“You should thank me for tolerating you. I had hoped that becoming a royal would cure your foul manners.""That's interesting. My father hoped that stripping me of royalty would do the same thing.”

“Master Graves was incensed and said, as punishment for my disruption, I would have to write my letters an extra ten times that day."Ten times the better I'll know them, then." I said. "How strange that you should punish me by ensuring I come out more educated than Roden, who has tried to obey you.”

“Kneel, please," Connor said. "I wish to study you better."Come as close to me as you'd like," I answered. "Study me here, on my feet.""You won't kneel?""Would a prince?"Conner raised his voice. "You're not a prince until I say so.""I don't need you to say so, sir. As you see me standing here, I am the prince of Carthya.”

“Let's begin with an easy agreement. Before his death, your father and I were negotiating for a small area of land on our borders, near Libeth. The Carthyan land has a spring that my farmers need for their crops. Carthya has other spings nearby, so you won't miss it.""My father wouldn't have missed it, but I would," I said, with no actual idea of what spring he meant. "It happens to be my favourite water source in all of Carthya, and I won't part with it.”

“You eat with your left hand. That's unacceptable. Can you do it with your right?""Can you do it with your left?”

“If I had to do it over again, I would not have chosen this life. Then again, I'm not sure I ever had a choice.”

“My hands folded into fists. "As king, that is my order.""Forgive me, but the king's order is the most reckless thing he's ever said, which we both know is quite an accomplishment. If you want to stop me from dragging you back to Drylliad, then you'll have to kill me here.""I can't do that," I said. "Who'll make sure Tobias gets back safely? He can hardly cross a road without endangering himself.""I can too," Tobias said.”