Chapter 11

In which our hero observes an argument

King Peter and King Edmund had been out for a ride with Lord Tol and Thunderbolt, to take a look at the nearly finished ship and to discuss an archery competition they were secretly planning for Queen Lucy's birthday. When they returned to the castle, they were met some way before the gate by a very distressed Reetseep. The Mouse ran with all his might towards them, and shouted at the top of his high voice:

"Your Majesties – Your Lordships – you must come to the courtyard – the dwarfs are fighting and Queen Lucy –"

"Lucy!" Edmund cried, and rode fast to the gate; the others followed, but Peter stopped just a moment to pick Reetseep up and set him on the horse's back before himself.

"Why are they fighting?"

"Nobody knows! And I wasn't there when it started."

"All right. You showed presence of mind in running for help," Peter said reassuringly, and observed with satisfaction that the Mouse immediately rose about an inch. It was high time Reetseep realised his own worth! Without his dutiful running of errands and collected (if still rather big-eyed) reactions to changes in plans, half the castle would have probably fallen into chaos in the previous weeks.

Peter soon noticed that the situation could not be so bad after all, because even before he emerged from the gateway after his companions, he could hear the sound of giggles from the courtyard over the sound of their horses' hooves. Trust Lucy to lighten the atmosphere, he thought; but when the scene opened before him, he realised the pretext for the giggles was focused on different parties.

There was a partially broken up huddle of dwarfs in the centre of the courtyard and in their midst, Peridan was heaving himself up from the ground with Thornbut's help, still retaining most of his folded up position even after he rose. Tazzik stood next to them, looking at the man with a triumphant challenge in his face and posture.

"Tazzik, you –" Peridan groaned.

"Yes? What am I?" prodded the dwarf; from his look and behaviour, Peter would swear he must have been behind most of the trouble boiling here, whatever it actually entailed.

Peridan glared at Tazzik with the vengeful ire of an injured party in his eyes. And then, suddenly, something snapped and shifted in his countenance and he straightened up and said, still with a hint of indignation but mostly with dignity:

"You have very good aim."

"What did I say?" Mrs Beaver murmured from beside Lucy, and a new peal of laughter shook the onlookers as well as some of the dwarfs.

"What happened?" Peter asked, deciding this moment when everyone was momentarily distracted was the best time to intervene.

"The dwarfs started fighting again. Peridan tried to stop them and got hit himself… in a rather delicate place," Mr Tumnus explained.

Both Peter and Edmund winced on Peridan's behalf, while Tol unsuccessfully tried to suppress a smirk; only Thunderbolt remained stoic.

"But why were they fighting in the first place?" Edmund asked.

"We still do not know that," Lucy said. "I tried to ask them how it happened, and they only started accusing one another, and what you've heard followed."

Peter shook his head in exasperation. He knew dwarfs could be stubborn, but he had never before seen them being so… thick-headed. Fighting like that, who knows what for, ignoring everyone else. None of the dwarfs had volunteered to enlighten them yet. And then, just as if to restore in him some of the disappearing faith in his Narnians, Smithkin spoke up:

"Your Majesties, I think I could explain." Some of the other dwarfs looked at him darkly, while others seemed relieved that he had taken the necessary duty of telling the Kings and Queen upon himself. "It was all because of school."

"School?" Lord Tol asked incredulously. "You nearly killed yourselves and others off because of school?!"

"It is not a light matter," Smithkin said. "It's been two years. Some of us have been hoping something would have changed by now."

"Changed?" Peter asked, confused. "Are the teachers bad? You should have told us; we tried to choose good and wise people."

"It's not the teachers as such," Smithkin replied cautiously.

"It's the whole system!" Tazzik exclaimed.

"There's nothing wrong with the system," one of the Red Dwarf gardeners – Dobbin – said. "It works for everyone!"

Apparently, the dwarfs just could not explain anything to the others till they have explained matters to one another – which event did not seem to be coming any time soon.

"But we're not just everyone!" Tazzik said. "We're dwarfs!"

"I don't know what makes dwarfs so different from, say, satyrs," Thornbut said.

"I said he was a knucklehead, didn't I?" Tazzik scoffed.

"In this particular case," Thornbut added.

"Well, he's got a point – in this particular case, we're in the same tight spot with the satyrs," Smithkin agreed.

"Would you, by your leave, explain what exactly this tight spot you are talking about is?" Edmund asked, before the conversation could escalate into yet another fight. "It is apparently something we are unable to infer on our own."

And just when did Edmund start to think and talk like that?, Peter wondered, and felt a surge of pride for his younger brother's competence.

"Well, the thing is, school is not good for our children," Smithkin said.

"But I don't see why," Dobbin said.

"I learnt useful things at school," Thornbut agreed.

"And what use, if you don't mind telling me, is reading and writing to you in the stables?" Tazzik snapped, once more derailing the conversation and directing its focus to other dwarfs instead of their three rulers waiting for explanations. "What use has it ever been to you there?"

"I can read books when I'm finished in the stables, and write my letters to my mom myself," Thornbut said with umbrage.

"But you would not have needed to be sent to school for that," Smithkin said peacefully. "Your mom could have taught you herself."

"And she wouldn't have filled your head with all that witchy nonsense," Tazzik added pointedly. "Just like me mom didn't."

"Just like she did not fill your head with any manners, either," Dobbin said. "You would not get away with that sort of behaviour at school!"

"Um," Thornbut did, apparently not agreeing with Dobbin on this particular point. Peter could very well imagine Thornbut had been picked on at school, just like he was picked on now. Dobbin did not pay him any heed, though, and kept his argument with Tazzik.

"There is a good reason why our children are sent to school with everyone else! Otherwise they would end up thinking the world begins and ends with dwarfs. And you're apparently thinking that, too! So your mom didn't make such a great teacher after all."

"Oho!" Tazik said. "Who's got bad manners now? And don't even try to pretend the whole thing was started on good intentions. We both know it wasn't!"

"But it's built on good intentions now! So what if it was misused originally; it isn't now. You're just trying to make dwarfs more special."

During the whole conversation, Peridan had still been standing among the dwarfs; towering above them, but completely ignored. Now, he seemed to have caught onto an underlying idea that the dwarfs never mentioned directly.

"Is that what this is all about? Some sort of fear of... indoctrination?" he asked.

Once more, he drew everyone's attention to himself. Most people were looking at him in confusion, because they did not understand what he had said. Peter was not entirely sure he had got the correct meaning, either, but his understanding was certainly better than Tazzik's.

"What are you talking about?" the dwarf asked Peridan suspiciously. "Nobody's making doctors of my children, that much is sure, and nobody's ever tried. Nor is going to try, either!"

"Peridan is, I believe, suggesting that you fear school could, once more, do what Jadis used it for: to break up the traditional upbringing and craftsmanship of dwarfs and their family ties," Thunderbolt said. It was the first thing he said during the whole commotion, and as was often the case with him, when he spoke, he cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"That sounds about right," said both Smithkin and Peridan at once. The two of them immediately exchanged startled and slightly amused glances. Even though each of them had agreed with a different aspect of Thunderbolt's speech (Peridan agreeing that that was what he had meant, Smithkin agreeing that that was what it was all about), the centaur had summed up both of their thoughts very succinctly.

"Aslan be praised: we know the problem at last," Peter said. "Rest assured, we had no idea that the Witch had done that. Nobody had told us before."


And nobody had bothered to mention that important fact to the new rulers? In two years? Methos wondered. There were possibly some serious trust issues there. And somebody – I'm looking at you, Thunderbolt – had failed to realise just how serious a problem that is, continuing a practice set up by a tyrant.

Of course, it was exactly the sort of issue Thunderbolt would be likely to overlook. Thunderbolt was all about education. He would think that education with good intent was all right. And in normal circumstances, Methos would agree; but the matter of "we don't need no thought control, no dark sarcasm in the classroom" had left scars and had led to some unrest in the most recent times he had lived through. Not all aspects of organised education were good for everyone. And it was not even always the teachers' fault. Sometimes, it was simply the fact that there was not enough room to give the necessary attention to everyone. And some teachers could harm even with good intent.

In this case, though, the issue seemed to run deeper than individual child-teacher relations. It seemed to be more of a homeschooling-related argument. Given the fact that the dwarfs' society was, as he far as he had managed to learn in the past weeks, highly skill-focused and working on a sort of master-apprentice basis (very often centred in families; most of Smithkin's and Dobbin's apprentices were their children or nieces and nephews), Methos could understand why they would see the need for homeschooling. The complicated part was, however, that not even the dwarfs themselves seemed to agree on the importance of the issue. Dobbin, who seemed to be the most adamant proponent of the status quo, was just as reliant upon the work of his apprentices in the gardens as Smithkin was in his forge shop. Tazzik, whose trade – at least Methos thought so, because the dwarf would never let him get close enough to learn more of his work – did not require such a structure, was on the other hand very much opposed to the school system.

Well, a part of Tazzik's attitude certainly had to do with the fact that he associated the system with the Witch, and the poor former servant of the aforementioned in the ranks of his own people. But that attitude could not completely discredit the argument he was upholding; Smithkin was much more judicious in his reasoning for the same.

"I do not think this is a good place to deal with this further," King Peter said, tearing Methos out of his thoughts. "You have fought here; others were hurt here."

Read: me, Methos thought sarcastically. He just made a good incidental argument for the king. But if it meant this was going to be discussed with more perspective and authority, somewhere else where he would not have to stand right in front of Queen Lucy (his own expletive was still ringing in his ears) and be the object of Mrs Beaver's scrutiny, he really could not raise any objections against it.

"Besides, our sister Susan should learn of this matter as well, and be present to our further discussion," Peter continued. "We shall meet after tea in the Great Hall. In the meantime, I entreat you, do not start fighting again. Stay apart if it helps you keep your heads cool," he addressed the dwarfs. "We will discuss this further, and find a solution. There is no need to, as Lord Tol has said, nearly kill yourselves off over it."

The company started slowly disbanding. Dobbin with his side from the fight rushed off to the west wing dining room, most likely to have their own tea. It was very wise of him to clear the scene; Tazzik was not one to do it himself, and further conflict, even if it were just an exchange of quips, would no doubt aggravate the High King and make the proposed finding of a solution more difficult. Thornbut tarried behind, most likely with the intention of inquiring after Peridan's health. It was rather ridiculous, really; Thornbut was probably much worse hurt than him. Not even accounting for Methos' healing; the bruises and scratches on the dwarf's face did not look good. Methos indicated to him, hopefully in no ambiguous way, to skedaddle after Dobbin. Thornbut, thankfully, showed wisdom similar to the red dwarf and did just that.

King Edmund could not be rid off of that easily, though.

"Are you all right, Peridan?" he asked.

Methos nodded mutely. He did not know what he could possibly say. Edmund was not the prying sort, however, and that nod was clearly good enough for him.

"Go and have something to eat," he told him. "I think we will need you to keep minutes of the upcoming meeting; it is guaranteed to be a busy one."

"Yes, Your Majesty,'" Methos said, bowed slightly and walked away in Dobbin's and Thornbut's footsteps.


Peter saw with relief that fighting was averted for the time being. The dwarfs divided into several groups and did not quarrel any more, although it was obvious that the argument was only postponed. The other people in the courtyard followed suit, going after their own work or meals (with the exception of Mrs Beaver who went with his own group part of the way, claiming she had left something in the library). The promise of a set time and place where they could once more observe the happenings no doubt helped some of the onlookers vacate the scene for now. Others were simply glad to leave the matter in someone else's, more qualified hands.

Well, "qualified" was a relative term. He was wondering how four children of school age could possibly solve such a conundrum for others. But then, Aslan had trusted them with that power; they would have to trust Aslan that they would find a solution eventually.

He also realised that Peridan had not once looked at Lucy during the whole ordeal, which surprised him, considering the time the two of them had been spending together recently. They had seemed to be good friends, as good as Peridan would allow in his consciousness of his lower status, anyway. He had been much more open with her than most humans in a similar position were, actually (Edmund was onto something when he had said that Peridan would hate to play adult to them); it made his behaviour now very obviously strange.

"Did you argue with Peridan? Were you mad at him, or something?" he asked his sister as they walked to his study to their own tea. "He seemed to avoid you."

"Oh, not at all," Lucy said. "He was quite amazing, really. The way he helped Thornbut when Tazzik attacked him, only to be hit himself, poor man."

"He was very rude, too," Mrs Beaver added serenely.

"Well," Peter conceded, "I do not rightly know what I would say in such a situation!"

"Oh, I am quite sure you would not say that," Lucy giggled. Peter winced at the thought of his little sister being present when such sort of strong language had been thrown about, and for a short moment, he was suddenly quite mad at Peridan himself.

"What did he say?" Edmund inquired.

"I am not telling," Lucy said, cheerfully but firmly. "Someone in this family should remain innocent!"


And I'm not telling either, because a) I'm not very rude myself, b) it's more fun this way anyway.

I hope borrowing the words of a song for a cultural / social reference is all right by the rules... When it comes to the injustices of an educational system, "The Wall" is so obvious a reference that I think it would immediately spring to Methos' mind as well. (I'm only familiar with the song, by the way.)