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Egleriad giggled, his face a bright shade of red. "Well, I did, but I guess if you didn't hear it it couldn't have been too terrible."

He set the lyre up on the shelf again and smiled at Jair and Naida. "I think the harp sounds a lot better, but I still have to wait to grow up before I can play it," he said wistfully. "Mama plays really well though, when she has the time. But she doesn't have much time anymore, not since Lelwen was born. She always says that when Lelwen is a bit bigger, and Mama doesn't always have to be with her, then she'll play some more."

Egleriad clasped his hands behind his back. "I like helping Father with his work," he smiled. "I'm not always allowed to go with him, though. It depends on what he's doing."

He motioned for Jair and Naida to follow him, and started towards the door.

"One of the things that I do," he continued, "is my lessons. My uncle sometimes helps me, though usually he is just my weapons instructor. My aunt is also teaching me musical theory, though I would much rather just play." He wrinkled his nose.

Egleriad grinned. "Aye, I'm not so keen on the sitting still for so long, either," he agreed. "I mean, sitting with Father is one thing, but sitting and learning about stuff like that ..."

He shook his head. "If I want to write something, I'll just play it. I don't care about writing it down. Or the technicalities of it. As long as it sounds good."

That was really all that he cared about.

Jair grinned. "Well, if you don't write it down, how will anyone else be able to play it? Or how will you remember it the next time?"

The prince shrugged. "I have a good memory for stuff like that, I just remember it."

Egleriad stared. "Just do it," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean ..." He frowned thoughtfully, trying to think of how to say what was on his mind without sounding arrogant. "If ... if you know the music in your head, or if you want to write out the words ... then the theory isn't necessary, is it?"

Jair grinned. "It's good to know anyways, I think," he put in. "I don't know music, I don't play any instruments, but I do know that different instruments use different notation, and if you want them to go together nicely you have to know how they're different to make sure they harmonize."

Egleriad shrugged one shoulder. "It doesn't matter. Not now, anyways. Maybe someday ... I don't know. Either way I have to learn the theory now, that's another condition for me to learn the harp, Mama says."

"Then it looks like you really have no choice but to learn it," Jair commented, trying not to smile.

"I guess not," Egleriad conceded sheepishly.

Jair looked around. "So ... where are you leading us, anyways?" he asked. "We've already passed the library, so you're not taking us back there ..."

Egleriad's smile grew even more sheepish. "Well ... we were talking so much about music and theory, I thought I might show you my work ... but if you don't want to, that's all right, we don't have to see it."

Egleriad grinned. "Well, if you really want to," he agreed happily. "It's this way, then."

And he skipped off down the hallway again, glad that he wasn't boring his new friends.

"Well, it's not just mine," Egleriad replied, "it's the studying room, for everyone who has lessons. We study at different times though so that we don't bother each other."

"Who else has lessons?" Jair asked, confused. "Your sisters are both too young, aren't they?"

"Maeglin is almost old enough," the young prince replied, "but Lelwen is just a baby. No, my aunt and uncle still have lessons. Aunt Elia is very smart, she's already almost finished, but Uncle Celebrindor is only a little bit older than me, so he has a lot of lessons left too."

Egleriad thought about it for a moment. "Well ... Aunt Elia is fun, she's the one who teaches me music because even though she's young, she's very gifted. She also paints, but I think she's better at music," he added confidentially. "Uncle Celebrindor, he's a lot more fun," he grinned. "He likes to train with Father, too, and we get to spar together a lot! He likes listening to music, but he doesn't play any instruments. Usually, he has his lessons when I'm having my music lesson, because he pays more attention when someone is playing music."

Jair grinned. "Sounds like you have a lot of fun with him."