The Heir and her Guard

Chapter 20

A few days passed, and Max was training outside, it was 1 pm so she must've been out for almost 3 hours now. All the guards had to make sure they were prepared in case of an attack by Princess Rose, which was still quite a large threat.

She shot the last arrow before going to the target and taking all of them out, putting them back in her quiver before slouching on the ground under the big tree she had sat under many weeks before.

She took the quiver off her shoulder and set it on the ground, wishing she hadn't forgotten to bring water out with her. Too exhausted to head back inside, she rested her head against the thick trunk, looking up at the blazing sun above. Despite it being the middle of December, it seemed to be a hot day today, which was most unfortunate for those outside.

A few minutes later, she heard a familiar voice. It was Jane. She looked down and saw the young girl walking towards her.

"Hey." Max smiled.
"Hello, I've brought you water. You've been out here for ages." Jane replied, a smile on her lips as she sat down beside her.
"Thank you." The guard said as Jane handed her the cold bottle.

She opened it and took a few sips before lifting Jane onto her lap, her free arm around her waist as she continued drinking.

Jane looked at her as she put the bottle down on the dry grass, noticing how warm she looked. She placed a gentle hand on her face and it seemed she was right. "You're burning up love. Here, let me take this off."

Max smiled at the name, and allowed Jane to take her tunic off. She slid it off her shoulders and onto the floor as the guard just watched her. She reached for her top button and instinct made Max grab onto her wrist to stop her. It wasn't harsh, nor painful, but it was instant, so Jane looked into her eyes, confused with why she did that.

"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing- I... I'll be fine with all the buttons on." Max replied, letting go of her wrist and instead moving her hand to the ground.
Jane didn't respond and looked at her for a few more seconds before nodding, taking her hands off the shirt.

Max sighed as Jane rested her head on her chest, turned around so now her back was to her front. There was a reason she stopped Jane, something that brought back memories of her childhood. She was just thankful the Queen had taken her in when she did.

She will tell Jane soon, she deserved to know and she didn't want it to hold her back any longer. She wanted to be as confident with that part of her body as she was with the rest.

"Hey, Max?" Jane asked, breaking the peaceful silence.
"Hmm?"
"Can you teach me how to use a bow and arrow?"
"I thought you already knew." Max replied.
"I only know the basics. I'm awful at aiming."
"Don't say that." The guard smiled.
"It's true. I can barely hit the target let alone the bullseye. Could you teach me how to?"
"I'd love to." She replied, kissing the top of Jane's head as she sat up.

———

Will was at Hawkins, he had decided to go with Jane's suggestions, and so far it seemed to be going well. He decided to take a carriage there, rather than by arriving by horse which would've taken a couple more hours.

Michael was overjoyed to show him around, and they had just finished touring the palace. It was a gorgeous building, it was slightly smaller than the one he lived in, but he loved the architecture and the designs around. The gardens outside were beautiful, with fairy lights illuminating the dark shadows during the evening.

Mike's room was dark, with shades of grey and blue common throughout. The bed was neat and the desk had a few notebooks left open, there seemed to be words written on some. Perhaps song lyrics or poems, Will didn't want to violate his privacy.

Next they visited the town, which was very lively. Kids ran around, going to arcades and stores nearby. Many adults were around, most seemed polite while the others just ignored them. They didn't mind though, they were just here to look around.

Will asked to visit a landmark, and so Mike took him to one of the nearby hills. It wasn't super tall, but would definitely take effort to reach the top. He saw a few precautionary signs and fencing, but luckily there was a lift hill, which he would prefer.

Mike noticed Will's preference to the lift hill, so he brought him towards it and they got on the next one together. Two benches were on either side, it was large enough to hold around 6 people and slowly it began it's ascent upwards.

The prince of this town looked to Will, who was looking at the view below. It would certainly make a good painting in the future. He gently tapped his shoulder, and Will looked at him.

"How are you liking it so far?" He asked.
"It's amazing here. I love the views." Will smiled, excited to visit a new place. "What's at the top?"
"A few cabins and a small cafe. I've been up here a decent amount of times, I think you'll enjoy it."

He stood up and sat next to Will rather than in front of him. Will looked at him once more and blushed ever so slightly at how close they were. The cart jolted suddenly, and Mike put his arm around Will to stabilise him, which just increased the blush. Luckily he didn't seem to notice, and Will decided to look back outside, not moving away from Mike.

———

Max took a handful of arrows from the quiver and gave Jane her bow. "Okay, first of all I want to see how you fire an arrow alone." She said. Jane nodded and pulled the string back as the arrow wobbled a bit, she squinted and tried to line it up with the bullseye. Once she thought she was close enough, she let go of the string and the arrow went flying forward, just missing the target by a few inches.

The guard chuckled and Jane frowned while looking at her. "Don't laugh!" She exclaimed, disappointed with her attempt.
"I'm not, I'm not." She said, a smile still remaining on her face. "It wasn't bad, your stance is just a bit wrong."
"Alright, how do I fix it?" Jane asked.

"Well, first take a small step left." Max said, putting her hands on her waist and positioning her properly. "Then, take your arrow and raise your bow." Jane followed the steps as she spoke. "There's no need to rush, we're only practicing after all. Keep it steady and make sure to calm your breathing before shooting."

She leaned closer so she could see where the arrow was going to go, "Lower your arms ever so slightly." She said quietly, moving her hands to her arms. "Once you're certain you're going to hit it, shoot."

Jane hesitated for a second while she aimed, but a moment later she let go and the arrow went straight towards the target. She missed the bullseye by a few centimetres, but it was miles better for just her second try.

"That was good!" Max praised, "I think the only problem is that you're tensing your body too much. It's making you lose focus. Relax and control your breathing. Your stance is perfect."
The princess took a deep breath, exhaling through her nose. She lined it up once more and shot. The arrow went forward once again and... hit the bullseye!

She cheered at her achievement, celebrating by jumping around, her arms in the air. Max smiled, just admiring her.