“Okay, you need to adjust your stance a bit,” A hand adjusting the way her torso is twisted, foot guiding her right leg a little more to the side. “Now, you don’t want to do that crap you see in the movies. Archery isn’t some cutesy thing, nor is it gymnastic badassery, as much as we’d all like it to be.”


Archery class. Cassandra has decided that it has been long past time for her to learn how to defend herself, how to strike at an opponent. She isn’t very strong, though she has gotten herself up to an average now. What she lacks in strength though, she makes up for in athleticism and dexterity. She’s quick, nimble, and while she knows she’ll never be good in a direct fight, she can do something from afar. She can be the back-up.

This isn't her first class. She's been at this for weeks now, training, getting her body ready and they are finally letting her release into targets. The idea of it is beyond thrilling. It means progress. It means visually seeing how far she has come already.


Hit the Target - Failure


She pulls the string of the bow back, gets ready to release when something catches wrong. She’s not knocked it properly and it just falls down. It feels idiotic and the instructor comes over to adjust her, show her how to feel the arrow.


Hit the Target - 1 Success


Yes, she can do this. She tries again and this time her form is pretty good. Not fantastic, but good enough. She releases the arrow and to her surprise, she actually hits the target. Ish. It bounces off due to the force not being quite right, but it is a start. There is a moment of praise, sorta. She gets a simple ‘there you go’, but to her, it meant a lot more. This is the beginning of being able to be useful. Being able to feel useful.


God forbid she finds herself in the hedge and dies because she can’t- She thinks of John then. What would be his reaction if he lost her? She already knows what her reaction would be and it would be worse, far worse than the last loss she dealt with. But beyond that, she knows she is athletic and good at navigating. She knows she can get out of the Hedge. What if she isn’t strong enough to protect him when he needs it? It makes her heart ache in a kind of way she hasn't felt.


John isn't like Phillip. Phillip was a fighter; he was more capable than most and she never truly worried about that. John isn't a fighter, at least, not like that. An incredible Oneiromancer, yes, but it is clear to anyone that he isn't the physical fighty type. What if she is the barrier between life and death for him one day?


Hit the Target - 3 Successes


And something about it kicks a passion in her. She sets her next arrow and pulls back further than she had before. There is more of a fire behind her and when she releases, there is an audible sound as it wizzes in the air toward her target.


Cassandra not only hits the target, but it finally stays in. It wasn’t directly centered, but it was something. This is a start. She can do this.


I’m not going to be useless anymore. That thought brings her more joy than can be explained in words.