and eventually, she demands to know what skills Fitz has. Can he dance, sing, play an instrument, recite verse? All no. She declares this is unacceptable and marches off. It’s only later that day, when Burrich returns from a month abroad and sees Patience’s horse Silk, that Fitz realizes who she is. Later that day, Chade gives Fitz some new information. First, Chade is a bastard himself - Shrewd’s older half-brother. Also, Patience has demanded that Shrewd acknowledge Fitz as Chivalry’s son and heir and have him trained as such. Shrewd refused to name him Chivalry’s son or heir, saying it could start a civil war, but did agree to allow some training. Patience will see to Fitz’s princely training herself, except for the Skill. Patience has also convinced Shrewd to have Fitz trained by Galen in the Skill, starting in a month’s time. Upon hearing this, Fitz recounts what he knows of Galen. He is private and ostentatious, unkind to those who he perceives as lesser than himself and who cannot fight back, and he was loyal to Shrewd’s second wife, the late Queen Desire (he still wears a necklace she gifted to him with three stones on it) and because of that loyalty, Galen favors her son Regal. Chade explains that while Galen was loyal to Desire, he was infatuated with Chivalry. He loved Chivalry to an unnerving degree. And somehow, because of that, it seems that Galen absolutely hates Fitz. Perhaps he blames Fitz for Chivalry’s death. Chade warns Fitz to be careful of both Patience and Galen. Before their meeting is done, Fitz reveals that the king’s fool sometimes talks to him. Fitz likes this, it makes him feel a bit important. That of all the people available, the Fool chooses to speak to him. Chade is delighted by this surprise information but cautions Fitz to continue to keep it secret. Fitz’s lessons with Patience start - but Patience is a scattered person in general and exceptionally scattered when it comes to Fitz. The first thing she does is give him a small black puppy that Fitz decides to hide from Burrich for the time being. She asks Fitz what his name is, but he tells her to call him “boy” like everyone else. She is appalled and decides to call him Thomas instead. She then asks what skills he has, what he’s been educated in. He tells her about everything - except for his training with Chade. She dismisses him, seeming almost ashamed. Fitz assumes that she is ashamed of him, but really, she is ashamed of the way he has been treated and her role in that treatment. That night he cares for his puppy and tries to think of a name when the Fool shows up. The Fool suggests something like Anvil since Fitz will be strengthened by his love for the puppy. The Fool also tells Fitz something important. Patience has never hated him, though she hated the fact that he belonged to another woman who could give Chivalry the child that she could not. She had even wanted to raise Fitz as her own, but Chivalry would not allow it since it would look like he was formally acknowledging Fitz. He was worried it would put Fitz in danger. And Patience also feels guilty and wants to keep a piece of Chivalry near her. She knows that if she had not accepted his abdication and they had stayed in Buckkeep, it would not have been so easy for “them” to kill Chivalry. Fitz decides to name his puppy Smithy. Patience has Fitz try several instruments and recite several pieces of poetry but never gives Fitz enough time to really get the hang of it. One evening, Patience’s maid Lacey brings Fitz the sea pipes he seemed to enjoy best of all the instruments he tried. She encourages him to work on it a bit and then show Patience his progress. Patience wants Fitz to succeed so that she can show everyone that he is capable. That regardless of what they may think of him, that he is worthy. Fitz instead paints her a few pictures of Smithy. When he shows them to Patience, she is impressed. She’s so overcome with longing that she hugs him, saying he should have been hers, before leaving the room. Lacey tells him that Patience has grown quite fond of him. Over the next few weeks, Patience and Fitz find a balance between the two of them. But then his training with Galen starts. The night before it starts, Burrich calls for Fitz and gives him a warning. Do not let Galen see anything of the Wit, the sense he uses with animals. Burrich tells Fitz there used to be a woman who had a gift with birds. Galen publicly called her a perversion and later beat her to death one night (Burrich has no proof of this but knows that Galen’s horse was gone the night the woman was killed, and he had wounds from talons on his body the next day). Galen was accused of the murder by the woman’s cousin and the two of them dueled over it at the witness stones. When someone is challenged at the witness stones, the stones choose the victor, and the decision cannot be overturned. It is believed that the stones are never wrong. Galen won at the stones by killing the cousin and thus was never charged with either murder. But Burrich worries, Galen already doesn’t like Fitz simply because of who he is. What would he do if he knew that Fitz has the Wit? Galen is actually training a group of people, not just Fitz. The king and Verity have charged him with training as many people in the Skill as he can for the dark times approaching them, which Galen thinks is unnecessary. Still, he says he will do as he’s bid. The Skill is using your mind to touch another’s. You can pass messages to another who is Skilled even across large distances or influence someone to act a certain way or do something specific. Very gifted Skilled people can strike fear in their enemies and, legend says, speak to the Elderlings - who are nearly gods. But even if you could speak to the Elderlings, you shouldn’t. It’s not worth the risk. They say that doing so causes a feeling of bliss and elation, but it may also kill the Skilled person. Galen’s training is little more than deprivation and physical abuse (and he largely ignores the girls when he’s not hitting them with his horse crop). He lashes out with his crop for even the smallest infractions like shifting weight or not keeping their eyes closed, and none of the students push back or tell anyone what Galen’s doing. They assume that this is the way you open your mind to the Skill. Galen finds out that Fitz went down to the kitchens and got a bowl of meat after the bland meal that Galen ordered for them, so Galen beat Fitz with the whip and lashed everyone else as a punishment. In truth, Fitz was following Galen’s orders - the meat was for Smithy. After that, Fitz doesn’t know what to do, he needs to feed his dog! But the Fool comes to the rescue and agrees to care for Smithy during the day. He also recommends that Fitz figure out where he draws his line is and fast. What punishment is he willing to take from Galen and what is going too far. The danger is more than Fitz realizes. The first time that Galen touches Fitz’s mind with the Skill, Fitz knows the Skill is something he can learn. He also realizes that Galen will root around his mind for his secrets, so Fitz spends his time hiding the Wit, and Smithy, and the Fool, and Chade in his memories. The first time that Galen has Fitz use the Skill on him, Galen tries to overpower him. But Fitz (he doesn’t realize this, but Galen does) is stronger than Galen. But there’s a strange thing that can happen with the Skill. If you use it too strongly, you can be filled with euphoria. This happens to Fitz at that moment, and Galen takes the chance to beat him and berate him for not being able to stay in control. Too weak. He and the other students leave Fitz to die - Galen even encourages him to do so. And at this point, Fitz is so brainwashed that he believes he’s failed, and he deserved the beating and whatever comes from it. He even thinks of throwing himself off the tower. But then he feels a glowing light inside him, it’s Smithy and his love for Fitz. This keeps Fitz alive long enough for the Fool to find Burrich and the two of them to locate Fitz. The Fool disappears as Burrich takes Fitz and Smithy to the stables. He patches Fitz up (he almost lost an eye) and Fitz rests for days. When he tries to explain to Burrich that he deserved what happened, Burrich tries to convince him otherwise. Burrich doesn’t know how to break through to Fitz, though he does try. Fitz becomes depressed and despondent, but Burrich won’t let him laze about. When Burrich sees that Fitz is well enough, he sends him back up to the keep. And he tells Fitz to go back to his lessons; he won’t be behind the other Skilled students because there have been no classes while he was recuperating. Burrich also insists that Smithy stays in the stables until Fitz’s training is done, being alone all day is no good for the dog. Fitz spends the night in his own bed and is woken in the morning by the Fool, who tells Fitz that he has enough time to eat and bathe and still get to the tower before the others. When Fitz replies that he cannot go, he’s not worthy, the Fool reminds him that he once asked Fitz to stop these lessons. He had asked because he thought that Galen might kill Fitz. But that day has now come and gone, and Fitz survived it. The Fool asks Fitz to go back, from one friend to another. And he tells Fitz about what happened while he was healing. Burrich, seeing what Galen had done, went up to Galen and drug him to the witness stones. He demanded that Galen train Fitz for real but never lay a finger on him again. And try as he might, Galen could not beat Burrich, nor could he convince the onlookers to be sympathetic towards him. Some say that it was like seeing the Burrich of old, from before he was injured, from before Chivalry died. This convinces him, Fitz gets ready to train again. The first day he goes to training, the rest of the students treat Fitz as a pariah, and they have wait longer than normal for Galen to appear. When he finally arrives, the wounds and bruises from the beating he received from Burrich at the witness stones are still clear. He gives a tame lesson, he’s barely able to hold his whip, and lets the students leave early. He touches each of the students with the Skill as they leave, but Fitz feels nothing when it is his turn. Galen tells Fitz that he needs to shield his mind less or he will never be able to Skill properly. Fitz can’t tell if he’s lying or being honest. That night, Fitz eats with the keep guards and realizes how Galen had warped his thoughts and opinions of others. He had begun to believe that these men were not as good as him simply because he is Skilled, even though he has none the guards for a long time and they have always welcomed him. Fitz swears not to allow that to happen again. Over the weeks, the students continue to complain that Fitz’s touches are either whispers or a battering ram. That Fitz has no control. Fitz can feel the Skill inside him, either roaring or unreachable. Then Galen makes an announcement. They will all be tested. They will each be taken somewhere alone throughout the country and he will tell them with the Skill how to get home. How they get to the keep and with whom will decide if they pass the test. Anyone who passes will form a coterie: a group of Skilled who work together as a team. Generations ago, when the Skill was taught to anyone who had an affinity for it, coteries were made by Skilled people mutually choosing to band together. But that time has gone by the wayside, and it was eventually decreed that the only people to be trained in the Skill were royals, to give them an edge. Currently, the only people proficient in the Skill besides Galen is the king and Verity. Chivalry had been strong in the Skill before he died. The fact that Galen is choosing who is in this coterie is abnormal, they would normally band together themselves and the coteries would work well because of that. And Fitz does not feel good about this upcoming test. Before he leaves for the day, Galen tells him it would have been better if he’d just killed himself the night Galen beat him. And then Galen asks if Fitz is his catamite (a boy in an intimate relationship with an older man) and if Fitz thought he’d be able to use his strength during the upcoming test. Fitz doesn’t know who or what he’s talking about, but Galen just assures him that he won’t be able to use his strength and then leaves. Meanwhile, in keep gossip, Verity needs to find a wife and get to making an heir, but he’s too busy to find one for himself so Regal is doing it for him. Also, Verity isn’t looking so hot, and Fitz is concerned about his health. And the Forgings still continue and some of the Forged have become bandits on the road, capable of atrocities. Fitz, having seen the Forged firsthand, doubts they are capable of banding together and does not believe this particular piece of gossip. Burrich agrees to keep Smithy during the Skill testing and Fitz is taken with the rest of the students. He’s driven blindfolded in a closed coach for a day and a half before being dropped off and left with no horse or tools. He realizes from the surrounding land that he is north of Forge. Galen is supposed to contact him within two days with instructions, so he finds a relatively safe space and waits. He does not want to get close to the town or any of the Forged, especially since he cannot sense them. Fitz dreams, a bunch of weird dreams that lead to him merging with Smithy’s mind. He sees through Smithy as Burrich enters the stable and goes up the stairs to his room. He hears a fight and Burrich falls down the stairs, injured. Smithy can smell his blood. Whoever has attacked Burrich attacks Smithy too, stabbing him. But at the end of it, Fitz can still feel a small strand of life from Smithy, and he sets out towards Buckkeep, hoping to make it there in time to help Smithy and Burrich (if he’s still alive). Fitz is attacked by Forged on the road before he reaches the town of Forge but is able to use a staff that he made himself and his weapons training with Hod to get free, although he does lose his cloak. When he gets to the town, Forge is completely deserted, no people Forged or otherwise. He decides to go through the town instead of wasting time going around - he’s in a hurry after all. But the Red-Ship Raiders arrive while Fitz is walking, and Fitz has to hide from them near the water of the port. He keeps slithering away, knowing that he’ll be seen if they light any fires, but the raiders seem just as eager to keep whatever they’re doing secret and do nothing that might draw attention to them. Fitz suspects they’re using the town’s well to get water. He makes it far enough away to go back to the road but is again beset on by Forged. As he waits for the Forged to attack, he feels Smithy die and he loses it. He kills the Forged and then continues down the road, it appears the raiders did not hear the fight. By the time he gets to Buckkeep, Galen has already told everyone that Fitz is dead, and Burrich has been found and taken to the infirmary. Galen presents the passing students (one of the other students never returned) in their coterie to the king like they’re a gift he’s giving to the king but instead of approaching Galen or the king, Fitz heads straight to Burrich. After seeing that Burrich is alive and healing, Fitz lets it slip to Burrich that he saw the fight and already knew that Smithy was dead. Burrich tells Fitz to leave and not come back, disgusted by how he continues to use the Wit. But also, Burrich is hurt. Fitz used the Wit but did not think of using the Skill to try to bring help when he saw what had happened to Burrich. Fitz insists he can’t use the Skill, he’s not capable but Burrich declares that he could have been trained in the Skill if he’d listened and ignored the Wit. Burrich claims that he has failed Fitz and Chivalry both, who had commanded Burrich to raise Fitz well. After losing Smithy, and Burrich (even though their relationship was a difficult one), Fitz sinks into a depression and snaps at anyone who dares speak to him. He sends a note to Shrewd about what he saw the Red-Ship Raiders doing but gets no response. He failed Galen’s test and cannot use the Skill. He drives the Fool and Patience away; Chade never even calls on him. And when he goes to see Molly in the town, he sees that she has a boyfriend. Fitz has nothing left. Over the summer, nothing good happens. Chade does not come for Fitz, Burrich does not relent or change his mind and bars Fitz from the stable, Fitz doesn’t know how to apologize to Patience, and Fedwren is on the road. So, Fitz drinks and feels sorry for himself. When Chade does finally come, he chastises Fitz for letting himself get soft. Chade can practically smell the wine in Fitz’s pores, and he hasn’t even looked into who tried to kill Burrich. This is not the Fitz that Chade knew before. He gives Fitz instructions and tells him that he will be helping to care for Verity, which is the reason Chade hasn’t been calling for him. Or one of them, Chade has also been trying unsuccessfully to figure out how the raiders are doing the Forgings. Which brings Fitz to his other task, he will be killing the Forged on the roads - they’ve become a real problem. By the time the summer is over, Fitz has killed several people - most of them Forged but also a lord who has taken advantage of a maid’s daughter. Fitz doesn’t regret any of it. When he cares for Verity, Fitz sees what is causing the prince so many problems. Verity is using the Skill constantly to turn away raiders. Taking care of Verity and his dog Leon brings Fitz back to himself somewhat and he learns more about his father in the process. How Galen hated Chivalry for some childhood wrong done, until Chivalry Skilled him otherwise (not the wisest thing to do, but Chivalry was still young at the time). That Galen is not strong in the Skill but Solicity, the previous tutor, knew she was dying and was desperate to find her replacement. Verity thinks Solicity regretted choosing Galen in the end. But though Galen is not strong, he was strong enough to put a mist on Fitz’s mind, forcing Fitz to believe that he has no Skill. Verity tells Fitz that he does have the Skill, but that he doesn’t not have the time to train Fitz to use it. Already Verity is wasting away using the Skill constantly and he must continue his work at least until winter when the raiders relent. Fitz offers to give him his own strength to use, and Verity takes it, believing that Fitz knew what he was offering. When he realizes that Fitz did not, Verity stops himself and swears not to do it again (it left Fitz exhausted and could have killed him). In fact, Verity tells Fitz not to visit anymore so that he’s not tempted. But before Fitz goes, Verity tells him to stop thinking of himself as a bastard - he has a name. Verity had it recorded on the day they met. FitzChivalry Farseer. Fitz continues to kill the Forged but does not see Chivalry again until they’re both summoned before the king. Shrewd tells Verity that it’s time to marry and that Regal has chosen a mountain princess as his bride. Shrewd and Verity argue some but Shrewd holds fast to his plans. Once Verity leaves, Shrewd turns to Fitz. The mountain people choose heirs by whomever is the oldest, be they male or female, same as the Six Duchies. According to Regal, the princess’ older brother is sickly after taking an arrow through the chest a few years ago but don’t worry, their father is still hale and hearty and likely to live for years still. Fitz understands what Shrewd is not saying. The raids are coming more frequently. Several coastal people have started carrying suicide vials and many have used them when threatened with being Forged. But the raiders have also been defeated by the townspeople a few times, with the help of the outislanders who have come to the Six Duchies looking for refuge from the Red-Ship Raiders. They were running from the raiders as well and now fight against them. Verity refuses to go to the Mountain Kingdom to marry until winter, since he insists that he cannot take a break from protecting the Duchies from the raiders, but Shrewd insists the wedding happen in the fall because of the traditions and superstitions of the mountain people. Verity does not back down, and it is eventually decided that Regal will act as Verity’s proxy and make his wedding vows in the mountain city of Jhaampe, then Regal and the princess (along with their entourages) will travel back to Buckkeep where there will be a second wedding with both Verity and the Princess Kettricken. The mountain people consist of lots of smaller tribes who are fiercely independent but have also sworn loyalty to their king. Originally, the clans were brought together by a prophet-judge, but that judge eventually became a king. Fitz continues to be lonely and at loose ends, so he seeks out the Fool. He finds the Fool’s rooms and goes in without permission. After seeing the care and vibrancy of the room, he realizes his transgression and leaves without being seen. Chade calls on him, and Fitz reveals his mission in Jhaampe, which Chade did not know about. Chade explains that Verity told Shrewd what Galen had done to Fitz’s mind and demanded that Shrewd deal with the issue. Shrewd asked Chade to tell Fitz that it will be dealt with, but Chade reminds Fitz that Galen still needs to train other coteries so don’t expect him to be punished too severely. The night before he leaves with the caravan to Jhaampe, Patience calls for Fitz as well, for the first time since he was so rude to her. She explains that she has already forgiven him - though he does try to apologize. She tells him that she has a gift before he leaves, and she picks out a big sapphire blue stud earring, using it to pierce his ear before he realizes what’s happening. She reminds him that he is Chivalry’s son - do not forget that. Fitz notices that his new clothes made for the trip have a new emblem, a stag with its head down, ready to charge. The palace seamstress, Mistress Hasty, explains that Verity ordered it done. The surprises don’t stop there; the Fool visits Fitz and Fitz takes the opportunity to apologize for going into his room. He believes the Fool forgives him. The Fool also gives Fitz a small package, a plant that will purge his stomach. He warns Fitz against eating food that he did not prepare for himself and believes that someone will try to poison Fitz while he’s in Jhaampe. Lastly, Fitz sees Verity. Verity asks Fitz to speak to the princess about him, truthfully and honestly, since he believes correctly that Fitz has always thought well of him. The caravan leaves for Jhaampe, it’s a huge group of people including Hands, who traveled with him to Rippon Duchy. Fitz has been charged with taking care of some delicate plants and seeds, as well as some scrolls, that need to make it up the mountains as gifts to the princess’s people. He takes this charge very seriously. On the journey there, not much happens, although one night he is woken by Sooty neighing. Fitz checks on her, wondering if someone is messing with his chest of plants, but he finds nothing amiss. Throughout the journey, Fitz thinks about how he will kill the mountain prince so that the prince dies not only after they’ve left Jhaampe, but the wedding in Buckkeep has happened. When they arrive in Jhaampe, Fitz is dismayed at how August (who heads this caravan since Regal is still with the mountain people) treats their hosts without any thought to their customs. He wishes that Regal had sent more information about the culture and the people, rather than requests for more outfits. But Fitz makes a favorable impression as one of the only people in the retinue who knows some of their language (he asked Chade to teach him what he knew) and as someone who is genuinely interested in the beauty of their gardens. He meets Jonqui, who he later realizes is the sister of the King, Eyod. Eyod welcomes the new visitors with words and food, and lavishes Regal and August with gifts, they do the same to Princess Kettricken. Later, Fitz is introduced to the princess and her brother, Prince Rurisk. Rurisk is not pleased by the way that Fitz is treated by August, who is now very aligned with Galen and Regal and absolutely hates Fitz. Rurisk knew Fitz’s father and was even with Chivalry when he found out about Fitz. Rurisk still doesn’t understand why Chivalry felt that he needed to abdicate his place as King-in-Waiting. Fitz notices that Rurisk does not seem infirm or sickly at all, as Regal had described him. This gives Fitz a lot to think about. Jonqui tells the princess that Fitz loved the gardens in the city and Kettricken volunteers to give him a tour of some others. While they walk, he learns a lot about the princess. She is very active, loves to tend her garden, and even has a small metal forge where she makes her own jewelry. She reminds him of Patience. He tells her about Verity, and she admits that she is relieved. Regal made Verity seem old and infirm, assuring her that even if Verity only considered her a duty, he would be there to help her feel comfortable in her new home. Then she explains to Fitz that she heard a lot about him from Regal as well - and none of it was good. While he was drunk one night, Regal told her that Fitz was spoiled and thought too highly of himself, but now that Fitz is interning with the king’s poisoner, he seems content. Fitz is stricken, that’s definitely supposed to be a secret. Kettricken thought that Fitz may come and try to poison her brother, making Kettricken the heir to her father’s throne and possibly enfolding the mountain kingdom into the Six Duchies (which would then be the Seven Duchies). Jonqui and Rurisk reappear, and Fitz makes his excuses to go to his room. He has realized, as no doubt the others have as well, that he has been poisoned. He needs to get to his room and purge himself before whatever he was poisoned with does its job. He is woken the next morning at dawn as Rurisk storms into his room full of concern. Kettricken poisoned Fitz with some herbs she allowed him to taste in the garden (which he enjoyed immensely) because she believed he was going to kill her brother (a claim he neither affirms nor denies). Rurisk has come to save Fitz, if possible, but Fitz has already saved himself. So instead, Rurisk speaks plainly. Kettricken is young and impetuous, partly because he dotes on her, and did not think of the far-reaching ramifications of her actions when she poisoned him. Rurisk is not that naive. In fact, Rurisk is the one pushing for this marriage. Their father believes the marriage is beneficial now, but Rurisk can see the benefits that will be long standing. Their population is growing but they will not always be able to feed their people with what they can grow or raise themselves in the mountains. They will need to open their roads and borders to trade. In exchange, Rurisk is willing to give Shrewd wood for warships to fight the raiders. Fitz is astounded; this is a huge trade. Rurisk asks Fitz to deliver this information to Shrewd. The wedding festivities continue that day and Fitz muddles through although he feels terrible. At one point, Rurisk takes pity on him and takes him to the kennels. He shows Fitz a breed of dog that may be small but can track better than any of the others. While there, Fitz sees an old dog resting who Rurisk is very affectionate towards. When the dog looks up, it’s Nosy! He recognizes Fitz after a moment too, but their bond is no longer there. He is Rurisk’s dog now. Afterward, Fitz speaks to Burrich for the first time since Burrich was attacked and tells him that he saw Nosy. Burrich is astounded that Fitz thought he had killed Nosy. He realizes now that Fitz was hurt when Burrich thought he was just being stubborn. But he still does not forgive Fitz and refuses to speak to him more until Fitz gives up uses the Wit. Disappointed, Fitz returns to the party until he can finally go up to his room. But he is not able to rest then either, he is called to Regal’s room. Regal refuses to admit that he told Kettricken about Fitz’s training and demands that Fitz continue with his plan to kill Rurisk, though Fitz had already decided to call it off. In fact, Regal wants the deed done before the wedding and declares that he has Kettricken well in hand, she will not call the wedding off just because her brother died. When Regal asks Fitz what his plan is, Fitz tells him he doesn’t have one yet (he still doesn’t plan on going through with it). Regal declares he will plan it and pass the information to Fitz. Fitz realizes that Regal’s drunk and maybe has been smoking something as well. The next day, Fitz tries to muddle through what’s going on. Let’s remember that he’s still only like 14/15 years at this point. He concludes that Regal lied to Shrewd in order to eliminate Rurisk. At more festivities that night, he sees Regal interacting with several people though he can’t hear what’s being said. There’s a lot of smoke around Regal, from a drug that lowers inhibitions and makes you feel happier in general. Fitz sees August try to talk to Regal and eventually storm off, only to sullenly come back. Then Kettricken comes and seems drawn to Regal. That evening, Fitz goes back to Regal’s room as he was ordered to. The room is heavy with smoke and it’s affecting Regal and his men, though Cob is sleeping in the stables for some reason while the others stay in Regal’s rooms. The smoke begins to affect Fitz too though he tries not to breathe it in. Eventually, Regal sends his man out to Fitz with a poison that he claims is slow acting. He is to use it on Rurisk tonight. Fitz demands to receive the orders from Regal in person, but he’s told that Regal has company and is indisposed. Fitz looks at the poison and knows that it is not slow acting at all but very fast. He goes to Kettricken next, who confirms that if she found out her brother was dead, she would assume it was Fitz’s doing, and she’d demand he be killed as punishment. He asks if she would still marry Verity if Fitz, a Six Duchies citizen, killed her brother. She tells him that she is set to marry the king-in-waiting, not Verity by name, but that she would continue with the marriage for the good of her people. Fitz then goes to Rurisk’s room and shows Rurisk the poison as he pours it into his cup. Rurisk drinks from Fitz’s cup instead, pouring them some apple wine that was a gift from the Duchies. Kettricken comes in after but both Fitz and Rurisk are a little hazy from the smoke at the party and are giggling a little at Fitz’s “attempted assassination”. Neither one of them realizes that Regal wants Fitz dead too. And he did not trust Fitz to get the job done, so Regal doubled down and poisoned the wine itself. At least, they don’t realize it until they begin to feel the effects of the poison. They both start to react at the same time, but Kettricken is a bit of an idiot and still believes it was Fitz who did it. Then Cob comes in, clear headed from staying in the stables and there to make sure the plan worked. There’s a fight where Fitz kills Cob but is then arrested. Fitz is mostly delirious from the poison as waits for his punishment, the poison may still kill him and if not, Regal will have it done. While in his semi lucid state Fitz reaches out with his Skill and is recognized by Chivalry and almost by Patience. He hears Galen talking to Regal about getting rid of Verity, Fitz, Burrich, and Regal’s men in Jhaampe with him simply because they know too much. He hears Nosy bray when Rurisk finally dies from the poison. Then Burrich comes to Fitz. Fitz has realized that Burrich also has the Wit, but he doesn’t use it, it’s part of why he is so stubborn about Fitz avoiding it. Fitz tells Burrich that Cob was the person who attacked him on the stars when he was nearly killed. He asks Burrich to help him. They leave with Nosy but don’t make it far before Fitz can’t go any further. Jonqui finds them, using one of Rurisk’s tracking dogs. She explains that she has been talking to Kettricken all night, Jonqui does not believe that Fitz is so stupid as to drink poison himself just to kill Rurisk. No, whoever the murderer is, they think they are very clever and everyone else very stupid. But Jonqui doesn’t trust Fitz either. She wants him to come back to the palace - Kettricken has forgiven him as kin so he cannot be injured while there - until Jonqui decides who to trust. They go back as asked, Fitz is too weak to do otherwise anyway. They find Fitz’s room ransacked and his poisons stolen. Later, August comes to tell them that it’s believed that two more of Regal’s men died from “Fitz’s” poisoned wine, but Fitz knows that Regal killed them because they knew about his plot. And August has a message to Fitz from Verity. August believes that Verity is telling Fitz that he will be punished as a traitor and that Burrich that he will be punished for helping a traitor, but Verity has slipped a hidden meaning into his words. He is telling Fitz to draw on Burrich’s strength. It is Burrich that Galen thought was giving Fitz strength, which is why he tried to have Burrich killed. Chivalry had used Burrich’s strength a few times which Burrich had willingly given, so he understands the risk. Fitz and Burrich try, but Fitz can neither draw his strength nor Skill to Verity. He wants to warn Verity about Galen, who plans to kill him today. Regal calls for Fitz, and Burrich escorts him to the baths. Regal asks Burrich to leave them alone to speak, but Burrich will not. Regal signals to a Chyurda man who was loyal to Rurisk (Chyurda being the people of the mountains), who steps out of the steam and hits Burrich hard in the head. The hit kills Burrich before the Chyurda man leaves the baths. Regal then disrobes Fitz, who is still weak from the poison and cannot fight back, and throws Fitz into the water, intending to make his death look like an accidental drowning. Then Regal leaves to attend the wedding as his brother’s proxy. While dying, Fitz reaches out and sees Verity in a room with Shrewd and Galen, as well as other courtiers, waiting to watch the wedding through August’s eyes. Fitz reaches out to Shrewd but realizes that the king can no longer Skill, he’s lost the ability from misuse. Fitz watches as Galen puts his hand on Verity’s shoulder and begins to drain his energy. He’s out of time. Fitz sends all of his energy to Verity (what’s he going to do with it anyway, he’s drowning). Verity grows hearty again and turns on Galen, drowning him completely before turning his Skill on August. He speaks to Kettricken, sending his condolences for her brother’s death and swearing he had no knowledge of it. He allows her to see his heart as pure to prove this, then gives a message for August to relay to Regal. Galen, his bastard half-brother by the queen, is dead. Galen overstepped and died trying to do something he wasn’t strong enough to do. August ends up fainting from Verity’s strength. Then Verity turns to Fitz and pushes Fitz’s energy back into him, he’s giving too much! Jonqui finds Fitz lying on the ground near the pool next to Burrich with Nosy’s head in his chest. Nosy’s last act was to pull Fitz out of the pool, saving Fitz’s life. She takes both Fitz and Burrich, who is not quite dead, to a room to heal - not telling anyone from the Duchies that they live for several days. Fitz takes a long time to recover and Jonqui warns Fitz that Burrich may never recover from his head injury, and his personality may be changed even if he lives. But Burrich gets better quicker than Fitz and his personality is untouched, but he has lost his memories of right before he was hit. Fitz has to fill him in. August delivers Verity’s message to Regal and then never Skills again, leaving the court and going to Withywoods, the same place Chivalry lived before he died. Fitz isn’t sure if that is because August can’t or won’t Skill. Kettricken mourns her brother for a month with her people before going to the Six Duchies to meet Verity. She seems happy enough to pretend that Burrich’s injury and Fitz’s near death were both accidents, not acts committed by Regal. But she is happy to be married to Verity, and content after he showed his heart to her. The happy couple do give new life to the people of the Duchies. Regal is sufficiently cowed by his brother’s death and Verity’s veiled thread, and Verity puts him on a tight rope. They never mention what happened, saying that Rurisk died of his old injuries. Perhaps Verity’s seeming forgiveness is what changes Regal’s attitude, or maybe it was Galen’s death. Burrich sees the earring that Fitz wears, which was given to him by Patience, and reveals that he was the one who gifted the earring to Chivalry. Fitz guesses that Burrich loved Chivalry as more than a vassal who loves their prince. This revelation allows them to speak again, and they ride back to Buckkeep together, refusing to allow Regal to think he won by going elsewhere. Hands eventually takes Cob’s place in the stables as Burrich’s assistant, and he does a great job. Hands manages to have an easier relationship with Burrich than Fitz ever did, which Fitz is a little jealous of. Fitz never learns if Shrewd forsake him and gave Regal leave to kill him. But Fitz remembers his vow to be loyal to the king. He will honor it. But for Fitz, that is not Shrewd. Verity is his king.
Prepare yourself... Fitz writes about the different kinds of magic. There’s the Skill, which is passed through Farseer lineage but can also crop up Outislanders or in the inland tribes; the Wit, which he suspects was a magic of hunters but is a taboo magic to have now; and hedge magics, which range from palm reading to telekinesis and seems more like legend nowadays. He’s researched the library extensively and almost nothing was written there about these topics – but maybe that was for a reason. When Fitz was fifteen, he traveled to the mountains to meet Princess Kettricken and watch her be married by proxy to King-in-Waiting Verity and then travel with her entourage back to Buckkeep. He was also supposed to kill her brother Rurisk (discreetly) while he was there, to make Princess Kettricken the heir to her father’s throne. Instead, Fitz uncovered a plot by his youngest uncle, Prince Regal, to kill Verity and marry the princess himself, killing Rurisk and Fitz while framing Fitz for everything. Fitz managed to save Chivalry (though Rurisk was not so lucky) and he got poisoned himself, poisoned a second time, beaten, and drowned. Now, Kettricken has traveled to Buckkeep but Fitz and Burrich have remained in the mountains so Fitz can heal. Unfortunately, Fitz keeps having violent seizures and they aren’t sure what event caused them, or if it was a combination. Fitz does not think he can ever return to Buckkeep. A royal bastard who is unable to protect himself would be serving Fitz on a platter to his enemies. But Burrich reminds him that Regal will try to kill Verity again one day, they should be there to stop him. He is pledged to Fitz now - ever since Fitz put on the earring that was once his father’s, given to Fitz by Lady Patience. If Fitz doesn’t return to Buckkeep, neither does Burrich. And there are people who would miss Fitz: Verity, Chade, Lady Patience and Lacey, his teachers Fedwren and Hod, Cook Sara and Mistress Hasty. Molly. Burrich mentions that Molly is not married like Fitz thought, she moved in with family since her father died and left her indebted. This perks Fitz’s interests. Maybe he could go back. At least to prove to Regal that he had not won. And maybe to win Molly’s heart too. But then Fitz has another seizure, a bad one, and he makes his decision. Molly deserves more of a life than having to take care of a cripple like him. She’s better off not married at all than saddled to his side. Burrich must return. If he is loyal to Fitz, he will follow orders and return, but there is nothing left for Fitz in Buckkeep. A king- or queen-in-waiting is the oldest child of the sovereign, and they take on the role at the age of sixteen. Designed to share the load of running a country while breaking the newbie in, they typically get the duties that the ruler hates the most. For Prince Chivalry, that meant anything that could not be done from Buckkeep (such as diplomatic visits and leading military campaigns). For Prince Verity, it means the same thing, but with the added pressure of doing so after a well-loved prince had abdicated the position in a time of greater unrest. As for Princess Kettricken, she married in at a time of even greater unrest still. The people chafe at the taxes or believe they didn’t have enough protections; they are being raided more often, even during winter; and the Forged continued to be created. Meanwhile, Prince Regal continues to sow discord by currying favor with the inland lords only and King Shrewd struggles to maintain control of the Six Duchies at all. Fitz wakes up to find the Fool at his side. At first, he’s confused since the Fool is supposed to be at Buckkeep. He realizes the Skill has come upon him unexpectedly and he is King Shrewd. Fitz feels the old king’s pain - both in body and in mind. Shrewd can see Red-Ship Raiders approaching Siltbay, coming even though winter is near. The raiders slit the throats of those keeping watch, searching the boats at the dock and killing anyone on them. They walk inland. Shrewd asks the Fool to look into the future and tell him what the people say about Siltbay in the future. The Fool tries but the future is in too much flux to see it clearly. They sing a song about Siltbay - about how no one was taken to be Forged. The people killed themselves, their children, and their old folk, instead of letting them be taken, and that was considered a victory. Shrewd watches as the raiders murder and rape, as parents poison their children or slit their throats before the raiders can take them. Raiders set fire to the houses to force the people out, but not everyone dies. A young man hides under the docks with four children. Shrewd sees a woman slip from a house already on fire with a baby and a child. They take refuge in a root cellar. The fire illuminates the woman’s face and hair - it is Molly! Raiders break open the cellar, Molly kills one raider, but Fitz’s vision is obscured before he can see what happens next. He is desperate to know what happened to Molly. Fitz works himself up so much that he is risking another seizure, he forces himself to calm down. Fitz as Shrewd calls for Verity. Verity will Skill and they will compare notes and then decide what to do. Once the Fool leaves to fetch Verity, Shrewd turns his focus inward and recognizes Fitz. Fitz attempts to reach out and complete the Skill bond between them, but the connection dissolves. Now that Fitz has been inside Shrewd’s mind, has felt Shrewd’s old and infirm body, he realizes that his own life is not over. When Burrich comes the next morning to say goodbye before leaving for Buckkeep, Fitz is already packed and ready to go with him. Buckkeep was founded by a raider named Taker, the first of the Farseer line. Every generation after him has made the stronghold stronger and more impregnable. Burrich and Fitz ride with Hands, the only other person to stay in the Mountain Kingdom from the Six Duchies. They have to leave now, before winter really sets in and makes travel impossible. The weather is already bad and the travel is hard, even leaving when they do - especially for Fitz who is still very weak. The travel doesn’t make him stronger. They hear more complaints from the townspeople as they ride though. They pay higher taxes to ward off the raiders, yet the raiders keep coming. But the people have nothing but praise for Regal. The closer they get to Buckkeep, the more cautious Burrich becomes. He makes them ride off the road and camp instead of staying at an inn. Regal will want them dead and they better not take any chances. He could very easily get away with murder, especially with his father as king. When they arrive at Buckkeep, they are unexpected and their arrival is questioned. But soon, Burrich is recognized by the guard captain, Blade, had not expected to see Burrich until the spring. He had heard that Burrich was badly injured and that Fitz would probably die. He doesn’t even recognize Fitz until Fitz demands to know who said he might die. But Blade doesn’t mean anyone specific and Fitz lets it go, complimenting the guard at the gate who was prudent enough to stop them. The three of them continue to the stables where Burrich warns Fitz. In the Mountain Kingdom, they treated Fitz like the son of a prince, not the bastard son of a prince. Fitz has gotten used to that and walks like the son of Chivalry should, but he needs to be careful not to draw Regal’s attention. They aren’t ready for that. After Hands cares for the horses, Burrich tells him one of the horses at the end looks sick and asks Hands to look at it. Burrich doesn’t know who the horse belongs to but move it away from the other. Burrich takes Fitz up to the keep. Burrich thinks that Hands may make a good stable master one day, not that he’s planning on leaving the position anytime soon. Fitz eats then reports to Shrewd. It’s late, so the King sends a message that he will call for Fitz at a later time, but makes sure to say he’s happy that Fitz is safe. Fitz tries to report to Verity, but he is with Kettricken. Fitz goes to his own room and sleeps. King Wisdom once sought out the Elderlings, his journey was written down but parts of it have been lost to mites who have eaten through the scroll - mostly the part about how Wisdom found them and convinced them to help him. But legend says that Elderlings did help him and even swore to help the country again if they were needed. Fitz wakes up after a night in his own bed, still tired but no longer exhausted. He needs to find Molly. He plans to go to Buckkeep City and ask about her, but after breakfast he finds himself in Verity’s tower room. Verity had quietly Skilled him and brought him there. He’s been doing that a lot, keeping an eye on Fitz. He knows how sick Fitz has been. He has Fitz give a full accounting of what happened since they last spoke. Fitz hasn’t told anyone the full story until now. After he’s done, Fitz asks what is to be done about Regal. Regal will probably try to kill Verity again and will definitely try to kill Fitz again. But punishing Regal without proof would only give him more supporters. Instead, Verity has suggested that Regal take on more duties of leadership. Let him deal with all the politicking while Verity deals with fighting the raiders. Verity is building ships - he’s very excited about it. He knows well how much Burrich and Fitz have done for him, but even so he gets a little petty when he thinks Fitz has overstepped. Verity apologizes for his snark and tells Fitz he can have the next day for his own errands before sending Fitz to his room to rest. They’ve been together all day, and Fitz is feeling tired. But he is stopped by Lacey before he gets to his room, who was sent by Lady Patience. At first, Patience is angry, but she soon realizes that Fitz is recovering from something serious. Something that he won’t tell her about. He feels the beginnings of a seizure as his hands tremble and he spills wine on his shirt, but he’s able to avoid the seizure and Patience dismisses him. He only makes it up a few steps toward his room before having to take a break. He’s too weak and embarrassed to look at the serving girl who stops to help him, telling her that he is drunk, so she doesn’t see how feeble he is. But something she says makes him look at her. It’s Molly, and she’s furious. She really believes he’s drunk. He tries to tell her the truth, but she won’t listen. He lied to her before, telling her that he was apprenticed to a scribe and worked at the keep. He courted her, then he left her. She thought he wanted to marry her, that he was serious about her, all the while she had no idea he was the son of Prince Chivalry. When she found out that her father left her in debt, she went to her cousin Jade - who sent her to his elder brother Flint in Siltbay. The children Fitz saw in the vision were her nieces. Flint had agreed to loan Molly what she owed so she could clear her father’s debts and find Fitz. Then they could marry and at least she wouldn’t bring debts to their marriage, but after the raid Flint could not help her. She worked her way back to Buckkeep and looked for Fedwren - thinking he was Fitz’s master. Fedwren sent her to Lady Patience who gave her a job as a lady’s maid. Recompense for Fitz making Molly believe he could marry her. And now Molly finds Fitz drunk. She won’t marry a drunk, she doesn’t even want to be friends with one, not after her father. She storms out as Fitz tries to explain. He tries to go after her, but he can’t even make it to the door. This is a revelation: Molly was willing to marry him. She cared for him and didn’t mind that he was younger than her. She had envisioned a future with him. There’s hope for them yet. Fitz believes most people have the Skill or the Wit in small amounts. There are legends of those with the Wit who became so bonded with an animal that they gave up being human altogether and took the form of a beast. Fitz thinks those are probably just stories told to scare kids. Fitz sleeps for a full day. Several people have come to see him and were concerned he had not woken. Like the Fool, who comes now but doesn’t stay long - he must go to the king. He suggests that Fitz do the same. Then Patience and Lacey visit. Lacey tidies up as Patience levels with Fitz. He cannot be around Molly. Even just their brief argument the night before has stirred the rumor mill again and Patience had just gotten it to die down from when Molly had come looking for him. Molly could make something of herself. Patience is teaching her to read and the ways of court. Perhaps with time, she could start her candle business back up. And perhaps with time, Fitz may be able to court her. But he is the son of a prince and there are certain expectations, bastard or otherwise. He must ask the King to court or to marry and the girl would have to be suitable. And then there’s the threats against Fitz. His enemies would see Molly as an easy way to get to him. Fitz didn’t think Patience knew about those, and he hadn’t considered that Molly could be in danger. He asks to speak to Molly once and explain that he was not drunk the night before, but Patience refuses his request and leaves him to rest. He naps and wakes to find the secret door open; Chade is waiting for him. They fill each other in on what has happened. They both wonder why Shrewd told Regal that Fitz was an assassin. Chade also chastises Fitz about Molly and reminds Fitz that he is the king’s man. That is his priority. There may not be room for more than that. Chade insists that this is the life he chose. There was a time when Chade was very handsome and proud, that was before he got the pox and was heavily scarred. After, he took himself away for a while and by the time he returned, Chade the King’s bastard son had “died”. That proved useful to their family, so Chade left it that way. Even Chivalry and Verity didn’t know he still lived for a while, despite his being close to them as children. But he was never close to Regal. His mother never liked anyone she considered disfigured, so she refused to have Chade around. Chade suggests that Fitz spend time with Kettricken. She is lonely and misunderstood, plus all of her attendants have returned to the Mountain Kingdom. She would probably welcome the company, especially from someone she already knows, and Fitz could watch over her. After all, there are people who do not want Verity to have an heir; likely the same people who want Fitz dead. Fitz asks how Verity and Kettricken have been getting along but the truth is, they’ve barely had time to get to know each other. Verity is too busy preparing to fight the raiders. That’s how it is for most royal couples. Chivalry and Patience, who married for love, were anomalies. Before Fitz leaves, Chade tells him that he knew one other man who survived Dreadroot poisoning like Fitz. He shook the rest of his life, but mostly it was not noticeable unless you knew him well. Fitz must make sure his enemies do not notice his shaking. Fitz tries to sleep but he can’t, so he walks to Buckkeep City. The more he walks and thinks, the angrier he gets. How dare they assume his life is theirs to command? He is his own person. He passes an animal vendor and sees an emaciated and mistreated young wolf. Immediately, he and the wolf are in each other’s minds. Faster than with any other animal. Fitz barters with the vendor. In the end, Fitz uses the Wit to help some of the vendor’s birds free themselves as he carries the wolf’s cage away. The wolf is furious. Hatred runs through him toward every man he sees. Fitz can’t carry the cage for long and tells the wolf he’s going to let him out of the cage, but he’s not going to hurt him. The wolf lunges at Fitz’s throat. Fitz uses wolf tactics, pinning the young wolf and making him subservient. The wolf defers to Fitz now. Fitz tells him he will carry him and the wolf is happy to be warm against Fitz’s chest. He cuddles in and falls asleep, but Fitz is appalled at the sores and healing wounds on the wolf’s body. He will keep the wolf in an abandoned pig hut he knows of for now, until he is well enough to live free in the woods. Fitz swears to himself that he will not bond with this one. Fitz’s days begin to follow a routine. Attend to Kettricken (but they are both too restless to help the other), visit the stables, visit the pup, but all he can think of is Molly. He becomes depressed and doesn’t take care of himself until Burrich brings him to the stables for a chat. Fitz tells him everything. Fitz asks Burrich what to do, the irony is not lost on Burrich (who is unmarried with no children). He sounds bitter about that for a moment but shakes it off - he chose this life. He tells Fitz to get his act together. Molly is probably still watching him, and he looks scruffy, unbathed and in week old clothes, thin from his illness and lack of work. Besides, it isn’t Patience who will decide if Molly will talk to him. It’s Molly. Fitz needs to show her he’s worth talking to. Fitz tells Burrich something that Patience told him: that a man cannot give his heart fully when it is sworn already to a king. There is not room for both, and it would be dishonorable to expect Molly to be content with whatever time he could spare for her. This surprises Burrich and he’s rendered speechless for a moment. Then he invites Fitz to go to town with him for a drink. From that moment, Fitz changes his ways. If he has to bide his time until he gets to see Molly, then he will use it well. He begins sparring, gaining muscle, bathing, eating properly. He begins to fill out his new clothes and has fewer seizures. He eats with the guards then works with Sooty and cares for her before going to see Pup. Fitz is worried about what will happen if Burrich finds out about Pup, so he hides the wolf cub. He tries not to bond with Pup, but the wolf comes to trust him more and more. He usually reminds Pup that he will be released into the wild again once he’s well enough. Usually. Fitz continues to see Kettricken, who finds the tasks expected of her to be useless and boring. She would rather be with Verity preparing ships to fight the raiders. That is something that would be useful to their people. Fitz reminds her that she has other jobs than just bearing an heir. She has to rebuild the court and win them to Verity so that when he does become king, he is supported. Fitz helps her get started by suggesting that she reward the ladies who continue to attend to her: many have faked headaches to stay away. And in this, Fitz becomes Kettricken’s advisor. As her popularity grows, he warns her to be wary of those who seek her out but are loyal to Regal. Fitz reports to Chade every week. He visits Patience in the evenings to do tasks for her or to practice with an instrument that she insists he learn. Then he is called to see Shrewd. He runs into Regal on the way and they have a tense moment in the hallway. Fitz does not show fear nor does he back away, but he does not antagonize either. Fitz has not seen Shrewd since he returned to Buckkeep and is stunned to see the King still in bed at such a late hour. Shrewd confides that he is dizzy. He thinks it’s the weather, but the doctor says it may be from a head injury he sustained when he was younger. He mentions that his old serving man Cheffers died in the fall from a sudden cough, his new man Wallace is not as good. Fitz is surprised to hear about Cheffers, who was not particularly old. Shrewd changes the subject. He has heard about Jhaampe from Verity and does not wish to discuss it. Regal has apologized for what he did and Shrewd believes him. He gets Fitz’s word that he will not retaliate against Regal. A promise that Fitz is honor bound to uphold, regardless of how difficult it may be. On to business. Shrewd explains that Duke Brawndy of Bearns has an issue with a woman who joined his warriors named Magda. She is proficient and beautiful and quickly became well liked. Then she professed herself a prophetess chosen by the sea god El - renaming herself Virago. She has gained a following that continues to grow, and although she never quite strays into treason, she has said that the raiders and the Forged are El’s punishment for the soft ways of the Farseers. She refuses to eat or wear anything she hadn’t killed herself or won in a battle of arms - as in the old ways. Brawndy has heard rumors that she is now looking for a husband to help her have a child who could unseat the weak, soft Farseers. It doesn’t appear that Virago has any shortage of volunteers. Brawndy believes that stopping her in any way would only make her following larger, but it would look bad if she were bested in a battle of arms or shown to be dishonorable in the old ways. Anyway, that’s beside the point; Shrewd wants Fitz to go to Bearns to copy a list of Skill users from Bearns for Verity and study an Elderling relic for Shrewd. Message received - Fitz begins to plan and restock his poisons. He sees Serene, who has taken over as chief Skill user since Galen died, and August’s Skill burned out. She has also inherited Galen’s hatred of Fitz. When they meet, she uses the Skill to scare Fitz, but he reminds himself that it is not real. She is making him feel this way. The interaction is short but unpleasant, and Fitz is happy to get away. When he arrives at Bearns, Fitz is seated at dinner directly across from Virago - who has a real problem with his being a bastard. Apparently, the old ways deem it more honorable to drown a bastard child than allow it to live. Fitz knows that one of the most important rules of the old ways is never to injure someone who shared your host’s table. Fitz antagonizes Virago until she pulls out her sword and slams it into the table. When he points out that she is not following the old ways, she insists that Fitz is not injured so she has not behaved dishonorably. He provokes her further. It’s better to be a whore or a whore’s child than a traitor. She retorts that she has never sworn loyalty to the soft Farseer line. He asks if she’s ever fought a raider herself. No, he didn’t think so. Fitz suggests that instead of following her, those who want to fight sign up for Verity’s new fleet and fight the raiders instead of following Virago into treachery. But if she want a fight, Virago can meet him at the cliffs in a week instead. He may be a scribe, but he thinks he can give her a challenge. She doesn’t notice what Fitz slips in her drink. But her followers notice when her mouth and tongue fill up with blisters and sores - a legendary punishment for those who break vows and lie to companions in arms. By the end of the week, Fitz has copied the scroll and written a report on the Elderling relic, but the sores were so painful that Virago could not fight him. They receive word that she left the keep alone. Brawndy comments that Fitz becomes more like his father every day. A statement that chills Fitz’s heart. Chivalry had been dealing with disputes since the moment he became king-in-waiting at sixteen. He would often solve them with the sword but became more diplomatic as time went on. Verity, two years his junior, petitioned every month to be able to join his brother on the road and was given leave when he turned twenty. They became quite a team. Chivalry was good with people while Verity was better with the details and supporting his brother. Meanwhile, Regal was kept at court and groomed by his mother to be king. Fitz rides back from Bearns and is happy to return to Buckkeep. When he gets close, he sees Kettricken riding with Regal – the two of them looking very friendly. They’re laughing and chatting. Fitz doesn’t like it. Neither does Burrich but he couldn’t do anything to stop them. Fitz is called to see Verity right away, who tells Fitz that a group of Forged are harrying the roads while getting closer to Buckkeep. This doesn’t make sense. Fitz has had firsthand encounters with the Forged. They are too selfish to fight together. He wonders if it might be desperate townspeople pretending to be Forged. Verity isn’t sure but he asks Fitz to look around quietly, and if he can quietly get rid of some of them - all the better. But quietly. He cannot have people say that the King can’t protect his own stronghold. Fitz agrees to do what he can and then he brings up Kettricken. Verity isn’t happy either - he concedes that Kettricken is cooped up. She deserves a younger husband with fewer responsibilities. But she is either acting too childishly or demanding to make sacrifices for the good of the Six Duchies when all Verity wants is a little peace. He wishes that Chivalry were still alive. He asks Fitz if he knows what it’s like to have that much faith in someone, the way Verity saw Chivalry. Fitz looks at Verity - he thinks he does. Customarily, a person who married into the royal family would bring their own entourage. But that is not how it is done in the Mountain Kingdom and when Kettricken came to Buckkeep, she was alone and surrounded by strangers. She slowly found friends and attendants to surround herself with. Pup is happy to see Fitz after several days being apart. He has started to see them as pack, though Fitz tries to impress on the wolf that they cannot be. Fitz runs into Molly in the hallway (by his design) and Pup approves of her. Pup can hear Fitz’s thoughts from the stronghold. Fitz brings gifts to Patience and Lacey from his trip to Bearns, as well as a pot of evergreen. He pretends it is for Patience, but it is Molly who loves the taste. He tries to make his report to Shrewd but is turned away by Wallace. Fitz had been concerned that the guards stationed outside Shrewd’s rooms were unfamiliar to him when he first returned, but now there are no guards at all. Wallace seems to have taken that role and decides who is allowed to see Shrewd. When Fitz tries again and is again turned away, he is wondering if he should force his way past Wallace when the Fool shows up with food. Wallace unhappily lets them in. The Fool believes Wallace is a spy for Regal. Wallace has brought a “medicine” for Shrewd to try that involves sitting in a kind of smoke. Shrewd says it’s not working and tells Wallace to leave. Fitz tells Shrewd about what happened at Bearns, not bothering to wait until the Fool is gone. He shows Shrewd the scroll he copied for Verity and is told to take it to the map room. Fitz tells Shrewd about the relic. Then Shrewd asks to see the scroll and again tells Fitz to take it to the map room. Fitz is confused. When he and the Fool leave, the Fool will not talk until they are somewhere they can’t be overheard. Shrewd is having trouble remembering. They must remember things for him now. Fitz prepares to tackle the Forged. He rides out for several days and finds a group of Forged, dropping poisoned food that the Forged eat. It is not a gentle death, but it is quick. Once, he tracks a group further than usual, but he never finds them. He is forced to turn around as the weather grows worse. He is close to Buckkeep again when he spots someone riding away from the forest being attacked by Forged. It’s Kettricken and she’s all alone. He surges forward on Sooty and gets her horse’s bride free as Kettricken manages to kill several of the Forged. They ride toward the castle together. Kettricken explains that she and Regal had gone out with a group, but they lagged behind the others as Regal told her a story. Then Regal took off after a fox, and Kettricken’s horse followed him. They were soon separated and Kettricken was lost. That’s when the Forged found her. It’s getting very late and after some time, they find a search party looking for Kettricken. The soldiers are impressed by Kettricken’s story, and the guards swear to go kill some Forged the next day. But Verity is displeased when he hears. Not only that Kettricken was in danger, but that she told everyone about the Forged. Later, Fitz is woken up by someone collecting him for Verity. He had been dreaming of Molly and sending it out unknowingly with the Skill, so Verity has also been dreaming of Molly. And other people with the Skill could be dreaming of her too, but they may not be able to tell the dreams are coming from Fitz. The next morning, guards prepare to go hunt the Forged as if it is a fun outing. Verity calls for Fitz. He’s disgusted. He cannot stop his warriors from going and avenging their Queen-in-Waiting, it would strip them of their honor, but he cannot sanction the killing of his people. And that is exactly what the Forged were. He sends Fitz to keep an eye on Kettricken. On his way to the yard, Fitz sees Regal on the warpath. He’s furious about Kettricken and is looking for Verity. He tries to intimidate Fitz, but Fitz is now taller and stronger than Regal. Fitz sends Regal in the wrong direction. In the yard, Fitz realizes what Regal was so angry about. Kettricken is leading their people. She intends to ride with them but reminds them this is not for sport. These are their kinsmen that they are reclaiming. They will make sure that the death of the Forged will be quick and merciful. They will collect the bodies and return them to the stronghold, where they will be prepared for death and a funeral will be held. Their names will be recorded and their bodies burned. Then they will have a funeral feast. Regal has found Verity. He comes out complaining, demanding that Verity stop her. Verity says that Kettricken is giving their people back their pride. Regal insults her and Verity slaps him. Their father will hear about this, but Verity isn’t scared. When the hunt moves out, Fitz doesn’t go with them. Instead, he helps to prepare for the funeral feast and tries to stay out of Regal’s way. When Kettricken returns, she helps to clean the corpses herself. Fitz recognizes Kerry as one of the Forged. Shrewd and Patience both come to the funeral feast, Shrewd and Verity make speeches. They have returned their brethren home and now they must stop those who cause their suffering. They will take the fight to the raiders! Verity and Kettricken walk out together. Fitz sees Chade that evening and Chade is delighted. Kettricken is exactly what the country needed. She rode out a girl and came back a queen; everyone can see it. Fitz is worried again about Regal, but Chade won’t say more than Fitz will have to watch Kettricken more carefully. With her popularity she will gain more enemies as well. They drink some wine as Chade eats with his weasel Slink. Slink begins to vomit and they realize their sausages were poisoned. More than just Kettricken is in danger, Fitz needs to find a subtle way to warn Burrich to be careful and to watch out for his women: Patience, Lacey… and Molly. Fitz tries to sleep that night but is too worried. He goes in the middle of the night to Molly’s room, but she won’t answer his knock. He picks the lock and decides to get her a better one in the morning. He just wants to make sure she’s not been poisoned, but she wakes up and attacks him. He explains that he was worried about her. Some times are more dangerous than others to be the beloved of the bastard. Molly demands to know what he means. He has no right to say it, but he cannot stop himself from loving her. She kisses him. She loves him too. Fitz has the best night remembering holding Molly. His shirt smells of her, he wants the smell to last forever. He visits Patience and Lacey. Patience is in a melancholy mood after what Kettricken did the day before. Fitz’s grandmother was a strong queen, but Patience would not have been - she does not like crowds or people that much. She could have stayed in the country forever, but she came back to Buckkeep to make sure Fitz was okay and safe. He always wondered what made Patience come to a place she clearly did not enjoy and now he knows. She came for him. And it in no way benefited her. No one has ever done that for him before. Now, Patience takes him to the side where they cannot be overheard. She has not said this before, but she grows nervous. Regal does not like Fitz and the more Fitz grows, the more jealous Regal gets. She implores him to be careful. Ironic, he came to tell her the same thing. She laughs. No one thinks poor, foolish, dowdy Patience is worth their effort. Besides, Lacey is one of Hod’s best students. Lacey demonstrates how her knitting needle can kill a man and shows Fitz several other blades she’s carrying. Fitz tries to find Kettricken but she’s not with her ladies, who say she went to find Chivalry. He follows her trail to Verity’s room, to his tower, to the stables, and finally toward Buckkeep Town on foot with no guards. He chastises the guards, who let her leave unaccompanied, and runs after her with a mule - the winter is too rough today for a horse to handle the roads. When he catches up with Kettricken, she explains that she was going to speak to Chivalry. She does not want to wilt away again after yesterday and is upset that he finds it so hard to be with her. They do have a job to do: create an heir. Fitz is supremely uncomfortable with this conversation but convinces Kettricken that what she’s doing will not help the situation. She allows him to escort her back to the keep, where Molly sees them walking together. After taking care of Sidekick, Fitz visits Burrich whose dog Vixen died the night before. Fitz does not speak to Burrich but honors the dog as Burrich mourns. Seeing Burrich makes Fitz realize that he cannot bond with Pup. He goes to see the wolf, who had snuck out of the pig hut and prowled around while Fitz was with Kettricken. He tries again to convince Pup that they are not pack, and that Pup will one day need to go be on his own in the woods. Pup retorts that Fitz doesn’t know what Pup needs when he refuses to see himself for what he truly is. Then he invites Fitz to slink off to the forest together. They could live in the woods and be done with the world of men. It’s tempting, Fitz can picture it, but he eventually goes back to the keep. During times of peace, the Skill was only taught to the royal line. But during perilous times, it was not uncommon to have three or four coteries of six to eight people each. Coteries would choose to group together and had loyalty to their coterie. One member would be chosen for their affinity for the king – that member would relay information, and the king could even draw from their strength if needed. They were called the King’s Man or Woman, and the coteries were usually named after them. Galen came to be Skill Master after Solicity’s unexpected death. He never had to teach anyone the Skill since Regal did not learn to use it. When Galen finally did teach it, he put a coterie together (not allowing the members to choose to band together themselves) and named it after himself, so the coterie did not have an affinity for each other but only to Galen. Their key member, August, reported to Galen as often as to Shrewd. When August’s Skill was burnt out, Serene became the key member - the only other members of Galen’s coterie were Justin, Will, Carrod, and Burl. Fitz begins to dream again at night, this time of being a wolf. Blocking the Skill has left him wide open to the Wit. He uses these dreams to teach Pup to hunt and tells himself it’s only reason he continues. On his way through the yard, Fitz is stopped by one of Verity’s guardwomen, Whistle. She reveals that she has created a Queen’s Guard for Kettricken. Chivalry’s guards have split, this way Verity’s guard can get new blood, Kettricken has a guard of her own, but both groups can train the new guards for Verity. She asks Fitz to break the news to Verity. His guards still love him – but they don’t want anything to happen to his wife. Fitz wonders why everything falls to him. He tries to visit Verity then, but the King-in-Waiting is out. Verity’s guard Charam promises to call for Fitz when Verity returns. Fitz decides to teach Kettricken some dice games, so she doesn’t rely on Regal for entertainment. On his way, he is stopped by the Fool who recommends he teach Kettricken Riddles instead, since none of the Farseer line have ever been good at it. He gives a riddle to Fitz, describing an Elderling and asking how to call them. It makes Fitz wonder if it was the Skill that allowed King Wisdom to speak to the Elderlings. The Fool, in his riddle prone speech, asks where the other Skill users went. Solicity was known to train any who had the ability, so why are there only two of her students left at Buckkeep: Shrewd and Verity. Too many of her students are dead but no one is smart enough to ask why. He asks Fitz to recite the “six wisemen went to Jhaampe” but Fitz can only remember that the wisemen climbed a mountain, never came down, turned to stone a flew away. He can’t remember the end. So, the Fool writes him a song about how he shouldn’t waste time trying to stop doing something when he should be embracing it and growing stronger. Find his allies, locate those that are trained, and give in to what he’s been fighting against. Maybe then Fitz can save the duchies. Fitz leaves the Fool, more confused than ever. At Kettricken’s door, Molly brushes past him on her way out. He asks if he’s done something wrong and she says no, but she rushes away from him and does not turn back. But Kettricken is in a good mood. She tells Fitz that she has finally stopped fighting who she is and feels at peace. She invites Fitz to do the same and realizes that Kettricken has the Wit. Not strongly, but he can feel it in her. When Kettricken mentions that Regal was the one who originally brought Molly’s candles to him, it catches Fitz’s attention. He doesn’t like that Regal has noticed Molly. Fitz teaches Cub to hunt in person instead of inside his head. When Cub has successfully and without any aid tracked a mouse, Fitz believes his work is done. Cub can live in this abandoned building until spring and then set out on his own. Cub doesn’t like that idea. They are pack! Fitz tells him again that they cannot be and is forced to repel Cub with his mind. Cub abandons him then, hurt by his rejection. Fitz will not allow himself to search for Cub’s location and potentially restrengthen their bond, but he’s distracted as he turns toward the keep. He doesn’t notice the three Forged until it’s too late. They want meat - they want him. When they attack, one of them takes a bite out of his shoulder. He fights hard but he can’t fight them off, then Cub reappears to help his brother… his pack mate. By the time the Forged are dead, Fitz decides to stop fighting it. They are pack. He takes Cub back home where he can patch them both up. In the morning, he goes to see Verity. It’s winter and the raiders can’t attack, but Verity is still keeping watch. Fitz’s own Skill was damaged in his fight with Galen. He now keeps walls up so strong that not even Verity can get through often, and Fitz can only sporadically Skill outward. Fitz has heard that the more you use the Skill, the more it calls to you. Verity should not chance it by Skilling when it’s not needed. Verity believes the Forged are converging on Buckkeep though he doesn’t understand why. He wanted to see how it played out, to see if he could recognize what his enemy was trying to do, but it’s gotten too dangerous. Fitz will have to go out and cull the Forged again. But be more careful, there won’t always be help for him like there was the day before. Verity must’ve seen Cub, who has told Fitz his mother named him Nighteyes, when he helped Fitz, but he doesn’t say anything about it. Fitz suggests that Kettricken be allowed to use the royal gardens on the roof. Verity’s mother used to tend to them. Kettricken would like them, she had a substantial garden in the Mountain Kingdom. Verity asks that Fitz suggest it to her. He’s too busy himself. He must keep too busy, or else the Skill’s call is too alluring. But even when Verity reaches out, there is no one to answer. It is very lonely. Fitz brings up what the Fool suggested about finding others with the Skill. Verity admits he has tried. Every person either Verity or Shrewd can remember having the Skill is dead. It’s curious, as if being someone Skilled is a death sentence. There should be lists of people who’d been trained, ostensibly passed from Solicity to Galen, but Verity has not been able to find them. As for what the Fool mentioned about the Elderlings, Verity thinks that they aren’t specifically described because people at the time just knew what they looked like. Same as how you know what a horse is. You wouldn’t find many recent scrolls that would describe a horse because everyone already knows what a horse is. But Verity has collected whatever information he can find about the Elderlings and invites Fitz to look through it and note any patterns or things of interest. He gives Fitz a small key, the documents are in a locked cabinet in Verity’s room. The Six Duchies were unprepared to fight the raiders. The only defense they had was Prince Verity and his Skill, but it was impossible to notice the ships he turned away or destroyed before they landed. So, it looked like the Farseers did nothing to defend their people. Fitz goes to Kettricken and offers her the garden on Chivalry’s behalf. She immediately starts to make plans. Fitz has a hard time in the garden; this is where he nearly killed himself to get away from Galen. He eats with Burrich and Hands, but he is no longer one of them, and he feels lonely. He heads down to see Nighteyes. Nighteyes reveals that he has been tracking the Forged so that they can find them easier when they hunt them. A group is getting close so they will hunt the next day, though Fitz wishes his injuries have more time to heal. Afterward, Fitz collects a few Elderlings scrolls from Verity’s rooms and takes them to his own to study, but he’s too restless. He storms up to Patience’s room where he is surprised to see Molly. He rushes to her side and kisses her hand, but she doesn’t accept his advances. Instead, he is chastised by both Patience and Molly before Molly goes to her own room. Patience implores him to see reason. There is no future for the two of them. Fitz is upset but will follow orders (as always) and stay away from Molly. He does ask Patience to visit Kettricken, he shames Patience a little to convince her to go. When he leaves the room, Lacey looks disappointed in Fitz. Not for shaming Patience but for giving up so easily. His father was more stubborn than that. Fitz realizes she’s right and goes to Molly’s room, where Molly pretends to be asleep. He leaves her door, goes up a level, and uses a rope to rappel to her room. She is forced to let him in so he doesn’t fall and die. He tells her he is going to ask Shrewd for permission to marry her and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He finds out that Regal has been to see Molly more than once, has even offered to pay Molly to leave Buckkeep, and that he has fooled Molly into thinking he can be trusted. Fitz tells Molly that he loves her and that will not change, she kisses him and he doesn’t leave until the morning. When he goes, he reminds Molly that he is going to ask Shrewd for permission to marry her, but after he kills some Forged and garners some goodwill. She tells him to come back the next night, regardless of what Shrewd’s answer is. Either way, she considers herself his wife after what they did last night. There are many ways of teaching the Skill. Galen preferred wearing his students down to nothing and forcing his teachings on them. It worked, but one wonders if the students he taught were not particularly strong because of this method. Solicity, on the other hand, taught her students through gentleness and trust, including both Verity and Chivalry who were strong in the Skill. Unfortunately, she died before their tutelage was complete. Could they have been even stronger? After leaving Molly, Fitz visits Verity first - who knows exactly where Fitz spent his night and what he was doing. If it were up to Verity, Fitz would be allowed to marry whomever, whenever he chose, but it is not up to just Verity. He asks Fitz to give Molly a message. Should Shrewd say no, bide their time. Verity won’t give them the same answer. Fitz also asks to stop working as an assassin and Verity has an idea. Verity will not be allowed to sail against the raiders; he must stay in Buckkeep and lead from afar. But that means he will need someone on each ship that can receive his Skilled messages. If Fitz can work on his Skill and his sword work, Verity would like him to be one of those people. He hands Fitz a new sword, one that he commissioned as thanks for saving his life from Galen. Fitz agrees to let Verity travel in his mind as he hunts for Forged that day, to practice Skilling, but when Verity grabs his hand Fitz can’t fully let him in. He’s not sure if he trusts Verity that much. Verity notices when Fitz reaches out to Nighteyes, who agrees to stay hidden while they hunt. He does not know exactly what Fitz did, but Verity does not demand an answer - he does trust Fitz. That’s all Fitz needs to let Verity in. Fitz does not tell Burrich what he’s doing, but Burrich looks concerned as Fitz rides away alone. He and Nighteyes have been tracking for some time when Fitz hears a scream and rides towards it. Three Forged are tearing a little girl to pieces, she may be three at the most. He and Nighteyes kill two, but the third takes the girl and runs. The Forged man manages to get behind them and attack Fitz. The man is huge and very strong. Fitz has to fight with everything to survive. His teeth, his nails, his Wit. He’s finally able to get free and kill the Forged man just as Verity rides into the clearing with his guards and Burrich. They take Fitz to the stables where a healer and Burrich look after him. Fitz is sure that Burrich knows a wolf was with him, but he doesn’t say anything. When Verity comes to have dinner with them, he asks Burrich to teach Fitz how to use the axe. Burrich was always better with it than with a sword and it would suit Fitz’s fighting style better. Burrich agrees but he has one concern. Should Verity be sending his brother’s son into danger like he did today? Verity gets angry for the first time that Fitz has ever seen. He would love to not have Fitz go out. But Fitz is not a boy and now is not a time of peace. They must all play their part regardless of how much they may hate them. Fitz speaks up. He is a Farseer. If not in name, than in blood, and he feels a duty to his people. That little girl today was his. The blacksmith and the others who were made Forged, they were his. He will make the raiders pay for taking them. Verity looks proud at this declaration and Burrich agrees to train Fitz, more willingly this time. After being turned away from Shrewd’s room by Wallace, Fitz heads to his room and quickly falls asleep - helped by the medications the healer gave him. Molly comes to see him. He takes a moment to ask Nighteyes for some privacy, telling Molly that sometimes he needs to clear his head. He explains that he sometimes has true dreams. Like how he knew she’d been in Siltbay when it was attacked, but he wasn’t sure if she had made it out. She explains that the house collapsed just as the raider attacked her. It distracted the raider long enough for Molly to kill her. She’s never told anybody this. She leaves Fitz’s room early in the morning. Burrich comes to wake Fitz and tells him to meet in Verity’s tower room, but the Fool visits before Fitz leaves. He wants the chance to look at Verity’s Elderling scrolls. Fitz would like to ask Verity first, but the Fool says the less contact between him and Verity, the better. He believes that Fitz has chosen Verity and has abandoned Shrewd. If Wallace had tried to block Fitz from seeing Verity, Fitz would not have accepted it. Fitz acknowledges that’s true. The Fool has chosen Shrewd and will serve Verity when Verity becomes king. However, they are united in their hatred of Regal. And that’s what’s most important. Fitz leaves the Fool with the scrolls and asks him to lock up when he’s done. In Verity’s tower, Verity uses the Skill to sit in Fitz’s mind while Burrich teaches Fitz to use the axe. Fitz decides to go see Shrewd after training but stops in the kitchen. The Cook tells him that she’s heard rumors that Fitz fought the Forged and was more of a beast than a man when he did it. That there were marks made by claws and teeth. But Cook Sara won’t have any negative talk about Fitz in her kitchen. She sends Fitz with food for Shrewd and at this point, Fitz realizes that Verity has not left him yet. He takes Verity with him to Shrewd’s room. Wallace tries to block Fitz again, but Fitz pulls out his pin from the King. If he shows it, he is not to be denied entrance. Fitz forces his way in, to where Shrewd is sleeping, and blocks the door from Wallace. The room is heavy with smoke (not medicinal) and it’s dirty. There are a ton of dirty dishes, the sheets have not been changed, Shrewd has not been bathed, and the room is hot. Fitz manages to clear some of the smoke and clean Shrewd up a little. Wallace has convinced Shrewd that bathing could make him catch a chill and potentially kill him. Both Fitz and Verity are astounded and dismayed. It’s not long before Wallace brings Regal and his men to the King’s rooms. They rough Fitz up when they come in. Regal tries to get Shrewd to reclaim his pin and refuse to see Fitz, which Shrewd refuses to do, but Shrewd does ask Fitz to come in the afternoons instead. He’s better in the afternoons. And he reminds Fitz of his vow not to hurt Regal. Verity launches his ships on the middle day of the midwinter celebration week. It is not received well. If anything, the people wanted a reason not to think about the raiders. Fitz visits with Nighteyes, who just doesn’t understand why Fitz demands privacy when he and Molly are together. They are pack! Fitz returns to his room to find the Fool still there. The Fool tells him that he goes to Shrewd in the afternoons and tidies up what he can. Imagine how bad it would have been if the Fool did not do so. He prepares to go to Shrewd now, but Fitz stops the Fool and asks him where he’s from. The Fool asks him three times if he really wants to know. He comes from a land far away where he was cherished by his family, but when he became an adult, he chose to come here. He has seen the end of the world, and he is here to help stop it. It all starts when the Farseer line fails and the Forged start to go further than ever. But the Fool can see places where the future can be changed and every time there is a crossroads, it is Fitz who stands in the middle of it. Fitz could be the change that is needed to save the world. Fitz can feel a seizure coming on, he hasn’t had one in some time, but this is too much for his system. He kicks the Fool out of his room before the Fool sees him shake. Fitz ends up at the midwinter feast that night, but he is hazy and is not sure what is real and what is not. Patience and Lacey take him back to Patience’s rooms and make him puke. They think he’s been poisoned but that he’s expelled most of it. They put him to bed and when he wakes, the hidden door is open - meaning that Chade has returned from his mysterious task. Fitz speaks to Chade, who says he probably wasn’t poisoned but dealing with the effects of being in Shrewd’s room. When he tidied up, Fitz got some of the herbs that Wallace burns on his hands which he then ingested. They discuss a plan to help Shrewd; Chade gives Fitz instructions. After, Fitz goes to Molly’s room and finds her waiting. He doesn’t leave until very early morning. He’s exhausted, he hasn’t had a full night’s rest in ages, and Burrich is there too early to train. But in Verity’s tower, Fitz makes a breakthrough with both the axe and the Skill. Fitz’s days become regimented. He trains with Verity and Burrich, visits Patience, Kettricken, and Shrewd, makes visits when he can to Nighteyes, and spends his nights with Molly and then Chade. He manages to keep Verity with him for days at a time, but their connection needs to be renewed with touch. Verity wants Fitz to start training as a crew member on the Rurisk, one of the four warships. Mostly the warships crews are Six Duchies folk, but some are Outislanders. They’ve also lost their homes to raiders, but they aren’t trusted by those of the duchies, and they stick to themselves - which only makes the others trust them less. Fitz trains with them and sleeps in the barracks before getting every tenth night off, when he has to cram seeing everyone into one day. The good news is that Shrewd is doing better. He and his rooms are being cleaned, and he’s eating better. One afternoon, Fitz manages to have a moment alone with Shrewd and the Fool and he takes his chance. He wants permission to marry. Shrewd gives it to him happily but says Fitz will have to wait. The girl’s father wants her older sister married first. It seems that Fitz made an impression on Brawndy’s daughter Celerity when he was in Bearns. When Fitz clarifies that she is not who he was thinking of, Shrewd shuts him down. Brawndy and Celerity will not be scorned and that’s the end of the discussion. There are more warships being built slowly. Of the four, Verity will keep two at dock and have two at sea. Verity chooses to keep Serene at Buckkeep for the coterie to communicate through, though Fitz doesn’t understand why they don’t report to Verity directly. Verity puts Carrod on Constance, and two members at watchtowers: Will to the Red Tower in Bearns and Burl to the Neatbay Tower. On Rurisk, he places Justin - who hates Fitz. During one practice where they are supposed to meet the Constance (something they’ve not yet managed to do) Fitz is knocked out of his reverie while rowing. The raiders are attacking nearby. Verity tells Fitz that Justin can’t hear him, he’s too focused on hearing Carrod that Verity can’t get through. Verity tells Fitz to tell the captain to change course. Fitz is supposed to keep his Skill a secret, so when Justin insists that Fitz is just trying to sabotage the challenge, Fitz tells the captain it was a secret instruction he was told to give to the captain at a certain time. As they get closer to Antler Island, the crew of the Rurisk can hear the attack and work harder than ever to reach the island. When they get there, the raiders are mid attack. Many men are dead but there are some still trapped in the watchtower. The Rurisk crew comes up behind the raiders and fight back, giving new heart to the Antler Island men who were trapped. Fitz is overwhelmed by the emotions around him; he no longer knows what is coming from him and what he is feeling from the others. Songs are written about that night, about how Fitz fought, though he doesn’t remember much of it. But afterwards, he is affected by the death more than he has been in some time. Nonge, one of the Outislanders, gives him a medallion that had belonged to one of the men that Fitz had killed, Harek. Nonge says Harek would’ve wanted him to have it. Nonge says that Harek was a good man before the Korriks took his heart. They take the Red-Ship as a prize that night and the crew returns to Buckkeep. The captain, first mate, and Justin are called to see Verity, but Fitz drinks with the rest of his crew to forget what he did. He drinks until Burrich finds him and takes him to bed. They have several skirmishes with the raiders that summer, but no more clear victories. Fitz seems incapable of keeping Verity in his head once the fighting starts. Verity wonders if it means that Fitz is stronger in the Skill than they thought and, in an effort to keep the emotions of the crew at bay, his shields become so strong that even Verity cannot break through. The last encounter the Rurisk has, they are roused from their sleep because Verity saw a Red-Ship. When they see the raider ship, Fitz also sees a huge, white sailed ship behind it with Forged on its deck. A man stands at the railing and points at Fitz, laughing at him. The world goes quiet. Fitz can’t feel Verity or Nighteyes, he can’t hear any of the crew. It’s just him and the laughing man until Fitz repels the man. It throws Fitz across the deck, and he hears the other man fall into the water. The Rurisk crew fights the raiders, but the Red-Ship eventually flees and it’s too dark to find them again. The white sailed ship is gone. Worse, no one but Fitz seems to have seen it. Nonge tells Fitz not to speak of it. To see a white ship is to see your own death. Later, Fitz finds a legend of a white ship in a scroll, a cursed ship of drowned sailors not worthy of the sea. He doesn’t mention the ship to anyone again, but he starts to have Burrich save his earnings, and the medallion, to give to Molly should anything happen to him. He is lonelier than ever, even finding himself missing Patience and Lacey. Things are strained with Molly since he cannot tell her why he crews the Rurisk, more so when he finds out that Regal gave her a pair of earrings (in addition to payment) for some candles. But to speak against Regal would be treason and he can’t bring that to Molly’s door. Fitz even misses Kettricken, and he visits her sometimes in the gardens when he can. She has decided to find a better, more permanent solution to the raiders. Shrewd summons Fitz. He has not seen Shrewd since their discussion about Fitz marrying, despite the Fool’s concern for the King and what Fitz himself had seen. Fitz is called, surprisingly, in the morning and is let in with no fuss. The Fool is also there. Shrewd is wasting away. While he talks to Fitz, he takes wine spiced with the same drug he’s been smoking, and Wallace makes sure to create fresh smoke when it starts to dissipate. Shrewd tries to explain to Fitz that he wants to do right by him. Celerity will have a title and land when they marry, which Shrewd will be able to match by giving Fitz a title and land of his own. He tells Fitz that Celerity wrote a letter to him, sent in a letter from Brawndy to Shrewd. Fitz reads the letter, it contains a scroll that Celerity found about the Elderlings that she thought Fitz would be interested in. Shrewd tells Fitz to pen a response to Celerity. Shrewd has already heard from Regal that Fitz is obsessed with a serving maid. Shrewd is in the middle of telling Fitz that they were all young once when he falls asleep mid conversation. Fitz is livid. He goes to his room and writes back to Celerity, painting himself as a poor oarsman and an unfit match in the hopes that she will change her mind about him. He tells her of his fear and cowardice. He doesn’t seal the letter, maybe her father will read it too and refuse to let Celerity marry him. Fitz returns the letter to Shrewd’s room before going to Buckkeep city to burn off his anger. He finds Molly running errands there and convinces her to have a secret picnic with him. They have a wonderful afternoon, and he tells her about Shrewd’s decision. Molly cries. They’re doomed; she doesn’t understand why Fitz can’t see that. Now he’s angry at her and Shrewd, and the whole world for that matter. He makes a poison to use on Wallace, just in case, and stitches a little pocket in his sleeve to store it. Chade comes for him, but Fitz is in a foul temper. They get into an argument where Fitz says he will marry Molly or no one. And perhaps that means he will never marry, but he and Molly can live as if they are. Chade asks if he will have bastards of his own. Does Molly deserve that future? Chade suggests that perhaps Shrewd has chosen a wife for Fitz because, of Shrewd’s two wives, he chose Desire for himself and she turned out to be awful while the wife his parents chose for him, Constance, was rather good. Shrewd hadn’t wanted to marry Constance and hadn’t realized until she died how much he’d loved her. Chade tells Fitz that Shrewd wants him to kill Forged south of the keep. Fitz didn’t think he’d have to do this anymore, but Chade asks who he thought would do it instead. The only people capable of doing so are the two of them and Chade has done it all summer while Fitz was on the ship. Verity had wanted his ships to be able to sail during the winter months and perhaps take the fight to the raiders, but by early winter, two of the now five ships were damaged and only one of the captains expressed any confidence in being able to sail the coast in the winter. So, Verity gave the captured Red-Ship, now renamed the Revenge, to that captain and allowed him to handpick his crew. They never saw the Revenge again but heard that a ship that looked very much like the Revenge had begun pirating in the south. It was a blow to Verity and perhaps the moment that he chose to sacrifice himself to find a final solution to the raiders. Verity begins to ride in Fitz’s mind again. He is there when Kettricken asks Fitz what he knows of the Elderlings. She has been speaking to the Fool and learned some things; she wants to compare notes. She is most concerned about the part of King Wisdom’s story when, after gaining the Elderlings’ aid against the raiders, the Elderlings promised help in the future should it be needed. Verity tells Fitz to have Kettricken come speak to him and it is as if he is seeing his wife for the first time - how she yearns to be near Verity and be loved by him. Verity seems surprised when Kettricken changes her clothes and freshens up just to see him, and he tries to do the same. When they speak of the Elderlings, Verity asks Fitz to sit with them. Kettricken has brought old maps of the Mountain Kingdom that contain pathways she does not recognize. She thinks that King Wisdom used one of these paths to reach the Rain Wilds and the Elderlings. Verity agrees and decides he wants to follow in Wisdom’s footsteps. Winter is close and the raiders won’t be able to attack then. Kettricken wants to come with Verity, but he asks her to stay - to protect their interests and help his father. He needs someone he trusts to do those things, especially with Regal so close, and he wants Kettricken to be that person. Fitz leaves them alone in Verity’s tower. He visits Patience. She has noticed that he no longer nags her about Molly. She also found Molly picking an herb that is said to prevent pregnancy. It won’t, but it can make a woman very sick if taken for too long. Fitz is struck dumb, he never realized what Molly was doing and he should have. They have continued to meet at night, though Molly no longer truly believes they will ever be married. If Fitz were a better man, he would let Molly go. He is called to Shrewd’s rooms that night. Verity is there with Kettricken. Verity summoned Fitz to act as a witness as he formally asks to go on a quest for the Elderlings. At first, Shrewd (who is surprisingly lucid) says it’s too dangerous - send an emissary instead. But then Regal barges in, furious at not being invited. Regal seems stunned by his good fortune. His brother wants to go off on a dangerous mission, potentially dying in the process? Maybe he should take his wife with him. In the end, Shrewd leaves the decision up to Verity. Verity chooses to leave in a week, Kettricken will stay in Buckkeep. The Fool is literally doing cartwheels. That night when Fitz visits Molly, it feels different. More urgent, more desperate, more frenzied. He is well shielded, it is not his own desperation as he’s with Molly, but Verity’s with Kettricken. When Verity left, he took a small group of people with him. Hod, an expert in weapons and tactics; Charam, his body servant; Chestnut, Keef, and Kef, members of his guard; and Burrich, who invited himself as an animal expert and healer. The reason given for Verity’s leave was to speak to his father-in-law about potential military assistance against the raiders. Few knew the real reason. Verity would go alone to find the Elderlings, leaving the others of his party in Jhaampe. Verity speaks to Fitz the day before he leaves. Neither is convinced that this quest will amount to anything real, but Verity has to try. He does request to sit in Fitz’s mind for as long as he can once he leaves. Once they’re gone, Fitz and Nighteyes delight in using the Wit freely for a while. Fitz suspects that Chade is keeping secrets from him. That would not be strange except Fitz suspects these secrets are about him. Soon, Fitz hears rumors that Verity is questing for the Elderlings. A rumor that is laughed at, largely because of Regal. Fitz returns from hunting to find the keep in uproar. A rider has come all the way from Ferry in Bearns because three raider ships showed up. At least seventy were Forged, and they don’t even know how many died. Fitz wonders how no one heard about this attack until the boy arrived, at least five days later. If the signal fires had been lit, if the messenger birds had been flown, if Will had Skilled to Serene - who had been very present at the keep and at so many of Regal’s frequent banquets (though Regal keeps saying that the coffers are dry from Verity’s ships) they should have received word somehow. Cook Sara is not convinced that Regal didn’t know. Regal seemed to take the messenger’s news very calmly without any surprise. He has also said that they can offer no help to Ferry. Fitz is furious. Even if the raiders have already gone, they should still be sending men and money to help Ferry rebuild. Verity is also incensed and sends Fitz to his rooms to find an emerald necklace. Sell it and send the money to Ferry. But when Fitz gets to Verity’s room, he can tell that someone else has been there. It’s too tidy, not Verity’s style. Verity agrees, but Fitz finds several gems in the desk that were not taken, so what was the intruder looking for? He begins to collect Verity’s maps and documents for safekeeping when Kettricken arrives. When Fitz wonders aloud how none of the messages for help made it from Ferry to Buckkeep, Kettricken gets angry. She wants to storm Shrewd’s chambers and demand answers, but Fitz makes her stop and think. She calms down. This is why Fitz did not go with Verity, Verity told Kettricken to turn to him for counsel. He advises her to go to Shrewd and find out what Shrewd knows; demand answers but calmly. Afterward, Fitz goes to the stables - and just in time since he finds Hands arguing with a man who is trying to take one of the horses. When questioned, they find that Regal has tried to sell four of Buckkeep’s horses, including one that’s pregnant. Fitz points out that the sale is not legal without a signature from Shrewd, Verity, or Kettricken. This only has Regal’s signature. Fitz tells Hands to for him if something like this happens again. When he returns to his rooms, he is summoned by Kettricken. Kettricken advises him to visit Shrewd soon. When she went, Shrewd did not seem to know about the attack at all, but then Regal burst in and insisted that he had spoken to the king about it. He and Shrewd decided together that there was nothing further to be done, Bearns has always mostly taken care of itself and there is no money. Regal insinuated that the raiders already had a stronghold near Bearns which would allow them to raid even during the winter, that Verity had known of the stronghold before leaving and hid the information from Kettricken, that Verity believed he needed to make a deal with the raiders, that Verity used the Skill had called back one of the ships for repairs before he left - the only ship that would have been close enough to assist Ferry. But Fitz knows that ship was already repaired and sent out again specifically to be close by in case of trouble. He assures Kettricken that Verity would never make a deal with the raiders. She asks Fitz to look into things - discreetly. Neither one of them has a good feeling about what is happening, and they will need to get answers from Shrewd before Brawndy arrives. Before the Forgings, the people of the Six Duchies did not have much of a problem with Outislanders, who they knew mostly as traders. But when the Forgings started, that all changed. Chade traveled to the Outislands and learned that Kebal Rawbread was responsible for the Forgings, which the Outislanders called being escralled. Kebal took over pirate ships and raiding ships first, and once he had enough men he started “recruiting”. Anyone who turned him down had their families Forged. If they fled or killed themselves, their families were Forged anyway. As word spread, fewer people took the risk of saying no to Kebal. This information was not easy for Chade to get, even talking ill about Kebal got your family Forged. Fitz goes to see Shrewd. Whatever tea Shrewd is drinking is making him very relaxed. It is taking his troubles away while making his memory even worse. Regal enters very soon, it seems no one is allowed to be alone with the King anymore except for Regal. Fitz says he was worried because a man had an order to buy four of Buckkeep’s horses, but the king’s signature was not on the order. Shrewd laughs. He must’ve forgotten to sign it, that’s been rectified and the man now has his horses – and for a good price. Fitz is surprised, they were some of their best horses. Regal insists they can’t afford to feed them anyway. They have no more money. When Fitz brings up Bearns, Regal asks why they should be expected to beggar themselves for a piece of barren coastland, let Bearns deal with its own problems. As if Bearns is not one of the Six Duchies. Of course, Fitz is just the son of a beggar woman whore and a man who was never actually king, who has gotten too big of a head. He is not privy to anything important. He should count himself lucky that Regal allows Fitz to sit where he does instead of sending him back to the stables with the dogs, where Fitz belongs. Regal says this right in front of Shrewd. Fitz find himself standing, glowering over Regal. The Fool looks terrified at what Fitz might do next. Nighteyes and Verity are both mad enough to kill Regal. But Shrewd does nothing. He hasn’t even noticed. Fitz asks to take his leave and is eventually dismissed. He does not see Molly that night but waits impatiently for Chade to open the secret door. Fitz asks Chade all kinds of questions about killing and conscience. It all leads to him asking if Chade has ever killed because he thought it was the right decision for the country. Because what is happening to Shrewd is appalling. Why do they allow it to happen when they are pretty sure who is doing it, and who is ordering it to be done? Chade says he thought Fitz had more faith in him and his loyalty to Shrewd, some of what Shrewd takes comes from Chade. Fitz wants to know what Chade is hiding but Chade will not reveal Shrewd’s secrets or why he is giving the King herbs. Although, if Fitz looked hard enough, he could figure it out himself. Fitz does not have the patience for riddles right now, but Chade won’t say more. Fitz asks if the raiders have a stronghold in the Near Islands like Regal insinuated to Kettricken, but Chade isn’t sure. If they did, they’d probably be raiding more often in the winter. Fitz wonders what it is they want, but Chade thinks that they just want to hunt. To raid. To have a nation of victims for the taking. This is why Chade supported Verity looking for the Elderlings, he’s not sure they have any other hope. When Duke Brawndy finally arrives, he has enough men with him to make a statement but not enough to be a threat. He also has two of his three daughters, Celerity included. Tensions are high among the soldiers on both sides, one with anger that their call for aid was ignored and the other from shame. There is a dinner. Kettricken and Shrewd both somberly attend, but Regal laughs and drinks and laughs more. It is a slap on the face of those from Bearns. Regal doesn’t dare, nor does Duke Ram of Tilth (owner of four new Buckkeep horses) or Regal’s maternal cousin Lord Bright, heir to the Duke of Farrow. Fitz is relieved when Shrewd finally leaves with Kettricken, followed by Brawndy and his daughters. Now he can leave, too. When he gets to his room, the Fool is there. The Fool asks if Molly is pregnant. Fitz nearly punches him but notices that someone has already done so. In fact, the Fool has been beaten quite badly. They put a bag over his head, but the Fool has his suspicions about who did it. They said it was punishment for ‘spying for the pretender to the throne’ - Prince Verity. Fitz helps him with some poultices for the bruising and the Fool prepares to leave. He asks Fitz to tell him if Molly is pregnant because there is a change in the air. The threads of fate are reworking themselves. There is an heir to the Farseer throne, and it is carried by Molly or Kettricken since Regal has been dealing with his needs himself. Once he’s gone, Fitz hurries to Molly’s room. HE hasn’t been there for several nights and she’s mad at him. She assumes it’s because of Celerity, whose arrival has cemented in Molly’s mind that she and Fitz have no chance. But she does insist that she is not pregnant. She asks what Fitz would’ve done if she were. Would he have hidden them, or would he have abandoned his post and come with them to be a family? She already knows the answer. Fitz insists that there is no future if they don’t fight the Raiders. He can’t tell her why, but he needs to be in Buckkeep. She scoffs; Fitz is more like Burrich than he realizes. Burrich - who Patience loved first and who loved Patience back, but who had already pledged his life to Chivalry. Burrich - who told the woman he loved that he could not give her the life she deserved, because he was already sworn to his prince. This is the reason Patience hates Burrich, but Burrich is always so strange when Patience is brought up. Everything clicks into place. Patience accepted Chivalry’s courtship before she knew that he was the man Burrich was sworn to and by the time she realized, it was too late for them both. Fitz wonders if that is the life that is destined for him and Molly. But he stays that night and even after the argument and difficult conversations, they feel closer than they have for some time. Kettricken is concerned about the dukes that seem to be loyal to Regal. Her own homeland is set to pass to her upon her father’s death, becoming a “seventh duchy, but it is bordered by Farrow and Tilth whose dukes seem very close to Regal, not to Verity. Brawndy waits for days but is not called to speak to Shrewd. Every day that he is forced to wait is an affront to him, the people of Bearns, and what they went through. After a few days, Kettricken asks Brawndy to eat at her table. She invites his daughters, her ladies, Fitz, and other people she finds interesting. After some talk, she asks Brawndy to tell them his story. Everyone listens attentively as he tells them what happened. He nearly stops at one point, then decides to continue. He doesn’t understand why his summons for aid was unanswered or why the ship that was supposed to be there to help had returned to Buckkeep. Kettricken is embarrassed to say she does not have the answers. She herself did not hear of the attack until the boy rode into the keep. She cannot speak for Shrewd, but she is sorry for what has happened and she will help them any way she can. She has shown Brawndy great honor by eating with him, even if she doesn’t realize it. Three days later, Shrewd sees Brawndy. It isn’t missed that neither Kettricken nor Fitz are invited. When Brawndy returns from the meeting, he is furious. He announces that they are leaving since the Farseers will not help them. Kettricken asks him to share one more meal with her, this one in her garden. Fitz balks - an outdoor garden in a winter storm? But he brings them tea and pastries and is soon asked to join them. Kettricken tells Brawndy that she does not know what was said in the meeting, but she and Verity will not abandon Bearns. She gives him a priceless bracelet she brought with her from the Mountain Kingdom. He can use it to pay for repairs. Brawndy is in awe of her and Fitz realizes that in this garden they have privacy they can find nowhere else, plus there is no confusion that this is a gift to Bearns from their Queen-in-Waiting. Unfortunately for Fitz, he finds out that his letter disparaging himself has done nothing but make Brawndy like him more. Brawndy leaves with tensions still high, but not as high as they could be. Fitz visits Shrewd and finds the Fool there. When he feels a brush of the Skill on his mind, he’s surprised to find it’s coming from Shrewd. Fitz grabs Shrewd’s hand. He feels the immeasurable pain that Shrewd feels constantly: agonizing pain in his spine and head. Then Verity reaches out and is able to speak to his father through Fitz. Shrewd says that Regal has spies that say Brawndy has a deal with the Raiders and has given them safe harbor. The attack was faked. Brawndy has turned traitor. Regal also has word that Kettricken is working with Brawndy. Neither Verity nor Fitz can believe this and Verity encourages his father to turn to Chade and send his own spies to verify what he’s being told. They cannot maintain the link for long, it’s dangerous for Fitz. Soon the bridge is broken by the Fool, who gives both Shrewd and Fitz a glass of wine just before Regal barges in. Both Fitz and Shrewd are breathing heavily but no one understands why. They blame it on the smoke, and the Fool helps Fitz to bed. Suddenly, Fitz realizes why the king needs the smoke. He has been laid out just from a moment of the pain that Shrewd deals with. The Fool goes to get tea for Fitz. Fitz is so weak that he can’t even sit up when Serene and Justin enter his room uninvited. He knows he is in danger, but he cannot move to protect himself. He can’t even shield. Justin reaches into his mind, and Verity begs Fitz to shield before Justin kills him (on accident since he doesn’t know what he’s doing). Verity can’t shield for Fitz, so Nighteyes comes to the rescue. Somehow, using the Wit and the Skill, he attacks Justin. Justin is repelled and is left stuttering on the floor. Serene is trying to help Justin stand when the Fool comes back and kicks them out, making a fool out of the two of them to the bystanders in the hallway. Fitz curls up in bed and his last wall keeping out the Wit crumbles. Fitz wakes to find Molly in bed next to him. He wakes her up to go back to her own room, he has no idea what happened that night. Soon, Chade’s door opens. They must be quiet, Lord Bright doesn’t realize it but he has the room next to Chade and he’s a light sleeper. Fitz tells Chade everything that happened with Shrewd and then gives his hypothesis. Regal is keeping Shrewd pliable until he can take the throne himself. If Galen’s coterie is reporting directly to Regal like Fitz thinks, Regal may not have to wait for Verity to actually die. He could just have Galen’s coterie announce that Verity is dead and Regal would become King-in-Waiting, and king after Shrewd. Regal is willing to sacrifice the coastal duchies to keep the inland duchies. It would give him a buffer from the raiders since they don’t seem interested in coming in from the coast. Fitz doesn’t have all the answers, it would hinder trade for Regal not to have access to the coast, but it’s the best working theory he has. It’s the only reason Regal would work to discredit Kettricken. Fitz goes back to sleep and is woken by an urgent summons to the stables. Burrich is back. Word was sent that he would be returning, but nothing made it to Buckkeep. Burrich insists that he be taken directly to Shrewd to report and Fitz does just that, but he notices that Burrich is injured in his bad leg. Wallace is not in Shrewd’s rooms for once, just the Fool, and Burrich is able to report unimpeded. Verity had sent letters before leaving to prepare stops along their route for food, shelter, and fresh horses. None of those letters were received and the travel has been rough. They were attacked outside of Farrow by men who were too well trained and too well armed to be bandits, though they did not wear any heraldry. They were able to run the bandits off but several of Verity’s party were killed or injured, but not Verity. He sent the injured back to Buckkeep, Burrich among them, with two healthy men as guards. He also sent papers for Shrewd with Keen, the guard he put in charge. Verity and the others continued on to Jhaampe. Burrich’s group was attacked again by archers outside of Buckkeep. Burrich’s horse panicked and threw them into the river. Burrich went back to try to find survivors and the papers from Verity, but there were no survivors and the papers were taken. Shrewd seems not at all concerned and tells Burrich they’ll talk later. Burrich is astounded. He’s also burning up. Fitz takes Burrich to his own room and tries to find what he needs for Burrich’s wound. Food, tea, and clean water from the kitchens, then to Burrich’s room for herbs - but he can’t find what he needs. So instead, he goes to Lacey and Patience. They accompany him back to his room to help Burrich. Burrich and Patience can’t help but argue but eventually, Burrich is too tired. Soon, Kettricken rushes in. Fitz assures her that Verity is fine as far as they know and tells her what Burrich reported. Kettricken tries to help with Burrich’s wound. In discussing what herbs would be best, Patience realizes that Kettricken is pregnant. She asks Fitz, Lacey, and Patience to keep it a secret. Fitz agrees it should be kept an absolute secret. Regal cannot find out about this - it could mean Kettricken’s life. Over the course of the winter, Bearns will slowly be taken by raiders. They will raid repeatedly between storms, taking town after town. Branwdy will send out his fishing boats to fight, and few will return. Brawndy begins the winter by writing to Kettricken regularly but as the attacks get worse, correspondence becomes less frequent and more difficult to deliver. There is still no help from Regal. Kettricken sends the emerald necklace, but it doesn’t do much and she cannot keep sending messengers who are killed on the road. And despite proclaiming that their coffers are empty, Regal’s parties become more frequent and more ostentatious, his gifts to the inland dukes more lavish. Burrich returns to his own room the next morning. Fitz escorts him, they find row after row of empty stalls, dog pins, and hawk mews. Regal has sold off the majority of their animals and all of the best ones. Burrich’s life work, gone. Fitz leaves Burrich to get settled and goes to look at the livestock pins and the dry stores. It’s the same story. Fitz takes this information to Burrich who already suspected as much. He heard rumors as he rode toward Buckkeep that Regal was selling animals - either to pay for the war or to remove the animals from harm. Fitz tells Burrich everything else that has happened since he was gone, but not about Kettricken’s pregnancy. Fitz doesn’t have to, Burrich heard Kettricken last night. He tells Fitz to help him splint his leg; he’s going to stand guard at Kettricken’s door. It’s not like he’s needed in the stables anymore and he won’t let anyone hurt her if he can stop them. Fitz stops by Kettricken’s room to let her know. On the way back to his own room, Fitz sees Justin and Serene close his door as they leave his room. He confronts them and they say they know what he is: a beast man. He knows what he is too. Loyal to King Shrewd. From their delay, Fitz can tell they know what they’re doing is wrong, but they don’t intent to stop. Once in his room, he takes a close look around. He can tell they were looking for something small, but he doesn’t know what it could be. They may also have been looking for a secret passage. He decides to head to town and work off some energy but is stopped at the gates of the keep. According to the Captain of the Guard, he is no longer permitted to leave the keep. He can feel the proverbial noose tightening around him. Then he hears Molly yelling and running toward him from town. He can’t leave the gate so one of the guards goes to help her. She explains to Fitz once they’re alone that she was run off the road by two masked riders. She couldn’t tell who they were but after running her down, they held her down on the ground and went through her things. They warned her not to spy for the bastard anymore, and they know she’d been doing more than that. They spit on her and were rough with her but didn’t do more than that. She’s never been more scared in her life. Fitz kicks himself. He was warned that Regal would go after Molly! He tells Molly that they need to stay apart for a while for her safety, but this angers her. Once they know Fitz is scared, they won’t stop. He’s giving them power. He insists that he will fight back but she has to trust him to do it in his own way and to stay safe in the meantime. She just walks away from him, angry and disappointed. Fitz pulls back from most everyone and dares not see Nighteyes, but he sees Shrewd every day. It makes Fitz very grumpy. Burrich’s days settle into a routine. Guard Kettricken’s door all night. Eat breakfast. Go to his room and start drinking. Get drunk, pass out, wake up. Eat again and go to Kettricken’s door. Rinse and repeat. Patience has been sending Molly to help Burrich with his rooms, Molly is still mad at Fitz. When Fitz tells Burrich about the men who chased Molly, he says it was wise of Patience to send Molly to him so Burrich can keep an eye on her. The animals and stores continue to empty; furniture and tapestries slowly start to be removed from the keep as well. Rumors circulate that the Farseers plan to abandon Buckkeep altogether. One night, Chade urgently wakes Fitz up in the middle of the night. He needs to get the King. Five raider ships have arrived at Neatbay, which is very close to Buckkeep. Fitz must hurry or there will be no one to save. Fitz runs to Shrewd’s rooms, making Burrich take notice from where he stands just down the hall outside of Kettricken’s door. Fitz yells what is happening and Burrich steps inside to tell Kettricken as Fitz is admitted to see Shrewd. The Fool is sleeping on the floor next to the King - he’s afraid if he leaves the room, he won’t be allowed back. The Fool manages to wake Shrewd and Fitz reports. Shrewd gets it together enough to tell them to dispatch ships. Not just warships, but any civilian ships that can launch as well. In addition, send warriors on horseback. Keen can lead them. Fitz reminds him that Keen died and suggests Kerf instead. He doesn’t mention that their best horses have been sold. Soon, Regal is there with his men, who forcibly restrain Fitz and try to remove him from Shrewd’s quarters. Regal tells Shrewd that the Fitz is lying, no one has called for help. Kettricken comes in behind them with some of her own guard, including Burrich. Regardless of what Regal says, she will be going to Neatbay with her guard. Regal forbids it, but everyone in the room knows that she outranks him. She will ride out that night. Shrewd tells them to unhand Fitz and asks Fitz where he got his information. He gives Shrewd a code phrase meaning he was told by Chade and Shrewd commands them to follow the orders he’s already given. Fitz repeats the orders so there is no confusion. Kettricken tells Fitz he can join her group but she’s leaving, so catch up to them on the road. Burrich stays with Fitz, easily giving orders to the soldiers as they prepare to leave. He seems to forget that it should be Fitz giving the orders, but Fitz isn’t upset about it. They are again delayed at the gate, but Burrich demands the guard give Fitz the respect he deserves and asks if the guard will ignore their Queen-in-Waiting’s command. The Guard Captain smiles at them as he comes out and tells them to go through. On the way, they’re joined by Nighteyes. Burrich realizes what Fitz has been hiding. He doesn’t speak to Fitz for the rest of the ride to Neatbay. Once there, both Kettricken’s guard captain Foxglove and Kerf suggest that Burrich give orders as the most experienced warrior there. They know that the keep at Neatbay is under siege. The raiders have broken through three of Neatbay’s siege walls but were stopped by the fourth, which won’t be easy to get through. The people inside can last for a good amount of time. They will trap the raiders between themselves and the fourth wall, and lay siege to the besiegers. The five raider ships will also need to be dealt with. They split their forces; half will make sure the raiders stay inside the walls and the other half will clear the ships and any raiders in town. As they prepare to move, the Rurisk sails into view. Fitz also sees the white-sailed ship behind it, but no one else does and it is quickly gone. He almost thinks he imagined it. He is in the group that goes to the ships. One ship manages to sail from shore, but they clear the others. There were hostages on board. Where were the raiders taking them? Soon the Rurisk is joined by the Constance and their men are brought on land. One of their warships is left manned to chase off any additional raider ships, which comes in handy when two ships try to make land but are run off. They lay siege to the raiders. During the siege, Fitz and Burrich sit outside Kettricken’s tent. It’s the first time Burrich has spoken to Fitz since learning about Nighteyes. They are approached by Foxglove who has realized that Kettricken is pregnant. She wants to send the princess home before she’s put in more danger but it’s too late. Raiders have broken the siege and instead of going for their ships, they aim directly for Kettricken’s tent. The battle is ferocious, but not particularly long. Fitz fights with Nighteyes. Fitz comes back from his battle haze while leaning against a well next to the wolf. A little girl sees them but doesn’t say anything and doesn’t stick around. When it’s done, Kettricken storms the gates of Neatbay herself with her sword still bloody from the fight. She is warmly welcomed by Duke Kelvar. When the duke next door, Shemshy of Shoakes, comes with reinforcements, he is welcomed as well. It turns out, the coterie member at the nearest watchtower was removed to go inland and the signal fires were doused by the raiders. Luckily, one of the riders Kelvar sent had made it to Shoakes, otherwise Shemshy would not have known what was happening. Kettricken gives them each a warship of their own so they don’t have to wait for help should the raiders return. A huge gift, which is recognized by the dukes. Plus, now everyone knows now that she is expecting. That she would risk her own life as well as her child to protect them is a moving one, she is gaining loyal followers. But Fitz points out to Burrich that there were far too many raiders there, more than five ships worth. He thinks a larger ship ferried raiders in before leaving. In addition, the raiders seemed to know that Kettricken was there and which tent was hers, even though they flew no banners. Fitz speaks to Lady Grace again before leaving, she gifts him with a custom pin in the shape of fish bones. She had it made after he saved her dog’s life the first time he came to Neatbay. When they return to Buckkeep, Burrich tells Fitz to be careful. There has already been talk about a wolf around Neatbay. Not to mention the marks Nighteyes left on the Forged that took the little girl. Rumors have been spreading and the more Nighteyes is noticed, the more rampant they will become. Close to Buckkeep, a group of warriors brings a scroll to Kettricken. Regal has had news that Verity is dead. Once at the keep stables, Burrich and Fitz talk. Fitz hasn’t really been able to feel Verity for some time, but he thought he felt Verity during the battle. It was confusing, Verity may have been in a battle of his own. Either way, when Fitz fights, he has to put up strong walls so he isn’t overwhelmed by the emotions of those around him, and that cuts verity off completely. Burrich doesn’t think Verity is dead. He wouldn’t put it past Regal to announce Verity’s death, kill off Shrewd, and then get rid of anyone who stands in his way - whether that be Kettricken, her unborn baby, or a still living Verity returning to Buckkeep. Regal could make them all disappear. He wants Fitz to try to help Shrewd Skill Verity again to see if he is really dead. Burrich will make sure there are witnesses. As it stands, keeping his Skill a secret is not important anymore. Inside, Fitz finds the kitchens preparing a feast to celebrate their victory. Cook Sara gives him all the gossip. She thanks Regal’s quick decision to send help for their victory. As hard as Verity tried, his help always seemed to come too late. As for Kettricken, who knows when she got pregnant? Maybe it isn’t even Verity’s baby! Fitz gives her some gossip of his own. Kettricken has been taking herbs for morning sickness for months, just ask around. As Fitz prepares for the feast, the Fool comes to see him. He has accepted that Shrewd will not live long and only hopes that what life Shrewd does have left is peaceful. There is a Farseer heir, that is what’s important. Fitz points out that there won’t be an heir for long, not if Regal has anything to say about it. The Fool fills in a missing piece of the puzzle. Regal believes that Fitz and Lady Thyme killed Queen Desire on Shrewd’s orders. Suddenly everything makes more sense. Regal will butcher the whole country in revenge and his half-brother Galen, Desire’s bastard son, set up his coterie to help. At dinner, only the inland duchies are represented - other than Buck itself. Toasts are given to Regal’s quick thinking and victory over the raiders. Regal commends Kettricken in his own toast. He does it while dripping with sarcasm and condescension, making it seem like Kettricken fought only to for appearance’s sake. He also announces that they will be moving Shrewd and the whole court to his uncle’s keep in Farrow. His cousin, Lord Bright, will take command of Buckkeep. Kettricken is obviously invited. At first, she plans to stay in Buckkeep and protect it like Verity asked her to, but Regal again makes her feel like a fool. When Shrewd asks her to stay with him, she agrees to go to Farrow. She leaves the feast at Shrewd’s side. Fitz and Burrich quickly follow. It seems to reason that the Forged are the opposite of the Skilled, unable to feel emotion while the Skilled can feel the thoughts and emotions of more than just themselves. Perhaps Verity’s constant Skilling from Buckkeep was what drew the Forged to the keep. As soon as he left, the Forged stopped advancing. Fitz and Burrich enter Shrewd’s rooms against the Fool’s wishes and find Kettricken sitting by his side. Wallace is still at the feast. Fitz quickly tells Kettricken what they want to do, but the Fool doesn’t think they should. Even if they reach Verity, who will believe them? And what happens if they don’t? It will leave Shrewd even weaker and Kettricken more bereft. Fitz proposes to leave the choice up to Shrewd, but the Fool fights that too. He is too pliable from the drugs he’s been given; Shrewd can be led to do anything. Shrewd speaks up in a soft voice - he’s not that far gone. Shrewd says Regal got the news via a messenger. Given the timing, there is an outside chance that it’s true, but it’s unlikely. Shrewd grabs Fitz’s shoulder. At first, it seems as if the two of them are all alone. But then Fitz finds Verity. As soon as Verity realizes what’s happening, he yells at Fitz. Shrewd doesn’t have the strength for this! Shrewd is not using Fitz’s strength, it’s Fitz that is using Shrewd. Fitz is Skilling! Verity forces them to break apart. Shrewd is left barely breathing, his lips are blue. They force Shrewd to drink some tea as Fitz falls to the floor. When Regal comes in a moment later, they tell him that Shrewd had another episode, but that Fitz is just drunk from grief. Burrich escorts Fitz out, but they overhear Regal complaining about plots against him. He wasn’t completely fooled. When Burrich takes Fitz to his room, he’s surprised to see the room so utilitarian. It shows Burrich that Fitz does not put much value on his own life, it’s why he himself to be thrown into danger. He should take better care of himself. Burrich reconsiders what they did tonight, it was too dangerous. Once Burrich leaves, Fitz wants to see Molly (who he hasn’t seen since she was attacked), but Nighteyes alerts him to the fact that he’s being followed. Fitz belatedly notices Will, realizing that Will is a better at the Skill than either Serene or Justin. And more dangerous because of it. Fitz pretends to get spare candles from the hall supply closet before going back to his room. When Chade comes for Fitz, he says the same thing as Burrich. It was too dangerous. Fitz finds it hard to believe that anyone could love him because he does not love himself. In addition, Fitz has given Kettricken hope – which is a dangerous thing. She will no longer look like a widow and will become more of a target than she was before. Regal prepares an ostentatious celebration for when he becomes King-in-Waiting. All the dukes are required to be there. In the meantime, Regal begins clearing out the furniture. He even takes Patience’s table and Lacey’s bed. There is so little furniture left that Mistress Hasty can’t find space for the guests to sleep. It’s all been sent to Farrow for “safekeeping and comfort of the king”, but Chade knows it isn’t safe for Kettricken or Shrewd in Farrow and is trying to make other plans. Patience tells Fitz offhandedly that she has not been invited to Farrow. Those that Regal does not care about are being left in Buckkeep. Fitz hadn’t even thought of that but he’s sure that includes Burrich, Chade, and himself. Fitz is constantly on guard against the coterie members, especially since realizing how sneaky Will is and not knowing where Carrod is. Hands is taken to Farrow with the rest of the stable stock, but Burrich hides Sooty and Ruddy so they can’t be taken. He won’t tell Fitz where he puts them, it’s best Fitz doesn’t know. No one is allowed to see Shrewd anymore because Regal says he’s too ill. Then Fitz finds out that Kettricken fell on the stairs coming down from the garden. Upon investigating, he finds a step covered in grease. A plot either to kill Kettricken or to cause a miscarriage, but Fitz learns that both she and the baby are okay as far as anyone can tell. But the Fool has been beaten again. He had been in Shrewd’s room when Regal started asking his father what had happened with Fitz. Shrewd wouldn’t tell Regal, but the Fool is worried that Regal will withhold Shrewd’s medicine. Who knows what Shrewd will say to get it back and to stop the pain. Fitz rushes out of his room. He goes to his own room and tells his plan to the fireplace, hoping that Chade is listening. Then he speaks to Patience and Lacey, who arrange a meeting with Kettricken. Lacey will kill a chicken and collect its blood, which Kettricken will use to feign a miscarriage. When Kettricken calls for Wallace, Regal will no doubt follow. Once Regal is out of Shrewd’s room, Fitz will distract the guard so that Chade can sneak into Shrewd’s room. He hasn’t been able to see his brother since Shrewd is never left alone. The plan goes well; Fitz knocks Shrewd’s last guard unconscious by blowing a powder through the crack in the door and the door is never unlocked from the inside since Chade has his own secret way in. Chade gives Shrewd a sleeping draught that will keep him asleep for a day or two. After, Fitz heads to the kitchen to spread some gossip with Cook Sara and to be seen by people. Then he goes to see Burrich, who the Fool went to for help with his wounds. Fitz meets Molly on the way. She is still angry at him but agrees to speak to him. She has someone new who is more important than anyone else, even Fitz, the same way that Fitz places the king before her. It is this person’s safety that she must care for, she is leaving Buckkeep to keep them safe. It is not that she doesn’t love Fitz, it is that their love is not as important. He has placed Shrewd, Verity, even Kettricken before Molly and he always will. He won’t even tell her what he does for Shrewd! He says she doesn’t want to know. That’s her decision to make. So, he tells her - he’s the King’s assassin. She claims not to believe him, but she does and she’s shaken. When she walks away, he finds the Fool still with Burrich and they all drink together. He asks how Burrich managed to walk away from Patience. Burrich says he is not a man who changes easily. If he ever loved Patience, that wouldn’t change. Lacey finds them drunk when she brings Burrich the chicken carcass and asks him to get rid of it. She tells them to get their acts together; they need to be on their guard. After spending some time with Nighteyes, Fitz goes to his room. He runs into Serene on the way but doesn’t try to provoke her, nor does he allow her to provoke him. He’s called to see Kettricken, who suggests that she and Shrewd scape to the mountains. Fitz can’t fathom that happening. It’s the middle of winter and Shrewd is weak as it is. But when Chade speaks to Fitz later that night, he thinks the plan might have merit. He was hoping to hide Shrewd in his own rooms until he was able to smuggle the King to Bearns or Rippon, but the mountain is better. They plan to do it in two nights, after Regal’s King-in-Waiting feast. Chade tells Fitz to alert Burrich and Kettricken. Burrich will need a mule, a litter for Shrewd, and plain horses to not draw attention. Chade will find them money to stay at inns for as long as they can. Kettricken should leave Regal’s feast early and ask not to be disturbed by her ladies until the morning, Fitz will need to make sure the king is alone (somehow) for a few minutes. Fitz has a way to get them to Burrich (the same way Nighteyes sneaks around) and Chade will take care of the rest. Of course, they will also need to figure out who Regal’s assassin is at some point. He’s sure to have one. As soon as it’s safe, Fitz sneaks to Burrich’s room in the stables. Burrich is hesitant, there is no room for error here, but he is willing to do what he needs to do for his King and Queen-in-Waiting. Next, Fitz asks Nighteyes to be ready. He will meet Chade, Shrewd, and Kettricken and lead them to Burrich. By midday, Fitz is able to see Kettricken and quickly tell her the plan. She tells her ladies that she will likely go to sleep early that night too, so it’s not suspicious when she leaves Regal’s feast early the next night. Fitz goes up to Verity’s tower. He wishes Verity were there and suddenly, Verity is speaking in his head. Fitz Skilled to him by himself! He tells Verity everything that is happening and Verity tells Fitz to stay the course. Verity is so close to his goal, he can’t come home yet. But then, Verity can tell that someone is spying on them. He closes the channel, repelling the spy. Fitz finds Justin outside and Serene not far off. Neither seem surprised to hear that he was speaking to Verity - proof of their treason, but Fitz doesn’t think they heard the plan to Shrewd and Kettricken out. He tries to think of a way to lure the guards out of Shrewd’s room and goes to the kitchen to hear Cook Sara’s gossip. The coastal dukes are in town for Regal’s ceremony, Brawndy asks to speak to Fitz. Fitz tells Brawndy the lay off the land and dispels rumors. Yes, Shrewd is ill and he will likely not be seen other than at the feast, but Kettricken did not miscarry and certainly not by riding to help Neatbay. She went because she was worried no one else would, and she has not miscarried though she did have a scare after falling. Brawndy gets to the real reason he wanted to speak to Fitz. He and the other coastal dukes (Shoakes and Rippon) do not believe that Regal has any plan to allow Verity’s child to take the thrown. He will name himself King-in-Waiting, then kill Shrewd and the child. The coastal dukes would rather have Fitz on the thrown than Regal. They would rather have Fitz as regent to Verity’s child until the baby comes of age. Fitz thinks this through. Chade warned him that this day would come. An idea comes to Fitz, one that lights him up inside. He has no interest in the throne. He is loyal to Kettricken and the baby, he is the King’s man. Let Regal run inland, once he is gone Fitz will claim control of Buckkeep. Not for himself - but to keep it for when Verity’s child rules (he still pretends that Verity is dead). Patience and Lacey will be safer this way; he is hopeful to have the support of what is left of Shrewd’s and Kettricken’s personal guards, neither of which is allowed to go to Farrow with their charge; and he and the coastal dukes can work together to make sure there is enough food and to protect their coastline. Brawndy is happy with this and promises the help of himself and the other dukes. Regal is set to leave the day after the celebration, but Brawndy will stay a few extra days to make sure things go smoothly for Fitz. Fitz insists that he does not want bloodshed between the duchies, but he will see all six duchies remain united and given to Verity’s child. Brawndy asks Fitz to take Celerity as his wife them, but Fitz insists it is not safe for him to have a wife. He will not take one until he can be sure of their safety. Brawndy sees the wisdom in this, though Celerity is disappointed. After, Fitz tells Chade what he’s done. Chade isn’t pleased, but he isn’t sure what other choice Fitz had. He encourages Fitz to Skill to Verity again and explain but make sure that he’s not overheard. Chade will make sure that Kettricken is told once she’s safe and will assure her that Fitz is still loyal to her and her husband. As for their plans, the Fool is packing some of Shrewd’s things but has been told he cannot accompany them. He has agreed to follow them a few days later, it’s the longest Chade could get him to wait. And Shrewd has agreed to the plan - though it is hard for him to turn against Regal. The next day is the ceremony. For days, Chade has been making sure that superstitions leading to bad tidings were seen. In the morning, all the food seems to have gone bad overnight, which is a very bad sign that everyone notices. Tensions run high. Fitz tries to Skill to Verity but has no luck, possibly because he’s too worried about being spied on. He sequesters himself so he doesn’t have to see (or be seen by) anyone else. When he arrives at the ceremony, minor nobles of all the coastal duchies suddenly seem very interested in him. Brawndy can’t keep a secret, good thing Fitz didn’t tell him that Verity is still alive. The candles on the table flicker with blue flames - Chade at work, causing the superstitious to become more worried. When Regal takes the crown and pendant of the King-in-Waiting, the flames grow even more blue. Regal ends the ceremony quickly and they go to dinner. Many people try to corner Fitz, and he realizes that the coastal dukes have underestimated Regal’s ruthlessness, greed, and unwillingness to let Fitz have anything. He needs to get away from the crowd. If Regal suspects that Fitz wants to stay in Buck, Regal will also stay just to spite him. Fitz leaves as soon as he can and goes to Molly’s room. All he’s been thinking is a) how to get the guards away from Shrewd’s room and b) how to win Molly back from whichever man has won her heart. Her room is already empty, seeing it feels like he was hit in the chest with a hammer. He goes next to Shrewd’s rooms, but they’re empty. He’s reminiscing about the King when Kettricken and the Fool unexpectedly bring Shrewd back in and Fitz hides himself. Wallace is with them, but he cannot light the fire. He’s very superstitious and all the blue flames on the candles and sconces scares him. He leaves to get new wood, and Fitz comes out of where he’s been hiding. He reminds Kettricken to go to bed, then he and the Fool prepare to leave with the King. But Shrewd no longer wants to go. He had held on to hope that Regal would not go through with his plan and now that Regal has crowned himself King-in-Waiting, Shrewd is despondent. He wants to die in his own bed this very night! He asks Fitz to help him speak to Chivalry one last time, to assure him that he was not part of Regal’s plot. It’s not really a question, but a command, so Fitz comes forward. But the Skilling is too much, Shrewd dies as he holds on to Fitz before they can reach Verity. But with Shrewd gone, Fitz can now feel the others Skilling - wheedling around and trying to find their way to Fitz. Galen’s coterie was why Shrewd lost strength so gradually. They’ve been using him, buffering their own Skill with his and sapping the King’s strength - that’s how they’ve become stronger than Fitz remembered. By the time he recognizes them, they’re all over his mind and he can’t break away. Nighteyes repels them, pushing them far enough away for Fitz to be able seat himself in his body again. The Fool is crying over Shrewd’s body and Wallace is coming back in. Wallace screams when he sees Shrewd and then screams again, louder, when he spots the pocked man standing behind the King. The pocked man (a symbol of death who is really Chade) points at Wallace and Wallace runs. Fitz tells Chade to take the Fool and get Kettricken out. They don’t have much time now and if the Fool stays, Regal will make sure he dies. As for Fitz, he will wreak vengeance on Galen’s coterie. Chade gives him carris seed for strength before bidding Fitz farewell. He doesn’t think they’ll meet again. Fitz takes Shrewd’s knife and runs through the keep to Galen’s chambers, where Serene now lives. He finds Serene and Justin Skilling together, still picking at Fitz’s shields. Fitz quickly kills Serene, but Justin runs as fast as he can straight to the hall where dinner is still being eaten. Fitz kills him in front of all the guests. He tells them not to worry; he’s enacting the King’s justice. Regal’s guards come at Fitz, but the coastal dukes rally to his defense. Some of the Buckkeep guards come in and fight for Fitz too. Blade, the guard captain, pushes two men away from Fitz and turns to look at him. Fitz would never fight against Blade, which Blade knows. He traps Fitz’s arms at his sides as someone else knocks Fitz out. He wakes up in a jail cell. Everything hurts - they really did a number on him, and they haven’t bandaged any of his injuries. But he’s not dead! Fitz sleeps, he wakes, he sleeps, he wakes, et cetera. Then he hears Lady Patience demanding to see him. She’s arranged it so there is only one guard on duty, and she sends him on a goose chase to be able to speak to Fitz. It’s no surprise that Regal and Wallace have accused Fitz of killing Shrewd, Serene, and Justin in a fit of madness caused by his grief over Verity’s death. Regal says the reason there are no marks on the Shred’s is because Fitz used the Wit to kill him. Since no one can find Kettricken or the Fool, so they suspect Fitz killed them too. Blade stopped the men from Farrow from killing Fitz and took a lot of injuries but will be fine. There’s a lot of animosity between the inlanders and everybody else - Burrich can barely keep up with their fighting in the stables. Fitz wonders why Burrich is still at the keep. But Regal is most angry that he no longer has a reason to leave Buckkeep since neither Shrewd nor Kettricken need to be kept safe and he’s being forced to stay at Buckkeep by the coastal dukes. Turns out, being King-in-Waiting might not be all Regal though it would be. Fitz asks about Will, but Patience hasn’t seen him. When she leaves, Fitz reaches out to Nighteyes. He confirms that he guided Kettricken and the Fool to the horses like he was supposed to. He doesn’t know why Burrich stayed. Fitz thinks he hears Chade whispering to him, but he can’t understand what Chade is saying. The next visit Fitz gets is Regal and the three coastal dukes. The dukes wanted to see for themselves that Fitz was alive. They speak baldly, they still don’t consider Regal a real threat and they don’t understand the lengths that Regal will go to get what he wants. Regal accuses Fitz of killing Shrewd with the Wit while Fitz insists that the coterie did it with the Skill. The dukes challenge Regal to prove his claims. Prove it and they will not object to Fitz being executed. They will accept Lord Bright as custodian of Buckkeep and Regal can run off to Farrow. If Regal cannot, then not only will Fitz live but Regal will put him in charge of Buckkeep. If Regal does not comply, the dukes will hurry off to their own duchies - they have their own problems to contend with. That means Regal could not be made king. Regal agrees to their terms and they all leave. Regal comes later to gloat. Not only does he have the girl from Neatbay who saw Fitz and Nighteyes together after fighting, he has several witnesses who saw wolf prints in the snow. And he has his coup de grace: Rosemary, Kettricken’s youngest maid. A girl who always appeared sleepy, never paying much attention, just happy to be with Kettricken - Regal’s spy. The things that Rosemary has heard. She was always next to Kettricken’s side. None of them ever suspected her. Fitz wonders how much Rosemary heard about the escape plan and he reaches out to Nighteyes. When Nighteyes escorted Kettricken and the Fool, Burrich spoke to the wolf to change the location of the meet. He brought Ruddy and Sooty for Kettricken and the Fool. That’s all Nighteyes knows. He tells Fitz that he has a porcupine quill in his lip, Fitz suggests he ask Burrich to remove it. Then Burrich will at least know that Fitz is still alive. Will comes to Fitz’s cell. Unlike Serene and Justin, Will’s method of getting into Fitz’s head is more subtle. Fitz steels himself. Fitz is stronger than Will expected - he won’t underestimate Fitz again. Fitz is now afraid to ever let his guard down, even to sleep. Will could make Fitz admit to unspeakable things; he could make Fitz grovel at Regal’s feet before being executed. It would be intolerable. But Regal doesn’t have the patience to wait for Will to get through Fitz’s shields, even with Fitz weak from injury and lack of food, water, and sleep. He has Fitz brought to him and he watches as Fitz is beaten. Regal tells them not to break anything, but they still break Fitz’s nose. After that, they stay away from his face. Will stands by, trying to get into Fitz’s head. Fitz barely tries to defend himself physically; he devotes all of his energy to keeping Will out. Regal wants Fitz to lash out like a wolf, like he did with Justin. Or he wants Will to get into Fitz’s mind. Fitz doesn’t allow either. He wakes up again on the floor of his cell after being beaten unconscious, and while nothing is broken, he’s in too much pain to get up. Then he hears Burrich yelling at the guards. Blade is with Burrich, explaining to the guards that Burrich is drunk. He helped raise Fitz and just lost his job since people believe Burrich should have known what Fitz could do. Some people claim Burrich did know and helped Fitz. Burrich yells that he just wants a piece of Fitz before Regal kills him and bribes the guards to let him through. At Fitz’s cell, Burrich screams at him and berates him. Burrich spits on him. It hurts as much as anything else that has happened to Fitz. More. When Burrich leaves, Fitz just lies down. It takes a while for him to see what Burrich spit at him lying on the floor of his cell. An herb that is used for pain relief and sedation in the Mountain Kingdom. It can even kill in strong enough doses. Nighteyes reaches out again. He saw Burrich about the quill and he believes Burrich can be trusted. Burrich wants Fitz to lay down and join with the wolf. Fitz doesn’t know how, but Nighteyes encourages Fitz to try. Don’t use the herb unless he absolutely needs to. Fitz puts the herb in the hidden pocket in his shirt cuff, next to the poison he made for Wallace, and lays down. It’s not enough. Fitz cannot let go of his body, though Nighteyes insists that he can do it. He did it once before, the night that he woke up to find Molly next to him and no memory of the night. Nighteyes is getting desperate, but Fitz cannot figure out what to do. He doesn’t know how he did it before and he can’t do it now. The guards come for him again. Regal pulls something out of his cuff. Not the herb but the packet of poison. He is taken to Regal, who is enjoying watching Fitz be hurt. He wants Fitz to beg for mercy, to admit what he’s done to the court, to name every person who ever stood against Regal: Burrich, Kettricken, Patience… even Molly. Molly will hang just for being associated with Fitz, though Will admits they haven’t found her yet. Will tries to get through Fitz’s shields but even with his body weak and in pain, Fitz is able to keep Will out. When Regal commands the beating to start, Fitz speaks. Regal killed his own father. Sure, Serene and Justin did it, but Regal ordered it done. Regal backhands Fitz. He comes close enough that Fitz thinks his plan will work. He will grab Regal by the back of the neck and force the poison down his throat. But Fitz wants it too bad and Will can read his desire and knocks Regal out of the way. Oh well, Fitz grabs Will’s neck instead. It happens so fast that no one even sees the poison or the paper sachet before they tackle both Will and Fitz to the floor. Regal screams at them not to kill Fitz but it takes a minute for the beating to stop. They drag Will to a healer (Regal thinks he may have gotten kicked in the head) and Fitz back to his cell. Fitz has a seizure and afterward, Nighteyes is finally able to reach him again. Fitz can feel another seizure coming and he reaches for the herb. This time, he lets his body go. It doesn’t work anymore anyway. Fitz lives the simple life of a wolf with Nighteyes. Two spirits, one body, until Burrich calls for them. They ignore him. They aren’t interested. He keeps calling. He’s insistent. They go to him just to shut him up. Burrich is with Chade digging in the ground. They do not want to go any closer to Burrich. They do not like the smell. But Burrich holds them, he insists they stay. He tells Fitz to return. He’s needed. It’s time. He tells Nighteyes to let Fitz go. Nighteyes doesn’t want to, but the choice is taken from him - he howls with the unfairness of the whole thing. They pull Fitz’s body out of the ground. Burrich and Chade rub heat into Fitz’s hands and feet. Burrich holds Fitz’s body to his chest at the edge of Fitz’s grave and cries. He begs Fitz to stay with him. He’s not dead. Don’t sleep. Stay with him. Burrich had heard a tale from his grandmother once of a Witted girl who could leave her body for a time. He told Chade about this legend and Chade whipped up a concoction of herbs that would mimic death, slowing Fitz’s bodily functions so that he appeared dead. After Fitz’s body was found, the coastal dukes were irritated, but only for a short time. Regal had enough evidence about Fitz’s Wit that most people distanced themselves from his memory. The dukes accepted Lord Bright as the keeper of Buckkeep and Regal went to Farrow. But Patience petitioned to have Fitz’s body buried and not burned, as the Witted are supposed to be disposed of. When Lady Grace wrote a letter supporting Patience, their plea was granted. They’re only people who stood by Fitz, even in death, but only Burrich and Chade know that he still lives. Fitz turns away from Buck - against the increased raids and the countless Forgings. Turns away as the Six Duchies crumbles. To find Verity and Kettricken. But even now, long after he was one with Nighteyes, the life of a wolf still calls to him.
