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The elf jumped off the rock he was sitting on and walking to where Eira was standing, his eyes fixated on hers. “If cursing when things go wrong makes one to have a foul mouth, then mine must be abhorrent.”

He stood by Eira’s side and looked around the thicket of trees before whistling in a soft tone. Not long after, a bunch of small animals began to peek out from their hiding places in response to his whistling.

Eira gasped in awe, she had never seen someone do that before. “You can call to animals?” She asked.

“I am a wood elf,” Maxim responded. “Nature is my abode, I speak the languages of the tress, rivers and animals.” He turned to looke at the beautiful princes and smiled, “there are different kinds of elves princess Eira, all with different abilities. I can teach you of them sometime if I get the chance.”

Eira nodded, “and me? What kind of elf am I?”

“For luck of better terms, I’d like to say you’re half high elf,” Maxim responded. “More or less like me, but more abilities.”

Maxim moved to stand behind Eira, “show me your stance, the one you use to fire an arrow..”

The red haired princess stood straight and parted her legs slightly. She lifted her bow and mounted arrow to face level, pulled back the arrow and fired it towards a fat white rabbit that she missed.

.....

“Damn it!” She cursed, making Maxim chuckle.

“I see where your problem is..” Maxim spoke. “Your stance, why do you put your legs apart like that?”

“So I can be stable,” Eira responded. This is how she had been standing during her archery training with her uncle Zander, and she had always hit a bullseye no matter how far the target. “I don’t know why I keep missing, I’ve always landed a shot.”

“It’s because you’ve always been practicing to shoot a stationed target,” Maxim responded. He pat Eira’s shoulders and leaned closer, “put your legs together..”

Eira gulped at how close he was to her but did as she was told.

“You’re an elf princess Eira, you don’t have to hunt like a human..” Maxim pulled out his own bow and arrow and held it firmly in his hands. He placed his legs together and with a quick short breath, floated up into the air and aimed his arrow at a brown rabbit a few feet away from him.

SWOOSH... CLANK!

Eira threw her gaze at where Maxim’s arrow had landed and gasped. The arrow lodged itself right above the terrified rabbit’s head in the trunk of the tree behind it.

“You almost had it!” Eira yelled excitedly.

Maxim floated back down and smiled at the princess. “I did not intend to kill the rabbit,” he explained. “I was simply showing you how things should be done princess.” He took an arrow from his quiver and placed it gently in the redhead’s hand. “Killing the rabbit it your job. You’re the one who wanted to learn how to hunt after all.”

Eira held the arrow tightly before looking up at Maxim with a nervous expression. “I’m not very good at flight, I don’t think I will be stable enough to launch the arrow the way you did.”

The green eyed elven man walked back to Eira’s front and held out his hand. “I will teach you, if you will let me.”

Eira looked down at his outstretched hand for a while before placing hers in it. Immediately, Maxim floated up into the air and gestured the princess to do the same.

“You are blessed with the flight abilities of both a high elf and a nosferatu princess Eira, you can do this...”

The princess took a deep breath and allowed herself to float off the ground. She had always had trouble balancing when flying, no matter how hard she tried.

“Use the air currents around you to hold you up,” Maxim instructed as he held her shoulders firmly. “It’s like learning how to swim, don’t fight the currents, flow with them.”

“Don’t fight the currents..” the princess muttered to herself. “Don’t fight the currents.... don’t-”

“Princess...”

Eira opened her eyes and found Maxim floating in front of her. He was not holding her up anymore but she had not toppled over and fallen, she was doing it.

“I’m flying!” Eira shrieked excitedly, “I’m actually- whoa!”

Maxim rushed to the princess and pulled her in his arms before she could fall to the ground. “Don’t get too whirled up now, you still have to practice until you can move around however you want.”

“Thank you-” Eira mumbled in embarrassment. She dared not look up at the man whose arms were wrapped so firmly around her, instead, she just cleared her throat and gently pulled herself out of his embrace. “So... can I try to shoot now?”

Maxim moved from her line of fire and pointed to the chunky white rabbit from before. “Are you ready to redeem yourself princess?”

Eira nodded and placed the arrow in her bow.

“This will be a little tricky in the beginning,” Maxim explained. “Unlike standing, you have to keep yourself afloat and be stable enough to aim at the same time. But if you concentrate, you can do it. Let the air currents hold you up and move you where you need to, while you keep your aim and stance steady.”

Eira nodded and gently lifted up her bow and arrow, aiming it at the rabbit. Her hands began to shake as she tried to keep herself afloat and aim at the same time.

“Don’t overthink it princess,” Maxim advised. “Nature is an extension of you, and so is your weapon. Do you have to think about moving your legs to walk? Apply the same concept.”

Eira took another deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. By the time she opened them up again, her hands were no longer shaking, and she was floating effortlessly. She pulled back her arrow, closed one eye and whispered. “You will make a delicious stew...”

SWOOSH... JAB!

“I did it?... I did it!” Eira spun around in the air excitedly before rushing to Maxim and embracing him in a celebratory hug. It was not until moments later that she noticed what she had done and pulled away instantly, a faint blush on her cheeks.

She had let her excitement get the best of her. Eira had never had a friend outside her little circle that consisted of the children of her father’s friends, so she may have let her elation spill out a little.

“I’m sorry..”

Maxim shook his head and smiled warmly at the blushing redhead. It would be a lie if he said the hug did not make his heart flatter just a little, it was only because he had an iron will, that he did not swoon with the touch of such a beautiful woman.

“It’s alright princess Eira, I’m happy you’re having a good time..”

She was indeed having a good time, the best time she had had in weeks, and she was incredibly grateful for it.

“Eira..” the princess mumbled.

“What?” Maxim asked the smiling woman.

“You can call me Eira,” the redhead responded. “princess Eira sounds so exhausting. So please, just call me Eira.”

Maxim smiled, more to himself than the princess. This was a good sign, she was finally starting to trust him, this simple gesture was a step towards the right direction.

“Of course... Eira.”

“Excuse me your grace!”

The two looked down at the ground and spotted one of the royal guards waving up at them.

“I’m afraid lord Maxim’s time is up!” The man called out. “We should return to the palace!”

Eira looked at her bow and then at Maxim, she didn’t want this to be over just yet. She wasn’t ready to face her parents just so they could pester her about nothing, she wanted to spend a little more time with her new friend, and maybe even learn a few more skills from him.

“Thank you but we will spend a bit more time here!” Eira responded.

“But your grace, all suitors get one hour!”

“I am aware of that,” Eira responded. “And yes, lord Maxim the suitor’s hour is up, but Maxim ‘my friend’ has no allocated time to spend with me. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

The guard could not respond, the princess had a point. The man merely bowed and turned around. “We will be at the carraige if you need us your grace.”

Maxim looked at Eira surprised, had she just declared him her friend? A wave of mixed emotions washed over him as he watched her smile so beautifully at him. He felt elated having a new friend, he always had very little of those. But at the same time he felt guilty, guilty because this friendship was being built on lies and malicious intent, the most unstable foundation of any relationship.