4: Darken War

14: Alexandria

after dinner, I went out to the training grounds alone. i summoned my bow, as always it appeared in my hand with a quiver full of arrows. i placed the quiver on my back and stood facing a nearby archery target. 

it had been made of wood and straw, strong enough to take many arrows.

i pulled an arrow, knocked it, and pulled back. i aimed as i pulled the string to the corner of my mouth and released, center hit. no matter how many arrows i shot, the quiver was always full. i shot a few more times, always splitting the arrow before it. 

"that's the one thing i have never been able to beat you at." James's voice scared me, the next shot hit slightly off of the center, still a good hit.

"damn it James." i glared back at my husband. "i had a good streak going."

he shrugged. "what are husbands for if not for messing up their wives?" he smirked. "in more ways then one."

i blushed a bit. "rude." 

"remember when you promised to teach me?" he asked and i nodded. "i would like to be able to use more than one weapon in the battle to come."

i walked over to the weapons stores and grabbed another long bow and arrows, coming back out and handing them to James. "its not about hitting the center, its about hitting the target. even if you hit an enemy in just the arm or leg, it will still slow them down."

i placed the quiver on his back. "unlike mine, your quiver only holds a set amount of arrows, so when in battle, always count them, or you could end up without arrows. it can be easy to lose track when in battle."

he held to bow in the wrong hand. 

"dear. look." i held my own bow in my left hand. "you are left handed, you need to mirror what i do. some teachers will tell you that it can only be done in the right handed style, that will throw off your aim."

i pulled an arrow from my quiver. "your arrows are training arrows, they have paint on them. you want to knock your arrow on the side of the bow that your arm is on. the painted feather facing your arm."

he stood facing the target in a sloppy stance. i placed by bow on my back and walked over to him. i straightened his body and turned it side to the target. "you will always want to stand side to your target for the best draw on your arrow. the longer the draw, the harder it will hit."

"spread your legs to shoulder length." i said, as i demonstrated without a bow in my hand. he did as i said. "good, now knock an arrow."

he did so, a little clumsily but at least he didn't drop it like i have seen some do. he knocked his arrow as i said to. "good, when you pull back you will want to pull with your bow arm straight, and your pulling arm as if you want to elbow someone in the face, stopping at the corner of your mouth."

he did so, holding the arrow steady, i could see him looking at the head of the arrow. "release it leaving your hand by your mouth." 

he did so and let go, the arrow missing the target completely. "i thought i had it lined up." he said.

"that happened because you were looking at the arrow." i told him, "now look at the target instead, as if you are throwing a ball."

he did as i said, knocking an arrow, pulling the string back. "take a breath." i told him, "release it with the breath. and remember, look at the target, not the arrow."

he did so, he landed just outside my grouping in the center. he looked at me with a smile. "your a surprisingly good teacher."

"don't be rude." i said. "because i am about to make you shoot so much your hand goes raw."

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we had shot until the sun went down. i started to shoot with him and without noticing we had amassed a crowd of onlookers, some from each army. 

James went and put his bow away. "you were not kidding." he shook his hand, it was red and blistering. "you did work me that hard."

"i did." i smiled at him as we then walked back to the palace. "it is how my mother trained me." i showed him my hands, fully callused. 

He looked at them closely. "I have held these hands many times, how had i never seen how rough they were?" 

"because you never knew to look." i smiled at him. "come on, i have some ointment to help you."

"cant you just heal them?" he asked in a complaining voice.

i turned to look at him just behind me. "nope, because if i did that than it would ruin the progress that you made on them. there are some who use gloves with their bows to pull back, but i find it throws off my aim, id rather feel the string on my hands."

"can i get one of those gloves?" he asked laughing. 

"nope." i smiled at him again. "you get to suffer this one." we walked into the palace. "oh by the way, we will be training every morning at sunrise until you can shoot with your eyes closed."

"now that is just mean." he laughed as he followed me in. 

"yup." i grabbed his hand and we went up the back stairs, used by servants up to our room. 

when we went in i sat him in the sitting area and grabbed my box full of ointments and bandages. 

"you still have that old thing?" He asked me as i sat next to him, opening the box. "why keep it when you can heal yourself?" 

i looked at the box, remembering all the times i had needed to use it to patch up my scars my father had given me. the times when my maid at the time, Annie used it on me. Annie had been one of the many killed by my father. 

"i kept it because it is a reminder on how far i have come from that scared little girl with no one but my brother." i looked up at James, tears forming in my eyes. "its to remind me that past every bad situation, there is a rainbow of joy."

"Lexie I..." he paused, thinking of what to say. 

"its okay." i pulled the ointment i had been looking for out. "its in the past as is a lot that has happened."

i look his hand, rubbing some on his fingertips and wrapping cloth bandages around each one. "this should help with both the pain and the healing."

"it feels better." he looked at his hands. "what is in that stuff?"

"Aloe vera from the northern parts of El'gorin and Eucalyptus from the western side of Drakaria." i answered, "both i have to get imported to the capital here, but it works wonders."

he nodded. "we should get some rest if i am expected to wake that early to train."

i nodded. "perhaps. but i am afraid you wont be getting much sleep tonight." i pulled him to our bedroom.