Chasing The Cure

Chapter 16: Dream Big

Kenric's threat seemed to have worked, as Archie did not come across Prince Edward until the day of his archery tournament. Kenric figured out how to be smarter in his approach with the stable boy as well, coming up with work-related excuses whenever he could or sending notes through Sir Christian just to let Archie know that he was thinking of him.

He managed to find time to accompany Archie while he was practicing as well, reminding him of the reward waiting for him at the end of the competition.

Archie was ready to run away and hide in the stables as soon as he entered the arena. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people present, and his nerves were driving him crazy. His hands were trembling, and he had no idea how he would be able to shoot with shaky fingers.

The number of participants was freaking him out; there easily had to be around eighty, including both commoners and nobles from all over the kingdom.

Archie wiped his sweaty palms on his pants as he took in all the contestants and spectators. The tournament was going to begin at any moment, and he was already feeling faint. Thankfully, Sir Christian, who was also participating, made his way towards the stable boy.

"You look like you are going to throw up," Sir Christian remarked. Archie let out a dry laugh but did not deny it. The knight sighed, keeping his hand on Archie's elbow reassuringly. "I told you, Archie, you need not worry. Just have faith in yourself and your bow."

Archie nodded, still unable to form words. He looked down at his bow, which was gifted to him by Sir Christian himself, a sense of calmness taking over him as he grazed the engravings on it with his finger. It was a beautiful piece of equipment and probably the most valuable thing that Archie owned. Safe to say, he loved it.

"These markings are different from the ones on your bow or those of the other knights," Archie commented. "Do they have a meaning?"

"They do," the knight said with a soft smile. "I will tell you the meaning someday."

"Not today?" Archie asked, making Sir Christian shake his head.

"Today you need to focus on winning. Work on your breath and keep calm, all right? Feel the wind and travel with your arrows. You can do this, my friend," Sir Christian stated.

"All the best to you too, Chris," Archie replied. "And thank you. For everything."

For the bow. For being supportive of him and Kenric. For being a trusted companion. For being his friend.

"You need not thank me. Trust me, we are fated to be comrades," Sir Christian said with a wink, causing Archie to furrow his brows in confusion. Before he could ask what the knight meant by it, a loud horn interrupted their conversation.

The opening round was about to begin.

Archie instinctively looked at the platform where Kenric was seated alongside his family and the royals from the neighboring kingdom. Kenric was already staring back at him. He nodded at Archie, telling him that he had this. Archie smiled before his gaze moved to Prince James, who waved excitedly at the stable boy. Archie could not help but chuckle at the young boy as he waved back.

The first round should have been a breeze for Archie. It was simple, everyone was to shoot three arrows at the target. Points were totaled, and the participants with the lowest scores were eliminated.

Had Archie been shooting at the target in the woods or by himself, he knew he would have hit Bullseye each time. But he was nervous, and that led to him not performing his best. He kept repeating Sir Christian's words in his head, he thought of Kenric and everyone else who was cheering for him. But regardless, he managed only to scrape by.