Chapter Twelve: The Training
I awoke as the fingers of dawn stretched across the rugged floor. Spangles of pale sunlight blanketed the ground as I rose and dressed in a sunny yellow gown. I walked onto my balcony as I stretched my arms above my head and smiled gazing into the distance of the waking sun, letting its copper light caress my face.
I went back inside and retrieved my silver bow and and quiver of arrows from under my bureau where I'd secretly kept them and strolled to the archery range.
I expected to beat him there, but as I neared the range I saw the elbow of his sleeve jutting from behind the side of the range's shied. I turned the corner tentatively, and he smiled cheerfully when he saw me.
I straightened and walked before him. "Good morning Thomas."
"Good morning," he replied.
"Ready?" I asked, getting into position in front of a target on a tree.
"As ever."
"Good." I raised my bow, and eyed the target. Pulling the bowstring back with an arrow slung, I released the string from between my fingers. The arrow cut the air and collided with my target.
"Impressive," Thomas remarked with a slight, sideways grin.
I curtsied daintily with an arrogant smile on my lips. "Thank you."
"But not as impressive as this," Thomas added standing beside me with his bow upright. I stood back and watched him attentively. He notched an arrow and aimed. Letting go of the string, the arrow hit a few inches above my mark.
I nodded, impressed despite myself. "That was good."
Now his grin was brazen.
"I thought you said you needed help," I teased.
Thomas shrugged. "I thought that I might as well see how good you are. The way you boast of it I
assumed you'd be good. I must admit, I didn't believe you at first."
I pushed his shoulder bantering, "Hey, that's not fair. You underestimate me."
"Is that so?"
"Quite." I nodded confidently with a crooked smile on my face.
He smiled again.
"If you're so brilliant, then what can I possibly teach you?" My brow now knit as I wondered about his intentions.
"I obviously have flaws, otherwise I would've hit that boar. You can enlighten me because of your boundless amount of skill. I would be honored if you taught me all you knew about archery and be forever grateful."
Those honeyed words of his certainly worked its charm on me. "Since you put it that way..." I mused, as if I hadn't a care about his complement.
Thomas grinned, knowing he'd gotten to me.
"The first thing you must do is to visualize a line from you to your target." As I spoke to him, I demonstrated. "Then stand with your right foot back about six inches. Knock an arrow in the center of your bowstring and let the front end of the arrow rest on the bow, just above your hand." I got into my shooting stance and notched an arrow in my bow. I continued speaking while I mirrored my instructions.
"Hold the bowstring with your middle three fingers and let the string crease at your last joint. Keep the bow in a V-shape by your index finger and thumb. Lock your arm straight with your elbow slightly out.
"Raise your bow arm while it's locked, and draw the string back until your thumb is against your jawbone and your index finger is almost touching the corner of your mouth." I tore my gaze away from my target and looked at Thomas to make sure he was following what I told him. He was watching me intently.
Satisfied, I looked back and carried on. "Relax your string from your wrist forward, letting the string slide from your fingers." My silver arrow glinted in the sun as it sped to the tree and split my first arrow in two, cleaved in the target. I felt my lips curl into a small smile. "Hold your position until you hear your arrow hit its mark."
Thomas clapped praise and said, "Wow. That was really good!"
"Thank you. Now you try."
Thomas took his arrow and knocked it into place on his bow.
"Remember," I said, "do not over-flex your elbow or else the string will hit your forearm and will give you a bruise."
He nodded and pulled his back bowstring and followed my exact directions. His arrow hit the target, so close to his first arrow that it fell from the tree.
I grinned and clapped for him. "Well done!"
Thomas turned to me, pleased with himself. "I can't believe it! I can actually feel the difference between the way I was shooting and the way you've shown me. It's so much better than before."
Good," I nodded. "Now you've learned something."
With each passing day, his skill grew. And with each advancing night, waltzing held less of a challenge and grace became my second nature. Della jested that if I got any better I would shame the queen's grace.
I rode Leila more often after my schooling and she eventually learned to trust me and we formed a bond. On nice days, Thomas and I would go riding. I liked the time we were able to spend together, because he was never too busy to speak with me and simply take a day off his normal routine and ride. I savored those chances we had for they became few as winter drew nearer.
On one particular November afternoon as the prince and I rode through the castle grounds, we spoke about our pasts and I told him about Mother and the years before and after Father remarried. He listened intently, never interrupting but commenting when I asked a question.
"Tell me," Thomas inquired, "how were you awarded your bow and arrows from the elves?"
"We have shooting matches sometimes and because I won against every creature that opposed me and had proven to be the most skilled out of all of the elves, including my teacher, Reece, my prize was the bow and arrows," I replied. A slight wind picked up and I hugged my cloak to my shoulders.
"How old were you when you won?" Thomas asked.
"I was ten."
"Really? That's amazing! I don't think I learned to hunt until I was twelve or so. At least I was never good at it until then."
"Well, you've defiantly improved since we began training."
There was a brief pause and neither of us spoke. Thomas glanced at me keenly and asked, "Would you like to ride to Adriel?"
I beamed and nodded. "That would be splendid."
"All right let's go then." Thomas kicked his horse into a canter headed for the gates and I raced him there. Thomas called to the porter who opened the iron gates and let us depart.
We rode through the market and the manors and waved to the people who smiled and called a greeting. A few children were chasing each other in a friendly game near the road and they waved at us as we went by. I smiled warmly and waved back.
Behind the marketplace there was a bridge that ran over a clam brook that Thomas told me was called the Avania. Surrounding the brook was a small forest. I watched as leaves drifted into the water. We continued on and then reached an orchard of apples. I saw from there, a grand, aged bastion. The dark, scared walls of the castle were tall and looked forbidding. Overgrown vines scaled the windows and towers.
I gazed at Thomas. "Did you know about this place?"
He shook his head.
We left our horses grazing in the orchard and then ventured out to the castle. The entrance doors were stuck so we couldn't get through. But as we wandered over to the side of the fortress, I saw a small door that was left slightly a jar. I called to Thomas and opened it farther and went inside. Immediately Thomas and I were greeted by an old, damp smell. We were in the great hall.
There were many doors leading out of the hall. One I noticed was directing into the dining hall and on either side of the room, a staircase split in two and ran on both sides of the walls. It led up the second floor.
I climbed the left stair and Thomas took the right. We met on the landing and saw four different doors on the second floor. I took the first one on my left and found that the room must have been used as a bedroom at one time.
The curtains were moth eaten and the covers on the bed were old and had faded. A warped, mahogany wardrobe stood in a corner. As I stepped closer, I saw small designs of creatures engraved on the sides of it. There was a centaur, dragon and a fairy.
The sun attempted to light the room, but with no success. Ivy vines and years' worth of dust blocked the window. I left the room and opened the second.
Inside there was nothing but a table with one chair. In the center wall there was a small fireplace. The ashes had been blown all across the floor. The windows had no ivy but plenty of dust. It was very dim inside.
I closed the door and entered the third. It opened into a narrow staircase that wound upward, into a tower. The prince and I climbed up, seeing that it led to a small room, which turned out to be a mural tower. It was remarkably high and lofty.
We walked through the room and looked out the windows. In the middle of the wall, there was a recess at which a stone bench was placed. Behind it was a wide arched window. I walked to the bench and as I gazed out of it, I saw faraway lands. It was such a wondrous sight! I beckoned Thomas who came to look out after me.
The window let the me view the whole kingdom. The mountains a hundred miles away were clear from this tower, and so were the farms, manors, and pastures. I could even see Thomas's castle and the market in the distance. I was captivated.
"Beautiful," I murmured, my breath forming a momentary fog on the glass.
Thomas, who had been leaning over my shoulder, nodded agreement.
He looked above at the sky and commented. "It looks like it's going to rain. We should get back before it starts. It's almost time for supper besides."
I nodded and we walked outside to get our horses.
Note from me: Ahhh, so they have spent some time getting to know each other and have found a forgotten castle. Do I sense foreshadowing? As always, thank you for your continued support and reviews! I would just like to ask for a few more before my next update! I hope you are enjoying the story! We are getting closer and closer to the curse...
