Fanfic:Introduction to Archery (Paedra 1st point)
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The Bow I Choose...
Paedra Kovleck
Paedra didn't know whether the Accepted and the Dedicated were supposed to visit the Warder barracks. The ones that that she had encountered so far were pleasant enough. One older Dedicated offered to help her to learn some moves in sparing. She didn't find it a problem when she blackened his eye. The very idea of some of the things he had suggested to her were more forward than she could take. Even the females were a little to friendly. She shook her head softly. It was hard to get used to all this attention.
She was asked how she came to the Grey Tower. Her answer was the same every time: on the back of a horse. They tried to pry with sneaky words, but that was all she was willing to say. Most of the ones that came where so focused on securing a a connection to a Warder that they overlooked the fact that she had the choice of allowing the Bond. Most of those amongst the drin told her that Accepted and Dedicated were always enthusiastic about finding a Warder even if they had to pick through the drin'far'ji to keep an eye on their training even guide if they were interested in the individual.
Paedra wanted to become a Gaidar for a lot of different reasons, but it would have to be on her terms. It would also be to someone that would take her into battle to fight the shadow. That would be the only way she would ever be whole again. She needed a Green perhaps.
She left her room. She wanted to learn the bow. She had enough skill with a horse that she might be able to fight from horse back. She was expected to learn what she could, and was given a reasonable amount of choice. So, bow was her first choice.
She walked up to the group assembled. She waited for Nelien to begin speaking. When she did she could tell the woman was someone that was to the point. Paedra respected people that did not hold there tongue when something was not done right. She liked also that those people only gave a nod to what was done great. Anything could be improved.
Paedra signed the book when it was passed to her. She already had her eye on a composite bow. The bow was polished to shine a pearly blue. She was the first to jump forward to have her pick. It was light enough for her. The other was nearly as long as she was tall. The muscle required to even string the thing, let alone shoot it.
Nelien passed by her. She did not know if she was supposed to explained her choice, but she did anyway. "I think this is right for me. It is light enough for me, and I can manage the draw on this.
Pass!
Nelien Giadar (PSC)
Nelien walked through the rows of students as they chose their weapons, carefully watching each of them as they tugged experimentally on the tightened strings. To a few she offered stern guidance, others she ignored with silent approval, and there was the occasional student she sent away. They would be back when they were mature enough to understand how to handle a weapon. After Shyne had delt with them accordingly, of course. They would not grow up on their own - of that much she was sure.
As she passed one of the quieter young ladies, Nelien observed that she had chosen a composite bow. The young woman knew what her limits were, and that was one of the first things that a drin'far'ji needed to learn. You could not push yourself if you did not know what you were capable of. And as she passed the child, she saw that the young woman looked down to the ground in poorly disguised insecurity. No, that would never do.
"Child," she scolded, "Do not say think when you know. People will think you are foolish and simple-minded. You know your own strength, and you chose accordingly. You may move on."
The First Step...
Paedra Kovleck
Paedra watched the demonstration on how to string the the bow properly. She noted all the rules of how to treat the weapon. That was almost as important as how to weild the weapon. I fshe was going to do it she would do it right.
She had little skills when it came to weaponry. She did learn basic skills on how to defend herself. There was a little shown to her with the dagger. There were a few sunken knuckled mersanaries that taught her to fight with her fists. Those look looked at her her like a young sister that was being bullied. She smiled at the memory. Her family was still a fresh hurt to her heart, but those moments that let her smile at life were important to her. She stilled her thoughts turning her attention back to the instructor.
Before stringing the bow she ran her fingers over the polished wood. The bow was well cared for be the men, and women the worked the armories. There were no nicks in the wood that she could find. She leaned the bow against her. The bow string was waxed she could feel when she unrolled it carefully. Setting the string in the bottom notch she leaned into the bow giving just enough weight to bend the bow to let the other string loop on the top. She lifted the bow in a smooth motion and she drew the string as they were shown to flex the wood. She was careful not to draw to strongly like they were warned not to. The rest of the lesson they all practiced.
When they were dismissed for the day Paedra trotted toward the stables. She had asked for stable duties, and today was her first day to see to them.
Pass!
Nelien Giadar (PSC)
Nelien watched carefully as the dunderheads began bending the delicately curved bows; she was more fearful of one of her charges managing to smack themselves in the face than she was of any of the weapons breaking. That had happened once last week - the soldier had wound up with a bloody nose, and hardly ten minutes later, an Aes Sedai had been out here, lecturing her on making sure that her students remained safe. It was obvious that the boy had not told the entire truth to the sister: if he had, the Aes Sedia certainly would not have been defending him.
But Nelien had accepted it with quiet grace - if one could avoid the temper of a Healer bent on avenging one who had received a wound, it was often for the best.
But this week, her luck seemed to be lasting. Although a few of her students had slipped, and had to begin anew, there was no blood spilled. That in itself was enough of an accomplishment to keep her satisfied with their performance. As she strode through the the unorganized rows they had plopped themselves into, she saw Paedra stringing her bow with what seemed to be relative ease - by the looks of it, she had been practicing for a good while. Nelien nodded in approval, and then continued on.
Surroundings...
Paedra Kovleck
Paedra could feel the throb in her right eye. It was not as painful as it would look later when the bruise settled in furious purple. Paedra was not the kind to beat herself up over being bested or even down right failing. She was learning what she wanted to learn in coming here. She was bound to get hurt more than the victories for now.
She had made a couple of friends in the ranks of the drin'far'ji in the last month. Ysnail Rodrum was a free spirit from Andor. She wore her golden curly hair short cut above her ears. She was grace with clear bright blue eyes that sparkled with amusement. Her filthy mouth was legendary around the Training yards. The other was Timoty Garris from Altara. He was handsome with dark shoulder length hair, and deep olive dark skin. He was Ysnail's polar opposite. He was quiet with his humor and manner. He had never cursed in the month that Paedra had known him, and he was very intense in his training. Both of them had already trained with the bow and advanced far past her with the weapon.
The bow training was where she was headed that morning. It was her second day with the weapon. She could only hope that they would be able learn how to fire it after too much longer. She had already talked to Ysnail, and Timoty if they would work with her outside of the lesson. Timoty nodded with a quiet smile. Ysnail teased her with enough force that her cheeks burned before the woman let up and told her that she was silly to think otherwise. She trotted to the group assembled for the archery lesson. She was not late that she could tell so she waited with the rest of the drin.
When the instructors began to detail what they had in mind for the beginning Paedra felt the uneven patches of the trodden dirt road that they stood on that could compromise a sturdy stance. There was a breeze coming out of the west. It was light, but strong enough to shift the leaves in the trees. She had not thought about the factors that went into the using of this weapon until then. She kept her shifting gaze looking for more things she might notice.
More Practice Needed...
Paedra Kovleck
The lesson was simple if they were rich lady maids out for an afternoon of target with the delight of tea and cookies. They were learning a weapon. A weapon that they would use to kill eventually. She followed the instructions to the letter, but she had to switch her stance because she was left handed. Her stance mirrored her instructors. She pulled her first arrow remembering to check her surroundings.
She kept in mind to adjust her shot for that breeze. She drew the arrow to her cheek. The wood did in fact tell her when to stop the draw. She did not aim, but she did point it at an angle that kept the perspective of the target in mind. The arrow arched in the air. It was a long shot missing the target landing further than it needed to be. She drew the next loosing it without thought. She kept drawing with no thought, and loosing in the same respect. They only had ten arrows. They were done in a blink.
After everyone was done they were allowed to go out to inspect what they had hit. Paedra frowned the closest she had hit was about three hands away from the target. She was not frustrated or disappointed, but her mind was already thinking of ways to work on this further. She was sixteen. She had more time to work on this it was not something she wanted to rush. When she faced her monsters of the past she would be a diffent woman than the one that stood there now.
Aiming...
Paedra Kovleck
Paedra tried to pay close attention to the aiming process. She noted the adjustments. Even if she was going to have to work all of that out with the other drin's that trained with the bow before her. There was never any difficulty with someone to help train on the yards. There also was never a short suply of someone that thought they knew more about the weapon than anyone else there: mostly the bold drin's of the youthful variety.
She drew an arrow slowly. She drew the bow staring down the wooden length. She adjusted for the breeze. She loosed the arrow. It zipped passed the target. She frowned. She had adjusted too much. She shortened the adjustment. The second hit the target with a thud. It was not a good hit, but it wasa hit none the less. She felt a little more comfortable with the aiming process so she fired at will. When she felt for another arrow, and the quiver was empty she looked to the target. She had landed four out of ten shots. None of the hits were where they should be, but at least she was improving a little.
The drin were told they were to practice for the next week, and when the lesson would resume. Paedra returned her equipment to the armory. She turned toward a place that was used for the sword toaters to practice for the Shyne to critique. She had a favor to ask, and she meant to see that it would happen that very afternoon.
