A/N: Hey guys, this is my first story on this site, so I'm just experimenting right now! The opening verse of poetry and the title is taken from Debbie Guzzi's poem- 'The Bow Maiden's Travail'. Here is a link to where I found the poem: poem/the_bow_maids_travail_the_archery_lesson_136522.
Apologies for the shortness of this chapter, longer ones are to come! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated but no flames, please!
Chapter 1: The Bow Maiden's Travail
'The maiden rubbed her forearm,
And looked back with a glare.
Nocked another arrow's shaft,
And hit the bullseye square.'
Thud.
Susan breathed out as she released another arrow, the sharp point whistling through the air and landing with an audible thump in the red centre of the target. It's feathers quivered briefly in place, blending in amongst the multiple arrows in the inner circle of the target board.
"Jolly good shot," said a voice next to her. "Wish I could get a bullseye every time I fired an arrow."
Susan spun round to see a boy of about her age, standing next to her line of the local shooting range, watching her practise with intent curiosity. He had a bow of his own, but when Susan glanced towards his target, she saw that the majority of the arrows were landing around the blue and black outer rims.
"Um, hi?" Susan asked, shifting her bow down her arm self-consciously. "Can… can I help you?"
The boy chuckled nervously. "Well, as a matter of fact, you could. I was wondering if you had any tips?"
At first, Susan was rather taken aback by the question. The last time she had coached someone in archery, Caspian's dark hair had shone in the sun and his laugh had been contagious. She remembered his dangerously misfired arrow had pinned Trufflehunter's new corduroy hat to the apple tree under which he was reading, missing the badger's head in a very close shave. Her heart gave a small twinge. It was funny, she often got those whenever she thought of Narnia, this little pain in her heart then seemed to never go away, no matter how much she tried to ignore it. Perhaps it was a part of her, a happy memory tinged with perpetual regret.
When they had crossed back through to their world, Susan had done her best to continue with life. She had even joined the archery club at St. Helen's, mildly curious as to whether her skills in Narnia had transferred worlds with her, back to Earth. As she stared at the fifteen arrows smack bang right in the centre of her target, she came to the heavily evidenced conclusion that yes, she still had her aim.
She observed the boy in front of her. His hair was slicked back, gelled and blonde, his eyes a clear green. His skin was light, and his hands were shaking as he lifted his bow up in order to demonstrate his technique to Susan. He was good looking, she thought, surprising herself. She shook her head out of her reverie, snapping back into action.
"Uh, of course." Susan replied, setting down her bow hastily as she examined the boy's position. "Straighten your back a little bit."
He did so, lowering his shoulders as she pushed them down gently.
"Right… right, now," Susan said, stepping back. "Try releasing, but keep your elbow locked and your release arm relaxed."
The boy let go of the arrow, and it sailed through the air, landing on the second-to-middle yellow layer of the target. Instantaneous improvement.
"Crikey," said the boy, blinking as if he couldn't quite believe it. "You're, uh, really quite good."
Susan smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks, but it was mainly you."
The boy just shook his head and laughed apprehensively. And as he fired arrow after arrow, Susan couldn't help but notice how he was almost the near complete opposite of Caspian, not only in looks, but in mannerisms, and the way Caspian's aim was steady, true and nearly as remarkable as her own, whereas this boy's was shaky and unreliable. To the way Caspian's fingers were slender and swift as he released the bow, but this boy's were short, stout and quaking. And even the way where this boy's nervousness was somewhat disorienting compared to Caspian's integral confidence made her simply miss the latter even more.
"Well, what did you think?" the boy asked suddenly, turning towards her as he bit his lip.
"Oh, yes. Good." Susan said, peering at the target once more. "Just try to aim a bit higher."
The boy smiled tentatively. "Alright. My name's, uh, Cameron by the way."
"Well, Cameron, nice to meet you. I'm Susan."
They sunk into a slightly awkward rhythm of Susan watching Cameron miss red after red. It was painful, especially since Caspian had been a near-perfect student.
After the eleventh missed yellow circle, Susan touched him lightly on the shoulder.
"I said aim a little higher." she sighed, feeling her patience slowly drifting away from her as she lifted his bow up so it was level with his eyeline.
"Sorry," said Cameron stuttered, before grinning shyly. "Not all of us can be perfect every time, Miss Susan."
Susan froze as the words registered in her mind, nostalgia washing through her mind. Those words, those two sentences… Cameron had unconsciously reminded her of an exact conversation she had with him.
'How many times do I have to tell you,' Susan had laughed, turning towards the Prince as they stood practising in the meadows by the Great Woods, preparing for the battle to come. 'Raise your bow, Prince Caspian.'
'Well, I am sorry,' he had replied snarkily back, earning a laugh from the girl, 'Not all of us can achieve your perfection, my Queen.'
Susan sighed as the sadness permeated her thoughts. She wished with her whole heart that she could have stayed with Caspian in Narnia. No happy memory of the place was complete without a bitter tint of what could have been. What could they have become, together, her and Caspian? Did he remember her still? Love her still? She could still recall the exact shade of his umber eyes flecked with mahogany, the way his smirk curled around his face, the way his smile could be gentle or teasing. She had memorised his features, gotten to know him so well in the three days she had met him. She… she missed him. So badly. More than she thought she would. Her eyes started to heat up.
Cameron stared at her worriedly. "Did… did I do something?" he asked.
Susan looked at him blankly, barely acknowledging his question. "What? No… no, I'm sorry. I have to go."
She whirled around, snatching up her bow and pulling her sleeve down her arm to wipe away the hot tears that had started to trickle down her face.
"Wait-" Cameron's voice faded behind her as she fled from the archery range.