Betrothed

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Olivia's Secret

Balen began carving up the two small chickens, placing meat on everyone's plate. Audrianna waited patiently for everyone to receive their fair portion. She swallowed hard several times due to the fact her mouth watered excessively. As Balen sat down, she looked Olivia's way. Olivia gave a subtle nod, to which Audrianna stabbed at her portion of chicken with the wooden fork and rapidly devoured it. Balen glanced over at Olivia, who shrugged in return to allow the princess the one uncontested liberty.

As soon as supper was finished, and everyone pitched in to clean up afterwards, Olivia led the princess to the outside table where they had previously left the daggers. Olivia handed one of the daggers to Audrianna, and slid the other in her belt.

Audrianna took her stance, sideways, facing the silhouette against the barn wall. She held out the dagger, holding it by the blade. She bent her arm towards herself, then with a firm, fluid throw, she flung the knife towards the target. As before, the dagger spun towards the target, but landed hilt first, then fell to the ground. Audrianna raised her hands in a gesture of resignation.

"My turn," Olivia remarked. She then took her stance, flung her dagger, which stuck into the wood, dead center on the silhouette of the head.

"Maybe I should ask you to tell me one of your secrets," Olivia suggested. "I hit the target, and my dagger stuck in the wood. What secret have you withheld from everyone else?" Audrianna looked at Olivia wide-eyed, then down to her feet. She thought for a minute, then looked back up at Olivia.

"Well," Audrianna confided, "I've never told anyone this before, but I was once in love back in my younger years."

"Your younger years?" Olivia questioned.

"Yes," the princess answered, cocking her head to one side and looking at the Olivia through the corner of her eyes. "I was eight, and foolish. He was close to my same age, maybe a little older. But he was so cute and irresistible. His big brown eyes, and his long light-colored hair."

"Are you serious?" Olivia asked Audrianna.

"Yes," she answered, nodding her cocked head. "Mama and papa didn't know about us. They wouldn't have understood the love we had for one another. He would kiss me goodnight every evening as I held him in my arms. He'd watch me through my window as I slept, as he would lay in the tall grass out in the field."

"Out in the field," Olivia remarked. "Are we talking about a dog?" she asked.

"The most beautiful stray sheep dog I'd ever known." Audrianna let out a vocal sigh. "Ah! My first love!"

"A stray sheep dog?" Olivia asked.

"Yes," Audrianna replied. "I called him Baxter."

"Enough of that foolishness," Olivia scolded, walking over to the target and wiggling out her embedded knife. "It is your turn to throw the dagger."

Audrianna picked up another dagger from the table. She took her stance, one foot out in front, standing sideways, her hand holding the dagger by the blade, her arm held out straight, bent at the elbow. Olivia walked up behind the princess and corrected her posture as well as how she held the dagger. She grabbed ahold of the princess's wrist and demonstrated how she needed to fling the knife. Olivia stepped back and encouraged Audrianna to give it another try. Audrianna flung the dagger towards the silhouette target, which struck the right shoulder of the target. The dagger, though, fell to the ground rather than penetrating the wood.

"That was a good shot," Olivia announced. "It's too bad you did not give it enough speed to stick into the target."

"Does that count?" the princess pleaded.