When my violet eyes start to slowly flutter open from under a curtain of my silver hair, I rub away the sleepiness with the back of my hand. I'm exceptionally tired today, which I think is from the dreams I had.

It feels like I've literally lived out my whole life in one night. From my parents, the metal wall, meeting Luck, saving Hope, our hardships and struggles and survival. Past Ganondorf and our separation, until Rhia saved my life. And Sheik...

Speaking of him, my nose is killing me. It isn't broken, but it sure gushed like it was. My knees almost popped because the soles of my feet touched the small of my back flat. My hairline is a little tingly from when Sheik grabbed me by it.

I know deep down that he didn't mean it, but he could have been gentler.

He's already awake and roasting cucco eggs on a skillet. Well, he can cook for one thing. To top it off, when I get to my feet he gives me an apologetic and regretful look. Probably from yesterday, when he almost killed me.

As I tighten the knot of my bandana behind my head, I scoot out a chair and sit down with my forehead against the cool oak. Sheik puts a plate in front of me, and I sit up. It has four eggs on four different types of bread. Scrambled on white, fried on cheese bread, poached on seasoned bread, and devilled on rye. All four have sauces to go with each. With a glass of homemade mango-watermelon juice to complement, on the side.

Wow, someone's flashy. He looks at me, and immediately blurts.

"Karma, I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I know that if you tell the elders that I'll be in deep trouble. It's just that you said to come at you full on, and with all the stress of my parents anniversary, I saw you as an unintentional target. I'm so, so, sorry. It'll never happen again," he apologizes, and takes a big breath when he's done. I smile a bit.

"Actually, I'm sorry. I got overconfident, and prideful. I'm happy that you put me in my place," I reply. His crimson eyes soften, and my cheeks get a degree warmer.

"Speaking of that, what are we doing today?" I ask, and lean forward.

"Archery," he says, and digs into his poached egg.

What Hope does? Oh, joy. I've never been good at that. One day, Hope tried to teach me and it brought me to the end of my wits just trying to keep calm. I just couldn't draw the string back and aim at the same time. Of course, I have crazy good aim because I throw my daggers; but that requires strength and speed in the wrist. With a bow, you're using your whole upper body and arms, which is a wider equilibrium to balance; therefore, harder. By the time I managed to keep my arms still and balanced, my shoulders were fatigued from holding it too long, so I had to pull back.

I don't want to look like an idiot in front of Sheik, like yesterday.

After we finish up breakfast, Sheik takes me out to the west gate again, to the field that we were at yesterday. He also grabs a long bow from behind the fireplace, which is almost as tall as I am! His is white and gold, and looks like the legendary Light Bow. But that would be ridiculous, right? We go to a shop with weapons, and he gets one for me. It's completely black, and goes from my feet to my bellybutton. It has silver etchings on it, which I can't read.

It's embarrassing, but I'll admit that I can't read. Not very well, at least. I learned up to a kindergarten level, and then tragedy struck. I haven't bothered to brush up on my skills either, survival was more important to me.

My gaze wanders through the field, and I see huge painted hay bails set up along the side. They weren't there yesterday. I give Sheik a questioning look, and he answers it.

"Every day, there's a different event set up for training. Thursday is archery."

He throws me the black bow, and I start testing the string. It must be fairly new, because the string won't give. Just fantastic. Thank goodness it's a rental.

Sheik and I are the only ones in the field, because it's fairly early yet. He turns to me, and sets me up along an unseen line about sixty feet from the nearest bail. Crap.

"I assume that you know how to hold it and everything?" He asks.

"No, I've never even seen one in person before!" I say sarcastically, and he gets a grin.

His arm motions towards the bail. "Okay, then fire away. Show me how you've been taught."

I shake out my shoulders, and bounce on the balls of my feet. My breath steadies itself, and I get ready to humiliate. I lower myself so that I face the right, and get down onto my right knee; extending my left in front of me for stability. I grip my left hand at the front of the bow, and Sheik puts some arrows beside me in a quiver. My hand searches for one, and I slide it into place and pull back the string with my right hand.

The bones in my spine straighten, and I bring back my shoulders so that it rests right against my chest, tight.

"Fire it already!" Sheik says exasperatedly, and I lose my concentration and my fingers let the arrow loose.

It flies forward, straight past the bail by three feet. I send I spiteful glare at Sheik, and he holds his hands up defensively.

"Sorry," he says. Before I shoot again, he says, "Wait a moment. Maybe it would help if you watched me take a shot, so you get a general idea."

I nod, and he gets down the same way I am, while grabbing an arrow. He keeps both eyes open and sharp, and pulls it back for a millisecond and lets it fly.

It goes so fast that my eyes don't even keep up with it, and it plants itself into the dead center of the bullseye. My mouth almost gapes.

"Did you get that?" He asks. I nod numbly, but I know that I didn't.

I can't help imagining myself at the other end of his aim. Even with my lightning speed, more than one would be hard to dodge.

The dirt meets my knee again, and I try doing it the same as him. I obviously slow myself down, instead of giving it the 250 km/h approach.

My fingers let it slide, and it lands two feet away from me. Sheik smiles, and my face burns with embarrassment. Okay, maybe I'll let go a little more abruptly instead of sliding. I load another, and shoot again. It goes much faster and goes past the bail, but still doesn't even get near the target.

Why do I have to be a competitive person?! It makes it a million times more difficult!

I grab another, and feel a hand on my shoulder. Violet travels up to meet red, and I lower the bow.

"Slow down. Let me give you some techniques," Sheik offers.

Before I can neglect it and say that I've got it, he kneels down behind me. My back presses against his chest, my head in the crook of his neck, my forehead against his cheek. His arms overlap mine, and cradle the bow with me.

My face heats up considerably.

"Okay," his warm breath tickles my ear, "pull back with me, as far as me."

His hands pull it back a few more inches than mine did, which forces me to straighten my back more; pressing me into Sheik's chest more. His fingers interlace with mine on the bow, and his other hand holds my wrist to pull back the string.

"Try to memorize this position," he says. That won't be hard, idiot. "And when I let go, hold it."

He takes a step back, and stands up. I almost fall onto my back because I was leaning back so much, but his knees nudges me back into place.

"You need balance. Perhaps try to stay in that stance for a minute without falling."

Make up your mind, you indecisive moron.

Without objection, I keep that stance, and almost fall onto my back twice. It gets easier to hold, and soon, I open my eyes and let go of the string before he says.

It zooms through the air with almost as much speed as his, and lands just a ring away from the center. I almost jump up and into a fit of joy, but hold my position with a sly smile.

"Great job!" He congratulates. "Try it again without me, now."

I do that, and straighten my back again, and lock my leg. He walks beside me, and gently holds my arms at the elbows. He steadies my left one holding the bow, and draws up my right one holding the string.

I let it go, and it slams with force into the red eye, all the way to the feathers like his. This time, I do pat myself on the back, but not before Sheik pats me so hard I fall forward. So much for my balance.

We shoot for a few more hours, until soon I'm hitting the bail without him saying or doing anything, only standing and watching with approving glances as my reward. The arrows land on the bail from that point forward, some of them far from the center and others just a ring away. I got only two more right in the center.

After four hours my shoulders ache and my fingers get blisters and rope burn, so he decides to stop. "You did excellent!" Sheik exclaims, completely emphatic with my progress.

"Because you did so well, keep the bow, Karma," he says. Awesome, now I have another weapon to exterminate them with.

At least I'll have something to show Hope when I'm done.

"Actually, because the day isn't even close to being over, do you want to do something a little more relaxing?" He suggests.

"Relaxing in what way?" I reply, slightly judgemental.

"It's still training, but it's not as hard." I give him a look to tell him to continue on, and he does when I don't object. "What if I took you out to pick berries? It's something that farmers do on occasion, and it's nice in the forest. Want to have a go at it?"

I bob my head. "Sure."

"You can eat a few, too. We haven't had lunch, so snack on as many as you want so long as you don't eat the poisonous ones."

He gives me a straw basket, and takes my bow. Sheik tells me to pick the red, black, purple, and white berries, but not the blue, yellow, green, or orange ones.

"You won't get lost, will you?" He questions.

"No, I'll find my way back," I reassure him. I leave out the southern gate with more forest around it than the other sides.

My feet pad against the soft sod, and a voice stops me.

"Karma!" I turn around, and see Sheik waving at me, and I look at him. "Be careful! There's rattlesnakes around here, so watch where you step!"

"There's rattlesnakes here? I thought that they weren't native to southern Hyrule!" I shout back. He shakes his head.

"No, they're definitely here, and definitely vicious! Be cautious!"

I give a thumbs up, and run back into the woods rich with bright greens and deep browns. I watch for the red, black, purple, and white berries, and they slowly fill my basket to the woven rim as I journey farther into the forest.