SUMMARY: A bunch of short stories about Myles's class. Need I say more?

A/N: I like short stories because they always end. This one ended up like my French class.

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Tamora Pierce, except the ones that I make up of course.

(A/N: All right, this first part, about the drought is supposed to be funny. I wrote that part late last night. It was funny at the time. See what happens to your sense of humor when you hang out around a three year old who laughs at you when you hurt yourself?)

Myles's Class – Juliana of Domrémy

The bell rang and the boys filed into the room and sat down in the rows of desks. They only looked slightly more alert than they had ten minutes or so before. But then again, how alert can pre-teenage boys look at 8:30 in the morning?

A scruffy, mussed, slightly over-weight man, aged about forty or so, entered the room. "Welcome back!" he cried cheerfully. "I trust you all had a wonderful midwinter. Let's get right down to it shall we?"

A tall boy of about thirteen groaned in the back, his head coming in contact with the desk in an audible thump. His limp, tired-looking brown hair flopped every which way. He took after his father.

"Gareth of Naxen?" The man smiled pleasantly. "Perhaps you'd like to begin? Could you tell me what year the famine of 385 H.E. took place?"

"Sir Myles, meaning no offense, it's 8:30 in the morning, and we've just come back from break. My body believes it should still be asleep. I believe it too." Gary had yet to pick his head up, and was probably talking in his sleep.

Myles smiled and shook his head. "Young Gareth, you make life so difficult." He looked around the room, seeing most of the boys dozing. "Jonathan of Conté. Would you possibly like a go at it?"

"No sir. Begging your pardon sir."

Myles smiled and turned to Alan of Trebond. "What about you? The famine of 385 H.E."

"385. Caused by a drought."

"Could you perhaps tell me something else that happened during that century?"

"The code of chivalry was established!" Gary called from the back of the room.

"Naxen, lovely of you to join us again. Anything else?"

"The old code was rejected!" the prince cried.

"I've asked for this haven't I?" Myles sighed. All around the boys grinned and nodded. "All right already. Let's get this over with. What does the code state?"

Jonathan could recite it perfectly, after spending hours arguing with Myles about it. "It doesn't ask to much from us you know," he told the knight after regurgitating it word for word. "You just don't see it like we do. You're still living in the olden days Myles."

"Thank you. Moving on. The 400th century, what else happened?"

Raoul grinned at the prince and added, "They're known as the dark ages."

"And why is that?"

"It rained a lot?" suggested Zackary of Kievare, a second year page.

"People lived in caves?" This came from Douglass of Veldine, a boy in Alan's year.

"Oh!" Gary yelled, "I know! They'd yet to invent fire!" This threw the class into fits of laughter.

"Your humor disgusts me. Doesn't anybody in this class read the books that are given to them?"

Alan of Trebond quietly raised his hand. "Because there was lots of death and disease and war."

"Very good. What type of wars?"

"Bloody ones." Gary was having a grand old time making comments.

"You don't say?"

Alan sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Gary, shut up before you hurt yourself." The class went silent for a moment, and then Geoffrey of Meron cried, "Well said Alan!"

Alan smiled and continued with what he had been saying before. "Religious wars and civil wars. Occasionally there was a war about who would marry who."

"Been reading the book?" Myles smiled at him.

"I got bored."

"But you read it none the less. Perhaps you know what happened in 322?"

Alan looked thoughtful for a moment. "Juliana of Domrémy was burned at the stake after being tried and found guilty of---" he paused, as if unsure of himself. "Witchcraft?"

"No, not witchcraft. They claimed she dealt with Chaos and the dark lords of the underworld. How they went about proving it is beyond me. They believed that the Sir Lady Juliana was rather 'round the bend,' so to speak. What else did she do?"

"She won the final battle of the war that was waging at the time," Alexander of Tirragen said.

"Wonderful. Which battle and which war?"

"The Battle of Mettlen during the hundred years war. Though it only lasted ninety-two. And a half."

"Very good Sacharell of Wellam. What else was Juliana of Domrémy known for?" For the way this class had begun, it was moving rather well now.

"Her body!" Despite Alan's warning, Gary's smart mouth had returned.

"Gareth? Might I make a suggestion?" Gary looked up at his teacher innocently. "Go back to sleep."

The class laughed and Gary's cheeks turned pink. Raoul raised his hand. "She was the last lady knight in Tortall's history."

"Thank you Raoul. Anything else?" Myles turned to Alan who had raised his hand. "Yes Alan?"

"Sir, do you really think that Juliana will be the last female knight ever?" The boy smiled knowingly and Myles was forced to wonder what the lad had hidden up his sleeve.

"No. In fact, I believe that the way the country is progressing, there may very well be lady knights come the end of the century, which, mind you, is still some seventy-five or so years away." Alan nodded, a smile still dancing on his lips.

"Let's get back on track. Whom were we waging the hundred years war with?"

"Scanra," said Francis of Nond. "Before it was over-run by greedy warlords."

"Tell me more. Come on boys, I'm a bucket waiting to be filled with your knowledge. Fill me."

Jon chuckled and raised his hand. "The Battle of Mettlen was advantageous to us because the Tortallans fought it on a hill."

"You don't say?"

"I do say," he retorted and was about to continue when a loud snort erupted from the back of the classroom.

Geoffrey leaned over and poked the sleeping Gary with the tip of his pen, which, unfortunately for Gary, was covered in ink. Gary snorted again and picked his head up. "What?" He looked down at his arm. "You do know that stuff stains don't you?"

"Well, Sir Gareth the Peacock," Myles said in a laughing tone. "If you hadn't been sleeping in my class," he trailed off.

"But sir. With all due respect you told me to go back to sleep. Can't you just make up your mind?"

The boys erupted with laughter and Myles smiled. The bell rang and everyone quickly filed out of the room. Despite it's slow start, the class had been rather satisfying.

A/N: And despite the good idea of the story, it rather sux! I don't know why I wrote this. I don't think it's very good. It seems like I combined my French and U.S. History class, which just really doesn't seem to work. Yes, that was Joan of Arc they were talking about. However, the hundred years war lasted more than 100 years and Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for witchcraft and heresy.

By the way, H.E. = Human Era (No Immortals.) Just thought I'd remind you.

Note: To those who read and reviewed my story, "An Adventure in Babysitting and Apples" I thank you. All three of you. :D I felt so speshull!!! Thanx again.

jilla kala: No the kids I baby-sit aren't that bad. They're actually great when they're calm. I just didn't really want Kel going through what their mother went through the other day when her three year old got so wild he threw up all over the place. But you didn't need to know that. P.S. I like your story too – but I've told you that before.

Lady Knight of Kennan: Was it really that funny? I just kinda liked the ironic twist at the end.