‘I seem to recall reading that there is some Outislander ceremony in which a girl presents herself thus to demand recognition of her womanhood.’
It sounded barbaric to me. I said so, and then added, ‘There is a resemblance to the Narcheska, but perhaps it is merely the resemblance that all Outislander women have to one another. I don’t think we should give it great consideration right now.’
Chade sighed. ‘There is too much of the Outislanders that we do not know. Well. I must hasten away. I have much to report to the Queen, and a number of questions that I must ask of other folk. Fitz, as soon as you know anything definite from Thick, get back to me. Send me a message from the Fool with the word “lavender” in it.’
My heart jolted in my chest. ‘I thought you said the word to use was “horse”.’ I said.
Chade paused at the door of my room. I knew I had rattled him, yet he tried to cover it. ‘Did I? But that seems too common a word, you know. Lavender suits me better. You’re far less likely to write that to me by accident. Farewell’
And he was gone, shutting my bedroom door behind him. I turned back to see if the Fool was as dismayed as I was by the old man’s lapse, but he was gone. He had ghosted out of the room, taking his paints and powders with him. I sighed to myself and went about the tasks of gathering up the breakfast things. The brief interlude with him in the morning made me more aware than ever of how much I missed him. It cut me deeply that he would be himself to humour Chade, but not me.
If, I reminded myself sourly, the Fool was indeed who he truly was.
EIGHTEEN
Pink Sugar Cake
Have the student lie on his back. He should not be on a comfortable bed nor on a bare surface. Either is a distraction. A blanket folded on the floor suffices. Have the student remove or loosen any clothing that binds. Some students will perform the exercise best if naked and undistracted by clothing touching them. Others will be too distracted by the vulnerability of their nakedness. Let each student decide, what is best for him, without comment.
Emphasize that the only movement of the body should be steady breathing. The eyes should be closed. Then, without moving any part of his body, ask the student to be aware of his body. He may need to be guided in this at first. Tell him to seek awareness of his middle toes without touching or moving them. Then have him think of his knees, but not flexing them. Proceed with the skin of his breast, of his forehead, the backs of his hands and continue as long as is necessary to name the boundaries of his flesh, until the student has been invited to truly consider the physical confines of the body he lives within. Thus prepared, ask him then to find the edges of his thoughts. Do they stop at the flesh of his brow? Can he feel them encased in his skull or trapped in his chest?
All but the dullest students will swiftly realize that the body does not confine thoughts. They extend outside our flesh, even as our vision, hearing, touch, smelling and even taste are senses that link us to the outside world while remaining functions of the physical body. So our thoughts reach out, unbound by distance or even time. Ask the student, ‘Cannot you smell the wine that is opened across the room? Hear the shouts of sailors at work across the water? Then do not refuse to believe you can hear the thoughts of the man in the field that waft toward you.’
— Treeknee’s translation of Preparing the Students
I went first to Verity’s tower to see what luck the Prince had had in filling Thick’s list. I was surprised to find that not only had Dutiful obtained every item, but that he himself was waiting for me.
‘Won’t your friends remark on your absence?’ I asked as I surveyed the trove on the table.
He shook his head. ‘I made excuses. Sometimes my reputation for being slightly odd serves me well. No one questions that I have sudden needs for solitude.’
I nodded to myself as I sorted the items. I folded the red scarf and set it aside. ‘I’ve seen you wearing this. If I remark it, then others will also. If Thick were seen wearing it, people would assume that he had stolen it. Or that he had some special connection to you. Either would be bad for us. The same goes for this knife. I appreciate your willingness to part with it, but such a well-crafted blade would only raise questions for him.’ I set the knife on the folded scarf.
The little pink frosted cake was still slightly warm from the oven. A rich waft of almond rose from it. The peacock feather was long and nodded gracefully when I picked it up. There was an earthenware bowl full of plump raisins. Shelled nutmeats dipped in syrup and set aside to harden glistened among the raisins. ‘This is wonderful. Thank you.’
‘Thank you, Tom Badgerlock.’ Dutiful took a deeper breath and then asked, ‘Do you think Laudwine has come to kill you?’
‘I think that is possible. But Chade seems to think he might be part of a Witted delegation sent to treat with the Queen. So I’ve been ordered to keep my hands off until I’m given further directions.’
‘So you’ll do nothing for now.’
‘Oh, I’ll do a lot of things,’ I muttered. ‘I just won’t go out and immediately kill Laudwine.’
The Prince laughed aloud, and I suddenly realized how carelessly I had spoken before him. I was fortunate that he had assumed that I was joking. I forced a smile to my face. ‘I’ll take these things up to Thick and see what else he has to tell me. And you must remember to go about your day as normally as possible.’
He did not look pleased at that, but he conceded the necessity of it. I departed by way of the mantel door. As I climbed the uneven stairs and negotiated the narrow passages, I tried to think through for myself the significance of Laudwine’s presence in Buckkeep Town. Kettricken had called for the Witted to negotiate with her. As the head of the Piebald faction, it made sense that he would come forward to present their views. But as a man that had all but kidnapped the Prince, hoping to take over his life, I was amazed that he dared to stand before Kettricken. She might not hang him for being Witted, but he certainly deserved to die for how he had plotted against the Farseers. And yet, there was the rub. She could level no charges against him without revealing that her son was Witted. All the events around Dutiful’s disappearance had been hushed up or explained away. The nobles of his court believed he had simply gone away from them for a time to meditate. I wondered if Laudwine intended to use all those circumstances as a club against the Farseers. I sighed, and hoped there would be other, more moderate Old Blood folk who would also step forward. Laudwine, I felt, represented the worst and most extreme of our kind. His sort had made us hated and feared. If be stepped forward alone, claiming to represent all the Witted, that reputation would live on.
I pushed such thoughts aside as I reached Chade’s chamber. I entered to find Thick sitting disconsolately on the hearthstones before the dwindling fire. He stared into the flames, his tongue protruding from his mouth. ‘Did you think I’d forgotten?’ I asked him as I came in.
He turned to me and as his eyes lifted and he beheld the items I carried, a terrible wave of gratitude rushed out from him and enveloped me. He stood up, literally trembling with excitement. ‘Let’s put these things on the table,’ I suggested. He seemed struck dumb. He wiggled like an eager puppy as I pushed scrolls and inkpots carefully out of my way and set down the items one by one. ‘Prince Dutiful helped me get these things for you,’ I told him. ‘See, here is the pink sugar cake. It’s still warm from the oven. Here is a bowl of raisins for you, and candied nuts. He thought you might want to try the nuts. And the peacock feather, the feather with the eye in it. All for you.’