*

feel free to change pronouns / wording!

" it started with a simple choice, escape or die. "

" he almost killed you last time, didn't he? "

" what about me? you gotta take me with you. "

" i really didn't have a choice. "

" you haven't escaped anything unless you go on to something. "

" the first thing i noticed was the smell. "

" just like day follows night, every man succumbs to his nature. "

" you're lucky i was here. "

" maybe you're my guardian angel. "

" you can stand to eat a meal if you must, you can stand to make love if you're able, but it's impossible to stand and drink, it's the act of a barbarian, an animal at the watering hole. "

" you talk too much. "

" i walked here barefoot 'cause a guy came in my shoes. "

" people will be fascinated with your story. "

" it takes a prick to know one. "

" this is the place they were thinking about when they invented the word 'the pits'. "

" i like that you haven't asked what this is for. "

" you don't think people can change? "

" you're a good listener, it's dangerous - because it's so hard to resist being listened to. "

" what i want is to be master of my own destiny. "

" i'm sorry to have kept you so late. "

" were you gonna say goodbye? "

" there's no redemption for the likes of you. "

" he was looking pretty dead to me. "

" nothing you do will change the fact that they are gone. "

" i knew once you got my message, you'd come running. "

" i wonder what you're so guilty about that playing the hero was this important. "

" i can't go to the authorities, it's not an option for me. "

" i am a man of peace, so please do not be hurting me. "

" they almost killed me. "

" maybe i wanna feel good. "

" we're being betrayed. "

" i don't know why people can't be nicer. "

" it's always love that sends us down the rabbit hole. "

" what happened to your face? "

" i do not have friends, times like this are exactly why. "

" i think you should stop interfering with my business. "

" we have no relationship, i owe you nothing. "

" only a fool plays a game without knowing the rules first, or the other players. "

" you shouldn't be calling me. "

" ambitious men are never content. "

" it's not your fault you're weak. "

" you really need me to keep quiet, eh? "

" everything has its use by date, and everyone. "

" you can be such a child sometimes. "

" you can't spend the rest of your life refusing to care for anyone in case they leave. "

" my life isn't any man's to give or take. "

" we can compel men not to be bad but we cannot compel them to do good. "

" you have a fairly scary reputation. "

" this place means a great deal to me. "

" i can't treat it if i can't see it. "

" i didn't want to wake you. "

" will you come with me to my place? i don't wanna be there on my own. "

" there is no shame in being afraid. "

" you're a long way from home to be making threats. "

" for a man who doesn't want trouble you keep interesting company. "

" i am a businesswoman, this is the price. "

" what, so that's it? try to kill a guy and then eat ice cream? "

" what you want matters little. "

" he saw me alone and he tried to take his chance. "

" you're a hard man to find. "

" do my eyes deceive? is this a ghost? "

" what is this, are you jealous? "

" i liked it when you defended me tonight. "

" i'm beginning to think it's because you're scared. "

" you haven't said a word since we left. "

" please do not ruin my happy thoughts, your face is very... children will cry if they look at this face. "

" you don't have to suffer anything if you're strong enough to deny it. "

" i missed you. "

" it's such an arrogance to love someone and to expect it in return. "

" i never wanna be dependent on anyone else again. "

" perhaps a simple, earthy, no-strings fuck would do you a world of good. "

" just 'cause i left, it doesn't mean i don't still love you. "

" sounds like a date. "

" i'd prefer to get there alive. "

" have they hurt you? "

" where would the fun be if we all did as we are told? "

" i'm leaving you alone like this. "

" you're my friend, even if you don't want any. "

" don't forget who works for who. "

" you don't need to justify yourself to me. "

" you can hate me and still not let the tea go to waste. "

" i'm the one who will get the job of killing you. "

" loyalty comes out of love, or fear, or debt. "

" i never said i was a good person. "

" you can't blame yourself for that. "

" i am too happy you are alive. "

" you are a good man and you think too much. "

" the only thing stronger than love is the hate left behind when it's gone. "

" if you want me to beg, you will wait a long time. "

" the world has no place for me. "

" i don't think you've ever loved anyone in your life. "

" a warrior has to follow orders, even when they don't like them. "

" just 'cause i don't want you here doesn't mean i've forgotten my manners. "

" have dinner with me, just like two normal people. "

" i keep them to remember what a terrible human being i am. "

" you can love someone and do terrible things to them, all at the same time. "

" it's good to be nervous, it means it matters. "

" i think you shot me, you bastard. "

" you're fucking dying, and i'm the only thing that's gonna stop it, okay? "

" i made sure i wasn't followed. "

" i never stabbed anyone in my life, i'm not gonna start now. "

" good way to get yourself killed. "

" is this your blood? "

" how does it feel? knowing you're gonna fucking die and there's nothing you can do about it. "

" i never wanna see you again. "

" if you lie, then a crow will bite you. "

" you are the cause of my problems. "

" we need to keep you out of sight. "

" i almost had it, and then you made me forget. "

" i hate doing nothing. "

" the whole point of you staying is so that you can stay out of harm's way. "

" you're gonna bleed out, you need to stay still. "

" i have never seen so much money before in my whole life, forget all in one bag. "

" stop! they're gonna hear you! "

" you've lost the right to ever say my fucking name. "

" i've had enough of this shit, do you hear me?! "

" short version: it all went to shit. "

" a coward isn't capable of exhibiting love. "

" you'll never need to catch me as much as i need to be free. "

elliot had spent the better part of three weeks tracking the man. the posters said male, said dangerous, said armed and wanted for murders that made even the sheriff look away when he read them out loud. three weeks of cold trails and false leads, of sleeping under stars that felt too far away, of caleb's voice whispering  don't let 'em make you hard  every time his hand drifted toward his gun too fast. he found the cabin at dusk, what he found inside was not a man. she stood in the corner like she'd been waiting for him, like she'd known he was coming and had simply decided to stop running. the knife in her hand was clean. her dress was not. and her eyes — her eyes were the kind of tired that went past bone, past soul, into somewhere he recognized but hadn't visited since he was twelve years old with a rusted nail in his face and no one coming to help.

elliot's gun stayed in his holster. he looked at her. really looked. at the blood under her fingernails that she hadn't bothered to wash. at the way she held herself like someone who had already bitten half the world's men. ❝ the posters said a man, ❞ he said quietly. ❝ they said i was hunting a man. ❞ elliot didn't move. didn't reach for his gun. didn't do anything except stand there in the dying light of a cabin that smelled like blood and loss and the particular despair of someone who had stopped caring whether the sun rose again. was it hers, or was she merely hiding in it?

         It was hard to remember a time she wasn’t looked at in a particular way if not in the disguise that brought her both shelter and danger, albeit rather self-inflicted. She observed him the same, but somehow with less interest, aware of what was supposed to come next. Instead, her gaze lowered to the hound beside him and a momentarily grin of disgust showed on her face, her grip on the knife in her hand tightening. Then she graced them with a chuckle, followed by words in such tone that only further confirmed his discoveries.           ❛       Ta-da. People will believe anything their fear or entitlement allows them to... Though I can’t exactly complain about it this time.       ❜

(  platonic  ships  are  just  as  important  as  romantic  ones!  so  here’s  some  dialogue  prompts  for  all  your  friendship  needs!  feel  free  to  change  as  you  seem  fit.  )

❛ remind me why we’re friends again? ❜

❛ you know you can always talk to me. ❜

❛ do you think we’re friends in every universe? ❜

❛ you’re interesting and different and i like that. ❜

❛ i feel like i can tell you anything. ❜

❛ please don’t ever become a stranger. ❜

❛ i like being alone but i’d rather be alone with you. ❜

❛ you’re important to me, you little shit. ❜

❛ i can always count on you. ❜

❛ here, you can borrow my jacket. ❜

❛ i am this close away from strangling you. ❜

❛ no offense, but you look terrible. ❜

❛ do you think we’ll ever stop being friends? ❜

❛ i found this cool rock that made me think of you. ❜

❛ you can sleep over, it’ll be like when we were kids. ❜

❛ here’s a spare key so you don’t have to keep coming in through the window. ❜

❛ that sounds dangerous. i’m in! ❜

❛ we’re still friends, right? ❜

❛ i don’t have a date, so do you wanna be my plus one? ❜

❛ i heard you were feeling sick, so i made you some soup. ❜

❛ i already said i’m paying. you can buy next time, okay? ❜

❛ you’re the best, you know that? ❜

❛ i’m not hitting you, it’s called platonic bdsm. ❜

❛ you’re more family to me than my own family is. ❜

❛ because i like you. because you’re my friend. ❜

❛ i feel like i can be myself around you. ❜

❛ alright, who am i beating up? ❜

❛ you are literally too stupid to insult. ❜

❛ i’m trying to fix your hair, so hold still. ❜

❛ who needs them. we can have fun on our own. ❜

❛ you deserve every good thing that comes your way. ❜

❛ don’t worry, i’ve got your back! ❜

❛ you’re like, the strongest person i know. ❜

❛ friends don’t lie. ❜

❛ don’t make me regret giving you the aux cord. ❜

❛ you can come over any time. it’s not a problem. ❜

❛ i’m glad to have met you. ❜

❛ you remember the day we became friends? ❜

❛ i know, i know. i’m the best. ❜

❛ no one hurts you and gets away with it. ❜

❛ because you love me! duh! ❜

❛ why do you keep me around? ❜

❛ you’re not getting rid of me that easily. ❜

❛ what would you do without me, huh? ❜

❛ thanks. i really needed this. ❜

DIALOGUE

blood tastes different under moonlight.

i don't need permission from the dark.

that scar wasn't from feeding.

you hear footsteps. i hear veins.

you should stop trusting monsters.

i prefer alleys. less witnesses.

i hate how much i want you.

this is the part where you're supposed to be afraid.

i don't need your blood. i want it.

i don't turn people lightly.

i don't chase unless i mean to kill.

you smell different when you're afraid.

i never feed where i live.

nightfall is my beginning.

you're not afraid enough.

hunger doesn't make me cruel. it makes me honest.

i hunt by instinct, not thought.

i can't remember the last time i watched the sun rise.

you won't survive loving me.

stay still. i'm trying to be gentle.

you're warm. god, you're warm.

i won't feed unless you ask me to.

i haven't tasted fresh blood since yesterday.

i could hear your heart from across the room.

the night forgives nothing, it only hides it.

the night remembers what the sun forgets.

you'd make a terrible vampire.

you're not prey if i choose you.

i can hear your pulse speeding up.

i hear you even when you're quiet.

that's not hunger you're feeling.

you glow when you're alive.

i fed poorly tonight. i'm still starving.

the night belongs to us.

don't move. you'll only make it worse.

you don't know what you're offering.

you taste like you want to be kept.

don't bare your throat at me like that.

i don't hunt children. i don't hunt lovers.

prey always thinks it has time.

the city exhales at night.

running only makes the blood warmer.

i feed quickly. mercy is efficiency.

i could make this hurt. i won't.

i don't sleep anymore. i wait.

i mark my territory in subtler ways.

i fed already. this is something else.

don't ask me to choose between you and hunger.

you bleed so easily.

you should be running.

cities sound different after midnight.

you're safe. for now.

you won't look at me the same after this.

i only hunt when the moon is high.

the dark knows me.

night hides sins better than daylight ever could.

i hunt better when i'm hungry.

i don't need blood often. i need it precisely.

blood is louder than screams.

don't look back. it excites me.

hunger sharpens everything.

i can taste fear in the air.

you don't survive centuries without learning restraint.

i don't hunt every night. that's how monsters are made.

i can smell you before i see you.

i could drain you. i won't.

you feel different when you're asleep.

i've killed for less than this.

every heartbeat is a countdown.

i don't drink from people i care about.

if i wanted you dead, you wouldn't be talking.

i hunt alone for a reason.

do you trust me, or are you just out of options?

i warned you not to fall asleep near me.

you invited me in. you knew what that meant.

don't look at my mouth like that.

i only drink enough to keep my hands steady.

i've stalked quieter cities than this.

silence makes prey careless.

i remember my first kill.

you're safer when you don't smell like adrenaline.

i can follow your pulse through walls.

i haven't fed in days. you shouldn't stand so close.

you shouldn't wander after dark.

ACTIONS

( ambush ) : for SENDER to ambush RECEIVER from the shadows.

( protect ) : for SENDER to shield RECEIVER from another vampire.

( bare ) : for SENDER to expose their throat to RECEIVER in trust.

( hunger ) : for SENDER to struggle visibly with thirst near RECEIVER.

( chase ) : for OUR MUSES to run through empty streets at night.

( breathe ) : for SENDER to steady themselves after feeding on RECEIVER.

( clean ) : for SENDER to clean blood from RECEIVER'S mouth.

( restrain ) : for SENDER to restrain RECEIVER mid-hunt.

( mark ) : for SENDER to mark up RECEIVER as theirs.

( invite ) : for SENDER to invite RECEIVER inside their secret abode.

( circle ) : for SENDER to circle RECEIVER without being seen.

( hide ) : for OUR MUSES to hide from approaching dawn.

( refuse ) : for SENDER to refuse to feed on RECEIVER.

( stalk ) : for SENDER to follow RECEIVER through the night.

( vanish ) : for SENDER to disappear before RECEIVER notices.

( bind ) : for SENDER to bind RECEIVER'S wrist for feeding.

( scent ) : for SENDER to recognize RECEIVER by scent alone.

( awaken ) : for SENDER to wake RECEIVER at nightfall, already hungry.

( flee ) : for SENDER to run after realizing what RECEIVER is.

( feed ) : for SENDER to feed carefully from RECEIVER.

( linger ) : for SENDER to linger close to RECEIVER'S pulse.

( confess ) : for SENDER to admit they've been watching RECEIVER.

( spare ) : for SENDER to spare RECEIVER'S life at the last second.

( heal ) : for SENDER to lick RECEIVER'S wound closed.

( sunrise ) : for OUR MUSES to carefully watch from the sunrise together.

( endure ) : for SENDER to endure hunger rather than kill RECEIVER.

( turn ) : for SENDER to begin the process of turning RECEIVER.

( listen ) : for OUR MUSES to listen to the city settle into night.

( hunt ) : for SENDER to hunt RECEIVER silently through empty streets.

( pin ) : for SENDER to pin RECEIVER against a wall without feeding.

( sense ) : for SENDER to sense RECEIVER hunting nearby.

( offer ) : for SENDER to offer immortality to RECEIVER.

( stalked ) : for RECEIVER to realize they are being stalked by SENDER.

( claim ) : for SENDER to mark RECEIVER as theirs.

How to play: Reblog this ask meme and a mutual will send you a prompt. Use it to spread positivity by tagging others!

‟ no, no. pardón me. it was not... ” the intention to wound her so. to throw her story in her hands like a book she had never read. what a fool he was ; in many ways still unhuman. a vampyr to the world, a shadowbender whose face changed like the disguises wore, never truly himself. they were parallels, not the same line , but running in the same desolate direction. ‟ you shall have the mare as long as you don't attempt to ride her. that's the condition. ” his voice was stern, but curious. she was no horse tamer and princesses had no place among stables, even over thrown ones.

he set his glass down, the click against the wood a deliberate punctuation. ‟ as for my trust, princess… ” a faint, unreadable smile touched his lips, softer than the one he wore as the count. ‟ you speak of it as if it is a thing to be won, a prize at the end of a trial. it is not. it is a currency that was devalued, long ago. what remains is… an accounting. ” he leaned back, the candlelight carving the planes of his face into stark relief. she didn't know she had it. when she was but a number in a scroll of expenses, of resposabilities - never. a shadowy figure in his life he dared brought in. now, she was flesh, an annoying pleasant one who shared more than the fair need for revenge.

          ❛       It is already forgotten, my lord.       ❜           Looking into his eyes, she replied so fast as if those words were a fine dish already prepared and ready to be served, much like the ones that laid on the table. She easily believed that he didn’t mean his words the way she took them at first, just like a similar scenario would later swap the actors and repeat. Still, she no longer enjoyed the taste of the meat she placed inside her pretty mouth and chose to finish her plate out of pure duty to satisfy her hunger instead; her appetite gone.

         Her eyebrows moved upwards over hearing his condition, but she didn’t plan on opposing to it. It just came to surprise her. During the many years apart, while she was taught languages, sciences, art and other, she also mastered horse-riding despite never coming closer to one ever since their face to face reunion in Rome. She didn’t doubt that he was aware of it just like he was aware of anything else and it intrigued her that he chose to put a stop to it. However, she wouldn’t nudge him about this decision. A simple nod of her head.           ❛       I needn’t ride her, I needn’t touch her. My presence will do. Do you find that accepting?       ❜           The princess bit onto her tongue right after, looking down with embarrassment over the first mistake she made in his presence in this new language to her. While most of her knowledge of French as well as accent was great, she was still learning after all. She blinked two times, taking a little time to recall the word she actually meant to use.           ❛       Acceptable... Please, forgive me.       ❜

(  enemies  to  lovers?  slow  burns?  say  no  more.  various  dialogue  prompts  for  all  your  hero  x  villain  ship  needs.  feel  free  to  change  how  you  seem  fit.  )

❛ i could keep you safe. they’re all afraid of me. ❜

❛ you can’t do this for me. i won’t let you. ❜

❛ it’s not for you. it’s not a favor. it’s the cruelest thing i could do. ❜

❛ i warn you. i’ll break your heart. ❜

❛ i know you better than you know yourself. ❜

❛ i’m replaceable. you’re not. ❜

❛ i hope to be the one you break your rules for. ❜

❛ why am i so fascinated by you? ❜

❛ when i watch the world burn, all i think about is you. ❜

❛ your hands are scarred from murder, and yet i trust them completely. ❜

❛ whatever you do. you’re still my family. ❜

❛ we could be the greatest team the world has ever seen. ❜

❛ how many times are we going to keep meeting like this? ❜

❛ i just wish i could protect you from everything. ❜

❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜

❛ sleep. i’ll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you. ❜

❛ you know, they’re going to use the things you love against you. ❜

❛ truth is, i didn’t expect to get this attached to you. ❜

❛ you frustrate me incredibly. ❜

❛ love me like my demons do. ❜

❛ thinking of you is a poison i drink often. ❜

❛ please don’t make me do this. ❜

❛ don’t do anything stupid until i get back. ❜

❛ you protect what you love. ❜

❛ my heart scares you and a gun doesn’t? ❜

❛ you bandaged my wound with one hand, and held a knife in the other. ❜

❛ you save everyone, but who saves you? ❜

❛ you kill me and you accomplish nothing. your world as you know it will end. ❜

❛ all we do together is make love or fight. ❜

❛ i love the way your eyes light up when someone says ‘it might be dangerous’. ❜

❛ when is a monster not a monster? when you love it. ❜

❛ it’s pathetic really, how much i hope it’s me and you in the end. ❜

❛ you were right. you break everything you touch. ❜

❛ i would destroy myself to fix you. ❜

❛ i’m not going to kill you. you don’t deserve that. ❜

❛ that’s how you want me, isn’t it? desperate, jealous, and willing to kill for you. ❜

❛ i’m sorry you’re afraid of being alone. ❜

❛ they made you into a weapon, and told you to find peace. ❜

❛ i wasn’t there for you when you needed me, and i’m sorry. ❜

❛ ‘all right’ is not a term anyone would use to describe you. ❜

❛ just like old times, huh? ❜

❛ then we fight. together. ❜

❛ oh, i’ve missed this! ❜

❛ i know you. you’re me. ❜

❛ i’ve seen who you are under the mask. ❜

❛ i should kill you. why can’t i kill you?! ❜

❛ i don’t know what i’d do if they hurt you. and that terrifies me. ❜

❛ the world doesn’t need someone like you. the world needs you. ❜

❛ bullet wounds don’t just miraculously heal overnight. ❜

❛ you were fighting to survive. i was fighting to win. ❜

❛ i wasn’t a person to you, i was a weapon, and you needed me to work. ❜

❛ you’re pulling your punches. ❜

❛ i wish things were different between us. ❜

❛ don’t scare me like that. i thought i lost you. ❜

❛ don’t you die on me. ❜

❛ you’re so bad at this. it’s cute. ❜

❛ they don’t know you like i know you. ❜

❛ i broke my rules for you. doesn’t that mean anything? ❜

❛ do you think i’d let anything happen to you? ❜

that's not fair!

you say that so often, i wonder what your basis for comparison is?

it's only forever. not long at all.

give me the child.

i have been generous up 'til now. i can be cruel.

generous? what have you done that's generous?

everything that you wanted, i have done.

you cowered before me.

i have turned the world upside down, and i have done it all for you.

i am exhausted from living up to your expectations.

i move the stars for no one.

i have fought my way here to the castle.

look what i'm offering you.

just fear me. love me.

do as i say.

you have no power over me.

you're horrible.

let's handle this thing logically.

may we have your permission?

how you turn my world, you precious thing.

i can never remember the line.

she'll never give up.

your eyes can be so cruel, just as i can be so cruel.

i've brought you a gift.

did you say hello?

you don't by any chance know the way through this labyrinth, do you?

come inside.

don't go on.

go back while you still can.

this is not the way.

soon it will be too late.

don't pay attention to them.

i'm sorry, i'm just doing my job.

don't expect a big reaction.

the path you take will lead you to certain destruction!

you're him, aren't you?

i didn't mean it.

this tastes strange.

ah, what have we here?

in 9 hours and 23 minutes... you'll be mine.

what do you mean "help?"

you're hurting!

would you like us to let go?

come on, which way?

we haven't got all day.

was that wrong?

i need you, [name].

i don't know why, but every now and again in my life... for no reason at all... i need you. all of you.

what did you have to go and do a thing like that for?

you kissed me!

go back to your room.

what have i done? i've lost my only friend. that's what i've done.

it bit me!

does anyone want to play a game of scrabble?

unlock the door!

throw down your weapons.

i can bear it no longer!

i have to face him alone.

that's the way it's done.

what's the matter, my dear?

what kind of position is that?

the way forward is sometimes the way back.

it's very rude to stare.

i was just wondering which door to choose.

what were you saying?

wait, i can't understand you.

it's not fair!

call out the guards!

you're going the wrong way!

i can conquer this mountain!

it seems like we're not getting anywhere.

it seemed solid enough.

you know your problem? you take too many things for granted.

thanks for nothing, [name].

i think we've got them surrounded.

things are not always what they seem in this place.

what choice have you got?

it's hopeless asking you anything.

I've put tea in the thermos and this is your lunch.

Keep an eye on our house while we're gone, will you?

Why did you move my desk?

Sleep well on the train? You must be tired.

I've brought a little something. Got them in the neighborhood.

What about some meat? You don't mind, don't you?

I got to the station late! I missed the train.

I'll just go up and say hello.

What a long time it has been, you must have been very busy.

Are you still working for the same company?

It must be hard to be on your own.

It's like a dream being in [place], and it didn't seem so far.

Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll put this away.

[He/She/They] must have been born under an unlucky star.

So, they'll go sightseeing tomorrow?

Good night. I'll bring some water.

I thought this would be in some livelier part of the city.

Don't bother. They'll come here anyway.

What are they doing today?

Where will you eat? Any idea?

I'm sorry, this may take quite a while.

What will we do about them?

You can't leave the house without someone! It's dangerous!

You should be ashamed of yourself!

You always say next time but we never go!

What are you going to be when you grow up?

I bought some cakes. Have one. They're really good.

Will you take [name] out somewhere tomorrow?

Let's go out and get ice cream on the way back.

Do you have any time to spare tomorrow?

No problem at all. Will you wait a second?

My room is a mess! But I hope you'll drop in later.

Where did you take this photo?

I'm sorry you had to spend the whole day with me.

I know a nice hotel. It's inexpensive but it has a good view.

What are you talking about?

We can't do anything for them here.

It's awfully lively here. What time is it now?

You did sleep well last night. You snored.

Who knew what belongs to who?

Let's go back home. You must be homesick already.

Maybe next time I'll try that.

You're back so soon. You should've stayed longer!

Why didn't you stay for a few days longer?

I should have told you. What will we do now?

If we got lost, we'd never find each other again.

The place where you lived is still as it used to be.

Let's go out for a drink somewhere!

Oh, the fool I've always made of myself by drinking.

A real dilemma. Let's just change the subject!

If I had an extra bedroom for you, we'd drink till morning.

I never dreamed I'd see you here in [place].

I think you're the luckiest one of all.

I'm afraid we expect too much

I know that you are disappointed, but you shouldn't have expected too much!

Times have changed. We have to face it.

I feel like I'm a burden to everyone.

You had more trouble than happiness after marrying [him/her/them].

I won't get that old, so don't worry.

You've started drinking again, haven't you?

Oh, this is disturbing.

Won't you be late for work?

You must need money for yourself, but still you do this.

I don't know how to say it…but thank you so much.

I'm afraid I won't be coming back.

Some grandparents seem to like their grandchildren more than their children.

Children don't always live up to their parents' expectations, you know?

How did it happen so suddenly? Is it serious?

I have to make all kinds of arrangements before I leave!

Isn't life too short, though?

I wasn't in time. I was afraid of that.

We once saw fireworks from here, didn't we?

I'd like it for a keepsake. Is that all right with you?

Even strangers would have been more considerate.

Children do drift away from their parents.

They have to look after their own lives.

What's the point of being family?

Isn't life disappointing?

Sometimes I feel I can't go on like this forever.

Every time when I can't sleep, I wonder, what will become of me if I stay this way..

in front of them was the most luxorious banquete he'd ever ordered the cooks to prepare. well, at least for their private meeting without the eyes of those vultures he embelished himself to. edmond grinned at her from across the huge table, his eyes vacant even if affectionate. she spoke so spirited, as usually she did, and was ever so open in her feelings that he felt thrown out of his element and thought, again and again, how dangerous this was. though wasn't he just that, an element of fate, after fleeing from the hole they called a prison? she looked beautiful and adornate; her accent stil lingering, though her french was almost pristine - something their enemies didn't know. her tutors did well, edmond thought, i shall pay them twice their hour value.

‟ forgive me. ” he answered her remark graciouslly, his head bowing down in recognition. of her, and her desires. for long he has been the count ; and this man he'd become was somehow, eased by her presence. the more reason why he must be wary. she also had a need for blood, and if he got in the way of it ...

‟ one of my horses is a particularly difficult animal to handle. ” he began in conversation, fingers moving up and down the silk towel. his plate still unfinished, his wine gone. ‟ a beautiful silver mare who was sold for half her price. i wondered why, at the time - how could such beautiful creature be so cheap ? then my men brought her in. she was kicking, bitting anyone who dared touch her. ” and the servant who was meant to mount her died in the attempt, hooved until his soul left his dire stare. that, the count didn't share. to soothe her poor, royal soul. ‟ as you can imagine, the previous owner was a cruel individual. he saw beauty, but didn't master it. only tortured it to his needs. he broke her beyond repair - she knows not how to accept touch, nor be treated well. ” anxious fingers brought forth the drug on his pocket, and he sniffed it before haydée could say a word. it soothed, calmed, and...

         Her chin moving slightly forward, she accepted his apology, by-now skilled hands cutting into braised lamb in her plate without the need to look down to it. The few times she did, it was to place the food into her mouth, but she was always quickly done with it, eager to carry on with the (more often than not heavily one-sided) conversation and to also have him speak to her back, each word of his always a music to her ears.

         And yet, the food turned sour inside her mouth, bitter and biting back at her flesh, spreading inside her throat like acid when she swallowed and burning her. First she looked away for a second at the mention of the horse being sold cheap, blinked once and then looked at him again, holding the gaze bravely. Then as he brought up his drug, the princess looked down, gulping. So many times she would have said something about his usage! This time it was the least of her problems, more of a well-deserved reward as if in her most beloved form of it; an opera visit. She could have used it too.

         Instead she grabbed her glass of wine, taking a long sip before her eyes met his once more. What was this a cruel personal jab and was it only just that? An "oh" she held in upon the revelation that he considered himself the point of the story, not her, no matter how very closely it resembled the horrors she went through herself. She spoke slowly, every word deliberate:           ❛       Time does not heal all wounds as the books claim, but it does help. With patience and care, if you allow it, you will come around eventually, trust the right people, accept their help...       ❜           Slightly distraught, she still kept her hand on the goblet, thin fingers wrapped tight around the stem. Then, merely a whisper:           ❛       I should know.       ❜

❝ foolish? ❞   enzo asks.   ❝ far from it, ❞   he breathes,   daring to step forward,   her mirror. ❝ you misprize the art that lies in being the muse. ❞   his hands itch with the same restless energy that once guided the brush;   now they hang useless at his sides.   ❝ they think the muse is idle,   yet in truth it is you who command the canvas.   every gesture,   every turn of your face,   every silken fall of hair instructs me more severely than any master ever did. ❞   enzo carries the timbre of a man who had not meant to speak aloud,   italian lilt softening the edges,   turning his confession into something nearer music than speech.   but his posture betrays him further—shoulders drawn tight,   shifting with restless energy.   he cannot hold her eyes for long,   flickering toward the portrait,   toward the floor.   the flush on his cheek and the tremor in his voice reveals what he cannot hide.   enzo is not a man making a proud declaration,   but a man who has stumbled,   against his will,   into laying bare the tenderest part of himself.

         Breath hitched in her throat to see him follow her, the nail of her right numb now digging into the skin of her other hand, deeper the more that he spoke. She wasn’t sure what to make of it all (or rather stopped herself from thinking properly on purpose), what approach to decide for under the spell of his flowery words that only further caused for her feelings to keep on blooming. Was it all not in her head alone, could he truly feel it too? Were his flattering words not merely a lure to lead her astray or a mockery; foolish ideas she put into her head to calm her spirits and try to bind herself away, shift her attention elsewhere from him. Seeing him as she did, humble and visibly nervous as she was, soft and caring, tender with his words, the lies did not work. Not once they did.

         The temperature must have heightened in the room, she was sure it did. Madeleine observed him in awe, eyes glimmering, delicate lips parting as if begging like small birds do within a nest. More. Moving her clasped hands even closer to her stomach, she could sense it feeling funny and also as warm as the rest of the room. Something made her think she wished he could feel it on her too. Directly. A slight gasp escaped her already opened lips when the artist brought himself close, the raise of her chest lingering as she looked up to him until she wasn't able to hold the breath in anymore. Her tummy has tightened as if she were falling, only there was something uncannily pleasant about it at the same time.

the following prompts were taken from the novel royal assassin by robin hobb, an american fantasy & speculative fiction writer. the novel is the second in the realm of the elderlings series, & the second book of the farseer trilogy set within said series. some prompts have been slightly edited for roleplaying suitability. please note - this trilogy features an ongoing war, & this meme may include prompts that make mention of war, death, blood, corpses, & other things some might find upsetting. feel free to change pronouns & prompts as you see fit !   (   book one & book three.   )

❛ why is it forbidden to write down specific knowledge of the magics ? ❜

❛ perhaps we all fear that such knowledge would fall into the hands of one not worthy to use it. ❜

❛ the predilection for a certain type of magic is either inborn or lacking. ❜

❛ for the conducting of a battle, or the gathering of information, it is a most useful tool. ❜

❛ the wit, it is said, gave one the ability to speak the tongues of the beasts. ❜

❛ i know of no people who claim these magics as their own. ❜

❛ will not this knowledge be passed down by word of mouth to those who are worthy ? ❜

❛ what we take for granted now, the knowing of these things, may be a wonder & a mystery someday to our descendants. ❜

❛ i have gathered it, over these last few years, & stored it in my head, always intending to commit my knowledge to paper. ❜

❛ who am i to set my will against the wisdom of those who have gone before me ? ❜

❛ the hedge wizardries & legendary magics have never been mine. ❜

❛ have you any right to dig out my secrets & pin them to paper like so many butterflies, or leaves collected for study ? ❜

❛ i had not the sense nor ambition to seize what was offered. ❜

❛ power. i do not think i ever wanted it for its own sake. ❜

❛ i wince to think of the price willingly paid for loving me. ❜

❛ when i first met you, you were as wild & wary as a fox cub. ❜

❛ despite their cruelty, you cared for them. i never understood that. ❜

❛ i was mute witness more times than i care to remember. ❜

❛ you knew i loved you before i did. ❜

❛ to me, it was enough that you existed for me to love. i did not even dare to hope you might return that feeling. ❜

❛ i wonder what would have happened if i had run after you that day, if i had begged one last word of you. ❜

❛ i set you out of my thoughts, & spoke of you to no - one. i got on with my life. ❜

❛ what i found when i arrived here was a web of deceit & lies. ❜

❛ i do not think this was heroism. ❜

❛ i don’t want to live like an old man. ❜

❛ why can’t you heal me ? ❜

❛ it’s possible that i’ll be this way the rest of my life. ❜

❛ be easy on yourself, & see what happens. is that so terrible ? ❜

❛ stop defining yourself by what you can’t do. why don’t you consider what you didn’t lose ? ❜

❛ i’m useless. i’m worse than useless, i’m a waiting victim. ❜

❛ i don’t want to see [ name ] smile at what they have made me. ❜

❛ someone once told me that a royal bastard is kept alive only so long as they are useful. ❜

❛ i am pledged to the one who wears that [ item. ] ❜

❛ where you go, i follow. ❜

❛ it is not [ your / my ] size that has made you both feared & respected, but [ your / my ] black temper & tenacity. ❜

❛ the fight isn’t over until you win it, [ name. ] that’s all you have to remember. ❜

❛ what do you forsake, if you leave this place behind ? ❜

❛ there are not so many folk that have cared for me, but that makes them more significant, not less. ❜

❛ know your heart, [ name. ] ❜

❛ if you’ve nothing to offer me, let me go. ❜

❛ i don’t think you’d want my pity. it’s a poor substitute for love. ❜

❛ i will seek [ you / name ] out, i will find [ you / them ] & win [ you / them. ] ❜

❛ it’s your home & your world. but it’s not mine. not anymore. ❜

❛ shall i go back & seek them out, like this ? ❜

❛ shall i ask you to love me, so i can be a burden to you ? ❜

❛ my heart is firm on this. if you stay, then so must i. ❜

❛ the only thing i know is that i can’t live up to what everyone else thinks i should do. i just can’t do it. ❜

❛ there isn’t enough of me left to keep my word. ❜

❛ in peaceful times, perhaps you would have been received with more tolerance. ❜

❛ i fear that [ name’s / your ] knowledge is much smaller than [ their / your ] opinion of it. ❜

❛ they called out to me with voices full of blood. ❜

❛ they partake of the madness of he who drives them. they can only be understood if you share that madness. ❜

❛ all wavers, all is change still. too much is in flux. the future spills out in all directions there. ❜

❛ of course, when you’re drinking & singing, you don’t see the blood. or smell the burning flesh. or hear the screams. ❜

❛ have you ever tried to find a rhyme for dismembered child ? ❜

❛ such things are better not remembered. ❜

❛ it was my duty to know these things, & to recall them. ❜

❛ amazing what folk will take comfort in when there’s nothing else to hold on to. ❜

❛ we cannot stop what’s already happening. once it’s come to pass, it’s too late. ❜

❛ shall i eat & be warm, while the bodies of children are cooling in the mud ? ❜

❛ why should i shelter myself, while my folk are slaughtered like cattle ? ❜

❛ should my life be too valuable to risk now, when there is so little left of it, & all of that riddled with pain ? ❜

❛ [ name / i’ve ] tried to be rid of you, not once, but thrice. do you think [ they’re / i’m ] going to welcome you back ? ❜

❛ if they see an opportunity to kill us, they’ll take it. ❜

❛ they won’t care who suspects so long as no - one can prove it. ❜

❛ i feel i should be asking you what your business is here at my gate ! ❜

❛ we spread too many rumours ourselves to give gossip any credence. ❜

❛ i’m alive & well ; i just look like a corpse. ❜

❛ up there, no - one cares what side of the sheets you were born on. ❜

❛ [ name ], you need to find your caution again. ❜

❛ it’s all changed, forever now. ❜

❛ marriage seems to agree with you, [ name. ] ❜

❛ you have questions. this time, you may ask them. ❜

❛ they do not admire you, that you keep the laws of the kingdom. they see it as a weakness, as a way to circumvent justice. ❜

❛ they may try to kill you again. almost certainly, they will make an attempt upon me. ❜

❛ you think i should punish them. i could. i need not prove their wrongdoing to make life unpleasant for them. ❜

❛ the damage you took was taken for me. i am appalled by what i allowed to befall you. ❜

❛ i do offer you my arm, if you wish it, to get back to your room. ❜

❛ [ name ] has not been at all themselves, & it’s your fault. ❜

❛ did you think it would make me forget how rude you’ve been in not coming to see me right away ? ❜

❛ where have you been, all these months, when you were needed here ? ❜

❛ here i am, expending all my energies to see you are treated like royalty, & there you are, avoiding all your social obligations ! ❜

❛ tell me. have you ever considered marriage ? ❜

❛ is lying how you always begin with people ? it seems to be how you always end. ❜

❛ i dreamed of you, while i was gone. ❜

❛ i lost everything. should i have come to you as a beggar, hoping you’d take me in ? ❜

❛ i wanted to bring something to you, not come to you penniless & prospectless. ❜

❛ i came back like a beaten dog. & i swallowed my pride, & came up here that day, & found out how stupid i was, how you’d pretended & lied to me. ❜

❛ why did you find it so easy to go to them ? why didn’t you come to me first ? ❜

❛ thank you for bathing. it makes my task of checking on you less onerous. ❜

❛ i’m glad you’re awake. you snore abominably. ❜

❛ how touching. i can’t say i dreamed of you. ❜

❛ tell me what’s been happening while i was gone. ❜

❛ do try to do a bit better at not letting people kill you. ❜

❛ your behaviour that night was reprehensible. ❜

❛ if you were not so sick, i would be furious with you. ❜

❛ i assure you, for your peace of mind, that it is not at all what you seem to think it is. ❜

❛ bear in mind who you are. ❜

❛ how do you think i could ever forget that ? ❜

❛ it is precisely because of who you are that this is more than a misunderstanding ! ❜

❛ is the match an acceptable one, or is it likely to cause scandal ? ❜

❛ remember, [ name ], that you have already sworn an oath to another. ❜

❛ a man whose duty is sworn to a king has little time for anyone else in his life. ❜

❛ i know you meant no harm, & we must see that no harm comes of it. ❜

❛ you have grown up amidst the gossip & intrigues of the royal court. i have not. ❜

❛ i need to speak to you alone. just once, just briefly, then i promise i’ll abide by your rules. ❜

❛ i will not have a scandal ! ❜

❛ slowly, we could gather power, in quiet ways, with none even recognizing what they were conceding. ❜

❛ i have had enough of intrigues, [ name. ] ❜

❛ i had not fared as well at that game as i had expected to. ❜

❛ you did not do badly with the hand you were dealt. you survived. ❜

❛ your heart is good, but i do not know if you will be sufficient to the task. ❜

❛ [ i am / you are ] very alone here, despite those who court [ my / your ] favour.  ❜

❛ we have no time to get to know one another, let alone care for one another. ❜

❛ i was handsome, once. & vain. ❜

❛ when i ruined my face, i wished myself dead. ❜

❛ your future may be different, but do not imagine it is yours to command. ❜

❛ the best course is to conduct your life in such a way the weakness never shows. ❜

❛ you had no right to do this to me. ❜

❛ did you think you could bend me to your will, use me however you would, & i would never retaliate ? ❜

❛ i hate you. all of you. ❜

❛ come, come closer. i’ll kill you. ❜

❛ be silent, if you want your freedom. ❜

❛ looks infected. think you’ll lose your hand ? ❜

❛ now what am i to do with you ? ❜

❛ a warrior’s word is still their bond. ❜

❛ the laws of hospitality still forbid those who have shared salt at a man’s table to shed blood on his floor. ❜

❛ get angry. i’d rather you were that than self - pitying. ❜

❛ i am sure you have other duties. why do you come to call on me each day ? ❜

❛ i long to do something of significance. ❜

❛ i know the wisdom of your course, but wisdom does not allay loneliness. ❜

❛ any injury done to one of my own is an injury to me. ❜

❛ perhaps you would care to challenge me, in a more appropriate time & place. ❜

❛ you are fair spoken to all, but there is too much honesty in you to make others believe you are happy when you are not. ❜

❛ when do i not suspect conspiracies anymore ? ❜

❛ do you know how easy it is to follow a man you believe in ? ❜

❛ how could you be so foolish as to go to far astray ! ❜

❛ it will pass. keep a rein on yourself, & endure. it can be done. ❜

❛ do not think i do not appreciate such work simply because it must remain secret. ❜

❛ i know that there is already so much between us that nothing i could give you would be sufficient for my gratitude. ❜

❛ let your hearts be solemn, & consider what we do. ❜

❛ we have all suffered enough. let each death today be as brief & merciful as we can manage, for all our sakes. ❜

❛ when we have done with our grieving, we shall make ready to avenge them ! those who have taken our folk shall know our wrath ! ❜

❛ how can you allow this to happen ? ❜

❛  they undermine you, they cut your throat as you sleep ! they steal your people’s hearts, they build their own name ! ❜

❛ the [ king / queen ] will hear of this ! ❜

❛ i must do this myself. but be close, in case i need you. ❜

❛ we listened to the litany of those we had lost, & if any did not weep, they had hearts of stone. ❜

❛ we rise, [ name ], we rise to fight ! ❜

❛ why may not we, at least once, speak plain to one another ? ❜

❛ let’s hope the wine wasn’t poisoned as well, or we’re both dead. ❜

❛ shall we be so polite as to let them kill us all ? they will not stop until the throne is theirs. ❜

❛ you idiot ! you frightened me to death ! ❜

❛ what do you think you’re about, rattling at my latch & sneaking about in my room ? ❜

❛ i cannot tell you what happened. only that it made me believe you might be in danger. ❜

❛ some things may be learned from words on a page, but some skills are learned first by a man’s hand & heart, & later by his head. ❜

❛ go to bed, & dream of me. i hope i have plagued your dreams lately as much as you have mine. ❜

❛ i am having one of those mornings, [ name ], when all that fills my head is what might have been, & what could have been. ❜

❛ underneath those fine feathers, there is much ambition. & i am afraid there is suspicion there, & jealousy, also. ❜

❛ [ name ], i know how they talk of me. no - one perceives of me as a threat to anyone. ❜

❛ i am but another fool here at the court, a thing to be made sport of. ❜

❛ do you think i cannot care for myself at all ? ❜

❛ you have hurt me, almost to death, but still, i live. & i will go on living. ❜

❛ yesterday, for the first time in many days, i felt as if i were alive & had a will of my own. i do not intend to let that slip away from me. ❜

❛ why have you set yourself out as a target, here where an arrow or a knife could find you with such ease, & no witnesses ? ❜

❛ i am not a game piece, to sit my space on the board until some players sets me in motion. ❜

❛ if you will not come to me for your heart’s sake, then you must come for your duty. ❜

❛ i can’t do this. i can’t be like this, with you. this is wrong. ❜

❛ i’ve come … that is, i’ve been chosen to come & ask a favour of you. ❜

❛ if the shoe does not fit, one cannot wear it, no matter who made it for you. ❜

❛ all you speak is riddles, ever ! you claim to speak plain, but your truth eludes me. ❜

❛ are you here ? do i dream ? ❜

❛ we are becoming too close. that is not good, for either of us. ❜

❛ we can have no part of each other’s lives. ❜

❛ my heart is my own. i give it where i will. i will not give it to one who thrusts me aside. ❜

❛ i owe you nothing, & least of all obedience. i shall not stay here. i shall live as i please. ❜

❛ you forbid ? you forbid ? forbid the wind to blow past your stone den, then, or the grass to grow in the earth around it. you have as much right. you forbid. ❜

❛ what’s out there, that you watch so intently ? ❜

❛ i think i had been alone so long, i had forgotten what it meant to have a friend. ❜

❛ i cannot go on like this anymore. no matter how foolish, no matter how dangerous, no matter what any others may think, i cannot always be apart from you. ❜

❛ [ name ], this is not seemly. stop it at once. ❜

❛ there can never be anything between us. i’ve come to see that, over the last few weeks. ❜

❛ i was thinking that i am very weary of being so alone. ❜

❛ have i become so despised of you ? have i not done all you demanded of me ? ❜

❛ did you know, from the beginning, that it would come to this ? ❜

❛ i will do what i am told. when have i ever done otherwise ? ❜

❛ turn about when i speak to you ! ❜

❛ this ill becomes you. you seek to shame me ! ❜

❛ think you that i do not do my duty ? that i do not know my duty ? ❜

❛ take your courtier’s manners & go. insufferable [ man / woman. ] ❜

❛ i wanted to tell you that tomorrow i am going to [ the king / the queen / title / name ] to ask permission to marry you. ❜

❛ i do not wish to marry you. ❜

❛ i don’t know what changed, i don’t understand what is happening between us ! ❜

❛ you were correct & practical & did all the right things, & as foolish as it may sound, that hurt me. ❜

❛ i told myself that if you loved me as deeply as you had declared you did, nothing, not walls, not manners or reputation or protocol, would get in the way of your seeing me. ❜

❛ your loving me was not wise. nor my caring for you. i’ve come to see that. & i’ve come to see that wisdom must overrule feelings. ❜

❛ in a few more months, i will have saved enough that i can start out on my own again. ❜

❛ i do not like being a servant, & i will do it no longer than i have to. ❜

❛ i told them i could not be paid to stop loving someone. ❜

❛ [ name ] has no morals, is bound by no rules. ❜

❛ i believe they are trying to help, [ name ], or so they see it. ❜

❛ come to me tonight. regardless of what [ name / title ] may say. ❜

❛ they take students with great potential, & grind them down to adequate tools. ❜

❛ i have sworn my life to you, as you say, & if you command it, so must i continue. ❜

❛ i ask that you find for me another way to serve you. ❜

❛ i will not do to you what was done to me. ❜

❛ my life has become too heavy with purpose. i cannot remember the last time i did something simply because i wanted to do it. ❜

❛ i somehow thought i could be in time to undo their death & bring them back. ❜

❛ to possess another’s secrets does not give one the right to divulge them. ❜

❛ the most distinctive part of your fighting style is the incredible way you have of surviving it. ❜

❛ this is as much a celebration of the darkest part of the year as a festival of the returning light. ❜

❛ i told no - one of it. no - one. how did you know ? ❜

❛ make me no promises that you cannot keep for the rest of your days. ❜

❛ you made a fool of me that day, with that song, before all those people. ❜

❛ then it was your end to sow rumours of strife between us. i understand. ❜

❛ i like it not when others enter my room when i am not there. ❜

❛ i offer you a bargain you will find nowhere else. ❜

❛ evidently the cure has been to beat it out of you. i’ll remember that the next time you need a healer. ❜

❛ you’ve shown no other manners, why should i expect consideration now ? ❜

❛ history is what is done & behind us. ❜

❛ history is what we do in our lives. we create it as we go along. ❜

❛ not all men are destined for greatness. ❜

❛ shall we be happy, to say that we live in the dusk rather than in the full night ? ❜

❛ darkness devours, & is never satiated until it feeds upon itself. ❜

❛ we can’t undo, we can only salvage. ❜

❛ why do you want me to fail ? so you won’t feel so alone ? ❜

❛ i’ve killed before. why is this so different ? why does it sicken me like this, afterward ? ❜

❛ nothing, no - one can go on like this. there must be a way to make an end of this. ❜

❛ i wish only the best for you. is this so hard to understand ? ❜

❛ please, [ name ], if one more person i care about becomes angry with me, i don’t think i shall be able to bear it. ❜

❛ sometimes, it would be much easier to die for one’s king than to give one’s life for him. ❜

❛ men of passion & vision are often seen as mad. ❜

❛ we all get used to things we once swore we could never live with. ❜

❛ what goes on here ? why was i not informed of this council ? ❜

❛ as i observed, you have come to have large ideas of yourself. ❜

❛ i do not know where your faith is. i had thought perhaps it would be in me. ❜

❛ you have so seldom called me. & when you do, you are full of secrets. ❜

❛ didn’t get a good enough look ? i’ll warn you, it gets no better by giving more light to it. ❜

❛ silly me. to think there was such a thing as a safe place in the world. ❜

❛ there is never going to be anything for us, is there ? never going to be a time that belongs to just us, never going to be a place that is just ours. ❜

❛ why should we have to give up everything for a hopeless cause ? ❜

❛ nothing is ever simple & good. there is always a bitter peel, a sour pip somewhere. ❜

❛ the man who must brag for himself knows that no - one else will. ❜

❛ you’re going to kill me with sheer stupidity. you don’t even know what you’re doing. ❜

❛ i tell myself i am wise, but i fear myself a coward. ❜

❛ i know you will never approve, but it is not something i can choose. it is what i am. ❜

❛ you don’t listen to warnings. you never have. ❜

❛ oh, [ name ], so you’re back & alive, & in one piece for a change. ❜

❛ with [ name ] dead, we still sit down to feast ? ❜

❛ shame on you for not sharing such a rich bit of gossip with me before, & all i tell you ! ❜

❛ to the depths or the heights, it seems, are your paths. ❜

❛ ask me to cut my own throat, & i’ll wait for you to hand me the knife. ❜

❛ if i had a dog that was sick as often as you are, i’d put it down. ❜

❛ you knew what it would do to you, but you went ahead with it anyway. ❜

❛ we are tools. we do not do anything of our own volition. ❜

❛ i don’t think you will ever completely trust anyone, or believe that someone cares about you. ❜

❛ placate them for now, give them nothing to fear. we must make them believe they have won. ❜

❛ no man is so dangerous as the one who cannot decide what he fears. ❜

❛ i cannot bear to have you look at me that way, when i swear i have done you no wrong. ❜

❛ the gap between our stations is too great for any love to bridge. ❜

❛ i cannot be someone you come to when you have nothing more important to do. ❜

❛ just now i have finished with being wise ; i would rather be a fool. ❜

❛ while i gamble my life & reputation, you get drunk ! ❜

❛ i thought you had succeeded ! what success is this ? ❜

❛ i have no idea what title you give yourself these days, let alone what you normally do all day. ❜

❛ it would have to be poison for you. those of royal blood are not allowed to swing. ❜

❛ it is my weakness to want too much. ❜

❛ come home. if you were here, you could put it all to rights. ❜

❛ you walk as if you are the king himself, you sneer down at me, & make mock of me behind my back. don’t think i don’t know it ! ❜

❛ do not think you will walk so proud always. you will be brought down ! ❜

❛ do you think you will never have to answer for the lie you live ? ❜

❛ our lives are here, & here we must stand & fight. ❜

❛ do not doubt the rightness of what we do, or we are all undone. ❜

❛ these are signs, [ name. ] we’d be fools to ignore them. ❜

❛ do you see what a dangerous path we set ourselves on, when we set ourselves above our places ? ❜

❛ the illusion of power clings to me, & now too many will be dazzled by it. ❜

❛ i have changed my mind, [ name. ] i think i shall stay here, & die in my own bed this night. ❜

❛ in my own way, i have loved you. ❜

❛ this blade shall take your vengeance. ❜

❛ it’s ridiculous. what are you afraid i’ll do ? ❜

❛ we’ve no time for polite lies. ❜

❛ [ name ] is dead & buried. how much more done with them can you be ? ❜

❛ i know you have heard these rumours ; i speak them aloud that we may confront them. ❜

❛ you ring me around with traditions & petty laws, all to force me to your will. ❜

❛ [ you / they] are as full of hate as a tick is full of blood. & [ you / they ] have won. ❜

❛ your champions will abandon you fairly quickly, i suspect, once they understand what you are. ❜

❛ better that you had lain down & died amongst the beasts before you let this come to pass. ❜

❛ i try to think of one person in my life whom i have not failed, have not disappointed. i can think of no - one. ❜

❛ i want you to grovel before me, & beg for mercy. ❜

❛ i will cleanse this place from dungheap to tower top of all who have sought to betray me & defy me ! ❜

❛ of those who have known me, few remember me with smiles. ❜