Merry Fitzmas!
***Spoilers for The Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 5 of Fool’s Errand . Heavy references to the events of Farseer Trilogy and mentions of Liveship Traders***
We are so back, baby! Reuniting with Fitz and Nighteyes in the Six Duchies feels like slipping on a well-worn shoe. This is pack! I was downright giddy when I opened Fool’s Errand and was thrust back into the headspace of my main ManBoyWolf. Don’t get me wrong – I loved my diversion to the Cursed Shores – but Fitz remains my #1 boy. (We’ve been through a lot together!) If Liveship Traders was like going on vacation – new places, fresh faces, exciting excursions – then Fool’s Errand feels like coming home. Right away, we get the full Fitz experience: he’s lonely, he’s stubborn, everyone wants to fuck him, and he’s even sitting by the hearth at Chade’s feet. Ahhhh… we are in familiar territory, friends.
It shouldn’t have surprised me just how easy it was to sink back into Fitz’s world. By now, his inner monologue feels almost as recognizable as my own. We seemingly haven’t missed too much during our time apart: Fitz is now 35 going on 85, retired from the catalyst game, and living his best cottagecore life with Nighteyes and Hap. But alas, someone clued Sa in to Fitz enjoying a moment’s peace, which means it’s time to shake things up.
In these opening chapters, Fitz gets the Ebenezer Scrooge treatment with his very own “Ghosts of Fitzmas Past” showing up on his doorstep. Let’s break down the highlights:
Chade
Chade drops in unannounced to catch up and resurrect all of Fitz’s past traumas. We get a helpful update on the old Buckkeep gang, along with a totally reasonable ask: come train the children you were forced to abandon in the magic that all but destroyed you. At least he brought brandy!
He also nonchalantly drops emotional bombs. Hey Fitz- your bio daughter Nettle? She’s just like Burrich (cool!), more so even than the five (!) sons he shares with Molly, the woman you loved and were also (practically) forced to abandon. Chade was clearly sick the day they provided sensitivity training during bastard assassin school.
Chade’s visit stirs up restlessness in Fitz, who starts contemplating a little road trip, because, you know, the last one was such a blast. I worried we were about to set out on another Fitz-and-Nighteyes adventure across the kingdom before I’d fully recovered from our time on the Skill road. Thankfully, these plans get put on the back burner when high season at the Fitz and Wolf BnB kicks in.
Starling
Starling is that one friend’s partner who sucks but you put up with because you love your friend. You want to like her, but she throws the vibes off every time. When you’re not around her, you think, “maybe she’s not actually that bad.” And then as soon as she shows up, you’re reminded what a drag she is.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is so grating about her, but to layer an analogy on top of an analogy: there’s a great Family Guy scene where Peter confesses that he doesn’t care for The Godfather because “It insists upon itself.” While ambiguous, it’s perfect for Starling. She’s always insisting herself upon the story, and after 15 years of insisting her way into Fitz’s bed, it’s time for her to go.
She returns to the cottage with Hap and gets in one last FitzFix before a distraught Hap confesses that while off experiencing the world at Buckkeep he learned – surprise! – Starling is married. Ever-principled Fitz is not having it. When he tries to explain that he is, in fact, not down with OPP, Starling launches into a full narcissistic meltdown. She tries to insist they had a good thing going (bet):
“Until Hap saw fit to ruin it. You’ve inflicted your stiff standards on yet another young man. I hope you take great pride in knowing you’ve raised another moralistic, judgmental prig like yourself.”
Yes, lovely. Let’s blame the teen orphan for pseudo-mom and dad splitting up. At least this firmly shuts the door on any lingering feelings Fitz may have had. Fitz’s (non-existent) friend group must be thrilled. Even Nighteyes loses no sleep over “the howling bitch’s” departure. The Fool wraps it up nicely with an efficient parting shot:
“That’s Starling.”
The Fool (aka Finkle is Einhorn!)
Ok, clearly I have buried the lede, because the return of The Fool – and everything revealed in their reunion – had me absolutely shook. I can’t tell if I am the dumbest person alive or if just now piecing together that (I presume!) our Fool is Amber is standard reader intelligence. Did you all know this way back on the Cursed Shores? Have I been the fool this whole time? Gahhhh!!!
The Fool arrives on the scene decked out in finery on a fancy-pants horse named Malta(!!!). He mentions some friends in Bingtown came into some good fortune (who could they be 🤔) and shared with him – so generous! – and that’s provided quite the windfall. Meanwhile, I was still out here thinking, “Oh, The Fool must have made Amber’s acquaintance. Maybe they met at some sort of White Prophet networking event?” Then it hit me like a tidal wave: The Fool is Amber, Amber is The Fool.
You all let me wax poetic about Amber carving ShipFitz™. I just assumed that was the result of prophetic vision stuff! I now question everything. Had I paid closer attention to what Robin told us about the White Prophets back in Farseer, would this have been obvious? I will not be going back to check (we’ve got to keep moving forward if we are going to make it through this realm), but I was operating under the assumption that there could be multiple White Prophets bopping around at any given time across the realm. I mean, we’ve got multiple catalysts out here fucking shit up (hi, Wintrow!). So, why not? But now it seems exceedingly obvious that Amber and The Fool are the same. (Which means Amber is going to be the next person to pop by the cottage, making me a double fool. Also, for a hermit, Fitz does his fair share of hosting.)
Hours after finishing chapter 5, I kept thinking of all the little hints I ignored: Starling insisting The Fool is a woman, the carving, the tawny coloring… etc., etc. I guess the upside to not thinking too deeply and just grooving along with a story is getting to enjoy these wild revelations at full impact. I’m very curious to learn more about what’s going on with The Fool – the agelessness, the gender fluidity, the whole turning-tawny situation.
I admit, I have some difficulty not thinking of The Fool as King Shrewd’s court jester; but I think it’s time for me to let this character evolve. There’s clearly a lot more to them than cartwheels and riddles.
More musings:
Oh, Nighteyes. Sweet, sassy boy. I was tempted to start a counter for every time his advancing age is mentioned, but decided against it because:
a) I value my mental health, and
b) I’m lazy, and it becomes clear almost immediately this would be a fool’s errand (ba dum tss).
Don’t start with me, Robin!
His commentary provides a lot of comic relief to Fitz’s sad-boy moping. My favorite Wit-bond exchange:
Nighteyes: “I don’t understand. You are ill?”
Fitz: “No. Just stupid.”
Nighteyes: “Ah. Nothing new there. Well, you haven’t died from that so far.”
We can always count on Nighteyes to be our proxy. He tells Fitz:
“Not every problem in the world belongs to you.”
LOUDER, NIGHTEYES!!
Starling has been out of the picture for all of 35 seconds when I see the chapter title “The Hedge-Witch” and I just know Fitz is about to get hit on.
Enter Jinna. It sounds like she was vibing with Hap until she got a look at Daddy Fitz, and then Hap became yesterday’s news real fast. She scores an open invite to the cottage from Hap, and the moment Fitz finds himself alone, she sniffs him out and shows up. They have a sweet little domestic evening, but she fails to realize you can’t count on Fitz to make the first move. (And thank god for that. Otherwise, imagine how many little FitzFitzes would be running around the Six Ds). She’s biding her time, with promises to drop in again soon. She’s been Fitzmatized™. More to come.
Speaking of being horny for Fitz, my favorite scene was when he channels his loneliness by whipping off his shirt, vigorously chopping wood, and throwing himself into domestic chores. And they say this series isn’t smutty.
I hesitate to even acknowledge it, but I will not be accepting “Tom Badgerlock” as a name for Fitz in any way, shape, or form. I loved when he tells The Fool that’s what he goes by now. The Fool pauses for a beat, replies, “Not by me,” and moves right along. SAME.
I really enjoyed the glimpses of how Fitz raised Hap in contrast to how shitty all of his father figures were. We see Fitz trying to do right by Hap at his own expense. I know I slobber all over Fitz (and will continue to), and I fully acknowledge he’s far from perfect, but there’s something beautiful about his selfless approach to guardianship.
We learn that Starling left Fitz a bag of coins from the monarchy after one of her visits- payment for his service to the Six Duchies. Naturally, he assumes she’s paying him for sex and is offended. I love this series so much. Whenever I see someone say they can’t get into RotE, me:
Whew. That was a lot more to unpack than I expected. Everything feels meaningful. Everything is emotional. The pack is back!
Love and light,
The Typing Bitch
wizardwordship 
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