I just had the idea for this fic, so I decided to write it. And um, yeah. o-o; Interesting story behind it, huh? xD

Disclaimer: If I owned Tamora Pierce's books, then my name would be Tamora Pierce and I would be amazing. Sadly, I am not, and therefore my name is not Tamora Pierce, and so therefore I own nothing but an overactive imagination that takes over my puny, mostly dysfunctional brain. ;D

Syllables and Surprises

"No, that's 'c'," Tris said patiently. "In this case, 'c' makes a 'k' sound."

"Right. Kuuhh," Briar sounded.

"Very nice pronunciation. Try reading it again."

The tan-skinned boy's eyebrows knit together in concentration. His grey-green eyes narrowed, squinting at the slate, as if trying to make sense of it. He began to read slowly: "A c-cat ate a rat."

"Good!" Tris smiled, proudly.

Her student's learning was coming along nicely. He mostly knew all the letters and their basic sounds, and was now working on reading full sentences. The pace was slightly slow, but he didn't forget things easily.

"Next sentence?" prompted Tris. Her piercing grey eyes held no mercy for Briar's mistakes, though she was learning to be more patient through teaching him. She would only realize later the irony of their relationship. She might have even learned more from him than he did from her. She had no idea of what she was learning, though, as she painstakingly taught him to read. It was too hot to work, even in the breeze on top of the roof. She wanted to call some more of the winds to her, but Niko had told her not to use her power when she didn't need to. She still couldn't control it very well yet. Instead, as an alternative that didn't quite get the same result she'd wanted, she twisted up her curly, red hair and flung it over her shoulder.

Briar had been focusing on the sentence, working it through and sounding it out in his head. Tris, amused, watched his lips mouth out the syllables, a narrow crease of concentration forming between his brows. "Today… we are going to the…" Briar paused. "See-ah?"

"Sea," corrected Tris, after a glance at the book. That sounded nice. The sea wasn't far away. Maybe after they read, Lark and Rosethorn would let her and her three friends go to the beach for the afternoon? Little Bear could come too. He loved playing in the waves. Tris had gained a great appreciation for the ocean after her experiment with the tides. She knew it was a great force, more powerful than anything she could imagine. But it was also a place of serenity and beauty.

Briar scowled at her. "If it's sea, then why's it got a 'a' at the end?"

Tris regarded him silently, her eyebrow raised.

Briar stared back at her, confused. Then he seemed to realize something and sighed. "If it's sea, then why does it have a 'a' at the end?"

"Better. But it's 'an a'," Tris corrected.

With her determined eyes, Tris reminded him of his usual teacher, Rosethorn, right now. The plant mage also had a tendency to correct his grammar, though she was even pricklier than Tris. Briar thought Tris was really a pushover. He had a feeling that she was the nicest of the three girls at Discipline, she just didn't show it. Beneath her hard exterior, Briar knew she had a strong conscience. It showed in how much she hated injustice.

"It's just one of the silent letters," Tris told him. "Remember, I told you about them?"

Briar thought a moment. "Some letters are silent and are only there when you spell them. Yeah, I remember. But why?"

Tris shrugged. "I don't know. It gets easier the more and more you read."

Briar was tired of trying to read. The heat was getting to him, too. It wasn't effortless for him to read, like it seemed to be for her. "Will you read me something, Coppercurls? Something big and impressive?"

She blinked, obviously confused. It had come out of nowhere and she hadn't been expecting it. "Why?"

"I dunno. It just helps, that's all. I can see the words that way and see how you pronounce them when you read them."

Tris relented, and fetched a book, stealthily, from Rosethorn's small library. When she returned to the roof, Briar was waiting eagerly.

"Can you read the title of this?" Tris asked, sitting back down next to him and offering him the leather-bound book.

He took it and squinted a moment, then gave up. "No."

"Try harder," she pressed.

"S-sim… Sim-pl-ee," he sounded out.

"Good, but it's 'simple'."

"Simple," he repeated. "Guh-arr-den-ing. Gardening. Simple Gardening!"

Tris smiled at her pupil. "Very good."

He handed it back. "Now, read me something interesting?"

Tris opened the book and rammed her glasses higher up her long nose. "Shall I start at the beginning?" He nodded. "All right." She cleared her throat and began to read.

"Before you begin to garden, you must plan out your location and what you're going to be planting. Make sure that the plant you want will grow in the soil and light that is provided in a certain location. Most plants need lots of direct light and rich soil, but some plants will die if they get too much light." Tris realized Briar was staring at her and glanced at him.

His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open as he watched her read. She frowned at him. "What?"

"How can you do that so fast?" He knew she was an avid reader, but he had no idea she could speed through it like that. Actually, he'd never even heard her read that much out loud before. She'd always had her nose silently stuffed in a book. It was a shock to him that she really could read as fast as she usually spoke. Briar realized as he got to know her better that Tris was full of surprises.

"I told you, it takes practice."

He hesitated, then spoke. "I wanna learn how to read like that. I wanna be able to read a book as fast as I can talk."

"Well, that's why I'm teaching you," Tris said, briskly.

"You're the best reading teacher I've ever had," he told her.

She regarded him sharply, as she usually did when he unexpectedly doled out praise. Sometimes he could have startling, sincere moments that threw her completely off guard. Sure enough, she didn't see the familiar sparkle of mischief that danced in his eyes far too much for her liking. He was looking at her earnestly. It was always surprising when he did this, but she guessed she'd just have to get used to it. It was just a part of friendship, after all.

Her face turned red and she looked back down at the book. "I'm the only reading teacher you've ever had. Let's keep going." She found her place in the book quickly. "You should find out what kind of light your plant likes and then find a place that will work for it. Dig an appropriately-sized hole and put the plant into it, making sure you loosen up the roots…"

The end:3 Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you for reading!