The thing about second books in trilogies is that they have to do a lot of work developing conflicts and characters. Second books tend to be where the bad guys are ascendent and our heroes seem to be losing. They provide critical information and often are kind of depressing. Royal Assassin, the second volume in The Farseer Trilogy, is such a book but I am completely invested, as well as devastated, by what is happening to our main characters and the kingdom where they live. Given how much political intrigue is in this volume, there was always the danger that Robin Hobb would bog us down in detail that would act as a drag on the plot instead of engaging the reader. Instead, I found myself excited and interested in what was happening amongst the Six Duchies of the kingdom and the Farseer dynasty as they battle outside raiders and enemies from within. We also get a little romance in this volume, with several characters trying to juggle their personal relationships with professional responsibilities. And the main character and narrator, FitzChivalry Farseer, finds himself embroiled in all of it while trying to understand and develop his powers, support his king, and stay under the radar of those who see him as a threat. The end of this book was hard, but knowing the story isn’t over has me more interested than ever. Evil seems to have prevailed, but as Fitz and Burrich say, it’s not over until we have won.
At the end of Assassin’s Apprentice, we learned just how villainous Regal Farseer is and how dangerous the political situation is for King Shrewd, his heir Prince Verity and his bastard grandson Fitz. Politically, things are as fraught as ever. Prince-in-waiting Verity has married Kettricken, a princess of the Mountain Kingdom chosen for him because of the important alliance it creates for the Kingdom of the Six Duchies. Yet several problems are already present. Kettricken is an outsider, a foreigner, who has no friends or connections at court, but she is also an honorable leader amongst her own people. In the Mountain Kingdom, leaders are not “kings” or “queens,” but instead “sacrifices.” In other words, they are first and foremost public servants. Kettricken’s devotion to her husband and to the people of the Six Duchies will eventually win her admiration but also a deadly enemy in her brother-in-law Regal, who already tried to sabotage the wedding and kill Verity and Fitz. Verity, despite being a noble and highly regarded warrior, has less stature as a political leader and he will admit that it is not his thing; rather, that had been the talent of his older brother Chivalry, Fitz’s father who abdicated the throne and later died. The constant threat of Red Ship Raiders and the horrific “forging” of people in the raided coastal duchies require all of Verity’s attention and Skill. Skill is a magical power traditionally wielded by Farseers (although notably not by Regal, his half brother); it allows the practitioners to mind meld with others, influencing their thoughts and actions. Verity spends his days Skilling from the tower in order to try to prevent raids, but it is taking a physical toll on him and it is clear that the people he thought he could rely on for support are not trustworthy. Verity is so preoccupied with the raids and Skilling that he pays little attention to his new wife. The story of their unfolding relationship and Kettricken’s bravery and intelligence are important parts of book 2. Meanwhile, while Verity is up in the tower Skilling alone to protect the kingdom, Regal is schmoozing nobles, building up himself and his influence, and apparently taking actions that could potentially undermine his father King Shrewd. Fitz and Chade, the kings assassins, are hyper aware of this but also hamstrung by the oath of loyalty they have taken to Shrewd. When Verity announces a plan to go find the legendary Elderlings, gods who — according to the tales — long ago helped a king against destructive forces, Regal is left more or less in charge at the castle, putting Kettricken, the king, Fitz and anyone else not seen as loyal to Regal, in grave danger.
Fitz, now entering his late teens/early 20s in this novel, is juggling many responsibilities and problems at once. He is King Shrewd’s man and is loyal to Verity and Kettricken, but he must keep many secrets. Chade has taught him the ways of the assassin, and only a couple of people know that that is his job at court. He knows poisons and how to fight, and he has the ability to both Skill and Wit. His ability to Skill is untrained and unreliable; had he had proper training, he would have been a real force, but as it is, his use of the Skill requires that he get help from Verity. The Wit, which is the ability to commune with animals, is considered “dirty magic” and is punishable by death; it is thought that those who commune with animals become like them and eventually lose their humanity. Burrich, Chivalry’s former right hand man and now in charge of stables, hounds and hawks, has been aware of Fitz’s ability since he was a child, and it infuriates Burrich. He tried to force Fitz to abandon it, but Fitz cannot help but bond with dogs and, in this book, with a wolf pup called Nighteyes. I find the descriptions of Skilling and Wit to be very interesting, and they both play a significant role in the story.
Fitz spends this book trying to help the King and Verity as much as he can- learning how to be part of a sailing crew to fight against Red Raiders and going out to eliminate forged people who prey on citizens like zombies, for example. With Nighteyes mentally bonding with him and his thoughts, and with Verity also able to access Fitz’s consciousness, Fitz is burdened and stressed. And the one thing in his life that brings him joy — his relationship with childhood friend Molly — is at risk. Molly knows that Fitz has secrets and is not honest with her, which she cannot abide, and since Fitz has royal blood, he is technically not free to make choices about romantic partners. Even worse Regal’s spies seem to know or guess a lot of Fitz’s secrets, putting him and those he cares about in mortal danger.
The end of this book is pretty brutal and now I desperately need to get to book three and see what the hell is going to happen. One of the things that struck me as I’ve been reading the trilogy is that while the books were written and published in the 1990s, if you told me Hobb had written them within the last decade in response to things that have been happening in the US and around the world, I would have said, “yeah, I can see that.” I suppose tales of greedy, powerful men trying to get more while demonizing and crushing their opposition are always timely. But it’s not over until we win.