Years ago, I had a teacher who taught me that all ways lead to the Way,” I said slowly, thinking. “That there is a great truth behind all the truths of the world, and the faces of the gods are masks that may be changed at will.
The enemy of fear is not courage,” Jahno translated for her. “The enemy of fear is love, for it is in loving others that we set aside our own personal fears, holding their safety and well-being as our highest regard. Tonight I am afraid, but I take heart from the love I bear for each of you, and for our beloved brother Keeik, whose sacrifice we grieve and honor. For your sakes, I abide. For you, I endure. And when I bear this in mind, this baseless fear loses its power over me. Remember this.
It is a dangerous thing to bring a dream to life... I have watched my deepest, dearest hopes take shape, and I am not entirely sure I like the shape they have taken.
It is what I do. If you wish to thank me, do a kindness for someone in need.
Because people can be foolish,” Drustan said. “And fearful of heroes not their own.
Merely surviving without doing harm seemed chore enough.
My taste is for spices, and not sweets.
Those who are too rigid in their beliefs will break rather than bend with fortune’s blows.
Tis a lonely business, being miserable when happiness abounds. I did my best to hide it, although the people who knew me well, knew.
For good or for ill, some people seem to love more fiercely, want more powerfully, burn more brightly.
Are you a minor character in my tale, or am I a lesser figure in yours?” “I don’t know, my lady,” I murmured. “I suppose it depends on who is telling the tale.
Victory doesn’t matter to the dead, nor to the living who mourn them.
Nothing like truth to leaven a good lie.
We forgot, we made errors, argued ambiguities, and twisted meanings to suit our own ends. And in so doing, mayhap we reshaped the gods themselves. Now.
And somewhere along the way, I found a little bit of healing. It wasn’t enough to undo all of the damage done to me when I was a child; that, I think, cuts too deep. But enough.
Pain and pleasure, yes, of course, but there are others, too. Cruelty, humiliation, dominance... and compassion and kindness. It took all of these, to make truly exquisite music. That was the part so few understood. Affection.
Betimes I have heard people bewail the fact that our destinies are shrouded in mystery; I think, though, that it is a blessing of sorts. Surely if we knew what bitterness fate held in store, we would shrink back in fear and let the cup of life pass us by untasted.
But it’s a lot easier to blame someone else than accept blame for your own failings.
That kiss, I cannot describe. It was like a poem, a prayer, a homecoming unlooked-for. It was like dungeon walls crumbling to reveal a glimpse of sky. It.
There are ties that bind more complex than blood.
That which yields, is not always weak. Choose your victories wisely.