The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince

by Robin Hobb

  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

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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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