Ymiden 18th,706
Her hand quivered as she gripped the bow nervously. She could feel her heart rate speeding as she tried to aim at the target. "Calm down," a voice gently lectured the small half-breed. Her father was not much for ranged weaponry. But ultimately, it was an important if not vital skill to learn when all things are taken into account. While mastery of a sword could take one far, it had to be supplemented with other skills, or else you'd eventually just get countered.
The half-breed really didn't want to learn how to use a bow of all things though. She felt throwing daggers would be easier because at least she was familiar with those. But her father had lectured her on that idea. As useful as it might be, learning how to effectively use a bow was one of the most useful skills that could go with knowledge of a blade, besides understanding the uses of a shield. Of course, shields weren't really in the family combat style, her father was almost more clueless than she was when it came to using the things. So the second best choice was learning how to use a bow.
Which led her to the current situation. Considering her father couldn't teach her, someone had to. So the older avriel had pulled a favor or two and had convinced two of the guards who lived at the manor to teach the half-breed how to hold and use a bow. Which was easier said than done. There were two different lessons hidden behind the obvious one of learning how to use a bow. Dealing with racism and being able to not take offense.
And currently, the half-breed was failing in all regards. The older of the two men sighed, his expression sour at best. His presence was irritated so to speak. The young half-breed could practically feel the wrath quietly seeping off of him. Her hands were shaking, the judgment thick on her back as she felt one pair of eyes practically burning into her being with their disapproval. She could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
The second teacher was a different story entirely. He more or less just seemed sad. His expression was sorrowful and pitying, though not necessarily sympathetic. She could feel the slightest hint of agitation at that, but it was far outweighed by the anxiety that her more vicious teacher was causing her. The pair on conjunction made it entirely impossible to focus on the task she was actually trying to achieve.
"She needs more than to calm down, the little shit needs to aim," the more vicious teacher hissed through his teeth, his voice dropped to a lower volume. She wasn't exactly sure why he'd dropped his volume when it was obvious it was intentional that she heard the statement. His companion gave him a sharp look, but the sad teacher wasn't going to stand up for her. Who would? She was a half-avriel. Nobody liked her. And unless she shaped up and managed to shoot the target they would give up on her and assume her useless, just like everybody else.
She needed to hit the target. But she couldn't even so much as get near it. She really did need to stay calm. Calm. The word almost felt foreign to her mind at the moment no matter how desperately she wished for it. If she couldn't actually make herself be calm with the presence of the two men looming behind her, maybe she could try something else. Closing her eye for a moment she took a deep breath, pushing away the words of the two men and trying to ignore their presence entirely. They didn't exist. They weren't here anymore. It was just and a target.
It seemed easy enough on paper to ignore someone, completely block them out like they didn't exist, but it was a lot harder in practice when said people were right next to her ear, their existence so close to her own personal bubble she could practically feel them. So very close to her and yet never touching her, their voices so near they almost rang in her ears.
No, don't pay attention. Focus. She needed to keep her calm and just focus on the target. She didn't even need to hit the center of the target. There would be very few instances in her life where she'd need that kind of exact precision. Hopefully. Honestly though, right now considering how she'd just started learning, her biggest focus was just hitting the target, not being able to perfectly hit the target. That would come later if this actually went well.
She hadn't fully realized it, but the more she focused on the target where she wanted to hit the less she noticed the two standing behind her, their existence didn't feel as looming or as heavy anymore. The only thing that actually mattered to her was the target. Shifting slightly, she tried to do her best to aim. It was still a hassle trying to get her body to move as little as possible while she tried to properly line up her shot.
One sentence from one of the men actually cut through her focus, causing her to jolt slightly. "Keep in mind that your breathing and your heartbeat might cause the bow to shift slightly. It might not be entirely the most noticeable thing in the world, but it can most certainly put you at a disadvantage in the middle of a fight if you don't keep it in might. The slightest shift can cause an arrow the difference between hitting and missing its target," the sadder of the two men said. Mr. Frustrated seemed to have completely lost interest as he'd fallen silent, just quietly watching the target with a bored expression, waiting for the arrow to inevitably whiz past it just like all the others before it had. The half-breed didn't intend for the same thing to happen again.
Continuing to adjust her aim ever so slightly she watched the target with a cross expression. She hated this target. She had honestly come to truly hate this target, which only gave her more determination to try and hit the damned thing. She didn't need to hit the center of the target. She just wanted to hit the target. But that simple want was something she craved with every fiber of her being. It was almost as if the target, which over the last two or three breaks hadn't been hit once, was laughing at her.
Without warning an image of Ivan flashed across her vision, the man replacing the target for just a moment. That made her want to hit it all the more. Loosing the arrow she let the thing fly. Zipping through the air in a remarkably straight line it slammed into the target. It was only in the outer ring, barely the width of a fledgling feather away from not having hit the target at all. But it hit.
There was silence behind her for a long moment as the two adults seemed to have trouble adjusting or even recognizing that fact that the arrow had actually hit. Was it that big of a shock? Was it really? There was almost a hint of annoyance lingering in the back of her mind at just how shocked the pair seemed to be when she turned around. But there was also a kind of satisfaction that level of shock brought with it. They didn't believe she could do it, and now here it was, the actual proof.
She could do this!
"I'd say that was some pretty good shooting for someone who hasn't even been taught proper form. Terrible in the long run. But fairly good considering these two idiots were teaching you," an older voice cut in and the two men who had been teaching her both gave very different expression. The sad one looked confused while the irritated one wore an expression of pure fear.
An older man strode up to the two. "If this is really how the pair of you teach then I'd say the both of you could use with some more time learning yourselves," there was a hint of aggression directed at the two. Eyes that shifted somewhere between orange, amber, and red bore into the duo. The dipped their heads sheepishly, too fearful to make eye contact.
The older man looked like a sailor and a fighter, his pointed ears ever so slightly coming out of a mess brown mop of hair. She wasn't like anyone the half-breed had ever seen before. All she'd ever really met were humans and a Sev'ryn here or there. And even then, those rare few looked like they were humans baring their familiar. This unfamiliar new creation brought with him new curiosities.
"That, little lady, is, unfortunately, a terribly improper stance for shooting a bow," she could feel herself deflating at everyone one of his words. The pride and confidence that had been there trills before shattered as though it was delicate glass. "However, I do have to say, you need to possess some amount of talent to still be able to pull off the shot. All things considered, even if you don't have a good technique, it looks like you've puzzled out some kind of understanding. Even if you did pepper the ground with arrows before you got to that epiphany," the man chuckled lightly as he glanced over the plethora of arrows decorating the ground around her and the scenery next to the target.
The most curious thing about this man was how he looked at her. That familiar malicious glare wasn't present in his gaze, and it honestly set her a bit more at ease. His expression was even and calm, a true contrast of the two guards who had been teaching her prior. "I'll tell you what. I'm a traveler of a sorts and I'm only going to be here a couple of trials while I speak with the old man who owns this place. That being said I'll have a lot of free time on my hands while I wait, at least knowing him I will. Since I need to find some way to spend it, I'll teach you how to shoot a bow properly. I'm not sure how much I'll actually be able to teach you in a couple trials, but it'll at least be a basic enough understanding that you can expand on by yourself later. The general technique, something you can discover your own personal flair with when you have the time to practice," he explained.
The half-breed was cautious, her eyes narrowing for a moment. "And what do you get out of it?" She asked.
"A smart one aren't you! For the most part, I suppose I'll get entertainment. I'm stuck here for Immortals know how long and it's always a hoot watching newbies to the art trying to puzzle out how to use a bow. But more than that, I just want to make sure that true archery stays alive. Eventually, people won't use bows anymore. They'll all have crossbows or whatever comes after crossbows. Is it too much for an old man to want to keep his own techniques alive?" He said. There was something somber in his expression.
"So you're also looking for an heir to your own personal techniques?" She asked, trying to make sure that she'd gotten the implication correct.
"So to speak," he replied with a small nod, the faintest hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "I won't have the time to teach you much. But hopefully, you'll remember what you can," he said.
The half-breed stayed quiet for a moment. She could see the honesty in his gaze. And honestly, if he was right about how off her stance had been then it was worth taking up his offer. If only to learn from someone who was a fraction kinder instead of these two dolts who'd spent the entire time judging her. "Alright. It's a deal."
