26. Adventures in Archery
Keeta was grateful she had a shift with the dragon egg the next morning. And when the following shift began, she offered to take it as well. After lunch, she made Lightning fly her to the dragonhold and hid in her room again. She was painfully embarrassed by her behavior toward Nefin and dreaded meeting him again.
The Ceremony dragged on and on. Every two weeks, they held another Camp for the youth who had already had their turn with the egg so that group could return home. It worked out almost perfectly that each of the twelve dwarf clans with youth present at the Ceremony—for Dûrgrimst Az Sweldn rak Anhûin, the clan nearly wiped out by dragons, never sent youth representatives to the Dragon Rider Choosing Ceremonies—would finish their turn with the egg within that time frame. Then the Camp would be exclusively for their clan and they would go home. The dwarven Riders decided to give Dûrgrimst Ingeitum the last place in line, since Tronjheim was their home and the youth could stay with their families and continue their regular studies and duties while the Ceremony continued.
The young Dragon Riders also soon resumed their usual academics and training in between the Camps, so they wouldn't lose so much time while staying on until the dragon egg hatched. The library was an incredible resource, and they often engaged in their fighting lessons while large groups of dwarven youth looked on.
-:-:-
On the training grounds some weeks after her first lesson, Keeta once again encountered Nefin. He cautiously approached her, greeting, "Hi, Keeta."
Keeta looked up at him and smiled. "Hi, Nefin. The dwarves were watching you worshipfully during your shooting practice. Were you showing off?"
"Maybe," he said, his pale blue eyes dancing in amusement. "But not for them."
"Oh?" Keeta said. "Surely you don't mean to imply it was for me?"
"What if it was?"
"Well, I wasn't paying any attention," Keeta joked with a teasing laugh. "So you can just forget about me being impressed."
Nefin laughed too. "I'll just have to try harder next time. Do something you won't be able to resist watching."
"Don't overexert yourself, Nefin," Keeta muttered. "All you have to do to catch my eye is walk by." Though she said it under her breath, she knew Nefin still heard when he laughed, and she blushed.
"Can we continue your lessons, Keeta? You're a really good student."
"I suppose," Keeta said. "I'll try not to start blubbering this time."
"Well, I won't be rude and say something insensitive, so there won't be any reason too," Nefin promised.
Keeta rolled her eyes and shook her head but refrained from saying anything more.
So their lessons carried on. Nefin taught her what he referred to as the basics of archery in ten steps. He continued correcting her stance through all of the following steps, but the adjustments came less frequently as Keeta began to memorize the proper position her body should assume. They focused next on nocking the arrow and then on the proper set, which involved how she held the grip in her left hand and hooked her fingers around the bowstring in her right. Fourth came the correct setup, which Keeta learned meant how to raise and align the bow arm and position her shoulders, chest, and upper body with her draw arm back.
They met together every day, working around Keeta's shifts and the Youth Camps. Nefin very patiently explained and corrected throughout every lesson. He next showed her how to draw and load, anchor, transfer and hold, aim and expand, release, and follow through. What began as confusing, complicated processes became more and more natural as Keeta practiced.
Nefin often knelt behind her, holding his long arms around her to help Keeta with various aspects of the proper form and positioning. After nearly six weeks of their regular sessions, when Nefin was helping her with the difficult concept of transferring the effort of her draw from her arms and shoulders to her back, Keeta felt his face moving closer and closer to the back of her head until it felt like his nose was pressed into her hair.
Keeta had gotten better at controlling her unexpected and infuriating reactions to him. Her heart no longer pounded so loudly, nor did she often hold her breath anymore. Keeta knew Nefin could hear such things perfectly well with his keen elven ears. But this time, she couldn't help it. Her heart started hammering, and she attempted to diffuse the tension she felt by saying, "Did I forget to wash behind my ears or something and you just now noticed?"
Nefin laughed softly, and his breath tickled her neck. She shivered. "Always teasing, Keeta," he said with what sounded like affection in his voice. "No dirt behind your ears. You just have pretty hair. And it smells good."
Keeta raised her eyebrows. Was he complimenting her? That sounded like something Will would say to Lena. But Nefin couldn't possibly be coming to fancy her, could he? After all, she was simply too short for him, something she was painfully aware of every time he knelt down to reach her.
She playfully said, "I'll remember not to wash it before our next lesson so you can stay focused on your tutoring responsibilities."
"That might be a good idea." Keeta felt him move away then heard him mutter, "Now I'm thinking about you washing it." A little louder he said, "Shall we call it a day? You're doing amazingly, Keeta. I'm really proud of you."
Keeta continued facing away, trying desperately to rein in her careening emotions before speaking or looking at him. She decided not to read into anything he just said. Her clean smelling hair must have addled his brains.
"Thanks, Nefin," she finally answered. "You're a great teacher and the best archer I've ever seen. I'm lucky I get to learn from you."
"Want to try and draw my bow?" he offered.
Keeta decided she'd had enough time to get her emotions under control, so she turned to look at him with a cheerful smile on her face. "That's all right, Nefin. It's too tall for me. Like you, I guess."
"Do you really think that?"
"That your bow is too tall?" Keeta questioned, trying once again to keep her heart from beating out of her chest. "Yep, I sure do. It's as tall as me."
"That's not what I meant," Nefin quietly clarified. "Do you think I'm too tall for you?"
"Well, do you?" Keeta returned, unwilling to answer. She wished desperately that Nefin wouldn't act like her height was such a concern to him. If he was ever willing to overlook it, she would in a heartbeat.
"I don't know," Nefin said, a crease appearing on his forehead as his eyebrows knit together. "It doesn't seem like it should matter. Does it?"
"I guess it depends," Keeta vaguely said.
"On what?" Nefin pressed.
"On what the people in question think."
"Well, that's why I asked. Do you think I'm too tall for you?"
Keeta sighed. How could she say this without coming right out and telling him she liked him? "I guess I have always felt like you thought I was too short for you, Nefin. But it doesn't matter to me. If you could overlook our height difference, then . . ." She trailed off sadly, staring at the ground.
"Then what?" Nefin softly asked, lifting her chin with one hand so he could see her face.
"I'm really embarrassed to say this, Nefin," Keeta relented as a blush crept onto her cheeks, "but you seem to want to hear it. I would be thrilled. And if you didn't already know that, you're a fool. I've had a crush on you for years. And it only seemed to bother you whenever you suspected such a thing, so I just assumed it was because I'm a dwarf and so short. Or in some other way unworthy of what an amazing person you are." She tried to look back down when her eyes started stinging with tears, but he continued to hold her chin in his hand.
"I have thought you were too short," Nefin ashamedly confessed. "But it was foolish, as you said. I think I'm starting to change my mind, Keeta. Would it be presumptuous to ask you to be patient with me while I sort out what I feel?"
Keeta only shook her head.
"Thank you. Would you like to continue tomorrow?"
"We have another Camp," Keeta reminded him. "Then it will finally be Ingeitum's turn. I can't believe how long the Ceremony has lasted."
"But we've had plenty to do to fill our time," Nefin said, standing and lifting her bow and arrows.
"Yes. I'm glad we resumed our studies and training." They began walking back to the armory. "Have you done anymore tracking?"
"Here and there," Nefin replied. "After the first dozen or so times, the novelty wore off and it wasn't as challenging."
Keeta didn't respond. She thought Nefin was amazing at everything he did and to say so might border too closely on infatuation for his tastes. When there was a chance he might be starting to return her feelings, she didn't want to do anything ridiculous that might make him change his mind.
She then broke the lengthening silence with, "How was your birthday last week? Does being eighteen feel any different?"
"Not really," Nefin said. "But my dream with Angela was like Brin's. She said, 'Be ready, Nefin. The time is near at hand.' And that was all."
Keeta clasped her hands to keep herself from wringing them. "That's also how Zadí's was a few months ago. It's getting closer. I'm so worried about the nine. Who won't be there? One of us ten must be in grave danger!"
They reached the armory. Nefin returned Keeta's practice bow and arrows to their place and knelt down in front of her. "Shh, Keeta," he soothed, circling his arms around her. "Everyone will be fine. We've all been prepared. And we're all ready. There's no reason to fear when we're prepared."
"But one . . ." Keeta insisted. "What if someone dies, Nefin? All of you others are my best friends. I don't think I could bear it. But it feels like there's nothing I can do to change it! Angela told me to plan for nine!"
Nefin said nothing, only pulled her closer and began softly stroking her hair. Keeta tentatively wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his strong chest. This time she could appreciate that the boy she loved was hugging her, and it felt so amazing.
At length Nefin quietly said, "We'll look out for each other, Keeta. Between the ten of us, I don't think there's anything we can't overcome."
Keeta nodded.
"Can we try to be more cheerful again?" Nefin gently asked. "I hate seeing you sad."
Keeta bravely squared her shoulders and stood straight. The top of her head came up to just under his chin when he was on his knees. "Yes, let's me be more cheerful," she assented. Nefin stood, keeping one hand on her shoulder for a moment.
As they started walking back toward the inner part of the city, Nefin asked, "Are you excited to go back to Ellesméra in a few months? We finally get to have our weapons forged, now that most of us have probably finished growing."
"It will be neat. I'm still trying to picture what an axe with Lightning's coloring and pattern will look like. Will you have a sword forged?"
"I'm perfectly happy with my current Rider's sword. If Rhunön can fashion me a bow and arrows, somehow making them indestructible like the blades, I think I would prefer that. How do you think some silver and lavender arrows would look? Manly?"
"Oh yes," Keeta grandly agreed. "Very masculine, indeed. Arget wouldn't be offended to hear us joke about it, would he?" Arget was Nefin's male dragon, and his name meant silver in the ancient language, though Arget's coloring also consisted of lavender speckles.
"Of course not," Nefin assured, laughing. "He knows what a striking dragon he is."
"Like his Rider," Keeta muttered. Then she blushed, of course. "Sorry, Nefin. You would think that after all these years I would remember you can hear like a bat. Forget I said that."
"You think I'm striking?"
"Please!" Keeta cried. "Don't play dumb with me, Nefin!"
"No, really."
"I'm not giving you the satisfaction of hearing me say it, if that's what you're after, Nefin-elda," Keeta touchily replied.
Nefin chuckled. "Using honorifics now, are we? How would you feel if I told you I think you're beautiful? Keeta Svit-kona." He teasingly smiled down at her.
"Pfff," Keeta scoffed. "Svit-kona. I'm not a woman of great wisdom. And if you're not just teasing me, Nefin, then it would make my day. And the rest of my week. Actually, the rest of my year."
Nefin laughed again. "Not saying much, considering there are only a few weeks left in this year."
"That's still a few weeks," Keeta pointed out. "Fine, Nefin. If you must know, you're impossibly handsome. It's unfair, really, that one boy can be so devastatingly beautiful. You have enough good looks that if you spread them out between about ten males, they would all still be well above average."
Nefin laughed skeptically. "Ha ha, Keeta. Good one."
Keeta looked up and rolled her eyes. "Makes no difference if you don't believe me. Doesn't change the truth."
He reached down and playfully mussed her hair. "I'm glad you're my friend, Keeta. It's fun spending time with you. You have a really good sense of humor."
Keeta lowered her eyes. "Thanks, Nefin," she uncertainly said, her heart pounding again. "I feel the same."
A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying how I'm taking time at each of these Ceremonies to develop my ten heroes. It was fun to spend some time with Nefin and Keeta. Up until now, I always wondered what Keeta saw in him. But he demonstrates it here clearly enough.
At the end of an earlier chapter I asked if anyone had name ideas for the dragons. One faithful reader, fredo747, suggested I use the ancient or Dwarvish languages as inspiration, so I did. Nefin's dragon was the second dragon I named with this theme, though you won't meet the first for a couple more chapters. Thanks for the inspiration, my friend!
And on a slightly related note: the use of the ancient language was never a mesmerizing experience for me. It's admirable that Paolini went to the trouble of creating a different language, but it never amazed me in any other way. As is clear in my story, all of the different languages appear to my readers as English. But names, with a quick definition, seem an appropriate exception to that general opinion.
I don't have a clue about archery, but in order to be somewhat believable and intelligent-sounding on the subject, I found this website extremely helpful: www . learn-archery . com. For those of you who might happen to have personal experience with the sport, I hope I did a passable job of representing it for my purposes. I always envision Nefin like Orlando Bloom's portrayal of Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies, at least shooting-wise (he obviously looks different).