“Why do you persist in being so frivolous, Urgit?""Why don't we just call it a symptom of my incipient madness?""You're not going to go mad," she said firmly."Of course I'm going to go mad, mother. I'm rather looking forward to it.”

“I'd really like to go with you, Agachak. Truly I would...but I just can't.""I don't understand. Why not?""I'm not allowed to leave home. My mother'd punish me something awful if I did...""But you're the king.""That doesn't change a thing. I still do what mother says. She tells everybody that I'm the best boy ever when it comes to that."Agachak resisted a powerful urge to change this half-wit into a toad or perhaps a jellyfish.”

“You're a cynic," Urgit accused.Silk shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. I'm a realist.”

“Zakath stared at the floor. 'I suddenly feel very helpless,' he admitted, 'and I don't like the feeling. I've been rather effectively dethroned, you know. This morning I was the Emperor of the largest nation on earth; this afternoon, I'm going to be a vagabond.'You might find it refreshing,' Silk told him lightly.Shut up, Kheldar,' Zakath said almost absently. He looked back at Polgara. 'You know something rather peculiar?'What's that?'Even if I hadn't given my word, I'd still have to go to Kell. It's almost like a compulsion. I feel as if I'm being driven, and my driver is a blindfolded girl who's hardly more than a child.'There are rewards,' she told him.Such as what?'Who knows? Happiness, perhaps.'He laughed ironically. 'Happiness has never been a driving ambition of mine, Lady Polgara, not for a long time now.'You may have to accept it anyway,' She smiled. 'We aren't allowed to choose our rewards any more than we are our tasks. Those decisions are made for us.”

“...You're going to stay here and help Daran in every way you can. Don't let him sink into melancholia the way his father has...Now, pull yourself together. Blow your nose and fix your face. Daran's talking to the Rivan Warder right now. I'll take you to where they are, and then I have to leave.""You're not even going to stay for the funeral?""I've got the funeral in my heart, Pol, the same as you have. No amount of ceremony's going to make it go away. Now go fix your face. You look awful.”

“The policeman recognized me, but I suppose that’s only natural. Silk was going to kill him, but I said no.”“Why?” Beldin asked bluntly.“We were in the middle of a busy street for one thing. Killing somebody’s the sort of thing you ought to do in private, wouldn’t you say?”

“Your extensive travels must have been fatiguing," Zakath said in that same flat tone, "particularly for the ladies. I'll see to it that your return journey to Mal Zeth is made in easy stages." "Your Majesty is very kind, but we're not going back to Mal Zeth.""You're wrong, Belgarion. You are going back to Mal Zeth.""Sorry, I've got a pressing engagement elsewhere.""I'll convey your regrets to Zandramas when I see her.""I'm sure she'd be overjoyed to hear that I'm not coming.""Not for very long, she won't. I fully intent to have her burned as a witch.""Good luck, your Majesty, but I don't think you'll find that she's very combustible.”