Bear sighed as he walked into the castle. How would the King take it? His Learner was very ambitious, which wasn't a bad thing. Bear shook his head. He would have his hands full for the next 5 years. Bear nodded to the guards in front of the gates. They opened and Bear entered. He put his hood on his head. For some reason, liked to feel protected when he wore it. Bear glanced around and walked into the courtyard. He headed to the King's office area. Walking up the stairs, he found room 87. With shining numbers on the door and a lion head knocker, it seemed friendly. Bear knocked 3 times. "Enter" Bear opened the door. King Friz smiled as Bear walked into the room. "Well, Bear looks like Miss Lucy set up a room in the East Tower." Bear nodded, indicating that we had heard him. "Thank you, Martin." King Friz nodded. "I've brought a few of my belongings in my knapsack." Bear pointed to the bag that was sitting behind his chair. King Friz nodded. "And where, may I ask, is your Learner?" Bear sighed. "I've giving her an assignment. I've given her one week to take care of the house and learn how to be a responsible girl." King Friz looked alarmed at first. After Bear got into more detail, he realized that the assignment was reasonable. He nodded and narrowed his eyes. Bear stood up to the King and bowed down."I hope you don't mind sire, but I'd like to see my room and get it organized. King Friz nodded and dismissed Bear. Bear walked to room 104 in the East Tower. He walked into the room and looked around. It was a suitable room. It had a view of the city and the countryside. He unpacked his knapsack and laid on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, Bear became lost in thought.

Tiger finished eating her lunch. She cleaned up the house, stable, and fixed up her room. Bear had told her to visit the doctor a 2:00 pm so that they could take the bandages off her arm, It had been 6 weeks, and Tiger had been feeling no pain. When 2:00 came around, Tiger walked out to the stables and mounted Spot. She stopped at the front door and went to grab a carrot from the vegetable crate. She locked at door, and double-checked the stables. She gave some of the carrot to Cloud. She gave the rest to Spot. Tiger mounted Spot and rode into the village. Tiger arrived at the local doctor a few minutes later. Tiger pulled her cloak hood over her face so that you just couldn't make out the details. Tucking her hair inside if her cloak, Tiger walked into the office. The office lady looked up as Tiger opened the door. She smiled and welcomed in Tiger. "Name?" She asked. "Tiger Lilian Woodson. I think I'm to meet Doctor Huoston around this time?" The woman nodded. "If you wait right here for a moment, I'll go and see if he's busy." Tiger nodded and sat down in one of the chairs. A moment later, the lady poked her head out from the other office room. "Tiger, doctor Huoston can see you know." She said. Tiger stood up and walked into the office room. "Ah! Tiger, good to see you. What can I do for you today?" Tiger smiled and removed her hood. "Bear sent me to get my cast checked to see it can be taken off." Doctor Huoston nodded and held out his hand. "I'll take off the cast and feel your arm to see if the bone is completely healed." He said. Tiger nodded and held out her arm. Huoston carefully unwrapped her cast and studied her arm. After a few minutes, he wrote some notes on his parchment roll and smiled up at Tiger. "I think that you can take this cast off today. But one thing." He added "You are going to have to be very careful." Tiger noded indicating that she understood. "Otherwise, you're good to go, Tiger." Tiger smiled. She followed Huoston out of the office and paid at the desk. She walked out of the doctors office and untied Spot from the pony post. "Well, Spot.I have my cast taken off, so now I have to be very careful." Spot looked up at her will big eyes. I'm hungry they said. "Tiger laughed. "Look's like there's a hungry pony I have to feed." She took his reigns and and pulled her hood over her head. There was a cart that was selling animal food, like wheat,hay, carrots, and whatnot. Tiger purchased 2 carrots, one for her and one for Spot. Thank you he seemed to say. Tiger thought it would be a good idea to buy Bear something. Tiger looked around for the bakery. Spotting it, she walked toward it and tied up Spot at the pony post.

Crystal was working as hard as ever. Today's assignment was to go into the village as someone else, not her. As a Diplomatic Learner, she had to learn how to be anyone. Both Diplomatic Learners and Teachers were targeted when wars were happening. When Crystal became eligible to be a full fledged Diplomatic employee, she would be able to go on journeys to different castles with her sister. Crystal stopped her essay and took a small break. She was feeling a bit hungry, so she stood up from her desk and went to the door of her office. She opened it and went to the office next to hers. Knocking twice, she heard Madam Pomel say "Enter." and she opened the door. "Madam. May I take a small break? I am feeling a bit hungry." Madam Pomel smiled and nodded. "You've been working hard on that essay. You may take a small break, but make sure you come back in about 20 minutes at the most." Crystal sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you, Madam!" Crystal curtsied and walked out of the room. Crystal walked down to the kitchen. She sat down in one of the chairs and waited for one of the maids to take her order. Madiline, one of the new maid girls, rushed forward to the table. "What would you like, Madam?" asked Madiline. "Madiline, you can call me Crystal. But I would like on of those delicious pastry tarts, please?" Madiline nodded, and headed to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Madiline came back with 2 tarts. "Master Harold just finished making these." Crystal smiled. Madiline sat down and started at eat her tart. Crystal started to eat hers too. After they finished, Crystal looked at Madiline and asked "How did you end up here?" Madiline smiled and started to tell her story. She started out as a farm girl. When her dad died in a fire, they needed help badly. Madiline was the oldest, and applied for a job. When she got the job, she asked King Friz if there was a place for her mom and little brother to live. He gave them a room to live in for 3 months, and she was working to keep them there longer. Crystal was amazed by her story. Crysal looked at the grandfather clock. She would have to go back to her office soon. "It was lovely talking with you Madiline, but I have to go back to my office and keep writing my essay." Madiline nodded. She said goodbey to Crystal and cleared the plates. "Good luck, Madiline." Madiline looked back and smiled. Crystal Started toward the stairwell that lead to the Diplomatic brach of the castle.

Tiger fed Spot and Sky before going inside. She looked around. Something wasn't right.The carrot crate wasn't on the table before. And why her "door" opened? She looked around for something to defend herself with. She grabbed the dagger that was on her belt. "Who's there?" she called. There was a very faint scuffing sound. She opened the painting all of the way to let in the light. She looked around. "I'm armed! Don't move or you are going to be arrested immediately." Tiger heard saw someone walking to the light. Tiger was surprised for a few seconds. "What are you doing back here?" Tiger asked forcefully. "I am looking for necklace of gold. I was told by my brother that there was treasure in the attic of the small cottage." Tiger studied the boy. He looked about 7 years old. "Where did you come from?" She asked as she sheathed her dagger. "I'm from the village." The boy said. Tiger sighed. "Well, I'm going to have to get you back home." Tiger said. Tiger pulled her hood over her head so that the boy couldn't see her face. "Come here." She said. The boy walked over to her. "Did you take anything?" Tiger asked. "Uh.." Tiger held out her hand. "Hand it over." She said. The boy looked amazed. "How did you know I took something." Tiger smiled a little bit. "I know things." Was her response. The boy handed Tiger the necklace that she had found in the attic. She put the necklace back around her neck and tucked it away from sight. She took the little boys hand and lead him to the stable. She turned to him and said "I am going to put you on Spot. Hold on to these as tight as you can." She pointed to the reigns in her hand. He nodded. She put him on Spot and he grabbed the reigns. She got Sky out of her stable and mouthed her. Tiger got a rope and tied it to Spots saddle. She urged Spot to walk forward and they made their way to the village. When they got to the entrance, Tiger asked the boy where he lived. He thought for a moment. "I live by the bakery and the tailor." He said. Tiger nodded and rode in the direction of the barkery she was at before. When they got near the place, Tiger looked around. The boy pointed to a house and said "That's my mommy over there!" Tiger looked around and saw a distressed looking woman. When she saw the boy she stormed over to him and pulled him off of Spot. She turned to Tiger and shouted "What are you doing with my son!?". Tiger got off of Sky and held up her hand for silence. "The reason I have your son is because I found him in my cottage. My question is, why was he there?" The woman looked at the boy. "What where you doing an Archers house?" She demanded. "Brian told me that there was treasure in there and that he would give me his desert if I went to get it." The boy said. The lady sighed. "I'm sorry, Archer. My sons are always causing trouble." Tiger shook off the apology. "I've seen enough even as a 6 week Learner." Tiger said. She mounted Spot and took Sky's reigns. "Good day." She called to the family. Tiger got back to the cottage and hoped that there wasn't any intruders.

On Wednesday morning, Tiger slept in a little later than she had expected. Her eyes flew open and she sat up trying to remember the details of her dream. It had been about Crystal and Jason, and them hating her for leaving the castle to be an Archer. Jason had been a big, mean dude with perfect swordsmanship, and Crystal had been the most witty person ever. Anything that Tiger had tried to say was replied immediately with something nasty. Tiger shook her head. That would never happen in real life, would it? Tiger reminded herself that she would be visiting the castle today. Tiger sat up on her bed looked around. She sighed and got up to go to the kitchen and make some breakfast. Today was pancake day. Tiger made herself three pancakes. Tiger ate quickly and started to do daily chores. Dusting, feeding the horses, sweeping up her room, and cleaning the dishes. Tiger looked at the big clock on the wall. 11:00 am. She could exercise Sky and Spot. Tiger walked out to the stables. Sky lifted her head and whinnied. "Good morning, Sky. How about some exercise today, huh? How does that sound?" tiger smiled and took Sky out of her pen. Tiger mounted Sky and rode her to the training track. Tiger opened the door to the track. After riding Sky for a while, Tiger decided that it would be a good idea to go and mount Spot to go to the castle. Tiger gave Sky a few carrots to reward her for her hard work. Tiger locked all of the doors, and the stables before leaving. When Tiger arrived, she told the guard her name and he let her pass. She could feel his eyes burning on the back of her head out of curiosity. Tiger smiled. She loved being an Archer. Tiger put Spot in the royal stables and walked into the courtyard and headed toward the dining hall. She looked around, but couldn't see Bear. She smiled to herself as she heard bear behind her trip on something. She pretended to look around and not notice. When he got close enough, she quickly turned around grabbed Bear's wrists. "Ha! I got you that time Bear!" Tiger exclaimed. "You have quite sharp hearing skills, there. I guess that will be useful at times, but not for me." Tiger smiled. "I am going to visit my sister, if that's okay with you." Bear nodded. "Go ahead. I have another meeting with the King and Battlemaster." Tiger nodded to her Teacher and made her way to the stairs that lead to the Diplomatic branch. Crystal would be surprised to see her. Tiger smiled and pulled her hood over her head.

Crystal gazed out the window and sighed. Life was hard as a Diplomatic Learner. You had to learn so many things, how to write in code, how to disguise yourself with limited items, and how to defend yourself. Crystal walked over to her bed and climbed into it. A little nap wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? Crystal closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

Tiger walked up the tower stairs toward Crystals room. Tiger stopped beside the door and put her ear against it. There was a soft snore coming from inside the room. She must be asleep Tiger thought. Tiger opened the door and closed it silently. Tiger walked across the room and sat on the floor. She looked around for something that would wake up Crystal. She saw a small pebble on the floor and picked it up. Tiger glanced at her sister and shook her head. She would never throw anything at Crystal. tiger glanced on her desk and saw a lamp. Tiger lifted her arm and threw the pebble at the lamp. It fell over with a crash. Crystal sat up suddenly and looked around. Tiger, who was ducked behind the foot of the bed, sat perfectly still. Crystal got up out of the bed and walked to the other side of the room toward her desk. Tiger got up quickly and stood in front of the bed. She pulled the hood over her head and stood as still as possible. Crystal turned around and saw Tiger standing there. She screamed and dropped the lamp again. "That lamp has taken quite the beating, hasn't it?" Tiger said. Crystal relaxed as she realized who it was. "How did you get into my room?" Tiger smiled and pulled the hood off of her head and smiled. "Magic." She said. Crystal shook her head and sighed. "Something tells me that that's not the answer, but okay." Tiger smiled and pat down on the bed. The sisters had a nice time talking with each other, sharing news, and what their favorite part of being a Learner was. Many hours later, Tiger glanced out the window and realized that it was getting dark outside. Bear never said when she had to go back home, and even if she stayed later, she could easily go back to the cottage. Tiger stood up and walked to the window and looked outside. She hadn't seen her other friends in a while. Tiger wondered how their training was doing, and whether they liked their Teachers or not. Crystal walked up beside her sister and looked in the direction that she was. "You will be an Archer soon." She said. Tiger shook her head. "That's not what I'm worried about. I just want to see everyone again." Crystal put her hand on her shoulder but said nothing. After a few minutes, Tiger turned to her sister and sighed. "I guess that I should go back home." Crystal nodded. "It is pretty late. You don't want another disastrous occasion to happen." Tiger smiled and nodded. She said goodbye to her sister and walked down the stairs. She stopped at the tower lookout and sighed again. Why couldn't life just be easy? Tiger walked back home and went straight to bed.

On Sunday, Bear came back to the cottage to some delicious lunch. Tiger had gotten some fish from the town and cooked it with a little salad to go with it. Tiger looked at Bear and asked "What are we going to do today?" Bear smiled replied. "Today, I'm going to teach you how to shoot that bow of yours." Tiger skipped excitedly and went to get her bow and quiver. Bear finished his meal and cleaned off his dish. Tiger came back to clean up the table and she diah too. She got her bow and quiver and looked up at Bear. Bear went to get his bow and quiver and took Tiger to the shooting range. 

Tiger was exhausted. Exhausted but excited she thought. For almost four hours, Tiger had learned the basics and steps to shoot her bow. Tiger hung up her bow and quiver on their hooks and climbed into her bed. For the next three to five months, Tiger practiced at her bow and arrows, and even learned how to throw her dagger. Tiger disliked the dagger. It didn't seem right to use it. But she still had to learn. Soon, Tiger got very good at shooting her bow, and even was able to creep up on Bear. One day, Bear and Tiger were sitting on the porch talking. Bear looked at Tiger and sighed. "Tiger, there is something that I have to tell you. You know that when I met you, I introduced myself as Bear. My real name isn't Bear. My real name is Phillip." Tiger looked surprised. "I think that I like Bear better." Bear laughed. "That's why I changed my name. No one but the King knows." Tiger nodded. "I think I can keep a secret."

3 years later.

Today was the day. Tiger would finally get her arrow that signified that she would be a fully learned Archer. She had to dress in her full cloak, belt, and quiver, but that didn't bother her at all. The king would present her with the arrow, and Tiger would have to shoot it out into the wood. She would be able to retrieve it after the celebration. Everyone was watching as King Friz held out the shining silvery arrow. Tiger picked it up, loaded the arrow into the bow, pulled it back and released. As soon as that happened, the crowd burst into cheers and whoops. Tiger stood there and looked at the crowd, searching for her sister. Crystal was standing in the front. Tiger slung the bow over her shoulder and walked to greet her sister. Crystal ran up and hugged her sister. "I'm so proud of you!" Tiger smiled. What else could be better that succession? Soon after the celebration, Tiger started to search for the arrow but it was nowhere to be found. She even went in trees room see if it was stuck in a branches. She couldn't find it anywhere. She went back to crystals room. And asked her but she said that she saw it fall by the 5th and 6th arrow which means that the 5th and 6th arrow to be shot in the woods fell over there and marked for the memory. She went back outside. She went to where she shot it and looked up. It was just a bird but it started to fall. It hit the ground and the arrow was stuck in its side, " but how" she wondered. She thought again and the only thing she could think of was someone blackmailing her.