The next morning, the sun streamed in, warm and bright, but Thomas felt a knot of nerves in his tummy. He remembered Mr. Giggles's kind eyes and wise words. So, with a deep breath, he sat down at his little kitchen table. He carefully opened the jar of golden clarified butter. It smelled ever so good, like a warm, sunny morning. He began to eat it, spoon by spoon, imagining it coating his insides, thick and comforting, just like Mr. Giggles had said.
It was a lot of butter, but Thomas kept going, thinking of it as his invisible armour. When he had finished, he felt rather full, but also a little bit brave. He took another deep breath and marched off towards the Emperor's palace, ready to face his unusual punishment.
The great hall was filled with courtiers, curious nobles, and many other soldiers, all eager to see what would happen. Emperor Akbar sat on his grand throne, looking very serious. A small pile of chalky, greyish-white slaked lime was placed on a plate before Thomas. It looked quite unappetizing, certainly not like a delicious pancake or a juicy apple.