Training

Arthur's point of view:

"Wrong again!"

Hearing that wonderful voice that came from an unparalleled beauty was wonderful, but it was the twentieth time in less than an hour that she had reprimanded me.

Right after the first archery class I asked Elora for help with my training on afternoons when we didn't have classes and since then, in the late afternoons she has been guiding me.

But... I never imagined she would be even stricter than the teacher!

"Can I take a break?" I asked with hesitation and hope in my voice.

She looked at me with her black eyes and after considering for a while she nodded and replied. "Let's stop for today, we'll be back to training in two days"

"Thank the gods!" I screamed internally as I collapsed to the sweat-covered floor.

Elora was strict in her teaching, however, my improvement in the last few days was evident.

A month and a half had passed since the beginning of classes and even the teacher was impressed with my improvement in such a short time, considering that I knew nothing about the subject before.

"In half a month we will have the bimonthly evaluation, won't we?" I asked after catching my breath.

"Yes, why? Are you worried?" She asked with a sly smile on her face.

I shivered when I looked at her smile, little by little since I met Elora I've been discovering more and more about her, but even so she was still an unknown to me, it was as if she had appeared from nowhere, which I found impossible, a young woman how she would stand out wherever she went, what made me wonder if she was kept hidden all this time or if she lived in an incredibly remote place.

The last theory seemed to be more plausible and the one I took into account the most, overcome by curiosity I couldn't help asking. "Where did you live before coming to Marva?"

"Me? In a small unnamed village in the south, I lived on a small hill away from the other villagers, just me and my grandmother, we lived a quiet, monotonous life, with nothing to talk about." Her voice grew softer. As she spoke, her longing eyes said a lot about what she was feeling right now.

"Now it's explained!" I exclaimed in contemplation and Elora looked at me confused but I was already lost in thought.

Elora was an intriguing girl, in the presence of strangers she didn't show her emotions and kept a facade with a fake smile on her face, a fact that always made me wonder what she hides behind that expression.

Little by little, she opened up to those who were close to her, but not completely.

Unfortunately I couldn't do anything and unless she took the initiative to tell us, no one would know what was on that girl's mind.

*Sigh*

"So complicated" I muttered under my breath, turned to the person a few feet away and spoke. "It's getting late, I have to go back" I got up as I brushed the dirt off my clothes.

"I also have to go back, see you tomorrow!" She waved goodbye as she walked away.

"See you tomorrow!" I watched that back pulling away in a trance, she looked so lonely that even the aura around her seemed to be affected, everything alive around her seemed to mourn for her as if they wanted to comfort her.

I don't know if it was an illusion on my part but the thought that crossed my mind was really strange, how was that possible?

I shook my head freeing myself from those thoughts and turned around taking the walk back to the house without thinking about what had happened.

It was only after a few years that I realized that this was not an illusion and that the revelation I would receive would be even more shocking.