Jennifer A. Nielsen Quotes

Her eyes scanned the dark skies. "Did it rain? Why are you all wet?"
"A nighttime bath."
"Fully dressed?"
"I'm modest.

When we drew up to the soldiers, Felix told them who he was and about the griffin he was bringing in. A soldier eyed me. You have new slaves too?

Erick had underestimated the distance, both to the ground and the cliff above me, yet the texture of the cliff wall was better than I'd hoped for. Vines and plants grew dense and well rooted, and there were many rocks and missing chunks of earth. I didn't know whether I could make it to the top on one leg or not, but I thought it was a great day to try.

He's no king," I said. "Rulers aren't made just because they sit on the throne. A true king serves his people, protects them, and sees to their happiness if he can.

Kneel, please," Connor said. "I wish to study you better."
Come as close to me as you'd like," I answered. "Study me here, on my feet."
"You won't kneel?"
"Would a prince?"
Conner raised his voice. "You're not a prince until I say so."
"I don't need you to say so, sir. As you see me standing here, I am the prince of Carthya.

Avenia thinks they're battling a king. I doubt they're prepared to fight a boy who thinks childish pranks are practical strategies for war."
"Aren't they?

Wherever our lives lead us, one thing is certain. You and I will always be connected. You might be able to deny that, but I can't. Even I am not that good a liar.

Ah. How's your leg where I stabbed you?" "It hurts." "Good.

That day I brought Nila here, you asked me to stay the night. Was that a sincere offer?" "Of course it was." "Because of what I'd done for her?" "Because you looked like someone who needed a place to stay.

It would take entire lifetimes for the men of Carthya to deserve their women.

Any chance we can bypass the cruelest method of death and settle this over a game of cards?

I am commanded by the king of Avenia to give you one last order and so I shall. Hear me now and always. Be loyal to the thing you know is right. Never bend to weakness, never yield to a false crown. Right will always triumph in the end, and you will want to be on that side when it does.

No, Chaya. As much as the Nazis want to take our lives, they want to take our faith too. We fight for one, Avraham's friends fight for the other."
"What good is faith if you're dead?"
"What good is life without faith?" A soft sigh escaped her lips, but she remained more patient with me than I ever was with her. "We'll all die one day–no one escapes that fate. Our only decision is how we live before that day comes. Our path requires courage, but so does theirs. Both paths are ways to resist.

Once Conner was dragged out of the room, I directed the musicians to play. Then, exhausted, I fell into my father's throne. No, my throne. I was king now. The reality of that was incomprehensible.

Above all else, I think that you are a compulsive liar."
My laughter was tense, but sincere. "Hardly. In fact, I consider myself a compulsive truth teller. It's only that everyone else seems compelled to misunderstand me.

A strong heart will always overcome a strong body

Any number of hours later, Mott came with a rock that he said was as shiny as the one I'd had before. He pointed out that it was a little bigger than the other one and looked more valuable. I could have this rock. I only had to return the other one to Conner.

Real spies don't have all the cool gadgets you see in the movies," Dak said, watching Sera struggle with the lock. "Though I sure wish we had a sonic screwdriver right about now.

Was it possible for a king to run so far from his identity that he ceased to be anyone special? Because I had never felt lower, or less worthy of my title.

What's the point of gaining peace if it costs us our freedom? I won't trade the one for the other.

Sal could have killed me for trying to escape the mines, but he didn't. I'd certainly given him plenty of reasons to do it before then as well. I had to help him now. The

With each brick, my hopes faded until nothing was left. If there had ever been a chance of Dominic and my father returning, then the wall took that too. My schoolteacher taught us a new song that thanked our leaders for building a wall to keep the fascists out. I muted my glares and only mouthed the words when my teacher was looking - I couldn't bear to sing the lies.

Nobody gives you respect in this life. You must take it, you must earn it, and then you must hold it sacred, because no matter how hard respect is to attain, it can be lost in an instant.

There's an old saying in Avenia that goes, Just because it's calmer than a hailstorm doesn't mean it's calm.

Don't write for who your reader is. Write for what your reader wants to be.

Be loyal to the thing you know is right. Never bend to weakness, never yield to a false crown.

I've got to go."
"Go where?"
"To go. I'd have just taken care of it myself, but it looks like you want to come along."
Mott cursed. "Wait for morning."
"Wish I could. I've been cursed with my mother's pea-size bladder.

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Valuable lessons were code words for pain that no one apologized for.

She placed a hand on my cheek and softly kissed the other one, then whispered, Remember this moment, then, Sage, when someone of my status offered a kindness to someone of yours. Because next time we meet, if Darius is dead, I will no longer be anyone of importance.

I couldn't see much, but it somehow seemed brighter across the wall, as if the sun gave more of it's light to the west. Maybe the people there were more selfish, I thought. Because we needed that sunlight far more than they did.

Fink had a full bowl and grinned at me as he sat back on the bench. "It would help if you used words like 'please' and 'thank you.'"
"Then I'll thank you to please stay out of my business.

As they began to tie me, I wanted to yell out, to release some of my fear that way, but I held it in. Imogen wouldn't be that far from here yet, and I didn't want her to know what was about to happen.
If it was possible to scream on the inside, though, I was, and the sound of it was deafening.

In a crowd of a thousand boys claiming to be the prince, there would be only one with the same look of trouble in his eye.

I became who I was meant to be and you should do the same.

Her anger was so real, I could feel it in the air between us.

Not friends. Nor did I have any idea of how to fix things with her, if that was even possible. Conner lowered his voice and continued,

The most difficult time to be hungry is when the pangs first start. When the body realizes it's missed a meal and signals that it wants food. But after a while, it gives up asking; it gives up expecting anything. The will return, of course, and the hunger never goes away.

I can't do that," I said. "Who'll make sure Tobias gets back safely? He can hardly cross a road without endangering himself.

If I was going to fight this beast - regardless of how poor my chances were - I needed the use of both hands, so I put the bulla around my neck.

A wind swirled up around me when I did. "It isn't yours," the wind seemed to say. "It will curse you."

The threat didn't bother me - my present situation was worse than any curse from a dusty amulet. My bigger concern was that the wind spoke to me at all.

I loved everyone who's been taken from me. So don't tell me when I'm allowed to break.

If he put us in dresses, we wouldn't suddenly become women

In the knowing, there was peace.

Ust because it's possible doesn't mean its wise

With a grin, I told her, I'll have more than ten minutes' notice that this battle is coming. In that way, this might be the most prepared I've ever been.

My hands folded into fists. "As king, that is my order."
"Forgive me, but the king's order is the most reckless thing he's ever said, which we both know is quite an accomplishment. If you want to stop me from dragging you back to Drylliad, then you'll have to kill me here."
"I can't do that," I said. "Who'll make sure Tobias gets back safely? He can hardly cross a road without endangering himself."
"I can too," Tobias said.

You're such a young king. I barely remember being your age."
"Then clearly we're talking about how old you are, not how young I am.

Darius was dead, and very soon she and I would meet as equals. But i had the feeling it wouldn't be a day she ended up celebrating

And my stature never sank when I joined you. You may be a thief, but there is far more good in you than bad. I'm better off for knowing you.

If I don't stand for freedom, then I must sit in chains.

You stole it from the master."
"Who stole it from me. What I did simply set the universe back in order.

We all smiled, but not that much, and frowned but rarely cried. Nobody could succeed here, but most people around me seemed to be okay with that . It meant they wouldn't fail either.
I didn't want to be like them. And at the same time, I was beginning to forget how to be different, how to be my own self. It was the feeling of being swallowed up, and I hated it.

Tomorrow we will rejoin the war. So it's time to decide who you are. Will you be carried off by this wind coming at us, or stand and face it?

Another arrow flew through the air, nearly above my head. I ducked as it hit the thigh of the Praetor who had gotten closest to me.

"I have enough arrows for all of you!" Aurelia yelled out. So she was still here, somewhere in the vineyard ahead of me. It must've taken her time to locate another bow. I was never sure how she seemed to find them everywhere when I had yet to find a single weapon simply lying around for the taking.

Courage isn't knowing you can do something; it's only being willing to try . . .

No, my lady. If I cannot look at you as an equal, i will not look at you at all

History teaches us that people who make the brave choices are heroes. We study history to know the stories of those who stood face-to-face with real villains and won. We study history so that when it's time for us to make the hard choice, we'll know that we can do it, too.
But then it hit him. History wasn't just about understanding the past. It was about understanding the future, his future. It was about having the tools to shape the future. And all he had to know was that when it came time for him to make choices, he would make the heroic choice, just as the greatest people throughout history had done. No matter what changed in the past, his future hadn't yet been written. He had to shape it, bit by bit.
- Dak

You'll address me by my title," I said sharply. "And bow until your pointed chin scrapes the floor.

Yeah, you're a regular Sherlock Holmes," Riq said.
"If you mean that I'm good at gathering clues for my brilliant deductions, then I take that as a compliment!

As the day progressed, it became evident that I would eat better on this period of punishment from Mott than I'd eaten yet since coming to Farthenwood.
Tobias snuck me back better than half of his breakfast, and Errol left some food in my room while cleaning up, expressing false dismay after I ate it that "it was food intended for somebody else."
We were to remain in our room in private study because of Princess Amarinda being in the house, but after lunch was brought to us, Tobias gave me all of his lunch and Roden shared half.

I don't beg, it's beneath me

Roden wasn't convinced. "How big of a fuss will this require?"
[Jaron] grinned. "Catastrophic levels of bad behavior Trust me, it'll be fun."
"You have a sick idea of fun." Roden's cool expression seemed less than enthusiastic. "When we do this, will they hurt us?"
That made me sigh. "You're the captain of my guard, aren't you? Surely you can take a few hits by now. Besides, the pain will be forgotten once the ropes go around our necks"
"I don't want a rope going around my neck, Jaron! That's the part you need to figure out.

Don't make this a fight."
"I won't, but you make everything a fight.

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You made the right choice," Roden whispered. "Though you did choose his name rather quickly.
"He has a skinny neck. He'd have died faster." (Jaron)
"That's why you chose me? Because it'll take me longer to die?"
"Yes, Roden, that's exactly why."
"Enough bickering!" (Vargan)

If i had to do it all over again, I would not have chosen this life.

Wh-wh-what's hap-pening t-t-to me?" Dak said.
"Oh," Sera said softly. "You've just had a Remnant.

The world will judge you based on what you think of yourself. "

""Not every chain is made of metal," I told her. "The worst are made of comfort and false promises. You're no more free here than you were in the mines.

Is it true?" Devlin asked me. "You're Prince Jaron?"
"KING Jaron, actually. News must travel slower amongst the illiterate." I glared at Gregor with every inch of disdain I felt. "Shouldn't you be groveling to me or bowing or something?"
Gregor smiled. "I think before I have the chance, you will already be dead."
"Ah. So much for all your toasts to my long life.

(Talking about Jaron's broken leg)
"How does it feel?" Fink asked.
"Like butterfly kisses, what do you think?

Kerwyn pulled me aside as the last of the supplies were being loaded. "Please, Jaron, don't go."
Despite his pleas, I could only shake my head. "There's no other choice now."
"I thought a little sleep would change your mind."
Placing my hand on Kerwyn's shoulder, I said, "I had the same concern, so I kept myself awake.

You eat with your left hand. That's unacceptable. Can you do it with your right?"
"Can you do it with your left?

If you hurt deeply, then it means you love deeply too. love is powerful thing, Jaron. In the end, love will help you win this war."
I chuckled, "that'd be a fine new strategy, I think. When the enemy wields a sword against me, I'll simply express my love for them. They'll be so shocked, they'll collapse on the spot and the victory will be mine."
"I daresay you will be the first to claim victory that way

This is for you." i pressed the stone in Kerwyn's hand.
Kerwyn turned it over in his hands, unimpressed. "imatator's gold? It's worthless."
"No, it's real gold. I am real Kerwyn."
...
He pulled a creased and worn paper from his pocket and unfolded it. His hands shook increasingly as he read it. Then he turned to the audience and said,
"This note was given to me by King Eckbert
...
to read it only if someone ever came forward claiming to be the prince. This is what it says." He read aloud,
"'Many may one day claim to be the lost prince of Carthya.
...
You will know the Prince Jaron by one sign alone. He will give you the humblest of rocks and tell you it's gold.'"
...
"Lords and ladies of Carthya, I present to you the son of King Eckbert and Queen Erin. He is the lost royal of Carthya, who lives and stands before you. Hail, Prince Jaron.

I won't start the battle, but if it comes, I'll finish it.

I will never sign anything over to you, ever, you dog-breath, rotting corpse of a king.

Don't give up, Sage, and don't give in to him. Please. A lot of us are watching you, and we need to see that it's possible to win.

I'm still a king. My title isn't determined by my crown; it's in my blood.

You were wrong, commander. Whatever chains you try to place on me, I will always, always, rise from them. I'm not buying my freedom, because you never owned it. But I am taking it back, for me, and for my country.

Villains and plots and enemies are simple things to me. But friendships are complicated, and love is harder still. It has wounded me deeper than a sword ever could.

It took several minutes before I was strong enough to say more than a few words of welcome to Aurelia. She returned my gratitude by saying, "You both are going to smell horrid, and now I'll smell too. Honestly, Nic, I'm beginning to wonder what your attraction is to sewage."

"It's not what attracts me down here as much as what repels me up there," I said. Despite being covered in filth I didn't even want to think about, I felt only happiness for being here now. This was the second time the Cloaca Maxima had saved my life. And much more than the second time that Aurelia had come to save me.

I stood and helped Livia to her feet. She was obviously disgusted by the smells around us, but hid her revulsion as well as anyone could. When she faced Aurelia, I made the introductions.

"Your brother has told me so much about you," Aurelia said with a polite bow to Livia.

Livia bowed back. "And the same for you. From Nic's descriptions, I feel as if I already know you."

"He described me?" Aurelia glanced my way with a broad grin. I felt myself blushing and hoped it wasn't visible in the torchlight.

"This is a terrible place for such silly talk," I said. "Let's go."

Aurelia and Livia began walking, with me trailing them. "What did Nic say about me?" Aurelia asked.

"That you're loud and you ask too many questions," I replied before Livia could speak.

Livia giggled. "No, that wasn't it."
<

It's better that your queen pretends to love you, because if she truly did, she would only love a lie.

Long live king Jaron. If he leads us half as well as he entertains us, then Carthya has a truly great future ahead.

But eventually I nudged the old bandages in the corner toward me. Once I had them in my hands, I unwound them to their full length.
"What are you doing with those?" Roden asked, "You're not injured."
"The vigils are forbidden from harming me tonight. Vargan was very clear that I wasn't to come out tomorrow looking like a martyr." My grin widened." But don't worry, Avenia already fell for this trick once before. They love it."
"That's your trick?" Roden asked. "Can't you take this seriously?"
"If you understood what Vargan's men did to me, you'd know exactly how serious I am."
"Hush now," I said. "Imogen needs to sleep, I need to think and you need to ... let me think.

I haven't don anything wrong. At least, not for a few hours

You are the biggest fool of a boy I've ever known," Mott said. Then his tone softened. "But you will serve Carthya well."
"I wish I felt ready to do this," I said. "The closer we come to the moment, the more I see every defect in my character that caused my parents to send me away in the first place."
"From all I'm told, the prince they sent away was selfish, mischievous, and destructive. The king who returns is courageous, noble, and strong."
"And a fool," I added
Mott chuckled. "You are that too.

He talked whenever he was nervous, or excited, or bored, or for that matter, awake.

If both Evendell and I survived this, we would have to discuss his timing when explosives were involved.

Kippenger suppressed a grin
I could've sworn he did. Without looking at anyone, he said, "Jargon wrote, 'You'll get nothing from me, ever, you dog-breath, rotted corpse of a king.'"
Vargas flowered at me. In return, I smiled and looked around the room, rather proud of myself for that.

I replied with an Avenian accent. "Is the priest of this church still here?"
"No." He squinted at me. "Never seen you before. You from out of town?"
"I've never seen you before either," I said. "So maybe you're the one from out of town."
That amused him. "My name is Fink. Well, that's not really m name, but it's what everyone calls me."
"What's your name, then."
"Dunno. Everyone just calls me Fink."
"Don't you have anywhere else to go?"
"Not really. Why d'you want the priest?"
"A doctrinal question. What punishment does the Book of Faith recommend for a kid who's being too nosy?

If I had to do it over again, I would not have chosen this life. Then again, I'm not sure I ever had a choice.

...I guess what I'm asking, Gerta, is if that's who you want to be when we're free. Are you willing to sacrifice other people if it means you can get ahead?"
I closed my eyes and let only a single tear escape the corner. "No," I mumbled. "No, of course not.

I might have been the one in chains, but he was the one who looked afraid.

Do you laugh at me?"
He was quiet for a moment and finally the tention drained from him. "No, Jaron," he said darkly. "I curse you with every breath I exhale, but I do not laugh.

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It's easy to hate what you don't understand.

This is real, then?" Jaron's heart pounded, though he couldn't tell whether it was from sadness or fear for his future. "When you leave, I'm no longer Prince Jaron. I'll be nothing but a commoner. An orphan.

How is it that you can see your enemies so clearly and never your friends?

You won't eat to save yourself, but you will to save a stranger. How interesting.

The saddest thing is there won't be anyone to miss us when we're gone. No family, no friends, no one waiting at home."
"It's better that way," I said. "It'll be easier for me, knowing my death doesn't add to anyone's pain."
"If you can't give anyone pain, then you can't give them joy either.

I'm sorry, Sera. I never understood before. Not really."
"I wish you didn't have to understand now.

Our country is Germany
one country that should be reunited. We don't belong to Moscow or to the west. We belong to ourselves and I have never betrayed that. This tunnel has taken every ounce of courage we have. We're not cowards.

With introductions out of the way, Erick got down to the business of having abducted me.
"Why were you asking Fink about the priest?"
"I have some sins to confess," I said. "For ruining the life of the last man to kidnap me.