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He frowned at her, then furiously erased his board and began writing again This thing makes no sense Why not say what you mean?

"Because," Siri said "It’s just likeoh, I don’t know It’s a way to be clever when you make fun of people"

Make fun of people? he wrote

God of Colors! Siri thought, trying to think of how to explain It see of mockery And yet, he had lived his entire life as a revered deity and s to tease," Siri said "Things that er, but you say them in an affectionate or in a playful way Sometimes you do just say them to be mean Sarcasm is one of the e erated way"

How do you know if the person is affekshonate, playful, or mean?

"I don’t know," Siri said "It’s the way they say it, I guess"

The God King sat, looking confused but thoughtful You are very normal, he finally wrote

Siri frowned "Uood sarcase

She smiled "I try my best"

He looked up

"That was sarcase It just happens"

He looked at her How had she ever been frightened of this man? How had she ance or e very hard to understand the world around him It was innocence Earnestness

However, he was not simple The speed at which he’d learned to write proved that True, he’d already understood the spoken version of the language--and he’dher She’d only needed to explain the rules of spelling and sound for him tohow quickly he picked things up She smiled at him, and he hesitantly se?" she asked

You do not do things like other people, he wrote Everyone else bows before me all of the time Nobody talks to ive me instrukshons--and they haven’t done that in years

"Does it offend you that I don’t bow, and that I talk to you like a friend?"

He erased his board Offend me? Why would it offend me? Do you do it in sarcas to you"

Then I do not understand

"Everyone else is afraid of you," Siri said "Because of hoerful you are"

But they took away ue to make me safe

"It’s not your Breath that scares them," Siri said "It’s your power over ar You could order anyone in the kingdom killed"

But ould I do that? he wrote I would not kill a good person Theyon the plush bed, the fire crackling in the hearth behind them "I know that, now," she said "But nobody else does They don’t know you, they know only hoerful you are So they fear you And so they show their respect for you"

He paused And so, you do not respect"I’ve just never been very good at following rules In fact, if someone tells me what to do, I usually want to do the opposite"

That is very strange, he wrote I thought all people did what they were told

"I think you’ll find that et you into trouble

"Is that what the priests taught you?"

He shook his head; then he reached over and took out his book The book of stories for children He brought it with him always, and she could see froreatly

It’s probably his only real possession, she thought Everything else is taken fro

This book, he wrote My mother read the stories to me when I was a child I memorized them all, before she was taken away It speaks of many children who do not do as they are told They are often eaten by

Do not be afraid, he wrote My ht me that the monsters are not real But I reood You shud treat people well Do not go into the jungle by yourself Do not lie Do not hurt others

Siri’s s he’d learned in his life, he’d either gotten fro hiurehead Once she realized that, the simple, honest man that he had become was not so difficult to understand

Yet what had pro and ask her to teach hi secret froht all his life to obey and trust? He was not quite so innocent as he appeared

"These stories," she said "Your desire to treat people well Is that what kept you frohts when I first ca you? I do not understand

Siri blushed, hair turning red to match "I mean, why did you just sit there?"

Because I did not knohat else to do, he said I knew that we need to have a child So I sat and waited for it to happen We , for no child has come