Womanish Lady

Chapter 27:

   The weather was still as Fuyaiyah held the big bow and arrow in the correct stance. Her Teacher watched her with a serious expression, for he had her shoot the arrow many times, but she wasn't hitting the target that he set up, and time was running out.

"Focus, Fuyaiyah!"

She fixed her facial expression and released the bow. The bow was closer to the target than all of the others, but Her Teacher wasn't satisfied.

"You missed again?" he yelled.

"Teacher! You made the target so small and put it on a tree far off!" she yelled back.

As said, Her Teacher only gave her four hours of sleep. When she woke up, it was barely dawn and the secluded area was lit with lanterns and Her Teacher. After she ate the hot soup he prepared, he gave her his big bow and a quiver of arrows.

Now the sun was high in the sky but Her Teacher didn't let her take a breath and was constantly correcting her. Fuyaiyah was able to endure it silently, but now she was frustrated.

"You gave me this big bow and made the target so small!"

"If you hadn't run off and put me in such a position, I could've made an excuse to take you out and teach you archery leisurely. I can't do that now."

She did not want to feel guilty again.

"Okay, I understand. But could you say why you chose a method so difficult?"

Her Teacher helped her restraighten her stance.

"In archery, there's many kinds of bows. This big bow is heavy to hold, and the arrows shoot slower, but if you master archery with this bow, you can be proficient with any other size of bow." her Teacher stood back and gestured for her to try again.

"Likewise with the target; it's important to be able to hit exactly where you want to, but not in all cases can you get by with hitting close to the desired spot. So if you can hit that small, faraway target with a big heavy bow, you can be more accurate with a wider target with your small and lighter bow."

Now, Fuyaiyah understood and was ready to fire the bow once more. She was still worried about Her Teacher's words, but if she learned fast - she thought - Her Teacher wouldn't have to sound like something bad would happen if time ran out.

She fired the bow, but this time, another arrow intercepted hers, and both arrows fell in the snow.

Bon-bon freaked out and ran off, and Her Teacher pushed Fuyaiyah back towards their camp area.

"It's been twenty-four hours already? Fuyaiyah! Keep the bow and arrow with you, get your items, and leave this place!"

Fuyaiyah's body temperature rose.

"What? Why? What's happening?"

He looked her in the eye. Both of their eyes sparkled.

"Time ran out, that's all."

She tried to comprehend the meaning in his eyes, but there were sounds of people on horses approaching.

"I wish I could've seen you shoot the target just once, but you know the stance, and how to hold the bow. That'll have to suffice. Get going!"

Her Teacher grabbed a sword from his bag and went to stand in the middle of the secluded area as four Superiors rode up to him. All of them had bows in their hands.

At that moment, Fuyaiyah understood why she's been so anxious and uneasy since yesterday: another person that she deeply cared about was about to die, again, before her eyes.

The realization didn't sit right in her stomach, so she did not quite know what she was doing as she stood beside Her Teacher.

"Fuyaiyah! What're you doing?"

"Bon-bon ran off. I can't escape at the moment."

"I knew it!" yelled the Superior from yesterday. "I knew something was weird between you and that girl!"

"Yeah!" said the Superior that often came over to his house. "And - I checked with that Widow! There's no such girl described the same as that maiden right there! You had us fooled for a while, but no more of this!"

"You actually checked?" Her Teacher thought as he held up his sword, and Fuyaiyah got into stance with the bow.

"Don't worry Teacher! I'll hit the target for you!"

"Hoo?" smiled another Superior. "Whether she's actually a maid or not, you already taught her archery?"

"I'm telling you," said yesterday's Superior. "Only because this is Fuyaiyah! From his village! He wouldn't risk his life for a girl not of his own!"