[Temeraire starts a little at Marius's reaction, eyes widening slightly. He had, he thought, made a very reasonable point about being too quick to jump to conclusions, and Marius was friends with the Amis besides, which by all means ought to signify he, too, had no great love for the Emperor. This sudden, unexpected vehemence both surprises and irritates him, and a low rumble builds deep in his chest as he shifts forward, ruff bristling.]

I do not question that he may have done good things for the French people, and perhaps [in tones of the greatest reluctance] for the French dragons, as well, but it is all of no consequence if he only did it so that he might better attack his neighbours unprovoked. I cannot think much of any man who would unite his own country, only to disregard all the others, and break treaties, and trample all over Europe like a bully and a scrub.

[Flashes of his serrated teeth are showing now, and he has quite forgotten about trying not to be rude or threatening.] I was at Dover, and Jena, and Danzig, when you would have been a hatchling at most, and I can tell you there was no glory in it, none at all. You say his people loved him: then he would have done better to take care of them, and not flung them into battle and gotten them all killed because he did not think France was quite large enough.