A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor
Chapter 1529 - 1529: The Resentful - Part 1

"And indeed, that is what I see you to be, Oliver Patrick," Hod told him, his smile fading, replaced by that terrifying straight face that he had, whenever he had deduced something. "By your own mouth, you admit it. You are worse men. But the Kingdom needs not a hero. It needs a Tiger. The embers still glow red hot, perform your duty, or condemn yourself to cowardice."

"I will not give in to the temptation," Oliver said. "You would not be happy with the result."

"You lie to yourself, General Patrick," Minister Hod said. "You tell yourself that you're not a good man, but you still cling to this notion of supposed honour, supposed goodness. You don't see far enough ahead to tell which is which. You don't know enough. It is not a sin to be that which you are. Power is not darkness."

"Then why is Ingolsol a Dark God?" Oliver asked.

Hod's expression did not shift. "So you too know the name of the God of Power. Then you know that which balances him. Now you no longer have an excuse. Perhaps Oliver Patrick cannot shoulder this burden, but Oliver Patrick is no longer required. You had your men dress you up, as a symbol of something else, when this tournament first began, out of a recognition that who you were was insufficient to bring together so many people. Recognize that again, and be that which is required. You have already set this path in motion, now put it together."

"I would object, Minister Hod," Lord Blackwell said, overhearing the last part of their conversation. "Your course of action, in lending him so much power, it will be the end of our campaign. He is too young to shoulder the burden. He has already faltered, at the very first speech. He made a mistake – we ought to fix it."

"You are wrong, Lord Blackwell," Hod said. "I find that I do have respect for you, General – but not enough that I can find the time here and now to explain why you are wrong. You have allowed yourself this position of vulnerability, and I must say, I find no regrets in exploiting it, to bring about the outcome that I most believe in."

General Karstly snorted as he heard that. "You are a strange one, Minister. I have longed to meet you. I have a feeling we'll have a great many chats."

"You too will have to wait for such chats," Hod said coolly. "You've relegated yourself to the position of observer – you will stay in your seat, until the show is over."

Queen Asabel glanced quickly over her shoulder. She'd been speaking for a time, and she'd made her announcements, but now she was running out of words to keep their attention, and the crowd was already beginning to shift.

"You are required, General Patrick," Hod told him, pushing his shoulder. "A Tiger feels no remorse when he tears out the throat of a deer. Your nature pushed you towards this course of action, and your nature will see it finished. If you have any value for the ground that you stand upon, and your town and Solgrim, and that new Lady that you have found for yourself, then I will tell you, with iron certainty, that if you fail here, this war is as good as lost."

Hearing Hod speak with such certainty could not have irritated Oliver any more than it did. The exhaustion that had been brought about by letting Ingolsol stand in charge for so long had been washed about by the new wave of anger that had come as a result of Hod's provocations.

Oliver knew very well that the Minister had spoken with the intent of seeing him riled up, but even knowing it, that didn't stop it from happening. He wanted to growl at the man, and say and do the worst things that he could. He wanted to turn his sword on him, and cut him down, even knowing that in combat he was no better than a civilian.

His rage was strong enough that it made even Gar flinch when Oliver looked past him, and marched forward, past the shoulder of Queen Asabel, towards the spot that Hod had indicated with a contemptuous point of his finger.

"This is not my role," he said to Queen Asabel. "You will all regret this, pushing me towards it."

"Please, Oliver," Queen Asabel said. "I trust in the Minister. We need these people. No matter what it takes, do it."

"Even if the resource that allows me to do that is a power of the most sinful?" Oliver said, his eyes a solid gold as he looked down on her, solid enough to make a cold chill go down her back.

It was a testament to the strength of Queen Asabel's character that she did not back down despite that. Indeed, against those words, she was able to pull her shoulders back, and stand up against him. "Once, I said similar words to you, when I doubted my own power, and you offered me reassurance. I offer you the same, Oliver. We have need of your strength. Use it, for the good of us all. Trust us to take care of the consequences that you so fear."

The crowd could bear waiting no longer. Oliver knew he had to speak. They were already beginning to shift. Queen Asabel's tether on them had loosened. If they descended into violence once more, then there would be no coming back from it. The day of order would be well and truly done, until they had fought themselves to complete exhaustion. And yet there was still one question that Oliver wished to ask.

"Can I trust you do that?" He said, quieter than he intended, betraying his fear for a second, the true sentiment in his heart. "If I give in to it, can I really trust you all to ensure that I will not go too far? That I do not become a monster, that sees everyone near me stained?"