21 Well Played

"8 points for Princess Agnes!" the announcer declared as the second arrow hit the target.

Princess Agnes beamed with pride, She turned to where the King was, anticipating him to shower her with more attention. The smile soon disappeared from her face when she realized someone else had caught his attention; Sierra.

Agnes gritted her teeth in anger as she quickly prepared another arrow. She was going to win his affection back with the last three arrows. She took aim at the target once more. Filled with anger and jealousy, she released her third arrow.

"5 points!"

Agnes'face contorted in anger. She must have heard wrongly. How was it possible that her third shot only got her five points. She aimed for the bull's eye, she was sure of it. But one look at the target and the evidence was clear for all to see.

The arrow was lodged in the fifth ring.

Agnes refused to give up, she still had two more arrows left. But each shot was worse than the one that came before.

"3 points!"

"Off the target, no point awarded! The final score for Princess Agnes is twenty-three points!"

The spectators applauded her effort. Most of them did not know if that was good enough, none of them had seen Sierra shoot either. Agnes placed the bow down and heaved a sigh. Twenty-three points were good enough for her.

Sierra only had three arrows, three chances to beat her score. That means she would need an average of eight points for each shot in order to beat Agnes' score.

It was not going to be easy. Myra was sweating as she watched from the side. She picked up a cup of tea, hoping it would help to calm her nerves.

Sierra was calm. She wasn't nervous at all. She had been training with a bow for a very long time. This was going to be a walk in the park.

As soon as the announcer gave her the signal to begin. Sierra nocked her first arrow. Her movements were graceful and precise, not an ounce of energy was wasted.

She released her first arrow.

Alistair watched in anticipation. This was what he had been waiting for and Sierra did not disappoint.

"Bull's eye! Ten points for Princess Sierra's first shot!"

The spectators erupted with cheer and applause. Agnes' mouth was agape, stunned by what she had just witnessed. Everything happened so quickly she barely had time to process it. Myra leaped out of her seat as she cheered for Sierra.

Sierra grinned, she could not stop the smile from forming on her face. She never had so many people cheering her own while she practiced archery before.

When she glanced over to Alistair, he was looking straight at her while clapping. A surge of energy coursed through her veins as she refocused her attention on the target. Sierra picked up another arrow and send it flying through the air.

"Bull's eye again! Another ten points!"

It was now her final arrow. She needed a minimum of four points to win Princess Agnes. But she wasn't aiming for that. She was aiming for perfection. Sierra prepared the final arrow.

When she was ready, she took in a deep breath and pulled on the bowstring. With her eyes on the prize, she released the arrow.

"Third Bull's eye, ten points yet again! The final score for Princess Sierra is 30 points, perfect score!"

Sierra beamed with joy, she won!

Alistair was the first to get up on his feet as he clapped for Sierra's victory. Everyone else followed suit. She was beaming with joy as her cheeks blushed red. Agnes' face was red too. Red with anger.

She curled her hands into fists as she clenched her jaw, trying to tame the emotions swirling within her. She could not show her anger before the King, it was too unladylike if she did.

She forced herself to walk up to Sierra and held out her hand. Sierra was a little stunned by her actions. Though Agnes hid her emotions, Sierra saw through the facade with ease. But she did not expose her.

"Congratulations, Princess Sierra. Your skills are truly remarkable," Agnes praised with a forced smile.

Sierra shook her hand as she reciprocated the compliment with one of her own, "Thank you, Your Highness. You were really good too. But if you ever wish to hone your skills, feel free to look for me. I will be more than happy to assist."

Sierra watched the change in Agnes' expression for a flicker of a second. In the short time frame they had known one another, She knew Agnes could not hide her emotions well. In that manner, they were similar.

As she watched the princess leave the archery ground with her entourage, Sierra turned back to the targets. The little competition got her blood pumping, she was ready to get more practice in while the sun was still up.

She turned to look for Myra, only to bump into something hard. Sierra stumbled back in confusion, realizing there was a shadow overcast on her. When she looked up, she almost fell backward.

It was Alistair.

"Your... Your Majesty..." she flustered, "I did not see you there."

He did not seem to mind one bit. In fact, he looked pretty amused.

"That's alright. I am quite missable, am I not?" he jest, obviously teasing her on purpose.

But perhaps, he was also alluding to something else? Did he recognize her?