The Guided Hand

The Guided Hand is what The Archmother, one of the Patrons, calls her own side. Every contest of the Ritual is fought between two sides, and The Archmother calls those who stand on hers the Guided Hand; The Hidden King, who opposes her, calls his own side the Amber Hand or the Broken Crown, or else “the Hidden King’s court.”

The name comes mostly from The Archmother’s lips, but it is often heard from The Hidden King as well — only, when he speaks it, he means an enemy that must be destroyed:

“Put an end to the Guided Hand…”

“快结束指引之手”

Once the contest is decided, it is still this name that The Hidden King proclaims:

“The Guided Hand has been broken.”

“指引之手已被摧毁”

On The Archmother’s lips the name carries a solemn courtesy. When it is spoken to the Doorman, The Hidden King has a matching line of his own, only with his own name put in its place. The Archmother says:

“You honor the Guided Hand by standing with us today.”

“今天，你与我们站在一起，就是对指引之手的敬意”

The Hidden King says:

“You honor The Hidden King by standing with us today.”

“今天，你与我们站在一起，就是对隐王的敬意”

For Rem, the child with a pillow, each Patron has a scornful pronouncement too. The Archmother says:

“The Guided Hand will not be bested by a child with a pillow.”

“指引之手不会被一个拿着枕头的孩子打败”

The Hidden King says:

“The Hidden King will not be denied because of a child with a pillow.”

“隐王不会被一个拿着枕头的孩子打败”

The Guided Hand is no roster of particular people. The same person The Archmother calls one of her own in one ritual may, in another, be named by The Hidden King as a mainstay of his side. The two Patrons have said almost exactly the same words about Paige, only with the names swapped. The Archmother says:

“Paige is anchoring the Hidden King's court. Kill her and let the rest crumble.”

“佩吉是隐王宫廷的支柱。击败她，其他人就会土崩瓦解”

The Hidden King, for his part, says:

“Paige is anchoring the Guided Hand. Kill her and let the rest crumble.”

“佩吉是指引之手的支柱。击败她，其他人就会土崩瓦解”

The pillar they single out is anchoring The Hidden King’s court in one telling, and the Guided Hand in the other. So it is with Grey Talon: The Archmother promises him that if he summons her, he will have his revenge, while The Hidden King urges him to let the blood of the Guided Hand wash him clean. Both Patrons are courting the same man, and none of this makes him truly belong to either.