Celinda

“You were such a sweet child, when I first met you by this very tree,” remarked the Bear. “What happened?” His voice was mocking, but she could feel the tension in him when she began to undo the golden clasps.
“What happened? Love, betrayal, and time,” said Vasya. “What happens to anyone who grows to understand you, Medved? Living happens.”
― Katherine Arden, The Winter of the Witch

“Love is for those who know the griefs of time, for it goes hand in hand with loss. An eternity, so burdened, would be a torment. And yet—” He broke off, drew breath. “Yet what else to call it, this terror and this joy?”
― Katherine Arden, The Winter of the Witch

“You were raised in a world of nobility. You know a world I do not. You know what forks to use in a formal setting, and you do not hesitate in battle. But I was raised in a world you cannot fathom....I was raised in a world where I had thousands of friends, each one waiting for me on a shelf everyday. While you practiced with bow and sword, I read. The Imperial Library houses my confidants, and I nearly spent a decade hanging onto their every word. I know them well, and if you will stop questioning me, I will be so kind as to impact their secrets to you.' —Vhalla Yarl”
― Elise Kova, Fire Falling

“Sasha looked at his sister. He had never thought of her as girlish, but the last trace of softness was gone. The quick brain, the strong limbs were there: fiercely, almost defiantly present, though concealed beneath her encumbering dress. She was more feminine than she had ever been, and less. Witch. The word drifted across his mind. We call such women so, because we have no other name.”
― Katherine Arden, The Girl in the Tower