Chade Fallstar - Early Life

Early Life

The elder half-brother of King Shrewd, Chade Fallstar was the son of King Bounty (Shrewd's father), and a (female) soldier, conceived out of wedlock whilst the army of The Six Duchies was on a campaign in the Sandsedge region. The soldier married a man, and died when Chade was still a child: at which point, the husband set his stepson upon a mule with a necklace that had belonged to Chade's mother, and sent the child to Buckkeep.

Upon arriving at Buckkeep, the King recognised Chade as his son, and provided for his education, raising him as a noble, and also beginning the boy's training as an assassin. He was not, however, taught The Skill, an ancient set of abilities based on mental contact and manipulation, which was inherent in the royal line: this deprival would leave him very bitter in later life. He did, however, learn to Scry in bowls of water. Chade's mentor died sometime before he reached fifteen. By adulthood, Chade's life was divided between his public and private personae: in public, he was a foppish, handsome young man, fond of luxury, and, he claimed many years later, vainer than his nephew Regal; in private, however, he was the King's private emissary, sent to kill or harm enemies of the King, or obstacles to power and peace. To add to this dichotomy, he was also "a kindly step-uncle" to his royal nephews, Chivalry and Verity, who "watched over them" (presumably he ensured that they weren't threatened or poisoned).

This split of appearances did not last long, however: whilst still a young man, Chade was badly scarred when a potion he was brewing exploded, terribly marking his face and hands. Ashamed of his appearance, Chade retreated into private, hidden chambers within the castle, and later claimed to have wished himself dead. For months, refused to leave his chambers; when he finally did, he wore disguises that covered his face and hands, to hide the scarring. He then left Buckkeep for "a long time", and when he returned, he found himself considered dead by the court, and felt that he would be more useful to the King without a public face. Thereafter, when sent to do his assassins duties, he would either go by stealth, or in the guise of "Lady Thyme", a cantankerous and repellant elderly lady, who would not be suspected by any. His retreat into isolation was not, as he thought, unnoticed or unmourned; Chivalry and Verity, who had both been fond of him, were both upset by his absence. Regal, however, never knew him: Chade was already scarred and departed when King Shrewd married Lady Desire of Farrow, and since the lady had a fear of malformed persons, he was not introduced to her or to her son after he returned.

As the Royal Assassin, Chade was bound to serve the King; first his father, King Bounty, and then his brother, King Shrewd. It was also a part of his role to be introduced and explained to the King-in-Waiting, in line with the Preparation of a King-in-Waiting to take the throne. Accordingly, when Prince Chivalry reached the age of sixteen, and was made King-in-Waiting, Chade was revealed to him, and the Prince was told how to find Chade in the castle; the Prince in turn revealed that he remembered and had missed him, which shocked Chade. Chivalry chose to act upon this information the very same night: he and Verity (whom Chivalry had disobediently informed of Chade's existence) made their way to Chade's private quarters to visit him. He was shocked and annoyed by this intrusion, and scolded them: he tried to impress upon them, with great difficulty, that they could not call upon him whenever they wished.