Fourteen: Smugglers

Before dawn, Fitz leaves Starling’s room to bathe and wrestles with the cost of joining smugglers, refusing at first to part with Burrich’s earring. Returning, he narrowly avoids recognition by a puppeteer’s wagon and waits uneasily for Starling.

Starling wakes, deftly trims Fitz’s hair and beard to a Farrow-merchant look to avoid recognition. They leave Blue Lake for the northern outskirts, following overheard directions to smugglers ferrying pilgrims toward the Mountain Kingdom.

After a false start at one farm, they reach Pelf’s dilapidated family house, where a cautious exchange with her brother leads to brandy by the fire. Testing loyalties with a toast to Regal, Fitz pushes past suspicion and coaxes the man—Nik Holdfast—into admitting his role. Fitz and Starling request passage with the pilgrims to the Mountains.

Nik demands a gold each at three stages; Starling counters they are baggage-light and offers limited coin now and jewelry later. When that fails, Fitz offers Chivalry’s earring as payment after the river, arguing its craftsmanship and value. Greed sways Nik, and they seal the bargain: he holds their coins now, the earring is due once they are safely across.

Starling barters songs for supper and lodging from Pelf. They eat ham, apples, and a “spiced” cake. By the fire, Fitz admits the earring’s link to Chivalry and his goal to reach Verity. Drugged by merrybud in the cake, they sleep; near dawn Fitz dreams vividly of Molly and Burrich tending a crying baby, Burrich moving into the house for winter protection. The scene leaves Fitz aching with longing and solitude as he awaits departure for the smugglers’ route.