"I never said it was a surprise," Beatrix continued. "My world was once like that where only the privileged where taught how to read. History and other such things were passed on through the telling of stories and such, just as your world does. Which works if you'd prefer to not be told the truth. Sure, whomever is telling you the story may believe they're relaying it properly, but the truth of the matter is that no two people remember the story the same. The more people that repeat it, the more steps you get away from the initial source, the more the message, the lesson, has changed."

She snorted. "My world demonstrates this to our children through a simple game of telephone so they understand how unreliable hearsay is."

"Controlling the population through filtered learning - that is you're only being taught what they feel like telling you - is an archaic method that upholds ignorance. And if you're one of their greatest warriors, you are nothing more than a meat puppet to them - someone to direct like like a prized fighting dog that only wishes to be rewarded with the day's food and not knowledge and opportunity."

She waved a hand dismissively. "But if that is the kind of life you find satisfactory, far be it for me to tell you otherwise. You are welcome to wallow in ignorance and simply do as your told."