Archery Range

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His father delaying their departure from court, and Sienna attending to her duties, Thomas decides to while the time away at the archery range perfecting his aim. He had grown proficient at archery back in Maidstone, and always welcomed the opportunity for a bit of practice.

Drawing arrow after arrow from the tall basket beside him, Thomas places one shot after another within the confluent circles of the target. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he sees an arrow released at the target beside him-a perfect bulls-eye!  Lowering his bow, Thomas turns to the unknown archer.

"Splendid shot!" Thomas says exuberantly before seeing to his surprise that the archer is a very attractive dark-haired girl. "Oh... forgive me M' Lady."

With one final tug, Anne released the arrow. It shot through the air, almost whistling with speed. It hit the centre of the target, narrowly missing a man.

Anne had grown used to court and was loosing the shyness which she adopted when she first arrived. She wore a thin silk gown of dark red; sleeves almost touching her shoulders and leather gloves to protect her hands from the bow. The arrow shaving close to the man was no error...

As the man turned round she smiled to herself and curtsied, clutching the bow at her waist,"Forgive me, my lord. I barely saw you there."

"Outstanding placement... I try to practice when I can... Actually I had not counted on still remaining at court as I'm merely visiting with my father. My name is Thomas, Thomas Culpepper, and your name is?" Thomas says, planting the long-bow on the ground.

"Anne Lumley,"she replied smiling and set down her bows and arrows.

"So...you do not live at court?"she asked, appraoching him.

"I have a home -also in Kent- although I have come to live in court, for a while at least. Do tell me what sort of...wares you and your father sell...,"she said smiling.

"I suppose you might say all manner of goods. Weapons from antiquity... rare volumes of verse-of which his majesty is quite fond of..." Thomas chuckles. "a lot of old rubbish as well that seems to strike the king's fancy, yet for the life of me, I know not what value he attributes to it... I must say though, I do enjoy our stays here. We were to have returned home yesterday but alas father was detained... what do you do? besides archery that is."

She smiled and took a few paces forward,"You must allow me to see them some time, Mr Culpepper-for I do have a love for unusual little things. I am nothing much in court really-my life is back in Kent, although it is not the best of lives and so I enjoy living here."

Thomas looks away, his mind drifting to thoughts of the past few days. "I am not so eager to return to Kent myself, Lady Lumley... as a matter of fact... when I came back from a day trip yesterday, I half-hoped my father and brother would be gone, leaving me here" he laughs That sounds utterly insane, does it not?... home holds no charms for me now."

She smiled as he looked away. His icey eyes seemed to look at something very far away-not something pleasant,"Nor I, I do not miss it. Life was...different there. I can be who I like here."

She cleared her throat and tilted her head,"Might I ask...why?"

Thomas reaches for the bow and draws another arrow without answering. Setting the arrow and pulling the bow string to it's maximum tension, he let's it fly. The arrow misses the bulls-eye, catching the outer perimeter of the straw target. "I met someone... someone I'm quite fond of."

She noticed he was absent minded and when he missed the target, her hand instinctively touched his shoulder as a comfort.

"I'm sorry,"she said quietly,"Perhaps I shouldn't have asked."

"No, not at all M' Lady" I say in a hushed voice. "It's merely that the thought of leaving her causes me misery... yet I hold no office at court, nor have any right to be here even now, save that I am my father's son... A peddler's son."

"Oh no-not at all. A merchant is a most noble profession and I am sorry that you miss your sweetheart . It must bring you pains to be apart from her,"she replied kindly feeling an unfamilar flutter in her.

Thomas reaches for another arrow and turns to look at Anne. "Gramercy M' Lady... it sounds as though you understand what I am feeling all too well" he aims once again, and strikes true the bulls-eye. "If I may be so bold... have you a sweetheart yourself?" He says casting his eyes downward, wishing she not see the sorrow in them.

She scoffed a little,"None what so ever,"she muttered and kicked the ground.

She glanced at him, through a lock of hair. If she were ever to love she could love one like him. Young, handsome, kind.
How she wished for any one-absolutely any one to take her away.

"Then you are spared that which I feel at this moment" Thomas says before realizing the carelessness of his remark "My apologies Lady Lumley... you are most comely indeed... and you have the aim of a king's bowman... I've no doubt your arrow shall find it's way to a worthy suitor's heart before too long."

She smiled,"If only it were that easy."

She then looked at him and recognised that within his cold and downward facing eyes, was the burden of sorrow,"Why...why might I ask are you glum? How am I spared that which you feel at this moment?"

Thomas draws yet another arrow, bedeviled that he had revealed his heart and personal feelings, so candidly, to this delightful girl he'd barely met. "I presume M' lady, that there is a difference between finding your heart's desire only to be torn from her just as quickly-and not having found that special person yet at all... am I not correct in that presumption?"

"I'd say you were correct,"she said quietly,"Why could she not be with you here in court? If I were as loved as she, I would refuse to be parted."

"She's from France, but is charged as one of her Majesty's ladies and currently reside here in the palace... 'tis astonishing to me how quickly I fell for her... she is attending to her duties at this very moment and therefore cannot not be with me." Thomas aims the arrow point. It darts about in his sights as his hand trembles slightly. "Damn" he whispers under his breath and lowers the bow, forfeiting the shot.

"I have a wager for you M' Lady" Thomas says with a grin, trying to change the subject to something more pleasant. "five tries... whomever gets the most bulls-eyes in five tries is the champion... what do you say?"

She smiled,"And the prize...should you or I suceed?"

For a moment Thomas contemplates Anne's question, at last shaking his head with a smile. "I fear Lady Lumley, you have me at a distinct disadvantage as I have no coin to offer and all my belongings are at home... might you have a suggestion?"

She shrugged and readied her arrow, eyes not moving from her target,"If I win perhaps a little trinket...some momento,"she whispered and realeased the arrow.

It piereced a few inches shy of the bull's eye. She laughed,"If you win then what do you wish?"

Watching Anne's arrow nearly miss the bulls-eye, Thomas crosses his arms and speaks confidently to her. "Very well, I'm sure I may find a bauble amongst my father's collection that you may find to your liking... now, if I win... If I win I wish for a promise. A promise that we shall do this again sometime, either here or in Kent. Mind you, I shall hold you to that promise."