Chapter 3

3

This year, the King chose archery, which happened to be Caspian's only decent skill.

Naturally, he wanted me to throw the match so he wouldn't look bad.

I had no intention of letting him have that satisfaction.

I stepped up to the line first. My first nine arrows were perfect, dead-center hits that drew roars of approval from the crowd.

Just as I notched my tenth arrow, the target began to move!

The Headmaster announced, "To truly test our students, the final shot will be a moving target."

In my past life, I had shot enemies from horseback while bleeding out; a wooden target was child's play.

I tracked the movement, adjusted for the wind, and released.

The arrow whistled through the air and split the bullseye right down the middle.

The applause was deafening.

As I walked off the field, I saw Caspian standing there, his face as white as a sheet.

The sudden change in rules and my perfect performance shattered his nerves.

He missed even the stationary targets.

He threw his bow to the ground and stormed over to me, grabbing my collar.

"Why didn't you do what I told you!"

"That first place belonged to me! You ruined everything!"

His face, twisted with insecurity and hate, mirrored the monster who had stabbed me in the heart. I felt like vomiting.

I leaned in and whispered, my voice cold as ice.

"Your Highness, I needed to impress the King today. Because I'm leaving to join the army."

Caspian's eyes lit up with a mix of shock and pure, unadulterated joy.

When Mother heard I took first place, she was so happy she made me a bowl of sweet honey soup herself.

As she entered the room with the tray, she heard Caspian's excited shouting.

"Mother, my cousin says he's going to the front lines! Once he earns some military glory, he'll be the perfect weapon for me to secure the throne!"

There was a loud *crash*. The bowl shattered on the floor, splashing hot soup all over Mother's expensive silk skirts.

She didn't even flinch.

"What did you just say?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.

Caspian realized he'd overstepped and immediately shut his mouth.

While Mother was distracted by her anger, he slipped out of the room like a coward.

I looked at her and said calmly, "Mother, I'm thirteen now. I can't hide in the dark forever."

"Instead of being a nameless ghost in this palace, let me go out and build a legacy for myself."

Her eyes turned red, and her voice cracked. "Did Caspian bully you into this?"

"The Northern border is a frozen hell, Killian. How could you survive there?"

I thought of Caspian's face when I told him I was leaving and sighed.

"Mother, I can handle it. Besides, my brother isn't cut out for the hard work. Someone has to protect this family."

I didn't say it out loud, but she understood.

Being a twin was a death sentence if found out. Running away to the army was the only way to get a real life.

If I became a decorated General, the King might actually forgive my existence one day.

More importantly, I knew Caspian couldn't handle being the heir.

He was jealous of his own shadow and had no talent for leadership.

He was already losing the King's favor. It was only a matter of time before he fell.

Mother wiped her tears and personally packed my bags.

To explain my absence, she told the palace that her "nephew" had returned to his family's estate.

Caspian couldn't hide his grin of relief.

Mother saw it all, and the last shred of affection she had for him began to wither.

I slung my pack over my shoulder and walked out of the palace gates without looking back.

I wanted to see if Caspian could actually survive in that nest of vipers without me.

I wanted to see if the throne was as comfortable as he remembered it.

Five years passed.

My body grew tall and powerful, tempered by the brutal winters and the chaos of the battlefield.

The life-and-death stakes of the war made my instincts sharper than a razor.