With everyone gathered in the main hall, the king gave his daughters a reassuring look before clearing his throat.

“Today marks the first day of the royal tournament,” he stated, addressing the suitors standing before him.  “As all of you are aware, you will undergo four trials which have already been pre-determined.  Each trial will also have an appointed expert advisor at your disposal.  At the end, one of you will be declared victor and ultimately win my daughter’s hand in marriage.”

Some of the suitors cheered and whistled in excitement directed at the object of their affection.  Jessica could only roll her eyes in response.

Yuri was the only one who remained silent.  She quickly stole a glance at Tiffany.  When their eyes met, Tiffany seemed to jump in surprise as she quickly turned away, a noticeable blush on her face.  Yuri couldn’t help but smile to herself when she recalled the kiss they shared the night before. 

“That’s quite enough,” he commanded, silencing the other suitors.  “I will now announce the first trial.  It will be a test of your accuracy, patience, and control.  The art of archery.  I must stress that this first trial is not about brute force, but one of mental toughness,” the king finished.

“You’re probably going to need a lot of it once you’re married to her,” Taecyeon whispered to Jaebum, who snickered in response.

Hearing this, Yuri let go of her sword, which landed directly on Taecyeon’s foot.

“Owww!” he growled in response.

“Oh, how clumsy of me,” Yuri replied, feigning ignorance as she knelt down to pick up her sword.

“You better watch it, woman,” he remarked with a sneer.

“Funny, I was almost going to say the same thing about your face,” Yuri shot back as she dusted off the sheath.

“Why you…” Taecyeon said as he raised a hand in anger.

“Enough!” the king shouted.  “You are all excused.  You have the rest of the day to prepare.  Please use your time wisely.  That is all.”

With that, the king left in a huff with his daughters in tow.

As Yuri looked on, Jessica gave her a quick thumbs up.  Tiffany had a worried look on her face while Yoona, the sister she hadn’t met yet, gave her a wink.

“What an interesting family,” Yuri mumbled to herself.

Her thoughts were cut short when she noticed Taecyeon standing in front of her. 

“Good luck tonight,” he said with a greasy look on his face as he extended a hand.

Yuri looked at it skeptically, but decided to play along.

As she extended her hand, Taecyeon quickly pulled his hand away and ran it through his equally greasy hair with a laugh.  As he walked past, he deliberately bumped Yuri in the shoulder.  

Balling her fists and gritting her teeth, it took every ounce of strength not to turn around.  Suddenly, she felt a whack on her back.  Thinking it was Taecyeon coming back for round two, Yuri spun around.   

“Whoa, there!  I just wanted to check if you were ready to meet the expert,” Taeyeon said lightly, her hands held up in mock defense. 

Yuri let out a sigh of relief. 

“Yes, ma’am,” she said with a laugh as she draped an arm over Taeyeon’s shoulders.

---

After taking a few more practice shots, Yuri signaled to Taeyeon that she needed a break.

“Where is this so called expert anyway?” Taeyeon said as she tossed Yuri a towel.

“Who knows.  I wouldn’t be able to recognize him even if he was standing right in front of me,” Yuri said with a shrug.

“I bet he’s some old guy who still thinks he’s better than everyone else,” Taeyeon joked.

As if on cue, someone cleared their throat from behind.

“You must be Yuri.”

Yuri and Taeyeon quickly turned around to see a young girl standing in the doorway.

“I don’t believe we’ve formally met.  My name is Sunny and I’ll be your advisor for the first trial,” she said making her way toward them.  “And to answer your questions, I’m 26, 100% female, and I would like to think that I stack up pretty well against any archer in the kingdom,” she said, glaring at Taeyeon.

“Ooo, burn,” Yuri remarked as she nudged Taeyeon in the shoulder who could only scoff in response.

“So will the rest of you be joining us later or is this it?” Taeyeon fired, referring to her short stature.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Sunny jabbed back, looking Taeyeon right in the eye.

“Okay guys, that’s enough,” Yuri said with a laugh.  “Why don’t we direct all this energy to helping me win the first trial, okay?” 

“Fine,” both girls said flatly, eyes still locked on each other.

“So how does this whole advisor thing work?” Yuri said picking up her bow.

“It’s simple,” Sunny said as she sat down on a stool.  “It’s up to you want you want out of it.  Based on what I observe, I can offer advice that may give you the best opportunity to win,” she stated.  “Whenever you’re ready,” she motioned to Yuri before folding her arms.  “Let’s see what you got.”

With that, Yuri picked up an arrow and took aim.  Steadying herself, she took a breath before pulling the string back and sending the arrow toward the target.

Taeyeon jumped up and shouted as the arrow nearly missed the bullseye.  Yuri pumped her fist in satisfaction.

“Nice shot!” Taeyeon said enthusiastically.  “Pretty darn good, right?” Taeyeon said, looking over at Sunny.

“Not bad,” she said shifting her focus from the target to Yuri.

“Your form is good, but I noticed your left hand waivered slightly at the last minute which caused your shot to go high.  “Are you nervous?” she asked with a genuine tone.

“A little,” Yuri said as she took a breath.  “I’m usually pretty calm in general, but this tournament has got me on edge.”

“Relax.  Try not to grip the bow too tightly.  When you draw the arrow, make sure you do it in one fluid motion.  Whenever I prepare to take a shot, I always treat the bow and arrow like a living, breathing being rather than an inanimate object.  You’ll notice your movements will become softer and more natural.  The last thing you want to do is force a shot.”

“You got all of that from one shot?” Yuri said almost in disbelief.  “I can see why you’re the advisor.”

“Better than I expected,” Taeyeon said as Yuri nudged her, giving her a knowing look.

“In any case Yuri, I think you’re in good hands so I’ll leave you to prepare on your own.”

Before Sunny walked out, she stopped next to Yuri and whispered in her ear before leaving.

“What did she say that needed to be whispered to you in secret?” Tayeon asked out of curiosity.

“Nothing much,” Yuri said with a smile.