Chapter 18: Eyes On The Prize

Her prediction was right. It was Princess Agnes.

"Princess Myra with your skills, I think you should consider dropping out of the contest right now. You wouldn't want your Kingdom to become a laughing stock, now would you?" she said with a grin.

"You!" Myra was about to confront Agnes about her comments but Sierra stopped her.

"Trust me, it's not worth it to deal with people like her," Sierra advised.

Agnes grabbed hold of Sierra's shoulder and spun her around, She glared at Sierra angrily.

"Do you have a problem with me, Princess Sierra?" she asked.

Sierra chuckled as she replied, "Not at all. I just don't like the way you speak to people. Also, since you're such an expert on archery, I was wondering if you could be so kind as to give us a live demonstration?"

She handed her a bow.

The other princesses and their maids were all looking at Agnes, wondering if she would take up the challenge. Realizing the pressure was on, she agreed to it without hesitation.

Agnes swiped the bow out of Sierra's hands. Looking down at the weapon in her hands, she could feel her palms begin to sweat. She looked over to the practice target lined up in a row.

Sierra watched as the princess walked over to the start line and picked up an arrow with a shaky hand. Agnes recalled the time she saw some soldiers practicing in the yard back home.

She carefully loaded the arrow and pulled on the bowstring. She squinted her eyes, focusing on the target ahead of her. Agnes wasn't sure when she should release the bowstring. As her hand grew tired, she knew she had to make a decision quickly.

Finally, she released it. The arrow shot through the open sky. It hit the target board, on the fourth ring from the center.

An audible gasp was heard amongst the princesses. Some of them had never held a bow and arrow before, let alone see one being launched into the air. Everyone clapped enthusiastically for Agnes.

"You're so good at this, Princess Agnes!" one of the maids praised her.

As the others began to sing her praises, Princess Agnes beamed with joy. She looked over to Sierra with a smug smile as she picked up another arrow and launched it at the target once more.

This time, it landed an inch closer to the center, landing close to the third ring. Everyone cheered even louder for Agnes whose ego only grew. Princess Myra looked on with her mouth slightly agape. She was surprised that Agnes was able to get it that close on her second try.

She looked over to Sierra, who was still as calm as she had been before. Sierra had not once looked at the target. This arrogance fueled Agnes' anger even more. She picked up the third arrow, ready to shoot for the bull's eye.

"Perhaps you should ask me for archery techniques instead. Sierra over there is clearly incapable of teaching," Agnes remarked nonchalantly.

Her cockiness was truly her downfall. Princess Agnes did not take great care of her aim like she had done the last two rounds. As soon as she released the bowstring, Sierra already knew the outcome.

She placed both of her hands on Myra's shoulders and whispered cheekily into her ear, "And that is how you should not shoot an arrow."

The arrow Agnes shot flew far and high. It shot so far, it went over the target board, hitting a patch of grass a distance away. Needless to say, everyone was stunned. All the clapping and cheering ceased, replaced with a resounding silence.

It was quickly broken, by a snort and a chuckle from Myra. She quickly covered her mouth and blushed in embarrassment when she realized what she had done. All heads turned to Myra.

Not wanting her to be attacked by the others again, Sierra burst out laughing. This successfully diverted the attention to her instead. Agnes shot her a death glare. Her face was turning red as she trembled in anger and embarrassment.

Myra was at a loss, unsure of how to react. It was Sierra who gently pats her on the back, ignoring the look on all the others' faces as she returned to teaching Myra.

She had the princess get into position once more. Noticing the change in wind direction, Sierra had her tilt her bow a little higher than before.

"The trick to hitting the bull's eye is to stay firm and stay strong. Eyes on the prize."

She leaned in close to Myra and whispered into her ear, "And to aim just a little higher above the red circle."

Myra nodded, remembering everything Sierra had taught her. She narrowed her eyes on the target. Once she was ready, she released her arrow.

It hit the second ring from the center. Everyone gasped in shock. From hitting the outermost circle to being able to hit the second ring, it was as if her skills had leaped tenfold in a matter of minutes.

Sierra smiled as she praised Myra for her effort. Before she spoke again, she glanced over to Agnes for a moment before speaking loudly, as if for everyone to hear.

"Now, don't be cocky or let it go to your head. That's how people fall. Remember what I told you and keep your eyes on the prize."

Agnes curled her hands into fists, gritting her teeth in rage at Sierra's comment. Myra smiled as she nodded, remembering what Sierra had taught her. She refocused her attention onto the target as she drew her arrow.

Once she was ready, she released it. But a waver of her hand at the last moment caused the direction to shift a little. As such, the arrow landed on the target towards the right. Despite that, it still landed in the second circle from the center.

Seeing her success, the other princesses clapped and praised her abilities. They showered her with praise as they went to her side, congratulating her.

"You cheated! Sierra must have done something with your bow! You both cheated!" Agnes accused them both while pointing fingers.