The Knight's Rose

Chapter Twelve ~ The Arrow of a Rose

Chapter Twelve ~ The Arrow of a Rose

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"The e-e-eagle s-swoop-ed d-down and gr-r-rabbe-d the s-satin show," I stuttered over the words, my eyes narrowing at the last sentence of the page.

"Shoe, not show," Nikolai told me, pointing at the word itself.

A few weeks had passed since our first encounter, and it's been a pretty uneventful but an oh so wonderful few weeks. My reading was getting better almost every day, and I could string along a few sentences without any help. Of course, I encountered some hiccups and couldn't help but feel that learning was futile.

Nikolai, however, didn't give up on me.

Nikolai was honestly the best teacher I could have ever asked for. No matter how slow I read, or frustrated I became, Nikolai listened and urged me on. I was falling for him more than ever, and it scared me.

It scared me because I knew someone like him wouldn't end up with someone like me. At some point, the truth of my status would come out and Nikolai would be utterly disgusted, and probably even angry for wasting his time on a farmer girl. I shuddered every time I imagined him figuring out, and would play out horrible scenes from him shouting at me to being thrown in the dungeons for my lies and deceit.

Of course, I was still surprised that Nikolai continued to see me every few days or so when he wasn't busy with his knighthood. I thought my personality would have driven him away by now.

Currently, we were seated against the trunk of a huge oak tree, it's huge branches covered in orange and mahogany leaves. The sky was dark and cloudy, even though it was only noon. The grass had turned yellow and it rustled when the wind blew gently.

Nikolai was seated close to me, his face leaning toward my shoulder, as he looked at the book. My breathing hitched at his close proximity, making it hard to function my lungs.

"You've done very well, Rose," Nikolai said, grinning while ruffling my hair. I could feel my cheeks turning a dusty pink at his honoring words. I wouldn't tell him that I had memorized that sentence days before when he had read the book for me again.

"Thank you," I said, closing the book and putting it to the side. I turned my gaze to the picturesque scenery, the huge grassy hills pigmented with a lovely yellowish green, the yellow daisies that were scattered all throughout the grass, and the huge gray sky full of dark clouds.

Nikolai and I relished the quietness, always falling into a comfortable one. I leaned my head against the bark of the tree just as Nikolai turned to look at me.

"Did you bring it?" he asked, his baritone voice quiet and still.

I nodded while reaching out to my satchel, taking out the bow and arrows. I handed him the bow, appreciating when he handled it with care and gentleness that made my heart flutter.

"It's a well-made bow," Nikolai muttered, running his thumb over the upper limb of the bow. "I still can't wrap my head around you, a shy and sweet lady, shooting arrows."

I chortled, my pink lips pulling into a smile at the thought of him being impressed with my archery skills. He handed it back to me and stood up, dusting his hands. He stretched out his brawny hand towards me and pulled me up along with him.

He gestured toward the tree and I nodded my head, reaching down to pluck an arrow from my satchel. I aligned the arrow against the bowstring, pulling on the latter. The tree was located in another valley, a good amount distance away. I breathed in through my nose and took aim, my hands still and my head tilted.