Snippet #1855863

Lucius
Another day, another meeting, another debate, another solution. The blacksmiths were easy to calm down. The aftermath of the war did not help the economy.
"The economy is fractured, but not broken. Just as a fractured bone, our financial infrastructure shall heal and become stronger than ever before." I remembered those strong statements during my public address to the people. They were afraid, and they needed reassurance. I promised I was going to bring the Kingdom through this deficit; I had no intention of breaking that promise.
I had managed to convince the nobility to pay slightly more on their taxes so the commoners' taxes could be lowered. This will only be temporary, of course; despite their high status, I couldn't overtax them if it wasn't necessary.
"You see, Nero, anyone can be reasoned with. These people are all intelligent and determined. Their fear creates irrationality, but that is not their fault." Nero and I were walking through a small village where the blacksmiths gathered. The people seemed quite happy to see me. I decided to visit the local baker; I enjoyed the bread produced by local bakeries. Nero and I approached the wooden stand; assortments of breads and baked goods covered the stand. The baker seemed shocked to see us.
"What a pleasant surprise to see you here in our village, Master Corella! Would you like a sample of my finest bread?" I smiled and placed a few gold coins in his hand.
"No, no, I'm going to pay, just as everyone else does." I picked up the first bread roll I saw. This brought me back to my days trying to bake bread in my father's kitchen. The head chef would give me advice whenever I visited him. I would like to bake more often, but my schedule always seems to be full.
I turned to leave the stand when, in the corner of my eye, I saw a boy creep up to the stand. The baker was still happily smiling at us; he didn't notice the boy as he grabbed a bread roll from the table and started sneaking away. Luckily I wasn't a lazy politician.
I made a dash for him before he could turn to see me staring him down. I caught him as he was starting to run. I grabbed him by the arm and lifted him to my eye level. He began to squirm and cry.
"Please let me go," he begged "I just want to feed my mom... Dad didn't come back from the war." My heart sank as he explained himself. I lowered to the ground and knelt down to look him in the eyes.
"You have to understand that stealing is illegal." I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I know you want to feed your family, but you must do this by legal means." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small handful of coins. I placed about ten coins in the boy's hand; more than enough to feed him and his mother for a few days.
"Now please, find the right way to earn your coin. Talk to some of the blacksmiths, I'm sure they could use an assistant." The boy's eyes sparkled as he looked at the coins in his hand. He placed the coins in his pocket and jumped towards me, hugging me tightly. I returned his hug. I felt very happy to have helped him... I knew too well the horrors of war.
The boy scurried off with excitement. I knew he'd fine his way in life.

(OOC - I'm going to do two posts, cause mine seem to be very long!)