I shifted my grip on the brush three times today. Not because my hand shook, but because once written, the sentence could never be taken back.

• Chief EunuchScribe, the lamp at the Hall of Records has been burning late into the night lately.
  Han RokI can't leave my seat before the ink dries.
• The Queen DowagerA young scribe's brush is always heavy. With age, it grows light on its own.
  Han RokThe day it grows light, I'll set the brush down for good.