fitzchivalry farseer was the bastard son of chivalry farseer. born to a woman from the mountain kingdom, his arrival at court signaled the end of chivalry's reign as king-in-waiting. the son never met his father, residing at buckkeep with his grandfather, king shrewd, while his father retired to withywoods with his beloved wife, the lady patience. chivalry entrusted his bastard's rearing to his loyal stablemaster burrich, who taught the child all he knew of horse and hawk and hound ... an education tarnished by the boy's witted magic. despite burrich's best efforts, it is said he wit - bonded with two hounds in his childhood, and some claim he would later bond with a wolf. this corrupting magic grew quickly in the boy, much more quickly than the magic of his father's house, the skill. despite skillmaster galen's best efforts, the boy could never master the magic of his blood, leaving him isolated from galen's skilled coterie, and turning his training towards other pursuits.
it is said he was well - regarded by scribe fedwren, though he never settled into an official apprenticeship. it is also whispered that he trained since childhood as a court assassin, though no evidence of this training exists in written records and what is known of it is only hearsay and rumor. what is known is that in his youth he was often sent on diplomatic missions, the most notable of these being a trip to the mountain kingdom, where he gained the acquaintance and trust of prince verity's betrothed and future queen, kettricken. upon his return to court, he would find himself frequent companion and advisor to king and queen alike, oftentimes strengthening king-in-waiting verity as he skilled out to protect the shores of his home from the red ship raiders that scoured its shores. he also served aboard verity's warship, the rurisk, and was well regarded by the crew. however, he was left behind as king-in-waiting verity left on his valiant quest to seek assistance from the mythical elderlings.
at court, fitzchivalry's double life as man and beast was soon brought to light. whispering became outright accusation, and on the night of king shrewd's death the bastard brutally murdered serene and justin of galen's coterie, likely due to their knowledge of his trained magic. he was quickly detained by king-in-waiting regal, who pushed the boy for confession: believing him guilty of both the reviled wit magic and the murder of his king. fitzchivalry died in his cell before regal to get his wish, and his body was retried by the lady patience who prepared it for burial and interred her husband's bastard in an unknown plot.
thus ends the tale of the witted bastard, though his story lives on in legend and song. and if minstrels and tale - tellers can be believed, perhaps he lives on as well, a shadow that prowls the countryside, more wolf than man.
— scribe faithful, excerpt from the reign of the farseers, volume ii