Fireblood Quotes
"One little mistake, one little lapse in focus, would mean defeat."
"Slow and steady. Everything is fine. I’m here. You’re safe."
"You don’t need to grin. Just don’t light them on fire."
"I could tell her to jump off the eastern cliffs and she’d just compliment my gown."
"You can build an entire castle from it."
"You’re hoping she’ll show up at the last minute? It’s unlikely."
"I’ll assume you prefer assassination to my offer."
"You killed her, I kill you. Very simple."
"What a night. The glorious dawn of our peace talks has ended in attempts on our lives."
"I’m afraid I’m a little tired. Good night."
"Sometimes there is no choice. We all have our role to play and this is yours. You must go."
"I knew nothing of your wishes, Your Majesty. Perhaps if you train me in your ways, I would know better how to please you in the future."
"His voice was as deep and rich as honeyed cakes."
"You are flame, Ruby, and fire can either be free or it will be smothered."
"I have dreamed of coming here all my life. My grandmother told me stories of this land and its beauty, of the richness of its culture and its history."
"I had crossed an ocean to get here, but I was no closer to completing my mission."
"I covered Arcus’s other hand with mine. We sat like that quietly for a minute, the three of us connected."
"Do not waste your breath, young prince. I will decide an appropriate punishment for your disobedience."
"Only a sign from the goddess herself would change my mind at this point."
"Perhaps I would even grow to trust you and allow you to live freely here."
"Your allegiance, your very life, will be mine."
"Some of us have to fight for the things that are offered so readily to others."
"You know nothing of Sudesia. Nothing. And until you do, don't presume to judge me, Lady Ruby."
"The trials are a choice. No one is forced to take them."
"You are untrained, but you did not disgrace yourself. Your gift is strong."
"I've seen Fireblood culture. A bunch of walking snowmen, priding themselves on self-control. They're barely alive."
"It is a thing of incredible grace, is it not? I have seen them many times and I never fail to be… overawed by the wonder of it."
"I ordered my Fireblood masters to execute them all."
"It’s not your fault," he said, his nostrils flaring. "It’s mine. I helped you at the end. I grabbed your hand."
"Failure would not only devastate me with guilt because it would leave Tempesia at the mercy of the Minax, but the personal disappointment would cut me to my core."
"Is the sting from a Sudesian scorpion poisonous?"
"How many times were you stung?" he shouted, rushing to grab me under the arms as I toppled to the side.
"What a relief. I was worried you might not recover your usual stupidity."
"I’m sorry, Ruby. They’re conferring now, but it doesn’t look good."
"I would like to speak in my defense," I said forcefully, trying not to weave as the room leaned a little to the left.
"You must be silent," the queen said coldly. "Prince Kai, she is clearly ill. Please take her back to her bedroom."
"You may thank Prince Eiko for the ease of your third trial," she said, giving him a fond look.
"I am what you call an exception to your rules."
"I'd hate to tell my aunt… oh, I mean, the queen… how you put these rough hands on my royal person."
"The moment you saw me, those should have been the first words out of your mouth!"
"Good gods, woman. You’ll be the death of me."
"I don’t want to hurt you, but if you don’t hand over the shard, I’ll have to."
"Well, I suppose it’s as good a time as any to test my new abilities."
"Sometimes at night I sent the Minax into one of your sailors for a few hours to give myself a rest. If you heard someone screaming with nightmares, that would be why."
"Not mad. Tired. Tired of having to behave like a ninny to fulfill my father’s expectations for what a lady should be. Tired of being underestimated by you and the court. Tired of being passed over. Tired of pretending to be so much less than I am."
"I’ve dreamed of this day for so long. To reunite them both. I can hardly believe I’ve done it."
"Don’t you want the power to control your own life, your own destiny? Having authority over others only makes that easier."
"You are no longer merely a simple Fireblood girl. You are something more now. And though you will not live long enough to see the final triumph that comes from your sacrifice, your life will be given for a greater purpose."
"I’m not going anywhere with you. Anywhere. Ever."
"I will not be responsible for another massacre. I will not stand by as tragedy unfolds."
"I feel so guilty. As if I betrayed her."
"It’ll be a miracle if everyone survives as far as land."
"We haven’t been alone until now, so I haven’t had a chance to ask. How are you doing?"
"I’m the one who has won." She opened her hand to show the black shard resting on her milk-white palm. It seemed to absorb the light, making everything around it dim and colorless. "Let me see how well you resist now, Ruby."
"This experience of human pain, I didn’t miss it."
"Your Majesty, I’m sorry. Your husband is gone."
"The throne of Sud is gone. What treason is this?"
"I feel weak. I feel sick. I need… something feels wrong."