A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

"I think you've already bungled the proper etiquette, Minister," Volguard said dryly.

"Professor," Oliver said, his face lighting up at the sight of the man. It had been a good while since he had last seen him.

"Greetings, Ser Patrick," Volguard said, dipping his head. "I have come to offer my congratulations for your achievements on campaign. Quite the reward you've been given as well. Writings from the First King – I am quite envious."

"Well, you might be the only one amongst the crowd with that envy," Oliver said. "I think they would have been far more interested if I had been given land, or some sort of monetary reward… Though I suppose they're still worth something."

"Oh, no, you mustn't sell them," Volguard said with uncharacteristic urgentness. "Come now, Ser Patrick. You really mustn't. Have I taught you nothing about the value of books?"

"But these are books that exist everywhere… We wouldn't have difficulty finding another copy," Oliver said.

"I would buy them from you," Minister Hod offered.

"Minister," Volguard warned. "You mustn't trick the young man out of his prize."

"Is it trickery when he wants so much to be rid of them? I'll have them. A book scratched down by the claws of one of the first Tigers? I very much will have a certain degree of value for that," Hod said. "Though, I would start by removing the dust that they are covered with… What sort of mongrel lets these rot for long enough that they would grow dusty?

They're lucky the insects haven't gotten to the pages."

"Hm…" Oliver said, considering it. Now that they both wanted his books, and even Blackwell had wanted them, he was beginning to have a growing amount of interest.

"All I would say, as my advice, Ser Patrick, is do not see them sold. That the High King gave them away at all is insanity to me. These are national treasures… No doubt the High King's vaults are fool with such accoutrements.

No doubt there are many more books like this one, many more weapons, and artefacts of the past, different gold coins printed in different eras, different jewels… But it is your fortune to be given one. I do not dare to guess what exactly made him decide to pass these books to you – but I wish for you to see them treasured, as they ought to be treasured."

"If you allow them to rot, I will ensure that you rot in some form or another," Minister Hod said, threatening him quite casually.

"I can see that you are both rather passionate about them," Oliver said.

"Indeed. I will come to read them soon enough," Minister Hod said.

"Ordinarily, Minister, one might ask for permission here," Skullic said.

Minister Hod eyed him with a single eye. "Ah, I did not see you there, General Skullic. Are you still tearing apart your room with every letter that you have to write? It has been quite the while."

A vein bulged in Skullic's head, but he managed to force a smile. "Not quite…" He said, through gritted teeth.

"Ah, but from that look, it does seem that you will be doing it once you get back, no?" Hod said.

"How fares things at the Academy?" Skullic said quickly, before he could throw a punch Hod's way. Mary had deftly secured her arm in his, making that action just the slightest bit more difficult.

Hod shrugged. "The same as always. More stagnant than it was since this one has left. The things that interest me there have grown fewer."

"You have not yet offered your congratulations, Minister," Volguard pointed out.

"Indeed. I suppose I had better," Hod said. "A deed well done, Oliver Patrick. Zilan… Zilan was not a man to be underestimated. I think that lout that they call Skullic next to you would have struggled against him. In truth, I had supposed that, on this campaign, it would be Zilan that would cause the most trouble.

It seems that prediction lacked good reasoning."

"Hoh?" Volguard said, suddenly with heightened interest, now that the talk had turned to strategy. "Zilan has been a known entity for a while in the Verna. Why did you suppose that he would pose an issue? We know his strength well."

"I had merely thought that there was more to him than what we have seen," Hod said with a shrug. "I thought that a battle with Blackwell might be enough to bring that out of him. But it seems that I was wrong. Analysing information from a distance is always going to be riddled with flaws.

Perhaps I have misunderstood who Zilan was as a person, or else, I have misinterpreted what it takes to see the man excited. Where do you suppose I went wrong, Patrick?"

"…I am not so sure, Minister," Oliver said. "I'm not sure truly if you were wrong. The man was wild. And he certainly seemed different on the second day that I battled with him. But then I did not know him well enough to say that was the change, or the norm."

"It would be rare for one of Minister Hod's predictions to be wrong," Volguard said.

"He delights in casting all sorts of votes from a distance, but I notice he never strays as far as the battlefield itself," Skullic said icily. "I wonder how that feels, Minister, to be so cunning, in your room, at the Academy, whilst the rest of us get the blood on our hands?"

"It has been a while since you have blooded your hands, General," Hod said evenly.

"…There might be time for that yet," Skullic said, his fury growing. "Today, even."

"How embarrassing. Are you already rising to anger?" Hod said. "And you think you can play the mentor to the Patrick boy as you are? Humiliating, is what it is. A dusty General, long away from the battlefield, with an unstable mind to go along with it. What a mess we have left to be made."

"Oho?" Skullic said, taking a step forward, dragging Mary on his arm along with him. "I do not see you taking steps towards otherwise. You would not be away from your Academy and your books, would you? So do not lecture me. Besides, as dusty as you say me to be, my return to the battlefield will be soon enough. There's a retaliation to be had for this 'Yarmdon attack' that was staged on Solgrim.

I have volunteered myself for it."