12 Terrible Archer

It's my third day here in the center realm. Who knows how long I'll be staying? I don't know how I'll break it to Blossom about going back home. Though, I'm not sure about going back. They treat me better than my relatives at home does. But dealing with magic, creatures, and attacks frightens me. I feel like a powerless human being.

But the thought of me having magical abilities, very unlikely.

Yesterday, Faye had woken up, all thanks to that magical healing water. She still looked weak, unable to talk, and was recommended to stay in bed for another week or so, though her fast recovery has left me stunned. What do I expect? I am in a place where magic is normal.

Then again, I wonder, if mother was here that night of the accident, would she have lived with the help of Thapabia's tears? Reminiscing about her makes my heart ache every single time.

Since I spent most of my yesterday inside the castle, it feels a bit suffocating despite the large space. I don't get the chance to go outside back home. This morning, I decided to take a stroll outside the castle and maybe try to familiarize my surroundings.

The morning sun feels nice and warm, hitting my pale skin while the soft wind blows past my cheeks. I close my eyes, breathing in the fresh air, letting out my worries and fears. Birds were singing among the oak trees beyond the castle fence, and I watch the trees dance gracefully as a stronger gust of wind blows by.

I hold my dress down to keep it from flying when the wind grows even stronger. Failing to do so with my sun hat, I gasp, trying to reach for it when it flies off my head. The wind pushes it forward; it reaches the ground only to keep stumbling.

Clutching on my dress, I run after my hat, leaving the cobblestone path. I step on the soft grass of the neatly mowed lawn. The closer I get to it, the farther the wind pushes it.

I huff, feeling frustrated, "come on now, don't play around."

Like some crazy woman, I chase after my hat until the wind died down, the stumbling hat coming to a complete halt. I walk towards it, bending down to pick it up, placing it on my head. The blue ribbon falls to my cheeks, so I tie it below my chin to keep it in place.

My eyebrows crease as I look around; I strayed quite the distance. This area looks familiar when it got to me. This is where that attack happened that night. I'm standing where Faye was stabbed.

I thought that there would be ruins from the fight. The blast destroyed the castle fences, the plants, and the lawn. From what I'm seeing, there's no evidence of an attack. Everything is back to how it is from before. The fences are back up, the plants are beautifully arranged, and the mowed lawn goes all the way from where I came from. Fixing anything destroyed is simple with magic, I guess.

My attention moves toward the tree where I spot the dark figure that night, alongside the tall tree. I get goosebumps just remembering it.

I was about to turn back when something moves from behind the tree. Something or someone seems to be spying on me. My heart rate quickens in an instant to think of an attack this early in the morning. I ready myself to run to warn Blossom and the others when the figure moves away from the tree, revealing itself.

Instead of running away, my feet find themselves going towards the figure. Four familiar tiny beings appear from behind the figure.

I raise my hand to wave at them, "Talus! Pico, Maru!"

The first five creatures that I met wave back at me. The elves skip their way towards me while Talus walks behind them calmly. We meet face to face, the castle fence separating us.

"Hi, Rose!" Pico jumps excitedly; the fence is not as tall, it stops right below my chest, but the elves are tiny. I hold onto the fence, looking down as I smile.

"Hello there," I realized that the elves are carrying tiny bows with arrows, "what are you elves up to?"

"We were practicing archery when these guys, especially Talus, decided to visit you. I say it's a waste of time," Aryll, the elf with the blue pointed hat, huffed, crossing his arms.

I laugh softly.

"I haven't seen any of you since that day I was sent here. Aren't you all allowed to come in?"

"No, only creatures of the castle are allowed," Maru replies sadly.

"But I want to explore the castle," Talus groans and looks at me with beady eyes, "you're lucky."

"How is it like in there?" The green hatted elf, Hestu, asks. They seem to be enthusiastic about the castle; it's upsetting that they aren't allowed to enter.

I cross my arms, "it's big and elegant in there, though I like outside better with the fresh air and the sun."

"That is true, and we get to practice archery," Pico says, holding his tiny bow out.

"That sounds like a lot of fun."

Talus lifts his rocky, pebble-like finger as if an idea just popped in his mind, "I heard that in the backyard, they have a place where you can practice archery."

"Yes, I once climbed that tree," Hestu points at a tree not far away from us but would have an overview of the back of the castle, "I see knights practicing in the afternoon."

"You should try it! Everyone here needs to learn at least one weapon," Maru says.

All of them nod at me, agreeing with each other. Maybe I should learn a weapon while I'm here. Since this kingdom frequently gets attacked, I should learn how to defend myself.

Who knows, maybe archery is for me.

---

After having a little chat with Talus and the elves, I make my way towards the back of the castle as they have mentioned about the practice field.

The back of the castle goes all the way. I don't know how big the land is, but from where I stand, I see a maze in the center, a big garden on the left, and the practice field on the right. Luckily for me, no knights are practicing or wandering around. It's peaceful.

I go down three flights of stairs, turning to the right, heading straight to the field. Four target boards stand a couple of meters away from me. Beside where I stand, on the wooden bench are two different types of bows with six arrows, a bracer, and a leather glove. Approaching the bench, I remove my hat and place it to the side.

I look around me before picking up the bracers, sliding them on my left arm, and fitting the leather glove on my right hand. I tilt my head, unsure of which bow to pick. One is a recurve bow, and the other is a longbow, which looks much bigger and heavier. I lift the recurve bow, feeling its weight in my left hand, and picked one of the arrows.

Raising my arrow, I hold the bow in place with my left hand, pull the string back by the arrow's fletching, and rest the arrow's tip on the arrow rest. Uncertain of how to hold a bow and arrow, the arrow's tip starts moving sideways, away from the bow's arrow rest. My cheeks burned in embarrassment, knowing that I do not know anything about archery. This is my first time trying a bow, or any weapon for that matter.

I tilt the bow to the left, lifting my right index finger as an arrow rest to keep the shaft in place. Since I have good eyesight, aiming wouldn't be so bad. So I breathe in, trying not to shake as I hold my position, giving it a few seconds before releasing.

It will have been a nice sight if I land on a bullseye on my first try. But as a beginner, the arrow only reached halfway through, not reaching the target.

I blink, letting out a sigh when a voice comes from behind me, making me jump, "well, that was pathetic."

"What-" I turn around to face Rhys and see him smirking, "Oh, like you could do any better?"

He chuckles, grabbing the longbow that sat on the bench and an arrow. I move aside, giving him his spotlight. I place my bow down, crossing my arms, my mouth set in a hard line. How long has this guy been watching me?

He lifts his bow in position, his muscles catching my eyes. I take one look and quickly reverted my eyes away. He places his arrow, pulling on the string for a few seconds before releasing it. The arrow flies forward at a quick speed and to the center of the target. Bullseye.

"Another arrow," he says, motioning his hand as he moves to the next target.

Unbelievable, I should be the one that's practicing. I scrunch my face, taking an arrow and throwing it at him. He catches it before the tip reaches his right eye taking him by surprise.

"Careful woman," he looks at me wide-eyed, "I think you should be learning how to throw daggers instead," he coughs out a laugh.

"Watch properly, take down some points."

I roll my eyes but forced myself to watch him move. From his stepping, his body's direction, arms, and hands as he pulls on the string and releases—another bullseye.

"Wow, show off," I mutter under my breath.

"Got that? Now your turn," he approaches me. I hold out my hand for his bow when he shakes his head, "not this; it's too heavy for you."

So I grab the bow I used before and stand in position. Rhys passes me an arrow, and I take it, but he doesn't let go, "now this is how you pass an arrow," I hiss at him, and he smiles. Ridiculous.

I stand sideways with my legs apart, and with my left hand, lifting the bow, I ready my arrow on the right. I feel a presence behind me, then a hand on my elbow pushing it up higher, about 90 degrees from my side.

"Don't hold for too long or you'll get tired easily, dominant eye on the target," I feel his breath on my neck as he bends down; I pull on the string, trying my best not to be distracted when he whispers on my ear, "and release."

I gasp, letting go of the arrow. I turn and face Rhys, glaring daggers at him. He motions his head for me to look, and I look.

My arrow landed near the bullseye. I let out a surprised laugh; with more practice, I'll be better. Better than this cocky grinning elf.