The sleepy palace in the desert suddenly turned into a hive of activity. - P138
As the prince carefully felt her face, the princess closed her eyes and remained still. The touch of this stranger’s fingertips on her face made her feel shy and ticklish; it also felt good, somehow. The feeling of doing something forbidden disconcerted her and scared her a little, but it was also pleasurable and secretly thrilling. She could feel herself blushing a little more each time the prince’s fingertips caressed her face. - P139
"The master of the golden ship cursed my whole family. As long as my father’s blood rules the sands, no one will be safe, he said." - P139
Contrary to the princess’s expectations, the master looked like an ordinary man. He wore no golden armor, his face was not made of gears, and his body was not of sand. His skin was copper-colored, his hair seemed to have faded in the sun and wind, and only his eyes flamed a bright gold. As the prince had mentioned, the master of the golden ship had no left arm, and the empty, pale sleeve of his sun-faded shirt fluttered with every breeze. - P142
"They were cursed because they started the war. The air from the horizon to the sun and moon is a place man may not rule. My ship has sailed peacefully in that air since the dawn of time. It was the king of the desert, blinded by his greed for gold, who first drew his weapons." The voice of the master of the golden ship was calm. "Those who stare for too long at the sun are bound to go blind. The king of the desert made the foolish choice to brandish his sword at the sun. And his progeny will pay for his sins." - P143
"The true nature of man is different from what the princess understands. Even when the curse is lifted, the princess shall not wed the prince." - P143
It was a large, bulky object protruding from beneath the sand. - P144
"When the rains fall on the desert, release a blind fish into the sea." The princess came to her senses. - P145
The fish swung its tail widely. It launched itself from the sands into the cold night sky. The moment it leaped for the sprinkling of stars against deep indigo, the princess heard a sound as if the night sky, clear as glass, was shattering. Rain began to fall. Water poured from the cracks in the sky. - P146
He was expressionless. The light that had found its way into his eyes was cold and lifeless. This strange man staring down at her and cruelly ordering her death was not the same prince who had shed tears on her shoulder. - P147
"One can break the curse, but it is impossible to cure their blindness from greed. They were always ready to wage another war." - P148
"Rule the winds and sands with me, sail above the horizon of time. Until the day the sun and moon shatter and disappear, everything the stars and clouds can reach in this endless realm, it shall all belong to you." - P149
"I wish to live as a mortal," she finally answered. "I wish to meet a man who is like me, who will cherish and love me as I do him, to have children, to see them grow up and find their own mates and have their own children … That is the life I wish for." - P149
The princess nodded. "I know. But I will live life fully until my very moment of death." - P149
This love story is for you. No one asked us, when we weren’t famous
Whether we wanted to live or not I expected so many things But didn’t know what I wanted … - P150
Mulled wine is a European winter drink made of red wine that’s simmered for a long time with spices like cinnamon and cloves. The alcohol evaporates somewhat in the heat, but it’s not entirely boiled away so there’s just enough left over to get drunk on. Which was why sipping this hot beverage in freezing cold weather was making my head spin a little. - P150
My life was making me anxious. I wanted to escape from it, for just a little while at least. - P150
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