Ten: Fool’s Errand

Fitz reflects on Galen’s flawed coterie and the scarcity of trained Skilled, then escapes nightly into his wolf’s mind for release from court burdens. Returning early, he meets Whistle—now in purple and white—who reveals that veterans and recruits have formed a Queen’s Guard for Kettricken. Recognizing he provoked this by chastising the guard, Fitz agrees to bring the plan to Verity and Kettricken.

Life at Buckkeep shifts as unsummoned shipwrights arrive to aid Verity, whose absence deepens Kettricken’s gloom. Fitz, denying himself direct contact with Molly, shadows her miserably. Seeking to lift Kettricken’s spirits, he heads to her chambers but encounters the Fool, who riddles about Elderlings and the missing Skilled, then performs a bawdy, public song that pointedly urges Fitz to summon allies and act. The Fool also proclaims that Lady Thyme is dead, rattling Fitz with implications about Chade’s disguise.

Regal exits his rooms and sneers at Fitz, taunting him about Lady Thyme and implying interest in a younger woman. Fitz nearly launches at Regal under a surge of wolf fury before Molly’s formal rebuff snaps him back, leaving him humiliated and heartsick.

In Kettricken’s chambers, Fitz finds her unexpectedly serene, buoyed by simple rituals and bayberry candles procured from a talented serving girl. Kettricken invites quiet contemplation; when Fitz tentatively opens his Wit alongside her, he explodes outward into the living web, sensing creatures and people across Buckkeep—startling Kettricken and nearly unraveling himself before he withdraws.

Realizing Kettricken has a gentle Wit and fearing his own exposure—by Burrich or others—Fitz cuts the visit short. Disturbed by Regal’s proximity to Molly and by his reckless surge into the web, he resolves to take decisive action the next day.