β people often claim to hunger for truth,Β Β but seldom like the taste when itβs served up. β
β the brightest flame casts the darkest shadow. β
β lawless men are everywhere in this dark time. men with cold steel and colder hearts. β
β thereβs no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it. β
β he who hurries through life hurries to his grave. β
β if half an onion is black with rot, it is a rotten onion. a man is good or he is evil. β
β some men are like swords, made for fighting. hang them up and they go to rust. β
β sometimes i feel as though you are the best friend i have and sometimes i feel you are my worst enemy. β
β i want to weep. i want to be comforted. iβm so tired of being strong. β
β crowns do strange things to the heads beneath them. β
β i see a deep sadness written upon your face. could it be the sadness of a lost dream? β
β this is not you, not your way. you were always just, always hard yet never cruel. β
β if you would take a manβs life, you owe it to him to look him in the face and hear his last words. β
β how i have yearned for the sound of your sweet voice. β
β i do not like being lied to. leave me out of your next deception. β
β i will hurt you for this. i donβt know how yet, but give me time. a day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and youβll know the debt is paid. β
β there are no men like me. thereβs only me. β
β i will not claim to bear you any great love, no, but i cannot hate you either. β
β the only way to keep your people loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy. β
β there is a sweet innocence about you. β
β mercy. thatβs a bloody trap. too much and they call you weak, too little and youβre monstrous. β
β it is better to be seen as cruel than foolish. β
β iβve waited for you, oh, so many times. now you must wait for me. β
β no one has ever died of restlessness, but rashness is another matter. β
β iβm not a child, to be soothed with empty promises. β
β only blood can wash out blood. β
β donβt ever touch me, or iβll kill you. β
β we have leagues to go, and dangers to face. you will need your strength. β
β i cannot sleep at night for thinking of your beauty. β
β so many vowsβ¦they make you swear and swear. defend the king. obey the king. keep his secrets. do his bidding. your life for his. but obey your father. love your sister. protect the innocent. defend the weak. obey the laws. itβs too much. no matter what you do, youβre forsaking one vow or the other. β
β somehow i have a feeling i am not going to like what youβre about to say. β
β kings have no friends. only subjects and enemies. β
β you must be still, you are grievously hurt. you will do yourself great injury. β
β your heart is noble, but learn a lesson here. we cannot set the world to rights. β
β i mean to be a king, and not of a broken kingdom. β
β when i make threats, youβll know it. β
β do you want me dead? is that it? the truth now. β
β this time i have to find my own way, and it is hard. so hard. β
β i am afraid, but i must be brave. β
β it grieves me that it must come to this. β
β the kingdom bleeds, and no one lifts a sword to defend it. β
β we shall see who is laughing when all of this is done. β
β the unseen enemy is always the most fearsome. β
β would you like one? youβve never tasted anything so sweet, i promise you.β
β i knew a man once who told me i smiled at the wrong things. β
β i would be glad to leave this city, if truth be told. β
β there is an empty place within me where my heart was once. β
β men like thatβ¦too honest to live, too noble to shit. β
β if truth be told, iβve never liked you. β
β song and laughter have become suspicious strangers to me. β
β only a fool humbles himself when the world is so full of men eager to do that job for him. β
β the storms come and go, the waves crash overhead, the big fish eat the little fish, and i keep on paddling. β
β mountains rise and fall, rivers change their courses, stars fall from the sky, and great cities sink beneath the sea. even gods die, we think. everything changes. β
β i will not be mocked to my face, do you hear me? i will not! β
β most sellswords would betray anyone for enough gold. β
β tell me that none of this troubles youβ¦and iβll name you a liar. β
β was there ever a war where only one side bled? β
β great wrongs have been done you, but the past is dust. the future may yet be won. β
β i am growing strangely fond of you.Β Β i may kill you yet, but i think iβd feel sad about it. β
β ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow. β
β courage and folly are cousins, or so iβve heard. β
β a curious way of fighting. it looks suspiciously like hiding. β
β whatever enemy waits out here will not find us so easy to deal with. β
β love is poison. a sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same. β
β schemes are like fruit, they require a certain ripening. β
β i can smell the fear on you. β
β when the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. β
β no royal is ever late. those who arrive before them have come early, thatβs all. β
β power resides where men believe it resides. no more and no less. β
β you would not force me to reveal all my little secrets, would you? β
β sorcery is the sauce fools spoon over failure to hide the flavor of their own incompetence. β
β there are ghosts everywhere. we carry them with us wherever we go. β
β you stop feeling, you stop thinking, you stop being you, there is only the fight, the foe, this man and then the next and the next and the next. β
β terrible times breed terrible things. β
β i do not beg. of anyone. mind you remember that. β
β betray me, and youβll wish you hadnβt. β
β i do not require your understanding. only your service. β
β would that bones could talk. this fellow could tell us much. how he died. β
β the wide world is full of people wanting help. would that some could find the courage to help themselves. β
β a frightened man is a beaten man. β
β the ones who look the most suspicious are likely innocent. itβs the ones who look innocent i need to beware. β
β it is peaceful here, but for how long? β
β the man who kills his own blood is cursed forever in the sights of gods and men. β
β a sweet dream. now put it aside, i beg you. it can never be. β
β youβre as bad an omen as any raven. β
β this is no game, so donβt play the child with me. β
β my life is a poor thing, but it is yours. β
β they will not love me, you say? when have they ever loved me? how can i lose something i have never owned? β
β theyβre all afraid of me. no one will hurt you again, or iβd kill them. β
β i had begun to fear for you. did you meet with trouble? β
β i grow ever more admiring of you. β
β iβd sooner hold a wine goblet than a battle-axe. β
β a lord never lets sentiment get in the way of ambition. β
β if you have something to say, say it. β
β how can i do my duty if i do not know where it lies?β
β donβt look at me, notβ¦not like thisβ¦not you. β
β iβve broken laws, but iβve never felt evil until tonight. β
β are you here to serve me? or to vex me with arguments? β
β men do not love me. they follow me because they fear me. β
β why would people run off and leave their homes and everything? what could scare them so much? β
β fear cuts deeper than swords. β
β let us not get into the habit of names. names are dangerous. β
β i do not relish being played for a fool. β
β you have said nothing that requires forgiveness. β
β perhaps you are wiser than i knew. β
β a good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good. each should have its own reward. β
β you set us a battle we cannot hope to win. β
β learn to use your ears more and your mouth less. β
β sleep a bit. when you wake, all this will seem a bad dream. β
β why should men fight and die for you? β
β fuck your questions. youβll choke on them before you get any answers from me. β
β i am certain of nothing in this fickle and treacherous world. β
β a good lord comforts and protects the weak and helpless. β
β is a secret still a secret if everyone knows it? β
β look around you. theyβre all liars hereβ¦and every one better than you. β
β i have a role to play, and you must do the same. β
β sadly, no victory is without cost. β
β this is evil, unthinkableβ¦please, listen to me. β
β is that what troubles you, that some fool call you cowardly? β
β you must forgive me if i have spoken to you harshly in the past. β
β a sweet offerβ¦yet sweets can be poisoned. β
β how beautiful you look tonight. β
β the day is won, and yet you do not smile. the living should smile, for the dead cannot. β
β the time for talk is done. now we see who is stronger. β
β i am no stranger to nightmares. β
β so much villainy; it sings a sad song for our age. did honour die with our fathers? β
β some men are born to be killed. β
β come if you like, but if you canβt keep up, donβt think that iβll nurse you along. β
β i will kill him. i swear it. i swear it. β
β this is madness, but sooner madness than defeat. defeat is death and shame. β
β does it give you joy to scare people? β
β when i require your counsel i shall ask for it. β
β will you put away your blade? β
β need an escort? the talk is, the streets are dangerous. β
β it is ill to keep a lady waiting. β
β kneeling wonβt save you now. stand up. β
β youβre very pleased with yourself, arenβt you? why? β
β do you think i wish to be here? β
β donβt you know how i have cared for you, lived for you, loved you despite all? β
β see, there is nothing to fear. β
β you have a cheerful way of grieving. β
β a dream, thatβs all it was. it meant nothing. β
β a dog doesnβt need courage to chase off rats. β
β the gods give with one hand and take with the other. β
β only a man like you would be proud of such an act. β
β i cannot answer for the gods. β
β itβs swords i need, not blessings. β
β you look very lovely today. β
β they said you were dead. β
β all sorts of people are calling themselves kings these days. β
β you need me, whether you care to admit it or no. β
β be quiet and kiss me. β
