Act I
Scene II

The next morning, Berwald was woken by a bell at barely sunrise. A servant had rushed in to tell him that there was a visitor for him. With no valet and no routine, Berwald ended up being ushered down the stairs in his nightshirt and dressing gown, spectacles hastily balanced on a slightly crooked nose, hair tousled.

There in the entrance hall was a figure – a short man, the top of his head barely level with Berwald's shoulder. It was misleading, however. The man had bright blond hair, like the straw in summer, and his eyes sparkled a deep, warm blue-violet, shining with excitement and hope. He was neatly dressed in blues and whites, his cap striped like that of a summer fair's decoration.

"Lord Oxenstierna!" He sank into a low bow upon Berwald's entrance, bobbing up with a big smile. His lips were full, very pink, and one front tooth was slightly and quite endearingly crooked. "I'm Tino Väinämöinen! And I'm honoured to be able to meet you! I do apologise, I'm so terribly early, but in order to prove my skills as a valet, I have to act the part, do I not? I thought I could prove it to you this very morning!"

Berwald stood still and shocked, watching this enthusiastic young man, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement at the thought of doing such a mundane task as helping Berwald dress.

What was the harm in it?

"This isn't customary," the servants warned Berwald as he gestured for Mr Väinämöinen to follow him up the stairs. "There are regulations – "

"He's harmless," were Berwald's only words. "Look at him." Mr Väinämöinen looked barely sixteen summers, rosy and soft-featured. There was no way he would be a threat to Berwald's person; the lord could easily overpower him with no more than his fists.

"I'm so glad you trust me like this!" Mr Väinämöinen chattered all the way up the staircase and along the corridors, into Berwald's chamber. He seemed to notice this as well, for he quickly fell silent, cheeks flushing. "I do apologise, again, I fear I talk too much."

"Not at all." Berwald was used to endless talk, and Mr Väinämöinen's voice was not an unpleasant one.

"Really?" That only encouraged the lad. "Oh, you are a kind sir! I promise I'll be the best valet you could wish for!"

Minutes later, Berwald stood in nothing but long underwear, watching his prospective valet find suitable clothing. The lad seemed skilled, picking garments that matched in colour and style. As they dressed, Berwald started his questioning.

"How old are you?"

"Midwinter marks the start of my nineteenth year," Mr Väinämöinen said cheerfully, buttoning a shirt up over Berwald's broad chest.

"Not a summer child?" Could any child born in the depths of the coldest season be so sunny, so cheery? Mr Väinämöinen was not what he seemed.

"No! And I am cursed with a young face. You still think me a child, I'm sure." Mr Väinämöinen almost pouted as he said that, his bottom lip jutting out plump and rosy. Berwald stared at it, bright eyes tracing the dip and curve of what made up that lovely little mouth. And Mr Väinämöinen noticed his attention, and quickly flushed again.

"O-Of course, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, or disrespectful in any way, sir! I'm simply, ah, assuming, though of course it's unfair of me to assume that you think as most everyone else does – "

"Mr Väinämöinen," Berwald interrupted him. "I don't think you're a child."

"Oh…" The ashamed blush turned to one of bashful happiness. "Oh, well, thank you, sir. And please, don't bother yourself calling me 'Mr Väinämöinen' all the time. It's such a mouthful, I know it is. Please call me Tino!"

"Tino." Berwald rolled the name on his tongue, testing it. "Wouldn't be proper." A valet always had to be called by his surname; the first name was too familiar.

"With all due respect, sir," Tino said, a slightly cheeky smile on his sweet face, "I'll see you undressed every morning. Some would call that improper."

And Berwald was so stunned by the sheer boldness of the statement that he simply nodded and murmured, with a sort of admiration, "Tino it is."

A/N: Thoughts, feelings, ideas, leave them all in a review! I promise I'm going to keep this one up, though please keep in mind that I'm still in school and will be for another five weeks, during which time I'm going to have four exams.