The Thief:
- Even though he's lifted the Gift from the magus, has the opportunity and ability to escape from the Attolian soldiers, and could easily fulfill his original goal, Gen hangs back to fight them in a very slim hope that it would give the magus, Sophos, and Pol time to escape.
- After treating Gen like an ignorant streetrat for most of the book, the magus is sincerely regretful and concerned after Gen is severely wounded trying (and failing) to get the Attolians away so the others can escape.
The Queen of Attolia
- Eddis declaring war on Attolia in revenge for maiming Eugenides.
- The revelations about Attolia Irene's past and ascent to the throne, and her reaction when Eugenides hypothetically answers if she cares what Eddis does to her country so long as she gets to stay on the throne and well-fed. Irene was a minor princess who wasn't raised to rule and was expected to become a silent queen, but beneath her mask she truly cared about her country and was willing to risk everything to keep its people from being exploited by a bad king.
- Attolia and Eddis' conversation near the end. Attolia, after having resented Eddis for years, admits that she does like her. Eddis also acknowledges that she has no right to look down on Attolia for being a tyrant because it was all necessary to keep her country from collapsing.
The King of Attolia:
Pick a moment with
Gen and Irene in
The King of Attolia, any moment. Odds are it's heartwarming.
- "You are treasure beyond any price.”
- The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead in the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day.
- Costis slamming the door to keep the attendants from gawking at Eugenides and Attolia's tender embrace. He's willing to provoke a fight with baronial sons of the highest standing to shield them.
- References were made at least four times in The Queen of Attolia to Gene's fear of the rumor that Attolia, if she caught him again, would "send him to the afterlife blind, deaf, and with his [lying] tongue cut out as well." Thus it's particularly heartwarming in the third book when Gene wakes from a nightmare and Irene assures him that she loves his ears, and his eyes, and "every single one of your ridiculous lies."
- Similarly, any interaction between Gen and Heiro in that same book.
- Eugenides, knowing that Relius will take a long time to believe that his pardon isn't a cruel trick, makes sure to show him that the Queen signed it and continues visiting him in the infirmary every night to chat and keep away the nightmares.
- During his nightly chats with Relius, Eugenides constantly refers to the magus of Sounis to back up his opinions, showing how much respect he still has for him.
- Relius, having sparred with the magus of Sounis for years in their capacities as The Spymaster, contemplates opening a correspondence about botany after hearing of the magus' hobbies from Gen.
- This moment:
"Am I no longer your Queen, then?"
Shocked, he whispered, "Always," breathing his soul into the word.
- Phresine, Attolia's oldest attendant, shamelessly mothering Gen as he recovers from an assassination attempt.
- What makes Teleus back down from his screaming fight with Gen? He sees it's upsetting Relius.
- Teleus carrying Relius out of the cell after Gen pardons him is enough, but when the warden points out he can't carry him all the way, the other guards immediately say that "He can hand him to me, then he can hand him to me."
- When the Queen smiles at Costis, it warms him all the way down to his toes.
A Conspiracy of Kings:
- Near the end Sophos is running toward a battle, slowed down by wearing heavy armour. His father, who Sophos has consistently described as thinking of Sophos as a disappointment, is running beside him. Sophos wonders why his father, not being burdened by armour, isn’t outpacing him. Then he realises that his father is shielding him with his own body.
Thick as Thieves:
- Kamet spent most of Thick as Thieves doing two things: reciting the epic poem about two beloved friends (Immakuk and Ennikar), and feeling superior towards the Attolian, dismissing him as a naive idiot while simultaneously refusing to acknowledge how much the two genuinely liked each other. When it was revealed that he had been lying to the Attolian for most of the book, the other man's response was "I thought we were Immakuk and Ennikar, but we were Senabid and his master, weren't we?" (referring to a fictional slave who always outwits his idiotic master). This is the focus of a Call-Back at the end, when the Attolian, revealed to be Costis, decides to travel with Kamet on his next journey. He says "Immakuk and Ennikar," and Genre Savvy Kamet says "where?" and looks around. Costis replies "Idiot. Us."
- Kamet shouting out in the Attolian court to take all the blame for Costis' "mistake" on himself because he can see that Costis is about to do the same thing.
Return of the Thief:
- The riding master helps Pheris mount a horse and ride back to the city after they're left behind during Irene's miscarriage, pointing out that beauty and goodness are not actually synonomous (even if The Beautiful Elite think it is), and being the only person to treat him with genuine, unmotivated kindness since the disaster with Juridius.
- Hiero finally giving Eugenides a pair of earrings to own for himself, even though he later has to sacrifice them to save Irene.
- Attolia and Eugenides send Melheret off with a genuinely nice gift disguised as a shabby one because he's the only Mede ambassador they actually respected. (It has to be disguised to prevent his superiors from being suspicious of him, and being the ambassador they respected means that he's bright enough to decipher it.)
- '' Irene (correctly) points out that the taunts by the Medes that Kamet is dead must be untrue, because there was no mention of Costis, and he’d never let Kamet be killed unless he himself was also dead.
- Despite a prophetic dream telling Eugenides to not trust Erondites (which everyone assumes means Pheris), Eugenides refuses to kill or exile him, instead protecting him to keep him close.
