A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

"Will you fight?" Lombard asked.

"I did not come here to offer you my sword. When I draw my blade from my sheath in earnest, it will be the last battle I ever fight. I still believe in the boy. I merely came here to offer him some leeway – to make his burden a little easier."

"It's that bad?" Lombard asked, widening his eyes in surprise. "And yet, you still manage to chase after that Sixth Boundary..? You're a far greater man than history will give you credit for. I cannot think of a greater shame than that. But alas, you are right, you've given the boy some room in revealing yourself, I suppose. But for you to trust in him so… I find it strange."

"Leeway?" Beam frowned. "I don't get what you mean."

Dominus flicked his forehead. It was the first flick in a while, and for some reason, it felt vaguely nostalgic rather than painful.

"You still don't properly pay attention to the people around you. You've done a fine job uniting the village – well, a fine job for you. Even when you entreated with Lombard, you did not understand him, just as you do not now. The man might be treating you well enough, but in a world where chaos is about to ensue, even the slightest suspicions can be detrimental," Dominus said.

"Ah. You mean how he didn't know who my master was, and he was worrying that it could be a mage?" Beam realized.

"Indeed, I had my doubts," Lombard said. "Especially given the volume of your strength at merely the Second Boundary. It exceeds that of many men in the third. It would have been quite plausible – especially with all the strange events that surround you – that your master be a mage, and you yourself not even realize it."

"However, given the man that stands before me, such concerns are washed away. In one fell swoop, your master made the state of the board far more favourable for you. As an apprentice, you should show the proper respect and thank him for it," Lombard said.

Beam frowned, but he definitely understood that his master had done him a favour, despite Dominus not entirely wanting to. So he dipped his head and said "thank you, master," with far more sincerity than he had ever spoken to Lombard with.

Tolsey and Lombard shared a look, as they both noted the difference in tone that he spoke to his master with, compared to how he spoke to them.

"Don't do that. He's a pain enough already," Dominus said, shaking his head. "If you start teaching him how to act like a noble, it's going to be deeply unsettling."

"He will have to learn, in time. Or do you intend to shield him from the world, in the same way that you shy away from it," Lombard asked.

It was Dominus' turn to frown. "No. The boy's place is not in the shadows."

"Then allow me to teach him in your place, whilst he is spending his time with me and my men," Lombard said.

"…Do what you want," Dominus said at last.

Beam saw the smallest of smiles appear on Lombard's lips, as he glanced at him. He shuddered, realizing that the Captain was likely planning to hold that over him for a while.

"I do not intend to stay long. Give me a moment with the boy before I leave," Dominus said.

"As you will. But before you go, ser, let me ask you – have you sighted the Yarmdon?"

"I told Beam this was his battle to fight," Dominus said. "I will not assist you until it is absolutely necessary. Though, I will say this, Captain. Ready your men."

That was more than enough for Captain Lombard, a veteran of the battlefield of over twenty years. He lowered his head in respectful gratitude, thanking the old warrior for his warning. "Come, Tolsey. Leave them."

The two disappeared slowly into the falling snow. Beam could see the look of confusion wrought on Tolsey's face as he left, his mind burning with questions. Once the snow hid them, Dominus spoke.

"I meant what I said to the Captain," he said. "A danger approaches, of a magnitude even the Captain has likely not seen – or at least, not had to deal with by his lonesome. You did well, allying yourself with him. I was proud to see that."

"You said before that I won't be able to fight the Pandora Goblin without allies, after all," Beam said with a smile.

"It stirred you, did it not? The Ingolsol Festival?" Dominus asked quietly.

Beam nodded.

"Then that is a sure sign of the trouble to come. That Dark God is making his presence known. Enough that even the villagers could hear his laugh," Dominus said. "The ritual invited him in."

"On purpose?" Beam asked, his expression darkening. "Is the Elder truly our enemy?"

"That is for you to find out, boy. Though I will say this. They have been doing that same ritual for nigh on ten years: what makes this year different? If you manage to answer that, then all these riddles will begin to unravel. But you will need to stay strong through it. Do not let your heart waver – you know the danger that will cause," Dominus warned him.

"I know," Beam said.

"Good," Dominus nodded seriously, before sighing once more. "This damnable cold," he murmured. "I suppose I had better go back into the forest, and train. It would not do for me to fall through on my own promises – though I have to scold myself for being fool enough to aim so high."

"I do not think so, master," Beam said. "You decided to attack the Sixth Boundary because you felt something there, right? Surely there must have been something, then?"

"Indeed. I was able to progress in places that I have never been able to progress before. My error was in estimation. I underestimated just how far I would need to go in order to break through. Such is my folly. After near fifty years of training, and I still make the same mistake again," Dominus said.

Beam had never heard his master sound so defeated. To him, Dominus was a bastion of strength. But then, Dominus had warned him time and time again about the suffering a lack of progress would cause, and how to deal with it. In Beam's own times of struggle, Dominus' seemed able to relate.

Perhaps it was simply the destiny of those that chased progress, to continually be at its mercy, and continue to feel that heart-wrenching pain of dashed expectations.