Internal: Viperpath (volume 1)

(12) Gambits

Even as their fiery sibling was making her way through town in search of a shop to 'lay waste to', Mu and Rashid were contentedly spectating the archery drills on the palace's training grounds under its master-at-arms Narvis's mindful watch.

Whilst observing the rows of aspiring recruits, the princes' gazes and attention gradually fell to a certain youth with olive skin tone and spirited gray-black eyes who looked about Mu's age and height. He was dressed at that time in roughspun sleeveless gambeson, slightly-dirty dirt-brown trousers, and a pair of worn black boots. A quiver of five arrows was securely fitted to his waist, swaying gently with his every step--which exuded confidence.

"Whoa. Looks particularly set on something, that one," Rashid commented in a wondering whisper.

His true brother did not deign to add to that; instead keenly watching as said youth stood fifty paces from his round painted target. Calmly he nocked the bow, the left eye carefully squinting... and let loose.

The arrow struck dead-center, but this was not what elicited the Lion Prince's astounded whistle (as well a rattle of claps in the immediate vicinity); rather, it was the fact that subsequent arrows also hit true, splitting the ones before them about halfway the shafts' length.

The youth proceeded to take another quiver, and this time shot three arrows at once at that many lined targets; all hit home.

Rashid whooped. "Now that's what I call serious skill!"

"No joke." Mu gave a sidelong nod to that. "Narvis!"

Elbar's master-at-arms, who was nearby, dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Sir?"

"Look there." The Lion Prince called the master-of-arms's attention to the particular youth fast being subjected to rounds of polite applause, though quite a few came off as enthusiastic. "His skills with the bow and arrow seem to have amazed my brother. How long has that prodigy been on your tutelage?"

"Oh, that one, sir? Three years, as of today next month... still, Prince Mustafa, that begs the question: are you, in turn, not overawed by his feat?"

"That, a feat?" Mu chuckled. "Hardly. That's exactly the level of skill that I hope you might come to impart to these aspiring disciples, one of these days."

"Ah, fine point, sir. I share that same vision and hope not to disappoint."

"I trust you shan't."

"So he's, like, your model student?" the younger prince prompted.

"Top three of his class, Prince Rashid. This one's third, last I checked."

"Wow! If that's how marvelous a mere third-ranker can get, just imagine what wonders the first might do..."

"They've yet to blindfold him, if that's what you expected," Mu offered, placing his index finger thoughtfully on his own chin. "That said, do you think we could talk to him sometime today, Narv? In ways that would not evoke undue attention?"

"I see no real problems there, Prince Mustafa."

Inevitably, the day's training session came to an end. Even as the trainees began to attend to their respective responsibilities, the princes lingered on due to keen curiosity. Narvis, meanwhile, lost little time in summoning his 'model student'.