The young attendant seemed wholly confused as she handed Orion a polished longbow and said, "as per the prince's orders, we've set up three targets. The outermost ring will award you three points, the second seven and the middle twelve."

She then cast a furtive glance over Orion's shoulder, awkwardly patted him on the back and said, "I wish you good luck."

Orion nodded, grateful for her support and weighed the bow in his hands. A firm tug of the bowstrong sent a familiar twang ringing through the air and he sighed in relief. Arrogance would get him nowhere and his arm still ached from the Morass child's bite, but the bow's similarly to the one his aunts had taught him to use brought him a welcome sense of reassurance.

He smiled and upon looking up, he found himself faced with unhappy glares from the prince's companions. All three men were stunned when the prince had dragged Orion out into the courtyard. But the prince had only smiled and loudly proclaimed that Orion was nothing but a dim-witted acquaintance who had snuck onto castle ground to challenge him.

Now, ten minutes later, it was clear that none of the prince's so-called friends truly believed what he had to say. Their hostility hung near-visible in the warm afternoon air and under their scrutiny, Orion started to sweat.

Laurel had never properly explained the significance of hiding the true colour of his eyes, except that revealing it would mean a painful end to his life. So Orion sincerely hoped that unlike Romril's spells, her potions would not give up on him. He recognised the look simmering in the eyes of the prince's men. Hungry, watchful and ever so troubling, just like the vultures that once circled the skies above his childhood home.

Orion swallowed and willed his pounding heart to calm to a steady beat. With each step towards the waiting prince and his pack of hounds, the bow grew heavier and his breath began to catch. The cold hand of dread stroked his whirling thoughts and it dawned on him that his only real path to freedom hinged completely on the promise given by a young man he barely knew.

He wanted to laugh. It was stupid, but with the magnitude of the situation he didn't know what else to do. If his aunts were here, they would have scolded him about the sheer idiocy of agreeing to a deal where the most likely outcome would lead to him trapped and alone.

It was a yawning lonely feeling and when Orion arrived before the starting line, he saw that the prince was absorbed in a hushed conversation with two of his friends. No doubt he was still trying to justify his reasons for hauling Orion out of a bush, and the thought of a prince undergoing an interrogation put a smile on his face. He looked around, idly running his fingers over the wooden bow in his hands when someone cleared their throat.

One of the prince's friends, a grim-faced young man with sandy stubble dotting the surface of his chin, seemed to have taken a particular interest in him. But when Orion raised his head to meet his gaze, the young man only narrowed his eyes and scoffed. To which Orion raised an eyebrow in indignation and heavily considered accidentally stepping on his carefully polished shoes. But his temper quickly cooled when he remembered that without the elves by his side, he was completely alone.

So he smiled and through gritted teeth offered up his best greeting, the one that his aunts made him pull out on those rare days when guests were allowed to grace their living room floor. However, the young man did not respond and instead shifted his gaze to look beyond Orion's head.

Orion blinked. He was used to being snubbed. As a child, those within the nearby village had never appreciated when he would arrive, mucky and scratched from within the forest, loudly declaring that his aunties had finally allowed him to spend time with his new friends. New friends. It was always new friends because he'd never been able to remain in contact for very long.

But now when faced with a man who so clearly believed himself to be leaps and bounds ahead of him, Orion realised that thankfully he didn't care enough to feel hurt. So he turned his head and looked the other way.

Thankfully, the budding awkwardness was broken by the prince's arrival. He slapped Orion on the back and declared that there was no time like the present, and so the match was about to begin. By now, word of the prince's impromptu contest had gotten out and a small crowd of curious onlookers hovered by the edges of the training grounds. Their wary gazes bore holes in Orion's confidence and he sighed.

Their discomfort was understandable because here he was, a total stranger with a weapon, and he was standing right next to their prince.

Orion looked to the prince who, rather than being phased, basked in the attention as he waved and even winked at a spectator and if Orion's heart hadn't been pounding, he might have been tempted to roll his eyes. When all this was over, he might chance asking the prince how he'd learned to preen so well. But all that, and his life, depended on winning.

As reality set in, Orion tried his hardest to tune out the growing whispers and focused his attention on the smooth bow clutched within his hand. They had failed to provide him with an arm guard, something that he'd like to believe was a mistake and not a barefaced attempt to give their prince an advantage, but it was too late to rectify the error.

The prince looked all too eager to begin the contest as he pushed Orion forwards with a massive grin and said, "guests first!"

Orion allowed himself to be led before the first target where the same attendant pressured an arrow squarely into Orion's open palms. Its iron head gleamed cruelly in the afternoon sun, a sharp contrast to the snowy feathers anchored to its end. The low hum of voices bumbled through his head and wincing, he took a deep breath and placed his foot firmly on the line.

It was as his aunts said, winds, birds and the distant roar of a tumbling waterfall were all sounds that he needed to tune out. The spectators and their barbed words were no different.

Orion steadied his breathing and willed a creeping tremor to vacate his already clammy hands. When all had settled, he nocked the arrow, raised his arm and sent the arrow flying through the air on wings of bated breath.

The arrow landed solidly in the outermost ring and Orion muttered a short curse under his breath. Three measly points would mean nothing for securing his freedom and judging from the smirk flitting across the prince's face, he wasn't the only one who knew it.

"Three points for our challenger." The attendant's reedy voice cut through his worries and she motioned for the prince to come forward.

He did so with a grin, plucking the arrow from her open hand before turning to Orion and muttering, "it seems like beginner's luck is not something that will grace your efforts today."

Orion gave the prince his most charming smile and said, "you are awfully confident for someone who has yet to take his shot. For all we know, you could miss and I'll be ahead."

"You–" The prince's cheeks reddened at the taunt and Orion pushed past the churning bile in his stomach to move away from the prince and gesture towards the waiting target.

"I believe it's your turn?"

The prince pushed past him with a growl and for a brief moment, Orion felt guilty. He knew it was unfair to rile up an opponent and risk altering their performance. However, upon observing the prince's swagger and winks at the still growing crowd, Orion shrugged. This had all started with the prince so really, he had no one but himself to blame. But for all his griping, Orion did admit that the prince's confidence was not misplaced. For when he raised his arm and took the shot, his arrow landed firmly in the centre of the target and set off a round of scattered applause from those observing.

"Twelve points for his royal highness!"

The prince spun around with a smirk and motioned for Orion to approach the second target. Orion returned the smile, moving past him with what he hoped was a head held high. He brushed past the prince to get at the arrow offered by the attendant, and in doing so heard the prince mutter, "I am curious how you plan on turning this around. Remember, if you fail I will turn you and your magic over to my father."

Irritation, tinged with the bitter taste of fear, chafed at the back of his throat as Orion griminced and said, "I will be sure to keep that in mind, your highness."

He steadied himself before the target, weighed the bow for reassurance and willed his hands to remain firm. Three points was a dismal score but there were two more rounds to go and although she was not by his side, perhaps he could imagine Niamh's spirit standing by his side.

Orion pulled back the string and allowed himself to feel the tension murmuring through the weapon. If Niamh were here, she would have told him to imagine each release was letting a part of him move free with the arrow. It was strange advice. If one lost part of themselves every time they sent an arrow flying, then people would quickly find themselves fading away. But he allowed himself to sink into the familiar memory of her hand on his shoulder, fingers nudging his muscles into the proper position. Then he let the arrow fly.

It was a clear hit in the centre of the ring.

Blood rushed to his head, filling it with a roar that almost drowned out the attendant's shout. All chatter had simmered out, with many spectators sneaking glances at the prince's face. But Orion was too busy counting in his head. Three plus twelve gave him a healthy fifteen points. It wasn't solid, but it was enough to make him feel as if he could turn things around.

A shadow fell upon him and when Orion looked up, he saw the prince watching him. Orion braced himself for admonishment. To embarrass a prince on his own territory was surely a bad move. However his life was on the line so perhaps it was alright to hurl all manners out the window.

But to his credit, the prince looked pleasantly shocked and Orion swore he saw a shadow of a genuine smile flit across the prince's face. But as quickly as it had appeared, the smile was replaced by a nonchalant grin. The prince turned to the crowd and let out a cheer.

"It seems that our visitor has found his feet!"

The crowd responded with a laugh and when he walked past Orion, the prince surprised him with a quiet word.

"That was a good shot. This is what I was looking for and I hope that you will continue to put up a challenge."

Orion blinked. There was only one more round after the prince's next shot. Asking for a continued challenge sounded like the prince wanted more. He started to ask for clarification but before he could even get a word out, the prince had already positioned himself before the second target with an arrow in his hand.