A PROMISE OF OLD

MEMORY LANE

“This is pitiful.” Valerie cringed from his spot beside Leta. The sun was high in the sky but it wasn’t scorching. The rays were pleasing on the skin. It was the perfect time for the competition to commence. But it seemed as tho the sky didn’t match most of the competitor’s overall ‘presentation’ of themselves. It wasn’t that Zala was thinking of choosing anyone. After all, her sole reason for being okay with everything at that moment was to keep the Eudaeourian Prince there so that she could wring him dry of everything he knew. And maybe get Kevoy’s location from him so that she could quiz the male herself.

“This is beyond pathetic. It’s embarrassing.” Zala stated with a grimace, watching one of the many nobles make a fool of himself.

Zala didn’t remember his name. She didn’t care for it. And watching him tremble and not knowing how to hold the bow in the right position made her all the more glad that she didn’t waste her brain cells with his name.

“At least he’s trying.” Leta voiced from beside her husband-to-be. Zala raised a brow at her. The man was being pathetic and they all knew that. They, like the rest of the competitors, watched him grumble under his breath every time the arrow slipped from the bow. For the gods’ sake, he was holding the bow all wrong. Archery was the first of many competitions. It was something so simple, at least to her. It was her favorite thing to do. She loved having the bow in her hand. Loved watching every second it took for the arrow to fly through the air and hit its target. But she loved it all the more because Kevoy was the one to teach her properly. Although it took some time to perfect it by herself, he was the one to teach her the basics, whether he knew it or not.

“Damn it.”

The noble in question cursed loud enough for them to hear when the arrow slipped from his hand onto the ground again. Zala rubbed her forehead when he started puking all over the floor when he tried to bend down to pick the bow up.

His attendant rushed to him with wide eyes. Haven seen enough, Zala turned to her brother, “I’m beginning to regret this.” She voiced.

“You didn’t come up with a better idea.” The crowned prince raised his hands in surrender with a grin before wrapping his arms around his fiancé. “Besides, I’m not responsible for his incompetence.” He added.

“I think it will do you good to start crossing off some names.” Leta handed a book to the princes who gladly took it. She and the soon-to-be queen had gotten closer because of it all. Zala would never say it out loud, but she was glad for the opportunity to get close to the poised female. Leta was a great person. There were a handful of things that pleased her out of the ‘situation’ she found herself in. And she was glad that getting to know Leta on a personal level was one of them.

Most of the time went by like that; most of them trying and failing to shoot their aim. More embarrassing themselves by not even being able to hold onto the bow, not to talk of shooting. The princess grew more and more disappointed in them. Not because they weren’t meeting what she wanted, but because they seemed so… incapable.

Her brows creased as the next person raised his bow.

“what’s his name?” She asked no one in particular.

“ I think he’s Arwen.” Anne provided, “Prince Arwen. He’s the 2nd son of King Dorian Alnwick and Queen Araminta Alnwick.” She added, having been the one who paid attention to the previous night’s introduction.

“If I’m not mistaken, they rule Zeroth,” Valerie interjects with a frown.

Zala was well aware of that Kingdom. Though she didn’t know much, she knew enough to know that the Kingdom wasn’t that big and they didn’t have much diplomatic strength and connections. They were not that strong compared to her Kingdom.

“It’d make sense for them to try and marry into this family,” Leta whispered.

Zala watched the male with interest. He had the perfect posture. His hands didn’t quiver. And his aim was true when the first arrow hit the bullseye. Then the second and third. Neither missing its mark. Applauses erupted when the servants who were allowed to watch clapped viciously.

The Prince turned to Zala with a soft smile, bowing lightly. He looked… young. Very young. She tipped her head at him. And brutally flipped through the book in her hand for his name and everything about him.

How old was he?

She quizzed herself. Her hands came to a halt when her eyes found the information she was looking for. She vigorously scanned his details for what she was looking for. Her eyes widened when she found it.

“What is the meaning of this?” Zala failed at whispering, catching her brother, Leta, and Anne who were laughing at the next person who couldn’t shoot attention.

“What is it?” Anne looked over the princess’s shoulders to see what had her friend both angry and displeased,

“He’s 18, Valerie.” She grits out to her brother, barely holding back her temper. The crown prince’s eyes joined his fiancé’s in growing as wide as the pit in Zala’s stomach. Zala wouldn’t have minded it much if Arwen was simply 18. The ‘boy’ just turned 18 two weeks ago.

“What kind of sick joke is that?” Valerie growled, his nerves lighting up with fire at the blatant disrespect. Zala was not just 4 years older than Arwen, the boy just turned 18. And he wouldn’t have been as angry as he was if he didn’t know the kind of people that the King and Queen of Zeroth were. What were they thinking sending such a young boy into that competition? What did they think people would say if Zala in some way chose to marry him?! Arranged marriages were not uncommon, but he was a boy!

Zala felt like puking. She felt like her skin was crawling with disgust. She let her eyes linger on Prince Arwen a little longer. Standing away from the others after taking his shot, he looked like he would prefer being anywhere but there. He looked… uninterested in every way.

Calm down Zala.

Calm down.

There is no need to cause a scene. Just talk to him after all this and see what was going on.

The princess chanted to herself. Leta kept quiet through her displeasure and shame. Zala left things in her hand, trusted her with this. And she felt like she failed her. She should have gone through it all, but she was so focused on doing other things that she didn’t even think that something like that was going to happen.

“I’ll talk to dad about this,” Valerie whispered to himself, earning a quiet nod from his sister. She let it all settle at the back of her head and chose to monitor what was going on. But the more she watched, the angrier and displeased she got. Were they not taught to use a simple bow and arrow?!

She wanted to yell at them. Tell them how ridiculous they were being. But she kept her mouth shut and held onto her ‘lady-like' facade. When Blaize lifted his bow and skillfully slide the arrow into position, Zala was not only surprised but impressive. She returned his smile when he glanced at her for just a moment. Zala’s smile grew wider as she watched his perfect posture. She ignored Anne’s grin and Valarie’s quizzical look when she chuckled.

Blaize slipped two arrows into the bow causing the princess’s brow to arch.

But then, her skin sizzled and heated up when she felt someone staring intently at her. She found herself struggling to breathe properly and her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She could hear nothing after that. Smell nothing, see nothing, but simply feel the caress of a gaze on her cheeks, down her lips. As if being touched the skin on her throat felt tingly.

Ruby eyes.

She sucked in a breathe, almost losing her posture. But heavens she couldn’t tear her eyes from his. Even when his lips tugged in a smirk. Even when his eyes glinted with amusement. Even when she heard the roar of applause in the background, Zala couldn’t look away.

Like always she felt that unspoken challenge in his stare.

Don’t look away.

Willing her to see him.

To look at him.

She could almost swear she heard his eyes speak those words to her with a fondness and yearning behind them.

A desire to know who she was.

The person behind Princess Zala.

“hey”

Her head whipped to look at Leta with a gasp. As if now being able to breathe, she gasped for air. Eyes wide and as bewildered as ever.

“Yh. S.. sorry.” She whispered and looked at the contest again, willing herself not to look back at him. She felt like she was drowning in his eyes.

Zala longed to feel that again… the sense of losing herself and sinking in him. She could swear that he wouldn’t let her choke even if she was drowning.

Even if she couldn’t breathe.

What is wrong with me?! Stupid.

That is what you are, stupid.

She rebuked, shook herself, and focused once again. Instead of finding Blaize, she saw someone else embarrassing himself. How long did I look away?

She cast an apologetic smile at Blaize and received a reassuring one in return. Blaize said to treat him fairly, and she would. But she wasn’t going to act like he wasn’t one of the most important people in her life. The Blaize she knew couldn’t bring himself to pick up a stone for his life, not to talk of an arrow. Zala wanted to see how far he had come, and she knew that it would please him if she did… if not for those gorgeously, mesmeric ruby eyes, she would have!

“Maybe you should show them how to properly shoot an arrow.” Valerie snorts. If their mother was around to hear that, he’d lose his tongue then be dead.

Zala perked up at his words. Although she knew that he didn’t mean for her to actually do it, her heart perked up with delight even before she found herself walking towards the participants of the contest and drawing everyone’s eyes to her.

“Where do you think you are going?!” Valerie whisper yelled but she paid him no mind, just as she paid everyone no mind and took a bow from the many available, The weapon felt familiar in her hands. The arch of it brought a smile to her lips.

“To be sincere…” She glanced at the Princes and nobles, biting back a snort of her own when most of them gave her the ‘this is no place for a woman’ look.

“It’s not really that hard.” She added, sliding three arrows between four of her fingers. Zala took calming breaths. The thrill of having her fingers around the arch of the bow and holding the arrows between her fingers made her feel giddy. She pushed her memories of her first time back.

“Just keep your posture.” She lifted her hands. The memories accompanied by this skill made her feel at home. She could picture all three arrows hitting the same spot as she marked her target red. With a last exhale.. she pulled the string back, and let go.

Not many people could shoot arrows from a single bow at once. Gods, she wasn’t sure how many women could even fathom having an arrow in their hands. But that was just her. Zala was unashamedly proud of herself for what she could do that most women couldn’t. She was a princess who loved reading, and animals, and dancing. She loved wearing those beautiful gowns that made her feel all girly.

But then was just Zala. A woman who would climb a 10 feet tree if left to her own devices. She loved dressing like a man sometimes; pants and all. She was a woman who knew how to shoot an arrow and keep her own. And she was glad that her parents let her be who she was. She was glad that her people accepted her as she was, even if some thought her too… rough.

So when applauds exploded, they drew a smile from her lips. She squinted at all the men who failed miserably. Some scowled. Some looked ashamed, whiles others looked like she stole their thunder. But Zala could care less.

“It’s really that easy.” She added, put down the bow with a smile, and winked at a chuckling Blaize before joining her brother.

“I didn’t mean it literally.” Valerie sighed when she sat beside them. Zala all but forced herself not to be childish and stick her tongue out at her brother when Leta and Anne continued to chuckle.

“I know. “ She added with a smug smile.

One by one, each prince and noble took their shot. When Zala suggested archery, she didn’t put much thought into it. She simply did it to pass time. So when Prince Orpheus locked eyes with her for split second before picking 3 arrows, she found herself stiff in her seat. It wasn’t that she didn’t think others couldn’t shoot three arrows like her.

No

It was his stance. It was exactly like hers. The Prince made sure not to draw too much attention to himself. Keeping to himself and staying away from the others. But it was unavoidable for people to stare at him even when they looked away or pretended not to. It was inevitable for them to notice him. He was a magnificent specimen. Then throw in the fact that he was who he was. A species that others deemed… unattainable. He was bound to get some attention.

Still, Zala found herself frowning at some of the servants who were obviously fawning over him. And then he went and did the one thing she hadn’t expected. As if caressing a lover, Prince Orpheus caressed the arch of the bow with his head c****d to the side, sending the princess to memory lane.