"When Lund falls, Brand will fall, leaving the remaining three kingdoms to see to their defences. Then, one by one, they too shall pass, to become forgotten relics from the past like ancient Nith. That name should be familiar to your ears, for Belloc's house is built of stone taken from the ruins of that once fair city, which lay just north of Belloc's lands, many a long age ago.
"In Angorain it is said that, in ancient times, Nith was the fairest city of all, with high, white towers and walls gilt with gold leaf that shone in the sun, and streets tiled with beautiful mosaics, that were lined with colourful flowering trees laden with fruit.
"But all things pass, as they say. The carefree eyes of children become the careworn eyes of the elderly, to whom the child and its world are but aching memories that lay buried deep within the heart. Every kingdom is like that, every time of mortal beings, every era. There is nothing permanent in this life, save impermanence itself. Even at this moment, the forces of impermanence work to erode the fabric of our time. This world we know, and all that we see about us, is ending, right before our eyes."
"Why do you not believe we can win the coming war?" Lily asked. "Do you truly believe the end will come so soon?"