Эмбер

Любовь – это огонь, Эмбер. Присматривай за ним, или он сожжет тебя. Поддерживай его, или он угаснет, а ты останешься в холоде.

I once heard a tale of a princess who slept on a hundred featherbeds but was kept awake by a single pebble caught beneath the bottom mattress. Her servants grew so annoyed by her constant complaints that one night they pushed her from her mountain of mattresses, and she broke her neck and died.

Running a whorehouse was surprisingly good training for running a government.

Ведение публичного дома было удивительно хорошей тренировкой для управления государством.

Love is a fire, Ember. Tend it, or it will burn you. Feed it, or it will die and leave you cold.

— Иногда нужно немножко солгать, чтобы сохранить свою гордость. — Она пригвоздила
меня жестким взглядом. — А иногда необходима большая ложь, чтобы спасти свою душу.

Choices and change require sacrifice.

"Sometimes, we need little lies to save our pride." She pinned me with a hard stare. "And sometimes we need big lies to save our souls."

Words weave a spell, betimes. They create images in our minds that heat our loins and sway our souls.

"I think I've heard another version of the tale. One with a different villain and a happier ending."
"Oh, this one has a happy ending, too," I answered, smiling despite the ache in my head.
"It does?"
"Yes. The greedy children were later eaten by bears."
He wiped his brow. "What a relief."

Ведьма, которая чурается шлюх и куртизанок, останется нищей.