Something that makes me really, extremely sad is how throughout the Farseer Trilogy there are moments where Fitz truly acts like a prince and you can see just how good of a king he could have been. The instances where he takes control, becomes Sacrifice, and does all he can for what is right. It makes me even sadder that Verity wanted that for him. That Verity wanted him to hold the throne until his son could, because he knew he could do it. And it just never happened. So many what ifs in FitzChivalry’s life. I mourn for him.
chivalry makes me so sad because what do you mean in an old forum thread, robin hobb confirmed that ‘the other one’ chade is referring to is chivalry and that in the past queen desire would fabricate situations to paint chivalry as disloyal to the farseer family. shrewd testing chivalry and fitzchivalry, shrewd breaking his son and then his grandson…and both times due to queen desire’s machinations. it’s so bleak! i think of young chivalry losing his kind mother and infant sister then his father marrying someone who is cruel to him and strives to corrupt his father’s image of him and relentlessly undermines his place in his family. of course, chivalry fighting to marry patience allowed him to break the cycle that shrewd set; although chivalry had a hateful stepmother who killed him, he was able to give fitz a loving stepmother who saved their life.
(hobb’s comments in the thread under the cut)
hobb's response to the question who is 'the other one':
Chivalry. In events that are not told (and probably never will be) Queen Desire puts quite a torque on him in terms of his loyalty to his family. She creates situations in which no matter what Chivalry does, his actions can be interpreted as 'disloyal.' The discovery that when he was much younger, he fathered a bastard is just the pry bar she needs to get him out of her way. In many ways, the heir is driven out, and not just to make more room for her son. The action isolates Chivalry and makes Chade and Verity both more vulnerable to her plotting. Queen Desire is a nasty piece of work. It's no wonder that Chade keeps Fitz away from her and out of her sight as much as possible.
hobb's response to whether this conversation is between queen desire, shrewd, and chade:
I always wonder if you REALLY want to know these things, or if it isn't more interesting to puzzle and come up with your own explanations. The overheard conversation is between Chade and Shrewd. Chade would never speak that bluntly to Queen Desire. For that matter, he would never want to clearly confirm for her who he is or how/where he exists. She suspects a lot of things, of course. Fitz 'overhears' the conversation because he has worked himself into such a state worrying about what Chade and King Shrewd think of him that his walls are completely down, his focus is on them, and his inherent Skill talent is beginning to work erratically.
hobb's response as to why chade would tell shrewd to 'break him like you broke the other one':
It's all about tone. When Chade, in anger, suggests to Shrewd that he 'break him as you broke the other one" he's being sarcastic, or inviting someone to make the same mistake all over again. Imagine a husband and wife quarreling, and one saying to the other, "Go ahead, lie to me again!" and you have the tone of the comment. (I'm a bit chagrined that the tone didn't carry in the context.) Chade and Chivalry were extremely close. Later in the tale, he divulges to Fitz that he could never convey to Chivalry that his existence was supposed to be extremely secret. Chivalry immediately brings his little brother Verity into it, delighted to meet an uncle he didn't know he had. When Chivalry 'accidentally' dies, Chade takes it very personally, and tries to keep Fitz closer to him than ever. There is a conversation in which Fitz dances all around asking Chade if Chade knew or was a party to his father being taken out. Chade says that no one would come to him for that, because they know he wouldn't do it, just as he wouldn't take Fitz out if asked to do it. Queen Desire is, indeed, behind the whole 'test his loyalty' thing. Chade obeys his king in this request, up to a point, and then he can't stand it any more. Okay, back to work for me.
“No.” Yes. The twin peaks of her upper lip. Her long pale lashes against her cheeks. Her blonde hair, curly as mine, wild as his had been. Her round chin, not the Fool's as he was now but twin to him as a child.
“Oh, how you lie!” the Fool rejoiced. “She does! I know it in your affronted silence. Bee looks like me! Yours and mine and doubtless the most beautiful and clever child that ever existed!”
“She is that.” Don't think of his ridiculous claim.
Of all the people I could lie to, I'd always been best at lying to myself.
