Gwyn

Gwyn the Archer

It had not been even a week since Gwyn joined up with Tetsuro, she stayed in his apartment in the Lavender Beds while he did his work for the day. Most of this work was left at that, no details were given to the small child. The apartment was small and open, much like an art studio. There was a decent sized bed, enough for the older Miqo'te, and a much smaller one on the floor for the Lalafell. A standard seating area was there too, as well as wooden weapons. Gwyn was told they were using in training, that she too would be using them soon as well. In sight, there was a sword, couple daggers, and a bow with some training arrows. What fascinated Gwyn's small, 4 year old brain, was the bow.

Back at her former home in Lisma Lomisna the guards all carried sharpened blades, but she never really saw a bow in action. They seemed more common here in Gridania, many from all different races came here to train at the Archer's Guild.

Gwyn's curiosity got the best of her, and she stomped over the the equipment, picking up the bow even though it was much larger than her. It felt heavy compared to what she was used to holding; mainly apple juice or a stuffed Chocobo. The arrows were just over half her height, although she barely reached two feet. They were hardwood, with bird feathers on the end and carrying a plunger-like tip.

Tetsuro strolled in, full armor and weapon in its sheath. He had a small pouch of Gil in his hand, likely payment from his last job. "Mornin'." He announced without even looking at her. He noticed her playing with the bow as he sat down the pouch, "Found a weapon that interests you?" Gwyn nodded as she examined the simple weapon further. "I can train you on it, if you want. Fighting is why you came with, after all."

Her blue eyes shifted from the bow to her now adoptive uncle. They stayed locked with his as she nodded again, "When can I learn?" Cautiously, she put the arrow back in the quiver that held many others, and leaned the bow back up against the wall, the woods blending with the rest of the weapons while sticking out against the green wall.

He paced closer, almost like he was approaching a frightened deer, before squatting down to her level. "Tomorrow morning. I have more business to attend to. Play with it for now, just don't break anything." He ruffled her hair before moving towards to door again, closing it with a 'click' before his footsteps faded away.

She picked the bow up again, the wood was smooth to the touch, feeling hand-carved with all the heart a carpenter could give. The string on it was tough, but not so much that she couldn't bend it at all. The arrow was also smooth, the tip made of some rubber like material to prevent injuries on those learning.

Gwyn pulled the string back, and fitted the arrow where she thought was best, and positioned her fingers on either side of the tip, just above the rubber. She felt the calmest she had been since her parents were killed. The arrow seemed to eat up all of the feeling. The window had been open, and she thought it'd be best to aim for one of the several trees right outside. Her backhand that held onto the bowstring grazed her cheek, the string itself hooked on her lip. With her eyes focused outside on the green and brown around her, she let the string go. The arrow whizzing away several yards before sticking itself to a tree.

Gwyn looked on surprise, she shot her first arrow! She was so excited, her laughter started to fill the room. If only Tetsuro could've seen it, he would've been so proud. But she started to realize, there was no way for her 4 year old self to retrieve the arrow lodged to the tree. "I guess Uncle Tetsu will have to get it when he gets back..." she noted to herself out loud.

Her excitement died down a bit and was replaced with exhaustion. She crawled up onto Tetsuro's bed and curled up in a small, Lalafell sized ball. It didn't take long before sleep overtook her.

The calm sleep came to an abrupt end as the door slammed closed, signaling Tetsuro was back. Gwyn wiped her eyes clear of sleep, the young child seemed to be confused about what woke her. Tetsuro noticed the arrow stuck onto the tree outside of the still open window that let in the darkness of night and turned his head towards her, "Was that you?" His tone seemed fatherly, who would be proud of their child.

Gwyn nodded subtly, worried that he would be mad at her for losing the arrow. "I aimed for it..." her hushed voice spoke. He moved over to her, looking over the small being in front of him, wondering how she managed to pull it off.

He picked her up, setting her on the window sill, keeping a close eye on her so she doesn't wall, although not babying her. "You shot that arrow, first try and hit your target. You're the sniper that we need. Now, we'll go over your form and such tomorrow in your first lesson. Get some rest."

The former Lady was too excited to sleep that night, it might've also been the extra long nap she received just prior to 'lights out.' Training would start at sunrise, and this time she'd have Uncle Tetsu coaching her through everything. Most of the night, she just sat in her bed, looking around at the nothingness that flooded her vision and the room surrounding. The window was still open, the cool night air keeping the room from overheating; but it also made the room seem colder than normal for the summer seasons in the woods.

Before she knew it, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. The excitement that she had been holding in all night overflowed within her. She pounced on Tetsuro's bed like a tiger hunting its prey, waking him up with a string of obscenities and a swing of the fist. Gwyn burst into a fit of giggles as Tetsuro realized what just happened, "Brat."

"Uncle Tetsu it's time for training!" was almost shouted into the regrettable Miqo'tes ear as the child attempted, and failed, to drag him by one finger to the door. Her entire hand was wrapped around it, pulling with all her might, not even budging him.

He grumbled, moving out of bed slowly, like a grandpa. The Lalafell was carried by the back of her shirt. In his other hand he got the training bow and arrows, and made his way outside. He straightened his posture, the bones in his back cracked in a rhythm. Tetsuro tossed the bow and the quiver to his young niece. She caught one with a fumble, and the other dropped clumsily to the dirt path below. The mentee threw the, to her, oversized quiver over her shoulders, letting it drape on her back. The bow stayed in her hands, using it to lean on whenever her feet were sore.

"Shoot an arrow at me, aim for any part that you see fit. I want to see where you are naturally." Tetsuro said, motioning at the bow. Gwyn nodded, taking an arrow from the quiver and sliding it onto the bow as she did the afternoon before. Nervousness began to take over as she felt Tetsuro's gaze fixated on her, feeling like he was looking straight into her soul.

She began to sweat, her cheeks heated from embarrassment as she pulled back the bowstring, aiming the non-lethal tip at her mentors heart. Even as a youngin' she knew where deadly parts of the body were, where to protect yourself from getting hit; and where to hit others if the time came. Gwyn breathed in and out in deep breaths, trying to calm herself before she shot. Her confidence gleamed in her eyes, the blue of them seemed to get brighter with every second that passed. When she felt ready, Gwyn checked her aim one final time, and fired the arrow in one smooth movement. It zipped through the air, slicing through the wind as it moved to its target. In a powerful hit, the arrow stuck right to Tetsuro's chest, over his heart. He looked down at it and she could see the slightest smirk form. "Very well done, my child."

He took the arrow from his chest, plucking it off and tossing it back. "We need to improve your speed, and add more skills to that perfect aim. In time, you'll make a valuable warrior." Gwyn was grinning widely, being able to impress her mentor felt great, and she was so interested to learn all she could about archery.

"We train at sunrise every day 'till you master it."