Wings of Destruction and Duty

30.2 || Orion

Orion felt a rush of determination sweep through him. He had accepted the prince's offer in a bid to win his freedom, failure was not an option. So he tightened his grip on his bow and hoped that a stray gust of wind would be kind enough to thwart the prince's arrow.

Everyone seemed to hold their breaths as the prince released his shot, the arrow soaring through the warm afternoon air. It struck the target with near accuracy, grazing the very edge of the bullseye. Orion sucked in a breath and suppressed the smile blooming along the edges of his mouth. No wind had answered his prayer but it seemed that the prince had given Orion the opening he needed in order to win.

The attendant called out, "Seven points for our prince!" and the prince turned to Orion. A challenging glint simmered in the prince eyes, and stony-faced Orion looked him in the face and said, "It's a pity how quickly beginner's luck will wear off."

The prince let out a low hiss and Orion pushed past to position himself before the third and final target; he could not back down now. The freckled attendant passed him another arrow, and Orion delicately brushed his fingers over the feathers attached to its end. He squared his shoulders, fingers finding their familiar positions on the bowstring, then drew and released.

The arrow sliced through the air, finding its mark with a satisfying thwack. Silence descended upon the crowd and it took Orion several heartbeats to realise that he'd managed to fire the arrow dead into the centre of the target. He looked towards the attendant who offered him a smile before turning to the crowd and announcing his score. Polite applause sounded from the spectators and even the prince responded with a small grin and a nod in his direction.

However, the pounding excitement within his veins quickly dampened when Orion counted the scores in his head. Should the prince manage to secure a perfect twelve on his final turn, then his fate was securely in the prince's hands. He scanned the eager crowd; all eyes had turned to the prince who had now obtained his final arrow and was preparing to take his last shot.

Orion swallowed. There was a chance, a very high chance, that his first shot had set him up for failure and with everyone watching the prince, hardly anyone would notice if he slipped away. He glanced over his shoulder. If he slipped back into the courtyard the prince had dragged him from, then perhaps he could make it out and towards the general direction of the city.

Orion took a step back and paused. It was tempting to run but leaving now would be unsportsmanlike and could lead to more trouble. He turned the idea over in his head. Taking the chance to run for his life far outweighed the shame that came with being rude but it still felt foolish. The prince and his men knew the area too well and Orion doubted he'd get far without getting lost or caught. And trying to run from a deal he'd made might only hinder his attempts to convince the prince not to turn him over to his father.

Orion sighed and sucked in his breath. He hated making decisions that turned his thoughts to mush. But upon glancing down at the bow in his hands, Orion decided to stay. If it came to it and the prince did want to capture him, then there was nothing stopping him from hitting a few people on the head in order to make a grand escape.

A raucous cheer erupted from the field and when Orion looked up, his heart sank. A single arrow, pierced through the bullseye and out the other side of the target. The prince had scored his perfect twelve and Orion's bow suddenly weighed as much as lead. Orion didn't have to wait for the attendant to tally up the scores to know that the prince had won and he watched the cheers grow louder as the attendant struggled to shout over the din.

He watched as a triumphant smile bloomed across the prince's face and braced for the prince to turn and order his capture. Instead, he caught the young man examining him and when their eyes met the prince only frowned and turned to the attendant who'd appeared by his side. As a few curious eyes turned his way, Orion walked toward the prince and extended his hand.