Disclaimer: I own, Jaer, Jaerin, Rien, Gleamwing, and the plot. Revinim belongs to elecktrum's imagination and Narnia and Peridan to C. S. Lewis estate.

Jaerin POV

"Do you really think Father will make me wait until I'm thirteen to have a sword of my own?"

"Jaerin."

"Because, really, If I'm to be any good at all, I'll need to work…"

"Jaerin."

"…with my own sword not just a borrowed one. You have one, King Edmund's twelve and he…"

"Jaerin!"

"…has two swords now even if only one is the right size. I know he's a king and I'm not but…"

"JAERIN!"

"What?"

Jaer rolled his eyes and waved back down the hall. "The library is this way?"

Jaerin looked back and then forward again, realizing that his feet had carried him well past the right turn for the library and directed him to the gardens and practice fields. He grinned sheepishly. "Oh. Sorry. Why didn't you stop me?"

"I tried but you were too busy babbling on about why you don't have a sword yet to pay any attention to me. Come on. Father will have our hides if we're late." Jaer led the way back up the hall.

Jaerin trotted to keep up with his older brother. "Do you really think though that…"

"Yes, I think that you'll be thirteen before you have a sword specifically made for you. Until then, you can use Father's sword from when he was our age just like I did. Arguing and pleading won't get you a sword any faster. I learned that by experience. However," Jaer stopped before the library doors, "being on time for ones lessons, be they from books or hard knocks, may increase Father's willingness to get you one. Understand?"

Jaerin nodded and waited for his older brother to open the door. "Are we going to just stand here or go in?" he asked when Jaer made no move and his eyes glazed over.

"What?" Jaer shook his head. "Oh. Right. The door."

Jaer had been in a strange mood since the birthday party two nights ago, acting half distracted and yet very determined and precise. The younger boy had learned long ago that that meant Jaer was composing something or else practicing really hard, and that it was best just to go along with whatever he said until he snapped out of his daze. Something that might not happen for weeks sometimes. Sighing, Jaerin followed his brother.

The library in the east wing of Cair Paravel was not as large or as grand as the main court library located nearer the Great Hall. However, that did not mean that it was unimpressive. Towering shelves at least fifteen feet tall stretched across the room. Books of every size and color, some sharp and new, others tattered and worn, crammed into the shelves. Between the door where Jaerin stood and the beginning of the shelves, several round tables, shining from fresh polish but still marked with use and surrounded by chairs, stood ready for use. At one of these, Peridan stood, flipping through a book. At the sound of the boys' footsteps, he looked up and smiled.

"Good. You are timely."

"Yes sir," Jaer said. "What did you want us for?"

"To meet your tutor."

"Our tutor!" Jaerin cried with dismay. "But I thought…I thought…"

"Thought that since you were in Narnia, in the Cair, the home of the Four and the seat of the country, you would be free from lessons?" Peridan said, one eyebrow arched.

Jaerin gulped. "I…Not exactly. I mean, I knew that we'd have to start lessons again sometime but…I thought you and Mother were still looking for someone?" he finished lamely.

"'Were' being the operative word there," Peridan said. "No. Yestermorn, after King Edmund's christening of his new sword, Cheroom was kind enough to recommend several possible tutors to me. Gleamwing should be arriving shortly."

"Gleamwing?" Jaerin said, his brow puckered.

"Who…what is he?" Jaer asked.

"Turn 'round and see for yourself."

Jaerin did as instructed and his jaw dropped. Waddling toward them on short legs was an owl. An owl wearing a strange square cap and with a scroll tucked under his wing. His feathers were smooth and brown except for across his chest where white feathers gleamed in the daylight. Something struck Jaerin in the ribs and he turned and angry glare on his brother. Jaer met his look easily.

"Shut your mouth," the older boy hissed. "Are you trying to catch flies?"

"Don't start with that…" Jaerin began before his father cut him off.

"Ah, Gleamwing, you made it," Peridan said. Jaerin caught the look from his father and forced his anger away. Now was a bad time to start a fight. "Come, good sir, allow me to make you known to my sons. This is Jaer, my elder son. He is thirteen." Jaer bowed. "And this is Jaerin, the younger. He is eleven." Jaerin also bowed, making sure it was as perfect as possible so that Jaer could not fault him later. "Boys," Peridan continued, "this is Gleamwing, a member of the Parliament and your chief tutor. You will obey him in all respects as you would me. Master Gleamwing, I will leave them to your care. I will be in the practice yards for the next hour and then likely in the Great Library. My wife will be in our rooms or with the weavers should you need either of us."

"Too hoo! You go, and I will tend to these two," Gleamwing said, waving one wing at the door. "Go, Master Peridan, I trust we'll not disturb you."

Peridan bowed, gave his sons a warning look—Jaerin barely noticed—and left the room. Jaerin stood frozen, staring at the owl who was to be his tutor. With a little hop and flutter of wings. Gleamwing got onto a chair not more than a foot in front of him. The boy gulped and stepped hastily away, trying not to look as startled as he felt. Gleamwing cocked his head sideways and fixed one beady eye on Jaerin.

"Startled, are you? Hast never seen an owl before?"

Jaerin gulped. "Not a talking one, sir."

An odd cooing, cackling sound came from the owl and Jaerin hoped fervently that he had not offended his new tutor on his first day. That was certainly not something he wanted to do. After a moment, he realized that Gleamwing was laughing. He relaxed slightly, letting out a breath he had not realized he was holding.

"You two are from Archenland, yes? And not been here long." Gleamwing said. "But not prejudiced like many of your kind. Well, we will make Narnians of you yet. We will make certain you have a good study of Narnians in your courses. You must learn revinim."

"Revinim? What's that?" Jaer asked.

Gleamwing fluffed his feathers. "It is what you humans might call humanity, or so the kings and queens called it."

"Oh." Jaer said. "You mean the concept that all beings were created by Aslan and should be treated with respect regardless of who they are or what they look like. Father taught us that long ago. Still teaches us."

"Good!" the owl chuckled and hopped up on the table. "That is a good description. Now, let us see what else you two can do."

For the rest of the morning and early afternoon and again the next day, Gleamwing quizzed the boys on every subject Jaerin could imagine—and many he had never dreamed of. Jaerin parsed sentences, spelled words of atrocious length, sketched and marked maps, worked complicated (and not so complicated) math problems, copied pieces from books, listed ed laws and books known and read, detailed what he knew of Narnian and Archenlandish history and government and explained everything he knew of animal husbandry and botany. The days of testing left Jaer itching to get out of the library-turned-classroom and he fled from the room each day as soon as possible.

After the two days of testing, classes began in earnest. Gleamwing, it turned out, was merely their primary tutor. Several others joined the owl in imparting all the wisdom of the ancients to the boys—at least that was how it seemed to Jaerin. There was a dryad, Caryn, who taught botany, Jamous, a faun who taught music, and Snowtip, an ocelot who taught their court etiquette and logic. Gleamwing confined himself to what Jaerin mentally termed "normal subjects" and, after the first two days taught only in the mornings.

And so the days slipped by and a full joy-filled week and a half passed. Jaerin's days were split between schooling, helping, practicing, and playing, usually with Jaer and Rien at his side. He often wondered where Jaer spent his early mornings that brought him back hot and sweaty but never bothered to pry himself out of bed to find out. He met the kings and queens on occation and developed something of a friendship with them. All in all, the time in Narnia passed joyfully for Jaerin and his family.

And then sorrow struck.

A/N—Hello all! I'm dreadfully sorry for the ridiculously long time between updates on this story. I've had this chapter written for a long while but never had time 'til now to actually type it up. The next chapter is also written and will be up much sooner than this one was. I've been working a lot both on school and actual work since this is my final semester of school. Many thanks for sticking with me for so long!

Chapter next: Sorrow in the Night