A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor
Chapter 1646 - 1646: The Unexpected - Part 7

"Then I suppose I could say my own upbringing was usual from your perspective," Prince Hendrick said. "I suppose I was even more isolated from that – that which you called the real world. I was educated in matters of power, and politics. The governance of this entire country. There was a weight to every lesson that I was taught that carried the burden of thousands of lives."

"A very different sort of upbringing," Oliver agreed. "One that I would take interest in. I imagine it makes for the breeding of strange men."

Prince Hendrick snorted. "Weak men, you'd suppose. You seem to look down on the likes of the nobility. You raised an army of peasants, and you fought me and my army to a victory with them. There is so much of this world that I find I do not understand. My father – he's a man with wisdom that I will never match, even if I live several centuries – he would have taken great interest in you. It is a shame that our paths had not crossed before now. That Lord Blackwell scooped you up before we could have a chance to influence you."

"It would not have been favourable regardless," Oliver said. "The High King does have a grudge against us Patricks that he would have pursued to the very end. Though, I find it surprising you do not have more of a hold on our Lord Blackwell. You are his King, are you not? He owes his loyalty to you."

"Ha!" Prince Hendrick snorted. "Try telling him that. Those of the old House Black are far too proud. Him and Blackthorn, they give their loyalty to the First King, and him alone. They seem to choose to serve the High King directly, more as an insult to those that govern them… And that they both have now chosen to serve Queen Asabel… You know, now that I consider it, that is auspicious."

"Hm…" Oliver said. "They're truly both such rogue elements?"

"House Black and its aggression is a legendary thing," Prince Hendrick said. "My father taught me them as an exception of all exceptions when he gave me my lessons on dealing with the Lords under me. What is it about Queen Asabel that has demanded that they both bend the knee to her? Before the war… For her to subdue Lord Blackthorn of all people – he's even more unruly than our Lord Blackwell… Perhaps we should have seen then that something was afoot, and the kingdom was changing. What is it about the Queen that you serve, General Patrick? What does she have that I do not?"

Oliver pulled an awkward face. "You ask me to insult you?"

"No. I ask you to speak honestly."

"…She has ideals beyond our understanding, I suppose," Oliver said. "She holds the legacy of her Uncle Arthur with the tightest of hands, and she has the strength of character to see such things fulfilled. She is warm and strong beyond measure. She inspires a want to protect her, but in the same instant, one seems to know that there is a realm that she exists in, as a shield that covers us all. As a sun that warms us all."

"Both of you, then," Prince Hendrick said. "The seeds of the past. The legacy of men that came before you. We're all just riding the currents of a history that was set out long before."

"Perhaps," Oliver said.

"But in some senses, you go beyond him," Prince Hendrick said, looking at Oliver out of the corner of his eye. "Your father could not have commanded an army, or inspired the peasantry in the way that you did. Or am I wrong?"

"It was not the path he chose," Oliver said. "Whether he was capable of it or not was another matter. He challenged the Boundaries head on, in a way that no other man could dare to. Others would have lost his mind doing what he did. To reach as far as he did, in the loneliness that he dwelled in… I don't think any other could have had the strength of character to do that."

"The greatest Sword in Stormfront history…" Prince Hendrick remarked. "I do not like it. To fight against you seems to fight against destiny. You have the weight of such history on your side… I do not know if I can overturn it."

"You need not," Oliver said with a grin. "You could join us."

"Ha!" Prince Hendrick snorted. "There is revealed the true motive. That would certainly be convenient for you, wouldn't it? To have access to these ten thousand men?"

Oliver laughed. "Naturally, that would be rather nice. But I suppose it shouldn't be that easy… Mm. I look forward to the days when these streets are filled with people again. I enjoyed the quiet for the first week, but now it feels terribly empty. Even with our soldiers inside, it isn't quite right… Let us pray that this is not too long a war."

"Either way, people are likely to suffer," Prince Hendrick said. "That is war. You should have known that when you declared it."

"True enough. That is war," Oliver agreed. He leaned a little further out of the window, and his ears twitched ever so slightly, picking up a noise from the distance. He tilted his head to look towards it. He didn't have a very good view of the gates from where he was, with all the buildings that blocked it, but he could just about the see the very tops of them open. The call of a trumpet soon accented that, heralding the arrival of a man of position. "I suppose their arrival shall go a long way towards ensuring that things aren't quite so quiet."

"…Whose arrival?" Prince Hendrick said.

"A man we were just mentioning. Good General Blackthorn," Oliver said.

"General Blackthorn?" Prince Hendrick said, his eyes widening. "What in the name of the Gods is he doing here?"

"A grand strategy of some sort, it does seem," Oliver said. "See? There's no point trying to predict it. It all ends up firmly in the direction that we least expect."