“I wept in self-pity, and because I knew you could never go back. You chose your path, and that was it.”

“And as I watched him, I knew that in every dark night there was, somewhere, a small light burning that could never be quenched.”

“You may be your own best helper, if you choose the right path.”

“Because if I see you defeated, then I think I will see Alban defeated, and if that happens, none of us can go on. To guard you is to guard the heart of this land of ours.”

“She went on because there was no going back.”

“So you do believe in... true love? she whispered.I took a deep breath, I think I have to, I said, blinking back tears. Without it, we're all going nowhere.”

“You thought you’d never give up your vocation, a voice whispered inside me. You thought you’d never even consider it. But you’ve met the one man who could change your mind. He is your perfect complement. He is Cathal to your Clodagh; he is Bran to your Liadan. No wonder you conjured up those images. No wonder they make you weep.”