“Mandorallen turned to Barak. "If it please thee, my Lord," he requested politely, "deliver my challenge as soon as they approach us." Barak shrugged. "It's your skin," he noted. He eyed the advancing knights and then lifted his voice in a great roar. "Sir Madorallen, Baron of Vo Mandor, desires entertainment," he declaimed. "It would amuse him if each of your parties would select a champion to joust with him. If, however, you are all such cowardly dogs that you have no stomach for such a contest, cease this brawling and stand aside so that your betters may pass." "Splendidly spoken, my Lord Barak," Madorallen said with admiration. "I've always had a way with words," Barak replied modestly.”

“Dost thou question my word, Sir Knight?" Madorallen returned in an ominously quiet voice. "And wilt thou then come down and put thy doubt to the test? Or is it perhaps that thou wouldst prefer to cringe doglike behind thy parapet and yap at thy betters?" "Oh, that was very good," Barak said admiringly.”

“Mimbrates are the bravest people in the world --probably because they don't have brains enough to be afraid of anything. Garion's friend Mandorallen is totally convinced that he's invincible.""He is," Ce'Nedra said in automatic defense of her knight. "I saw him kill a lion once with his bare hands.""...I heard him suggest to Barak and Hettar once that the three of them attack an entire Tolnedran legion.""Perhaps he was joking.""Mimbrate knights don't know how to joke," Silk told him."I will not sit here and listen to you people insult my knight," Ce'Nedra said hotly."We'renot insulting hi, Ce'Nedra," Silk told her. "We're describing him. He's so noble he makes my hair hurt.""Nobility is an alien concept to a Drasnian, I suppose," she noted."Not alien, Ce'Nedra. Incomprehensible.”

“Let's kill the big one with the red whiskers then," another suggested. "He looks like he might be troublesome, and he's probably too stupid to know anything useful." "I want that one," Barak whispered.”

“As long as I know that my motives are good, I'm Seldom very concerned with the opinions of others.-Mandorallen, Baron of Vo Mandor.”

“Silk laughed. "You really should try not to let your knife do all your thinking for you. That's the one quality we find least attractive in our Cherek cousins.""And we find this compulsion to make clever remarks which seems to overwhelm our Drasnian brothers now and then almost equally unattractive," Barak told him coolly.”

“Oh, well," Silk said wryly, "we might as well get it out into the open, I suppose. Gentlemen," he said, "I'm sure you all remember the Margravine Liselle, my fiancee.""Your fiancee?" Barak exclaimed in amazement."We all have to settle down sometime." Silk shrugged.They all gathered around to congratulate him. Velvet, however, did not look pleased."Was something the matter, dear?" Silk asked her, all innocence."Don't you think you've forgotten something, Kheldar?" she asked acidly."Not that I recall.""You neglected to ask me about this first.""Really? Did I actually forget that? You weren't planning to refuse, were you?""Of course not.""Well, then --""You haven't heard the last of this, Kheldar," she said ominously."I seem to be getting off to a bad start here," he observed."Very bad," she agreed.”