The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle Quotes P3
Part 3!
Part 3: Storming the Castle~
“This is a glorious day, men,” Rauber announced, dramatically raising a jeweled scepter above his head. “For I have recaptured two of my archenemies, Prince Lame and Prince Fred-stink.” (p. 326)
Pfft, those are some nicknames.
Lord Rundark stepped toward the panting tailor and applauded. “You are a master of String-Chi,” the Warlord said. “It has been ages since I’ve seen someone with such vicious talent. You shall be part of this bandit army. A general, in fact.” (p. 330)
Someone appreciates his skills. XD
With that distraction in place, Duncan and Snow scrambled down to the wagon that was helpfully labeled CLOWNS in huge pink letters. Duncan walked up to its back door, on which hung a small sign that read DO NOT DISTURB. He knocked anyway. The door opened, and a short man wearing a curly green wig poked his head out. “Which part of ‘Do Not Disturb’ do you not understand?” the man asked.
Duncan thought about it. “Turb,” he answered. (p. 336)
Duncan took that so literally! XD;;;;
Snow poked the clown on the ground. “He’s unconscious,” she said.
“Don’t look at me,” Duncan said. “I’m not going to kiss him.” (p. 338)
Pffft. But remember, there's no such thing as true love kisses!
“Hmm,” Duncan mused. He pulled out a piece of paper and a quill and jotted down a note for his book: “A real hero listens to his wife.” He put the paper away and announced, “Let’s do it. We’ve got some perfectly good clown costumes right here. They happen to have clowns in them; but, hey, you take what you can get.”
Duncan, Snow, and Rapunzel swapped outfits with three of the unconscious clowns. “I should be healing this woman, not stealing her clothes,” Rapunzel sighed as she put on a roomy white one-piece jumpsuit with rainbow-colored fluff balls down the front. “I will come back and cry on you,” she whispered to the clown. (p. 341)
Ducaaaan. Rapunzeeeeeel. XD;; Hey look! We have clown outfits we can use to pretend to be clowns! There are clowns in them, but hey, no big deal. Pfffft. And then, Rapunzel says she'll come back and cry on the clowns.... XD; It just sounds so weird if people didn't know about her healing powers. XD Real heroes listen to their wives~
“Let me show you something,” Ruffian said. He walked over to a small rip in the curtain and pointed out through the hole. “That monstrous man seated next to the Bandit King?” Ruffian said. “That is Lord Rundark, the Warlord of Dar, widely known as the cruelest, most vicious tyrant in the world. Lord Rundark is far more dangerous than the Bandit King.”
“My goodness,” Duncan said. “If the Warlord of Door is here, we need to warn Liam and Frederic.”
“And Gustav and Ella and Lila,” added Snow. Ruffian glared at Briar.
“The young girl is here?” he asked angrily. (p. 345)
Warlord of Door, pffft. I daresay Ruffian has a soft spot for Lila. :)
The giantess brought her arm back, ready to take a big swing and swat as many bandits off the wall as she could. But a bite on her toe from Mr. Troll stopped her.
Maude leaned down and whispered to him: “What’s the deal? Why’d you nibble me?”
“Giant Lady need stick with plan,” Mr. Troll said. “Can’t mess things up for friends inside.” (p. 353)
Mr. Troll, you are made of awesome.
“Giant Lady fight Troll,” he said. “If bandits watch us, bandits not watch friends inside.”
“You know, I like you, troll,” Maude said. “You remind me of a young ogre I wish I hadn’t crushed.”
Maude slammed the ground, causing Mr. Troll to fall flat on his back. He sprang up and punched the giantess in the shin. She tried to stomp on him, and he scratched at her bare foot.
Up on the wall, the bandits looked on in amazement.
“Now, that’s something you don’t see every day,” one said. (p. 355)
Mr. Troll, that is one awesome idea! XD
“Oh, and anyway, I just happened to be passing by a lovely picture window when I looked outside and saw Liam’s sister having some trouble fishing. Only she wasn’t fishing. She was trying to pull you out of the water. But you probably know that part. Anyway, it’s all a great coincidence, isn’t it? I feel like my old luck has returned.”
“Don’t start with the magical luck nonsense again,” Gustav groaned. “There’s no such thing.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, how would you describe Duncan showing up just in time to save you from the eels?” Lila asked him.
“Not lucky,” Gustav said. “Something else. Um. Fortunate!”
“Synonyms, Gustav,” Lila said, shaking her head. “Synonyms.”
“Whatever, Duchess Dictionary,” Gustav grumbled.
“I think you mean ‘thesaurus,’” Lila said.
“Are you trying to be as annoying as your brother?” Gustav snarked. (p. 361)
I think this was the only mention of Duncan's luck! :3;; He's gotten over it since the first book, awwww. He's really grown too~ ♥ Haha, Gustav, pulling out synonyms! XD;;
“That’s not it, Frederic,” Liam said, his voice heavy. “I’ve . . . I’ve done a horrible thing.”
“‘ Horrible’ is a strong word,” Frederic said. “I’m sure that whatever you’ve done doesn’t rise to that level.”
“I knowingly left two innocent men in jail,” Liam said.
“Okay, yes, that’s horrible,” Frederic said. “But I’m sure you had a good reason.”
“I didn’t want them to tell people I’m not a real hero.”
“Mm-hmm, yeah- not a good reason,” Frederic said. “Care to elaborate?” (p. 371)
Liam finally confesses! <33333
“Wow. And I thought I had issues,” Frederic said, rubbing his hands against his temples. “You seriously believe that you’re not a real hero just because you didn’t save the lives of a king and queen when you were three? You think that one false story negates all the good deeds you’ve done over the course of your life? I’ve never met- or even heard about- anyone who has performed more heroic deeds than you. But maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re not a hero anymore. If that’s the case, though, it’s not because of some silliness that was faked back when you were a toddler. It’s because you abandoned those two innocent men last week.”
Liam was silent.
“No one is defined by a single act,” Frederic said. “Whether it was years ago or weeks ago. We’re all given chances to change, to make up for things we’ve done wrong. It’s how we handle those opportunities that really matters. For most of my life, I ran and hid from anything remotely dangerous. Does that make me a coward now? No. If I’m a coward now, it’s because I was just curled in a ball, crying, when a scary man looked at me wrong. But you know what? The next time we see Wrathgar, I could stand up to him. I’m not saying I’m going to- I’ll probably just cry again- but I could stand up to him. And so could you. And you’d be a hero again.” (p. 372)
Frederic, I love you and your quiet strength. klajd;asd;sa;df
Frederic rubbed his hands together and did what he always did when he found himself in a puzzling predicament- he asked himself, What would Sir Bertram the Dainty do? They would need to use some sort of tool to reach the keys. But the bandits had taken away everything they had, leaving them with only the clothes on their backs. Aha! That was it! (p. 373)
I love it when Frederic falls back on Sir Bertram the Dainty! He comes up with the idea of using his clothes, and he doesn't at all hesitate in ripping his jacket apart even though clothes mean a lot to him. But then their jailor comes, notices something off, and tosses Frederic's jacket. Which leaves them no choice...
As soon as they heard the door click shut, Frederic said, “We can still do this, Liam, but I have to ask you to sacrifice your cape.”
Liam unclipped the long blue cape from his neck and gave it a bittersweet caress. “You’ve served me well, old friend.” (p. 375)
Good bye, cape. *wipes tear* XDDDDD
“What’s happening?” Jezek asked as the bandits ran by.
“A troll and a giant are having a fight!” one called as he disappeared over the drawbridge. “It’s way better than the circus!” (p. 377)
Pfffft. The distraction! It's working!!!
“You know, when you showed up just now, I was still kind of hoping you might have come to help us,” Frederic said sadly. (p. 379)
I love your trust in people, Frederic. ;___;
“It’s a dumbwaiter,” Lila whispered. “We have them at the palace back in Erinthia. There’s a long shaft they use to send food and messages up and down between floors.”
“And rats apparently,” Gustav said as they watched Madu lift a squirming brown rat from the basket by its tail. He held the wriggling rodent up to his nose and sniffed it.
“King Moonracer,” Duncan said.
“Don’t get too attached,” Ella warned. “My guess is that King Moonracer is going to be lunch for the snake.”
Duncan shrugged. “Circle of life,” he said. (p. 383)
Ducaaaaaan. XD;;;; I love how everyone else just goes with it now, like Ella using the name King Moonracer here without batting an eye.
“Starf it all!” Gustav griped. “Last time I was supposed to fight the dragon. But that didn’t get to happen! This time I was supposed to fight the giant snake. And we can’t even find the stupid thing!” (p. 386)
Gustav likes to swear with "starf it all." XD;; *notes down*
And Lila began to drop. She screamed, plummeting downward, before jerking to a stop.
“Don’t worry, Liam’s sister!” Duncan called down to her. “I’ve got the rope!”
“What happened to Ella?” Lila shouted upward, relieved but slightly worried (the way many people feel when Duncan comes to their aid). (p. 389)
I would be slightly worried too if Duncan was the one at the other end of a rope that's preventing me from falling to my death. :3;;;
“She and Gustav are fighting with the snake,” Duncan yelled down. “But they’re not doing very well. The snake knocked Gustav through the wall of that sack shop. He crawled out with a burlap bag over his head. I wish our lives weren’t in mortal danger right now, because normally that would have been hilarious.” (p. 389)
Pffffft. I don't think Gustav would appreciate your laughter, Duncan.
“Ha!” Gustav crowed. “I beat you, stupid snake!” He raised his fists in victory and marched back and forth, howling like a troll. This was the first time Gustav had ever actually bested a monster in battle, and he couldn’t wait to rub it in his brothers’ faces. Even Rapunzel would look at him differently after this, he thought. (p. 394)
Awww, Gustav still cares a lot about Rapunzel!
If you want something, the best way to get it is to just ask. If that doesn’t work, you can always fall back on a fully armed twelve-person assault team. (p. 405)
The Twelve Holy Knights
“Shoot it! Shoot it!” Jezek yelled.
“Sir, I’m sorry to have to be the one to explain this to you,” one archer said, “but we have bows and arrows. They’re made for long-range combat. Long-range. They don’t work so well when the enemy is right in front of you. For that you need melee weapons, by which I mean swords and clubs and other such things that you could use for close-range fiiiiiiiiiiiiii-”
And Mr. Troll tossed him off the wall. (p. 411)
Yeaaaaaaah, you might not want to talk for such a long time when there's a troll looming right before you. =P
Another bandit shouted, “Catch this, clown,” and winged a mealy apple at Snow. She spun around and caught it easily, then whipped it back at him. Several audience members began throwing vegetables, flatware, and other various doodads at Snow; and- with twirls, flips, and hops in between- she caught and tossed back every one. The bandits were laughing and clapping as Snow bounced around the stage, using those gifted arms of hers in a juggling act with the entire audience.
“I didn’t even know I was good at this,” Snow said, grinning uncontrollably. “But I’m really good at this!” (p. 417)
Gooooo, Snow! XDDD
“Rapunzel?”
“Frederic!” she said in a horrified whisper as she ran to him. She stopped when she saw Wrathgar lying in her path. “Is that a person?”
“Yes, a mean one,” Frederic said. “Whatever you do, don’t cry on him.” (p. 418)
Pffft, yup, wouldn't want to accidentally heal him.
“You wanted to sacrifice us all along,” Liam muttered in disgust.
“Wanted to, yes- past tense,” Briar said. “But then you and your friends just had to prance around me all week, being all admirable and oddly respectable, and flaunting your worth as human beings. Making me feel guilty about sending you to your dooms. And making me realize that whatever I might have done with the Gem would be child’s play compared to what Rauber- or, heaven forbid, the Darians- could do with it.” (p. 420)
I really liked that Briar showed up more in this book! She's still a nasty person, but we get to know her just a bit better, and she seems to be changing a tiny little bit.
“Please don’t kill me,” Lila whispered.
“And deprive the world of the most promising young bounty hunter I’ve seen in years?” he replied as he cut her bindings.
“I knew you weren’t all bad,” Lila said, flashing him a sly grin.
“You knew no such thing,” he returned. He grabbed her by the hand. “Come. We’re escaping over the side.” (p. 423)
Lila and Ruffian the Blue make quite an awesome combo too. <3333
“How’d you get free?” Gustav asked Duncan.
“King Moonracer.”
“The rat?” Gustav said. “How’d you manage that?”
Duncan smiled and showed Gustav the piece of cheese that was in his hand. (p. 427)
King Moonracer! XDDDDDD I greatly believe that Duncan makes his own luck. It would seem lucky that a rat freed him, but it was because he had cheese. Duncan's randomness comes into play once again. XD
Vero charged at Ella with a series of frenzied slashes, finally knocking her weapon from her hand.
“You are good,” he said. “But I think you must agree that I am simply superior.” He knew he had defeated this fascinating woman and couldn’t resist the urge to show off just a bit. As he came in for the final blow, he spun gracefully, his long ponytail flowing out behind him. Ella grabbed a handful of flapping hair and jerked Vero off balance. As the swordsman stumbled over, she brought her knee up into his face.
“Capes, ponytails- they’re all the same,” Ella said. She looked down at Vero, who was on his knees, cradling his broken nose. “Never underestimate a woman again.”
“Dis I will nod do,” Vero mumbled in a stuffy voice. (p. 427)
Bwahahahahahaha! XD;;; Ella reenacts her duel with Liam, but this time, instead of grabbing a cape, she grab's Vero's ponytail. XD;; Capes and ponytails... neither are practical in a fight. =P
“Well, you know, you’re here to heal us,” he said. “If you get hurt, who’s gonna heal you?”
Gustav’s cheeks burned red. He was awkwardly trying to look anywhere other than at Rapunzel.
“Wait, where’s Lila?” Liam asked nervously.
“Don’t worry,” said Ella. “She’s with Ruffian.”
“Oh, good,” Liam said. “Wait? Is that good?”
“Where’s Little Taylor?” Duncan asked.
“You don’t want to know,” said Liam.
“I’m okay, too,” Briar said loudly. “Thanks for checking, everybody.” (p. 432)
Gustav is still stumbling around Rapunzel. :3;;; But there's still hope for him yet! Haha, Briar...
At the sight of Wrathgar, the first thought that went through Gustav’s head was Gotta make sure Rapunzel and Frederic get out okay. But what he said was “Where have you been hiding this guy? This is the fight I’ve been looking for!” (p. 434)
kjdsf;asdjfa;s Why wasn't there more interaction between Gustav and Frederic in this book?!!! Their friendship is just so awesome.
When Gustav went limp, Duncan first let out a mournful cry. Then he got angry. He held his fist in front of him and ran straight at Wrathgar.
“Syllllll-vaaaaaaah-riiiiii-aaaaa!” (p. 436)
Ahahahaha, Duncan tries to imitate Gustav's war cry. <3
“No, it’s through here,” Briar insisted. “I remember these doors.” She marched past Rapunzel and headed for a pair of large wooden doors with images of laughing cherubs carved into them. To her surprise, everybody followed her, and she wondered for a second if she were somehow controlling them all with the sword. No, that’s not it, she thought. They trust me.
<3333 And doesn't that feel good, Briar?
The path to the exit was clear, save for one thing: El Stripo.
The tiger was curled on the floor next to a big bowl of water. Its faded orange fur sagged loosely on its thin and feeble frame, and it still had no teeth. The animal had trouble keeping its eyelids open.
All heads turned to Frederic.
“Well, okay, now I feel a little silly,” he said sheepishly. “Let’s move on.” (p. 444)
That was a little anti-climatic. XD;;; (The poor tiger...)
“Look, on top of the wall!” Gustav suddenly shouted. He pointed up at Jezek and Mr. Troll, who were still wrestling on the ramparts. “We’ve gotta get Furface down with us.”
“Of course we do,” Briar muttered, rolling her eyes.
Lord Rundark rolled his eyes, too.
“He’s part of the team,” Gustav insisted. (p. 445)
Gustav looks out for his friends. <3333
“And now,” Lord Rundark said, holding up the jewel, “let me show you how a warlord uses the Jeopardous Jade Djinn Gem.”
Just then: “Stuuuuuuuuurm-hayyyyyyyy-gennnnnnnn!” (pg. 450)
Gustaaaaaav! \o\\\\
Rundark licked his lips. “Bandits of Rauberia,” he shouted. “Let me demonstrate for you the real difference between heroes and villains. Heroes have lines they will not cross. But a true villain- a successful villain- will do whatever he needs to in order to win.” (p. 451)
In other words, heroes have ethics but villains are willing to throw them away. That seems to be the definition here!
“You had better deliver the final blow, prince,” Rundark called. “Because if you don’t, in three seconds she will.”
Liam closed his eyes.
Duncan suddenly gasped and turned to Snow. “You have to be a hero, honey,” he said.
“One!” Rundark called.
Duncan dug into his saddlebag and handed an oddly shaped rock to Snow.
“Two!”
“It looks just like Frank!” she said.
“I know,” Duncan said. “I’ll be sad to lose it. But this is important. Show me your trick.”
“Three!”
Snow squinted, brought her arm back, and hurled the dwarf-shaped rock with all her might. The stone smashed into Lord Rundark’s raised hand, knocking the magical jewel from his fingers.
Ella blinked. (p. 454)
jkasf;lasjf;as Truly, Snow and Duncan are perfect for each other. They understand each other so well. :3;; Frank the rock makes its return and had to be sacrificed. XD;;;
“But nobody else got it either,” said Liam. “And that’s probably the best of all possible-” He stopped short when he felt something he wasn’t prepared for.
Briar, sitting behind him on his horse, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her weary head on his shoulder. (p. 457)
<3333
When facing unbeatable odds, just think of yourself as unbeatably odd. (p. 459)
XDDD
The very first thing Liam did upon returning to Avondell was to free Aldo Cremins and Varick Knoblock, the wrongfully imprisoned actors. Then he addressed the public and revealed the truth about his origins. He assumed this would make people hate him again- and he was correct- but he also knew it was the right thing to do. He was a hero, after all.
Even if he was a hero everybody hated. (p. 460)
Good for you, Liam!
But Liam still felt quite mopey after the whole episode. He sat around the palace for days with his head in his hands. Occasionally, he’d kick at a pebble or absentmindedly tug at a loose thread on his cape, but other than that, he didn’t do much. One day, he walked down to the palace prison, stepped into cell 842, and pulled the door shut behind him. (p. 460)
Not good... OTL
Ruffian narrowed his eyes. “Why would you even want to learn to be a bounty hunter?”
“Because you said I was good at it. I don’t get much in the way of positive reinforcement back home.”
Ruffian lowered his head. “I can think of few things more irresponsible than taking on a twelve-year-old as an apprentice.”
“Actually, Ruff,” Lila said with a grin. “I’m thirteen.”
“Since when?”
“My birthday was the same day as Liam’s wedding. Everyone kind of forgot it, but I understand. There was a lot going on.”
Ruffian looked into Lila’s eager eyes. For some reason, the girl admired him- liked him even. And she reminded him so much of his own daughter- the one missing person he’d never been able to find.
“Come,” he said, leaving the scene of the crime. “There’s something you need far more than a lesson in tracking down fugitives.”
“What’s that?” Lila asked, disappointed.
“A cake.” (p. 463)
LILA DECIDES NOT TO RETURN HOME. Ahhhhhhh, these twoooooo. A cake. <3
Frederic loosened his collar. “You see, this is what I mean about you and me- not completely compatible.”
“But even if we’re not husband and wife, we’ll still be great friends, right?” Ella asked earnestly.
“Always,” Frederic said. “I’m certainly not casting you out. You’re still staying at the palace with me. If you want to, that is.” He smiled shyly. (p. 465)
Awwwwww. They should indeed start as friends though, and see where that takes them! I hope they stay great friends. :) I was hoping to get more of a conclusion to the relationship front, but I see that none of them are really ready for this. They all still need to get to know each other better.
“I let Ella down just now. But I’ll never do it again. You need to listen to me now and understand me clearly: Every choice I’ve made, I’ve made. Ella didn’t make me invade the Bandit King’s castle. Liam didn’t make me attack an evil witch. No one has ever forced me to do anything. Except you.” (p. 467)
I just love how much Frederic has grown since the first novel. At the beginning of the previous book, he wouldn't even dream of doing all of these things, but this time, he volunteered for it! And he's standing up to his father!
Frederic gathered some essential belongings- a money pouch, his hairbrush, several spare suits, baby powder- and walked out of the palace. He looked upon the vista of open countryside before him. He could go anywhere now. Anywhere he wanted. He was terrified. (p. 467)
Having the entire world before you? That is terrifying.
The king looked up (in his sudden sorrow, he’d let his face drop into his casserole). “You’ve only just moved back in, and you’re going to leave again already,” he said.
“Oh, not right away,” Duncan said. “I think this castle will be our home for a while.”
“Huzzah!” said King King. Queen Apricotta bounced in her seat. The twins began drumming the table with asparagus stalks. Snow rubbed Duncan’s head playfully, and he began to blush. There were at least five people in this room who definitely considered him their hero. (p. 468)
This family is the cutest. kjasfl;dasj;dfa
“Yeah? Well, it’s my nature to . . .” He paused and cocked his head like a curious beagle. “Well, I guess I want to help people, too. Just not in a wimpy way like you do.”
“I’m so glad you appreciate my life’s work,” Rapunzel sighed.
Gustav grinned. “Was that sarcasm, Blondie? I guess I have been rubbing off on you. Anyway, you’re right: You don’t need my help. But somebody out there must. So what am I sitting around for?” He grabbed his bag (which contained nothing but knives and beef jerky) and headed out the front door. (p. 471)
Gustav, I think you rubbed off on Frederic too, because now both Frederic and Rapunzel can both be sarcastic. XD;;
“I’m not afraid of rain,” Gustav said, his long, wet hair already matted to his forehead. He raised his fist to the sky and jokingly shouted, “Do your worst, clouds!” He laughed and looked back to Rapunzel in the doorway. She was laughing, too. And oddly, Gustav’s heart beat a little bit faster.
“By the way,” he said. “Thanks for saving my life.” (p. 472)
Awwww. Gustav, you've grown a lot too!
Dazed (but elated), Liam left the prison. He gathered a few things- a money pouch, his sword, a spare cape- and stepped out through the front gates of the palace into the early-summer sun. He couldn’t remain in Avondell, and he wasn’t going to return to Erinthia. He had no idea where he was going. But he was free. (p. 474)
And so, the book ends with Ella, Frederic, Gustav, Liam, and Lila all wandering around away from home. Somewhat of a... very open-ended ending. I wonder where they'll all go? I don't doubt that they'll run into each other again, especially since Lord Rundark is still about. Ducan seems like he's staying put, but a book without him would feel quite weird!
Part 3: Storming the Castle~
“This is a glorious day, men,” Rauber announced, dramatically raising a jeweled scepter above his head. “For I have recaptured two of my archenemies, Prince Lame and Prince Fred-stink.” (p. 326)
Pfft, those are some nicknames.
Lord Rundark stepped toward the panting tailor and applauded. “You are a master of String-Chi,” the Warlord said. “It has been ages since I’ve seen someone with such vicious talent. You shall be part of this bandit army. A general, in fact.” (p. 330)
Someone appreciates his skills. XD
With that distraction in place, Duncan and Snow scrambled down to the wagon that was helpfully labeled CLOWNS in huge pink letters. Duncan walked up to its back door, on which hung a small sign that read DO NOT DISTURB. He knocked anyway. The door opened, and a short man wearing a curly green wig poked his head out. “Which part of ‘Do Not Disturb’ do you not understand?” the man asked.
Duncan thought about it. “Turb,” he answered. (p. 336)
Duncan took that so literally! XD;;;;
Snow poked the clown on the ground. “He’s unconscious,” she said.
“Don’t look at me,” Duncan said. “I’m not going to kiss him.” (p. 338)
Pffft. But remember, there's no such thing as true love kisses!
“Hmm,” Duncan mused. He pulled out a piece of paper and a quill and jotted down a note for his book: “A real hero listens to his wife.” He put the paper away and announced, “Let’s do it. We’ve got some perfectly good clown costumes right here. They happen to have clowns in them; but, hey, you take what you can get.”
Duncan, Snow, and Rapunzel swapped outfits with three of the unconscious clowns. “I should be healing this woman, not stealing her clothes,” Rapunzel sighed as she put on a roomy white one-piece jumpsuit with rainbow-colored fluff balls down the front. “I will come back and cry on you,” she whispered to the clown. (p. 341)
Ducaaaan. Rapunzeeeeeel. XD;; Hey look! We have clown outfits we can use to pretend to be clowns! There are clowns in them, but hey, no big deal. Pfffft. And then, Rapunzel says she'll come back and cry on the clowns.... XD; It just sounds so weird if people didn't know about her healing powers. XD Real heroes listen to their wives~
“Let me show you something,” Ruffian said. He walked over to a small rip in the curtain and pointed out through the hole. “That monstrous man seated next to the Bandit King?” Ruffian said. “That is Lord Rundark, the Warlord of Dar, widely known as the cruelest, most vicious tyrant in the world. Lord Rundark is far more dangerous than the Bandit King.”
“My goodness,” Duncan said. “If the Warlord of Door is here, we need to warn Liam and Frederic.”
“And Gustav and Ella and Lila,” added Snow. Ruffian glared at Briar.
“The young girl is here?” he asked angrily. (p. 345)
Warlord of Door, pffft. I daresay Ruffian has a soft spot for Lila. :)
The giantess brought her arm back, ready to take a big swing and swat as many bandits off the wall as she could. But a bite on her toe from Mr. Troll stopped her.
Maude leaned down and whispered to him: “What’s the deal? Why’d you nibble me?”
“Giant Lady need stick with plan,” Mr. Troll said. “Can’t mess things up for friends inside.” (p. 353)
Mr. Troll, you are made of awesome.
“Giant Lady fight Troll,” he said. “If bandits watch us, bandits not watch friends inside.”
“You know, I like you, troll,” Maude said. “You remind me of a young ogre I wish I hadn’t crushed.”
Maude slammed the ground, causing Mr. Troll to fall flat on his back. He sprang up and punched the giantess in the shin. She tried to stomp on him, and he scratched at her bare foot.
Up on the wall, the bandits looked on in amazement.
“Now, that’s something you don’t see every day,” one said. (p. 355)
Mr. Troll, that is one awesome idea! XD
“Oh, and anyway, I just happened to be passing by a lovely picture window when I looked outside and saw Liam’s sister having some trouble fishing. Only she wasn’t fishing. She was trying to pull you out of the water. But you probably know that part. Anyway, it’s all a great coincidence, isn’t it? I feel like my old luck has returned.”
“Don’t start with the magical luck nonsense again,” Gustav groaned. “There’s no such thing.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, how would you describe Duncan showing up just in time to save you from the eels?” Lila asked him.
“Not lucky,” Gustav said. “Something else. Um. Fortunate!”
“Synonyms, Gustav,” Lila said, shaking her head. “Synonyms.”
“Whatever, Duchess Dictionary,” Gustav grumbled.
“I think you mean ‘thesaurus,’” Lila said.
“Are you trying to be as annoying as your brother?” Gustav snarked. (p. 361)
I think this was the only mention of Duncan's luck! :3;; He's gotten over it since the first book, awwww. He's really grown too~ ♥ Haha, Gustav, pulling out synonyms! XD;;
“That’s not it, Frederic,” Liam said, his voice heavy. “I’ve . . . I’ve done a horrible thing.”
“‘ Horrible’ is a strong word,” Frederic said. “I’m sure that whatever you’ve done doesn’t rise to that level.”
“I knowingly left two innocent men in jail,” Liam said.
“Okay, yes, that’s horrible,” Frederic said. “But I’m sure you had a good reason.”
“I didn’t want them to tell people I’m not a real hero.”
“Mm-hmm, yeah- not a good reason,” Frederic said. “Care to elaborate?” (p. 371)
Liam finally confesses! <33333
“Wow. And I thought I had issues,” Frederic said, rubbing his hands against his temples. “You seriously believe that you’re not a real hero just because you didn’t save the lives of a king and queen when you were three? You think that one false story negates all the good deeds you’ve done over the course of your life? I’ve never met- or even heard about- anyone who has performed more heroic deeds than you. But maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re not a hero anymore. If that’s the case, though, it’s not because of some silliness that was faked back when you were a toddler. It’s because you abandoned those two innocent men last week.”
Liam was silent.
“No one is defined by a single act,” Frederic said. “Whether it was years ago or weeks ago. We’re all given chances to change, to make up for things we’ve done wrong. It’s how we handle those opportunities that really matters. For most of my life, I ran and hid from anything remotely dangerous. Does that make me a coward now? No. If I’m a coward now, it’s because I was just curled in a ball, crying, when a scary man looked at me wrong. But you know what? The next time we see Wrathgar, I could stand up to him. I’m not saying I’m going to- I’ll probably just cry again- but I could stand up to him. And so could you. And you’d be a hero again.” (p. 372)
Frederic, I love you and your quiet strength. klajd;asd;sa;df
Frederic rubbed his hands together and did what he always did when he found himself in a puzzling predicament- he asked himself, What would Sir Bertram the Dainty do? They would need to use some sort of tool to reach the keys. But the bandits had taken away everything they had, leaving them with only the clothes on their backs. Aha! That was it! (p. 373)
I love it when Frederic falls back on Sir Bertram the Dainty! He comes up with the idea of using his clothes, and he doesn't at all hesitate in ripping his jacket apart even though clothes mean a lot to him. But then their jailor comes, notices something off, and tosses Frederic's jacket. Which leaves them no choice...
As soon as they heard the door click shut, Frederic said, “We can still do this, Liam, but I have to ask you to sacrifice your cape.”
Liam unclipped the long blue cape from his neck and gave it a bittersweet caress. “You’ve served me well, old friend.” (p. 375)
Good bye, cape. *wipes tear* XDDDDD
“What’s happening?” Jezek asked as the bandits ran by.
“A troll and a giant are having a fight!” one called as he disappeared over the drawbridge. “It’s way better than the circus!” (p. 377)
Pfffft. The distraction! It's working!!!
“You know, when you showed up just now, I was still kind of hoping you might have come to help us,” Frederic said sadly. (p. 379)
I love your trust in people, Frederic. ;___;
“It’s a dumbwaiter,” Lila whispered. “We have them at the palace back in Erinthia. There’s a long shaft they use to send food and messages up and down between floors.”
“And rats apparently,” Gustav said as they watched Madu lift a squirming brown rat from the basket by its tail. He held the wriggling rodent up to his nose and sniffed it.
“King Moonracer,” Duncan said.
“Don’t get too attached,” Ella warned. “My guess is that King Moonracer is going to be lunch for the snake.”
Duncan shrugged. “Circle of life,” he said. (p. 383)
Ducaaaaaan. XD;;;; I love how everyone else just goes with it now, like Ella using the name King Moonracer here without batting an eye.
“Starf it all!” Gustav griped. “Last time I was supposed to fight the dragon. But that didn’t get to happen! This time I was supposed to fight the giant snake. And we can’t even find the stupid thing!” (p. 386)
Gustav likes to swear with "starf it all." XD;; *notes down*
And Lila began to drop. She screamed, plummeting downward, before jerking to a stop.
“Don’t worry, Liam’s sister!” Duncan called down to her. “I’ve got the rope!”
“What happened to Ella?” Lila shouted upward, relieved but slightly worried (the way many people feel when Duncan comes to their aid). (p. 389)
I would be slightly worried too if Duncan was the one at the other end of a rope that's preventing me from falling to my death. :3;;;
“She and Gustav are fighting with the snake,” Duncan yelled down. “But they’re not doing very well. The snake knocked Gustav through the wall of that sack shop. He crawled out with a burlap bag over his head. I wish our lives weren’t in mortal danger right now, because normally that would have been hilarious.” (p. 389)
Pffffft. I don't think Gustav would appreciate your laughter, Duncan.
“Ha!” Gustav crowed. “I beat you, stupid snake!” He raised his fists in victory and marched back and forth, howling like a troll. This was the first time Gustav had ever actually bested a monster in battle, and he couldn’t wait to rub it in his brothers’ faces. Even Rapunzel would look at him differently after this, he thought. (p. 394)
Awww, Gustav still cares a lot about Rapunzel!
If you want something, the best way to get it is to just ask. If that doesn’t work, you can always fall back on a fully armed twelve-person assault team. (p. 405)
The Twelve Holy Knights
“Shoot it! Shoot it!” Jezek yelled.
“Sir, I’m sorry to have to be the one to explain this to you,” one archer said, “but we have bows and arrows. They’re made for long-range combat. Long-range. They don’t work so well when the enemy is right in front of you. For that you need melee weapons, by which I mean swords and clubs and other such things that you could use for close-range fiiiiiiiiiiiiii-”
And Mr. Troll tossed him off the wall. (p. 411)
Yeaaaaaaah, you might not want to talk for such a long time when there's a troll looming right before you. =P
Another bandit shouted, “Catch this, clown,” and winged a mealy apple at Snow. She spun around and caught it easily, then whipped it back at him. Several audience members began throwing vegetables, flatware, and other various doodads at Snow; and- with twirls, flips, and hops in between- she caught and tossed back every one. The bandits were laughing and clapping as Snow bounced around the stage, using those gifted arms of hers in a juggling act with the entire audience.
“I didn’t even know I was good at this,” Snow said, grinning uncontrollably. “But I’m really good at this!” (p. 417)
Gooooo, Snow! XDDD
“Rapunzel?”
“Frederic!” she said in a horrified whisper as she ran to him. She stopped when she saw Wrathgar lying in her path. “Is that a person?”
“Yes, a mean one,” Frederic said. “Whatever you do, don’t cry on him.” (p. 418)
Pffft, yup, wouldn't want to accidentally heal him.
“You wanted to sacrifice us all along,” Liam muttered in disgust.
“Wanted to, yes- past tense,” Briar said. “But then you and your friends just had to prance around me all week, being all admirable and oddly respectable, and flaunting your worth as human beings. Making me feel guilty about sending you to your dooms. And making me realize that whatever I might have done with the Gem would be child’s play compared to what Rauber- or, heaven forbid, the Darians- could do with it.” (p. 420)
I really liked that Briar showed up more in this book! She's still a nasty person, but we get to know her just a bit better, and she seems to be changing a tiny little bit.
“Please don’t kill me,” Lila whispered.
“And deprive the world of the most promising young bounty hunter I’ve seen in years?” he replied as he cut her bindings.
“I knew you weren’t all bad,” Lila said, flashing him a sly grin.
“You knew no such thing,” he returned. He grabbed her by the hand. “Come. We’re escaping over the side.” (p. 423)
Lila and Ruffian the Blue make quite an awesome combo too. <3333
“How’d you get free?” Gustav asked Duncan.
“King Moonracer.”
“The rat?” Gustav said. “How’d you manage that?”
Duncan smiled and showed Gustav the piece of cheese that was in his hand. (p. 427)
King Moonracer! XDDDDDD I greatly believe that Duncan makes his own luck. It would seem lucky that a rat freed him, but it was because he had cheese. Duncan's randomness comes into play once again. XD
Vero charged at Ella with a series of frenzied slashes, finally knocking her weapon from her hand.
“You are good,” he said. “But I think you must agree that I am simply superior.” He knew he had defeated this fascinating woman and couldn’t resist the urge to show off just a bit. As he came in for the final blow, he spun gracefully, his long ponytail flowing out behind him. Ella grabbed a handful of flapping hair and jerked Vero off balance. As the swordsman stumbled over, she brought her knee up into his face.
“Capes, ponytails- they’re all the same,” Ella said. She looked down at Vero, who was on his knees, cradling his broken nose. “Never underestimate a woman again.”
“Dis I will nod do,” Vero mumbled in a stuffy voice. (p. 427)
Bwahahahahahaha! XD;;; Ella reenacts her duel with Liam, but this time, instead of grabbing a cape, she grab's Vero's ponytail. XD;; Capes and ponytails... neither are practical in a fight. =P
“Well, you know, you’re here to heal us,” he said. “If you get hurt, who’s gonna heal you?”
Gustav’s cheeks burned red. He was awkwardly trying to look anywhere other than at Rapunzel.
“Wait, where’s Lila?” Liam asked nervously.
“Don’t worry,” said Ella. “She’s with Ruffian.”
“Oh, good,” Liam said. “Wait? Is that good?”
“Where’s Little Taylor?” Duncan asked.
“You don’t want to know,” said Liam.
“I’m okay, too,” Briar said loudly. “Thanks for checking, everybody.” (p. 432)
Gustav is still stumbling around Rapunzel. :3;;; But there's still hope for him yet! Haha, Briar...
At the sight of Wrathgar, the first thought that went through Gustav’s head was Gotta make sure Rapunzel and Frederic get out okay. But what he said was “Where have you been hiding this guy? This is the fight I’ve been looking for!” (p. 434)
kjdsf;asdjfa;s Why wasn't there more interaction between Gustav and Frederic in this book?!!! Their friendship is just so awesome.
When Gustav went limp, Duncan first let out a mournful cry. Then he got angry. He held his fist in front of him and ran straight at Wrathgar.
“Syllllll-vaaaaaaah-riiiiii-aaaaa!” (p. 436)
Ahahahaha, Duncan tries to imitate Gustav's war cry. <3
“No, it’s through here,” Briar insisted. “I remember these doors.” She marched past Rapunzel and headed for a pair of large wooden doors with images of laughing cherubs carved into them. To her surprise, everybody followed her, and she wondered for a second if she were somehow controlling them all with the sword. No, that’s not it, she thought. They trust me.
<3333 And doesn't that feel good, Briar?
The path to the exit was clear, save for one thing: El Stripo.
The tiger was curled on the floor next to a big bowl of water. Its faded orange fur sagged loosely on its thin and feeble frame, and it still had no teeth. The animal had trouble keeping its eyelids open.
All heads turned to Frederic.
“Well, okay, now I feel a little silly,” he said sheepishly. “Let’s move on.” (p. 444)
That was a little anti-climatic. XD;;; (The poor tiger...)
“Look, on top of the wall!” Gustav suddenly shouted. He pointed up at Jezek and Mr. Troll, who were still wrestling on the ramparts. “We’ve gotta get Furface down with us.”
“Of course we do,” Briar muttered, rolling her eyes.
Lord Rundark rolled his eyes, too.
“He’s part of the team,” Gustav insisted. (p. 445)
Gustav looks out for his friends. <3333
“And now,” Lord Rundark said, holding up the jewel, “let me show you how a warlord uses the Jeopardous Jade Djinn Gem.”
Just then: “Stuuuuuuuuurm-hayyyyyyyy-gennnnnnnn!” (pg. 450)
Gustaaaaaav! \o\\\\
Rundark licked his lips. “Bandits of Rauberia,” he shouted. “Let me demonstrate for you the real difference between heroes and villains. Heroes have lines they will not cross. But a true villain- a successful villain- will do whatever he needs to in order to win.” (p. 451)
In other words, heroes have ethics but villains are willing to throw them away. That seems to be the definition here!
“You had better deliver the final blow, prince,” Rundark called. “Because if you don’t, in three seconds she will.”
Liam closed his eyes.
Duncan suddenly gasped and turned to Snow. “You have to be a hero, honey,” he said.
“One!” Rundark called.
Duncan dug into his saddlebag and handed an oddly shaped rock to Snow.
“Two!”
“It looks just like Frank!” she said.
“I know,” Duncan said. “I’ll be sad to lose it. But this is important. Show me your trick.”
“Three!”
Snow squinted, brought her arm back, and hurled the dwarf-shaped rock with all her might. The stone smashed into Lord Rundark’s raised hand, knocking the magical jewel from his fingers.
Ella blinked. (p. 454)
jkasf;lasjf;as Truly, Snow and Duncan are perfect for each other. They understand each other so well. :3;; Frank the rock makes its return and had to be sacrificed. XD;;;
“But nobody else got it either,” said Liam. “And that’s probably the best of all possible-” He stopped short when he felt something he wasn’t prepared for.
Briar, sitting behind him on his horse, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her weary head on his shoulder. (p. 457)
<3333
When facing unbeatable odds, just think of yourself as unbeatably odd. (p. 459)
XDDD
The very first thing Liam did upon returning to Avondell was to free Aldo Cremins and Varick Knoblock, the wrongfully imprisoned actors. Then he addressed the public and revealed the truth about his origins. He assumed this would make people hate him again- and he was correct- but he also knew it was the right thing to do. He was a hero, after all.
Even if he was a hero everybody hated. (p. 460)
Good for you, Liam!
But Liam still felt quite mopey after the whole episode. He sat around the palace for days with his head in his hands. Occasionally, he’d kick at a pebble or absentmindedly tug at a loose thread on his cape, but other than that, he didn’t do much. One day, he walked down to the palace prison, stepped into cell 842, and pulled the door shut behind him. (p. 460)
Not good... OTL
Ruffian narrowed his eyes. “Why would you even want to learn to be a bounty hunter?”
“Because you said I was good at it. I don’t get much in the way of positive reinforcement back home.”
Ruffian lowered his head. “I can think of few things more irresponsible than taking on a twelve-year-old as an apprentice.”
“Actually, Ruff,” Lila said with a grin. “I’m thirteen.”
“Since when?”
“My birthday was the same day as Liam’s wedding. Everyone kind of forgot it, but I understand. There was a lot going on.”
Ruffian looked into Lila’s eager eyes. For some reason, the girl admired him- liked him even. And she reminded him so much of his own daughter- the one missing person he’d never been able to find.
“Come,” he said, leaving the scene of the crime. “There’s something you need far more than a lesson in tracking down fugitives.”
“What’s that?” Lila asked, disappointed.
“A cake.” (p. 463)
LILA DECIDES NOT TO RETURN HOME. Ahhhhhhh, these twoooooo. A cake. <3
Frederic loosened his collar. “You see, this is what I mean about you and me- not completely compatible.”
“But even if we’re not husband and wife, we’ll still be great friends, right?” Ella asked earnestly.
“Always,” Frederic said. “I’m certainly not casting you out. You’re still staying at the palace with me. If you want to, that is.” He smiled shyly. (p. 465)
Awwwwww. They should indeed start as friends though, and see where that takes them! I hope they stay great friends. :) I was hoping to get more of a conclusion to the relationship front, but I see that none of them are really ready for this. They all still need to get to know each other better.
“I let Ella down just now. But I’ll never do it again. You need to listen to me now and understand me clearly: Every choice I’ve made, I’ve made. Ella didn’t make me invade the Bandit King’s castle. Liam didn’t make me attack an evil witch. No one has ever forced me to do anything. Except you.” (p. 467)
I just love how much Frederic has grown since the first novel. At the beginning of the previous book, he wouldn't even dream of doing all of these things, but this time, he volunteered for it! And he's standing up to his father!
Frederic gathered some essential belongings- a money pouch, his hairbrush, several spare suits, baby powder- and walked out of the palace. He looked upon the vista of open countryside before him. He could go anywhere now. Anywhere he wanted. He was terrified. (p. 467)
Having the entire world before you? That is terrifying.
The king looked up (in his sudden sorrow, he’d let his face drop into his casserole). “You’ve only just moved back in, and you’re going to leave again already,” he said.
“Oh, not right away,” Duncan said. “I think this castle will be our home for a while.”
“Huzzah!” said King King. Queen Apricotta bounced in her seat. The twins began drumming the table with asparagus stalks. Snow rubbed Duncan’s head playfully, and he began to blush. There were at least five people in this room who definitely considered him their hero. (p. 468)
This family is the cutest. kjasfl;dasj;dfa
“Yeah? Well, it’s my nature to . . .” He paused and cocked his head like a curious beagle. “Well, I guess I want to help people, too. Just not in a wimpy way like you do.”
“I’m so glad you appreciate my life’s work,” Rapunzel sighed.
Gustav grinned. “Was that sarcasm, Blondie? I guess I have been rubbing off on you. Anyway, you’re right: You don’t need my help. But somebody out there must. So what am I sitting around for?” He grabbed his bag (which contained nothing but knives and beef jerky) and headed out the front door. (p. 471)
Gustav, I think you rubbed off on Frederic too, because now both Frederic and Rapunzel can both be sarcastic. XD;;
“I’m not afraid of rain,” Gustav said, his long, wet hair already matted to his forehead. He raised his fist to the sky and jokingly shouted, “Do your worst, clouds!” He laughed and looked back to Rapunzel in the doorway. She was laughing, too. And oddly, Gustav’s heart beat a little bit faster.
“By the way,” he said. “Thanks for saving my life.” (p. 472)
Awwww. Gustav, you've grown a lot too!
Dazed (but elated), Liam left the prison. He gathered a few things- a money pouch, his sword, a spare cape- and stepped out through the front gates of the palace into the early-summer sun. He couldn’t remain in Avondell, and he wasn’t going to return to Erinthia. He had no idea where he was going. But he was free. (p. 474)
And so, the book ends with Ella, Frederic, Gustav, Liam, and Lila all wandering around away from home. Somewhat of a... very open-ended ending. I wonder where they'll all go? I don't doubt that they'll run into each other again, especially since Lord Rundark is still about. Ducan seems like he's staying put, but a book without him would feel quite weird!