Lord Fredar grinned wickedly at Daniel, his last command thrumming through the Law of Fae.

Branch had been ordered to assist in their drills. At Lord Fredar's command, Daniel’s bindings enacted. The four bands around his limbs hummed, but the one around his heart remained silent. No punishment, for he had not defied it in his heart. A page could be ordered by anyone, but one of the heirs of the Sky Court was not just anyone but the main one. The orders from Lord Fredar would be much harder to disobey.

Daniel nodded. “How could I say no.” Serious, how could he say no and get away from here?

A Lowling threw a baton to Daniel's feet. "Pick it up." he said.

"I do not wish to be struck."

"Any mewling squire child can participate in a drill." Lord Fredar said, enjoying his victory.

Daniel's years of training was all that kept him from smiling. Lord Fredar had just called him a squire, and not a page. It was a small, imprecise word. One that Daniel would use to weaken the Sky Court's bindings. "I will do as the Knight Commander instructs." Because Knight Commanders instructed squires.

The lowlings and midlings grinned maliciously. Though low in the fae echelon ranking they were still more powerful than Daniel currently. And there was little that could prevent those in the same class from attacking. A Lord could not strike a servant, but a lowling fae was on the same playing field

He just had to survive this season. Let Autumn come again.

Because the attacks certainly did.

The first strike from the lowling came. It was strange, and Daniel moved his arm to block it hesitantly. His time with the goose proved valuable, however, as he was becoming acquainted with moving his body with so much less Authority. There was no magic behind his movements, but the muscle remained and remembered.

A loud 'clack', as Daniel blocked the first strike. The strike was heavy, but the angle of attack poor. Daniel's block was perfectly angled, and soon after another clack was heard as the lowling's baton was sent crashing to the ground, Daniel's strike knocking it free from the lowling's hand.

"You, lowling." Lord Fredar said, "Whatever your name was, you dare attack in my name that poorly?"

"Beggin the Lord's pardon."

Lord Fredar's eyes seemed uninterested in the apology. He waved an uncaring hand. "Go in the corner and assume the pose of repentance. Stay there while you think of what you did wrong."

Daniel looked over to which corner of the open air yard Lord Fredar indicated. There was a pavilion there, with several groups holding their arms stretched out. Sweat trickled down their brows and their arms shook. The lowling bowed, but worry was etched on his face as he moved to join them.

"Let's try a midling. The one with the green...." Three fae with green hair started to move forward but froze at Lord Fredar's reprimand. "Not you, the other one. With the hat." The group shifted until a tall midling wearing a green hat pointed to himself. "Yes you,"

"Marrin, son of..." the midling began.

"Yes, yes. Marrin whatever your face. Go get the baton."

Marrin ran off to find the baton.

"Do it right. In fact, everyone, find your equipment. It is training time, is it not?"

An eruption emerged as the lowlings and midlings scurried to retrieve their equipment. Two even ran into each other. It seemed as though they thought something was chasing them.

In the chaos, Daniel found himself standing by Lord Fredar by habit. "You don't know their harbor names, do you?" Daniel said.

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In that moment of watching the lowlings and midlings panic, Lord Fredar shrugged. "It's a bother. I don't keep them long enough for it to matter." Lord Fredar said. "So hard to find good help these days. I'm sure you were the same."

Daniel felt another separation between himself and Fredar. Elswith had spent much of his time memorizing and remembering every single name, favor, and debt. The Law of Fae was helpful, but one had to spend enough time using it to be able to feel the meaning of its flow. Elswith had. Then again, Elswith had always been weaker than his opponents. He had overcome them with determination, resolve, and craftiness. And simple facts to learn people's harbor names to collect on favors later.

In hindsight, Daniel should have realized he was different from the other Lordlings a lot sooner than he had.

Troubled by his own failings, Daniel shrugged, and moved back to the center of the field. The grass was closer to blue than green, and seemed to long for the sky overhead.

Marrin, the midling with the green hat arrived. He was significantly taller than Daniel, like a shadow of a mountain overcast above a weary traveler. Daniel corrected his grip on the baton, as his opponent did likewise. "Assume position. And start!" Lord Fredar commanded, sitting down.

The midling moved to attack.

Daniel raised his baton, the wooden grip stinging in his hands as he countered the heavy, powerful strike. Marrin attacked again, whipping the weapon across from the right, increasing his strength.

Daniel shifted his guard and met force with force again. Clack.

"We are waiting for a show!" Lord Fredar commanded.

The midling grimaced and sped up.

Like a rock side, heavy, unbalanced blows whaled upon Daniel. Crash. Crash. Crash. Daniel's hands stung as he blocked each. It would be worse if they should find purchase on his body, he knew, but his arms felt tired and numb.

His opponent used some kind of earth affinity. Slow, powerful, but not imaginative.

Combat was different than before. As a Lordling, Elswith had relied upon his magical perception first, and other senses later. But now with his Authority empty, his range of analysis was smaller than before.

But as he worked to block attacks, Daniel began wondering if his senses were truly diminished, but rather just different than before. His eyes were becoming his most useful sense in battle, but his ears as well helped him navigate around the open field atop the Sky Court's estate. With his eyes, he could see his opponent's bad form, in a way that assessing magical capabilities did not. The way his opponent shuffled his feet uncertain, the way the strikes were too heavy and too slow. Daniel could hear the ragged breathing begin as the midling began to tire.

Hope blossomed inside Daniel's chest. Before, he may have noticed the magic loosening, but to see the physical state of his opponent degrade told Daniel that perhaps combat was not hopeless.

Daniel had thought himself crippled with the loss of his power.

Perhaps he had just to establish a new way.

"I'm getting bored!" Lord Fredar commanded, sitting in a chair his attendant had placed on the edge of the field.

The mountainous opponent started pushing forward. He was certainly strong, Daniel acknowledged.

Daniel turned his eyes over all of Lord Fredar's troop.

Surely, they must know that Lord Fredar was playing with them, giving them older equipment and running them through an outdated pattern of fighting long replaced by better series. But since Lord Fredar was not taking it seriously, they were not taking it seriously. They were more afraid to question than continue to train incorrectly, if the tall midling was any standard. His arms were strong, but he moved only his arms with each strike, neglecting his body.

They knew that they were toys. They were neglecting their fools errand. Yes, the equipment was old, but not broken. Yes the outdated pattern of fighting had been long replaced, but it was famous for a reason.

Daniel sighed, conflicted.

There was a chance for anyone in the Enforcers to become a full fledged Knight Commander. But for this little group of rank and file was probably only an offshoot of the Enforcers, more likely to just be a plaything to Lord Fredar, Knight Captain. No doubt it was easy to serve under Lord Fredar, but that easy time would prove fatal in battle. Did the lowling fae from the far flung places even understand that their place here was for the amusement of Lord Fredar as he settled in his power, and his family prepared a more distinguished position for him? Did they even guess that their lives were forfeit the moment danger reared its head, to be left to absorb the damage and allow the new Lord to retreat?

Time to end this, he decided. Crash. Crash. Crash. Each strike, Daniel countered with own baton.

Then Daniel pivoted, and let Marrin reach open air. Marrin had been counting on Daniel's weapon to stablize himself. Meeting nothing but open air, Marrin's momentum made him stumble forward.

Time seemed to slow as Daniel observed the giant loose his footing, overbalanced and overreaching, stumbling forward.

Yes, what training these lowlings and midlings did was also a fool's errand, to Lord Fredar. But had they attended it diligently, they would have improved and grown. Marrin, the mountainous midling fae, would have known better. But he had not. Better to learn now than later.

This was Daniel's favor to the midling. Do in diligence all things.

Stumbling forward, the mountain almost regained his footing.

Until Daniel gave one, tiny but perfect push.

And the mountain crashed down.

"This humble one praises Lord Fredar for the spar. As the lowly commoners say, 'Who's next'?"