The morning of the competition, and I have done my best to compile evidence I would need for a lawsuit against Sir Erlen and his brother, Sir Kellan. Although such a thing would take a lot longer, chances are I could go for another type of settlement at the village’s next meeting. Furthermore, I’ve met the other contestants–all of whom are travelers like myself, and I have made a pact with two of them should this competition actually end up being a scam.

Before the competition started, Emerys continued to practice her form. No thoughts about Jakob, no thoughts about Lydia, and no thoughts about her sister. Instead, she focused on her form, and her aim, garnering an intensity for her training which she hadn’t expected.

That afternoon, when she joined Gudrun and Jarl for an afternoon snack, she felt her shoulders relax a bit. The bite of a small bun, and the sip of the tea had left Emerys with a satisfaction she hadn’t realized. After releasing a long breath, she turned her attention to a nearby stream, running alongside the cafe.

“You seem rather stressed,” Gudrun said. “Respectfully, I haven’t seen you this intense about anything in a long time.”

“I want to be as close as possible to being right about this,” Emerys said. “If I could somehow score better than Sir Kellan, then I would hopefully not need to do anything. But I have created an alliance with two of the other competitors this morning. I might give some compensation back to them in the end, on the grounds that they have been played as well, with one of the more generous competitors being one of the worst victims.”

“Just focus on the competition, and then come back to us,” Gudrun said.

When the competition started, no one else showed up–no spectators, no gamblers, and no journalists. The air felt rather stiff, aside from the other competitors. A hair raised on the back of Emerys’ neck. She glanced at one of the other competitors–a woman named Livette. Livette Maria Karlsson was from a noble’s town, although she looked to be only twenty years old.

When Sir Erlend rang the bell, there was a loud chime erupting throughout the air. First up, a woman from the nearby Isle named Zoe came up to the line first. Zoe took her bow and arrow, then she leveled it at the target. Within the three shots, she scored a total of eight points. Next, a man named Erik took his shot, where he managed to score five points. It was Livette who scored a total of ten points.

“Emerys Darosi, you may come up to the stand.”

Emerys took her bow and arrow, and then she found her spot. Her shoulders ached from the tension, and her breaths came out at a rapid pace. Taking her bow, she took aim. Upon releasing first arrow, it lodged itself in the blue ring, just to where it would earn her six points. She released a long breath, and upon grabbing her next arrow, she drew. This time, her shot only gave her two points. Before she aimed her third arrow, she couldn’t help but notice the tension within her shoulders. With a long breath, she took aim, right before lodging it into the center. Ten more points.

When she came to sat by Livette, the woman gave her a cursory nod. After storing her bow away, Emerys Sat down, trying to calm her trembling. It was now Sir Kellan’s turn. 

Upon his first shot, Sir Kellan’s arrow found the right side of the blue circle, earing him five points. Emerys gripped the bench, watching as he drew back the next arrow. Upon finding its target, the blow earned him another three points. With his last shot, he scored another ten points.

“We have a draw, now,” Sir Erlen said. “Which is rather unusual. Lady Darosi, will you stand up and take another shot? Whoever wins this round will take the champion pot.”

Emerys stood once more, her entire frame trembling. When she found another arrow, she took aim. This time, she took an even longer breath, eying the center of the target. Upon releasing the arrow, she earned another nine points. When she finished, she stepped back. Rather than relieving her tension, the success left her with a great excess of tension.

“Sir Kellan, may you shoot another arrow.”

This time, Sir Kellan took aim. For a moment, it looked as if he were about to defeat her. But his brother whispered something to him, leaving him distracted. When Sir Kellan released his arrow, it gave him eight points.

Upon winning the copper pieces, Emerys turned back to her competitors. Meanwhile, Sir Erlen chattered to his brother, discourse ravaging their conversation. Emerys ignored it as best she could, giving the other contestants a nod, as if to agree to plans she’d made earlier.

When he finished talking to his brother, Sir Erlen turned back to Emerys. “Your Grace, do you come from a long line of archers?”

“My great great grandmother was a part of the order to serve an ancient goddess known for her archery,” Emerys said. She remembered her grandmother, telling her tales of the heroism. At this point, and only at this point, she wished her parents and siblings could have been there. If nothing else, maybe then she could show that yes, she was good at something.

“You made her proud,” Sir Erlen said. “Oh hey. I know you’re the traveling type, but I have a brooch for you. For your hard work.”

A small tassel made of blue and gold soon graced Emery’s outfit. As she left, the arena, she found the four other contestants.

“I suppose I should keep my promise,” Emerys said. “Although I think I still intend to make a private alert of such practices.”

Upon parting with her fellow competitors, the sense of guilt still left her with a raw feeling. Emerys had won, but at what cost? And what had she done as a result of her skills? Even after everything, something still felt wrong about her victory.

When she found Gudrun and Jarl, she displayed her new award, as well as the coins. Once she finished, she sat back.

“I still think something is wrong,” Emerys said. “There were no spectators at all. What kind of event like this wouldn’t have raucous parties afterward?”

“One that is known for scamming people, as you have said,” Gudrun said.

“So then I’m not wrong for thinking that they used me as a smoke screen to avoid negative attention, then.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Gudrun rummaged through the coins. “But Emerys. Let this be a reminder to you to be careful of your sources. If you’re going to go for a gig, please ask better questions first. See, five copper coins really isn’t a lot in our world. At least, not in the grand scheme of things. But you have to be careful.”

As of right now, I have forty-eight coins. Which isn’t bad. But considering I am about to connect with authorities, I don’t know how long my money will last.