Yet the Fool who awaits him does not love him any less than the Fool who holds him now. It is with that Fool that Fitz truly has a future, a chance at that love that has always twined itself around him throughout his lifetime; the Fool knows this. He knows it as keenly as he has ever known the truth of his own prophesies. Their paths here have converged by chance and providence, but this is not their new beginning. It's a final goodbye.

Fate can be kind, sometimes, even as it must be cruel.

Breathing is so hard, so difficult, all of a sudden, and the Fool's eyes grow wet with tears. He's weeping before he realizes it, tears stinging his eyes. "Fitz," he starts to speak, but his voice breaks before the rest of his words can leave him. He just shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut.