Chapter 29 : The Deal

"No, no, no. Just ask the others for help, I can't teach you." Sam said casually and went back to eating his breakfast.

"Why not, Sam? Aren't you really good at riding? I'm sure you can get me to ride like you in just three days."

"Ha! Are you kidding me? Look Anne, I can ride, but that doesn't mean I can teach you. I'm not a very good teacher."

My shoulders slumped sluggishly at that. My fervor, which had been burning like the lava of a never-ending volcano, now began to cool in the wind.

"But, I know of a great teacher who can teach you. To be honest, I'm also good at riding because I was taught by--"

My already sour face looked at Sam suspiciously, "Who? Gerard? I tried, but he rejected me outright. Not much different from you."

Sam shook his head with his mouth full then pointed at someone with his spoon.

I turned around lazily and my eyes widened then turned to Sam, "Are you crazy?!"

Sam's head nodded definitely, "I'm serious. I haven't been this serious since that horrible night."

My lips curled down, languidly, "Anyone's fine, as long as it's not her. You know what? I could never get along with her, Sam."

"Yeah, I know. But Angela was a great teacher to teach you to ride. Her mouth is a bitch, but you'll have to put up with it for a while. At least until you can ride a horse. Then you can hate her like you always have."

Sam's words were true. If you want to get what you want, the first thing to get rid of is your own ego.

"Okay, let's say I want to be taught by her. Are you sure she wants to teach me? She wants to teach you because it's you, you guys were small and innocent at that time."

Sam put down his spoon and took a small sip of his water, "Let me talk to her. There she is looking this way. Hey! Angela!", Sam waved with an excited face.

"Is she coming this way?", I asked through gritted teeth, not wanting to be seen paying attention.

Sam lowered his hand again and he grunted resignedly, "She's pretending not to see me."

"See? I told you he-"

"I'll talk to her again later. Hurry up and finish your breakfast. The siren's going to go off soon." interrupted Sam, not wanting to continue the argument with me.

I only had forty percent hope left. I can't hope for Angela.

"Listen, Sam. I only have six days left until my golden ticket expires."

"Golden ticket?!", Sam's eyes suddenly lit up.

I picked up my spoon languidly, "Not a real golden ticket. It's just a figure of speech. Anyway, I'm only given six days to prove myself."

"Anne, not only am I not sure I can teach you, I don't have time to teach you either. You see, our training schedules have all been increased and even our sleep time has been cut. There's really no time to relax except during meals. I also have to practice on my own to improve my skills. Sorry, can't help you." Sam clearly ended the negotiation. I already have no other offers.

***

The second training session was dominated by archery. While I along with a few others were still busy at the riding arena. The number of people practicing at the riding arena was around sixty and I was the only one on the side near the fence, along with Wilder who had just finished his lunch, trying to ride smoothly.

The senior troops who were assigned to train horsemanship seemed to be tired of seeing me who still hadn't made any progress. Even though I didn't relax much. Countless times I tried to jump on, but Wilder didn't seem to want to be ridden by me. He would just stand still when I was beside him, and when I tried to mount him, he would start moving restlessly.

I tried heart-to-heart conversations. I continued to give Wilder motivation and words of encouragement, hoping that he would understand me. Despite the fact that I was the one who really needed to be motivated.

"People say that no one is perfect. If someone is very good at something, then he will suck at something else. That seems to be true." said the senior trooper who was watching me, sneering at me.

"There seems to be something wrong with my horse. It keeps refusing when I try to get on it. Have you checked the health of the horses here?" , I asked, stroking Wilder's neck, trying to familiarize myself with him.

The senior trooper's face looked displeased, "Now are you trying to blame your horse to cover up your incompetence? It seems like you don't appreciate and think the principle of horsemate is just a joke, huh? Look, horses are just like us. It has feelings and can understand what we say. Don't you think about how he feels? Forget about today's training. You better pay close attention to how the other soldiers ride their horses. Don't take your eyes off them for a second! Understood?!" he said with bulging eyes, full of threats.

"Yes, sir!", I replied reluctantly.

As per his orders, I invited Wilder to move to the other side of the fence to get a closer look at how the other troops were riding. I had just found a good spot, in the warm sunshine amidst the chilly air, the troops were asked to move out of the way. Then a few people entered the arena, they looked familiar. The moment they took off their hats, I knew they were the judges. That meant it was time for Sam to be tested.

I suddenly felt very excited. Even more so when I saw Sam already on his horse, behind the fence, preparing to enter the arena when he was told to.

"You can do it, Sam! Break the leg!", I called out loudly, hoping Sam could hear me.

The arena door opened and Sam started yelling and stomping on the reins of his horse, Wymond. As I expected, Sam did very well. He went through all the arenas without a hitch, like water flowing in a river. It's a shame he said he couldn't teach me, but it's not impossible to ride in six days if he did.

It didn't take long for Sam to be assessed on his riding skills. He moved on to the archery area and I followed him. I honestly didn't have any expectations about Sam's archery skills. However, when he shot all the arrows, the results were completely unexpected.

Almost all the arrows were far from the center point and there was even one arrow that didn't hit the target board at all. I could see Sam was very disappointed with the results, and so were the judges. With such a result, I could be sure that Sam would also suffer the same fate as me. Being in the middle like a ghost trapped between the world of life and death.

My glum face changed in an instantly. I saw this as a good thing and a good opportunity for me.

Without a second thought, I walked straight up to Sam who had just walked out of the arena with her head bowed. This was my last chance. I couldn't mess it up.

"How did it go? You were so cool jumping on your horse!", I said excitedly.

Sam stopped and took off his leather gloves and threw them roughly on the ground while shouting, "Why did they test with those weak arrows instead of a real revolver?! So annoying!" Sam said, venting all his frustration.

I pursed my lips, hiding a smile, "I'd like to make you an offer." , I said.

Sam turned to me, though the look in his eyes was still annoyed, "What? I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now."

"No," I shook my head slowly, "I know what you need right now. Take a good look."

I picked up a pebble and looked for something suitable to target. A weather vane with an iron chicken on top of the stable looked interesting. I closed my left eye slowly to focus on the target and then exerted all my strength to throw the pebble in my hand to reach the object high up there. In the next second, we could see that the weather vane was spinning as it was hit by the pebble I threw.

"You need a mentor to teach you archery quickly and I need a mentor to teach me riding. Isn't that a win win solution? How are you interested?"

Sam was still staring at the still spinning weather vane with his mouth agape, "How would you do that?" , he asked.

A proud smile graced my face, I took that question as the highest and most sincere compliment.

"Don't you know I was born with the gift of the bullseye? I can hit any target near or far, high or low, visible or invisible."

"That sounds nonsensical, but it's pretty convincing." Sam commented, sounding no longer annoyed.

"How's that? Now you want to teach me? I only need six days, after that I promise not to bother you anymore. Your job is done."

Sam looked up at the sky, seemingly thinking and considering, until he finally looked back at me, "I teach you for six days and you teach me until I can."

I smiled widely, "Deal." I replied and extended my hand for a handshake.

Sam accepted my handshake as a sign that he accepted all the terms. The deal was officially made. My barrel of hope was full again and I was ready to face all the risks that awaited me outside.