“God wants us all to strive to grow more like Jesus, to become holy as he is holy, but God has a specific purpose for each person. How could it not be so? Everyone in a village cannot be a baker, because who would then make the candles or shoe the horses or grow the food? God says we are like a body. . . . Just as the villagers are part of a village and have different tasks, we all have tasks to do for the Lord God.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“You tried to kill me with your dagger,” Valten said calmly. “I can get you disqualified from this tournament.” “Are you threatening me?” “Yes.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Some children at one of his tournaments in Burgundy had taken to calling him "Goliath". Not the most endearing biblical character.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Promise me that if you get a chance to escape without me, you will do it. He won't kill me. Go find your men and come back for me."
His eyelids and brows lowered. " You don't know me very well or you wouldn't say such a thing. I won't leave you.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“You are brave and strong and good, noble and kind. I love you and I think you're...”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“For a man of action and few words, the ones he did say were quite lovely.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“He bent lower to whisper in her ear," I love you, queen of beauty and love.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“She whispered, "Even with a broken hand, you are the knight I'd most want and trust to rescue me-and I know you can do it. You are the boldest, bravest, most noble knight in the Holy Empire.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“What had his life meant? All his success, all the tournaments he'd won...they were like dust and ashes. Meaningless. Without Gisela, his life was meaningless.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“But I do care. The truth is, I love you.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“The fierce look on his face softened to the look he wore for no one but her.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“You like horses?” “More than people sometimes.” She sensed, by the way he was looking at her, that he felt the same way.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Ruexner will pay dearly for this," Valten promised, speaking to no one in particular, but imagining he had the fiend's neck between his hands. If he dared hurt Gisela...”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Valten turned and stomped back to the Great Hall. He just might put his unbroken hand through someone’s face, if given the slightest bit of provocation.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“At the same time, the thought of Gisela suffering at Ruexner's hands sent ice water through his veins, along with a stab of guilt. If Gisela should suffer pain or distress at Ruexner's hands, it would be his fault. Ruexner had only taken her because of his hatred for Valten. " God, I must save her. I must not fail.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Even a dozen soldiers couldn't make her feel as safe as Valten could.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“I see there’s more cooking out here than the pheasant.” Valten leaned over to turn the roasting birds on the spit and mumbled, “Not anymore.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Don’t think I couldn’t see the love in his eyes when he looked at you. He would have fought to the death for you, that handsome Valten Gerstenberg.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“He gave her a questioning lift of his eyebrows and held out his right arm. “May I? Wear your colors?”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“But I must say that I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you tonight.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“She danced as if nothing had ever made her so happy. She smiled as if it was only for him. He hoped those smiles meant she liked him, because he hoped to dance only with her at the ball tomorrow night.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Ruexner chuckled and put away his knife. Gisela kept her eyes on Valten. Even though her bottom lip trembled, she still looked like the bravest woman he had ever seen.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“His hands wrapped around her upper arms, holding her gently. "You are even more beautiful when you dance.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Valten's blood boiled at the thought of Ruexner holding Gisela, of him taking her by force, dragging her away from underneath Valten's nose, from his own home.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Valten paced the floor of the library, imagining the violence he would wreak on the person responsible for hurting Gisela.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“When he reached her, he put his hand on her shoulder and searched her face in the dim light. “Valten.” She said his name on a happy sigh as she looked into his eyes. He put his arms around her, pulling her against his chest.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Valten’s hand tightened around Gisela arm, and he grunted in frustration. He brushed his finger over her cheek and whispered, “We will continue this conversation later.” “Yes, my lord.” The mischievous twinkle in her eye almost made him kiss her anyway, even though Rainhilda was staring at them from the Great Hall door.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Valten turned and grasped Gisela around the waist to help her down. She placed her hands on his shoulders and he set her on her feet, but slowly. After all, when one has a pleasant task to do, there’s no reason to rush it.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Well, he would share her, but only for a little while. When the ball was over, he would make sure she slept inside the castle tonight, with his sister Margaretha. In fact, he might just make sure she never left the castle. He didn’t intend for her to ever be without protection again.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
“Gisela. She was beautiful and easy to talk to. And unlike Rainhilda, she didn't prattle on and on about things Valten didn't care or know anything about. She talked about horses-a subject he was quite comfortable with. And he always thought a love of horses was sign of gentleness and good character.”
― Melanie Dickerson, quote from The Captive Maiden
Melanie Dickerson
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“- What do you expect? Think we were sent into the world to have a soft time and what is it? Float on flowery beds of ease? Think Man was just made to be happy?
- Why not? Though I've never discovered anybody that knew what the deuce Man really was made for!
- Well, we know not just in the Bible alone, but it stands to reason a man who doesn't buckle down and do his duty, even if it does bore him sometimes, is nothing but a... well, he's simply a weakling. Mollycoddle, in fact! And what do you advocate? Come down to cases! If a man is bored by his wife, do you seriously mean he has a right to chuck her and take a sneak, or even kill himself?
- Good Lord, I don't know what 'rights' a man has! And I don't know the solution of boredom. If I did, I'd be the one philosopher that had the cure for living. But I do know that about ten times as many people find their lives dull, and unnecessarily dull, as ever admit it; and I do believe that if we busted out and admitted it sometimes, instead of being nice and patient and loyal for sixty years, and then nice and patient and dead for the rest of eternity, why, maybe, possibly, we might make life more fun.”
― Sinclair Lewis, quote from Babbitt
“If I do this, something will go wrong and this man will hurt me. I know it as sure as I’m sitting here next to him feeling how much he makes me want to say yes.”
― Georgia Cates, quote from Beauty from Pain
“You can live with hopelessness for only so long before you are, in fact, hopeless.”
― Robert Goolrick, quote from A Reliable Wife
“Don’t you know what a pussy is, sir?’
‘Of course he doesn’t. He hasn’t even seen Basic Instinct.”
― Jonathan Coe, quote from The House of Sleep
“But a man who has lived by truth—and you have believed in what he has lived—he does not leave you merely wary when he fails you, he leaves you with nothing.”
― Harper Lee, quote from Go Set a Watchman
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