CHAPTER 87: BULLSEYE

Ronan was out on the street with some other boys from the village, shooting arrows. They had set up a wooden board a few kilometers away, and each of them took turns aiming at it. Everyone had their own bows and arrows, and they kept laughing as they practiced.

Of them all, Ronan was the best. Of course, he is; he was trained by one of the best, and now he is the one helping the younger ones, correcting their stance and giving them advice.

They kept shooting until it was the turn of the youngest boy there, Samuel. Samuel was not like the rest, he was more of a reader than a fighter. Still, he picked up the bow, placed an arrow, and tried to draw it back. His hand trembled as he pulled the string. The others encouraged him, some teased him while, some cheered him.

He released the first shot, but the arrow dropped to the ground before it even reached the board. A few of the boys laughed, but others told him not to give up.

Samuel nodded, picked up another arrow, and tried again. This time, the arrow flew a little further and struck the very edge of the board. Far from the bullseye, but it had landed.

"That’s better, Sam," Ronan said with a grin. "All you need is to keep your hand steady. Aim closer, hold firm, draw, and then shoot."

Samuel tried to follow the advice. He raised the bow again, focused, and was about to release...

Suddenly, swish....thud

Another arrow whistled through the air from above him. It struck the board dead center, right in the bullseye.

Everyone gasped.

Their eyes first turned to Samuel, who was still holding his arrow. Then they looked behind him. Far off in the distance, several kilometers away, stood Yvarra with her own bow in hand.

"It’s her!" one of the boys shouted.

"By the gods, that’s a bullseye!" another said.

"Yvarra... how did you do that?" someone else asked, astonished.

Ronan smirked as Yvarra walked up to join them. "I knew you could shoot, Yvarra. But I didn’t think you were this good."

Yvarra gave a small smile. "I kept practicing. Even when no one knew. I practiced harder, and now I’m better."

"Oh, I see," Ronan teased. "Practicing in secret. Makes sense now." He leaned closer with a playful grin. "But tell me, could it be that someone here is jealous?"

Yvarra raised a brow. "Jealous? Me? Of who?"

"Who else?" Ronan said with a chuckle. "The warrior princess, Nyella. Don’t think I don’t notice the way you look at her. You want to be her, don’t you?"

"Now you are insulting me," Yvarra said.

Ronan grinned a little. "Oh, and you do not like it? That is exactly what you did to Sam over here when you hit the bull’s eye. You embarrassed him without even knowing."

"What?" Yvarra turned quickly to look at Sam. The boy had his head down, his bow resting weakly in his hands. She frowned and apologized. "I did not think about that. I am sorry, Sam. Truly. But do not worry. You will get better. I know you will."

Sam did not say anything. He just gave a small nod and kept his eyes on the ground.

Yvarra turned back to Ronan, her face still serious. "But still, is that why you had to insult me in front of everyone?"

Ronan folded his arms and said nothing. His silence was enough to make Yvarra’s cheeks warm with annoyance, but before she could speak again, movement caught their eyes.

Several guards came rushing into the streets. They were carrying bundles of papers, and one by one they stopped at corners and busy places, pinning the notices up. People began gathering around them, as they were curious.

Ronan and Yvarra both stopped talking and watched. One of the guards placed a paper on the wall not far from them. Without waiting, they hurried forward, the other boys following close behind.

Yvarra reached the poster first. She leaned closer and began reading out loud. "This is to inform the people of Ivarion that there is an ongoing recruitment of soldiers to join the royal army. Each soldier will be paid twenty silver coins every month."

The boys gasped and whispered among themselves.

"Twenty silver coins," one of them cried out. "That means I will be rich! By the time this war ends, I will buy a big house anywhere I want in the kingdom."

Some of the other boys laughed and nodded eagerly at the thought, but Yvarra turned on them. Her face was tense. "That is only if you survive until the end of the war," she said.

The boy who was still rejoicing said to her. "Of course I would, I’ve been preparing for this opportunity my whole life. My mother even says I can defeat a whole army."

But the others saw how serious Yvarra looked and stopped laughing.

"Only if he survives the war, What do you mean by that?" Ronan asked.

"Did you not notice how fast the guards were moving?" Yvarra said. "They were posting these notices as if time was running out. The army must be in urgent need of more men. And that only means one thing. The war is going badly. Very badly."

The boys looked at each other, uneasy now.

Yvarra continued, with her voice filled with worry. "If they are offering twenty silver coins, it is because they know the risk is great. That much money is meant to tempt people. But silver cannot protect you from arrows and swords."

Ronan became worried too. He thought of Aeron, his friend who had already gone to fight. He spoke slowly. "Then what about Aeron who travelled to join the war? What will happen to him?"

Yvarra’s eyes lowered. She did not want to say the words, but she could not hide the truth. "Aeron too might be in danger."

"..."