A Test Of Pride (2024)

Elias stepped up first. He didn’t check the wind vanes; he didn't need to. He was the Great Elias. He released a shot that looked perfect, but a sudden downdraft caught the fletching, pulling the arrow an inch from the gold. The crowd gasped. It was a winning shot for anyone else, but for Elias, the sight of his arrow in the red ring was a puncture to his soul.

The silver trophy stood between Kaelen and Elias, not just as a prize, but as a mirror reflecting two very different kinds of hunger. A Test of Pride

For Kaelen, the Kingdom’s Archery Trials were the only way to restore his family’s disgraced name. Every arrow he notched was a debt he intended to pay. For Elias, the reigning champion, the tournament was a formality—a pedestal he believed he owned by divine right. Elias stepped up first

In that moment, Kaelen realized that if he won, he would be doing exactly what Elias had done: tying his entire worth to a piece of metal and the roar of a crowd. He released a shot that looked perfect, but

Kaelen left the silver behind. He had entered the trial to save his name, but he left having saved himself from the pride that had nearly swallowed him whole.

"I didn't win because I'm better than you, Elias," Kaelen said quietly, turning to walk away without the prize. "I won because I was willing to lose. You’re still at the line, even though the match is over."