Royal Trespassing

Chapter 9

We followed him to the main room and through a locked door beside the bathroom. It held the usual musty castle smell which was comforting to have something familiar amongst all this chaos. He flipped a switch and a dull light fell over the room.

"I've collected a wide selection of weapons to choose from."

He wasn't lying. Shiny and rusty swords of all shapes and sizes took place on wooden stands. Antique and modern guns with ammunition lay on shelves. Bows, daggers, spike balls, numchucks, and whats appears to be bombs, scatter the room.

"Pick any that you like and we'll go outside to practice," said Mr. Crimson.

How am I suppose to choose? I don't know anything about weapons. I don't know any of their advantages or disadvantages. Oh well, I'll figure it out. I walked around picking things up and pretending to take aim, taking notice of their weight and manipulation. I didn't like how bulky the bows were or how heavy the swords were. I picked up some of the guns. They are light, I like that. My father keeps a gun locked up in our safe but I only saw it once when we were cleaning the safe out.

"So you've chosen the pistol?"asked Mr. Crimson.

His voice startled me. Apparently I've taken a long time choosing an instrument of death because Mia is staring at me holding a bow and Mr. Crimson has his arms folded.

"So that's what it's called. They're all seem nearly the same to me."

"There are many types if guns that are quite different. If you're choosing the pistol, you may want grab another one and the ammunition to the right. "

I found the gun's cold, metallic partner and the bullets. He lead us outside to the courtroom. It's a beautiful, breezy day. It's a shame we've been cooped up in the castle all this time. Mr. C set up targets for Mia and I. He instructed her how to load, aim and shoot the bow. After several shots she hit the target and Mr. Crimson came towards me.

"May I see a pistol?"

I placed it in his hands. He laid the gun on his palm. With his other hand he pointed to certain parts.

"This is the trigger. You pull the trigger to shoot. This is the magazine release."

He pushed the button and the bottom of the gun fell out! Luckily he caught the grey block in his hand.

"This is the magazine. It contains the bullets. When you run out of ammunition, press the release to remove the old cartridge and insert another one. "

I nodded my head intently. He returned the gun to its precious position on his palm.

"This is the barrel and muzzle. It's where the bullet departs. Never look down the barrel even if you're believe it's empty. This is the rear and front sight used for aiming. This is the hammer which pushes back when you shoot. Keep your fingers on the trigger guard until the moment you are prepared to shoot."

He gripped the pistol with his right hand then placed his left on the gun.

"Square your body with the target, take aim, and pull the trigger."

It was louder than I expected but he hit the target, one ring away from the bullseye.

"Wait a second, aren't we suppose to you safety googles and ear muffs while we practice?" I asked.

"That's advised, however climbing mountains and fighting off beasts has never been advised."

Hmmm. Good point.

"Go on. Let's see ya do it."

I took I deep breath then slowly exhaled. I aligned my shoulders with the target, matched the sights with the bullseye, and took another deep breath. I placed my sweaty finger on the tigger then pulled. The gun smashed backwards which caused my arms to fold and the pistol to hit my chest.

"Holy crap what was?!" I screemed in pain.

"Oh yes I forgot to mention the recoil."

"What's that?"

"After you shoot, the gun pushes back towards you. You have to keep your arms steady to refrain from injuries."

"Well thanks for letting me know ahead of time. Jesus."

My chest is still throbbing but I think I was a little mean to him so I gave out some smiles. Hey what do you know, I actually grazed the target.

"Not too shabby for your first shot miss."

He came to pat me on the shoulder.

"But you and Mia still needs lots of practice."

"Yeah I'm aware."

I picked the chest smasher off the ground. A loud clanking noise came out of no where! The next thing I see is an arrow slicing through the sky. I want to move but I don't know where to go, where the arrow might be headed. I saw it speeding closer. Mr. Crimson pulled me up and away faster than I could think! Mia came rushing over with tears cascading down her pink face.

"I'm so sorry. The arrow bounced off the back wall of the castle! I couldn't do anything to stop it!" She said nearly crushing me under her hug.

"It's okay. There's no harm done. Let's just keep practicing before it turns dark."

She wiped her tears aways and walked off.

"Thank you Mr. Crimson."

"You're welcome. I'm sure you'll end up returning the favor this summer."

"Yeah sure."

The real danger was not apparent to me till I almost died by friendly fire. Maybe we shouldn't do this. No, we've already agreed to it. We've been blessed with this amazing opportunity. I'm not going to waste it because of a little fear.

We practiced till night had fallen. Then we dinned and slept.