A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

"No, I know how to interact with nobles," Amelia said. "You just don't see me do it."

"I am a noble, am I not?"

"I don't think so," Amelia said, quite casually, with her back turned to him. She likely meant nothing by it. It was likely just the remark of the outspoken girl that she was… And yet it still made Oliver's heart thud several beats faster.

With the death of Lombard, there had perished a noble that knew the reality of his situation. That knew the whole of him. Now there were only Greeves and Nila left in Solgrim. And if they fell too, would anyone really know him? Was it possible to truly declare yourself as a friend of someone, without showing the reality of who you were?

"Solgrim has been attacked," Oliver said, quite suddenly.

Amelia clanged her long ladle against the side of her pot in a sudden start. "By who?" She asked with urgency.

"A thousand supposed Yarmdon," Oliver said.

"A thousand…" Amelia said, her mouth agape. "That isn't fair at all… I liked Miss Nila."

Oliver squinted at her. It was the most childish reaction to the news that he could have imagined. Somehow, even saying something so infantile, the girl seemed as if she hadn't lost entirely her composure.

"So you're worried?" Amelia said.

"Naturally."

"Hm…" Amelia spooned a large bowl full to the top. "But it'll be fine, won't it? You've got those big walls, and Miss Nila is strong, isn't she? She can hit anything with her bow. It's almost unfair. She's got to be worth probably, a thousand, or two thousand men, right?"

Oliver shook his head, his exasperation growing. His smile seemed to grow more permanent with it. It was the amusing estimation of a woman that had evidently not studied the faintest bit of strategy in her entire life… But somehow, Oliver found himself agreeing with those numbers.

"Ten thousand," Oliver replied.

"Ten thousand?" Amelia said. "Hm… That sounds a bit much. I thought you were good at strategy?"

Oliver had to bite his tongue to whip back the instantaneous retort. 'Say you,' he thought instead.

She handed him his bowl, and then spooned herself a smaller portion.

"Feeding yourself before the men?" Oliver said.

"I'm hungry," Amelia answered by way of defence. "So that was it? Why would you and my Lady be fighting over that? What's there to fight about?"

"I wish to return," Oliver said.

"Huh?" Amelia looked at him in confusion. "Why? Aren't we, like, really far away? Wouldn't it take too long?"

"A fortnight, perhaps," Oliver said.

"…I don't understand," Amelia said. "Why do you think they need you there?"

"Because there are a thousand men," Oliver said. "And we lack experienced Commanders to see the town properly held."

"Hmm," Amelia rewarded herself for her thinking with a spoonful of her own stew. "But, two weeks? Aren't battles usually shorter than that?"

Oliver had no reply for her there. In her ignorance, somehow, she had stumbled upon a fatal issue.

"Besides, Nila is reallllly strong, you know? You said she's worth ten thousand. Why would you be worried, then?" Amelia said. The tilt of her head, and the furrowing of her brows, made it known for certain that she truly didn't understand.

"I… can't be certain unless I see it for myself," Oliver tried. "I refuse to leave it to chance."

"But aren't you leaving it to chance already, by hoping that you'll arrive in time?" Amelia said.

"…You're annoyingly sharp at the worst of times," Oliver said.

"Hehe, you think so?" Amelia ate up what she thought to be a compliment as quickly as her stew. "So anyway, why were you and my Lady arguing?"

She returned back to the original question.

"Because of what we were just saying."

"But what you were just saying was stupid. It can't have been that," Amelia said. "My Lady wouldn't get angry over something like that… And aren't you meant to be super clever too? It wouldn't make sense."

"I want to be certain," Oliver said again. "Solgrim, Nila, Greeves… Everyone there, they're too important to lose."

"I reallllly don't understand," Amelia said. "Isn't there nothing you can do? I thought we both agreed on that, right? If there's nothing you can do, and you know Nila is strong enough to handle it by herself, why are you still talking about going?"

"Because…"

"Oh, because you're worried, right?" Amelia held up her finger as if she had just discovered the most profound idea of the century. "Hehe, you can't get past me that easily."

Oliver had to frown. "Obviously I'm worried."

"Hm… I didn't think you'd admit it. I thought you'd be embarrassed. That's sort of boring," Amelia said. "There's really nothing you can do, though, and it should be fine anyway. Sooo, maybe cheer up?"

"Thanks. You must have spent a long time on top of that mountain. You're quite the sage," Oliver said, as dryly as he possibly could, in the hopes that Amelia would finally pick up on his irritation.

Once more, though, she lapped it up as though it was a compliment, and she puffed her chest out. "It's not only about grades, I keep telling people. Just because my grades weren't that good back at the Academy, doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"Hehh, you didn't have good grades? There's a surprise," Oliver murmured distractedly.

"I know, right!" Amelia said. "You wouldn't think it to look at me, would you? From the look of me, you'd think 'wow, she's probably realllly good at everything', you know?"

"Hm…"

"But I'm pretty sure Pauline thinks I'm stupid… She looks at me at times like she feels sorry for me. I try to stay positive, you know, but at times even I'm going to get upset. I wonder what I can do to talk her away from it? Do you have any ideas? Maybe a battle plan? Oh, maybe, I could save her from something?" Amelia said.

"Will you help? It would be more convincing if you were there."