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“‘You need to understand that I will do anything and everything for my wife. No risk is too great, nor is anything too sacred. Because she is my everything. There is nothing greater than her, and I do mean nothing.’”

“‘You are the foundation that helps me stand. You are my walls and my roof. My shelter. You are my home.’”

“‘Bravery is a fleeting beast, isn’t it? Always there to get you into trouble, but quick to disappear once you’re where you want to be.’”

“‘I love you, Penellaphe. You. Your fierce heart, your intelligence and strength. I love your endless capacity for kindness. I love your acceptance of me. Your understanding. I’m in love with you, and I will be in love with you when I take my last breath and then beyond in the Vale.’”

“‘The heart doesn’t care how long you may have with someone. It just cares that you have the person for as long as you can.’”

“‘You. All I ever need is you. Now. Always.’”

“‘Life doesn't wait to hand you a new puzzle until you’ve figured out the last one.’”

“‘There cannot be equality in power if there is no choice.’”

THE WAR OF TWO QUEENS

“‘You people and your concern for nudity is tiresome.’”

“‘Whether she ruled over all the lands and seas or was the Queen of nothing but a pile of ashes and bones she would—will—always be my Queen. Love is too weak an emotion to describe how she consumes me and what I feel for her. She is my everything.’”

“‘We’re two hearts…one soul. We’ll find each other again. We always will.’”

“‘Be careful but be brave.’”

“‘I love you…with my heart and my soul, today and tomorrow. I will never get enough of you.’”

“‘I’m never not in awe of you. I’m always utterly mesmerized. I’ll never stop being that. Always and forever.’”

“‘From blood and ash...we have risen!’”

“‘To speak her name is to bring the stars from the skies and topple the mountains into the sea.’”

“This cold, aching hollowness that had woken in the last twenty-three days. It tasted like the promise of retribution. Of wrath.”

“‘You’re more than a Queen. More than a goddess on the verge of becoming a Primal. You’re Penellaphe Da’Neer, and you’re fearless.’”

A SHADOW IN THE EMBER

“‘I know what I am. I’ve always known. I am one of the worst sort. A monster … But don’t you ever tell me how I feel.’”

“‘It is far easier to be lied to than to acknowledge that you have been lied to.’”

“‘I want to kiss you, even though there is no reason for me to other than I want it.’”

“‘You are the heir to the lands and seas, skies and realms. A Queen instead of a King. You are the Primal of Life.’”

“I wasn’t sure how one could seduce another into falling in love with them after stabbing them in the chest.”

“‘One of the bravest things to do is to accept the aid of others.’”

“He was like the brightest star and the deepest night sky given mortal form. And he was utterly beautiful in this form, wholly terrifying.”

“‘Where’s all that bravery?’”…“‘My bravery ends when I’m faced with something that can swallow me whole.’”

“‘I believe he slipped and fell upon my blade.’”…“‘Was it his throat that fell upon your blade?’”…“‘Odd, right?’”…“‘Odd, indeed.’”

“‘In case you’re wondering, this is me intentionally staring.’”…“‘Pervert.’”