A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

"Are you going to open it?" Nila asked, clearly interested in the little bundle.

With a little flick of his finger, Oliver opened the cloth wrapping, revealing a simple meal of bread, cheese and jam. The bread was a large enough loaf for sharing and fresh baked from the softness of it.

"I know it ain't much… Probably nothing compared to those meals in the Academy… But that's jam that she made herself, and bread too. That cheese is from her father's cow – I've bought it now – and she's pretty proud of what she's managed to do with it," Judas said. "I tried to tell her that it's embarrassing to give something that simple to nobility, but well…"

"I'm going to have to side with your wife on this one," Oliver said. "She's got the right of it. I'm looking forward to this. The food in the Academy is as good as you'd expect, but I'd be an ungrateful man if I ever forgot to love the taste of fresh cheese, jam and bread."

"True enough," Nila agreed. "That bread looks just as good as the bakers, if I had to say… She could easily open up a store herself."

"You think?" Judas seized on that comment a little too eagerly. "Well, actually… We were planning on that, if we could. If I get a little more coin, and I can afford a place, I'm thinking of asking the Boss if he reckons we could open a store."

"That's a wonderful idea," Nila said encouragingly. "Felly would make a good saleswoman. Plus, she's cute, so I think you'd get customers just for that."

"You don't think it'd be a problem, since there's already a well-ingrained bakery here in Solgrim..?" Judas said.

"How many butchers are there, Judas? How many hunters? How many women selling their homemade clothing? You'll be fine. Besides, I have a feeling with Oliver here, things are likely to grow," Nila said.

Oliver smiled to himself, as he cut a slice of bread. "You're more right there than you might expect to be, Nila. I think I might be getting a little ahead of myself in my ambitions, but last night I couldn't help but thinking of pushing the boat a little… Though I wonder what Greeves would say."

He cut the bread into a few even slices, so that Nila and Judas could have some as well. Then he cut a bit of the cheese, and sampled that on the bread as well. "Damn – this is good, Judas. That's a proper breakfast. Something I've forgotten. Nila, do you want some?"

Both of them were hardly looking at the food. They'd hung on the last thing he'd said, and their eyes were willing him to say more. "C'mon, don't just leave it there. You've been plotting something, haven't you?" Nila said.

"Well, it's more like I'm being forced to plot something…" Oliver said with mock defensiveness. "Solgrim is a gift. A whole village of my own. I'm going to try to get coin from hunting monsters, but is that it? Greeves invests his money into different businesses, both that he runs and that other people run… Could I not do the same with Solgrim?

Is there not a way to raise it up, so that the people prosper, and I prosper all the same… Do you see where I'm coming from, Greeves?"

He heard a man step through into the hallway, and he knew from the feel of him that he was Greeves. He called the question out to him, as a few sets of feet followed.

"I only heard the last part," Greeves said, walking into the room with his boots in hand. He'd been gracious enough to take them off, on account of the snow on them, but as a result, they were subjected to his smelly socks. "Ladies, put it down there if you would. Aye, just down there. Off with you next door now. I didn't expect us to be wading into the heavy matter first thing in the morning.

Go on, bow to Ser Patrick before you go – use your manners."

Greeves gave orders to the two beautiful girls who followed him in as he made himself at home on the sofa next to Judas. The girls blushed as they looked in Oliver's direction, each of them immaculately dressed, their hair braided and held in place with pins. They looked just as good as any of the Academy retainers.

"Be there to greet Ferdinand when he comes, the two of you – and make sure you send for me."

They bowed to Oliver before they left, and Greeves blatantly stared at their behinds until the moment that they disappeared behind the frame of the living room door.

"So, where were we?" Greeves said, reaching for a slice of bread, only for Nila to slap his hands out of the way.

"You're disgusting," she said, pulling her face. "That bread is Oliver's. Did he allow you to have a slice?"

"Did he allow you to?"

"He did."

"I'm Judas' Boss. What's his is mine," Greeves said.

"Wait… Really?" Judas said.

"Really," Greeves affirmed.

"You know that isn't true. Stop twisting him on your finger just because you know you can," Nila said.

Greeves shrugged, making it clear that he wasn't bothered about the bread. The tray that the girls had brought in had just as much finery on it. It was more similar to a nobleman's meal. There was yoghurt there, and raspberries and blueberries that had been honeyed to keep them fresh despite how out of season they were.

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"Apologies," Greeves said, nodding his head towards Oliver. "Good morning to you, Ser Patrick. I didn't mean any disrespect in reaching for your bread, it was merely a jab at these two – I knew they'd bite."

"You're awfully polite," Oliver noted.

"I've got to be," Greeves said. "I know you're a temperamental little thing at the best of times. If I disrespect you too thoroughly, I figure you'll cut me up, shared history or not. I reckon I probably outweighed my welcome last night, but here I am again, and it sounds to me like you're discussing business."