~ a lily among thorns~

"none whatsoever"

"Pull your wrist up further," Yoon-sung instructed, adjusting Nari's arm to his liking.

The girl stood a few meters from the forest front, a bow poised in her grip. Yoon-sung had wrapped a ribbon around a tree, and Nari's arrow was pointed straight at it. Ever since she had convinced the guard to teach her the skill, the two wandered to the forest every morning and afternoon to practice together.

"Relax your grip a little bit," Yoon-sung continued, feeling her hand to make sure.

Nari side-eyed him, noticing he'd been correcting her for the past five minutes.

"Can I shoot now?" she asked blatantly, growing tedious of the wait.

Yoon-sung rolled his eyes, also growing tired of her constant questioning.

"Not yet," he muttered. "Just listen to what I'm telling you."

He inspected her position carefully, making sure her stance and grip were effective. Finally, after deciding everything was passable, he gave her permission to let go.

"When you release," he warned before-hand. "Make sure you remain in your stance until the arrow fully loses contact with the bow. This will keep your aim straight."

Nari nodded, before pulling her fingers off the string. Her arrow sped through the air, disappearing into the brush. It had missed her target entirely.

"That's alright," Yoon-sung spoke up, noticing her discouraged expression. "It just takes practice. Let's try again."

Nari reloaded her weapon, pulling her hand to the side of her jaw. She breathed slowly, focusing on the ribbon with her dominant eye.

"Now, before you shoot, aim the bow a little higher and to the right," Yoon-sung advised, giving a rough idea with his hands.

Nari spun around to see what he meant; her arrow pointed right at him.

"What the-!" he shrieked, falling to the ground in fear of being shot.

Nari realised her mistake, and speedily aimed the arrow back towards the target.

"Sorry," she laughed, hardly apologetic.

"Sorry?!" Yoon-sung scoffed, slowly emerging upwards again. "Be careful where you aim that thing. You could have shot me!"

"I kind of want to now," Nari murmured under her breath, a coy smile on her lips.

Yoon-sung glared at her suspiciously before directing his attention back to the lesson.

"Shoot."

Nari released her grip on the string, her arrow flying through the air once more. This time, she heard a slight thud, and after closer inspection, realised she'd hit the tree just a few centimeters above the target. To her right, Yoon-sung clapped his hands proudly, taking full credit for her improvement.

"I just need to get it a bit lower," she told herself, preparing for the next shot.

She drew an arrow from behind her back, carefully sliding it into the bow. Adjusting her stance, she pulled the string back to her jawline again, aiming her shot a little lower this time.

"Remember to relax your grip," Yoon-sung reminded, noticing her intense grapple on the weapon.

Nari took a moment to let her eye focus on the little red dot depicted on the tree. Letting her grip loosen, she exhaled slowly, letting the string slide out from beneath her fingers. The noise of its sudden vibrations was the only thing she could hear for a second, before another thud sounded in her ears. Easing her stance, she gazed at her target. The arrow had struck the top of it.