#fool's assassin

thinking of amber's "harder still, you have to admit to yourself that perhaps he has needs you cannot fill." and fitz's "i must wonder if that was always what I was to you. only the catalyst?" both of them thinking the other can't possibly be satisfied with them, that they lack something fundamental that they can't offer for the other to be truly happy. but also both of them always wanting more—more of beloved, more of fitz's affection, yet feel as if they've given enough and can't possibly give more. and whenever they ARE given more, they refuse it as reality and think that it can't be true.

beloved not recognizing fitz during their reunion in AQ after fitz's torture / fitz not recognizing beloved at the end of FA after beloved's torture might just be the cruelest parallel hobb has ever written