Soon they were walking through the gate towards the castle grounds. On the left of the castle, long fields with training equipment were used by tens of soldiers. Further down, we're stables and then barracks.
It was a rather contrasting image to the elegance and graces of the castle itself; hence Nalsy looked around with curiosity. Some men were running laps around the grounds. Others were horse riding or fencing. Then few men were sharpening the weapons and tidying the equipment.
"I didn't realise that the library was around here."
"The biggest library here is the one with the royal collection," Edmund explained quickly.
"Sir Gray!" A man in a particularly fancy uniform started walking up towards them.
"Yes?" Edmund turned around with a smile.
"We received a report from our North base."
"I see." Edmund thought for a moment and then turned towards Nalsy. "Is it okay if I walk you to the library, and whilst you pick the books for yourself, I'll have a look at the reports?"
"Yeah, sure," Nalsy said unbothered.
"I will be back in a moment," Edmund instructed the man who patiently waited now in place.
Edmund led Nalsy through the corridor that screamed of grandeur and riches, with paintings, sculptures, and crystal chandeliers.
As soon as they've stepped into the library, Nalsy was in absolute awe. The ceilings were so high, with shelves going all the way up, filled with thousands of books.
Edmund was quick to disappear, but Nalsy didn't mind. She was already too focused on the stunning old bindings of the books.
"May I help you?" A kind-looking lady walked from behind the shelf towards Nalsy. Her curly black hair was tidily put in a bun, and her glasses rested solely on the bridge of her nose.
"I was just browsing," Nalsy replied quickly. "I was hoping to find some books to read."
"This is obviously the right place for you." The woman chuckled, and her belly jiggled along with her laugh. "What are the books that you're interested in?"
"I am not too sure. I've read several kinds recently." Nalsy took out the books that she read. "Which reminds me that I should return them."
"Let's see." The woman keenly picked up the books and scanned them through. "Earthian, I see. There are few more books you might be interested in, but our Earthian collection isn't that extensive."
"Earthian?"
"Books that are written in the Latin script." The woman explained as she walked through the rows of shelves toward her desk.
"Oh, I did not realise that you have so many books in other scripts," Nalsy said, looking at the lettering on the binding, which she still couldn't place.
"Here, we have a few books." The woman picked up a few card records, and soon she walked towards the shelves. "Section A, Angels and Demons." The woman passed Nalsy a book at which Nalsy furrowed her brows.
"Is that a section for fiction?"
"I'm not sure what you mean." The woman replied with a quizzical look on her face matching her words.
"Is section A for fictional books?"
"No, section A is for books with the title starting with A."
"You cannot be serious?!" Nalsy said in disbelief. "Are you saying that all of those books are organised in alphabetical order?"
"Well, yes. What other way should they be organised?"
"Dewey Decimal Classification? The most obvious library classification system?"
"I am unsure of what you are talking about."
"You don't know Dewey Decimal Classification?!" Nalsy still couldn't believe what she heard. "If someone comes to you and asks for a cookbook, let's say, how do you find it?"
"I try to remember the names of the cookbooks so I can show them the location. If not, I run through the catalogue name by name to find something that sounds appropriate."
"That's so inefficient! Dewey Decimal System allows the books to be organised by their theme, and each theme has a number. So let's say that you have an art book. It would fit within numbers 700 and 799, which are usually assigned to the arts, and you can further break it down to the kind of arts to decide on the exact number for the book."
"I'm not sure whether I follow."
"If you will allow me, I can explain it further. I do not mean any offence, but this system can be beneficial, and you don't have to memorise thousands of book titles."
"That would be quite a thing then. I'm happy to listen." The woman smiled at Nalsy encouragingly, which made Nalsy even more eager. They've returned to the librarian's desk, where Nalsy continued her explanation to the best of her abilities, and the woman nodded eagerly.
In the meantime, Edmund held the newest report in his hand, listening to his subordinate with interest, already contemplating on all of the required actions that must take place.
"Thank you, Nicolas. I will discuss the report on the movements behind the border with Sir Gray and her majesty before giving out the orders. There's nothing significant enough to require any further actions today, so you're dismissed." Edmund said quickly once the man finished speaking of his findings. Nicolas was quick to walk away towards the barracks, probably eager to rest after his latest mission.
"Sir Gray, I've heard few things recently that seem to cause me concern." Caspian walked up to Edmund from inside of the castle.
"And may I ask, what are those things that you're speaking of?"
"This." Caspian pointed at Edmund's face.
"I think that it would be necessary for you to elaborate. Pointing at my face doesn't suddenly answer my question."
"You're in a good mood, Edmund," Caspian said with a chuckle. "So good, in fact, that few of the soldiers wondered if you were replaced by someone who looks like you."
"And you came here to break my mood?"
"No, of course not. I am merely curious as to the cause of this sudden change. Has something happened that made you so happy?"
"Not really," Edmund answered with a shrug.
"For the first time since you've joined the army, you've taken a day off. I hope that you understand that your change of character is rather suspicious."
"Suspicious?" Edmund laughed at Caspian's words. "Believe me. I am not hiding anything. I took time off today due to the medical check-up, that's all."
"As Miss Daughterrouse broke your nose, did she also shake your brain up?"
"It's always a possibility."
"Shouldn't it heal already?"
"Probably. It is a mystery I would like an answer to myself."
"Well, I am glad that you are so… cheerful." Caspian scanned Edmund head to toe. "As it is still your time off, I will not bother you much further."
"We received the report from the border and beyond from Nicolas." Edmund passed Caspian a document. "I will come by first thing tomorrow to discuss it before we take any actions."
"Thank you, General." Caspian gave Edmund a nod, which was as much approval that Edmund was ever going to get from him. Caspian didn't wait for Edmund's response before he walked towards the gate.
Edmund sighed and turned around, climbing up the stairs to the castle, soon walking to the library searching for Nalsy.
As he walked in, he spotted the librarian carrying stacks of books hurriedly.
"Good afternoon, Sir Gray. How can I help you?"
"I am looking for someone rather than something today," Edmund replied, looking around curiously. "May I ask, what is occurring here?" Edmund looked at the stacks of the books on the floor.
"We're rearranging the books to fit with a new system!" The woman said excitedly. "It's called Dewey, I think. And it sounds so simple to follow."
"Oh, I'm glad to hear that." Edmund smiled warmly at the woman.
"So, who are you looking for?"
"The Earthian girl that I have been asking the books for."
"Oh, so that's the girl!" The woman spoke excitedly again. "It's not quite who I envisioned."
"In what sense?" Edmund furrowed his brows.
"If I have to be honest, I didn't think someone with this girl's character would get along with someone like yourself."
"How so?"
"She's definitely a girl with a character. From experience, I know that you can't tame those. She will run wild regardless of your orders."
"Frankly, I already know that," Edmund replied with a chuckle.
"Well, she is in the second row. I've told her to not climb onto the ladder, so quite likely, she's on the ladder." The woman smiled.
"Thank you, Lauren."
"As always a pleasure, Sir Gray."
Edmund walked between the rows of the bookcases, and soon he spotted Nalsy on the ladder, as Lauren suspected. She was engrossed in scanning through the books and taking them down to add them to one of the stacks.
"Lauren, I am not too sure, but I think this book is about etiquette," Nalsy spoke as she heard the footsteps nearing her. "If I'm right, I believe it goes between 300 and 399."
"Let me guess. You're responsible for the havoc in here?" Edmund asked with a wide smile on his face that showed his perfectly white teeth. Nalsy looked at him with surprise.
"What havoc?" Nalsy raised her brows.
"Rearranging the library?"
"Oh yes. The classification system was unmanageable. Poor Lauren had to memorise all of the books, and if something escaped her mind, she had no hope in finding it."
"I see." Edmund leaned against the bookshelf, looking up at Nalsy, who was still two feet above his head. "Now, would you be so good as to come off the ladder that is definitely not safe for you to climb onto in your current condition?"
"In a moment, I'll just grab this book." Nalsy picked up another book and started coming down with difficulty, barely balancing on the steps as she couldn't support herself with her hands that held the books.
Edmund took the books of her to allow her better support.
"You're right. It is a book on etiquette. How did you know? It's written in Lumenian script."
"The pictures of the table setting at the back. I may have some questions in regards to where I am that no one graced me with the answers to yet."
"Of course. I will try to answer all of your questions over lunch. Is that a deal?"
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Thank you." Nalsy started walking out towards the central area of the library, which had Lauren's desk, filing cabinets, and a few comfy armchairs for readers to use.
"Nalsy, it was a pleasure to meet you," Lauren said with a wide smile.
"It was a pleasure to meet you too, Lauren."
"So, as we agreed, I should see you soon?"
"Of course!" Nalsy nodded eagerly, picking up a stack of books that she decided to take home with her. "I'll see you soon!"
Edmund took the books off Nalsy to carry them for her, as they've left the library and then castle.