#jhammpe

“Wait. I see. You imagine that I have never known intimacy of that sort. That I have been ‘saving myself’ for you. Don’t flatter yourself Fitzchivalry. I doubt you would have been worth the wait.”

To me that leaves no room in my mind that the Fool has been intimate with someone. And we know it’s someone he cared about emotionally too cos right before that he says -“Then? Then what? Then I could be like you, sate myself with whoever was available merely because it was offered to me? That, I would find ‘distasteful’. I would never use Garetha or any person that way. Unlike some we know.” And presumably this happened some time between him being the Fool and becoming Lord Golden.

So potential options I can think of:

1) Garetha. Or I would’ve maybe thought such if not for all the Fool says in this particular chapter so ok not her. Also kinda unrelated but it melted my heart that Lord Golden left her a cottage with a garden.

2) Jek. Amber knew Jek prior to the events of the liveship books and it is implied they have spent a fair bit of time together. Although we know Jek doesn’t hide the fact she likes sex and men she does find Althea attractive when she’s disguised as a boy then teases her about it after. Also Jeks reaction when she thought Amber was dead was very emotional, even cutting a lock of hair in mourning, a six Duchies custom that women don’t usually follow. She also berates Brashen for downplaying their relationship when he seems to think his grief is the only important thing: “ I’m grieving in my own way. Amber wasn’t some chance-met acquaintance. I’ve cut a lock of hair to mourn her, not that I expect you to understand that.” I had always thought there was maybe something more between Amber and Jek, and although Beloved was still very much in love with Fitz I also think they were very lonely after the redship war. AND i think it’s markable that really the Fool doesn’t have that many true friends, even less those who he trusts fully and will let know secrets ect. Jek is one of those people that he’s entrusted to a lot of those secrets to - maybe not the significant prophet-esque ones but the more personal ones which I think are even harder for the Fool to share. Jek’s reaction when she sees Lord Golden after so long and realises that it’s Amber is also so lovely: “She advanced on him, completely confident of a warm welcome, to hug him heartily and then step back.” And she fully had a go at Fitz for being an idiot about Ambers feelings. Yes this could just be gals supporting each other but idk I always thought there was more between them.

3) Jofron. Remember her? Way back from Jhammpe. Fitz thought to mark their friendship and I really took note of it. I guess again cos the Fool didn’t really have many friends, especially back in the farseer books. And again they were a pair where I wondered that had gone on between them in the months the Fool was alone and had thought Fitz dead. In Fool’s Fate when Lord Golden leaving stuff for all his significant people he includes Jofron. 15 years later, with probably minimal contact (I mean the occasional letter sure but the mountains aren’t exactly an easy place for a visit) and he left her things he knew she would enjoy. Also the quote “She’ll value them and recall me fondly, regardless of how abruptly I left her.” Idk he could have just said ‘the way I left’ but the addition of her? Making it specifically about her seems kinda intimate. I know the fool is just super soft with people he cares about so again maybe I’m reading in to that more than I should.

4) some unknown individual they encountered in the 12ish years between the stone dragons and going to bingtown?

I think it’s interesting that all/the main two are female. I personally think that like their gender the Fools sexuality is fluid. Yes their one true love Fitz is male but Lord Golden flirts with males and females alike. Also I think it’s nice that of three potential people the fool loved/loves (jek, joffron, Fitz) they represent different pairings eg m/f, f/f, m/m. 

Anyone else got any ideas as to who the Fools has been with?