[ WP ] Knowledge is power , and magic is might ... but all of that energy has to come from somewhere . Write a story where fat is the natural human storage of Mana or MP .

The magic is in the pudding. Sugar, milk, eggs, starch, lard, nuts, and oil with a bit of vanilla to taste. It's the secret recipe which has secured our nation for over a thousand years. The Merlins eat it breakfast, brunch, second breakfast, elevensies, noon, supper, and night. Some people think it's the toffee, the fudge, the cookies, or the macaroons, but boy are they wrong. The magic is in the pudding. 
 
 For over one hundred years the recipes have been `` improved on,'' or *butchered* if you're a purist like me. Adding more sugar is a no-brainer for high intensity conjuring, but if there's too much in the regular diet the Merlin gets a little cranky after. You definitely do not want someone controlling the eldritch powers to be cranky. A good Merlin is a happy, wide bellied, sleeping after elevensies Merlin. That's where the the lard comes in. Good, clean, refined, lard without odor, the kind that melts in your fingers. Coconut oil is n't a substitute. A lot of people think that or think they can go vegan, but no, accept no substitute. Lard slows them down and more important it gives them energy to burn over time. 
 
 I like to think of my job as a brigadier chef in the Royal Army as a rewarding experience. A lot of people think it's only the Merlins that are keeping us safe, but it's really a team effort. My youngest son's a good example. He wants to learn the art and all, but I keep telling him: `` How are you going to stop those summoned dragons on an empty stomach aye? You better learn to cook first.'' He's fourteen, and already he's seventeen stone. The wife and I could n't be more proud. My eldest has taken to the craft though. He already has a Michelin star if you can believe it. Never took to the service mind you, but someone's got to feed the people running the country eh? 
 
 No, I'm glad he is where he is. The front lines is n't much a place for him. War's all about starving the other one out. The hard part of my job is getting the supplies. Knowing the recipes is one thing, getting the ingredients an entire other. There's a lot of bargaining and cajoling to get the good stuff. Every regiment has it's own brigadier chef and every regiment commander has a favorite. I'm lucky in that I get along with most of my CO's, and all of them can respect the dish. No food and then the Merlins go noodly. Wizarding on the front lines takes it out of them. I've seen good plump men come back as sticks and all I can do is set them down with a bowl and hope they can eat. It takes a strong stomach just to watch. The magic is in the pudding though, they eat it and we go on fighting another day. We keep fighting, we might just win the war. 

