Yet all winters must end, even those infused with grief and injustice. Spring came, and with it kinder weather. Thaws melted the snows and the early crocus began to bloom. The queen became less pale and sickly and ate with a better appetite and her child swelled her belly. Farmers planted and as the fields began to sprout, Queen Wiffen was delivered of a boy-child, hale and hearty. His birth was celebrated far more than even the birth of a prince deserved, for all seemed to feel it marked a turning point and an end to our ill fortune. The heir secured the throne and the Farseer line. All would now be well.
And when the prince was two months old, I stood with the others to watch his name bound to him in the old Farseer tradition. Courage was his name, and his father passed him through the flames and poured the earth over his head and chest and dunked him well. All saw it as a good omen when the boy sputtered, sneezed and then laughed aloud for the first time in his life.
That laughter spread throughout the observers and as the boy was lifted high, I joined in. For as King Canny elevated the naked prince that all might behold him, I looked on proof that he was truly the rightful heir to the crown. For on the back of the child’s left arm, I saw that which I had seen also on his father’s arm; a small birthmark in the shape of a dark bird with outstretched wings.
And so I write here, in a clear hand, as my son Redbird would wish, the truth of the prince’s lineage. Prince Courage Farseer, may he prosper and rule long, is the son of the rightful king, King Charger Farseer, son of Queen-in-Waiting Caution Farseer, daughter of King Virile and Queen Capable Farseer. And grandson of Lostler of Chalced, stablemaster and Witted one.
BY ROBIN HOBB
THE FARSEER TRILOGY
Assassin’s Apprentice
Royal Assassin
Assassin’s Quest
THE LIVESHIP TRADERS
Ship of Magic
The Mad Ship
Ship of Destiny
THE TAWNY MAN
Fool’s Errand
The Golden Fool
Fool’s Fate
THE SOLDIER SON
Shaman’s Crossing
Forest Mage
Renegade’s Magic
THE RAIN WILD CHRONICLES
The Dragon Keeper
Dragon Haven
City of Dragons
Blood of Dragons
The Inheritance
WRITING AS MEGAN LINDHOLM
The Reindeer People
Wolf’s Brother
Harpy’s Flight
The Windsingers
The Limbreth Gate
Luck of the Wheels
Cloven Hooves
Alien Earth
Copyright
HarperVoyager
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
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First published in Great Britain by HarperVoyager 2013
Copyright © Robin Hobb 2013
Illustrations © Jackie Morris 2013
Robin Hobb asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780007498130
Ebook Edition © December 2013 ISBN: 9780007575435
Version: 2013-12-12
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