It was rumored she held grudges till they died of old age, then had them stuffed and mounted.

Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled, or dead?

Giving orders you know won't be obeyed is one of the best ways I know to destroy your own authority.

Vegtables, what food eats before it becomes food.

She didn't know a lot about politics – yet – but she'd learned enough in her history classes to know politics could always be counted on to make a bad situation worse.

Spies could be invaluable in peacetime, once the fighting actually started, their value dropped steeply. When the swords were out, it was the information your own scouts provided that mattered, not reports from unknown people whose veracity you couldn't prove.

It was rumored she held grudges till they died of old age, then had them stuffed and mounted.