a selection of dialogue prompts taken from the book eldest, #2 of the inheritance cycle / eragon series. feel free to change pronouns / details as needed.
❛ the songs of the dead are the lamentations of the living. ❜
❛ i'm glad i found you in time. ❜
❛ we'll have to hurry to get there in time. ❜
❛ listen to me, i have one last command for you. ❜
❛ you must do all you can to avert a struggle for power. ❜
❛ i will assist where possible. ❜
❛ this should not have happened. ❜
❛ they may still be alive. would you abandon them? ❜
❛ what do you expect me to do? ❜
❛ how can fate be this cruel? ❜
❛ we are wounded at the height of our triumph. ❜
❛ do not be ashamed to let your tears be seen. ❜
❛ good morning, little one. ❜
❛ i'm sorry, they are gone. ❜
❛ we may never know the truth. ❜
❛ are you strong enough to go? ❜
❛ just stay close to me. ❜
❛ almost no one would oppose you. ❜
❛ that does not seem a wise path to take. i see only trouble in that direction. ❜
❛ there is someone here to see you. ❜
❛ we face a crisis that must be dealt with quickly and effectively. ❜
❛ it's a gamble you'll have to take. ❜
❛ what happens if i decide not to accept your offer? ❜
❛ who could bear such a shame? ❜
❛ that would be unwise. ❜
❛ i fear you have no choice now. ❜
❛ they're afraid of us. as well they should be. ❜
❛ we're all backed into corners. ❜
❛ is there anything else that must be discussed? for i am weary. ❜
❛ you have given me much to ponder. ❜
❛ will you please stay? ❜
❛ i offer you my blade... and my fealty. ❜
❛ it's better to be sworn to an honest fool than to a lying scholar. ❜
❛ you have my condolences. ❜
❛ things have certainly changed for us. ❜
❛ i never know what to expect from one day to the next — except sorrow and bloodshed. ❜
❛ all is not bad. we have won a great victory. it should be celebrated, not mourned. ❜
❛ i didn't expect it to happen. ❜
❛ we only did what we had to. ❜
❛ there's no cause to be angry. ❜
❛ you know nothing about me. ❜
❛ you have been gone for such a long time. ❜
❛ may the stars watch over you. ❜
❛ i won't be able to stay long. ❜
❛ the land is a special thing. care for it, and it'll care for you. ❜
❛ here, let me get you something to eat. ❜
❛ we can leave at dawn. ❜
❛ you have endured so much loss, and yet your strength has never failed you. ❜
❛ and what shall become of me? ❜
❛ there's no reason we should waste our years living apart when we feel like this. ❜
❛ i can't provide for you. ❜
❛ you seem to have a good understanding of people. ❜
❛ what alternative do i have? ❜
❛ who would be here besides us? ❜
❛ don't. you'll get us both killed. ❜
❛ we have to get back and warn everyone. ❜
❛ we can get there first if we run. ❜
❛ what will you say if they ask for me? ❜
❛ come on now! put your back into it! ❜
❛ i am sorry for the trouble, but it can't be helped. ❜
❛ just make sure you aren't caught. ❜
❛ i thought i'd never find you. ❜
❛ you should be fine up here. ❜
❛ are you better today? ❜
❛ we all need our strength. ❜
❛ you have done so much since we last met. ❜
❛ you are generous beyond all expectations. ❜
❛ we cannot linger on pleasantries. ❜
❛ the worst thing a king can do is look foolish. ❜
❛ what makes you sure you can do this? ❜
❛ close your mouth — it's unbecoming. ❜
❛ such joy you have given me. ❜
❛ there will be drinking tonight, i wager! ❜
❛ you cannot sleep now. ❜
❛ now is the time to fulfill your promise. ❜
❛ we are about to change history. ❜
❛ we're throwing ourselves off a cliff without knowing how deep the water below is. ❜
❛ i give my life to you and our cause. ❜
❛ now is the time to prepare. ❜
❛ it is our turn to strike back. ❜
❛ there will never again be such an opportunity. ❜
❛ you have earned some powerful enemies today. ❜
❛ how did you learn magic? ❜
❛ that was a heroic deed. ❜
❛ you should be proud of your accomplishment. ❜
❛ whatever my fate may be, i don't aspire to rule. ❜
❛ what is a king, after all, but a man imprisoned by his duties? ❜
❛ it was nearly impossible to get the door open. ❜
❛ you had no reason to interfere! ❜
❛ if i'd needed your help i would have called. ❜
❛ why couldn't you leave me alone? where was the harm? ❜
❛ i am yours to command. ❜
❛ guard it with your life; it would cause a great deal of harm in the wrong hands. ❜
❛ now is the time to gamble and dare what no one thinks we can accomplish. ❜
❛ you needn't fear, i am well defended. ❜
❛ i like to be where things are happening. ❜
❛ you're braver than i, staying here. ❜
❛ perhaps you should consider turning yourself in. ❜
❛ i don't want anyone to be hurt on my behalf. ❜
❛ it's a nasty situation all around. ❜
❛ something should be done. ❜
❛ am i somehow responsible for this? ❜
❛ you would do that for me? ❜
❛ it's this or run for it. ❜
❛ everyone's life is at stake. ❜
❛ a man can only endure so much abuse before he must strike back. ❜
❛ first we fortify, then we fight. ❜
❛ we want to scare, not kill. break a few bones if you want, but don't get carried away. ❜
❛ that's the best brawl i've had in years. ❜
❛ who gave you the authority to make this decision? you've doomed us all! ❜
❛ live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. there is only now. ❜
❛ wise? no, i simply learned to think. ❜
❛ those whom we love are often the most alien to us. ❜
❛ life is both pain and pleasure. if this is the price you must pay for the hours you enjoy, is it too much? ❜
❛ you cannot miss what you never had. ❜
❛ how terrible to die alone, separate even from the one who is closest to you. ❜
❛ it is better to be taught to think critically than to be told on what to believe. ❜
❛ a good compromise leaves everyone angry. ❜
❛ the goal matters not, only the journey to it. ❜
❛ magic is the art of thinking, not strength or language. ❜
❛ a negative outlook is more of a handicap than any physical injury. ❜
❛ whatever you make, base it upon that which is most important to you. only then will it have depth and meaning, and only then will it resonate with others. ❜
❛ we only give credence to that which we can prove exists. ❜
❛ too many problems in this world are caused by men with noble dispositions and clouded minds. ❜
❛ avoid roasted cabbage, don't eat earwax, and look on the bright side of life! ❜
❛ understanding begets empathy and compassion even for the meanest beggar. ❜
❛ things that change and are lost, that is what's worth preserving. ❜
❛ he who stands like a pillar dies in battle. he who bends like a reed is triumphant. ❜
❛ fate has a cruel sense of humour. ❜
❛ power without moral direction is the most dangerous force in the world. ❜
❛ understanding breeds empathy. ❜
❛ the only certainty is that, eventually, all things shall pass. ❜
❛ ignorance, fear, hate: these are our enemies. deny them with all your might. ❜
❛ no one thinks of himself as a villain, and few make decisions they think are wrong. ❜
❛ life is both pain and pleasure. ❜
❛ determination is as common among men who are dull and foolish as it is among those who are brilliant intellects. ❜
❛ can someone truly be good if they never have the opportunity to act badly? ❜
❛ i won't tell you what to believe. ❜
❛ i have a new name for pain. the obliterator. because when you're in pain, nothing else can exist. not thought. not emotion. only the drive to escape the pain. ❜
❛ i will never let go of you. ❜