King of the Six Duchies
King Shrewd rules the Six Duchies at the saga's opening, a clear-minded old man whose political cunning is matched only by his caution. On discovering the existence of Chivalry's bastard, he binds young Fitz's loyalty to himself and has him trained in the assassin's craft. As illness gnaws at him, his grip on the crown and on his rival sons grows ever more frail.