The Sister Princesses & The Archery Tournament

The Middlest and Youngest Sister Princesses sat up in their beds to see their Oldest Sister was not in hers. Rubbing their eyes, the Middlest Sister wondered where her Older Sister had gone and the Youngest Sister wondered what was for breakfast. After getting dressed and ready for the day, they went downstairs…

…but downstairs was more quiet than they had ever heard the Castle. No one was there!

They then heard a trumpet sound outside. The Middlest Sister snapped her fingers.

Today was the Archery Tournament…and the Oldest Sister was competing!

Racing outside, the two Sister Princesses saw all the colorful flags and banners and outfits from all the other Kingdoms! There were vendors selling all kinds of pies and meats and sugary treats, the smells almost lifting the Youngest Sister off her feet.

The Youngest Sister was about to snap her fingers with an idea involving eating, but the Middlest Sister grabbed her hand and they ran towards the Castle’s Garden, where the Archery Tournament would be held.

Finding their Father King and Mother Queen seated in their Royal Box, the two Sister Princesses climbed onto their laps and saw the Oldest Sister preparing for the first round of the Tournament.

Every year Princes and Princesses from all the other Kingdoms came to compete in this contest. This year, the Oldest Sister was old enough to enter.

The Middlest and Youngest Sisters remembered how hard their Oldest Sister had practiced in the Castle’s Gardens, often waking up before even the Royal Chef started making their breakfasts. The Queen’s Archer had been her teacher and she had taught the Oldest Sister how to stand and how to breathe and how to hold her arms just right and how to bring the arrow right up to her cheek and, most important of all, to keep both of her eyes opened and focussed on the target. It was a lot to remember, even for the Oldest Sister.

From the Field, the Oldest Sister saw her Royal Family and waved to them, excited that they would see her in her very first contest. She did her best to remember all the lessons the Queen’s Archer had taught her.

But there was one lesson the Oldest Sister did not want to learn.

When you losoe, you must choose how you losoe.

The Oldest Sister did not want to loose. In fact, she was sure she would win. She had practiced so hard for so many months. Her arms were stronger from pulling back the notched arrow, her hands steadier from holding the taught bow string, and her breathing smoother from her breathing exercises. She thought about the three circles on the target: Black for 1 point, Blue for two points, and Red for 5 points, which was a bullseye at the center of the target.

I am going to win, she thought to herself.

The horn sounded from the Tournament Master and the first archer from another Kingdom went first.

Whack!

The arrow stuck into the blue circle. The crowd cheered.

All of a sudden, the Oldest Sister had a terrible thought.

I could loose!

From their Royal Box, the Middlest and Youngest Sister noticed that their Oldest Sister didn’t look as confident as when they first saw her.

Whack!

Another archer from another Kingdom shot their arrow. All the Sisters saw that arrow was in the Red Circle. A bullseye for 5 points.

The cheers of the crowd hurt the Oldest Sister’s ears, which she did not like. Her heart began to beat quicker, which she did not like. Her thoughts wandered everywhere except towards archery, which she did not like.

The Middlest and Youngest Sisters watched as their Oldest Sister dropped her bow and quiver (that’s the tube that holds arrows) as she ran from the Castle’s Garden and away from the Archery Tournament. The Sisters wanted to follow her, but their Father King and Mother Queen held their hands.

“It’s not your place to help your Sister now,” the Mother Queen explained. “Let her have a moment.”

The Middlest and Youngest Sister did not really understand what that meant, but they trusted their Father King and Mother Queen.

The Oldest Sister had found a space between two brightly colored tents. She sat down and hugged her knees against her face. She felt scared and sad and embarrassed and…

“There you are, your Majesty.”

Looking up, the Oldest Sister saw the kind, familiar face of the Queen’s Archer. She had been the Queen's Archer for longer than the Oldest Sister had been alive and she was the best archer in the Kingdom.

“What are you doing here, Your Majesty?” the Queen’s Archer asked, kneeling beside the Oldest Sister. “It is almost your turn. We must return to the - ”

“No,” the Oldest Sister protested as she began to cry. “I won’t go back. I don’t want to.”

“And why is that,” asked the Queen’s Archer.

The Oldest Sister looked up so she and the Queen’s Archer could see eye to eye.

“I don’t want to loose.”

The Queen’s Archer nodded. “No one likes to loose, especially at something they love. Can I ask you a question, Your Majesty?”

The Oldest Sister nodded back.

“Why do you like archery?”

The Oldest Sister had never thought about it before. She thought very hard very quickly because though she didn’t want to go back to the Archery Tournament, she also did want to go back. Even though she felt scared and sad and embarrassed, she still wanted to shoot her bow and arrow! But why?

“It’s fun! And I’m good at it!”

The Queen’s Archer smiled. “It is fun and you are good at it. May I ask you another question, Your Majesty?”

Feeling a little better, the Oldest Sister nodded again.

“Was it fun before the Archery Contest?”

The Oldest Sister thought about it again.

“It was. I enjoyed it so much,” she said.

Smiling again, the Queen’s Archer agreed. “And were you good at it before the Archery Contest?”

“I was!” the Oldest Sister replied. “But…”

“But what?” asked the Queen’s Archer.

“The other archers are better than me.” The Oldest Sister buried her face against her knees again.

The Queen’s Archer placed her hand on the Oldest Sister’s shoulder. “That is true. You are younger and less experienced than most of the archers competing. You will probably not win today.”

For some reason, hearing her teacher say that she would not win somehow made the Oldest Sister Princess fell better. Instead of trying to be better than the other archers, she could focus on doing her best and having fun.

Standing to her feet, the Oldest Sister wiped her eyes and brushed off her pants.

“When I loose, I have to decide how to loose,” she reminded herself and looked at the Queen’s Archer, who was standing beside her. “Alright,” the Oldest Sister took a deep breath, “I’m ready.”

So, the two walked back to the Archery Tournament where the Oldest Sister did not win, but did her best, which is all she could ever ask of herself.