The plain nosed servant was an absolute boon.
And Daniel was very certain she was insane.
But whatever trick or malice she may be hiding, she ran a looping path, crying something about memorizing the golem's attack pattern while keeping it's aggro. However she did it, she brought the golem forward, through the kitchen hallway, and then into the beginning of the Servant's passage.
Upon their heels, though a safe distance away, the Surmount Butler and the Guards pursued, the Surmount Butler shouting orders and all manner of other things.
And leading the entire circus was the Servant Branch, ahead of the chaos and preparing his final trick. The words of the Surmount Butler fell on nearly deaf ears, as the Servant Branch was not currently the Hall Attendant Branch. Therefore, even as Branch, he was able to push aside the commands and continue forward.
The game cheered.
If only Daniel had a weapon. As they ran, Daniel found a fire poker near a great hearth. Painful memories struck him unexpectedly.
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Little Elswith and Orville, too young for the serious nature of the Seelie Citadel and yet too important to be allowed to play freely, had explored nearly every inch of Orville's massive family estate. All 10 ball rooms, the atriums, the concert halls, the aquariums, the flooded concert halls, the gardens.
They never played in Elswith's home.
There was no play in Elswith's home.
But for the last good bit of time, Elswith had a playmate. He learned best with play.
So one day, while playing hide and seek, Elswith and Orville and discovered another secret.
"There is treasure." Said Young Orville.
Little Elswith had looked at the swollen wall himself. He did not want his friend to not like him. "What even is a treasure? Will we like it?"
"Oh, well, that depends." said the little Fae Lord. "I suppose we don't even know what a treasure is. But as my daddy says..."
Elswith did not speak. He did not have a daddy. He had his Lordly Father. But to call the Red Lord, wielder of the Red Sword, daddy...Elswith suspected he would be punished should he try.
Orville was not aware of the dark thoughts of young Elswith, so he stood straighter, his small round tummy a mound under his shirt. "My daddy says "one man's trash is another man's treasure."
"What do humans have to do with treasure?" Asked young Elswith.
"I think they have a lot of trash. But focus. Inside this wall could be something amazing that we need! Are you with me?" Asked little Orville, excitement in his eyes.
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Back in the present, with the stampede at his heels, Daniel ran ahead. He could have run down this hallway in the dark, even though it had been years since he had been young enough to accomplish such a feat. Regardless, he knew this house. Better than his own home.
The thundering footsteps of the Golem was deafening, but he barely heard a warning in time
"Look out!" said the mad servant girl.
Daniel pulled himself flat against the wall just in time as the golem hurled massive heap from the floor. Dust and debris rained down, and Daniel felt his heart thump in a way that he had not felt since he was a child. He lingered for a moment more, hand over his heart. "Be quiet. Be quiet." He commanded it.
The O'Tells estate groaned in protest. More guards would be coming now.
Then Daniel was running again, feeling something terrible and strange in his head. This was too similar.
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Young Elswith stood in horror and shock at the nearly lifeless husk of his little friend's body, royal blue blood staining the marble.
There had not been treasure inside the wall.
Little Orville whimpered weakly, as the O'Tells estate roared to life.
But little Elswith had known they would not get there in time.
He saw a large fire poke, exposed in the debris.
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So...Little Elswith did what others did in stories. He took up the humble rod, much too heavy for his small frame, and charged forward.
The thing released from the wall swirled, the many limbs serrated and stained blue. "Look what the heavens did grace, two little lordlings to bundle up." sparks flashed as the serrated limbs rubbed together.
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Daniel took a turn, getting ahead of the Golem and the massive amount of guards in pursuit. Finally, after so much time, Daniel was nearly there.
He remembered the good times he had had.
But he also remembered how close he had been to losing his oldest comrade, his first sparring partner.
Anger at the helpless feelings stabbed Daniel as he remembered losing to the thing in the wall.
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Little Elswith was pushed aside, just as easily as a gnat to a breeze. If not for the thing in the wall's desire to finish the first victim before starting the next, then he may have died.
He had raised the fire poker again, and this time the thing in the wall laughed at him. "Let it eat first, then it will let it eat you next."
It waved a serrated limb at him, dismissively.
And little Elswith had just nicked it. Barely.
When it seized itself and recoiled as though the rod had been heated in fire. Steam rose from the serrated limb from a dark, molten wound.
"I." said the small Lordling. "Am the Heirling of the Red Sword. I don't go last in anything." And he rushed in again.
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Daniel gripped the fire poker tighter. The odds of it being the same poker were ridiculous. But that was fine. Right now, he did not have to defeat anything.
He would just create a chance for his pursuing golem to make a new acquaintance.
Daniel sped even faster, leaving most of the noise behind. He needed enough time to prepare. Finally, he saw the last corner and rounded it, fire poker raised high.
There was the sagging wall. Daniel's oldest partner had been right, in a fashion. Inside was a treasure.
But unexpected, Daniel encountered one of his newest partner of Jasper, polishing his boots. He stood up hurried, blocking the wall to the wall "Um...Branch....Let's talk about this!"
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Little Elswith had not managed to hit the thing in the wall again, though he swung mightily, he was small and slow.
The thing in the wall gittered and viberated. "What is this? What is this? Do we kill it? Do we keep it? What is this." Each limb a weapon, it moved like fluid around. It shot forward toward him.
Little Elswith had been hit before. Never by his Lordly Father. His Lordly Father was too busy for such things, and Elswith also suspected he would not survive such a blow.
Similarly, Elswith suspected he would not survive the blow by this creature.
But the blow never came.
Intercepting it with a smooth blade was his Steward Matheus. The old Fae seemed more vitalized that the small Lordling had ever seen before. There was a brief exchange of strikes, Daniel found himself swept away by his Steward as six powerful enforcers came in. Matheus took him and did not stop, even as they fled the danger. More guards and enforcers were coming.
"We have to go back and save Orville!" Little Elswith cried, startled by how swiftly his Steward ferried him to safety.
The Old Fae chuckled, no strain in his voice. "With the King's enforcers, he is no longer in danger. Beside, his Mother is coming and I think I would die should I try to remove the young master from his house. ." Matheus did not stop into they were outside the Estate entirely.
Then he carefully placed little Elswith down on the grass. Elswith clenched his first weapon as he processed being moved so swiftly from the Servant's passage to suddenly outdoors. The sky seemed red, even though sunset was far away.
"What did you do?" Asked his steward, gravely.
"It was wrong to destroy the wall..." began Elswith.
"Forget the wall. What did you do to the..." he paused, and Elswith had the sense the old fae was deliberately choosing his words carefully. "The thing inside the wall. What did you do it?"
"I cut it." And he held out his weapon. "It said it would eat me last, but I'm the Heirling of the Red Sword. My Lordly Father said I should never go last or place last or else..." but the words died on the small Lordling's lips as he observed his Steward. Matheus' face changed becoming completely still and alien. It looked more like the face of a statue than the beloved Steward.
"Matheus?" he said.
"I see." Said the Steward. "I see the Game now."
Elswith stood up straight, trying to show that he was not scared. But he was young and he was weak.
The sky felt dark and overcast, the reddish glow intensifying "Did you rush in because it threatened your pride, or did you rush in to save your friend?" Asked the Steward. "Speak true."
This was somehow worse than when his Lordly Father was displeased with him. "I..." Elswith blinked quickly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I did not want my friend to die." And the Law of Fae moved with his words.
The intense stare of the Steward continued for several moments more. Then the steward reached out and gently patted his head. "Very well." He reached out his hand. "Let me hold onto this for you."
Little Elswith looked at his first weapon with uncertainty. He was afraid that should he not have a weapon, then he would get attacked again.
The small Lordling gave over the firepoker. Matheus grimaced that it took so long for Elswith to decide, but calmly placed the poker into the depth of his cloak. "After today, my Young Master, I believe we must start your training early."
Elswith nodded. He did not want to ever feel so powerless again.
"You will need to work hard, everyday, Young Master. It won't be the easy road, but I think it is the one you must tread."
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So there Daniel was, firepoker raised over his head, rounding the corner, and startling his new Hall Attendant Partner. Jasper Dunlap jumped up and stumpled exactly where Daniel needed to be.
"Enough talk!" Said Daniel. "Get out of the way!" The golem was coming, and the wall was thick.
He did not have any time to waste.