Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 43: Flashback: Aim True

5 April, 1349. Magdaline Castle, Islia

Camilla sat under the shade of a small silk canopy that had been set up for the ladies, while they watched a group of youths practicing at the archery butts. She wriggled in her seat and swung her legs. Watching was all fine and good for a while but she didn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to take part as well. She wasn’t very good yet but her brothers were still teaching her and promised that she’d get better as she got older.

Her nursemaid, however, had told her she wasn’t allowed to join in with her brother and the other youths. In Islia at least, ladies taking part in archery competitions was not ’the done thing’. Camilla didn’t know what the done thing meant but she knew she didn’t like this rule.

At least sitting under the canopy, she got to watch Malcolm practice and she was happy to be in his company. Her youngest brother was her favourite person in the world. He was also a good archer, though not as good as Daniel yet.

She could see Malcolm standing alongside a few other boys of similar age from the Islian court, talking and laughing. He already seemed to have made friends amongst them, which wasn’t surprising. Everyone wanted to befriend Malcolm because he was such great fun. He was also fearless. When their father had announced that the youngest of his four children would be accompanying him to visit the Islian court, Camilla had been a little afraid. She didn’t want to be separated from her mother, who was weak from a lingering cough. She didn’t want to travel to some strange faraway country. Malcolm however, had seen the whole trip as a great adventure. He had stayed at Camilla’s side throughout the long journey and even once they had reached the enormous castle called Magdaline.

He had held her hand when she had to bow to the King of Islia, who had a friendly smile but not such friendly eyes, as well as to his sons and nephew. He’d kept her company during the days and sat next to her during the long dinners in the crowded hall.

Being next to Malcom, everything was fun and Camilla had also started to see this trip as a great adventure.

Until she was told she wasn’t allowed to join Malcolm at archery.

Camilla sighed and swung her legs impatiently again, trying to ignore Agatha’s whispers that she needed to sit quietly and elegantly like a young lady. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

She saw Malcolm setting up at an archery butt with another boy that he had been paired against. As he adjusted his bowstring, Malcolm’s eyes met hers. He waved his hand at her and gave her his usual cheeky grin. She smiled and waved back. The boy next to Malcolm also looked in her direction for a moment but refused to smile at her.

She recognised the boy as being the King of Islia’s nephew, though she couldn’t remember his name. He was older than her, probably closer Malcolm’s age though not as tall. And unlike Malcolm, who almost always had a smile on his face, this Islian boy looked permanently sulky. He had blond hair and big green eyes, but hardly ever smiled.

Camilla wondered if it was because the boy’s father was so terrifying. The father’s name was Johan and he was a giant of a man, who always looked like he was on the verge of yelling. He reminded Camilla of a furious golden bear. She tried to stay as far away from Prince Johan as she could. Even Malcolm, who could easily charm anyone he crossed paths with, made himself scarce around the bad tempered Islian prince.

Camilla couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a father you feared. Her own father was wonderful to all his children. He was never too busy to let her sit in his lap and tell her silly stories. She wasn’t sure if Prince Johan had any daughters but if he did, they were probably too scared to ever ask to sit on his lap.

Malcolm and the fair haired boy took turns shooting arrows at their target, while her father acted as the scorekeeper. Once they completed the round, the two boys bowed and shook hands. Camilla clapped for them both equally, as she had been taught was good manners, even though Malcolm had won as he was clearly the better archer. Camilla saw Duke Robert smile at her brother and ruffle his hair affectionately.

Then the duke approached the young Islian prince, who looked crestfallen. Crouching down so that he was at the boy’s eye level, Camilla saw her father speaking softly to him. She couldn’t hear the words but a slow, tremulous smile appeared on the boy’s face. Then her father adjusted the prince’s shoulders, straightened his back and pointed him towards the target again. The boy’s arrow hit the second ring closest to the bullseye. He stared at Duke Roberts’s smiling face in amazement.

- - -

William’s shoulders slumped. He had been beaten fair and square at a round of archery by Prince Malcolm. At least Malcolm had been decent about it - shaking his hand and giving him a kind smile. He hadn’t gloated like William’s friend Richard, who loved to crow about his victories to the younger boys.

But William still felt disappointed. The only blessing was that his own father wasn’t around to see him defeated. Prince Johan was rarely around for archery practice but when he was, his biting criticism was constant.

Duke Robert approached him and William braced himself for a tirade. The only thing worse that being berated by your own father for losing, would be being berated by someone else’s father. But to his surprise, the duke dropped to one knee and looked him in the face with a sympathetic expression.

"Ah, little lad. Your posture is off. Would you like me to show you a trick to make sure you always aim true?"