Natalia Marx

“His mother's words faded to myth, concocted by a gentle soul to delight the imagination of a boy.Until one day, they were no longer a myth. One day, he would wish he had never heard them at all because they spelled his happiness--and his eternal sorrow.”

“With a blade at your throat, a well-connected uncle or a wealthy mother could not save you. Only you could save yourself.”

“Sometimes I wish I had never saved your neck from decapitation in Faroe. Then I could just descend into lewdness in peace.”

“Like a dried up spring, magic trickled forth with less and less strength, until one day, the people awoke and there was simply no more to be had.”

“Syldor was not a land of oppressive rules, roles, and labels. Here, love and power were open to, for, and between all; woman or man, rich or poor. What mattered was the sharpness of your mind, the speed of your blade, and the heat of your touch.”

“She would stay there, flying across the sea like a mermaid with wings, until the end.”

“My heart was oaken before you set it on fire. It will continue to smolder, long after the flame that ignited it has gone.”

“Leliana advanced like a predator, hair lashing like a whip behind her. She abandoned the reins, riding the horse like they had merged into one charging centaur.She aroused images of deities on winged horses, of untamed forests in a windstorm, of legendary heroes of legendary quests. Burning desire shot straight to his loins at the sight of her.He ached for this woman, this goddess that streaked across his vision like a figment of his imagination, of his deepest desires and most guarded wishes. He could lose himself, mind, body, and soul, to a woman like that. Any sane man would.”

“By fate or forgery, our dances are entwined for eternity.”

“Just as foreplay is the key to good sex, preparation is essential to achieving victory in battle. Right, lieutenant?”