Princess Academy

There you go...let it all slide out. Unhappiness can't stick in a person's soul when it's slick with tears.

I keep thinking about a tale my nurse used to read to me about a bird whose wings are pinned to the ground. In the end, when he finally frees himself, he flies so high he becomes a star. My nurse said the story was about how we all have something that keeps us down.

What should I say? That I like him so much it hurts?

Truth is when your mind and your gut agree.

He did a very good impression of a stone column.

Throwing herself into learning helped Miri ignore the painful chill of solitude around her.

Look no farther than your hand, Make a choice and take a stand.

It doesn't seem to matter what we think...The prince will come up here and look at us as if we're barrels in a trader's wagon. And if I'm salt pork and he doesn't care for salt pork, then there's nothing I can do.

No wolf falters before the bite, so strike. No hawk wavers before the dive, so swing. No sun pauses before the set, just strike. No rain delays before the fall, just swing.

Look no farther than your hand, make a choice and take a stand

Miri woke to the sleepy bleating of a goat. The world was as dark as eyes closed, but perhaps the goats could smell dawn seeping through the cracks in the house's stone walls. Though still half-asleep, she was aware of the late autumn chill hovering just outside her blanket, and she wanted to curl up tighter and sleep like a bear through frost and night and day.

It must be a marvelous thing to feel so sure, to be able to meet someone's eyes and not look away.

The next afternoon break, Miri joined the others outside. The sun's glare off the snow made her eyes water, but it seemed the most beautiful day Miri could remember. The sky was achingly blue. The snow that crunched under her boot spread over stone and hillock like spilled cream. The cold made the world feel clean and new, a day for beginnings.

The lowlands aren't so different from here," said Britta. "Just bigger and . . ." "A lot bigger," said Frid. "It's

How can you want to marry someone you've never met?" said Miri. "What if you meet him and do like

They walked back through the village, and Miri kept her eyes on the ground before her. The whole world had shifted, and she was not sure she could keep her feet. She was her ma alive again. When Miri returned, she found Marda moved

Britta had a shrewd smile. "I keep thinking about a tale my nurse used to read to me about a bird whose wings are pinned to the ground. Have you heard it? In the end, when he finally frees himself, he flies so high he becomes a star. My nurse said the story was about how we all have something that keeps us down. So here's what I'm wondering—if Miri's wings are free, what will she do now?" Esa grinned. "Fly away, Miri bird, fly away!" Miri flapped her arms and cawed. "What are you doing?" said Bena, annoyed. The girls laughed. Where