***Spoilers for Fool’s Assassin through chapter 5. Mentions of the events of The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, and The Rain Wilds Chronicles are fair game, too.***
Oh, hello there, friends. Not expecting to see me so soon? Well, we are back! And I can barely contain myself.
Quick peek behind the curtain: I had intended to read longer chunks of the story before pausing to react – maybe breaking the book into thirds. But here I am, a mere five chapters in, and I had to heed the call to write.
Sometimes I just know I’ve hit a turning point, a fulcrum in the story, and I strongly feel that now. We’ve had five chapters of catching up, visiting old characters, getting the lay of the land – both physically and politically. And after two years of Molly claiming pregnancy – and, by all rational interpretations, losing her mind rather than bearing a babe – she has given birth to her and Fitz’s tiny baby.
Holy shit. What did I just read?
So this felt like the moment to pause – process everything that’s happened as we step back into this world and Fitz’s mind – and gear up for wherever we are going from here.
Returning to a Fitz-focused trilogy feels a bit like reading in a different language. Or perhaps more accurately, returning to one’s mother tongue. A flood of familiarity- terms and characters I didn’t even realize I missed: “Forged”, Lady Patience being eccentric, Thick, Fitz being so fucking Fitzy…
The tone is so distinct. Both Hobb modes are good, but nothing quite hitz like Fitz.
I’m actually a little sad that this is the last time I will make this transition and have the experience of sinking back into the intimacy of Fitz’s POV. It’s a direct contrast to starting our southern sojourns, which feel novel and take time to settle into. This is a coming home.
So as we once joined Fitz in a façade of peace in his cabin with Hap, so too we find our boy (and yes, no matter how much he reminds us of his age, he will always be our boy) comfortable at Withywoods, living the seemingly content life he’s always sought.
And though that contentment isn’t false – his love of life with Molly is very real – the cracks in the façade start to show almost immediately.
First off: Idiot Fitz
Aka: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Our first clue things aren’t quite as hunky-dory as they seem should have been Fitz being an absolute buffoon from the jump.
This man is a trained royal assassin. Known for his keen observation and investigative skills. And we open with him completely disregarding the arrival of strange travelers (minstrels? tumblers? it’s normal for three people to not even agree on their joint profession) who were discovered snooping around the stables. Ahh, maybe a little weird, but it’s Winterfest. Fuck it.
So the shadiest shit imaginable is happening directly in front of him, and then this is Fitz when blood is discovered in the den where the equally mysterious messenger he brushed off was waiting:
So yeah, it was a little tough to accept that Fitz could be this oblivious. But I’m choosing to read it as a marker of just how far removed we are from where we left him at the end of Fool’s Fate. It echoes the opening of Tawny Man – he’s just that far from the suspicious, paranoid environment of Buckkeep.
It’s a bit maddening, but it ain’t RotE if we aren’t smacking our foreheads in frustration at Fitz.
Next up: What’s missing
The Fool’s absence looms larger than anyone’s presence as we kick things off. Which makes sense, given his prominent billing in the trilogy title.
Even when he isn’t explicitly mentioned (which is often), his specter is everywhere. We’ve got a lot of pale, blonde figures popping up. And while our keen-sensed assassin may not be making the connection, this blogger is.
I’m not sure when he’ll enter the story proper. It took until around book twelve for Elderlings to really show up in a saga called The Realm of the Elderlings. So I’m prepared to be patient. But the longing is intense. For Fitz and for me.
I also like to touch on a quieter but still marked absence: Nighteyes. Or more broadly, the lack of a wit companion for Fitz.
We have Web outright urging Fitz to bond again – espousing how wrong it is for someone of the Old Blood to go without. And then there’s Fitz’s noticeable refusal to keep dogs on the property 🙁.
You can feel him holding the idea of a bond at arm’s length. When he shares space with Dutiful and his Wit-companion dog, there’s a deliberate disengagement. And the wisps of Nighteyes drifting through his thoughts only deepen that absence.
The continued exploration of grief across time is a beautiful thread in this story.
And finally: The Molly of it all
Molly is aging at a disproportionate rate to Fitz. (Thank you, Skill-healing, for delivering us a permahot Fitz.)
On its own, this doesn’t bother our uber-loyal, soft-hearted husband Fitz. And truly, every time he takes in her womanly traits and gets a jolt of lust harkening back to their younger days, I swoon. But it’s the harbinger of what’s to come that hangs over the entire opening (BIG shades of Nighteyes in Fool’s Errand 😰).
So let’s get into the “what’s to come.”
After a handful of mentions of Molly’s failing health – and their inability to conceive in the years since reuniting – it all seems to come to a head in her declaration that she is pregnant… despite being years removed from her cycle.
At first, I felt a glimmer of hope. Could a biological miracle be afoot? But as her insistence stretches on, well past any reasonable human gestation period, things get increasingly bleak.
The devastation of watching her presumed descent into dementia, Fitz’s dutiful care and kindness as he watches her slip away, and layered on top of that, the loss of one of his deepest desires.
After a particularly affecting scene where Nettle and Fitz are taken into the nursery Molly has been cultivating for years, allowed for a moment to indulge in her fantasy, they are understandably wrecked:
“’We’re losing her. It’s only going to get worse. We know that. What will you do when she no longer knows you? When she cannot take care of herself anymore? What will become of her?’ She lifted her face. Silent tears gleamed in streaks down her cheeks. I crossed the room and took her hand. ‘I promise this. I will take care of her. Always. I will love her. Always.’”
Sweet Eda and El, Robin.
So imagine my utter shock when Molly turns up at Fitz’s private study claiming to be in labor- and lo and behold, a tiny baby girl is born.
Truly, what the fuck is happening here??
Is there some sort of Skill quickening to credit? Whatever is happening, at least for this brief moment, I’m happy to see this fulfillment of Fitz’s wish to bring a child into the world with Molly and be present for it.
I say brief moment because I have serious concerns about Molly’s longevity in this story. I do not believe this means, “Oh, nevermind all that foreshadowing that something was very wrong. Everything’s fine! That two-year pregnancy was totally normal.”
And come on, this is Fitz. Things are never that simple.
It’s not if things will go wrong, it’s how soon and how horrifically.
And with that, let’s get into MUSINGS!
Chade
If anyone has been on this journey with me, you can probably imagine my delight when we got a chapter titled The Felling of Fallstar.
Long story short: Chade takes a fall, is on death’s door, and the coterie can’t reach him- so they urgently call Fitz to Buckkeep.
Oh, never mind that Fitz had a lovely evening at an inn planned with his beloved Molly. Nope. Straight through the high-likelihood-of-death Skill stones you go. Do not pass go, do not enjoy a moment of hard-earned peace.
We learn that Chade has sealed himself from the Skill, preventing Skill-healing. (Sounds like FAFO to me.)
It’s a good thing I wasn’t in the room, because I would have suggested that perhaps we could let the (conservatively) 120-year-old man just die already.
But no. Everyone is determined to unlock Chade and drag him back to health. So Fitz solves the fucking Sphinx’s riddle to uncover the key, and Chade, once again, eludes Father Time.
Fitz can frame Chade through whatever kindly, father-figure lens he wants. I won’t forget how shitty he is.
Kettricken
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the electricity between Fitz and Kettricken is palpable.
Maybe it’s that she’s the one person who consistently shows him genuine appreciation.
There’s a mutual respect, honesty, and shared history between them that makes their bond feel so grounded, and so compelling. And their first interaction here delivers:
“She crossed to me, and I rose to accept her firm embrace. ‘Fitz,’ she said by my ear. ‘Thank you. Thank you for coming, and for taking great risk by coming so swiftly.'”
Why is that so erotic??
Lady Patience
Oh, Lady Patience. May you rest in peace.
You weren’t here for much of this story, but the time we had with you was wonderful.
My favorite moment (and truly, every moment with Patience is gold) was her describing how she dissected and reconstructed dead birds in the name of science:
“…my task was before me: to assemble his little bones into a skeleton. Did you know that a bird’s wing is as close to a man’s hand as is a frog’s flipper?”
Go off, Charles Darwin. A true Renaissance woman. Ahead of her time.
A section above, I praised Kettricken for appreciating Fitz, but Patience loved him like a son, without ever wanting anything in return. A boy it would have been so easy for her to reject.
And it’s hard to imagine Fitz’s life without the love she gave him. (Not to mention she literally paved the way to his resurrection).
So she deserves this moment of recognition. A true RotE queen. I adored you.
Nettle
I absolutely adore watching Fitz and Nettle’s connection develop.
He can never go back and reclaim what he lost of her childhood. But he can be a steady, loving presence in her adult life. And watching them navigate Molly’s illness(?) together is beautiful.
We also get this incredible scene where a sulking Fitz (you know I love emo Fitz) leaves Jhaampe alone, only to be caught up to by Nettle, who has been sent after him to keep him company.
First, we get these Hall of Fame Fitz reflections:
“I was almost annoyed at her for spoiling my perfectly good sulk.”
and
“I felt thwarted in my petulance…”
(I would love to hear what Nighteyes would make of these thoughts.)
And then, as they make use of this extended time on the road to open up and learn more about each other, Fitz shares about his connection to, and loss of, the Fool. Which leads to this exchange:
“I think my voice told her far more than my words did. ‘I am so sorry, Da,’ she said quietly. Did she know that it was the first time she had honored me with that title?”
We watch Fitz endure so much that these small – yet significant – moments of triumph feel all the sweeter.
Dragon Watch
We get a brief Chalced mention as Fitz notes:
“Chalced might seem to be preoccupied with its own civil war, but rumor said the duchess now controlled most of her wayward provinces.”
There’s also a passing mention of dragons flying about, which had me like, “Hey, I know them!”
Just keeping tabs on any and all connections to the wider realm.
And just like that, we’re off again! An MIA Fool, a mystery baby, Fitz getting hit on at market… what more could a girl ask for?
wizardwordship 