Post by The Smith on Jul 19, 2009 17:48:11 GMT -5
Ser Aaron Royce stood at the butts in the small archery area in the Red Keep, where he had come to meet with his cousin. He fired a shot from his longbow, though his aim was off and it thudded into the outer ring of his target. He frowned, and examined the string carefully looking for any uneven points. He knocked another arrow and drew it back to his ear, recalling the lessons that King Rodrick’s various Kingsguard had taught him as a boy. Instinct told him to close one eye, but that was wrong; he kept both eyes on the target, and released another arrow, which hit one of the target’s wooden legs and clattered to the ground.
“Motherf-” he was cut off mid-swear by the sight of several men wearing tattered septon’s robes approaching from his left, each with a disapproving look on his face. The lead septon had an intricately tooled Seven pointed star in different colored threads sewn onto the front of his robe, which was tattered and old, appearing to have seen many years of use.
“Would you take your own mother’s name and combine it with such a vile word, my son,” he asked. When he saw the look on Aaron’s face, he continued. “No, I did not think so. The Holy Mother’s name should only be spoken with reverence and compassion, never in vain.”
“Yes, Septon,” Aaron said, in a subdued voice. “I apologize for the words I spoke in anger. My practice is not going as well as I would like,” he added, gesturing with his longbow at the arrow on the ground near his target.
“Ser, you are not aiming high enough. There is a slight breeze today, which blows your arrows off-course. The Warrior teaches us that every aspect of the world around you must be noticed and utilized to be an effective fighter. Aim slightly higher and to the left, and whisper a prayer to the Warrior as you fire, my son,” the septon said, while Aaron stared at him, completely dumbfounded. The septon smiled and gestured at the target, and the heir to the Eyrie hefted his bow again.
He knocked an arrow and stared at the target, his lips moving in a silent prayer to the Warrior, to guide his arrows and make them strike true. He adjusted his aim as the septon had directed, and he stood motionless, listening to the wind and feeling it on his face. He released the arrow, which sped straight and thudded into the dead center of the target, quivering from the force of the blow.
“Men who fight righteously, and for the cause of the Seven, will always fight better, my son. You would do well to remember that, when battle comes to us again, as it likely will,” the septon said to Aaron. The knight nodded, and bowed to the septon, murmuring his thanks. The group of septons continued walking slowly through the Keep, heading in the direction of the small sept that residents of the Keep came to pray so that they did not have to walk through the city to Baelor’s High Hill. He remained at the butts, practicing his archery murmuring his prayers to the Warrior with each shot.
He did not strike the dead center of the target again, but in a two score shots he missed it by less than an inch a dozen times, so he counted the day a victory, and made his way back up to the castle.
Ser Aaron Royce improves to Noteworthy Marksman (Longbow)
Ser Aaron Royce gains Beginner Religion (Faith of the Seven)
“Motherf-” he was cut off mid-swear by the sight of several men wearing tattered septon’s robes approaching from his left, each with a disapproving look on his face. The lead septon had an intricately tooled Seven pointed star in different colored threads sewn onto the front of his robe, which was tattered and old, appearing to have seen many years of use.
“Would you take your own mother’s name and combine it with such a vile word, my son,” he asked. When he saw the look on Aaron’s face, he continued. “No, I did not think so. The Holy Mother’s name should only be spoken with reverence and compassion, never in vain.”
“Yes, Septon,” Aaron said, in a subdued voice. “I apologize for the words I spoke in anger. My practice is not going as well as I would like,” he added, gesturing with his longbow at the arrow on the ground near his target.
“Ser, you are not aiming high enough. There is a slight breeze today, which blows your arrows off-course. The Warrior teaches us that every aspect of the world around you must be noticed and utilized to be an effective fighter. Aim slightly higher and to the left, and whisper a prayer to the Warrior as you fire, my son,” the septon said, while Aaron stared at him, completely dumbfounded. The septon smiled and gestured at the target, and the heir to the Eyrie hefted his bow again.
He knocked an arrow and stared at the target, his lips moving in a silent prayer to the Warrior, to guide his arrows and make them strike true. He adjusted his aim as the septon had directed, and he stood motionless, listening to the wind and feeling it on his face. He released the arrow, which sped straight and thudded into the dead center of the target, quivering from the force of the blow.
“Men who fight righteously, and for the cause of the Seven, will always fight better, my son. You would do well to remember that, when battle comes to us again, as it likely will,” the septon said to Aaron. The knight nodded, and bowed to the septon, murmuring his thanks. The group of septons continued walking slowly through the Keep, heading in the direction of the small sept that residents of the Keep came to pray so that they did not have to walk through the city to Baelor’s High Hill. He remained at the butts, practicing his archery murmuring his prayers to the Warrior with each shot.
He did not strike the dead center of the target again, but in a two score shots he missed it by less than an inch a dozen times, so he counted the day a victory, and made his way back up to the castle.
Ser Aaron Royce improves to Noteworthy Marksman (Longbow)
Ser Aaron Royce gains Beginner Religion (Faith of the Seven)