A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

The Minister excused himself the moment they set foot in the main hallways.

"I have fulfilled my role," he said gravely, "now I have business to attend to. See to whatever wounds you may have, and ensure you rest well. Laziness in lessons will not be overlooked, despite your achievements today in the field."

He turned on his heel. Verdant bowed respectfully at the waist as he watched the man go. The others copied him hastily. No of them truly knew how to interact with a Minister – they merely knew to show him the highest level of respect, so following Verdant's example seemed to be the safest path.

Oliver did the same, as he felt his heart pounding in his ears. The first trickle of sweat began to run down the back of his neck. Soon, he realized.

"I will leave you as well," Oliver said. "Thank you for your assistance today."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

They seemed surprised to hear him ready to leave them so quickly. No doubt they'd assumed that they would be dining together.

"A meeting, my liege?" Verdant asked. He always seemed to expect the best of Oliver. He always assumed feats to have been done, even if they were far from Oliver's current reality.

Oliver shook his head. "Rest. I'm more tired than I realized," he told them. It wasn't a lie. Not now. That energy that he'd felt earlier had faded, and it felt like it was slipping away even further.

Now, he wanted nothing more than the warm confines of his bed, and his still unfurnished bedroom.

"After such a battle, it wouldn't be wise not to eat, my liege… Will you allow me to bring you some food to your room, at the very least?" Verdant asked.

Oliver hesitated. He wasn't sure where he'd be in thirty minutes, physically, assuming that was how long it took for Verdant to bring him his meal. But surely it was preferable to the other options. He decided to nod.

"What about these bags, Ser?" Karesh asked, holding up the waxed sacks with the Hobgoblin loot in.

"I can show you where to take them," Verdant said. "Jorah, if you would escort our Lord to his room, we can take care of the sacks and his meal."

"That really isn't necessary—" Oliver began, but Verdant cut him off.

"You've been going without the proper protection for too long, my Lord. Everyone knows your strength, but that does not mean you are invulnerable. Now that you have the retainers to do so, it would be foolish not to put them to good use," Verdant said, with more assertiveness than Oliver would have expected from the man.

Again, he relented. They'd run along with his demands all day, the least he could do was make a few concessions now, especially when it was meant to be for his own sake. "Fine, if you wish."

Jorah looked visibly relieved. "Thank you, Ser," he said, dipping his head.

Again , that felt strange to Oliver. Why should Jorah be thanking him? It was Jorah who was meant to be doing him a favour by guarding him. Not knowing what to say in response to his thanks, he instead bid goodnight to the three ladies. Find more adventures on empire

"Goodnight then, Lasha," Oliver said. "Amelia, Pauline, make sure you rest too. A quick snooze in the carriage doesn't count."

They both looked embarrassed to have their carriage snooze pointed out, but neither of them had the energy to argue with him, not when the hallways were so quiet, and the world was so dark. They simply gave him the briefest of acknowledgements.

"Goodnight, Oliver," Lasha said, as she joined the others on their way to the dining hall, and to the depositing of the bags.

"Let's go then," Oliver said to Jorah, taking quick strides across the stone flooring, the wooden soles of his boots echoing as he went along the quiet hallways. Jorah had to rush to keep up.

"Should I get bandages for your wounds, Ser?" Jorah asked as they walked.

"In the morning," Oliver said. "They stopped bleeding a few hours ago. They should be fine for the night, at least."

"I don't think that's how it works, Ser… They would need cleaning at the very least," Jorah said, protesting quietly.

"I simply don't have the energy for that tonight, Jorah," Oliver said honestly. "I'm exhausted."

"I had thought you were, back in the Forest," Jorah said. "But you still insisted on carrying Pauline. Would it not have been wiser to leave it to one of us, Ser?"

"She did not add much to my burden," Oliver said. "Mine is a battle tiredness, not entirely physical."

He stormed through the corridors as though he was hunting someone down. The few that did seem him, nobles and yellow-shirted pupils alike, all hurried to get out of his way. His face must have looked something intense. He felt a knot in his stomach. He still had his broken sword sheathed at his hip, and Jorah was still armed behind him.

No doubt the combination of all three of those factors made for quite a terrifying sight.

He was walking with such mindless purpose that he almost passed by his room, but catching it out the corner of his eye just as he'd begun to pass it, he managed to snap himself out of his reverie and come to a halt.

"This is it," Oliver said. Jorah looked around at the other rooms in the corridors, remembering where it was. After a few seconds, he nodded.

"I'll remember it," he said.

"Go and join the others for a meal then, Jorah. You'll miss it if you're late. You've done well today. I'm glad you joined my service when you did. Today would have been a rather different day if not for your assistance," Oliver said.

"I can't help but think that we aren't nearly strong enough to support you, Ser, but I thank you for your words anyway," Jorah said. "I'll wait until I'm sure that you're safe inside, and then I'll join them."