A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor
Chapter 1644 - 1644: The Unexpected - Part 5

"There we are – we've had this talk already," Oliver said. "Your death profits nothing, and nobody. And there's nothing to be gained by weakening yourself through lack of food. Surely you await an opportunity to make a show of strength? How can you do that if you allow yourself to grow weak? At least try the apple. There's a redness to it that would make you think it to be fresh. A gift from the merchant Greeves."

"The one that held a knife to my throat?" Prince Hendrick said sullenly, though he accepted the apple anyway, and took a bite. "…It does have a surprising freshness to it. I suppose a merchant has his ways… Though he hasn't put it in syrup, or utilised any preservatives that I can taste… How odd."

"How odd indeed," Oliver smiled.

The Prince looked at him. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you, good General – just how did you manage to squirrel away those hundred troops of yours? We were not lax in our efforts of searching. You would have thought that a whole hundred men would not be able to escape our notice."

"You'd have Greeves to thank for that again, I imagine," Oliver said. "His basements have been great tools of ours during times of strife. We've often used them to evacuate the weaker members of our village, in the children and the elderly, but this is the first time we've used them for an attack. It did end up working out rather well, I suppose."

"And you still don't know how you did it?" Prince Hendrick said.

"You ask me the same question every time I come and visit you, and I can tell you the key outlines of the vague strategy we had in place, but I could not have predicted the random occurrences on the path that we took towards it," Oliver said.

"In other words, it's luck. That's what you claim it to be?" Prince Hendrick said, sounding rather dissatisfied.

Oliver shrugged. "Probably. That's as close to it as I can come to describing it."

"I don't believe you," Prince Hendrick said. "You did not operate like a man that was relying on luck. It seemed as if you had a noose around our neck from the start. You had us all dancing in the palm of your hand. Just how far do your machinations extend? What more would you ask of us? Will we be the spike trap that you would have the High King fall into?"

"Rest assured, I have no further plans," Oliver said.

"I very much doubt that. You have tools at your disposal now, and you keep us fed, and well treated. You would not do that if you did not have a purpose for us," Prince Hendrick said, twisting his lips, and refusing to eat any more of his apple as if by way of protest. "You keep me away from General Fitzer to ensure that we do not scheme. Do you fear that we would see through your intentions if we were together?"

"I fear, more like, that you would force my hand with a foolish attempt at resistance," Oliver said. "If you were to raise up your unarmed men in rebellion, then I would be forced to cut down such men. There would be no honour in it. You would sully my sword. But I do regret that I have to keep you here alone. It is an injustice that I would rather not commit."

"Do you really suppose that we would be able to do nothing? There are ten thousand of us. Our numbers, even if you are armed, make us the superior force. We had only need find your armoury, and put a sword in the hands of a few of our soldiers, and this would all turn around. You have a mere three hundred men remaining, do you not?" Prince Hendrick said, a small fire burning in his sunken green eyes, beneath his messy red hair that he had neglected to comb.

"And so, why don't you?" Oliver challenged, the air growing frigid, just for a second, as he stared the Prince down.

The Prince shivered, and pointed a finger at his face, seeming to highlight the eyes that Oliver had glared back with. "That is why," he said. "I cannot understand why we lost to you, when our force was overwhelmingly superior, and without understanding that, I cannot bring myself to make reckless moves. I have failed enough already. We have lost too many men, and we have lost a good man in General Tussle – a capable man."

Oliver relaxed. "Then we're on the same page, Prince Hendrick. You suppose I ought to have a purpose for you, in keeping you all alive, but that isn't necessarily the case. Do you think everything through? I try not to. It tears at me when it seems I have fullest control of the world around me. Not because it makes me appear mightier, but because, in having such control, I do feel weaker. I deaden the room for magic."

"Magic?" Prince Hendrick said suspiciously.

"Not in the sense of mages and the like," Oliver said. "Just in the sense of random opportunity, of things proceeding better than one might expect."

"You certainly had much of that on your side in our battle," Prince Hendrick said. "But you will need far more of it if you wish to stand a chance at winning this war. Do you suppose then, that I shall be useful, when the armies of the High King gather outside your wall, and you find yourself outnumbered a hundredfold? For I assure you, that I shall not be. The only person that sees use in me, I imagine, is my father. Even he might have given up on me, after my defeat, and he would be right to. He can not waste further resources rescuing a Prince that failed to live up to his duties."