Now I've had a good sleep and a chance to run back over it all, I must say that I think this is the least likely scenario. It doesn't square with what I saw and heard. (Not that an elf can't take it in his head to do the wildest things in the name of serving his master--or mistress. I do not doubt your experience at all.)
However, this elf was in clear rebellion against Voldemort. What he demanded was that the boy should fight the Protector to save the lowly, meagre vermin slaves of the realm (there was a lot of language like that). If Voldemort is the elf's master, then, as you said last night, even if he has conceived the idea of rebelling, he cannot attack his master directly. It would appear that he's latched onto the boy as a champion, as the one with access and opportunity to strike a killing blow inside Buckingham.
Frankly, he appeared to have a rather more mystical notion about the boy's qualifications than that: there was quite a lot of raving about the boy's having been Chosen as The One (trust me the capitalisation was there in his voice).
On the other hand, I am not merely reaching for rhetorical effect when I tell you the elf was mad. I would guess that he has had every bone of his body broken many times in his life; his form is bent into the most grotesque posture; and his character is equally misshapen. By turns, he slavered over the boy, in anticipation of what he could achieve, and then threatened him with the most outlandish gestures I've ever seen any creature offer. He has been broken by his treatment, darkened and twisted into something unrecognisable. He does not behave as elves do, which means we cannot count on what we know of elves to help us understand this one's scheme.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-11-09 02:37 pm (UTC)However, this elf was in clear rebellion against Voldemort. What he demanded was that the boy should fight the Protector to save the lowly, meagre vermin slaves of the realm (there was a lot of language like that). If Voldemort is the elf's master, then, as you said last night, even if he has conceived the idea of rebelling, he cannot attack his master directly. It would appear that he's latched onto the boy as a champion, as the one with access and opportunity to strike a killing blow inside Buckingham.
Frankly, he appeared to have a rather more mystical notion about the boy's qualifications than that: there was quite a lot of raving about the boy's having been Chosen as The One (trust me the capitalisation was there in his voice).
On the other hand, I am not merely reaching for rhetorical effect when I tell you the elf was mad. I would guess that he has had every bone of his body broken many times in his life; his form is bent into the most grotesque posture; and his character is equally misshapen. By turns, he slavered over the boy, in anticipation of what he could achieve, and then threatened him with the most outlandish gestures I've ever seen any creature offer. He has been broken by his treatment, darkened and twisted into something unrecognisable. He does not behave as elves do, which means we cannot count on what we know of elves to help us understand this one's scheme.