Well, the last chapter, and my personal favourite. Achemus is very precious to me and I love him dearly. I hope you'll feel the same way after reading this chapter.

11th. Greenroof, 1000 - Third-day

Achemus was the most astute and sharp-witted Centaur Edmund had had the pleasure to meet. And his sheer amount of knowledge always allowed him to remain one step ahead of his enemies—he had a lot of them, mostly jealous apprentices, some other Centaurs that claimed Achemus had stolen their wives and courters. He was, surprisingly, Demiera's younger brother, almost fifty years younger. The two had nothing in common. Demiera was grave and calm. And Achemus—well, Achemus was a spirit Edmund heartily admired. Achemus was sly and cunning. And acted childish whenever he got the chance. He was a child in reality. Only fifty years old. Many said he wasn't nearly old or experienced enough to tutor the King of Narnia. To give the readers an idea, he would be eighteen years old if he were a Son of Adam.

Achemus tutored Edmund in the Great Library of Cair. It was situated on the third floor of the West Wing, in the same corridor as Susan and Lucy's rooms. Edmund had jogged all the way there, and was erratically gasping by the time he reached the Great Library's door. The steel handles were almost as long as his arm, and yet Edmund took some seconds to find them, grab them, and creak them open. The lower end of the door brushed past the marble as it slowly opened.

The Great Library was about twice as large as the Great Hall. Shelves and shelves of books were lined and the queue didn't end until the very end of the Library. It was divided into four sections. And the last one was restricted for everyone but the Cair's Council members. Edmund thought he should call the whole Library restricted with Sunstone fussing over his books and growling at anyone who dared put a book on the wrong shelf. Edmund wrinkled his nose.

The Library had two floors, yet no ceiling. It is hard to explain it on paper, but briefly, a wide strip of tiles, lodged with more shelves and some benches had been built around the walls. The top was dome-shaped, glassy and sunny, transparent surfaces painted, depicting ancient times.

Edmund's eyes flew to the small dais in the eastern corner, built under the curling stairs. It was where Achemus tutored him. But the desk was empty today. Edmund furrowed his brows. Achemus was known to be late. He was late almost every day without breaking the streak. But today, Edmund was late himself. By half an hour! Maybe Achemus had left? Edmund grabbed the notebook from his personal desk adjacent to Susan's, which was adjacent to the door. He drummed his quill's blunt side onto his notebook, walking to the side of the dais.

"Achemus?"

"Oh. Oh, no! Oh, my Allia, that's all the time we have!"

Edmund was already jogging towards the shelf beside the dais. He peeked, leaning ahead. He really wished he hadn't. His eyes widened and in a fraction of a second, he turned away, covering his ears, singing the Narnian Lullaby Lucy had taught him. Good thoughts. Pure thoughts. He wasn't defiled. He hoped Achemus wasn't living a debauched lifestyle. Demiera would hear of this. Edmund grinned.

A hand tapped his shoulder.

"Ahh!" Edmund startled back. He breathed heavily. "Achemus! What is wrong with you? Was that a dryad?" Edmund asked, leaning to his left side to get a glimpse. But Achemus straightened him.

"That doesn't concern you, King Edmund."

"It does! I had to see you—see you—"

"It was just a small kiss," Achemus said, forehead creasing.

"But you're a Centaur!"

"I'm a young Centaur. And I'm not Orieus," Achemus said, grabbing his shoulders, and turning him. Then he shoved him towards the dais, up the first step of stairs.

But Edmund stopped before they could climb the second step. He turned. "Are you saying Orieus doesn't—"

"Children aren't meant to talk about these things, King Edmund," Achemus said, turning him again, rather harshly this time. "Up. Up, come on. Yes." Achemus placed him before the table, grabbed his notebook and quill, put them on the table in front of him, and stomped to the other end of the table himself. "Now, what did we talk about in our last lesson?"

"You should remember, Achemus. It was yesterday," Edmund said. Seeing the eye-roll, he sighed and opened his notebook, flipping to the end of the filled pages. "There. We were learning how the trade route between Narnia, Archenland, and Calormen was made, and how Jadis blocked it with a spell. It was the Tarkan Oimek that proposed the route. King Melier of Archenland had initially refused, but King Gale II convinced him otherwise. And then—"

"Yes, yes," Achemus interrupted him, apparently uninterested. "Listen, King Edmund, today is special. Today, we—"

Edmund stopped him right there with a raised hand. "Are you going to try to poison me?"

"No," Achemus said, his brows knitting together. He tucked back a loose strand of his blonde hair.

"Are you going to poison one of my siblings?"

"No. Lion, why would you—"

"Are you going to show me an ancient ritual that's violent and ill-suited for a child?"

"No!"

"Then go on," Edmund said, smiling. Achemus eyed him suspiciously once and then sighed.

"Well, you see, King Edmund, you'll be taking a test today."

"No!"

"I'm sorry?" Achemus said, blinking at him.

Edmund shook his head. "Is this test going to involve dangerous tasks?"

"No."

"Dangerous outcomes if I fail?"

"I can't answer that!"

"But—"

"King Edmund! As my student, you have no right to question me or my methods!"

"That's not right—"

"And I, as your teacher, have a high authority over you! I'm like your father!"

Edmund laughed. "No, Orieus is—" Edmund froze. "Please don't tell him I said that." He shivered.

"Anyway, Achemus, it has been nice being your student and watching you do new things with your hair everyday but I really don't want to die, or break a limb, or fight for my life, or fight for my siblings' life, or break my neck, or lose my life, or break my neck!"

Edmund revered the Centaur but he never appreciated the flair of his nostrils. "King Edmund, 'Tis a simple task. I'll ask you questions and you'll answer them. Nothing will break your neck," he said with a lopsided grin, much like Edmund's. Edmund didn't like the grin. "Unless the Castle of Cair Paravel is swept away by a large storm or the Giants of Ettinsmoor decide to invade sweet Narnia. But I doubt that'll happen after King Peter def—" He froze as Edmund blinked at him. "Oh, I've caused a problem now, haven't I?"

"Giants of where? And when did Peter defeat—I assume—giants?"

"Demiera says true. I must learn to shut up!"

"Achemus!" Edmund said, hands falling onto the table with a thump! "Tell me. Wait, was it the time he came back with a broken leg?" Edmund froze. "No, it was when he almost died before us! Wasn't it! He told me there was a landslide. Oh, how could I have missed! Achemus!" The table shook under his hands. "I'm going to kill him," he muttered under his breath, already running back to the Healing Wing to, indeed, murder his brother! He lied! "Hey!" Edmund said when suddenly, right before he could leave through the door, he was lifted off the ground.

"I'm sorry, Sire. But I must," Achemus said. His strong hands were squishing Edmund's stomach.

"Let me go!" Edmund screamed, trying to kick the Centaur and break from his grasp by beating his stone-hard arms. "Let m—Mmmm, mmm!" Achemus had mercilessly covered his mouth with his hand. Edmund couldn't breathe. "Mmmmm!"

He was pushed into a small chair, taken from beneath a reading table. His mouth was finally released. "Ache—Mmmm!" Achemus had stuffed his mouth with a filthy cloth—Edmund didn't want to know what it was. Achemus then tightly bound his hands, arms going around the chair's top ral. His right wrist screamed. Then the Centaur bound his feet to the chair's legs. "Mmmm!" Achemus took out his gag. "Achemus, I am your King! Let me go!"

"I can't let you kill King Peter," Achemus said, walking to the dais.

"But I'm not going to actually kill him! Beat him to a pulp with my fists, yes! But kill him? I'd sooner die!"

"And," his tutor added, searching his shelf for a book. He rubbed his chin. "Ah!" he exclaimed, pulling out a book.

Edmund rolled his eyes. "You were saying something?"

Achemus climbed down the dais' steps and stood in front of him. "Yes, and I am going to quiz you. If you answer all the questions correctly, you win. If you don't, well, I'll tell you if you don't."

Edmund tried flicking his wrists. He sighed. "But at least free me, Achemus, dear friend. My body is sore from a recent fight in the Training Grounds and I'd—"

"You can't trick me with your charm, King Edmund. You learnt it from me," Achemus said with a large smile. Edmund's head dropped ahead in defeat. "Now, here are the rules: You'll get twenty seconds to answer each question. If you take more time, the question will be considered unanswered. And if you can't answer every question—"

"Oh, Achemus! What have you done to the poor boy!" Sunstone's voice rang through the library and they both gazed up to find the badger leaning ahead on the railing, wrinkling his nose in order to push up his displaced glasses. He began running to the curled stairs that led to Achemus' dais. "Oh, do you know what his brother did to the last person who tried to tie him up?" Edmund didn't. When had he been tied up before? "He threw the bandit into the Sea! Let him ride the waves!"

When? Why did nobody tell him things around here!

Sunstone jumped off the stairs. "And—"

"King Edmund tore a book."

The badger halted. He adjusted his glasses, glancing at Edmund. "He did?"

"N—"

"Indeed, he did. See?" Achemus said, holding up the book that was in his hands. One of the pages had been torn in half, one of the pieces missing. Sunstone audibly gasped, cupped his long face with his hands, and ran over to Achemus. Achemus had to bend down in order to hand Sunstone the torn book.

"Sunstone won't believe it," Edmund said confidently. But the confident smile disappeared when the badger gave him a threatening glare, shoved the book back into the Centaur's hands (he'd bent down again), and said, "I won't tell the High King on one condition."

"But I didn't tear it!" Edmund squeaked, struggling against the ropes. But his wrist's agonized screams stopped him.

"And what is that, dear Sunstone?"

"Keep him here all night. Your punishment, of course, boy. Oh, don't give me that look! You tore one of the ancient books!" Sunstone then turned to Achemus again. "I'll tell the High King he's visiting Tumnus and the Beavers."

"But—hey! Sunstone!" The badger had already stormed out, shutting the large doors behind him with a clamp! Edmund looked at Achemus. "You're not actually going to keep me here all night, are you? Peter will never believe that. I visited Mr. Tumnus last week! He'll know you've kidnapped me!"

"I made a promise, King Edmund," Achemus said.

"No, you did n—"

"But I will spare you from the punishment if you can answer all my questions. Remember the rules. You have only twenty seconds. Now, the first question," Achemus said and Edmund shifted, ready to answer any question thrown at him, mind jogging and warming up, "who was the first Emperor of the Seven Isles?"

Oh, no. That was the only part he'd left out. But if he dug deep enough, he could find the answer. "Uh, uh…"

"Ten seconds."

"The Empress Lekiva of Brenn!" Edmund shrieked suddenly; the important detail that it was an empress not an emperor helped him remember. "You almost tricked me, Achemus," Edmund praised, shaking his head.

"Seems I did," Achemus said. "That took you fifteen seconds. Try to answer faster next time." Edmund rolled his eyes. "Now, tell me, who killed the first King of Narnia?"

That one was easy. "I think you mean what, Achemus. In the year Thirty, a plague broke out. And the King, as weak as he was in the old age, died due to the sickness. His eldest son took his throne." Edmund shrugged. "See? You can't trick me every time."

Achemus smiled. "Next question: What was the deadliest disease that nearly killed half of Narnia in the year Two-Hundred?"

"Black Fever!" Edmund answered quickly. "Achemus, you made I and Peter dig through the entire Shuddering Wood to search for the cure King Henry hid."

Achemus nodded, smiling in pride. "Then, answer this: Who fought the last war against Jadis?"

Edmund froze. He blinked. Squinted through the library in the dim light for no reason. He hung his head low, chin digging into his chest. But for the love of the Lion, he could not recall. He had studied it. He had. He knew he had! "Uh…"

"Five seconds."

"Achemus, it was…uh…"

"Four."

"I don't…"

Three."

"Oh, Aslan help me."

"Two."

"Ummm…"

"One."

"I don't know!"

"Annnd you've lost," Achemus said, closing the book that he hadn't even looked at once. He placed on a reading table, and walked over to him. He knelt, beginning to untie his feet. "What do you know about Calormene History?"

"Nothing," Edmund admitted truthfully, a bitter frown on his face.

"Here is my question: Who was the first rebel of Calormen? You have until midnight to find the answer."

Edmund looked down at the Centaur. "Achemus, please—"

"They are arriving tomorrow."

"Who?" Edmund asked, wiggling his toes to get some blood flowing.

"The Calormenes. And you should probably learn proper grammar before you can—"

"Hey, Achemus, can I ask you a question?" Edmund said when both his feet were untied. The Centaur nodded. "Why does nobody tell me things around here?!"

Achemus laughed. He stood up and walked behind Edmund. Edmund exhaled in relief when the bonds on his wrists loosened. "Your older siblings probably wanted to shield you from our atrocious guests. They aren't good, King Edmund."

"Then why have we invited them to our home?" Edmund asked, rubbing his wrists as he stood up.

"To renegotiate trade. We would falter without the leather and silk they supply us. As would they without Narnia's precious metals and spices," Achemus replied. "Now, you must search for the answer. You have time until midnight. If you fail or quit, I'll submit you to the etiquette class your Gentle Sister takes."

Edmund's eyes widened. "Oh, no, there's no need for that. Now, out with you. And tell everyone not to disturb me," he said, shoving the much stronger and taller Centaur out of the room with surprising ease. And when Achemus was out of the large doors, Edmund said, "And if I can answer the question before midnight? I'm free to go?"

"Yes," Achemus said with a wide smile. "Now, I think I'll go look for my Allia, whom you scared away, may I add."

Edmund wrinkled his nose. "Ugh." And he bolted the doors shut. Last he could see, Achemus had a hand raised, as if wanting to tell him something. But he didn't care. He spun around on his heels, rubbing his hands in anticipation. But the initial enthusiasm died when he realized just how big the Library was for the hundredth time. He clapped his hands, and an eldritch echo answered him. He wished Peter would attend the History class with him. But he was probably too busy struggling to find where to place his defenses and when to attack an imaginary army. Edmund could just imagine the glare Orieus gave him when he answered wrong. Oh, the look on Peter's face was priceless.

But then Edmund sighed, pouting. "Books." Edmund walked forward. "I hate books."

Achemus was drinking tea in his room in the Southern Wing when the doors burst open, cold wind rushed in to make his golden strands fall into his cup of tea, and a very put-off King Edmund threw a book onto his desk. "Oh, now you've made a mess," Achemus said, pulling out his hair from his tea, frowning in disgust. He squeezed out tea from his hair, glancing at his student and King.

"There is no first rebel of Calormen, is there?" Edmund said surprisingly calmly despite his heavy breathing and clenched fists. "Why do you like to torture me? I was in there for six hours!"

"The first Emperor of Calormen?"

"What?"

"Just answer me."

"The Tisroc Ardeeb," Edmund answered, blinking at Achemus who settled onto the long couch made specially for Centaurs.

"Their first poet?"

"The Priest Theim of Teshishban. He wrote to express his devotion to their god Tash. Achemus—"

"The Tarkan to first propose an alliance with Archenland for the fear of an attack from the south?"

"Tarkan Himesh. Achemus, What I—"

"The Wife of Tash?"

"The Lady Zardeenah. Now—"

"The Sister of Tash?"

Edmund frowned in appalment. "Zardeenah. But Achemus—"

"The first Temple was built in the city of…?"

"Achemus!" Edmund exclaimed. "I understand," he said, smiling.

"Then you'll do me the favour of—"

"Nope."

Was the ending too vague? Do you want me to write a concluding chapter? Tell me! But tomorrow, I'll be publishing the story 'Selene'. It's named after her because it focuses on her very peculiar character. There are so many things wrong with her. Just so many things.

Reponse to P: Oh, I'm very glad you're fine! I don't have allergies, I don't think so. Better get it tested before a bee's sting kills me, eh? And sibling fights can be really ugly. I don't have any siblings, but I've witnessed my best friend's sister trying to throw her off the stairs. So, not pretty. Thank you for the review!

With love,
~Pacifia