[CD spoilers] Small Favor

[itshim]

One question that has bothered me with all the various fae attacks on Harry over the series is that fae aren't allowed to kill mortals (hence the summer and winter knights) so how comes all these fae can attack Harry, before he becomes winter knight and hence a legitimate target?

[madness]

Fae can kill mortals whenever they want.

The Queens/Ladies can't kill mortals who are not involved in Court business.

Trolls and goblins and such eat humans all the time, no problem.

[itshim]

In which case there is absolutely no need for the knights.
[Mab] This mortal is annoying me, do I set a troll on him or set up a mortal to have some of my powers and thus the potential to kill me (as mentioned by Maeve in CD so not gospel). I know I'll go for the far more dangerous to me option.

[Blagaah]

A troll snatching a kid off a playground for a snack is very different then a troll under Mab's orders doing ANYTHING.  Kid snatching is troll NATURE.  Directed violence against a specific opponent of the Winter Queen is an exertion of her will through a tool. 

Also, given what we've learned in CD, should we trust the job description of the Winter Knight we had up till now?

[wyltok]

A troll snatching a kid off a playground for a snack is very different then a troll under Mab's orders doing ANYTHING.  Kid snatching is troll NATURE.

And even then, under the Accords, trolls are only allowed to snatch naughty kids (as discussed in Restoration of Faith). Nice kids are safe. Every other Fae is probably similarly constrained by their nature. A knight isn't: they can go against anyone the Queens deem needs killing.

[kytheros]

A troll snatching a kid off a playground for a snack is very different then a troll under Mab's orders doing ANYTHING.  Kid snatching is troll NATURE.  Directed violence against a specific opponent of the Winter Queen is an exertion of her will through a tool. 

Also, given what we've learned in CD, should we trust the job description of the Winter Knight we had up till now?

This is a good point. According to Bob, both the Summer and Winter Knight's job is whacking people for their Queen(s).
Admittedly, Fix may have been given bad and/or incomplete information, but I think he was probably closer to being right than being totally off target.

[Lord Rae]

I'm betting that Maeve's orders to the knights mostly centered around killing people... Since we know she hasn't been doing her proper job for a while from her "I will never again be your little hunting falcon" jab at Mab I think she'd been perverting the winter Lady and Winter Knight gig for a while know. Be interesting to see more of what the Winter Lady's true role is in helping to hold off Armageddon. Might have to wait a book or two though.

[xakko]

A troll snatching a kid off a playground for a snack is very different then a troll under Mab's orders doing ANYTHING.  Kid snatching is troll NATURE.  Directed violence against a specific opponent of the Winter Queen is an exertion of her will through a tool. 

Also, given what we've learned in CD, should we trust the job description of the Winter Knight we had up till now?

Mab's comments in Changes at least strongly suggest the Hitman option.  "You will destroy what I wish to destroy.  Kill whosoever I wish you to kill."  That doesn't mean that's the end all, be all of his role, though.

I'm betting that Maeve's orders to the knights mostly centered around killing people... Since we know she hasn't been doing her proper job for a while from her "I will never again be your little hunting falcon" jab at Mab I think she'd been perverting the winter Lady and Winter Knight gig for a while know. Be interesting to see more of what the Winter Lady's true role is in helping to hold off Armageddon. Might have to wait a book or two though.

I personally don't think Maeve was corrupted until after Summer Knight, and I took the "hunting falcon" comment as her getting folks killed per Mab's orders.  The scene where Harry uses the Mantle to try to get Maeve also strongly suggests that death dealing is a big part of it.

[Arjan]

Mab's comments in Changes at least strongly suggest the Hitman option.  "You will destroy what I wish to destroy.  Kill whosoever I wish you to kill."  That doesn't mean that's the end all, be all of his role, though.
I personally don't think Maeve was corrupted until after Summer Knight, and I took the "hunting falcon" comment as her getting folks killed per Mab's orders.  The scene where Harry uses the Mantle to try to get Maeve also strongly suggests that death dealing is a big part of it.

I think Maeve was infected just after Lea because it seems to me the first thing an infected Lea would do. Just after great peril.

Aurora would be the next step, Slate was there on Maeves orders and the infection of Aurora followed after Maeve's. Maeve already used the crazy nympho bitch act in summer knight for Harry so she did not have to answer questions and it worked.

Sending her handmaiden to spoil Billy and Georgia's wedding and even killing them has a strange feel to it. I think it is another sign of the infection. I do not think the Lady's task is to kill humans, the knight can do that. The Lady's task might be to kill everything else.

(click to show/hide)

For example infected denarians in book 15 (maybe)

[kytheros]

Just because Maeve wasn't corrupted yet doesn't mean she wasn't slacking off on the job.

[THE_ANGRY_GAMER]

Yeah, the Knight's job appears to be to go against mortals, specifically. I don't think Mab will restrict Harry to this, of course, when he's so effective against non-mortals, but it Maeve's comments suggest that the Winter Lady's job is something similar, only for the non-mortal threats.