A Lesson in Parseltongue
"My mother was Serra and my father was Shasta," Sel tried but, judging from the slight shaking of her kitten's shoulders, failed to say. "What did I say?"
Her kitten erupted into laughter and couldn't answer so Sansa did for him. "Your exact words were 'Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberry.'"
Sel was mortified. "I was trying to say my parents' names, Serra and Shasta."
Her kitten had finally stopped laughing and reassured her, "Serra does sound like the word for hamster and Shasta like the word for elderberry. It's okay. You'll learn. We don't have to rush anything. We have all the time in the world."
Sel nodded. "Thank you."
"That's alright. Now try again."
Sel stumbled over the pronunciation a few more times but finally got it on the fifth try with help from her kitten and Sansa. They then progressed on to slightly more complex sentences and Sel's confidence in Parseltongue grew.