Home > Work > The Ikessar Falcon (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, #2)
1 " Despair is a cliff in front of you while an army marches at your back. A broken sword in battle, a quiver with no arrows, a hangman's noose. It is water in your lungs when all you want to do is breathe. "
― K.S. Villoso , The Ikessar Falcon (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, #2)
2 " Somewhere in my memories, I remembered my father telling me that life wasn’t fair; that for everything you were ever given, somebody paid a price. "
3 " People speak of love and all these things it ought to be, but the truth is that love is not always a wondrous thing to be carried with pride or celebrated. "
4 " We cling to what is broken when we have no choice. Even love that tastes like poison, that presses like a blade in your throat, is better than gaping emptiness. "
5 " The Oren-yaro do not lack for courage, it is true. We know how to face battles when the odds are stacked against us. We know how to give our lives for our lords and believe we know sacrifice like no other. But I did not face that dragon as an Oren-yaro. Our tenets may run deep, but they do not make us. I decided that if I ever get out of this alive, I would tell Rayyel that. We are flesh and blood, not words; we bend, we break, but our failings need not be etched in stone. I faced the dragon as someone willing to give her life for another not because of some deep-seated arrogance that I was better but because it was the right thing to do. "
6 " But there is also what people think you are and how the world bends itself around it. You turn your head and people follow your gaze. Who is she looking at? Why is she looking at them? And if you explain it, they will tear the words apart looking for a hidden meaning, and if you don’t, they will dig into the silence for something that may not be there.”“It’s silly.”“I didn’t say it wasn’t. But that is the tune the whole world dances to. Some are born with the power to turn the tide even before they realize what they are doing. Others…aren’t. Some of us have to fight to make a difference from the moment we are born. We try to crest along calm waters because we are helpless against the tide, and even then, a single wave might be enough to sweep us away. "
7 " I never questioned anything Yeshin did in those days. “Get your dogs and come take a walk with me,” had been enough to send me running from my room and down to the kennels, where I nearly tripped over the door in my haste. For all that his anger could frighten the wits out of me, time spent with my father was still a rare, precious thing. "
8 " I’ve heard rumours you were dead.” “That’s an improvement. Last time they said I was fucking goats.” “Oh, we took that one for a fact. What the hell are you doing here? "
9 " Your marriage to Lord Rayyel was a symbol of peace, one that is now tainted beyond compare. What you do in your own bed is none of my business, my lady, but there is no saving you from this ruin. To regain the honour that will win you back your throne, you have to become a new symbol: one of strength, the way a Dragonlord ought to be. And so.” He gestured at my sword. “Prove your worth. Slay the dragon. "
10 " When we have nothing else, even despair can be a weapon. "
11 " Every armour has a chink. Beat at it long enough, it'll break. "
12 " Sometimes a single moment was enough to define a man's worth. "
13 " Those who betray you know exactly the sort of knife they're plunging into your back, and though they might feel shame-they might even feel pity-nothing short of a better offer will stop them from twisting the blade. "
14 " It is hard, I think, for a single person to grasp the weight of their own actions, to make sense of the ripples our every decision makes. "
15 " People always found a way to rise up among the downtrodden, or at least benefit from them. "
16 " A chipped sword...still has an edge. "
17 " Perfection is only for the gods. We have to keep going even if all we have left are pieces of what we thought we were. "
18 " The truth saddles the line between lies and expectations. "
19 " A watched rat is better than one lurking in the shadows. "
20 " Frayed minds lead to frayed decisions. "
