But she is a woman.”“As am I, pastor. Has it ever occurred to you that women may be just as useful as men in this world? After all, women often have a sincere desire to help those who are suffering and in need. Men defend home and country, and women manage the home so that men have somewhere to return to.

The first thing Aliya felt was pain.And the second.And the third.

As the days wore on, there was less and less of Aliya left in her. She couldn’t remember what Alex’s eyes had looked like, or how her father laughed at off-color jokes, or what the head of surgery said to her the first time she walked into the operating room. It was all gone. Her new reality was the castle, Earton, and these strange people that she had to build a life with.

People generally forget the things they are ashamed of, but no one ever forgets an insult.

Beauty is skin-deep, young man.

She was not the type of woman to keep a lover. A man would have to work hard day and night to even gain her notice. She was intelligent, strong, interesting, and even a little bit mysterious.

Time doesn’t really heal all wounds. It just creates a layer of years over something that still pulses and bleeds. When someone cuts a piece out of your heart, it never heals.

Lily believed that if you don’t take care of your own army, you are essentially taking care of someone else’s army.

You can’t keep her down, and you won’t get away with it.