Tobias-she, Tobias read, We realize this has been a difficult day for you, but we still have some issues to attend to, and Mohira and I must return to the Court as soon as we can. Would you meet with us again?

Tobias scrubbed his hands over his eyes. Do I have to?

Yeah. Where and when? He wrote back.

The answer came almost immediately. As soon as you can, please, and in the antechamber off the Great Hall. Do you know where that is?

Tobias sighed. Apparently it really is urgent. Yeah, that's fine.

Five minutes found him and Mo in the company of the two monarchs, their guards, and a veritable army of other people. Most were Unseelie, but not all - Tobias found he could identify several brownies, a werewolf, and an actual Satyr in the crowd.

Announced by the guards, Tobias found himself the main focus of attention of the entire crowd.

"Tobias-she, thank you," Sheyanan said, obviously relieved to see him. "We wanted to introduce you to your servants, bodyguards, and teachers," she said.

Tobias swallowed. MY servants and bodyguards? Bodyguards he'd anticipated, and he should have anticipated servants, but - there was really an insane number of people in the room. Swallowing again to try and get some moisture in his mouth, he spoke quietly. "C-could I talk to your Majesties for a moment?"

oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00o

There's an antechamber off the antechamber? Tobias thought, confused. At least it wasn't full of reporters.

"What do you need, Tobias-she?" Sheyanan asked him.

Tobias just stared at her for a moment, finding himself distressingly unable to think. "I." Hmm. Get it together man. "That's a - lot of people," he finally said stupidly.

Mohira gave him the usual just-slightly-mocking smile. "Sixteen bodyguards, four teachers, and a bare minimum of servants."

Twenty, plus the servants, Tobias translated. "How many servants is a 'bare minimum?'" he asked the man, trying to at least sound polite.

Mohira's grin widened. "Six. Two body servants, a servant to look after your clothing, two to care for your rooms, and one to look after young Moriyana when you can't."

Tobias nodded mutely, having no idea what to say to that.

"You'll get used to them," Sheyanan explained. "They'll help keep your room and clothing clean for you, and will help you with some of the formal hair and dress styles."

"I am capable of dressing myself," he told her.

"Even I cannot do some of the formal hairstyles Eleni helps me with," Sheyanan told him.

"Then I'll just leave my hair as it is," he told her. "I'm at school, not court."

"Many of our allies' children go to Hogwarts, Tobias-she," Mohira explained. "You will want to look like you are ready for court."

"You'll want me to look ready for court," Tobias retorted.

"Yes," Mohira said, meeting Tobias' eyes squarely. "I will want that."

"You can't always get what you want," Tobias told him, refusing to be cowed.

"You said you would cooperate with us," Mohira replied. "In time, you will be knowledgeable enough to make your own decisions on matters of deportment and politics. For now, though, you will have to simply trust us."

"Why should I trust you?" Tobias demanded.

Sheyanan frowned, looking slightly distressed. Mohira just met his eyes again and spoke bluntly. "You already know we don't want you dead, or you wouldn't have allowed Moriyana in the same room with us," he answered. "And you have every reason to trust us in this context as well, because we obviously want to use you to consolidate our own power. We have no motivation to lead you wrong."
Very practical, Tobias realized. And honest. I like that, at least. "All right," he said, "how about this? Why should I trust you that this particular point of politics is important enough to be worth the inconvenience for me? "

"Once again, you'll have to trust us."

"Sight unseen."

"Either that or drive our Kingdom into the ground," Mohira answered, sounding almost like he didn't care one way or the other. "It really is your choice."

"This hair thing is that important," Tobias stated skeptically.

"Wearing your hair down or in the simple tail you are wearing now would be the equivalent of the Prime Minister wearing dreadlocks," Mohira told him bluntly. "Worse, actually, because wearing long hair down is traditional among the elflords. You would insult them and offend our own subjects."

Tobias winced. Ooookay, fancy hair it is, then. "I concede the point," he said more formally.

"Good," Mohira said.

"I'll grant you the one servant, and even two bodyguards," Tobias answered back, meeting Mohira's eyes challengingly. "Five servants and fourteen bodyguards to go, then."

"Three bodyguards each for you and Moriyana when you are together, four when you're apart. Then double to give you both night and day guards," Mohira said.

"You don't think that a little excessive?" Tobias asked him.

"No."

He was obviously dead serious.

Oooookay then. "Fine then," Tobias said. "Five servants to go."

"One body servant for your hair and clothing, and another to fetch things for you. You'll need somebody to be on-call at all times, so these can't be the same person. One servant to keep your clothing in good order, and another for your rooms. And obviously one to care for Moriyana. We know that you've been having a human woman help you, but your ability to leave Mo has been seriously limited by the fact that she is human. That person must be People."

"And you honestly think I'm going to hand her off to a complete stranger. Really," Tobias said.

"We had thought to allow the two of you time to get acquainted first," Sheyanan said. "And no, we don't know how long that will take. It depends on your personality, and whether you get on with the woman at all."

"I have a better solution," Tobias said. "Zuka, would you come here, please?"

The little brownie popped in. "Master Fae is needing some-eek!" The poor brownie took one look at the two monarchs and popped behind Tobias' back. "Zuka is being very sorries, Masters your Majesties!" she said. "Zuka is not used to-" She fell silent, pulling on her ears.

"This is Zuka," Tobias explained to the monarchs. "She's been making food for Mo and me. Brownies are supposed to be reliable and loyal, aren't they? I've not known Zuka for long, but she's done very well by me, and Mo likes her." Really, Mo liked pulling on Zuka's ears, but Zuka had never uttered a word of complaint.

"That's acceptable to me," Sheyanan said, then looked up at her husband.

"The child will have bodyguards of her own, when the the two are separate," Mohira answered. "I have no objections."

"Zuka," Tobias said, turning around to face the brownie, but making sure his body was between her and her view of the impressive monarchs. "Do you want to? You don't have to."

"Zuka be Master Fae's brownie?" Zuka asked him.

"Yeah," Tobias said. "To help me take care of Mo, and stuff."

"You...You really means it, Master Fae, sir?"

"Yeah, Zuka. Of course."

Zuka stared at him for a moment, eyes very wide, before promptly bursting into tears.

"Zuka is never never having such an honor as this, sir, but Zuka is just young brownie. I has never cared for little ones before, Master Fae, sir! You wants Zuka care for little big one?! For little princess, Master Fae, sir?"

Tobias watched the weeping brownie, totally at a loss, but Sheyanan smiled. "Please will you do this for us, Zuka? Tobias trusts you, that is the most important to us. We would be very happy if you would be willing to help Tobias care for Moriyana."

Zuka looked up through long wet lashes and peered around Tobias' legs to look at the queen and nod. "Yes, your Majesty, ma'am. Zuka likes Master Tobias and Mistress little big one very much. Very much wants to helps with little mistress." Finally she smiled. "Thank you, Master Majesties and Highness sirs and ma'ams. Zuka is very happy!"

Tobias smiled. The brownies way of speaking was somehow really charming. "Good," he told her.

"We will call you again when we need you, Zuka," Sheyanan said. Zuka bowed and popped out.

"Well that was easy," Sheyanan commented. "Good choice, Tobias. She's utterly devoted to you. I have no doubt that she will serve you very well."

"So, Mohira commented, "four servants to go."

"I really need one just to take care of my clothing?"" Tobias asked, "in addition to the one helping me dress?""

Sheyanan frowned. "He's right, Mohira. He is not at court. He need not always be in formal attire. Perhaps it would be better if he looked more like the other students."

"Like, and yet not like," Mohira said. "He needs nicer clothing than he is wearing now. But perhaps we could compromise."

"I am sure Geeralda could manage something," Sheyanan said. "Perhaps if she made him nicer Hogwarts robes, and we arranged it so the rest of his attire left nothing to doubt?"

"It has to be that clear, who I am?" Tobias asked.

"It is polite," Sheyanan explained. "It does not do to have our nobles offending you without realizing who they are speaking to."

"Plus it must be obvious that we have accepted you as ours, especially after the rather public matter of your disappearence," Mohira added.

"Hey I wasn't advertising anything," he told them, mildly irritated.

Sheyanan hid a grin behind a hand and looked at her husband. "He's got you there, Mohira."

"Perhaps," Mohira said blandly, no trace of a smile on his sharp features. "I suppose I must remedy it, then. I propose bright purple robes. With peacock feathers. And gemstones on the collar and cuffs."

"You win," Tobias told him hurriedly, throwing up a hand. "Definitely was totally my fault. I propose a grunge look, complete with wrinkled robes and dirty, matted hair."

"I believe the goal was to change your appearance, Tobias-she," Sheyanan told him.

Was that a joke? "Hey. The jailbird look is in these days," he told them.

"So are peacock feathers," Sheyanan informed him matter-of-factly. "At least at court."

"We'll start a new fashion," Tobias suggested urgently.

She smiled at him. "Precisely. I'll contact our seamstress immediately."

Tobias stared at her. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all," she said. "But don't forget, you suggested it." She looked far to pleased with herself.

Oh, damn. I lose. Note to self: don't argue with Sheyanan. He at least occasionally got one over on Mohira.

"That's not about servants, though," he said. "Just clothing. Does my clothing really need so much taking care of that I need a servant just for that?"

"Not if we're careful in the fabrics we're using," Sheyanan said, speaking before Mohira got a chance. "I'll tell Geeralda. But yes, you do need the other four," she said before Tobias could say anything. "In case you need to get up at night, you need to be taken care of, and it does not do to have you spending time caring for your own chambers."

Tobias gritted his teeth. "I did not want servants in the first place," he told her.

"I'm curious, Tobias," Mohira said. "Were you planning on attending all your lessons, doing all of your studying, caring for Mo, attending to your own toilette, and cleaning your own room, or were you planning on neglecting one or all of those? Your training, or your daughter? Or were you going to live in squalor?"

"Mohira, be kind," Sheyanan admonished.

"I apologize," Mohira said, dipping his head in deference to his wife before meeting Tobias' eyes again with his disconcertingly focused gaze. Tobias found himself looking away, staring at the wall in frustration and a growing sense of dispair. I never wanted this. Oh, God did I not want this.

"I'm sorry, Tobias-she," Sheyanan said. Her tone was soft, and sounded genuinely sad, but Tobias found that he still didn't want to look at the two monarchs. He'd never thought that his life could come down around his ears more than it already had. He tried to remind himself that not all of this was their fault - that he wouldn't give up Moriyana even if he could, that his training was probably going to be better than his classes at Hogwarts, that he'd chosen initially to hide from his friends, that they'd never even met Snape until that day - but it didn't matter. He didn't have a thing in the world to hold onto, other than a 6-month-old baby who could never support his weight. She was a reason to live. She was family. She could not make any of this easier on him. Nobody could. Once again, tears pricked his eyes, and he fought them back with a savage will. He would not show his weakness to the two monarchs.

"Very well, sir," he finally said, meeting Mohira's eyes squarely, and speaking coldly. "Anything else?"

"Medical exams, for both you and Moriyana," Mohira answered him, not acknowledging Tobias' bitter tone. "And soon. Moriyana needs her sixth-month check-up, and as a switch you should've been checked out long ago."

"As your Majesty orders," Tobias said, voice clipped. "Shall I go meet my keepers, then?"