The King's Summer Ball.
Elswith had attended almost every year, outside of the year he was fifteen and he was almost canceled for shaming his house. The main event was relatively short because having so many powerful Fae caused reality to grown strange. There ball had actually been going on all night, but the more important people only arrived in the last hour. The Summer Season was in full display of power. Upon a dais, next to the King's throne was the Youthful lady of Summer, her hair blue like the summer sky and her eyes a sparkling gold, her skin dark like a summer night, and she wore a sparkling golden gown. She looked terrified. She would only be around 11 years old.
The King should have been upon the dais next her, showing the solidification of the Fairy King and the ruling season.
But the main event had been somewhat overridden with the Game. And many were becoming increasingly confused as the Game appeared to not start. After around 5 minutes, a few of the attending slipped out.
The Game would not appear before people who were in the Game's sphere of influence. Because Daniel was present, the Game would not show those who may wish to harm him where he was. That would be cheating, and the Game hated cheaters. And winners, and losers, and all others.
By Daniel embracing his role as a servant, he was able to enter the location where many of those who wished him harm were required to be. Therefore, many of their plans would be forced to be halted. Worse for them was that if they attacked here, the Law of Fae would be within its rights to stop them. Also, while those who opposed his plan were many, they had their own enemies who would want him to succeed just to see their enemies suffer.
The wonderful world of Fae politicking.
While the confusion grew, the Servant Branch mingled with the crowd. When his tray grew empty, he put the silvery oval against his body and returned to the edge of the room, where more and more trays of wine were there and waiting. The Servant Branch almost laughed as he was gathering thanks. The small scrapes of thanks were wonderful. He felt his small harbor name strengthen and grow. He was careful, of course. He watched the flow of the other Servants, a perceived pattern emerging. There was overlap, but each servant seemed to have an unspoken population they tended to. Daniel was afraid that he would eventually stick out, but over time he realized that this system was informal and unspoken. The servants seemingly didn't realize that they themselves were doing it.
The beginning of the problems began.
First of all: The servants used a modified Lren Style. Maybe it was a southern interpretation. Maybe it was something fine-tuned for this specific event. If he had gotten there earlier then there was the chance he could have observed more of the logic behind the event.
As the guests became saturated with wine, the other servants began having moments with nothing to do. Meaning, they were also taking a moment to exchange brief I'm working right now but I'm glad to see you exchanges from the Lren Style. It basically looked like a subtle nod. But the problems came when one Servant tried to do that with Branch, and tried to take the accumulating Thanks.
Daniel almost attacked out of instinct, but he realized just in time that the Law of Fae had been worked into the gesture. Something about sharing and giving back and working together. Basically, he realized that it would be sharing.
Daniel didn't know that was possible. He hadn't considered that the servants shared their tips.
Also, what a terrible thing to do. If someone provides excellent service, and someone else provides poor service, they shouldn't be forced to split the difference and both take the average. Also, providing great service meant he had spent more time with an individual.
Also also...He was actively using Influence. He didn't have the oceans of power he was used to, and he didn't think he could section off a small part well. He had excellent control for a Lordling, but this was a scale beneath his area of practice. He could lose most of the power he had gathered that day if he was careless.
So he denied the theft of power from the one servant and changed his game plan. He went the other direction, so while most of the servants went counter- clock wise, getting a new tray, going against the flow of the clock, and finding themselves with an empty tray again at the same place where they could exchange their thanks, he timed it that his tray was full when their were empty, and his was empty when theirs were full.
But this did make him more obvious. In fact, the first servant who tried to 'share' tips glared at Daniel several times and tried to engage again.
The second problem: There were many Lords and Senators who could recognize him.
Speaking of which...The Seawhich.
Hollis' mother.
Aqutaine the Seawhich. The last heir of the Sea Kingdom. Arrogant, prideful, reclusive. And she had been Daniel's only real experience of direct motherly love.
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It was a strange dichotomy, because of all the Fae he knew she was one of the few, outside of Matheus, Daniel knew would never endanger him or even betray him. But just as the tide wears down the stone, she had her own plans. And while she would never harm Daniel, she was not above watching him sink if he was not fit enough to swim.
Underwater, she appeared completely beautiful. But there was something about the surface that dried her out. Her face seemed to wrinkle, and her hair never seemed to actually dry all the way, hanging limp and knotted like seaweed. Her clothes were appropriate at least, if not a bit dated.
Daniel debated his best course of action. Avoid her, or establish an early connection so she didn't see him later and seek him out herself. A servant could move much more covertly after all.
He went and got another tray of wine, carefully selecting her favorite dark blue that smelled like sapphires and spices. He avoided the annoying servant who seemed offended by Daniel not wanting to share, slipped between a group arguing that the Game wasn't working, and got some thanks for the wine.
Then he found himself before Aqutaine.
She made one moment of direct eye contact, and Daniel knew then and there that she saw him. Fully saw him. There had been several Lords and Faction leaders whom Elswith had known closely who had completely overlooked him. They had only seen a servant, a faceless and nameless individual.
But not the Seawhich.
She did not look long. But there was something pleased about her face as she briefly took him in. Understanding was immediate. She took a glass of wine, and didn't even give him any thanks. But she didn't need to. She was pleased to have seen him.
More than that...
Daniel felt it, as she looked down into her cup...
She smiled.
She believed in him.
Perhaps she always had.
So Daniel left, and walked amongst the rulers of the Fae. He felt happier than he had any right to.
Matheus had always fretted about Elswith's safety. He had forced Elswith to train harder and with more difficulty than almost any other Lordling. He had taught Daniel everything, took him to learn from experts, forced him to compete even when Elswith was not very talented. The harshness of the training was needed. Matheus wanted him to thrive.
But only the seawhich had voiced her thoughts that little Elswith was doing fine. That it was okay to struggle too. That everything had its tide.
Because she believed in him.
The final problem emerged when a guest had a problem.
There was a Lordling who wanted gooseberry wine.
Gooseberry.
This time of year.
What an insult to the Summer Season.
There was no Gooseberry wine. That was a winter drink. Every fae knew that. To request it was insulting to the shy Young Lady of Summer, with her golden eyes and blue hair fidgeting awkwardly as the Ball continued on but there was still no Fairy King present. She was already shamed. Now, for this lordling demanding a winter wine within earshot was a deliberate insult.
And the servant the lordling was complaining to just so happened to be the Servant Branch.
People were beginning to look at him now.
What to do, Daniel wondered, carefully maintaining his influence to his clothing, thinking. He wanted to shut this down, and quickly.
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Unbeknownst to the Servant Branch, but known to those watching the Game, the Game followed the annoyed servant briefly. This was a head servant, and quite prided himself in his neatness and tidiness. He had done much to stop the unfairness of serving the upper curst of the Fae. For example, if all the servants tried to serve the very powerful, they may fail to serve all guests fairly. That he took a tithe for his efforts in setting up the system didn't seem to bother the Law of Fae, as it had never stopped him.
So he had modified the Lren Style. And everyone had to exchange fairly often, so the wicked servants didn't have time to pocket the newly earned 'thanks' they received.
But one servant refused. Despite being very talented for a servant, he clearly had a black heart and was selfish! He had plans to keep all of his tips to himself. True, he had worked exceedingly hard, doing more than twice the amount of service work than was average. In fact, he hadn't taken a break at all. Normally, servants did a round or two, then went in the back to calm their nerves after being surrounded by Fae (or almost fae, or not quite fae) powerful enough they could crush you with a sneeze. But the new servant waltzed around the crowded floor, never spilling a drop or stumbling at all, approaching those who wanted a drink perfectly, searching for the perfect wine selection for each grouping, without seeming nervous at all!
The talent!
This was clearly a new, rising star! This servant could be the new face of all servants.
But with all talented individuals, steps were required to make sure they didn't get too arrogant. Clearly he was already black hearted enough to keep the thanks for himself!
So the head servant went back through the double door, chucked his tongue at the servants taking too long to return to their duties, went around the other servants dutifully preparing glasses of wine for the ball room beyond, and found the Surmount Butler of the King.
They didn't get along well. She had outdated ideas about many things, like woolen socks over silken, and the preservation of the Lren Style versus modifying it. Also, they were married.
"I need to complain about..." then the annoyed servant stopped speaking. That was odd.
The King's Surmount Butler kept watching, her face clearly annoyed. "This isn't a good time." She said. If she pulled rank again at work, that would be the about the 1,502nd time she did that!
The head servant started again. He was very clear in his mind about what he wanted to discuss. "There is a...." and nothing came out again. He had meant to say 'there is a servant who isn't following my rules to redistribute the thanks.'
"Servant Soren, I need to get moving. There are over 5,000 guests on this floor alone. The High Fae may start a war with each other if a single hors d'oeuvres is larger than the other, and the Wee Lordling from the outercourt almost set the playpen to glass again. Not fire. Glass. GLASS. Do you know how little I care about someone taking your tips when we are all that stands between the Seelie Court erupting into civil war! Not to mention There is a Major Capital G Game, which could ignite rivalry between the Senate and the Factions. We could have complete breakdown. The Lords are already complaining about not seeing the Game. Not to mention the Bladed Master is here. The Bladed Master. Do you remember that we used to have another mountain? Now! Go away. File a complaint tomorrow."
The head servant found himself walking back into the ballroom. He realized he was under the Surmount Butler's Authority. That was why he couldn't mention the servant. When had she ordered that? She had given commands before the clock struck 11. What had she ordered the growing surge of servants as they prepared...