[for Anne] went back to what you knew

[navixator]

Being back at all, he knew, was a blessing. Being back and able to hold Anne tight certainly also was. Being back and also on his feet again?

He didn't want to diminish the other two genuine miracles, but he also couldn't help being entirely elated.

The first day, of course, he had been told not to push himself. It had been enough, at least, that he was able to walk through the Cair again--had been able to stand at the tallest spire and make his way down to the shore. It had been enough to stand on the dock and greet the newly returned Lord Drinian. It had been enough to lean on Anne's arm at the end of the day and feel himself fully, properly a King.

The next day saw him rising properly early of his own accord. It saw him strapping on light armour before the morning meal, feeling entirely secure in his own body again.

And meant, at the end of the meal, that his hand found Anne's with an entirely cheerful smile as he pulled her knuckles up for a soft kiss.

"Come. You're a woman of Narnia now. I want to show you what that means."

Comments

[happyfalcon]

Anne leaned a bit to observe the position of the crossbow, specifically the fletchings. She nodded slowly, her mind committing the image to memory.

"Understood, so the fletchings need to be placed properly for accuracy," Anne spoke the words but really for her own benefit. Just to make sure she'd remember. "You make it look so easy..."

[navixator]

"It is, I swear it." Holding the bow properly upright again, eye squinting just slightly to sight down the range again, he took a beat to ponder the truth of that. "It's more a matter of strength and practice than complicated skill."

Unlike a sword. Unlike knives and daggers. Unlike being face to face with the enemy in close combat--which he hoped, even in the darkest days, Anne would be able to avoid if she could master defense with ranged weapons such as this.

"This comes off." He tapped the safely lightly for her to see before unlatching it. "And you fire here."

The trigger was tapped lightly without firing. He had to still properly for a moment sighting the target before actually firing with barely any kick. The bolt flew straight and true, just a few hairs shy of hitting the centre of the target.

[happyfalcon]

Anne nodded, anxious and excited. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to hold the weapon herself, that she would be able to fire it. Still, even in her excitement Anne paid close attention. Noting the position of the safety and the trigger.

Then Caspian fired. Anne's eyes flew wide as she followed the bolt's direction. When it hit the target almost dead center, Anne gave a soft sound of delight before clapping her hands together.

"Caspian that was wonderful!" Anne exclaimed.

[navixator]

It always felt good, on a deep primal level, to fire off a weapon he'd learned from such a young age. It couldn't help but also feel good to have such a happy little noise from Anne in his ear egging on the slight endorphin rush.

His own smile was slightly crooked, but still entirely bright and pleased as he squinted to study the target. "It just takes practice."

And he'd been practicing for over a decade, now.

"You'll try?"

[happyfalcon]

Anne's elation turned to anxiety again, looking from Caspian to the bow. She knew even with her determination that she wouldn't be able to hit the center of the target as he had. But she wanted to try, wanted to prove that she could do it.

She reached for the bow, adjusted to the feeling of it in her hands. Anne held it down as she had, pulling her skirts back to settle her foot in the stirrup and holding her hand out to him for a bolt to load it with. 

[navixator]

The shift in her features was noticeable, of course, but nothing he didn't actually admire in its own way. There was no cockiness in her, no hubris to be contended with when handing over the crossbow.

It would take time, likely, but it would also serve her well to approach the weapon with humbleness and determination.

"--here."

The bolt was handed over, but his arms also slipped under hers to catch at the string. Tugging it up into place wasn't, after all, a matter of practice but of strength.

"Let me. We'll get you a rope for the next round."

[happyfalcon]

Anne blushed as he guided her, as she watched his strong arms pull back on the string with such ease. She watched the movements close enough, but glanced over her shoulder to him.

"Thank you, Majesty," her voice was soft. Dark eyes shifted back to the weapon.

Bolt in hand, keeping in mind to put one of the fletchings into the groove, as he'd instructed. "Like this?"

[navixator]

A woman in court was meant to be treated with some degree of delicacy. A woman on the field was meant to be treated as a warrior. It didn't stop him from letting his hand drift, just briefly, to rest with gentleness at the base of her spine while inspecting her setting.

"Just like that, yes." The hand then moved to tap lightly at the hollow of her shoulder. "Rest it here, yes?"

[happyfalcon]

It was a reflex at this point for Anne to lean back into his touch. Still she kept her posture up and nodded at the command. Anne lifted the loaded bow, being careful of where she pointed it, and brought it to rest at her shoulder. It wasn't terribly heavy, she was happy to note. Anne could get used to this.

She had seen how he had held it before, and tried to mimic the same movements with her own hands to hold it.

"Is this right? The proper way to hold it?"

[navixator]

"Yes, just--"

He'd done this so long that words didn't come easily. What he'd been taught as a child had been with rough touching and tugging and prompting; the idea of gentleness hardly entered into the idea of archery.

His own fingers were slightly fumbling as he reached, delicately as he could, to help mold her fingers just slightly more firmly around the housing.

[happyfalcon]

Anne could tell by his fumbling that he wasn't used to this. Her fingers moved with his, gripping the housing as he instructed.

"Do not feel troubled correcting me, Majesty," Anne smiled. "I'm learning, I don't expect to get it right the first time, that would indeed be remarkable."

She gripped the weapon, keeping it at rest against her shoulder.

"Then, the safety, correct?" Anne asked, unsure if it had to be released just once or each time the weapon was fired.

[navixator]

His smile flitted briefly back into proper place as he nodded. She was a daughter of Eve, and hardly an overly delicate one.

"Yes, just here."

One hand settled flat against her spine, and the other shifted carefully to curl around hers near the trigger, lips close to her ear.

"This one--" a tap of her finger against the safety "--when you aim, then this one--" and he moved it gently down to the trigger "--when you're ready to fire."

[happyfalcon]

Focus, Anne. Focus. The hand at her back, his lips so close to her ear whispering directions. It was...arousing, in its own way. But her eyes focused on his directions, her fingers following his movements. She nodded slowly.

"All right," it seemed entirely too rudimentary asking how to aim. The target was down the line before her, she had the weapon poised in her hand. It was just a matter of looking, right?

If nothing else, she remembered her father chiding her brother George, reminding him to keep both eyes open when aiming. So she tried to remember that as she tipped her head down a bit. Her finger found the safety, tripping it carefully before her finger went to the trigger. Anne was silent, aiming for the target, she squeezed the trigger.

Well, obviously her aim wasn't as good, she didn't hit the center, but she hit the middle ring at least.

[navixator]

It was fascinating, being this close to an archer. The movement of the muscles in her back, the stillness of her breath as she sighted the target; it was quietly thrilling, despite being so far from the actual line of battle.

He couldn't stop the surprised laugh from bubbling to his lips in approval as she managed to hit the target. There needed to be much more practice, yes, but it was a wonderful first shot.

"There, you see?" Already so close, his lips shifted to press briefly firm at her cheek before he pulled back from her. "You're a natural at this."

[happyfalcon]

There was indeed a certain primal rush upon pulling the trigger. An even bigger rush came from hitting the target. A slow smile crept across her face as she stared long and hard at the bolt in the target. She giggled a bit at the kiss, pride swelling inside her.

"I can hardly claim credit, Majesty," Anne nudged him playfully. "I had an excellent teacher after all."

And it certainly wasn't her father. Or George.

[navixator]

"A teacher who can hardly claim the credit himself for such an incredible first attempt."

He moved to the pile of bolts again, moving this time to free the rope pull from among them to help her pull the string back herself this time around.

"How did it feel?"

[happyfalcon]

"It felt..." she searched for the proper word, the ladylike word. "Exhilarating."

She had never felt such a rush before. Writing poetry, playing her lute, nothing like that had given her such excitement as she had just experienced. The only thing that could be compared was...well, certain bed-themed activities.

"Does it...always feel like that?"

[navixator]

It's certainly a more feminine word than he'd ever been taught to use, but he recognizes the feeling instantly the moment she says it. There was absolutely a beaming smile on his lips as he nods, twisting the rope around his fingers for the moment.

"Almost always."

It always felt more... complicated in actual battle.

"Again?"

[happyfalcon]

"If I can, yes please!" Anne couldn't help her own excitement as he proposed a second attempt.

She set the bow on the ground again, steadying it by putting her foot in the stirrup, but then it occurred to her that he had retrieved something else amongst the bolts.

"What's the rope for?" She asked.

[navixator]

"So you can have a go at cocking it yourself."

It was, after all, lifting against the force over a hundred pounds to pull the string back with one's bare hands. The rope would halve that, although he couldn't begin to explain the physics behind it.

"We just--" It took a moment, leaning over her again, to set the middle of the rope on top of the bow and lace the lengths down either side, twisting lightly around the string. "--like this." The ends of the rope were offered to her grip. "Tug them both straight up at the same time. It's-- still quite heavy, so easy does it."

[happyfalcon]

Anne watched warily as he moved, studying the way he secured the rope. She took the rope ends, thinking it couldn't be as heavy as he said. For a brief moment, she got cocky. Anne moved to pull back, easy like he told her, but the rope didn't budge. She put all her strength into it and the string moved a little. Anne gave a displeased twitch of her lips. She didn't like not being able to perform what she perceived to be a relatively simple task. Then again, she'd never done this before.

[navixator]

"--easy."

He remembered, after all, the frustration of being younger and unable to cock his own bow. It had been tempting to all but throw out his own back trying to force it.

"Here. You take the left."

And he'd take the right, shoulder some of the weight for now.

[happyfalcon]

Anne blushed, embarrassed at not being able to complete the task on her own. But she obeyed, taking the left side in her hand and leaving the right for Caspian. She waited until it was in his hand, and she pulled back slowly, carefully, as he had instructed.

It came a bit easier with him helping her, but not completely. Anne pulled steadily, bringing the string back to cock the bow, relieved when it slipped into place.

[navixator]

It was a bit of a struggle, perhaps, but there was absolutely a proud smile on his lips when the string clicked into place, limbs perfectly bent.

"Very well done." One hand left the rope to briefly squeeze her arm. "That's honestly the only tricky bit--and you're already good at the important part."

Cocking the bow came with muscle. Aiming came with time and experience. Of the two to be a natural at, he felt firmly she had picked the better.

[happyfalcon]

Anne had to fight the urge to breathe a sigh of relief when the string clicked. She couldn't fight the smile though as he gripped her arm and praised her.

"You're too kind, Majesty," Anne smiled.

She brought the bow up again, resting it in the hollow of her shoulder. Then it was a simple matter of releasing the safety and taking aim. Though Anne paused, glancing to Caspian, looking for approval to see if she'd indeed done right thus far.