Tekla

“Agatha trusted him now. Because he trusted himself.”
― Soman Chainani, One True King

“I want you to stay. I want you to … I want you.” “You want me.” She turned the words over. Gently, she squeezed his hand. “And how will you have me, Kaz?” He looked at her then, eyes fierce, mouth set. It was the face he wore when he was fighting. “How will you have me?” she repeated. “Fully clothed, gloves on, your head turned away so our lips can never touch?”<...>“I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“It's not natural for women to fight."
"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Tedros turned away. 'I don't like being hurt.'
'Who is hurting you?'
'No one.' He swallowed. 'I'm okay.'
'You're lucky, then, because I fell quite hurt myself.'
He looked back at me. 'You do? Where are you hurt?'
'Here,' I said, my hand on my heart.
'Oh.' He nodded. 'Who hurt you?'
'Someone I loved very much,' I said.
Tedros nodded. 'Me too.' He sniffled and curled into a bean shape, his back against my knee. 'When does the hurt go away?'
'Once you make friends with it. Once you come to see the hurt not as something to fear or run away from, but as an important part of you. As important as love and hope and happiness. All of them are pieces of you heart, each as important as the other. But ignoring the hurt or pretending it's not there doesn't make it go away. It just means that you're not using all of your heart. Soon that piece might even dry up and break away. We don't want that. A strong king needs all of his heart. And the funny thing is, once you're bold enough to welcome the hurt, to give it a hug and face it unafraid... then suddenly, it's gone.”
― Soman Chainani, One True King