This is the first story I've written for an audience, not counting the threads I wrote for Chyoo. Anyway, this is the first chapter of the Silver Arrows and there is very little sex going on in this one, so it's pretty damn plot-heavy. So if you're reading it for sex, you should look for another story. If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it. And please leave feedback and/or constructive criticism. (It's the only payment I get after all.)
Chapter 1: The Archery Tournament.
'The city of Triump, a place were everyone can make a fortune and experience adventures! And that is why I'm here! Just look at it, walls high enough to keep a dragon out and gates sturdy enough to give any invading army second thoughts about breaking it down.'
'Would you shut up already!' the guard at Triump's gate yelled. 'I only needed to know your reason for visiting the city, I didn't need a description of it! It's right behind me, idiot!' A red-faced, slightly hung over guard shouted in anger.
He had directed his anger at the youth in front of him, a young man who seemed barely out of his teens with unruly auburn hair and blue eyes that sparkled with excitement.
'Ah, sorry.' the young man said, while scratching his cheek in embarrassment. 'I'm here for the archery tournament, held by Count van Ryvel.' he told the guard, while gesturing to the longbow and quiver strapped on his back.
The guard looked at them and scoffed, the bow was a sad, weathered thing that looked like it could fall apart at any moment. He seriously doubted that the young lad could win the archery contest, that would be if they even let him participate.
The youth was skinny, and stood around 5 foot and 11 inches in height and was wearing a green, woolen tunic that seemed too large for him as well as a pair of brown trousers that were ripped in places, and a pair of muddy black boots.
But the guard decided to give the young man a chance, and after giving him some directions he send him on his way. 'Good luck!' he yelled as the youth passed through the gate, and then silently added. 'You're going to need it...'
* * * *
Even though the city had looked impressive from the outside, with its high walls and sturdy looking gates, the inside was...less impressive. Most buildings Teran passed were made of wood, and only one storey high. Garbage was piled on the winding, cobbled roads and drunks and beggars seemed to be everywhere, if he wasn't so lost in thought he might have noticed how the pouch of a sleeping guard was picked. (Well...If he was sleeping, that is.)
But Teran barely noticed any of it, his mind to set on adventure. He just followed the directions the guard had given him, and let his mind drift as he walked.
He thought of his home, the small fishing village so close to the deep forests of Woads were his mother had taught him to hunt with bow and arrow for all those years. His father had always wanted him to be a fisherman like he was, but Teran never had the patience for it.
When he had overheard the news of the archery tournament in the local tavern, he saw it as his chance to get out of his village and make a name for himself. He had packed his things the next day, and set out after saying his goodbyes to his family. His mother had wished him luck while his sister teased that he could not possibly be a worst adventurer than he was a fisherman, and his father did nothing but shake his hand and give him a pouch of coppers.
Those coppers came in handy now, as Teran passed a pastry stand and remembered he had not eaten since this morning. So after buying himself two small pastries, and making pleasant conversation with the woman behind the stand, he was on his way again, while wolfing down one of his pastries.
He eventually ended up in a part of the city that seemed richer than the one he just came from. The streets were broader and cleaner, the buildings larger and made of stone and the guards...well, at least they were awake. Eventually he spotted the location of the tournament, it wasn't very hard to miss seeing as there was a large crowd collected in front of the broad, three-storey mansion. Teran quickly finished his remaining pastry, and ran up to the crowd.
Teran tapped one of the archers on his shoulder.
'Hey, how do I participate in the tournament?" he asked as soon as the man turned to face him. He was richly dressed, and wrinkled his nose when he looked at Teran, as if he smelled something foul.
'Talk to him.'
The archer had pointed to a man sitting behind a table that blocked the entrance to the mansion, and he was currently talking to another man that wished to enter the archery tournament.
Teran thanked the archer he had been speaking to, but was ignored, and approached the table to wait behind the man that wished to enter the archery tournament as well. When the man before him was finished, and went to join the group of waiting participants, Teran walked up to the desk.
The man behind the desk was quite obviously a scribe, there were stains of in on his fingers, and even one on the tip of his long, beak-like nose. He seemed to be quite old as well, and missing most of his grey hair. When he looked up from his scroll and spotted Teran, he seemed quite surprised to see him standing there.
'Are you here for the tournament...?' he asked slowly.
'Yes sir!'
The scribe sighed.
'Sorry boy, but only those of noble blood can participate in tournaments.' he then scratched his face irritably. 'Darn shame as well, used to be that archery was the only sport in which a commoner could prove he was just as good or better than a noble.'
He then briefly looked down at the scroll, before looking around and focusing on Teran again. 'But it appears that we have one more spot open for this tournament, and it seems every noble from Shyf has already entered...So what's your name boy?'
'Teran Devis, sir.' Teran quickly answered. 'But wouldn't you get in trouble for this?'
The scribe penned down his name.
'Age?' he asked Teran, and then added. 'And believe me, if I had to throw out Lord So-and-so to even out the numbers both me and Count van Ryvel would get into far more trouble.'
'Ah...' Teran muttered, and then quickly added ' I'm eighteen, sir.'
The scribe wrote down Teran's name and age on the scroll before looking back up at him with a grin. "Win this one for me, would you?" he said, before standing up and going within the mansion.
A few moments later it was announced by a servant clad in black and green that the tournament was about to begin, and Teran followed the rest of the participants to a field behind the mansion. There, they were greeted with a green field and targets placed at various distances. Placed against the walls of the mansions, safely away from the archers, were the stands for the visiting nobles to view the match.
As the first two competitors were called, Teran and the others watched from the side-lines as they greeted the crowd and began the tournament by taking aim at the closest target and loosening their arrows. After they both loosed three arrows, the points each archer had earned were tallied up, and the one with the highest score went to the next round.
Teran watched match after match, until finally his name was called.
When he went to stand next to his opponent a shiver of excitement coursed through him, his opponent was an older man with gray streaks in his black hair and beard.
A curious expression was on his face when Teran went to stand next to him, but he did not seem particularly outraged to have a commoner in the tournament, unlike some of the nobles...
'An outrage, who does he think he is? -I thought no commoners were not allowed to participate in this tournament? -filthy scoundrel, he should be punished. -throw him out!' Teran caught bits of what the nobles were saying about him, and they didn't sound particularly pleased...
And just when he was sure that he would have to leave the archery tournament without even loosing an arrow, his opponent showed that he had a particular knack for silencing crowds.
'SILENCE!' The old man boomed.
And everyone was silent.
'Let the boy be in the tournament.' he offered. 'Or have you all forgotten that when those Yslanders raided our shores forty years ago, that it was thanks to the peasants' skills with their bows that we drove them back to the frozen shores from where they came?'
'No we have not forgotten, Lord Arden,' A man in rich purple clothes said as he stood up. 'But I do remember the law put in place by King Leonard Goldhand that those of common blood can not participate in a tournament held by those of noble blood.'
'Bah,' Lord Arden replied. 'You know as well as I do, Baron Eton, that many people, commoners as well as nobles, find the law preposterous. As many of the new laws sanctioned by old King Leonard before he passed away, or do I have to remind you of the time when Feeding a hound cheese was punishable by death?'
'I lost my son that way.' someone from the crowd muttered.
"Or," Lord Arden continued, before the Baron could reply. 'Are you afraid that your son will be bested by Teran here?'
Baron Eton's face suddenly became beet red.
'Fine!' he shouted. 'Let him participate!' and sat down fuming at Lord Arden.
After the conversation with Baron Eton, they could finally begin, and since Lord Arden had won the coin toss, he was the one that shot first. 'Don't expect me to go easy on you just because I defended you, boy.' he told Teran while he nocked his arrow.
'It wouldn't be any fun if you did.' Teran replied with a grin.
Lord Arden chuckled at his response, and released the bowstring.
The arrow cut through the air, and sank into the target close to the gold centre of the target. When it was Teran's turn, his loosed arrow hit the centre of the the gold, surprising both Lord Arden and the crowd. Lord Arden's next shot was far worse than his first, hitting the very top of the target, while Teran's arrow sank into the gold right next to his first one.
'Damn you're good, boy.' Lord Arden muttered after loosing his third, and last arrow, this one hit the target slightly closer to the first arrow he had loosed.
