The Fool (spoilers for all RotE books, including LST)

[Farseer]

Also, the Pale Woman DID see the Fool naked as she stripped him of his skin (the skinning of the tattoos in Fool's Fate) and she also referred to him as a male.

Yes, I agree this is the other major point I can't get around in any argument against the Fool being a male (at that time, and when the PW previously knew him, at least). Even say she did know he was a female and was lying to Fitz, well, why?? I think she would have definitely tormented him with the knowledge the Fool was female if he was.

I think we need a spoiler warning thingy within the title for this thread (someone could wander in here after only having read of the Fool in the Farseer books or after having only read of Amber in the LST), despite the title itself being a spolier .

If you don't already, consider a minute that Beloved is female, and always has been...

I think that it would be in the PW's best interest to avoid tormenting Beloved's femininity, at least in front of Fitz. By avoiding this, she prevents Fitz from having to fully acknowledge Beloved in this way. She doesn't want this to happen...she wants Fitz to be her Catalyst and so offers him the very thing she knows he needs...femininity in Beloved's form but a femininity never openly acknowledged between the two (I think some of the reasons for which, Lord Punctual covered well earlier).

Hmm..it's a little like what happened between Elliana and her cousin. Both were female (as for PW and Beloved) and both were vying for the title of 'Narcheska' (as PW and Beloved are vying for the title of White Prophet). As well as the title which was not rightfully hers anyway, the cousin (whose names escapes me, sorry!) wanted Dutiful for herself and tried to use her femininity to draw him away from Elliana (just as PW wanted Fitz and used her femininity to draw his thoughts away from Beloved). Elliana, though female (like Beloved), wasn't using her femininity to lure Dutiful. Not using your femininity does not make you any less female...

What if, at this point, the cousin turned around and began pointing out Elliana's femininity or feminine features to Dutiful? Of course, it would have meant Dutiful had then turned his attentions toward Elliana and started thinking of her on a very feminine level (checking out her curves, the fall of her hair etc). It would have had the opposite effect to what the cousin desired.

The same can be said of the PW. She knew Beloved to be female but deliberately kept the masculine deception going as that suited her purposes very nicely...to do otherwise and expose Beloved's femininity, would have meant turning Fitz's attentions to Beloved. It would have had an opposite effect. Instead, she chose to use her one weapon of femininity and did so knowing Beloved couldn't call out or otherwise direct attention away from her (due to being gagged and hung on the wall!)...this, of course, the PW did through her own charms as well as with a Skill suggestion.

In the case of Elliana and her cousin, there had never been any such gender deception between Elliana and Dutiful and so, rather than allow her cousin to take what was hers, Elliana turned the powers of femininity back on her cousin...she kissed Dutiful in a way that most definitely turned his attentions back to her ! Beloved, knowing and loving Fitz as she does, and having an entirely different approach to 'love' than most, chooses not to make gender an issue and so does not go that next step, as Elliana did, and stake her claim by flaunting her femininity...especially as it would also crack her and Fitz's self-deception wide open.

Already knowing that Fitz and Beloved have long deceived each other with regard to this, and why, it then suited the PW to flaunt her own femininity whilst Beloved had so obviously kept her own femininity quiet throughout her role in the two-way self-deception.

Knowing that the PW worked so hard to turn Thick and Fitz against each other as they made their way across the snow, is she any less likely to wish for the Fool and Fitz to be at odds? Even more so due to their White Prophet/Catalyst relationship, not to mention their destruction of her own plans for the Six Duchies and the world. Yes, she knows 'Beloved', and has done since childhood, and she would also know of the relationship shared with Fitz. She knows Beloved is female but it suits for the deception to remain intact.

This theory could also work for those who believe that Beloved is able to be, or just is, both male and female...

As for the Fool/Fitz's self-deception, I have something to add to my earlier post but will wait when I have a bit more time!!!