“Sometimes, if you want to change a man's mind, you have to change the mind of the man next to him first.”
―
Megan Whalen Turner,
The King of Attolia
“Are you badly hurt?""Hideously," said the king, without sounding injured at all. "I am disemboweled. My insides may in an instant become my outsides as I stand here before you.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“No 'Glory shall be your reward' for me. Oh, no, for me, it is, 'Stop whining' and 'Go to bed'.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead in the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“I'll be your minister--""Of the exchequer? You'd rob me blind.""I would never steal from you," he'd said hotly."Oh? Where is my tourmaline necklace? Where are my missing earrings?""That necklace was hideous. It was the only way to keep you from wearing it.""My earrings?""What earrings?” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“I am not sure I trust you.""You can trust me with your life, My King.""But not with my wine, obviously. Give it back.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“I'm dying of boredom. Or maybe just dying.” ― Megan Whalen Turner
“He could tell her he loved her. He ached to shout it out loud for the gods and everyone to hear. Little good it would do. Better to trust in the moon's promises than in the word of the Thief of Eddis. He was famous in three countries for his lies.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“He didn't marry you to become king. He became king because he wanted to marry you.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“If I am the pawn of the gods, it is because they know me so well, not because they make my mind up for me.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“All I wanted to do was lie in the dry grass with my feet in a ditch forever. I could be a convenient sort of milemarker, I thought. Get to the thief and you know you're halfway to Methana.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief
“Who am I, that you should love me?""You are My Queen," said Eugenides. She sat perfectly still, looking at him without moving as his words dropped like water into dry earth."Do you believe me?" he asked. "Yes," she answered. "Do you love me?""Yes.""I love you."And she believed him.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“This is the stupidest plan I have ever in my career participated in," Xenophon said."I love stupid plans," said Eugenides.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“He lies to himself. If Eugenides talked in his sleep, he'd lie then, too.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“Relius looked away. "He said that you...cried," he said softly."But not that he cried as well," said the queen, amused at the memory. "We were very lachrymose... would you like to hear more romance of the evening? He told me the Guard should be reduced by half, and I threw an ink jar at his head.""Is that when he cried?""He ducked," said Attolia dryly."I had not pictured you for a fishwife.""Lo, the transforming power of love.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“Why did you come if not to murder my king?""I came to steal his magus.""You can't," said the magus in question."I can steal anything," Eugenides corrected him, "even with one hand.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“Will there be poppy juice in it?"Phresine shook her head."Good. My wife and I agreed that only my wine was to be poisoned.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“You learn something new everyday.""What are you learning?" Sophos asked."To keep my mouth shut, I hope.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief
“You're awake," he said."Phresine is not," pointed out the queen."Oh?""You gave her lethium.""She gave it to me first.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“Are you badly hurt?""Hideously," said the king, without sounding injured at all. "I am disemboweled. My insides may in an instant become my outsides as I stand here before you.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“No 'Glory shall be your reward' for me. Oh, no, for me, it is, 'Stop whining' and 'Go to bed'.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead in the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“I'll be your minister--""Of the exchequer? You'd rob me blind.""I would never steal from you," he'd said hotly."Oh? Where is my tourmaline necklace? Where are my missing earrings?""That necklace was hideous. It was the only way to keep you from wearing it.""My earrings?""What earrings?” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“I am not sure I trust you.""You can trust me with your life, My King.""But not with my wine, obviously. Give it back.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“I'm dying of boredom. Or maybe just dying.” ― Megan Whalen Turner
“He could tell her he loved her. He ached to shout it out loud for the gods and everyone to hear. Little good it would do. Better to trust in the moon's promises than in the word of the Thief of Eddis. He was famous in three countries for his lies.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“He didn't marry you to become king. He became king because he wanted to marry you.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“If I am the pawn of the gods, it is because they know me so well, not because they make my mind up for me.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“All I wanted to do was lie in the dry grass with my feet in a ditch forever. I could be a convenient sort of milemarker, I thought. Get to the thief and you know you're halfway to Methana.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief
“Who am I, that you should love me?""You are My Queen," said Eugenides. She sat perfectly still, looking at him without moving as his words dropped like water into dry earth."Do you believe me?" he asked. "Yes," she answered. "Do you love me?""Yes.""I love you."And she believed him.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“This is the stupidest plan I have ever in my career participated in," Xenophon said."I love stupid plans," said Eugenides.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“He lies to himself. If Eugenides talked in his sleep, he'd lie then, too.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“Relius looked away. "He said that you...cried," he said softly."But not that he cried as well," said the queen, amused at the memory. "We were very lachrymose... would you like to hear more romance of the evening? He told me the Guard should be reduced by half, and I threw an ink jar at his head.""Is that when he cried?""He ducked," said Attolia dryly."I had not pictured you for a fishwife.""Lo, the transforming power of love.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“Why did you come if not to murder my king?""I came to steal his magus.""You can't," said the magus in question."I can steal anything," Eugenides corrected him, "even with one hand.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
“Will there be poppy juice in it?"Phresine shook her head."Good. My wife and I agreed that only my wine was to be poisoned.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
“You learn something new everyday.""What are you learning?" Sophos asked."To keep my mouth shut, I hope.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief
“You're awake," he said."Phresine is not," pointed out the queen."Oh?""You gave her lethium.""She gave it to me first.” ― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia
