Rain Wild Chronicles (SPOILERS ALL REALM OF THE ELDERLING BOOKS)

[Farseer]

It gets to a point where there are so many different discussions taking place that it's tricky to know exactly where to put something that relates to so many topics you’re involved in (a bit like Robin's books!) SO I thought I'd just start a new thread. I am, though, sort of continuing a line of thought I posted in the 'Which character is your favourite' thread http://forums.theplenty.net/showthread.php?tid=34&page=4 (namely posts #34 and #38).

I also want to point out that my line of thought here ties in with the fact that I strongly believe that Kelsingra is the same city that Fitz visited in AQ (see my previously posted evidence in posts #23, #24 and #26 on the *spoilers* Dragon Haven, Enjoy it?, Hate it? thread) http://forums.theplenty.net/showthread.php?tid=102&page=3

Now, aside from not being the one to release SWR, or to become a king in a reversal of he and Wintrow’s role etc, something else I considered about Fitz (or the fate side of things for the characters) was how he had a strong feeling at the beginning of Fool's Errand that he would like to go back to the ancient city (which we now know as Kelsingra). After Chade's visit to his hut, Fitz asked Nighteyes what he thought about doing something different, "How would you feel about wandering the world for a bit?" Nighteyes went on to ask, "...You're thinking about that place, back in the Mountains, aren't you?" and Fitz replied, "The ancient city? Yes." He also went on to wonder if they “would ever come back at all.”

At around this same stage, chronologically, events in the Rain Wild Chronicles were occurring with the growth/development of the emerged dragons and the subsequent events that saw the dragons and their keepers making preparations to locate Kelsingra...we know this as Amber had left the Rain Wilds and returned north at the end of the LST to reappear as Fool/Lord Golden in FE. Other indicators include Tintaglia’s noted movements throughout and the fact that Selden had not been present in the Rain Wilds, as recounted in Dragon Keeper (this was because he had gone elsewhere, which we can safely assume to be Buckkeep, where he and the other Bingtown/RW delegates met with Kettricken and Chade to discuss the proposed alliance and war against Chalced).

Did Fitz have a glimpse of foreknowledge that made him consider going to Kelsingra at that time? Just think:

* if he HAD gone there as he had planned (and, interestingly, Nighteyes had actually agreed to go with him this time, which was surprising after he had already prevented Fitz from returning there when they re-visited the Stone Garden at the end of AQ)

* if Fool had NOT visited him at the exact time that he did and so prevented him from leaving for Kelsingra and

* if Chade had NOT sent the messenger that had diverted Fitz from Kelsingra to Buckkeep in order to find Dutiful

Fitz would most likely have been at Kelsingra when the dragons and their keepers had arrived there and would have been alerted to their presence by Heeby’s appearance in the sky!!

So many “what ifs”...so many threads and so many paths...what amazes me about Robin Hobb is not only does she write about all of these different/alternate futures via, say, the Fool’s words of prophecy but she also includes the complexities of the character’s choices within the plot itself.

Will Fitz make an appearance in Kelsingra post-RWC?