Follow Alexia

You send Mara and Sara with the crowd to the wrestling arena and follow Alexia back to her tent.

"It's OK Alexia," you tell her as you stick your head in through the flap of her tent, "everyone has a bad day once in a while..."

"Shut-up Bruce!" Her face is nearly as red as her hair and you try once again to reassure her.

"Really, you did fi-"

"I said 'shut-up' Bruce." Alexia turns on you with her hands on her hips. "I didn't have a 'bad day,' you idiot. Every single arrow hit exactly where I aimed."

"What are you talking about, Alexia? I told you I wanted the others put down a notch or two." Alexia smiles sadly, and continues quietly.

"And that's why I had to do as poorly as I did." You take a few breaths to try to figure out the strategic advantage of looking below average and give up.

"I don't understand."

"I know." She sounds even more sad than ever. "That's the problem, but are you ready to listen now?" You nod slowly trying to figure out why she's so upset.

"I told you not to do that stupid apple stunt!" She begins and you start laughing in relief, even with the odd vision of the drakes in the middle your shooting, you still put each shoot exactly where you had intended.

"I don't miss, Alexia, you know that."

"Maybe I do, but how do you think Victor, Barticus and Galeon felt standing there with those arrows heading down at their heads." You try to assure her that you've done it before but she cuts you off before you can even open your mouth. "If you wanted to show off, you could have put these apples on sticks, you didn't have to use people, Bruce."

"Alexia, the crowd loved it, it was much more exciting this way."

"Who's more important to you Bruce, those arrogant bastards in the stands or your Oath-brothers, Galeon...me?" You try to explain again and again you are cut off. "Bruce, I know you have been gifted by the gods in so many things, but clearly you don't pay much attention to the stories about Olympus."

"Of course I do!" Ever since you were a little boy you wanted nothing more than to hear stories about your mother and father.

"No Bruce, you don't, because if you did, you'd know that the one thing that most angers the gods is when people start using their god-given gifts for stupid crap like what you pulled. Apollo graced you with the ability to shoot a bow as well as him, yes?" You nod at once, "Well, gods don't like it when mortals start using the gifts they've been given them to make it look like they are just as good as their gods. Furthermore, who's forces have you been bad-mouthing for the past three days, ever since you caught wind of the plot from that assassin?" You shake your head not willing to believe the gods could be so capricious.

"Apollo wouldn't-"

"Really?" Her laugh is short and bitter. "And what if you were wrong, Sire, just this one time? What if I had to contact the King of Cirosi or Belliosi and tell him that his son and heir was shot through the eye by the King of Kalion who is too STUPID to listen to the people around him. As bad as that might be, I don't really care that much about your Oath-brothers, but Galleon is my friend and you may not risk his life because you are trying to impress your two new girlfriends." You grin at her when you realize that she thinks you were trying to impress the twins with your shooting. Before you can set the facts straight, Alexia stalks up to you standing on her tiptoes but still not even close to eyelevel. Her soft voice is as serious as you've ever heard it.

"Your Majesty," she begins again her eyes blinking back tears, "you could shoot 1,000 apples off of people's heads without missing once and I would still advise you against it, like I did in the field today. I love you Bruce, and you are my King, but what you did was stupid, insensitive and arrogant and you ever treat your friends and allies with that level of disrespect again, you can find yourself a new spymaster."