Small, random questions about RotE that still bother you (spoilers all RotE books)

[Farseer]

Farseer re your take on the first quote, I can't recall a lot about Chivalry... do you mean he was 'broken' in some general sense, or something about his Skill ability was broken?
I just assumed that quote was referring to Skill ability?

No, I don't think the Skill has anything to do with what is being spoken of here, Nuytsia, particularly as Fitz was not even learning to Skill at the time. It was only after Chivalry had died and Patience had returned to Buck that she demanded that Fitz finally be taught. As far as I understand, the quote simply refers to the tests that Shrewd had put in place, for Fitz and at least one other, for whatever reasons. This is confirmed later when Shrewd himself tells Fitz that it was all his idea, and not Chade's, and he gives 'a king's word' that he would never again test Fitz in that way. In this, it was definitely Shrewd, and not Chade, who demanded the tests but it seems that these tests may have been encouraged by the queen (or so it seems to me!). Chade refers later to a comment from Shrewd that says something like' the king's lips speaking with the queen's words' and I felt that this insight of Chade's could apply to this instance as well ie Shrewd demanding tests with his own lips but motivated by or using the queen's words.

As for 'broken', yes, I mean in the general sense that Chivalry, as a man, husband, father and Prince/King-in-Waiting, had been broken in the end and his right to the throne severely dealt with and, in fact, it was only a short time after this scene between Shrewd and Chade that Buckkeep was formally notified of Chivalry's fatal 'accident'...an accident that ensured Chivalry would never seek to claim the crown for either himself or Fitz. Who knows what tests Chivalry may have been given to prove himself, especially as even Chade admitted to Fitz later that Chivalry could never do right in Shrewd's eyes once he had chosen to court Patience.

Re the second quote, I wouldn't have read it that way.... was the word 'loyalty' in italics or something?
(then again, if I read the WHOLE passage I MAY have read it that way... I really should get all the books!)

No, nothing was in italics (the emphasis was mine)...it was just the way I understood the passage .

As for the possibility of Chade and Shrewd talking of another, different assassin, well, I could maybe see that but can't guess who it could have been? Fitz was well placed to be in the role, as was Chade, given their 'bastard' status (all of the advantages of which were outlined to Fitz in the beginning, by Chade). Rosemary, too, was an optimum choice after all she had learned working for Regal. Hmm, I will have to have another look and see if there was ever any other mention of an earlier apprentice, prior to Fitz. At the end of FF, Chade said to Fitz that if it hadn't been for him, he would have stayed in the background as an old spider forever, and have never come out into the light...makes me think it was only Fitz he had been with after Verity and Chivalry, and then Dutiful, of course.

I have a wildcat screeching outside making it IMPOSSIBLE to concentrate...will come back!!

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Now, having got rid of the annoying cat...'rid' as in 'chased away', not 'killed'!...

Chade is actually one of the few names that Robin has ever commented on re: pronunciation - it is indeed meant to be sound just like "shade". But as to his name, I'm not even sure it was originally Chade... after all he introduces himself to Fitz as "You can call me Chade. And I shall call you?" And when Fitz doesn't answer, he says "Boy. Those are not names for either of us, but they'll do, for the time we'll have together." (emphasis mine)

Thanks for confirming that pronunciation, Mervi!

Yes, now that you quote it, I remember Chade saying that to Fitz. Of course, if Fitz was named prior to being taken to Buckkeep (Keppet), then it only stands to reason that Chade had also gone by another name, particularly as he was a few years older than Fitz had been...Fitz was six whereas Chade had been at least nine or ten? Ahh, maybe 'Chade' was his Naming Ceremony name !

What I like about this 'using names that aren't really names' line from Chade is that it puts me in mind of the dragons who offer names that aren't really their names (!!), or who seem satisfied with whatever names their keepers come up with...definitely an on-going theme of Robin's in the RotE books!