The Fox Princess And Her White Dog

3: The Silver Prince and the Tigress

"Go, Erden!" Snow cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted as loudly as she could.

Erden took his position at the starting point, with his bow slung over one shoulder and his arrows at his hip. Snow gnawed on her knuckle. She knew Erden had been training in secret for this event, but she still felt anxious for him.

I know you said this was one of your pet events when you were younger, but that was eleven years ago, Snow thought. After all those wasted years at the Palace, can he still do it?

"Chu!" she heard him shout and his horse broke into a gallop. Erden and his horse came flying down the grass. The sound of his horse's hooves thundering across the track matched the rapid beating of her heart.

Snow told herself that she should be concentrating on Erden, but she could not help being distracted by his horse's shiny mane bouncing in the wind. In fact, both the rider's and the horse's manes look so glossy in the wind, she thought with envy.

As he got closer to the first target, Snow gasped again in amazement: He's not even holding the reins!

With one swift motion, he unslung his bow from his shoulder and pulled an arrow from his quiver at his hip. In a blink of an eye, he nocked the arrow, turned towards the target, drew it back fully and released.

Swoosh! The arrow struck right in the center of the first target.

Without pause, his horse still galloping at full speed, Erden nocked another arrow, aimed at the second target and released.

The crowd cheered. Another bull's-eye!

All the while, he looked like he was floating in his saddle. His confident face was a picture of calm, while his eyes blazed with a cool fire.

Twock! Third bull's-eye!

Come on, Erden, you can do it! Just one more! Snow thought, clasping her hands in front of her mouth.

As he neared the fourth target, he nocked another arrow and drew it back. This time, he paused for a split second, before letting it fly.

Twang! The arrow struck just within the yellow circle in the middle of the target.

"Yes! Erden!" Snow shouted and pumped her fists in the air, as he rode past with his arms wide open to the crowd's delight. She turned to Oktai to find him shaking his head.

"Not good enough. The last one was not dead center."

"Huh? How can that be not good enough?" Snow asked in disbelief. "How can anybody do better than that?"

"Oh, you'll see. Pity though, I was hoping he'd win."

He's such a wet blanket, Snow thought crossly.

"Who's next?"

"The main reason I don't compete."

Shouts arose from the crowd nearest to the first target.

A graceful figure in a maroon deel and riding an auburn horse trotted into view. The moment Snow saw the rider's long flowing hair, strong brow and hawk-like gaze, she thought: Oh, Heavens.

It's Sechen!

If Snow ever wondered what a female version of Erden was like, she just had to look down the field. Erden looked so similar to his older sister that they could easily be mistaken for twins. Between the two though, Snow felt that Sechen was a thousand times more intimidating with her supremely self-assured manner, and light-colored eyes that could bore a hole in someone's head.