He smiled equally, but once they were away, his fury came into the open, though his voice was steady and low, and he faced away from the court. "Of course, a true 'leader' of the old ways. The exact kind of leader to lead your people to their deaths.<br/><br/>I honestly don't want to make an enemy of you, and was honestly torn between you and the Princess. The Queen has... already made a negative impression, and, if I survive to become the Summer Knight, my job will be to protect the Court and enforce it's will. NOT the Queen's. If I come to the decision that certain members need to be... retired, then I will find a way to do so. The patron is merely a minor boon, at least to me, and not protection from that job. If anything, it is less, due to me requiring a certain amount of... responsibility from them. Hence why I didn't accept the lower Court member's offers.<br/><br/>So here is the offer. I will accept your gift of the elves, and you get an improved position to make suggestions and recommendations. A hidden patronage, if you will. If, however, you ask me to move against my official patron, I will inform them, but will also inform you if they ask me to do the same. If both of you require a certain member... retired from the Court, then I will put myself to it as best I can, but I have another duty to preform while here."<br/><br/>He glanced at her, before considering how to word it. "An exchange of information about the trial's ordeals for the elves to be a 'gift' upon my taking up the duties of the Summer Knight? It makes you position slightly better to replace me after I get killed trying to preform my duties, and I suspect it will be sooner rather than later. I am highly magic resistant, naturally, and I suspect that includes healing, so it is a mere question of how soon, not if, I die during the duties."