1. ablutions
2. gambesons
3. brigandine
4. approbation
5. vassal
6. tenobrous
7. fealty
8. temerity
9. imprecations
10. machicolated
11. invidious
12. mellifluous
13. limned
14. alembics
15. liegelord
16. chary
17. alarum
18. sagacious

Henry and I are reading Eldest together at night. In fact, we are reading our way through the entire series. I am shocked by how often this story moves me. I did not expect to be moved. I did not expect to enjoy reading sci/fi fantasy aloud. I did not expect to encounter new vocabulary. And truthfully, since I am exposing my ignorance, I wasn't even all that excited about reading aloud in general. This book was published when Henry was 7 and he read it to himself that year. He's probably read it 5 times since then. Long ago, I stopped reading aloud to this kid. But that was a mistake on several levels. On more than 18 different levels.

1. We need time alone together.
2. He needs to slow down and define some words.
3. He loves having a companion to journey with, through these tenobrous worlds.
4. These worlds are richer than you might suppose.
5. We have more in common during the day, for this literary wandering together.
6. I love being read to.
7. He loves bring read to.
8. We learn new things about each other by reading together.
9. He is intellectually fierce but still needs to be "skoliro" (shielded.)
10. He has dealt with themes and topics that are completely inappropriate for his age,
11. Such as stacks of corpses of brutalised humans, including women and children.
12. Such as the concept of eternity, never mind simple death.
13. Such that a small boy will ignore icky romantical stuff completely,
14. But become ensnared by dark violet brutality and horror every time.
15. Such as the nobility of warriors who repudiate war.
16. Did you ever notice how many of the most interesting literary characters are unschooled?
17. But no one calls it unschooling.
18. In which we encounter the quiet love between us.
19. In which we slow down long enough to touch the most sacred aspect of ourselves,
20. That we are together, even when we are apart.