Stuck together

"So what are you doing Alina?" asked Annie as she looked at Alina as she was sitting on a haybale and Alina gestured that Annie sit as she sat down beside her, they were in the stables.

"Where are Curtis and the others?" asked Alina as she looked up at Annie and she smiled.

"Ahh well Matt left our bags back at the stream, so he, Curtis and Maddie went to get them, I think Prince Oliver went along with them, I'm not sure" said Annie as she explained.

"Ahh I see" said Alina as she smiled.

"Yes" said Annie as she smiled.

"I'm mending my master's broken arrows" said Alina as she smiled and she showed Annie what she was doing as she smiled.

"The ones he used when we saw him practicing with back there?" asked Annie.

"Yes" said Alina as she smiled.

"I see" said Annie as she noticed that Alina had swift hands.

"Why don't you just make new ones?" asked Annie out of curiosity.

"Well because it takes such a long time to make new arrows, the wood has to be carved and then smoothed over, and then we need some flint, it is such a long process" said Alina as she smiled.

"Oh I see, that does sound like a long process" said Annie as she nodded her head.

"Yes, and that's why my Master always mends his broken arrows, even though he has some new ones kept hidden safe somewhere" said Alina.

"But between you and me, he also likes keeping broken arrows so he can punish me with mending them" said Alina as she laughed and Annie laughed as well.

"But this look difficult, I mean, he cut through his first arrow, with his second arrow, this looks more like remaking than mending" said Annie.

"Well it's not hard at all, you see I take the two split sides of the arrows like this, and then I smear some tree sap on both sides, and then I carefully make sure to align them, and then I place them together, and they stick in a clean manner, like this" said Alina as she smiled and she showed Annie the mended arrow.

"That does look easy" said Annie as she smiled.

"Very" said Alina as she smiled.

"Do you want to try?" asked Alina as she smiled, she could use the help, besides, she liked Annie very much, she would be forever grateful to her for saving her and believing her, although she did not blame the others for not believing her at all, if she was then, she would not believe herself as well.

"Can I?" asked Annie in surprise.

"Of course you can, here" said Alina as she smiled and she handed Annie one of the broken arrows that had been split in two.

"And the tree sap is over here" said Alina as she smiled.

"Just be careful, it is very sticky, once when I just started to mend the arrows, I once glues both my hands together, I screamed, and then my Master rushed over and he asked what was wrong, and he was relieved when he saw that I only had sticky tree sap on my hands, so he just got some warm water, he poured it over my hands, and they stopped sticking together" said Alina as she smiled.

"That is a very…nice story" said Annie as she smiled, now she was scared of getting her hands stuck together.

"Yes, I know right?" asked Alina as she smiled, she loved telling that story.

"Anyway, don't be worried about getting your hands stuck together, that's why we have this bowl of warm water here, just in case" said Alina as she laughed and Annie laughed as well.

"Alright" said Annie as she looked at the two parts of an arrow in her hand as she took some tree sap, she tried to be very careful but she still got some on the palm of her hands, but nevertheless she kept on going and she smeared some tree sap on both sides of the arrow, then she closed one of her eyes to make sure that the both sides aligned, and then she stuck them together.

"You see you are a natural" said Alina as she smiled.

"Thank you, although I don't think that I am" said Annie as she laughed and she looked at her sticky hands, that tree sap really was sticky.

"Here, some warm water dissolves the tree sap" said Alina as she smiled and she poured some warm water over Annie's hands with a smile.

"Hello, Hello" said Ollie as he smiled and he walked to where Alina and Annie were sitting on the hay bays.

"Hi Ollie" said Alina as she smiled and Ollie smiled at her, he loved her for calling him by his nickname.

"Hi Prince Oliver" said Annie as she smiled.

"Ollie" said Ollie as he corrected her, yet again.

"Oh sorry, yes, Ollie" said Annie as she laughed.

"I thought that you were going with Matt and Curtis?" asked Annie as Ollie sat down on the other haybale.

"Nope, I changed my mind, too much walking" said Ollie as he laughed and Annie laughed, she had to agree with him.

"What are you doing?" asked Ollie.

"Ah, well Alina was showing me how to mend broken arrows" said Annie as she smiled.

"Oh that's cool" said Ollie as he smiled and Annie smiled at him.

"Alina, you are an archer right?" asked Ollie as he smiled and he looked at Alina.

"Yes I am, although I am not as good as my master, but I love working with a bow and arrow" said Alina as she smiled.

"You are right about that, your Master is skilled" said Ollie as he had to agree with Alina, that was past being an expert.

"Yes, I hope that I can be as skilled as him someday, but until that day comes, I have to keep on practicing" said Alina as she smiled and Annie smiled.

"What about you Annie, do you love archery?" asked Alina as she looked at Annie as she smiled.

"Ahh well, I think it's cool, although I doubt I would be good at it" said Annie as she laughed sheepishly.

"No, don't say that Annie, you never know until you try, besides, I think you will be good with a bow, you have gentle hands" said Alina as she smiled and she held Annie's hands in hers as Annie just smiled.

"Wow, you have such beautiful eyes" said Alina as she finally noticed Annie's green eyes.

"Are they real?" asked Alina out of curiosity as Ollie smiled, he had never heard someone ask if someone else's eye colour was real.

"No offense I mean, they are just so beautiful and green" said Alina as she stared into Annie's eyes.

"No offense taken" said Annie as she laughed, she noticed that Alina just always spoke her heart out, no matter what, it was funny.

"And yes, they are my real eye colour, I was born with them, although I did always find them weird, seeing as my mom and dad both had brown eyes, I always wondered where I got them from" said Annie as she laughed.

"But they are so beautiful, right Ollie?" asked Alina as she looked at Ollie.

"Right, they are" said Ollie as he smiled.

"Wait, Curtis has green eyes as well, are you two siblings?" asked Alina out of curiosity.

"Well yes, something like that, we are related" said Annie as she smiled, she did not want to have to go into detail about how Curtis was her family guardian and all that.

"His eyes are beautiful as well" said Alina as she smiled.

"And you also have beautiful eyes Ollie, and so does Maddie, your blue eyes are so bright" said Alina as she looked at Ollie and she smiled.

"Thank you for the compliment" said Ollie as he smiled.

"I get them from my mother" said Ollie as he smiled and Alina smiled.

"You all just have beautiful eyes, Matt has pretty hazel eyes as well" said Alina as she laughed, she met pretty eyes friends today.

"You really like eyes don't you Alina?" asked Ollie as he laughed.

"Well only pretty ones" said Alina as she laughed and Ollie and Annie laughed as well.

"Oh, I better get started on dinner" said Alina as she smiled.

"I can help you if you want" said Annie as she smiled.

"No Annie, you don't need to, you are our guest after all" said Alina as she smiled.

"You just stay here, I will be back soon" said Alina as she smiled and she stood up.

"Hey, when do you think that Curtis and the others should be back?" asked Alina.

"Well not too long , they should be back soon" said Ollie as he smiled.

"Okay, you guys stay here, or you can have a look around, or do whatever you want to do, I will see you guys later" said Alina as she smiled brightly.

"Bye" said Ollie with a smile.

"See you" said Annie as she smiled and Alina smiled as she walked away.