A.H. Septimius

“What is rank if not protection from the consequences which fall upon common men?”

“I consider my wife and children in all things; yet, I must consider Amara also.”

“Educated and ambitious, with their own forthright opinions, the women of the Garvey set did more to determine political direction than many councillors. Their involvement in public life and political machinations was such that the Shylonian ambassador was able to report, to his monarch, that the women of the Garvey clique were ‘politicians first, homemakers second.”

“Things I fear will forever change and we old souls can do little but be swayed by the winds.”

“The world needed gentle men to rule if the people were to live in peace, not the warmongers and conniving men she so often witnessed wearing the crimson of the Imperial Council.”

“As the map of the Great Plain was being redrawn by a young Shazarian councillor, the ageing Shylonian king interrupted mid-speech to ask him his name. With a piercing glare and a haughty flick of his cloak, he retorted ‘Lord Ratilla, Shazarian Imperial Secretary, and who might you be?’ Behind the gasps of horror, the message was clear. It was Shazaria who now bestrode the Amaran world, henceforth the office of Shazarian minister now held greater prestige than even that of foreign monarchs. What became even clearer were the depths of Shazarian treachery. The impudent youth who stood before the kings of Amara stripping them of ancient provinces, was the same adolescent reputed to have delivered an eloquent speech which swayed the Shazarian councillors in favour of war.Had this been their intention all along?”

“Above all, he loathed men who beat women; for, real men didn’t exercise their strength on frail creatures, they joined the army and put Shazaria’s enemies in their graves.”

“If their social institutions were abhorrent, their unwritten constitution bordered upon the absurd. The absolutist monarchs of the ancient kingdoms of Amara looked with detestation at the Shazarian constitutional monarchy. Yet this was no time to demonstrate loathing of the upstart nation; condescension could wait until after Sixto had been defeated.”

“I love you for unfathomable reasons”

“They will not be swayed, they have power in their sights and are blinded by its alluring glister.”

“Men of honour will always outstay men of undeserved rank.”

“What had, moments ago, appeared a dangerous gambit, now seemed an elegant coup de maître.”

“Came they, in their droves, one after the other, hundred after hundred, thousand after thousand, engulfing all before them, each line a merciless wave from a boundless sea of bold men.”

“Beware the wounded lioness, for she is a natural hunter.”

“Power is a beautiful thing.”

“He returned her gaze, yearning for sentimental solace; love which emanated from a familiar source, mattered little how bedevilling. They shared an intimate moment, a silent tête-à-tête, which seemed to confront doubts each harboured.”

“There is no greater service than that rendered to one’s nation, no greater glory one can seek than that in the name of one’s people.”

“We are just peasants with money.”

“The cold surface somehow enabled him to remain calm; he kept his eyes upon the summit, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. The pace of his breathing remained steady, as did his pulse; it was in such moments men came of age; ‘the night is ours, the night is ours’, Jelani whispered.”

“Do not try to be your father boy, it is a hopeless pursuit, particularly when you, like I, have a father of such colossal proportions.”