I started to run back home but suddenly, a big male boar came and blocked my path. I suddenly stopped and stood still “if I move slowly, it may not notice me because of its bad eyesight. Thank goddess I read that book; I knew that it would be useful one day even if other people laughed at me for reading such a useless thing”. I quietly picked up my feet and started to walk backwards slowly keeping an eye on the boar. SNAP … my foot stepped on a twig. Hearing the snap of the twang the boar began rushing towards me. I thought that I would have a good day but that wasn’t the case, let me tell you what happened earlier,

Chapter 1

“I want to go to battle school”, said a kid with brown hair with cream skin. Ager had a tall build perfect to be a knight, holding a pretend sword swinging it against an invisible enemy. A few feet away a boy was throwing rocks at the river. “I want to be an Armorer'' said Carl with straight hair, a coco skin kid with a tall height. I was listening to the boys talking back and forth, sitting cross legged in the short grass playing with my braided black hair. I never knew my parents, I’ve been living as a ward, however I always felt like an outcast, everyone looks at me with gazing piercing eyes. The boys interrupted my thoughts as they turned to me and asked “what are you going to choose? The choosing is a day when you turn 15 is where you choose what job you will do for the rest of your life which is tomorrow. They said that you can be an Armorer apprentices which trains to make armor, battle school trains to become a knight, blacksmiths apprentices train to make weapons, diplomatic corps apprentices train to become diplomats, chef school apprentices train to become chefs, horse school apprentices train horses, or go to scribe school to train to become scribes, and a farmer if no one accepts you. I just stood there in silence and just looked at the ground playing with the grass, to be frank I don't know what I want to be but I'm not giving up hope. “I bet she's going to be a farmer because I bet no one will accept her”, I shot my eyes up and gave him an angry glare. “I'm just telling the truth”, said Ager, shrugging his shoulders then going back battling the air with his pretend sword. I just kept still, staring at the ground with a frown on my face “maybe it's true” I just shook my head “I don't need any negative thoughts right now”. Then Ager in a type of voice that makes it seem like a secret but purposely making it loud enough for everyone to hear said “I bet she wouldn’t survive a month being anyone's apprentice, I bet they will kick her out and make her do farming”. That made me snap. I stood up and said back to him “I bet you wouldn’t even survive a week because you only care about yourself, and you would try to do everything yourself, but you learn the hard way that you can't and that has a price”. “What is going on here boomed”, Horace, a famous knight known for defeating Margarethe when he wasn't a full knight yet and saving Araluen multiple times. The tall knight was standing there for an answer, arms crossed staring at the both of us. The kid with the tan hair started to step up but then Ager quickly stepped up and pointed at me and said, “Aerial started it”. I shook my head and said angrily “Ager said that I would be a farmer”.

“That's not true”

“Yeah, it is you just said it a few minutes ago and you said it very loudly”

“I said it as a “joke””

“I didn't take it as a “joke””

“Ask carl”

“Carl what did Ager tell me”

I was getting angry. I growled a bit; I gave a glance to Carl to help but he just had his head down.

“Well, um he said”

“He said um-”

“Well, it was a joke”

“You said that I would survive a month being anyone's apprentice”

“You also said that no one will pick me”

“Again, it was a J O K E”

“I don't need you to spell it out”

“Well, it looks like you do you don't seem to understand”

“I DO understand”

“doesn't look like it”

“Uh your so annoying”

“No im not”

By this time, I had tears forming in my eyes.

Horace yelled “STOP” and we immediately stopped and looked at him, simply shaking his head with his fingers pinching his eyes. He turned to Anger and said, “you shouldn’t say that everyone has a chance to become something for example you wanted to be a knight, yes?”

“Well Yes sir I want to choose to be a knight tomorrow”

“Did you know that my friend Will wanted to be a knight? We always talked about it when we were younger, and I made fun of him. He didn't make it to battle school because he wasn't the right body type (short and thin). I thought that he was going to be a farmer for sure, but he instead got to be a ranger's apprentice. Look at him now, he is my best friend and he saved Araluen multiple times.”

“But it's true she doesn't even know what to be and she is always quiet and doesn't show any skill for anything.”

“QUIET, maybe you haven't looked close enough to who she really is” boomed Horace and the boy looked down ashamed. He swung around to me to talk but I was gone running towards the forest wiping the tears that were forming under my eyes.

* * *

Chapter 2

I ran through the shadows through the dim towering forestry of elk thinking to myself who I will get chosen by, but my thoughts were interrupted by this lavender flower. I slowed down and looked at it. I gasped at how beautiful I thought to myself. Moving my braided black hair out of my face while I bent over and picked It. Out of my corner of my eye, I saw a shadow move. I quickly tucked the flower into my hair and ran after the shadow without second thought. I wanted to follow it... something in my heart told me to follow it. I ran forward quietly and quickly trying to catch up with the figure. Weaving through the trees the shadow disappears, nothing can escape my eyes, I find the fleeting shadow a few feet left or right of me like playing the game hide in seek. I wasn’t paying attention to what was underneath me and tripped over a tree root. I quickly caught myself before I landed face first into dirt. I pushed myself up and looked up, after looking around a few times, I couldn’t find the shadow, disappointed I began to walk back. As I was walking back, I heard Ager yelling looking for me.” “Shoot he probably saw me running to the forest” I didn’t know what to do. He was super close to me without thinking I climbed the closest tree nearby. Snuggling myself between two branches I stood very still, my eyes fixed on Ager who was walking past looking everywhere for me “I don't really want to deal with him right now even if he was going to apologize to me” I thought I just kept silence as ager passed by the tree that I climbed up. After I couldn’t pick up his footsteps I carefully climbed downward. I started to run back home but suddenly, a big male boar came and blocked my path. I suddenly stopped and stood still “if I move slowly, it may not notice me because of its bad eyesight. Thank goddess I read that book; I knew that it would be useful one day even if other people laughed at me for reading such a useless thing”. I quietly picked up my feet and started to walk backwards slowly keeping an eye on the boar. SNAP … my foot stepped on a twig. Hearing the snap of the twig the boar began rushing towards me. I turned around and ran. I couldn't climb a tree; I wasn't quick enough, and the boar would get me before I got high enough. I noticed something on the ground, a long bow could it have been from that shadowy figure”? The elm wood bow was very simple with no engravings on it, it looked to be the right size to what she can hold, it was already strung and there were 6 arrows in the quiver. “Simply my luck, I just have to use it”. I thought to myself I quickly ran over to the bow and grabbed 2 arrows. The boar was catching up to me, I started running as fast as I could while putting an arrow in the bow. I learned how to use the bow from my old friend Barnes.

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-flashback-

(Aerial is 10)

“Headmaster I’m going outside to play”

“Ok, be back before dinner”

“Thank you”

I ran out of the house and ran to the field to visit my friend Barnus, a brown-haired boy with tan skin. I come to watch him every day on the fields shooting the trees as his targets. As I arrived barnus was stringing the bow and painting a target on a tree

“Hi” I said quietly hands behind my back

He turned to face me “HI Aerial”

His blue eyes had a sense of warmth to them, and his voice sounds like he can make anyone smile. I thought of him as my big brother. We are always playing around together, I wanted to ask him some questions since he is 15 and he is getting to choose what he is going to do for the rest of his life.

“Um”

“Hm?”

I realized that it is none of my business and it would ruin the mood. I knew that his dad pushed him to go to battle school, but I didn't know what he wanted to do personally, so I kept my tongue shut.

“Nothing”

Barnus turned away to me finishing his stringing his bow,

I chose a tree stump to sit down and watch Barnes, legs crossed. He loaded an arrow and stood sideways, pulling the string back concentrating trying to center the arrow tip with the target. It was a quite awkward moment, but it was necessary to hit the target where you wanted it to. He let go of the string, the arrow went soring and shot the tree trunk with a painted target which he chose. I watched him as he landed 5 arrows in succession in the middle of the target.

“Wow, I want to be good like him” I thought to myself watching, eyes glowing.

“Aerial” he said in a serious voice as he was retrieving the arrows

“Would you like to try?”

I just stared at him

“Aerial?”

“Me?”

“You seemed interested”

“What do you mean” I said in quiet voice

“I mean you watch me every day so I thought you might be interested”

“Wow he really wants me to, I thought to myself” thinking cheerfully, “I can't pass up this opportunity”.

“I. I will try but you will help me, right?”

“If you want” he chuckled

I shoved myself off the trunk and started to walk towards Barnes who was waiting for me, hands extended with his bow and an arrow in his hand. His bow was made from ash wood and has a few engravings in it. I took the bow and an arrow from him

And put the arrow on

“Like this?”

“Yes, now pull back the string and aim”

I pulled the string back, standing there the way he told me to and telling me positions. “Your feet should be roughly shoulder-width apart, your torso should be straight, hold your head straight and let your solder fall to a natural position”. it was harder than I thought it would be. After I was in the right position (which he helped me with) I aimed towards the tree lining up to the middle of the target.

“Point a little bit up it will help the shaft against the gravity”

He grabbed my arm and pointed a little but up

“Like this”

I pointed the arrow a few inches up from the target, then pointed a little bit up, I let go of the arrow and heard a Think as the arrow landed in between the red and yellow rings.

“Great job”

I was shocked at how well I did. I thought that I would have done worse.

“Wow I really did its mi so good” I said out loud

“Yes, you did”

Gripping the longbow, I turned around and I was embarrassed

“I. I didn't mean to say that out loud…”

I looked down blushing

Barnes did a little chuckle

“You're a natural” he said finally but I could still hear a chuckle.

“Hmph”

I walked over to Barnes, and I gave him the bow back. For the rest of the day, I watched Barnes shoot arrows. The next day I went back to see Barnes, but he wasn't there. The field was empty, there was no laughing, or the sound of arrows being shot, only the painted target was the only thing left to prove something happened yesterday. Then it hit me

“Barnes choosing was yesterday,” I said angrily. I slapped my head. I should have asked him what he wanted to do. I started crying not crying because I made a stupid mistake of not asking, not crying because I would miss him shooting, but crying because I lost a good friend and a brother. I didn’t know where he was now after his choosing. I couldn't find him anywhere and went around asking people where he went but they didn't know some say that he disappeared others say he became a farmer. I thought he could have become a farmer or to scribe school or succumb to his father’s wishes and become a knight, but I know in my heart that we would see each other again someday no matter what.

* * *

-End of flashback-

I gained some decent amount of space between the boar and myself, I turned around and pulled back the string and let the arrow go trying to aim at the head. The arrow landed near the feet. “shoot” The boar was a few feet away and was charging at me full speed, I jumped to the side, but his horns grazed my left arm. I hissed looking at the blood dripping down from the gash it made from my arm, but I wouldn't get distracted. I quickly loaded another arrow and tried to aim it somewhere else. My arm was screaming to let go of the arrow, but I just gritted my teeth and waited till the closing in boar, who had to turn around because I dodged. When the boar was close enough for me to land an arrow, I pulled the string back and chose my target, then put then let the arrow go. I heard a satisfying think as the arrow landed deeply on the hip of the boar. The boar was in pain and fell to the ground. I used the advantage to run back. I ripped the bottom of my shirt off and wrapped it on my wound. “How will I explain this to the headmaster?” I thought to myself. I returned the bow to where I found it and placed the bow back to its original position “I hope the person who left it here comes back for it, it's a nice bow”. I started to run back towards the house however I had this odd feeling that someone was watching me. I wanted to turn around and see if I was right, but I knew I had to get home before dinner. When I arrived home the headmaster was furious with me. Standing outside with tangly hair, holding, and hiding my wound with one arm, and a torn shirt the headmaster simply said, shaking her head “go to your room”. The headmaster was used to me being late with messy hair and scratches because she knows I like to go to the forest. As I went up to my room, I could hear the other kids gasping and chuckling

“Do you think she got into a fight?”

“she’s weird”

“she’s been gone all day again”

“Is that blood”

“The headmaster must be furious”

“Look at her shirt it's ripped”

I passed Ager in the hallway. He didn't say anything to me and me didn’t say anything back. We just stared at each other. I quickly went into my room and shut the door. I put on some simple sweatpants and a blue shirt. I took off the shirt pondage on my wound, then I cleaned it with warm water. “Ouch”, it wasn't that big, but the boar's horn cut deep. I went to the bathroom and washed the wound out. I grabbed one of my old shirts and used it to wrap my wound in. After I was done, I walked over to my bead and groaned and fell on my bed face first. I sat up crossing my legs and I grabbed one of my pillows and hugged and thought “such a weird day”. Feeling sleepy I put the pillow back and tucked myself under the sheets. “I wonder what I will choose tomorrow” I sighed and closed my eyelids, letting the darkness take me over.

* * *