The Ballad Of Never After Quotes

“Jacks no longer felt like her enemy, he felt like her home.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Sorry to break your fairytale, Little Fox, but ballads don't end happily, and neither do the two of us.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“The Fate gave the queen a look more vicious than any curse. 'There is nothing of equal value to me.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“It didn't matter if he stayed forever cursed. All that mattered was that he stayed, that he chose her instead of fear.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She didn't want someone to hold her while she cried and tell her it would be all right. She wanted fury, she wanted rage, she wanted a villain to tell her she'd done exactly what she needed to do.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“At the word sacrifice, something sparked in the Fate's cold eyes. He held the girl tighter, carrying her in his bloodstained arms as he stood and started down the ancient hall.

'What are you doing?' A crack of alarm showed in the queen's implacable face.

'I'm going to fix this.' He continued marching forward, holding the girl close as he carried her back through the arch.

The angels who'd been guarding it now wept. They cried tears of stone as the Fate set the girl at their feet and began wrenching stone after stone from the arch.

'Jacks of the Hollow,' warned the queen. 'Those arch stones can only be used one time to go back. They were not created for infinite trips to the past.'

'I know,' Jacks growled. 'I'm going to go back and stop your son from killing her.'

The queen's face fell. For a moment, she looked as old as the years she'd spent lying in suspended state. 'This is not a small mistake to fix. If you do this, Time will take something equally valuable from you.'

The Fate gave the queen a look more vicious than any curse. 'There is nothing of equal value to me.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“A tormented scream pierced the night like a blade. The sky bled, and darkness fell instead of stars, erasing lights across the Magnificent North.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“The truth is never what you want it to be, Little Fox.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“... the girl remained unmoving. Dead. And yet the Fate continued to hold her.

'Bring her back,' he said softly.

'I am sorry,' said the queen who'd just awoken. She was a petite thing. She's tried to pull her son away from the girl to stop his unnatural feeding, but her hands were not strong enough. The queen could not fight immortals physically, but she had an iron will forged of mettle and mistakes. 'You know I cannot do that.'

The Fate finally looked up. 'Bring her back,' he repeated. For he also possessed an indomitable will. 'I know you can do it.'

The queen shook her head remorsefully. 'My heart breaks for you- for this. But I will not do this. After bringing back Castor and seeing what he became, I vowed to never use that sort of magic again.'

'Evangeline would be different.' The Fate glowered at the queen.

'No,' she repeated. 'You wouldn't be saving this girl, you would be damning her. Just as we did to Castor. She wouldn't want this life.'

'I don't care what she wants!' roared the Fate. 'I don't want her dead. She saved you, you need to save her.'

The queen took a shaky breath.

If the story curse could have breathed, it would have held its breath. It hoped the queen would say yes. Yes to bringing her back, to turning her in to another terrible immortal. Despite what this Fate believed, the girl would be horrible- the ones with endless life always were, eventually.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Why are you being so cruel?'

'Because you won't leave!' Jacks shouted. 'And if you stay, you will die. Chaos hasn't fed in thousands of years. I know he thinks he can control his hunger, but he can't. That's why they put the helm on him.'

'You could have just said that. If you didn't want me to say goodbye or you want me to leave, you don't have to hurt me to get me to do it.'

'I'm not- I-' Jacks broke off abruptly. His eyes were no longer just red, they were blazing with fear. She'd never seen him look so terrified before. She'd been poisoned, shot, lashed across the back, and Jacks had always kept his calm until now.

With a great deal of effort, he took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was soft but uneven. 'I'm sorry, Little Fox. I didn't want to hurt you, I just-'

He looked suddenly at a loss for words, as if whatever he said next might be the wrong thing. He's never looked at her like this before.

'Jacks, please, don't use the stones tonight. Come with me instead.'

He took a jagged breath. For a second, he looked torn. He raked a hand through his hair, his movements jagged.

Evangeline took a step closer.

He shuttered his expression and took a step back. 'This doesn't change anything. I still can't have you in my life. You and I aren't meant to be.'

'What if you're wrong?'

Evangeline had once heard a tale about a pair of doomed stars, drawn across skies toward each other's brightness, even though they knew that if they drew too close, their desire would end in a fiery explosion. This was how Jacks looked at her now. As if neither of them would survive if they drew any closer.

'Evangeline, you need to go.'

A thunderous roar poured out from the Valory, so loud it shook the arch and the angels and the ground at Evangeline's feet.

'Get out of here.' Jacks said.

She held his gaze, one final time, wishing she knew how to change his mind. 'I wish our story could have had another ending.'

'I don't want another ending,' Jacks said flatly. 'I just want you to leave.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“It felt as if he were reaching into her, as if there were invisible fingers digging in to her mind, taking things they shouldn't. Memories.
...
With her body weakened, she fought to lock him out of her mind, to hide her remaining memories, but one by one he plucked them out.

The night in the crypt with Jacks... gone.

Marrying Apollo... gone.

Her friendship with Lala... gone.

Apollo infected with the Archer's curse... gone.

Jumping off the cliff with Jacks-

'No!' she screamed.

... gone.

The wonder of the Hollow... gone.

Jacks bandaging her wounds... gone.

Jacks confessing he was the Archer... gone.

'Please, stop,' she begged.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“I don't care what she wants!' roared the Fate. 'I don't want her dead. She saved you, you need to save her.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She hoped that he would argue with her- she hoped that he would fight for her. She hoped despite everything that he would choose her.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“It hurts, Jacks.”
“I know, love. I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“The girl was dead. If her lifeless body had not confirmed it, then it would have been made clear by the horrible scream of the Fate who held her in his arms. The story curse was familiar with pain, but this was agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century. The Fate was every tear that anyone had ever shed for lost love. He was pain given form.
...
The Fate didn't move. He didn't let the girl go. He looked as if he never would. He continued holding her as if he could return her to life with the force of his will. His eyes were wet with blood. Red tears fell down his cheeks and on to hers. But the girl didn't stir.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She wanted the pain to end. She wanted to forget his dimpled smile, his brilliant blue eyes, the way he called her Little Fox. And suddenly, her chest was tight at the thought she might never heard that nickname again. And she didn't want to forget. She didn't want to forget at all.

She didn't want the memories erased or rewritten; she wanted more of them.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“As much as she hated the choice that Jacks was making, she didn't want to take it away. Instead, she hoped, one final time, that he would make a better one.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“I am a monster, but whether you remember it or not, I'm your monster, Evangeline.”
― Stephanie Garber, A Curse for True Love

“Jacks of the Hollow," warned the queen. "Those arch stones can only be used one time to go back. They were not created for infinite trips to the past."

"I know," Jacks growled. "I'm going to go back and stop your son from killing her."

The queen's face fell. For a moment, she looked as old as the years she'd spent lying in a suspended state. "That is not a small mistake to fix. If you do this, Time will take something equally valuable from you."

The Fate gave the queen a look more vicious than any curse. "There is nothing of equal value to me.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Not quite sure how far she'd already fallen, she imagined loving him would feel like falling in love with darkness, frightening and consuming yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out.”
― Stephanie Garber, Caraval

“Evangeline started to fall, and then Jacks was there. Her eyes were too heavy to open--but she could feel him. He held her with the type of intensity that only happens when a person wants something that isn't quite theirs.

But she was. She just needed to tell him she loved him.

"Evangeline--" His voice was hoarse. "Come back to me..."

I'm not dead, she tried to say. But there was something wrong with her throat. And it seemed Jacks couldn't hear her thoughts.

He silently held her tighter and pressed his forehead to hers. She wasn't sure if he was crying or if she was, but there was wet on her cheeks. It felt a lot like tears. And then she felt...

Nothing.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“What is she doing here?' Chaos gave a tight nod to the girl in the slip.

Jacks shrugged. 'I thought you might need a snack when you get your helm off.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Instead of time moving like sand slowly pouring through an hourglass, she felt as if the hourglass had cracked open and all the sand was quickly spilling out. She didn't know if it was her fear or if it was something else, but she kept losing moments.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“He silently held her tighter and pressed his forehead to hers. She wasn't sure if he was crying or if she was, but there was wet on her cheeks. It felt a lot like tears.”
― Stephanie Garber, Once Upon a Broken Heart

“In case you forget what the Prince of Hearts has done and you’re tempted to trust him again.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“First she needed to be sure she wasn’t being watched or followed or stalked by that deceitful, apple-eating scoundrel whose name she wouldn’t even think.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“So thoughtful,” the taller maid said dreamily.
“I like him already,” the shorter maid agreed.
I want to punch him, Evangeline thought.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“He’d found another apple as she’d gotten dressed - it was unbitten and blue, and he tossed it in time with his merry song.
“You’re staring.”
“I was just wondering why you always carry apples.” Jacks chuckled under his breath. “Trust me Little Fox, you’re better off not knowing.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“And truth -“ Jacks smirked. “The truth is never what you want it to be, Little Fox.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Then very soft from LaLa: “I hope you brought enough apples.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After