SPELLBOUND

"Perfect." He smiled proudly. "Again, Princess!"

Evie shot at him again and again and she had yet to miss any shots barring the first one. She was incredibly precise. Even Zolan was starting to enjoy being her target.

"You're an incredible archer princess, but… what if your target is moving?" Zolan told her. "If your enemy is running from you, could you do a thing to take it down?"

Evie remembered her self-taught trainings. When her father stopped instructing her, Evie decided to train by herself. Though archery was simply a hobby to her at that time, she often found herself experimenting on things whenever she was bored. She had tried to aim at many things, even moving objects.

"Try to aim at me while I'm moving Princess." He then began moving – not that fast but not that slow either. Evie aimed and the first shot was a miss. But the second one was precise, making Elias clap and Zolan smile in satisfaction.

He gradually increased his speed. Evie missed a lot but after five fails she always end up making the shot on her sixth attempt. But every time she lands a successful hit, Zolan increases his speed.

They went on this way until Evie was drenched with sweat. By then, she could not land a single hit anymore as Zolan had increased his speed to a vampire's level. But Evie refused to stop without landing a hit even though the two were the ones who were pleading for her to stop now.

"I'll land one last hit. Don't even try to slow down your pace, Zolan." She panted out, causing Zolan to be speechless. He could not believe how stubborn this human princess was. She was clearly tired now.

"Alright." he said and moved again. This time, Evie did not immediately shoot. She just followed him with her bow and arrow aimed at him. She did not release her arrow for a long while looking as though she was waiting for something. What was she waiting for? Was she waiting for him to let his guard down or slow down a little?

Zolan thought of giving in and letting her land a shot but he had seen how perceptive she was. She might feel slighted if he slowed down on purpose.

Out of the blue, her arrow came zipping at him, right towards his forehead. Zolan's eyes were wide

Evie finally slumped and rested her hands on her knees.

"My Lady! Are you alright?" Elias rushed to support her and led her to a bench.

"I'm fine."

"You're amazing!" Elias praised sincerely, eyes sparkling, as he handed her water to drink and a clean handkerchief to wipe herself down.

"Thank you," she said as Zolan approached them.

"You were really impressive, Your Highness," he looked awed. "How did you do that? Did you anticipate my movement?"

Evie looked at him and took a deep breath.

"Yes. There is no way I could follow your speed." She admitted with a shrug and Zolan looked even more amazed.

"I think you should rest now, My Lady. I've already asked the maids to prepare the bath for you." Elias butted in and Evie rose from the bench.

"Thank you for joining me in my training," Evie expressed her gratitude to Zolan before she left with Elias trailing behind her.

Once Elias and the Princess were gone, Zolan sat on the bench. Levy landed beside him and looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"What are you doing?" Levy asked and Zolan just shrugged.

"I'm just helping her out. At least she'll be tired enough today. She'll sleep properly if she's tired out."

"So, you're saying that was all simply a distraction?" Levy pursed his lips, clearly not believing Zolan's words.

"Hmm… not really. I just thought she should learn to use her skills properly. She's pretty amazing for a human girl. She could kill a vampire with that skills of hers."

"Yes, she's precise but she's still lacking in the strength to kill."

"She can. If her arrows were laced with poisons, it doesn't need that strong force to pierce through a vampire's body. All she need would be a precise aim to scratch the enemy's skin."

"I don't think His Highness will be happy about this though… You know how protective he is towards her." Levy reasoned.

"I know. But we don't know what the future holds. It's still better if she at least learns to fight for herself." Zolan pointed out a very crucial point.

Levy only grunted, acknowledging that fact.

…

Another day passed but Gavriel had yet to come back. It had already been three nights since she last saw him.

Zolan and the other men never appeared before her again since her archery practice yesterday. Only Elias stayed by her side, but the butler remained tight lipped. He insisted that the Prince was still on his secret mission.

Evie could feel it in her bones that there was something off. She had been unable to feel at ease for the last few days. And as time ticked by, her unease and worry only got worse. Was Gavriel really okay? Why is she feeling like this? Why can't she wait for him comfortably?

It was getting more and more unbearable the longer she thought about him and his whereabouts. She had forced herself to think that she need not worry, as her husband is very strong.

But she had just awakened from a very brief dream. She had heard his voice, calling out her name. She didn't see nor hear anything else, but his voice sounded as though he needed her.

Worry gripped her heart again as she rose from her bed. It was noon and everyone was asleep.

Evie stared out of the window for a long while before she grabbed her robe and left her room. She silently and aimlessly walked along the empty large corridors. She did not know where else she could go. She knew that there were guards outside who would stop her if she tried to go to the wall. Thus, she continued wandering around, until she found herself in a place she had not planned on visiting. The library.