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

[assasin]

I think it would have taken a few generations for the bloodlines to mix and the skill appear. But I guess its possible if it was before the runes were removed.

Onbe thing that really bothers me is outisland culture. They treat woman like royalty when home. But when they're out rading they kidnap them to be wives, rape them, etc. Why such a cultural differnnce.

Other smaller things that dont really bother me but I find curious is that the gods runes are are matriarchal yet worship a male god. I'd like to say the duchies are diffeent but I dot think theres as much gender difference.

['thul]

these beings have a theory on that assasin...

They theorize that it is related to the ever-so-common "pure-blood" systems that appear every now and then... Foreign women are considered lesser than local women...

the reason for the matriarchal system is that out islanders are based on vikings. the women ruled the household there, but had less power outside the home... After all, if the men are out months at a time raiding, the women will naturally rule the house during those periods, and its not very practical to have a completely different form of rulership half the time, so households that try such will generally founder fairly quickly...

[Nuytsia]

I don't know where to start responding to this thread! I've missed soooo many posts.
I'm still doing my re-read but stalled near the beginning of RA. Must get back into it!

[Farseer]

I do have some thoughts on the Outislanders but I just wanted to share this little tidbit I found re Chivalry while waiting for my plane the other day(I drew rather a lot of attention, I must say, leafing through AA and scribbling notes onto coffee napkins and even the book's pages themselves! ). I am sorry to keep returning to Chiv
but I am just trying to cement my "broken" theory!

In Chapter Fifteen, "The Witness Stones", Fitz is being taken care of by Burrich after he'd failed with the Skill and been beaten by Galen etc:

" A terrible sadness welled up in me, and yet I could find no words to say. Burrich looked at me, scowled and turned away. 'Now stop that,' he commanded me angrily.
'What?' I asked.
'You look at me sometimes with my lord's eyes,' he said quietly, and then as sharply as before, 'Well, what did you think to do? Hide in the stables the rest of your life? No. You have to go back...' "

While Fitz looked a lot like Chivalry, and also had his eyes, I think the important thing here is that Chivalry, too, had seemingly experienced a sadness such as was being felt by Fitz at the time? It could definitely be said that Galen tried to "break" Fitz but Burrich wouldn't let Fitz give in...he had to go back. Possibly it was the same for Chivalry?

Certainly we aren't given an overall picture of Chivalry being the "sad" or overly emotional type but, given what Burrich says above, there were obviously times when he would let sadness overtake him, and possibly it was sometimes even Burrich's presence that forced him to continue when he may have otherwise given up? In this, Burrich served him as King's Man in more ways than one.

Another thought...in Chapter Nineteen, "Journey", Chade and Fitz have been discussing Shrewd's decision to send Fitz with the MK wedding delegation in place of Lady Thyme. Chade has also broached the subject of Fitz being sacrificed by Shrewd for the good of the kingdom:

" 'Shrewd is a king, my boy. His first concern must always be for his kingdom.'
The silence between us stretched long. 'You are saying he would sacrifice me. Without a qualm.'
He did not take his eyes from the fireplace. 'You. Me. Even Verity, if he thought it necessary for the survival of the kingdom.' Then he did turn to look at me. 'Never forget that.' "

Chivalry, too, would have been in such a position...and he'd have known it.

[Nuytsia]

Re-reading through the Farseer trilogy, I do see why the OP poses quite an interesting question!

I really can't see who else he could be referring to as 'the other one' besides Chivalry though... the only other plausible option to me is that it's just someone we don't ever hear about (an assassin who failed the training or was no longer suitable due to being 'broken')

The only thing that niggles at me about this, is that the 'test' of Fitz was a test of loyalty to the King, and although it's not necessarily implied that the 'tests' given to 'the other one' were also about loyalty, I get the impression they were. I don't know why he'd be testing his own son's loyalty? (or would he!)

The only other tidbit I gleaned was that Patience is specifically referred to as being 'broken' (and she does seem very unstable at first, although she improves along the way). I don't see this as a clue to her being a previous apprentice assassin though! No other clues really point to it. We know Lacey has some skills in that area, but she is not 'broken'....

ANOTHER small random question about RotE that bothers me... is Ratsy an actual dead rat????

[Nuytsia]

One thing I always did wonder about (sudden change of topic!) is the deference Chade gave to Fitz in the end. By right of blood, he possibly had more claim to the throne than Fitz? Of course, Fitz was of Chivalry's line, as was Dutiful (though Dutiful is known to be of Verity's line and therefore seems to have an even stonger claim after Verity had been a crowned king !!) but if it were not for his bastard status, it would have been Chade who'd been the crowned king and not Shrewd. Just as it would have been Fitz and not Verity. In this, as both illegitimate "princes", Chade could himself have taken stewardship of the throne for Dutiful. Instead, he gave way to Fitz and even got rather emotional about finally having a true Farseer King on the throne once more. I think this highlights Chade's strong love for Fitz.

Gees you know you spend too much time on theplenty when you remember old posts as you are re-reading the books!!!!!!!!!!

I am reading AQ and don't ask me how but I remembered this post (took me a while to find it though).
I often wondered about how Chade really feels about Fitz.... I guess at the end of the day no-one REALLY loves Fitz without ALSO having another relationship with him that requires him to 'do his duty' (to the throne, the people, the good of all...). OK except Molly! (there I said it hehehe)
But getting back to Farseer's post, this little bit from AQ would seem to cement what you're saying there..... (ie Chade does really care for Fitz) (and maybe if he'd had an ideal world would have had Fitz as king....)

In AQ the Fool is talking to Fitz about Chade, Chapter 23 The Mountains:

“What I see,” he observed to no one in particular, “is that it is not Verity’s buck head he wears on his brow. No, the sigil he chose is more like one, oh, let me see, one that Prince Verity chose for his bastard nephew. Do not you see a resemblance?”
I was silent for a time. Then, “What of it?” I asked grudgingly.
The Fool swung his marionette to the floor, where the bony creature shrugged eerily. “Neither King Shrewd’s death nor Verity’s supposed death flushed that weasel out of hiding. Only when he believed you murdered did anger flare up in him hot enough for him to fling aside all hiding and pretense and declare he would yet see a true Farseer on the throne.”

Actually now I'm also reminded of a bit in the earlier books (AA I guess) when Chade makes a 'joke' about them seizing power together....... I can't remember exactly what/when but I think Fitz wondered for a moment if he were serious...

Just on that, is there any evidence to back up the possibility that the room Fitz inhabited as a youth in Buckkeep was in fact Chivalry's old room? When Brant first took him there he stated clearly that it hadn't "been used for some time" (possibly even since Chivalry had been rooming in with Patience and so would have progressed to another room?).

I don't think that it is, as there was a 'royal wing' and Fitz's room is said to be up on the next floor (or even a couple of floors up?) - I think it was the wing used for visiting guests of little importance? Just below the servants wing?? Something like that.

Of note is the fact that Chade's work area had also been unused for quite some time, possibly for years. This links to the ajoining room also being unused for some time. The first job Fitz had as Chade's apprentice was helping him to clean up the entire work area and put it all right again. Chade was obviously saddened by the memories the unused room evoked and it was only the teaching of Fitz that seemed to have motivated him to begin working there again (though on Shrewd's orders of course). Chade told Fitz that it had taken him quite some time to agree to Shrewd's request, after Shrewd had finally worked up the courage to seek him out once more, and I wonder if this is all because of what happened with Chivalry (Shrewd had known that Chade was angry with him regarding his testing of Chivalry etc and that Chade would would most likely be unprepared to want to go through it all again with Chivalry's son)? Possibly it could have been due to some other apprentice but, for me, Chivalry ticks all boxes.

While Verity and Chade had a relationship, it was obviously not Verity who worked as closely with Chade as Chivalry, otherwise the work area of his room would have been clean and in some sort of order, not dust-covered etc from a lack of use.

I didn't think Chade's room was unused, I just thought he was messy??? I got the impression he's been there for quite some time. He'd definitely been 'in hiding' for quite some time (not necessarily in that room I suppose)

['thul]

chade had access to all the hidden sections of the castle... but not all chambers had such doors...

he said he could teach fitz to be exactly like chivalry in that passage about seizing power.

[Nuytsia]

Why do animals avoid the Skill Road in the mountains?
I thought animals would have no sensitivity to the Skill, like the unskilled humans.?

Only thing I can think of it that it was the intention of the builders..... I guess that's the reason fallen wood rots away so quickly?

['thul]

they might sense it as being "unnatural"... but it could also be built-in design...

[Nuytsia]

Here's another one!
In Assassin's Quest, when the Fool touches Fitz with his Skill fingers and Kettle joins them, Fitz thinks:

"I was the Fool and the Fool was me. He was the Catalyst and so was I. We were two halves of a whole, sundered and come together again"

I found it a bit strange that he says 'he was the Catalyst and so was I' ........ he seems to be saying at first they are exchanging places so you'd expected him to say something like 'he was the Catalyst and I was the white prophet'.....but he says they are BOTH the Catalyst?? Is that just a weird way of expressing what's going on, or is there more to it?