Time passed in peace and happiness since Erik finally got rid of Princess Fluff. Thankfully the children weren't too heartbroken about her leave – the thing wasn't with them for such a long time to be noticed, and separation was easier. Christine, thank Heavens, did not force the new dog issue too much anymore, seeing Erik's reaction about Princess Fluff, and thought, if God decided them to have a new dog, he will give them one as he gave Shadow. Patience solves all issues.

The children were growing, and were mostly healthy. Noel, just as Mahtab in her younger years, was sick a lot with the cold in the winter, but other than that, they did not have serious problems. Neither did Erik, even though he was already 65 years old. His joints were bothering him a bit sometimes, but not too much, and he was used to some level of pain anyways. He had to suffer through a lifetime of bigger and more horrible level of pain, some minor discomfort could not make him whine.

All of the children were getting cleverer and cleverer, Erik loved to see that they learned new things day by day.

Florian's certificate at school was good enough, the only subject he was really terrible at, was mathematics. Erik simply did not get how his son can't figure out even basic calculations. Well, in this field, he certainly did not inherit anything from Papa. He did use his fingers to calculate simple equations, which fact did annoy the extremely talented architect father to no end, and sadly, sometimes he did lose his patience with Flo in this matter.

-Your brain is like gray stone, my son! You are dumb as Hell. You will never become anything!

- Papa, I don't need Math for being a musician! – He sniffed with tearful eyes, in response to his father's outrage.

- You can't just put bread on the table being only a musician. Music, Florian, is a lifestyle. A religion. But you need a proper education and a profession to work in. – Erik sighed. – Well, it really seems like you won't turn out as an architect or a clerk. We should find something out then. You will be given to a blacksmith, or a carpenter. These are useful and nice jobs as well. I won't waste my money for schooling you when you will most likely fail in every year.

Erik was bothered by Florian's future. It was nearly time to send him to secondary school, as he was nearly through third grade in elementary school, and he definitely did not want his son to end his schooling at the age of 10, but which of the secondary schools would accept his application with such a miserable performance in Mathematical subjects? No matter how much he made him study and practice, not all effort could make him better than mediocre level, but most likely, worse. He nearly had to repeat class in second grade because of the damned numbers. Erik and Mahtab were trying endlessly to explain things to him, but he was seemingly unable to understand it. As if his brain was not capable of it at all.

- You would better prepare yourself for the thought of working in building industry, carrying bricks all day, if you go on like this. – He stated coldly, as he signed the boy's horrible grades.

Though his success in music was outweighing his lousy performance in mathematics, he played both the piano and the violin in mastery level, he could learn each instruments he could spend some time alone with, was writing detailed and very well- written compositions for more instruments, and he was able to write nicely and read perfectly. If only he was able to count…

Mahtab was excellent in everything, she got noticeably better in music as well, since she wasn't sent out of the room while practicing. And Erik found out a new talent that his daughter had: singing. The girl did not really like to sing, and Erik never forced it on her, they rather went to the direction of instrumental music, yet she did not excel at that field too much. She did not sing too much, so Erik did not notice her voice, but as she matured and her speaking and singing voice as well got a pleasant layer on them. Once she suddenly felt the urge to sing a cheerful little song of Flo out loud in the music room, and Erik just jumped in as lightning struck him. He was staring at Mahtab in awe, just as he saw her for the first time. He could not describe what was so enchanting about the girl's singing, but she sure could fill the song with emotions. Erik praised her endlessly, which gave the girl a bit of more self- confidence and was now proudly singing along as she got the sheet musics. Finally, she felt success in music. She was attending at Mama and Papa's singing lessons as well, along with Flo.

Other than singing, Mahtab excelled in languages, she was able to speak and write in English, Farsi, German, Italian, and she started learning Latin. Also she was great at mathematics, arithmetic, designing, tinkering and drawing.

Christine, though, wasn't totally content with Mahtab's knowledge. Sure, she was well educated in all manly fields, and as Erik took her to the remodeling, she received even more manly knowledge- plumbing, painting, paperhanging, she learned how to glaze windows, and build fence… yet she knew nothing about occupations women should do. Knitting, embroidering, sewing and cooking were completely alien and boring for her, no matter how Christine wanted to involve her in such activities.

- Erik, would you please treat Mahtab as a girl finally and told her she simply has to learn womanly jobs as well?

- I have told you countless times, Christine, that it was not me, who treated her as a man. She acts like a boy, and I just accept it. But you are right about she needs to learn these things as well.

Erik talked Mahtab about the necessity of these boring, yet useful houseworks she tried to avoid like the plague. Being a single father at home did help, as he asked the girl to help him. Mahtab liked to help Erik, even with things she actually disliked, so it wasn't that hard. The girl is big enough to help now.

- Well, Mahtab, I don't really enjoy it either. – He admitted.

- But then why you do that?

- You know, my dear, one has to learn and do these jobs as well. What will you do if you lose a button from your jacket?

- I ask you to sew it back on.

- It is a solution while I am still here, but there will be times you cannot any more. That is why you have to learn to take care of yourself, and it includes cooking, doing the laundry, ironing, sewing, and cleaning. You see me doing these things as well, you know they are necessary.

Mahtab started to like to help Erik with housework not only because it gave them more time together, but she also noticed it made Papa's life a lot easier as he did not have to do everything alone. He had much less work and could relax more, which he sometimes needed. She became a lot more hardworking to help Papa as much as she could, she would even run out to collect and carry the newspaper in for Erik in the mornings.

- Oh thank you, sweetie, you are very thoughtful. – He stroke her hair lovingly.

Thankfully Mahtab turned out a much better cook than her mother. Erik remembered back partly amused, and partly terrified to those occasions when he let Christine in the kitchen, and nearly all of these occasions ended up in chaos or disaster. She succeeded in burning a large pot and a curtain when she was trying to cook rice once, and created a cake with bits of coal in it. She burned everything, and which things she did not burn, she did over salt or over spiced somehow else. That is why it was Erik who cooked in the Spöke family. Mahtab learned tricks from her father and was much more talented in this field than her mother, so Erik gave her more and more independence in the kitchen. In a few months, she cooked complete menus without any help, and she was beaming with pride when Erik asked her to cook lunch for the visit of the Daroga and the de Chagnys on a Sunday.

Everyone was speechless when the young girl served the courses proudly, stating she had made all of it. Yet girls in her age were already taught to run a household, no one expected this boyish specimen to be able to cook a meal. Sophie started eating happily upon hearing her best friend had made it, and Yvette started spooning the soup with a smile, but Raoul and the Daroga were blinking at each other a bit of cautiously, but when they saw that nor the family nor the other guests had trouble eating, they tasted it as well, and had to face a pleasant disappointment. It tasted fantastic, just as if Erik made it.

In the evening, when all the guests were talking in the drawing room, suddenly all the children walked in. The guests, and both Erik and Christine got surprised, as the whole action seemed to be so much planned out. It wasn't just a simple walk in. Sophie slowly tapped her way around to sit down on the couch next to Christine, and obediently started to put on the role of the cultured audience. Florian was carrying his violin, which fact indicated that they were preparing to play music.

- Ladies and Gentlemen- Noel started on a proud tone. – We would like to perform something for your entertainment.

- Oh- ho. – Erik grinned proudly, waiting for the performance to start. He was proud, as his children did not yet show the willingness to play for the guests- yet he had no idea what on Earth Noel wanted to do as he wasn't playing any instruments.

Mahtab and Flo stood next to each other, Flo stood in playing position, and Noel ran to the other end of the room to put the lights off. Before the guests had the time to be surprised, a small lamp on the table flared up, illuminating the two children in the center of the room. Noel disappeared somewhere. Flo started playing a beautiful melody on his violin, at first it was just him playing a small overture to the night, smiling. His dark locks and white chubby face made a nice contrast in the darkness of the room. Even though he wasn't yet nine years old, a mastery confidence could be seen on each of his movements. He played like an adult. The heartbreakingly beautiful phrases of the violin had already melted the audience's heart when the miracle occurred: Mahtab joined in with a singing part. Her beautiful clear soprano filled up the room, rang as a pure child angel's voice, and was in perfect harmony with Flo's violin playing. She was singing an old Persian tale in Farsi, that was put to music by Florian. As Erik remarked, the song itself was rather sounding European than Persian, but his son hadn't the opportunity to learn how Persian songs are made- but he knew he shall teach him that. And they suddenly saw a huge shadow of an eagle, flying through the room on the wall, then some more shadow figures were turning the show a lot more interesting. Oh, so that is why Noel turned off the lights, save for that one lamp- he was playing whit the shadows. Erik and Christine smiled widely with pride as their children made the guests cry with happiness. The Daroga was crying the hardest as Flo and Mahtab made him remember his homeland. He was covering his face with his handkerchief, constantly wiping his tears, whispering:

- Moonlight, my small Moonlight… - This statement wasn't too relevant though, as the 2little Moonlight" did already reach up to his shoulder height.

Raoul got touched, and remembered back to Papa Daaé's playing and had to admit that Florian was already playing like him. This exact same thought hit Christine as well, as she hugged Erik's arm, and whimpered in between tears:

- Just like Papa… just like my dear Papa…

Seems like each of the children learned how to use their talents the best, and how to cooperate to enchant the audience.

As the performance ended, a green flash could be seen, and then Noel turned the lights on again, walked next to his siblings and all three of them bowed towards the applauding and clapping people.

The touched adults clapped with joy, congratulating the young ones for their awesome teamwork. Erik and Christine were happy that their children were getting along well, and were willing to work together.

- You were all awesome, my dears. – Erik hugged all three of them close to himself, kissing them. – Just promise Papa that you will love each other and cooperate as well as you did tonight in all your lives.

- We promise. – Mahtab nodded. – We love each other.

- We do. – Flo hugged Mahtab's chest. – And always will.

- Totally. – Noel nodded as well, tapping Flo's head. – We are best friends forever.

- Even if we argue sometimes, we like each other a lot. – Mahtab added.

- Sure thing. No one can make me hate my other halves. – Noel nodded in agreement.

They were close to each other just like the three musketeers. They helped each other, and were encouraging and comforting each other, just like the real good siblings. Sometimes it did go too far, because Mahtab was willing to cheat and write Flo's Math homework for him, which fact did annoy Erik to no end. They received their justful punishments for that act, but it did not stop the protective sister from "helping" her little brother.

Autumn of 1897 arrived.

This year was special because Florian turned seven that year, and it did mean he had to be schooled. For the sake of simplicity, Noel started his education in the same elementary school as Flo. Yet Florian enjoyed to go to school, save for the mathematic lessons, Noel wasn't too fond of the idea. Erik did not wish to send him to school either, as he was afraid, with Noel's temper and special interests, school would be too boring for the boy, and this would cause him to make mischief.

He wasn't wrong.

If Noel was naughty at home, he could be described as a spoiled little brat and a troublemaker at school. He was bored about the laughable things he had to learn in first grade, and he was annoyed by the hits he would often receive on his left hand from the teacher, who did not like the fact that Noel was trying to write by the less- tolerated hand.

So, he had to occupy himself with things he found funny. Drawing caricatures with not too nice titles, and writing satires about the teacher were the most harmless thing he committed, but it did not meet the teacher's liking either. Setting the wastebasket on fire, attaching a sting to various objects, then pulling them off of the shelf, sometimes breaking them, hitting the bell by smaller rocks from his desk, so that it will ring earlier were his most favorite, and less innocent games. Because of these activities, he spent most of the day in the corner, facing the wall.

When he glued the teacher's trousers to the chair, he was almost kicked out of school, only his grades were saving him, and the fact that he recite all the multiplication tables by heart in front of the director. They did accept it as an exam with which he finished first grade in three months. The director and the teacher both agreed that Noel was too clever to be in first grade, and more complicated tasks were more likely to occupy his mind and turn him away from mischiefs (and moreover, it will help them to get rid of Noel a year earlier, by finishing school in only three years if he wasn't going to change.)

Contrary to his troublemaking, other children liked Noel a lot, as they considered him funny and a kind kid. Noel was good to other children, he loved to play with them, and taught them to more simple tricks, which made him even more popular. That was the only reason he liked school for – making friends.

Mahtab was suddenly home alone with Erik in the mornings, as both of her brothers were at school now. She did not mind it at first, as she was occupied with helping her father with housework, and they had time to talk… but the thought of going to school got nested in her head more and more. She was asking her brothers about the activities they are doing at school, and even though Noel did say that school was a horrible place and most likely Mama wanted him to go there only because she wanted to torture him, and Flo stated he disliked Math classes a lot, she got more and more curious.

- Papa, what is school like? – She asked one day, while Erik and she were working on the dinner for the family. She was peeling potatoes, and looked at her father curiously.

- I don't have the slightest idea. – He replied. – I have never attended.

- Why?

- My mother did not find it necessary. – Erik shrugged.

He knew well that this talk was about to happen once. This is why he did not find it a good idea to send the boys to school. One always wants to do what others are doing, and it feels terrible to be an outsider. He remembered back to his own childhood, when he was standing at the window, looking at the children who were hurrying to school in that small French village he was born in. How he wished to join them… just once in his life.

- And why don't you find it necessary for me to go to school? – She inquired.

- If you ask me, I can teach you more things than those teachers at school. – Erik moaned, and his bitter memories and Mahtab's inquiries sent him into tears.

- Why are you crying? – Mahtab asked comfortingly.

- Because I am peeling onions. – Erik replied in a bad mood.

Yet Mahtab wasn't silly, she knew well that her father was crying because of the things she had asked him, so she decided she won't ask him more about school, as it gives Papa a lot of pain. Mama could not explain it to her either, as she did not go to school either. She was too busy travelling with her Papa and playing music. Well…

Maybe that should happen them with her Papa as well…?

Either that, or school…