#katsa

I've liked you better when Katsa's around," Giddon said. "She's so rotton to me that you seem positively pleasant in contrast ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#giddon #katsa #kristin-cashore #po #positivity

Uncle," she said. "Let me explain what will happen the instant one of your men makes a move toward me. Let's say, for instance, one of your archers lets an arrow fly. You've not come to many of my practices, Uncle. You haven't seen me dodge arrows; but your archers have. If one or your archers releases an arrow, I'll drop to the floor. The arrow will doubtless hit one of your guards. The sword and the dagger of that guard will be in my hands before anyone in the room has time to realize what's happened. A fight will break out with the guards; but only seven or eight of them can surround me at once, Uncle, and seven or eight is nothing to me. As I kill the guards I'll take their daggers and begin throwing them into the hearts of your archers, who of course will have no sighting on me once the brawl with the guards has broken out. I'll get out of the room alive, Uncle, but most of the rest of you will be dead. Of course, this is only what will happen if I wait for one of your men to make a move. I could move first. I could attack a guard, steal his dagger, and hurl it into your chest this instant. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#katsa #randa #men

You know,” he said, “I wish you could see this cave.” “What’s it like?” He paused. “It’s...beautiful, really.” “Tell me.” And so Po described to Katsa what hid in the blackness of the cave; and outside, the world awaited them. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#cave #graceling #katsa #po #beauty

I’m bored to death. Perhaps I should pillage one of my neighbors for my own amusement. It seems to work for Drowden. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#council #katsa #letters #nander #po

He laughed. "I know you're teasing me. And you should know I'm not easily humiliated. You may hunt for my food, and pound me every time we fight, and protect me when we're attacked, if you like. I'll thank you for it. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#po #food

She glanced up at him, and in that moment he pulled his wet shirt over his head. She forced her mind blank. Blank as a new sheet of paper, blank as a starless sky. He came to the fire and crouched before it. He rubbed the water from his bare arms and flicked it in the flames. She stared at the goose and sliced his drumstick carefully and thought of the blankest expression on the blankest face she could possibly imagine. It was a chilly evening; she thought about that. The goose would be delicious, they must eat as much of it as possible, they must not waste it; she thought about that. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#graceling #katsa #po #imagination

He made her drunk, this man made her drunk; and every time his eyes flashed into hers she could not breathe. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#katsa #love #po #love

King Drowden has given his men instructions to infiltrate the town, bribe townspeople for the secrets of their neighbors, steal the neighbors’ hidden treasures. Much more subtle than Drowden’s usual smash and burn technique. We do hope Drowden isn’t growing a brain. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#council #katsa #letters #nander #po

How absurd it was that in all seven kingdoms, the weakest and most vulnerable of people - girls, women - went unarmed and were taught nothing of fighting, while the strong were trained to the highest reaches of their skill. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#power #strong #unfair #weak #women

It seems better to me for a child to have these skills and never use them, than not have them and one day need them," she said. ↗

— Kristin Cashore

#skill #child