How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Corporal Bauer had the uncanny eyesight of an expert gunner. Two weeks ago he'd been on his way to commanding a machine of his own. Master Hoffman had been the Hapsburg Guards' best engineer. But now the two were nothing more than fugitives.
Alek had slowly come to understand everything his men had given up for him: their ranks, families, and futures. If they were caught, the other four would hang as deserters. Prince Aleksander himself would disappear more quietly, of course, for the good of the empire. (10.9-10)
Alek might think himself alone in the world due to that whole newly-orphaned, people-are-trying-to-kill-him thing, but these are the kind of companions we'd want with us in a fight. They've proven their loyalty, but is loyalty the same as friendship? Can Alek be friends with these men?
Quote #2
Finally he cleared his throat. "I'm glad I didn't shoot you, Dylan."
"Aye, me too," the boy said simply, and turned away. (26.109-110)
Too much emotion here? If you're trying to think of something nice to say to your new sort-of friend, expressing positive feelings about the fact that you chose not to shoot them is one way to go.
Quote #3
In a way Dylan was the sort of boy Alek would have wanted to be, if he hadn't been born the son of an archduke. (30.53)
And here's what Alek can't quite work up the feels to say aloud: Dylan is a pretty cool dude.
Quote #4
As they shook hands again, Alek felt a burden lift, knowing that Dylan would keep his word. After a month of being betrayed—by his family, his country's allies, and his own government—it was a relief to trust someone. (30.84)
It takes a lot for Alek to trust anyone, apparently, so this is a mark in Dylan's favor. Also, check back to the first quote in this theme. Did Alek not trust the four guys who were with him? Or did he trust them, but in a different way? Are there different kinds of trust?
Quote #5
As the night drew on, Alek began to wonder when next he would see an unfamiliar face. After hiding for five weeks, he'd already half forgotten what it was like to meet a new person, or to make a new friend.
What if he were stuck in this castle for years? (30.93-94)
Did Alek make a lot of new friends before? He never once mentions anyone he left behind or anyone from his old life he'd like to see again—in fact, it seems like this whole friendship game is pretty new to him.
Quote #6
"But I'm what split my family," Alek said. "I unsettled everything, and that gave the Germans their opening."
"You're more than just that, though." Deryn took his hand. "You're the one who came across the ice to save my bum from frostbite."
Alek looked at her, wiped his eyes, and smiled. "Maybe that too." (35.56-58)
Sad times, Alek, sad times. But less sad, because Deryn reminds him—or maybe is the first person ever to tell him—that he's not only what his family history says he is. That's what friends are for, right?
Quote #7
"But I…want to thank you, Dylan."
"For what?"
Alek raised his hands, and for a moment Deryn thought he would cry again. But he only said, "For knowing who I am." (35.67-69)
Excuse our loud and obnoxious sniffling—this is just too precious. But what does Alek mean? Who is he? Is he just referring to his identity as his father's heir/not heir, or to something deeper, perhaps to the person who walked across a glacier to help a fallen airship?
Quote #8
"What could be more important than your birthright?"
"Allies." (38.34-35)
Volger asks the question, and Alek answers it. This shows the deep rift in their thinking: Volger is determined to protect Alek and his path to the throne, but Alek is making his own path and forming his own alliances. What's the difference between allies and friends? Can they be the same thing? Or is Alek just using a word he thinks Volger will understand better than friends?
Quote #9
The captain leaned back and smiled. "You're rather friendly with young Alek, aren't you?"
"Aye, sir. He's a good lad."
"So he seems. A young boy like that needs friends, especially having run away from home and country." The captain lifted an eyebrow. "Sad, isn't it?" (40.20-22)
Oh, Captain Sneakypants Hobbes. We guess you have to do your duty, but it makes you seem like a jerk when you try to use Deryn's friendship with Alek to pump her for information.
Quote #10
Deryn opened her mouth, but no words came out—something was shifting inside her. On her way here she'd hoped Alek would give her permission to tell the captain, solving the whole dilemma. But now an entirely different desire was creeping into her mind.
What she really wanted, Deryn realized, was for Alek to know that she'd lied for him, that she would go on lying for him. (40.58-59)
There are a few hints that Deryn's feelings for Alek are treading dangerously near the more-than-friends zone, and this is one of them—but it's also evidence of the fact that she wants him to trust her. She wants him to value their developing friendship as much as she does.