Work Text:
To: Tahren Stargard
Valkin Tower
Sister what are you doing rite now?
I'm in the store room at the end of Hall of Light. I don't know why this bilding has such a stuppid name.
I'm sappose to be writting the Thrid Invo Cation of Thorasen Thosaren 5 0 times, so I have a styelis and someboddy's old essay, so I can use the back of the paper for writting. But Teacher Kaheren messed up and there's one good piece of paper that's this page I'm writting to you on.
This school is so booring, Sister. I dont know why you get to go lerning how to yuse Blessed blades and things and I dont.
Please PLEASE writte / that doesn't look rite / me very soon. I miss you a lot.
Your brother Dahin
To: Dahin Stargard
Preparatory School of the Blessed
Dahin,
Right now, I'm reading your letter. But I think you knew that.
When you were writing your letter (instead of your punishment lines), I was probably doing sword drill. Learning to use a Blessed Blade is not always as interesting as all that. You have to stand the right way, step forward the right way, cut the right way.
And then you have to do it again and again.
I think the main building at school is called the Hall of Light because it is supposed to enlighten children's minds. It is a nice thought, anyway.
Did you know that Blessed Nevirein reads all the letters she carries between the tower and the school? That is part of her duty, in case someone has written something secret by mistake. She says that if you do not learn to spell better, she will not carry your letters to me because it is a waste of your time to write them and a waste of my time to read them.
I know that sounds unkind, but your spelling is truthfully quite bad.
If you work at your spelling and try not to make trouble for the teachers, I will work hard at thinking of some way to make school more interesting.
Yours as always, Tahren.
To: Tahren Stargard
Valkin Tower
Sister,
I am trying hard to spell things right. I hope this is much better. I think my handwriting looks better too. What do you think?
I try not to get in trouble but it doesn't always work. Teacher Gaavrein in Blessed Devices lecture gave us each a tiny disk of stone that he imbued with light, so we could practise making them light and go out. I was using mine to read a scroll of tales under my blankets last night and Nishren went to tell Mother Viirin about it. It's not as though I was bothering him! And now I have lost my archive privlejes for 30 days.
Mother Viirin says that will teach me not to be so interested in crazed drivel from long ago. But why do we have records of these things if they are drivel? [There - I didn't even say anything rude about either of them.]
The archive is one of the best things about school. This is going to be a very hard 30 days.
You still didn't answer about why you are learning things like sword-work and I'm not. I remember you were doing drills with wooden swords when you were the age I am now.
Have you thought of any ways I can make school more interesting?
I still miss you.
Your brother Dahin
To: Dahin Stargard
Preparatory School of the Blessed
Dahin,
Your spelling looks much better, and so does your handwriting. You have done a very good job. I could only find two mistakes: it should be practice and privileges.
You asked two interesting questions: why Lesser Blessed don't learn to be marshals and why we keep records of beliefs from earlier times. I think you should find out, because I do not know the real answers.
Do you not have history class? Maybe your teacher would let you do a research paper on one of those topics.
About your trouble with Nishren: there will always be those who make trouble for others. Do not spend time thinking about them. If you ask your history teacher for chances to learn more about these things that interest you, some students may be offended and say rude things. Ignore them.
Learn everything you can. Most of our finest scholars have been Lesser Blessed, and that is because they did not have to spend time on things like sword drill.
I miss you too.
Yours as always, Tahren.
To: Tahren Stargard
Valkin Tower
Sister,
THANK YOU! You give very good advice!
I asked, and Teacher Feiran has been giving me extra assignments for history papers. I asked her, why these assignments? Because they weren't the questions I actually had. She said I had to work on big questions in little pieces, and that's how she does research too. And she explained what research was, and that I had to make the report as neat and as clean as possible. And when I asked her why, she said - Just do it.
So I did.
And she liked it, and she took it to show Teacher Kaheren. And now they have agreed that I don't have to do the regular writing assignments and penmanship anymore, as long as I do all my reports for Teacher Feiran to the same standard.
I have written eight reports already! Teacher and I also talk about my reports. The answer to the question about drivel is that it's not all drivel once you understand what our people did and did not know back in those earlier times. At least I think that's the answer. I am writing up my conclusions now for my teacher, but I would wager I am right
She said that my diagrams in my reports are so good that she is going to see whether I can work with real mapmakers instead of geography class. She said I would learn more that way. Isn't that great?
Some people are being rude, like you said. I am getting better at ignoring them.
But mostly I am VERY HAPPY. And I am hardly bored at all. I wish I could show you my reports..
Your brother Dahin
To: Dahin Stargard
Preparatory School of the Blessed
Dahin,
I gave you the advice, but you were the one who was brave and talked to the teacher about it. It is hard to talk to someone of a higher rank and make them listen, but you did it. That was also a lesson. Do not forget it.
That is very good news, about the mapmakers. Will they actually take you out on the land, so you can practice mapping from a real landscape? Please tell me all about it.
I think you had a very good point, about why we have records of what people used to believe. What did Teacher Feiran say about your conclusion?
We are learning more about fighting with others, as a unit. We have been told that we may become involved in a war. You may have heard about this. You should ask Teacher Feiran. She could probably explain it better than I could..
Yours as always, Tahren.
To: Tahren Stargard
Valkin Tower
Sister,
Now I am hardly going to school at all, really. Teacher Feiran gets research assignments for me from the scholars in the archives. Some of them are a little bit boring — lots of lists of names and things — but either Teacher explains how they fit into the scholarly work, or some of the scholars will do it themselves! As if I were a real (well, junior) colleague. And now it makes sense to me about why reports have to be neat, because you don't want your messy writing or bad spelling to slow down the scholars who are going to use your work.
I still don't understand why there are Lesser and Greater Blessed. Teacher Feiran says that's part of why I still have to take classes in philosophy and epistemology of Thosaren.
Now, on to mapmaking! Yes, we are doing real mapmaking, outdoors. First I copied maps that others had drawn, so I knew the classical ways of representing things like rivers and mountains and cities. Now we are going out and I am making maps of different examples of topography (that means the shape of the land), and then Sedarin Vardsei, the chief cartographer, beings out the official record copies of the maps of those areas, and has me explain where I went wrong. And sometimes it's not actually an error, just a different choice, and then he makes me explain why I chose to do what I did. It is so interesting!
As part of our outdoor expeditions, I am learning things about traveling: riding horses, loading beasts of burden, and now, I am going to learn how to use a Blessed ascension raft!
The head teacher and cartographer Sedarin are talking about whether to move me into some of the rooms used by other unpaired Blessed who are working on maps and archives and such things. Maybe next year, they say. After all, I am mostly not a pupil at the school anymore.
Teacher Feiran told me a little about the Hierarchs' War. But she says it's a very serious topic, and that unless I am to be involved in it, our superiors wouldn't want me to know more. Even she doesn't know a lot.
There was a convocation to plead for guidance about the war. After the conclusion and recession, when I walked by Blessed Sehadrin, she gave me a weird kind of smile and said she was proud of me and that I might have a role to play in the war. What did she mean? Teacher looked worried when I asked her and said not to be concerned about it for now. But I can't stop thinking about it.
I miss you. When are you going to come home? I bet I could get permission to take you out on an ascension raft!
Your brother Dahin
To: Dahin Stargard
Preparatory School of the Blessed
Dahin,
DON'T AGREE TO ANYTHING ANYONE ASKS YOU TO DO ABOUT THE WAR OR THE HIERARCHS!
Blessed Nevirein has sworn on the Well that she will deliver this message intact.
I have got Aunt Saavrin to arrange for me to have leave before my final assignment for the war. I will see you in about 10 days.
Be careful! Try not to draw attention to yourself.
Yours in love, Tahren.