Assassin's Quest
Chapters - Robin Hobb
Prologue: The Unremembered
Writing from a safe distance in time, FitzChivalry Farseer recalls that he died - tortured and executed on the orders of King Regal - and that Lady Patience and Lacey recovered and buried his body. He was brought back from death by Burrich and Chade, using a combination of the Wit and a wolf-bond with Nighteyes. The ordeal left him part-animal in mind, only slowly recovering his human self in the months that followed. He notes that The Fool played some role in his survival that he does not yet fully understand.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·Mentioned: Burrich, Chade Fallstar, Nighteyes, Patience, Lacey, Regal Farseer, The Fool
Chapter 1: Gravebirth
FitzChivalry wakes in a hut, his mind still more wolf than man, tended by Burrich, whom his wolf-self thinks of only as 'Heart of the Pack.' Nighteyes is nearby, and Fitz struggles to remember how to be human - to stand upright, to use words, to eat cooked food. Chade visits with a scrying bowl and works to pull Fitz back to himself, revealing that Rosemary had been a spy for Regal, and that Justin and Serene used the Skill to kill King Shrewd before Nighteyes killed them. Kettricken and The Fool escaped on Burrich's horses during the chaos at Buckkeep.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Burrich, Chade Fallstar·Mentioned: Rosemary, Justin, Serene, Shrewd Farseer, Kettricken, The Fool, Regal Farseer
Chapter 2: The Parting
FitzChivalry regains enough humanity to hold a conversation, and Chade reveals that Verity may still be alive - Fitz briefly Skill-contacted him while near death. Fitz makes the devastating decision to drive Burrich away with cruel, calculated words, knowing Burrich will not leave otherwise, and the confrontation wounds both men deeply. Chade Fallstar also cuts ties, declaring he will work to restore the Six Duchies through other means, leaving Fitz utterly alone. Resolving to kill Regal himself, Fitz begins planning his path.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Burrich, Chade Fallstar, Nighteyes·Mentioned: Verity Farseer, Regal Farseer
Chapter 3: The Quest
The morning after the confrontation, Burrich departs in silence, leaving behind small gifts of food and supplies. FitzChivalry prepares for his journey, gathering poisons and scribe tools, struggling to reassert human habits after months in a wolf-mind. He Skill-reaches for Verity and makes contact: King-in-Waiting Verity is alive somewhere in the Mountains, exhausted and desperate, urging Fitz to come. Nighteyes remains by Fitz's side as he sets out, resolved to kill King Regal first and then find Verity.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Burrich, Verity Farseer·Mentioned: Regal Farseer, Chivalry Farseer
Chapter 4: The River Road
FitzChivalry and Nighteyes travel south through a devastated Buck, encountering Forged ones near a shepherd's hut that trigger Fitz's dungeon terror. Travelling by night through ruined countryside, Fitz arrives at a river town and enters an inn where he meets the blind harper Harper Josh, his daughter Honey, and Josh's young cousin Piper. Using the alias 'Cob,' Fitz learns from their conversation that Lady Patience has taken charge at Buckkeep and that Chade is being hunted by King Regal. Fitz agrees to travel with the minstrels as their guard in exchange for cover on the road.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Harper Josh, Honey, Piper·Mentioned: Patience, Chade Fallstar, Regal Farseer
Chapter 5: Confrontations
Travelling with the minstrels, FitzChivalry accidentally Skill-walks into the dying mind of a boy named Chad during a Bearns Raider attack, and Verity's spirit finds him and pushes him back to himself. Three Forged ones attack the caravan on the road: Piper's arm is broken, Harper Josh is beaten, Nighteyes is wounded, and Fitz kills two of the attackers. That night Will of King Regal's Skill-coterie launches a mental attack, but Nighteyes uses the Wit to drive him off. Fitz resolves that both he and Will cannot survive - one of them must be destroyed.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Harper Josh, Honey, Piper, Will, Verity Farseer, Chad·Mentioned: Justin, Regal Farseer
Chapter 6: The Wit and the Skill
Parting from the minstrels at Crowsneck, FitzChivalry witnesses Black Rolf being beaten by King's Guards for a seditious song and intervenes to help him. Rolf takes Fitz to his woodland cabin where Holly lives with her bond-hawk Sleet, and Rolf's own bond-bear Hilda is present. Rolf reveals himself as an 'Old Blood' elder and teaches Fitz that the Wit is an ancient magic, not the shameful curse he was raised to believe - and offers to teach him further, but Fitz declines. Holly sends Fitz away with a warning via Sleet: King Regal is systematically hunting down Witted folk, and Fitz's known bond with a wolf makes him a marked target.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Black Rolf, Holly, Hilda, Sleet·Mentioned: Regal Farseer
Chapter 7: Farrow
FitzChivalry and Nighteyes cross into Farrow Duchy, moving closer to Tradeford and Regal. In a Skill-dream Fitz glimpses Burrich doing ordinary work at an unfamiliar holding and sees Molly below him - both alive and apparently together - before Verity warns him sharply to stop Skilling and keep his walls up. Sleet finds Fitz and delivers Holly's warning scroll about King Regal's persecution of Witted folk. Nighteyes briefly leaves Fitz to investigate a wolf pack but returns, and the two continue on together toward Tradeford.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Sleet, Burrich, Molly Chandler, Verity Farseer·Mentioned: Holly, Regal Farseer
Chapter 8: Tradeford
FitzChivalry passes through a town celebrating a wedding and sees caged Forged ones awaiting King Regal's gladiatorial 'King's Circle,' then arrives at Tradeford and scouts Regal's manor. During the night he Skill-dreams into the battle at Bearns Keep: he watches Duke Brawndy die in the fighting against Red Ship Raiders as his daughters Celerity and Faith defend him, and for a few terrible moments Fitz acts through Celerity's body. Verity reproaches him harshly for the Skilling. Fitz cleans himself up at an inn, prepares his poisons, and resolves to infiltrate Regal's manor during the Scarlet Ball.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Duke Brawndy, Celerity, Faith, Verity Farseer·Mentioned: Regal Farseer
Chapter 9: Assassin
FitzChivalry infiltrates Tradeford Hall during the Scarlet Ball, kills Verde (the guard who beat him in the dungeon) and poisons Regal's clothing and personal items. Will, Burl, and Carrod trap him with a Skill-illusion and Fitz poisons himself to force their hand; Verity then blasts the coterie with a massive expenditure of Skill, freeing Fitz to escape. Fitz steals King Regal's horse Arrow from the stables, where Hands the stablemaster recognises him and screams 'Beast magic!,' betraying him to the guards. Fitz flees the city on foot after sending Arrow back, turning east toward the Mountain Kingdom.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Verde, Will, Burl, Carrod, Hands, Verity Farseer, Arrow·Mentioned: Regal Farseer
Chapter 10: Hiring Fair
Fleeing toward Blue Lake, FitzChivalry stops in a town called Landing to trade his fine clothes for plain ones and sell jewellery, learning he and 'the Pocked Man' (Chade) are wanted for a hundred gold pieces each. He hires on as a shepherd named Tom with Damon's sheep caravan, and among the travellers meets Creece, Madge, puppet-master Master Dell with his apprentice Tassin, and the minstrel Starling Birdsong. That night Fitz Skill-dreams a series of vivid visions: Chade with Lady Patience and Lacey; Burrich with Molly; Celerity in ice caves; The Fool before a fire; Kettricken weeping; and wolf-dreams with Nighteyes. He shuts the Skilling down, shaken but aware his friends yet live.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Damon, Creece, Madge, Master Dell, Tassin, Starling Birdsong, Chade Fallstar, Patience, Lacey, Burrich, Molly Chandler, Celerity, The Fool, Kettricken·Mentioned: Regal Farseer
Chapter 11: Shepherd
Travelling with the caravan through Farrow, FitzChivalry has the most devastating Skill-dream yet: he enters Molly's mind during her labour and watches through her eyes as Burrich arrives to help her deliver the baby - and realises with a shock that the child is his. Starling Birdsong becomes his frequent travelling companion, singing 'Antler Island Tower,' a ballad celebrating FitzChivalry Farseer's deeds, and clearly suspecting his identity. The puppet apprentice Tassin attempts to seduce Fitz, but he refuses, thinking of Molly Chandler and the daughter he has never held. Master Dell keeps his apprentices under strict discipline throughout the journey.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Starling Birdsong, Master Dell, Tassin, Damon, Creece, Molly Chandler, Burrich·Mentioned: Madge
Chapter 12: Suspicions
The caravan nears Blue Lake and Starling warns FitzChivalry directly that guards have been through questioning travellers and he must conceal his white hair streak. Creece and Damon get drunk after a village stop, and talk around the campfire turns to rumours about the Pocked Man (Chade) and the Wit Bastard. Tassin makes a second attempt to attract Fitz's attention, which he watches from a distance and avoids. Starling continues to sing songs that stir debate about FitzChivalry Farseer's fate and deeds, walking ever closer to exposing him.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Starling Birdsong, Creece, Damon, Tassin·Mentioned: Master Dell, Madge, Chade Fallstar, Regal Farseer
Chapter 13: Blue Lake
FitzChivalry walks through the night to Blue Lake, wounded from a prior fight, and reaches the lake town to find it seething with rumours that he slaughtered twelve of King Regal's guards. In a Skill-dream he sees Burrich at Molly Chandler's cottage, drunk with grief, telling Molly he believes Fitz truly dead - and placing Fitz's old pin on her table. King Regal arrives in Blue Lake with Will - but Fitz learns from a ferret messenger sent by the Old Blood network that it is a trap set to lure him in. Fitz aborts his rooftop assassination attempt on Regal's suite and retreats, then reunites with Starling, who reveals the existence of smugglers who may be able to get him to the Mountains, and confides that her brother Jay survived Antler Island Tower only because of Fitz.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Starling Birdsong, Small Ferret, Burrich, Molly Chandler, Will, Regal Farseer·Mentioned: Black Rolf, Chade Fallstar, Creece, Tassin, Hands, Verity Farseer, Kettricken, Jay
Chapter 14: Smugglers
Fitz and Starling make contact with the smuggler Nik Holdfast and his sister Pelf, joining a pilgrim caravan heading north from Tradeford. On the road, Fitz meets the sharp-eyed elderly woman Kettle, who attaches herself to their company, and Nighteyes rejoins Fitz disguised among the caravan dogs. That night, Fitz eavesdrops through the Skill on a chilling scene in which Will channels Regal's orders while Burl and Carrod are interrogated, confirming the coterie is still hunting him. The chapter establishes the fragile alliance with Nik as Fitz's best hope for passage north, though Fitz senses the smuggler's motives are purely mercenary.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Starling Birdsong, Nik Holdfast, Pelf, Kettle, Master Dell·Mentioned: Regal Farseer, Will, Burl, Carrod
Chapter 15: Kettle
The pilgrim caravan presses north and Kettle reveals her surprising knowledge of White Prophets and Catalysts to Fitz, describing them as pairs that appear at great turning points in history - a conversation that unsettles Fitz, who suspects she may know more about his own role than she admits. Nighteyes remains close, scouting ahead in wolf form. Through the Skill, Fitz endures a harrowing eavesdrop as Will works Regal's will on Carrod, who is subjected to painful coercion that leaves Fitz shaken and guilty for witnessing it. The chapter deepens both Kettle's enigmatic presence and the brutal reality of King Regal's grip on his coterie.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Starling Birdsong, Nik Holdfast, Kettle·Mentioned: Regal Farseer, Will, Carrod
Chapter 16: Bolthole
The caravan arrives at Nik's hidden underground bolthole camp, where his partner Tel oversees a rough community of travellers outside the law. Starling entertains the group with her harp and singing, making a favourable impression on Nik's people and easing tensions. In a private night-time conversation, Starling presses Fitz until he reveals his true identity as FitzChivalry Farseer, and the two speak candidly about Molly and the life Fitz left behind. Nighteyes keeps watch at the camp's perimeter as Fitz grapples with the weight of his secrets now shared.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Starling Birdsong, Nik Holdfast, Tel, Kettle·Mentioned: Molly Chandler
Chapter 17: River Crossing
The party attempts a river crossing by barge, but Nik betrays Fitz to soldiers in the pay of King Regal's coterie, led by Burl. In the violent chaos of the ambush, Nighteyes is swept into the river current, and Captain Mark is killed. Fitz and Nik are captured and Starling's fingers are deliberately broken by Burl to silence her harp-playing. The chapter closes with Fitz a prisoner, Nighteyes missing, and the quest in apparent ruin.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Starling Birdsong, Nik Holdfast, Kettle, Captain Mark, Burl
Chapter 18: Moonseye
Imprisoned in Moonseye's gaol, Fitz endures Burl's custody while Nighteyes - alive after the river - tunnels beneath the prison walls to reach him. The Holdfast clan raids the soldiers' camp amid the chaos of a fire set in Moonseye, creating the distraction Fitz needs to escape. Starling, despite her broken fingers, frees Fitz from his cell, Nighteyes retrieves the key at a critical moment, and Kettle drives the escape wagon that carries them out of Moonseye into the night. The chapter is a tense sequence of near-misses that reunites the companions and puts them back on the road north.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Starling Birdsong, Kettle, Nik Holdfast, Burl
Chapter 19: Pursuit
Fitz splits the party to draw off pursuit and leads Burl's soldiers on a cross-country chase through rough terrain, using every skill at his disposal to shake them. At a desperate moment he turns and Skill-blasts the pursuing coterie members, dealing them damage but leaving himself badly weakened. An arrow fired by a retreating soldier strikes him in the back, and Nighteyes must drag him to shelter and keep him alive through the night. Bleeding and fever-ridden, Fitz staggers toward Jhaampe alone, knowing only that he must reach Kettricken and Verity's trail before he dies.
POV: FitzChivalry Farseer·On page: Nighteyes, Burl·Mentioned: Kettricken, Verity Farseer