Enkindled Unicorn

Their initial plan had been to travel all the way to a small town called Celibon which was halfway to their destination; Ewen had received word from the duc overlooking that domain that there had been rumours of bandits around those parts and he wished to had a talk with him. However, halfway through the afternoon, rain started to fall, a strong icy rain that demanded they take shelter, which they did. They found an open hut on the side of the road, one meant to shelter travellers for the night if needed, and decided that this place as good as any for a stop. 

They had watched the rainfall for several hours till it stopped, shortly before evening, when they briefly wondered if it was worth trying to reach Celibon even though they would reach it past nightfall; eventually, Ewen decided that they would camp there, and even though they would be skipping on an inn night, they were almost sure to be lodged by the duke if they arrived late enough. In other words, be assured his small troupe that it would work out. 

Juan, used as he was to the warm weather of the south, was the only one to complain, and only about the cold, which Ewen couldn’t do much about save lighting a fire. That, and Sho sitting down to talk to him - probably to distract him from the discomfort of his current situation - seemed to do the trick. 

But then that left Ewen free to discuss things with Wren. Even if he had tried to remain serious and cool-headed through the trip as a leader, he hadn’t stopped thinking of trying archery as Wren had said he should do. He wanted to see if his powers could really adapt to those new circumstances. 

“I think I know what’s on your mind,” said Wren without raising his eyes from his wood carving. 

Ewen chuckled. 

“You did a lot today,” said Wren. “First day on the job can be tiring. Are you sure that you want to practice tonight?”

“Quite certain, if you’re up to it.” 

“I am.” 

Wren stood from his place and brought Ewen away, picking a spot where they would have some peace and quiet from the others. They made their way through the wet vegetation for a few paces, till they had reached a meadow that was sufficiently cleared out.

“We aren’t going to pull any shots today,” said Wren, “but I can show you the posing and all that; it’s one of the most important things to know. And then, you will have to work on that upper body strength.” 

“Upper body strength?” repeated Ewen. 

“I mean, shooting the bow should give you plenty of practice, but yes, you need a lot of power in your arm and torso if you want a stable shot, especially on the bigger ones. All that strength, you’re going to put it into a single arrow that’s going to be sent out with enough strength to pierce through armour, skin and flesh from other fifty yards away. That’s not nothing.” 

“Oh.” 

“Did you think that archers are the type that don’t work a sweat?” asked Wren. “I suppose it’s quite common to think that, considering we don’t often seen them duelling or we don’t think of them as carrying heavy gear, but they need power… more power, perhaps, than a lot of other warriors. I’m saying it here so that he doesn’t jump me, but I am pretty sure that I am physically stronger than Juan that’s travelling with us.” 

Ewen smiled. “Oh yeah. Don’t let Juan ever hear that you claimed that, he might want to duel you to prove you wrong - and I can’t afford to lose you.” 

Wren didn’t seem offended that Ewen seemed to think that he would lose the encounter, smiling with his lords as he heard the words. “And I don’t want to waste my time backing unimportant claims as well. That would be pointless and counterproductive.” 

“I suppose that as well.” 

Wren then showed him the pose he needed to adopt to get the most result out of his shot. In practice it seemed a bit more convoluted than necessary, especially when he would look at Wren demonstrate, but the moment he got in that pose too he felt that he could draw pretty far. And, speaking of drawing, he soon realised that it was indeed a lot harder than what he had thought it to be. Just like how Wren said it would be… 

They didn’t shoot any arrows this time, because it was already late and Wren said that he didn’t want to lose some in the forest - there would be a shooting range at the duke’s anyway, meaning that they would have the leisure to try Ewen’s aim there. But at least he got the pose down, which was a good thing.