The Warrior and The Princess

The tent was packed with men: Caleth, his three trusted warriors, and about five of their subordinates, his brother Jevan, and a few others Alina had never met before. Caleth had not introduced them; they were there for work, not social pleasantries.

Caleth, noticing the confusion on Alina's face, explained that these men were members of the Council. They were present because of Alina.

The Councils were displeased that a woman had joined the mission to Eridian to destroy the factory. In their eyes, it was an embarrassment for the Kingdom, implying that their men were so incompetent they needed a woman's assistance. They demanded justification from the War General for allowing Alina and her female archers to participate.

It was ironic how the Councils were focused on this, instead of the fact that Caleth had used the Kingdom's dragons, an array of various weaponry, and twelve of the Army's best men without authorization.

One of the Councils was detailing the offense when Caleth, clearly annoyed, interrupted. "We are indeed incompetent, Councils. We don't have anyone who is a better archer than her."

His words were true. Caleth had witnessed Alina's archery skills firsthand and knew how vital she had been in saving his life numerous times. He had ensured that his top-ranking men understood his decision by having her demonstrate her skills in front of them the day before. He wanted his men to trust her as he did.

A warrior chosen by the Council, reputed as the best archer, took the first turn. Jevan suggested they use something small as targets, so they arranged five round pieces of bread on sticks of varying heights, spaced between three to five meters apart.

Alina chose to use arrows from the Bahian's army, which had metal for both the arrowheads and the shafts while her opponent chooses the one from the Ashyra army, with metal arrowheads and bamboo shafts

The army's archer, aptly named Arrow, smirked at Alina, already dismissing her abilities. He shared the Council's belief that women had no place in combat, viewing them as weak, fragile, and a potential burden.

They all walked outside to an open field just beyond the tent, where the competition would take place. As the event began, Arrow's wicked smile was unmistakable. Crowds gathered around the field, eager to witness the spectacle unfolding before them.

Arrow took an arrow from a quiver that slung across his back. He pointed his bow to the ground and nock an arrow then he raised the bow and draws the strings. Like a lightning the arrow flew straight into the first bread on the right. He didn't spare even a second as he already reached to his quiver again, nock an arrow and shoot, again and again until all the bread shattered in little pieces. He shot all five in less than ten seconds. It was actually impressive.

The Council had been satisfied with Arrow's performance, patting him on the back and showing their pride. Although Arrow was skilled at hitting stationary targets, Caleth knew his true weakness—he was a coward in actual combat.

When Bowen announced that it was Alina's turn, everyone watched with bated breath. Alina took her position, but to everyone's surprise, Caleth walked to the front, holding five pieces of bread in his hands.

"What is he doing?" one of the Council members asked, puzzled.

"Just wait and see," Jevan replied, his smile widening with anticipation. He didn't know what Caleth was planning, but he was certain that it was going to be spectacular.

"Ready?" Alina asked her husband, and he nodded. She held four metal arrows in her hand, each in between her fingers and nock them at the same time. Alina straightened her posture and began to lift her bow.