Imperial Tarn in Autumn

“Why are you saying this?” she whispered, her face ashen.
“So you won’t have any illusions about your little nest here! We can use you, do you understand? As long as you are useful to the community, you’ll be allowed to live here like a princess. Just as long as you’re useful.”
“Useful, how? No one wants to look at my paintings.”
“I’m going to dissect your every thought, your every wish, every dream. I’m going to find out what happened to you, what made you separate yourself from your sisters, what made you decide to become an individual, and when I find out we’ll know how never to allow it to happen again.”
― Kate Wilhelm, Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang