Alexander

Quick Shot

During our travels we came to nice royal type town. We rode to the town center were the chapel was. "Duke". the Old Man, "Why don't you get out of that saddle and make some friends, while I speck to the priest". "OK", I said. I walked around the chapel and saw a young boy shooting targets with a bow and arrows.

He was shorter than me, with brownish black hair, and he wore a light tan colored shirt with light brown paints. His bow looked hand carved by an expert. The targets he was shooting were small tin cans that were several yards in front of him. He hit those cans with pin point accuracy, almost like hit took no effort at all.

"Hi", I called out as he tuned and faced me, "I'm Duke". "Hey", while drawing back the string on his bow, "I'm Alexander, but every one calls me Alex". "I'm an archer well sort of, I'm not old enough yet". "What about you?" "Oh, I'm some what of a swordsman". "Cool", he was the first time I'd ever met a 12-year-old archer, that could pen a falling apple to a tree.

"So how did you end up here", he asked me. "Came withe the knights, and the Old Man". "Wow, you get to travel with knights". "Yeah, its pretty cool, well except for the mount that they have me riding, that mule is stubborn". We continued to talk, and play. "So what's it like to travel with knights". "Well besides the stubborn mule, they don't talk much, and don't answer questions, which sucks because I have so many questions". "How come they don't answer them"? "I'm not realty sure, the only one that talks is the Old Man". "He will answer most questions, but is usually just going on about when he was young". "Some of the story's are interesting, but others are long and boring and never ending". "But, even tho the knights don't talk, and the Old Man never stops is can still be fun". "How", he asked. "Well a few days ago I wrestled a deer and took him down with my bear hands". "How is that dangerous". Making up a story I said, "it was a huge deer, as big as a horse with sharp pointed antlers and...and- "No way"!, he called my bluff, "there's no such thing as a deer that's as big as a horse"! "Well, I did fight a deer, with antlers. "Really", he said as he crossed his arms and looked at me. "Well"-our conversation was cut off when a priest called to Alex. "Alexander, your presents is needed". "Coming Father", he said. "Duke", the Old Man called out to me, he was standing next to the priest by the chapel door, "mount your mule we will be leaving soon".

Later on, the front door to the chapel opened with the Old Man followed by Alex leaving the chapel. Alex had his bow and his arrow holster slung over his shoulder. He ran up to me yelling, "guess what", "guess what". "What", I answered. "I get to come with you". "Now we can be travel buddies"! "Cool, well Alex come on hop on a mule"!

As we left the chapel and headed east I couldn't help but wonder what the Old Man had planed for us.