SHOSO

“Name one hero who was happy."
I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back.
"You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward.
"I can't."
"I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret."
"Tell me." I loved it when he was like this.
"I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the reason. Swear it."
"I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes.
"I swear it," he echoed.
We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned.
"I feel like I could eat the world raw.”
― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

“Stil snorted. “I am not in love with Angelique. I’m in love with you,” he said, scooting closer.

Gemma pushed her chair away.
“Well, that’s not proper.”

“Why not?” Stil asked, butting his chair up against Gemma’s.

“Because of the age difference.”

“Age difference?”

“Of course. Surely you can’t be a day younger than fifty or sixty,” Gemma said in surprise.

Stil’s jaw dropped.

“You think I’m an OLD MAN?!” Stil thundered.

“Most magic users are not the age they physically appear to be,” Gemma said.“And it is well known that they age much more slowly.”

“You think I’m an OLD MAN?!” he repeated, his voice even louder.

“I’m not even twenty-five yet, you mean-spirited mule, and my clothes are fashionable among mages!” Stil said.

“This whole time you’ve thought I am OLD?”

“I get the impression that offends you.”

“IT DOES.”

Gemma only lifted her eyebrows.

“Aren’t you going to apologize?” Stil asked.

“For what?”

“For thinking I’m OLD!”

Gemma shrugged. “It seems you have only yourself to blame for that misunderstanding.”

Stil glowered”
― K.M. Shea, Rumpelstiltskin

“young maidens now days get misty eyed thinking about true love and the fathomless adoration you will share. It’s not like that. Real love is looking at someone and knowing that you wouldn’t mind waking up to their bad breath for the next century, and you are fine with them seeing you before you brush your hair and fix your face for the day.”
― K.M. Shea, Beauty and the Beast

“Beauty fades, but the heart remains the same...Physical desire is a lie, Emele continued. It is not a bad thing, but it blinds a person and makes them unable to see truth. Falling in love is a matter of the heart, not of the exterior.”
― K.M. Shea, Beauty and the Beast