Redeeming a Dark Heart

Chapter 7: Master Archer

I looked up from rocking Roland as Robin entered the tent.

It had been two full days since I'd told him about Daniel. I felt as if a weight had been lifted off of my shoulder. I had told no one of what had happened before him. Of course, he still didn't know who I was, so if we didn't find Snow soon, I would have to go out on my own before I became too close with Robin.

"Are you ready for a walk?" He asked me. It had become the daily normal for us to go on a walk before and after his hunting.

I stood up and laid Roland in his cradle before making my way out of the tent behind Robin. We paused in the center of the camp and decided which way to go his time. We continued strait from the tent into the woods with Robin in the lead. We walked in silence for a while and then I thought about how Robin had saved me. I had apologized, but that hadn't been from me, that had been part of my act, part of my disguise.

"Thank you." I told Robin, the thanks coming from my heart this time, as if the person I was disguising myself as was becoming me. I knew it wasn't that extreme, but I could feel a change deep down. I remembered being told that if you pretended for long enough, the lies would become the truth, and that was what I could feel happening.

Robin stopped in front of me and turned around. "Thank you for what?" He asked, and it was clear that I'd caught him off guard.

"Thank you for saving me." I told him. He nodded slowly, not sure what to think about my words.

"Just remember that if that happens again, I might not conveniently be there to rescue you." He teased, making it clear that he was joking, not criticizing. Although there was some truth to his statement.

"I don't plan to be in a situation like that again any time soon." I told him back, smiling innocently.

He laughed. "But really, you should learn to defend yourself just in case...you know." He raised his eyebrows, waiting for a response.

"Well..." I said. "Maybe you could teach me?" It couldn't do too much harm. I looked at his bow that he seemed to be so skillful with.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Of course I can teach you!" He told me, sounding excited that I had asked.

Next thing I knew, he had cleared a practice shooting range and carved a target into he bark of one of the trees.

He handed me the bow and I awkwardly tried to position it so I would be set up to draw, but I didn't even make it that far. I looked at Robin pathetically for his help.

He laughed and took the bow as I handed it to him. He held it out in the proper positioning, and I nodded to show that I knew what I was supposed to do now.

"Now you try again." He instructed me.

He handed it back to me and I got my grip on it and tried drawing the string again, only to have it slip out of my fingers. I pulled my hand away quickly to keep my fingers from being snapped by the string and slumped my shoulders in defeat. How was I supposed to learn to shoot an arrow if I couldn't even hold the bow?

He made it look so effortless, but it obviously wasn't that easy.

He laughed and shook his head as I looked to him for help again. "Here, let's try something else." He suggested. He came to my side and wrapped his hand around mine on the bow. He brought his other hand to mine and lifted it to the string to help me with the draw.

I sucked in a breath, realizing how close he was to me. His solid chest pressed against my back and his face brushed the back of my head. Somehow, this didn't make me feel uncomfortable, instead I felt a sense of security and I relaxed.

Robin loaded an arrow and I paid close attention to how he did it so that I would be able to do it correctly later. He helped me draw back, and aimed my arm so that it aligned just above the target. He slowly released his grip and stepped away.

"There." He said. "Now let go." I did as I was instructed and the arrow flew strait into the carved target.

"Great job!" Robin said, smiling at my accomplishment. I was relieved that it had finally worked and I smiled back at him. He went and got the arrow from the tree and placed it in my palm. "Now you try it by yourself this time." He told me.

I nodded and took a deep breath, letting myself relax just as I had been when Robin was helping me. I loaded the arrow, carefully making sure I did just as he had showed me before. I made sure my grip on the bow was tight enough and I drew back so that the feathers brushed against my cheek. I aligned the tip of the arrow just above the target like Robin had done when he helped me, and I released. The arrow zipped through the air and landed just off from the very center of the target.

A smile spread over my face and I turned to Robin in excitement. "I did it!" I exclaimed joyfully. His blue eyes twinkled with delight and he smiled back proudly.

"That was perfect!" He told me. "You're a natural." He went to get the arrow from the target again.

I practiced the rest of the evening, Robin instructing and appraising me the whole time. Each time, my arrow hit the target and Robin would smile at me proudly, his eyes sparkling. He made me feel happy and proud of myself, made me feel like, for once in my life, I was doing something right. And I couldn't ignore the fact that I liked it.