Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza

Ducky shuffled in, head bent and hidden under an enormous pale purple hat. He had rarely come to Imladris during his time wandering upon Middle-earth. It was not only unusual, but downright strange to see him here. One might almost have thought he had stumbled in by accident, were it not for the fact that in addition to his staff, he bore a bow and quiver across his back. He did not normally carry such implements, which meant that he had brought them purposefully. That in turn meant he was perfectly aware of the occasion. How? Nobody would know for certain, and likely no one would ask, for like all wizards, Ducky was subtle and quick to anger. That temper might be tested here at the tournament, if he did poorly.

He stalked up to the table, whipping out a large quill from somewhere in the depths of his robe. He signed his name in an Elven script, lavishly. He kept his head down and ambled slowly over toward the target, intending to get some practice in before the competition began. Eru knew he needed it if he wanted to avoid humiliating himself. He was used to flying himself, not sending arrows to do the job for him.

Taethowen had never thought she would actually see Rivendell with her own two eyes. As a child, she'd wondered what it would be like to see it, especially as a Rohir with an Elvish name. She had her Gondorian mother to thank for that, though.

To be honest, she'd never expected to travel north of Fangorn in her lifetime, but sometimes life took you down unexpected paths. But now, as she'd been making her way slowly north to Eriador on a textile hunt, she'd heard rumors of an archery tournament, and the thought of it had sparked an urge in her that she'd not felt in a long time, and also some memories.

Memories (albeit patchy) of pæthfindian training, when she'd worked ceaselessly to teach herself how to shoot a bow with either hand. And while she'd begun carrying a bow again on her journey to Eriador, and was still a decent shot when it came to hares, she'd not truly tested her target shooting in... well, she wasn't sure how long. But it was definitely since before her illness.

And that was how she found herself, bow in hand and quiver strapped to her back, standing before an elf-maiden (Almarëa) at an archery field next to the Bruinen river.

"Westu hal," she greeted the woman when her turn came. "I am Taethowen. Do I just need to write my name down to join the tournament?"

Bainiel

Bainiel had heard that there was going to an archery tournament and a little thrill had gone through her. She had been practicing out in the Valley with her hidden bow for what felt like a long time. The idea of being able to take part in a tournament, to test her skills, made her so happy. She had excitedly told her brother Idhion about it one day when they had been out together. He had seemed a little concerned about her taking part, after all she had never tried to shoot a target beyond the ones they had made up for themselves. He was also concerned what their mother would think, given her aversion to weapons. Bainiel had solved that by swearing him to secrecy, on the day she had told her mother that she was just going to Rivendell for the day. Over the years her mother had found it easier to not question her so off she had gone with a skip in her step.

Reaching the banks of the river, she took a deep breath. There were already a few contestants there and not all of them were elves. She was sure it would all be fine, there was no time for nerves. She walked towards the elleth (Almarëa) and smiled. "My name is Bainiel from the Valley of Rivendell, I would like to sign up for the tournament." The bright chest caught her eye and she gasped, it was far more than she had imagined for such a tournament. She looked around at the others who had come to sign up to see if they were as shocked, though perhaps it was just her youth causing her surprise. She'd only just reached her adult years and had never ventured outside of Imladris. Bainiel only hoped she didn't embarrass herself.

An archery tournament! Durien's emerald eyes gleamed as she hurried along the path toward the banks of Bruinen. The elleth didn't spend nearly enough time visiting the fair valley of Imladris, but she happened to be here now. It would be wonderful to have the opportunity to test her skills against the best of the elven archers currently residing here. She was a good archer, but she could hardly lay claim to being the best. She had not the strength to draw a bow capable of sending an arrow over a great distance. Despite that, she prided herself in her accuracy, may Eru be with her and Mandos grant her his favor with the winds. Anything could happen along the banks of the Bruinen, after all. In any case, the promise of a good tournament had her speeding along the trail in hopes that she was not too late to sign up.

A faint sigh of relief escaped the raven-haired lithe elf as she reached the sign-up table and the official looking elleth whose name she soon learned was Almarëa. Durien bent and added her name in flowing elven script to sheet. Idly she wondered what the beautiful chest, engraved in silver and blue, held. Lord Elrond would have ascertained a worthy prize for the best archer. Never one to be driven by reward, but who thrived on competition, the chest was quickly forgotten as she strode along the edges of the tournament field, where a few of her fellow competitors were starting to linger. She joined the crowd, smiling in greeting to the few that she knew.

Slinging her quiver around, Durien took a moment to examine the arrows within her quiver, checking each one to make sure it was regulation compliant, the arrowheads sharp, and the feathers in pristine condition. She had been in such a rush to ensure she did not miss the start of the competition, she hadn't double checked her equipment. She did so now. Replacing the arrows one by one, she unslung her bow and checked the tension of the string. Satisfied all was in order, she rocked back on her heels and waited for the competition to begin.

Ducky had been puffing on a pipe, staring distantly across the beautiful meadows. There was not much to occupy his thoughts, but the scenery was truly a feast for the eyes. When the call came, he had to tug himself away, and his pace was leisurely. He stowed the pipe away somewhere in the depths of his robe after putting it out, and walked over to where Almarëa where was calling from. He blinked, and gulped. The targets were a lot further away from the shooting line than he had expected them to be. He pulled his bow off of his back and tested its heft. It suddenly seemed a lot heavier than before. He pulled an arrow from the quiver. Had it grown in length? Were those (duck) feathers a bit askew? He was not sure. He looked to either side as he stepped up to the line. Artanis on one side, Taethowen on the other. They looked depressingly competent to him.

Ducky set the first arrow to his bow, and paused after bending the arc just slightly. He peered out at the butt again, and adjusted his aim. Higher than you think, he reminded himself. He pulled back harder, and his arm began to tremble, and then to wobble. No time to think! He adjusted up again as he let the arrow fly.

"Ahhhh I can't watch!" he yelled, and loosed the other two arrows as quickly as possible, barely aiming, wildly squawking as he panicked.

Taethowen smiled and nodded at Almarëa as she scribbled her name on the sign-in sheet. "Thank you," Taeth said, then she wandered away to look around the tournament field as she waited for the competition to begin.

It seemed to be a small crowd gathered, nothing like some of the festival tournaments she recalled from summers back in the Mark, but it was certainly a different type of crowd. She did find herself looking around for familiar faces, simply out of old habit, but where her eyes except a sea of familiar faces spread across the plains of Rohan, she sees instead strange, though beautiful, blooming trees stretching along a riverbank.

A strange pang of homesickness makes her pause. She'd felt it often in the early days of her illness, though it had faded as she adjusted to her new normal of recuperation while still in Gondor. But now, after her many travels, and though she'd deliberately avoided crossing into Rohan as she traveled north toward Eriador, she now found that she missed it dearly.

The clapping of hands pulled her thoughts back to the present. She listened as Almarëa announced the start of the tournament and explained the rules. When the elleth finished, Taethowen found her way to the targets along with the rest of the participants. She hadn't taken the chance yet to observe her fellow competitors, so she was a bit surprised when she found herself lined up between another elf-maiden (Bainiel) and... a wizard (Ducky)?

Taethowen wasted no time, though, once she stood at the target. With muscle memory that had barely faded, she check the string on her bow, and reached back to make certain the quiver of arrows strapped to her back were still settled in the right spot for easy reach. She smiled as her fingers brushed along the fletching and settled on the arrow shaft. Perfect.

Her eyes fixed on the target. She'd always loved archery. It was meditative, and forced her to clear her mind from distraction and focus on each moment at a time, and truly feel what was happening around her. A breath in, a breath out. There was a breeze, but not so much that it would make her arrows drift overly off course. Another breath in, and with a fluid motion she drew an arrow from her quiver, nocked it to the string, lifted her bow, and drew the string back toward her cheek, elbow pointed straight back. Eyes still on the target--for she'd learned long ago that the simplest way to aim was simply to look where she wanted the arrow to land--she released her breath and let the arrow fly once. Then again. And then a third time.

As she finished her set, she was distracted from watching to see if her final arrow hit the target as the wizard (Ducky) next to her panicked and yelled, his aim erratic and arrows well... more erratic. It would take a miracle for him to hit a bullseye like that.

"Bema's horn," Taethowen muttered. "Has he ever even held a bow before?"

The number seven was a lucky number, Durien thought with a hint of a smile as she made her way to the very end of the archery field. Unless you were one of the seven dwarf lords who had received rings of power, she thought darkly as the corners of her lips tightened. Sighing, for she had been nearly optimistic before the final shadowy thought had crossed her mind, Durien carefully set her stance. Shaking the tension out of her shoulders and arms, she slowly inhaled and exhaled, her bow limply held in one hand. There was no need to draw and notch an arrow until she was ready, and she clearly wasn't quite yet.

Being at the end of the line, she had no competitor to her right, but the fiery haired elleth next to her (Rin) nodded to her and wished her the best of luck. She smiled back. "May Orome guide your arrows true." She offered in return. And may Mandos not send a strong wind, she thought as she eyed the target some distance from her.

Just when she thought she might select an arrow from the quiver on her back, the male (Ducky) third in line (three, also a lucky number, right?) yelped as he sent his arrow hurtling...well who knew where. He certainly wasn't watching, and everyone else on the field was watching him, including her. She chuckled aloud, then covered her mouth as it seemed impolite. She wasn't exactly laughing at him, but the whole situation made her laugh as light-heartedly as the merry elves Bilbo had encountered near the Shire on his unexpected adventure. It wouldn't surprise her if he did end up winning. After all, what was that phrase the wise sometimes used....beginner's luck?

Fully relaxed now, she carefully notched an arrow, but waited until the first and fourth competitors in line had sent their arrows on their way before notching her first. Concentrate but relax, focus but without tension. Her eye knew where to aim, and it would not due to draw the bow and hold it taut. The longer one held a bent bow, the less accurate one became, for strain and tension of the muscles impaired the fluidity of movement ingrained from long hours of practice. Taking one last deep breath in, she held it as she swiftly brought the bow up, drew the bowstring to her jaw and released all in one smooth motion. Breathing out, she repeated the same process, twice more, sending two more arrows on their way to the target while the first still flew through the air.

Bainiel

Once sign ups had been completed, Bainiel watched as the last few added their names to the list. She was starting to get more nervous than she had anticipated, but she was sure it would all be fine once they started shooting. At last came the call to start. She took note of her position and went to take her place. She was between another elleth (Rîn) and the mortal woman (Taethowen). She bowed her head to each of them, trying to smile and appear calm. They seemed so in control as they took positions, checked their equipment, and prepared to shoot. She found herself looking down again at her old bow and wondering if she had made the right choice. No, this was her chance to prove herself. If she did well that would show her mother that she could handle a weapon and they wouldn't just cause misery.

While the other two fired, she watched them carefully, trying to note the way they held themselves and how they took their shots. It was a joy to watch those more experienced than herself. In the corner of her vision she saw the wizard (Ducky) firing wildly, she only hoped she managed to hold herself better than that. Bainiel was so busy watching the others take their turns she hadn't even thought about taking her own. It was only when they were all stood with their bows at rest that she realised.

Fumbling and nearly dropping her bow, she turned to face her own target. It seemed so far away, but at least it was larger and more professional than the makeshift ones she had in the valley. She picked up her arrow and notched it, letting her fingers rest against the bow strings for a moment. Deep breaths to steady herself, to centre herself, to find herself. She raised the bow, settling herself into position, and pulled back on the string. Another deep breath, eyes focused on the target, and release. She loved to hear the arrow whistle through the air and the thud as it reached its target. She quickly found her next arrow and then the third. It was soothing to see them lodged in their target. Lowering her bow, she turned to the others and smiled, hoping they weren't too annoyed at her taking her time.

1. Tarawen - you rolled 3 (third ring/blue), 4 (second ring/red), and 5 (inner ring/yellow). Your total score for the round is 24 points.

2. Artanis - you rolled 2 (fourth ring/black), 4 (second ring/red), and 1 (outer ring/white). Your total score for the round is 14 points.

3. Ducky - you rolled 5 (inner ring/yellow), 5 (inner ring/yellow), and 4 (second ring/red). Your total score for the round is 28 points.

4. Taethowen - you rolled 2 (fourth ring/black), 1 (outer ring/white), and 3 (third ring/blue). Your total score for the round is 12 points.

5. Bainiel - you rolled 1 (outer ring/white), 4 (second ring/red), and 4 (second ring/red). Your total score for the round is 18 points.

6. Rîn - you rolled 5 (inner ring/yellow), 4 (second ring/red), and 6 (center). Your total score for the round is 33 points.

7. Durien - you rolled 1 (outer ring/white), 1 (outer ring/white), and 5 (inner ring/yellow). Your total score for the round is 14 points.


When all of the competitors had finished shooting their first set of arrows, Almarëa scored each target carefully. Then she returned to the shooting line, smiling - it was clear that there were some excellent archers in the mix, including some unlikely candidates. "Well done, all! An excellent first round. I have recorded your scores; you may now go up to the target and collect your arrows." She waited for them to do so, and once everyone was back behind the shooting line, she announced: "You may now shoot your second round of arrows."

Well, well, well. It had turned out in Ducky's favor, it seems, to launch all of his arrows so quickly. He had not had time to maladjust his aim. He gave himself a quick pat on the shoulder, feeling pleased with himself. If he could just stretch his beginner's luck throughout the entire competition (no problems there, right?), why then he could place well and leave proud of himself and by extension all of, um, wizardkind? Okay, maybe just himself. There were definitely some actual archers with great aplomb and prowess at this event, though. He would have to continue to be lucky. He realized everyone else was going up to retrieve their arrows, and stopped patting himself, hurrying to catch up and do the same. He coughed quickly, laughing as a deflector mechanism.

"This wind, eh?" he said to nobody in particular.

When he was back behind the target line, he took a deep breath and reminded himself not to overthink things. Too much trying to correct himself would lead only to mis-fires and misery. He just had to take quick aim, be steady, not panic, and release smoothly. In that order?

He tried it.

Bainiel

Was it possible? Despite her nerves and distraction, she hadn't come last. Not a perfect round by any means though what with her first arrow hitting the outer ring. Still, an admirable start. With a smile and a spring in her step she went to collect her arrows. She noticed the others collecting arrows, including the wizard (Ducky) who had done remarkably well despite his interesting technique. It seemed her fellow elves were a little less pleased with his high score. Now they were trying to outdo each other.

Returning to her line, she took a few deep breaths to steady herself for round two. A few of her fellow competitors had muttered something about the wind, to her it was only a soft, warm breeze. The competition had truly started now. Raising her bow she loosed her first arrow, willing it to do better than her first arrow in the previous round. Slowly she selected her next arrow and took her shot. Some of the others were firing off quite rapidly, possibly to prove a point, but she was happy to take her time. At last she fired her final arrow, taking a step back to look at her handiwork. Hopefully she could only improve on her first round. Hopefully.

Durien winced as her arrowheads buried into the target. It was a very poor showing on her part, for her first two arrows landed in the outer white ring on the target. Well, at least she hadn't missed it entirely, although the first arrow was so far to the edge that, when she went to retrieve them, it literally fell to the ground while she was pulling the other arrow embedded solidly in the white ring out. At least the final arrow she had loosed had found it's way to the middle of the target. It wasn't a bullseye, but it was a decent enough shot. Still, she was firmly in the bottom three, and being very competitive in nature, she was not thrilled about it. The screeching wizard's technique (or lack thereof) had seemed to work wonders, causing her to shake her head with smile. Having retrieved all of her arrows, Durien strode back to the line to prepare to send forth a second follow.

When the signal was given, an all clear to begin loosing the arrows on the poor targets, she paused again and took a deep breath. She had been too relaxed the last time. She needed to ease the tension in her body without becoming so limp and careless. She slowly breathed in and out again, dropping her shoulders as her emerald eyes narrowed in on the target in front of her, to the exclusion of all the ado around her. She notched an arrow, breathed in deeply, drew back the bowstring and for a split moment, was perfectly still before she released. sending the arrow flying toward its target. Breathing out, she notched the next arrow. Breathing in, she drew, was still and released. She repeated the process one more time to send the third arrow on it's way. It had better be an improvement on her previous performance, she thought with a mental wince as watched the final arrow sail through the air.

Taethowen muttered an oath under her breath as all three of her arrows hit nowhere near the middle of the target. As she traipsed to her target to retrieve her arrows, she caught sight of the wizard's arrows and nearly tripped in sheer astonishment. While he'd missed the bullseye, his arrows were still in a tight cluster just shy of center.

"Ridiculous," she muttered, pulling her arrows out of the target with... fervor.

Her frustration, though, was more directed at her own self than at the wizard's luck. She was more out of practice than she'd realized, it seemed.

Taeth did her best to shake off that frustration as she returned to the firing line. She nodded and smiled to both Bainiel and KingODuckingham before she turned her focus back to her target once more, sliding her arrows back into her quiver.

"You may now shoot your second round of arrows," Almarëa announced.

Taeth plucked one of the arrows out again, drew her bow, and fired, trying not to overthink the process this time, but adjusting her aim slightly to make up for how wide the previous shots fell on the target. She took a moment between each arrow roll her shoulders out and keep them relaxed, but still quickly sent the last to shots flying toward her target.

1. Tarawen - you rolled 4 (second ring/red), 1 (outer ring/white), and 5 (inner ring/yellow). Your score for the round is 20 points. Your total score thus far: 20 + 24 = 44 points.

2. Artanis - you rolled 4 (second ring/red), 6 (centre), and 6 (centre). Your score for the round is 38 points. Your total score thus far: 38 + 14 = 52 points.

3. Ducky - you rolled 6 (centre), 5 (centre ring/yellow), and 2 (fourth ring/black). Your score for the round is 29 points. Your total score thus far: 29 + 28 = 57 points.

4. Taethowen - you rolled 1 (outer ring/white), 4 (second ring/red) and 3 (third ring/blue). Your score for the round is 16 points. Your total score thus far: 16 + 12 = 28 points.

5. Bainiel - you rolled 3 (third ring/blue), 1 (outer ring/white), and 1 (outer ring/white). Your score for the round is 10 points. Your total score thus far: 10 + 18 = 28 points.

6. Rîn - you rolled 6 (centre), 4 (second ring/red), and 4 (second ring/red). Your score for the round is 31 points. Your total score thus far: 31 + 33 = 64 points.

7. Durien - you rolled 5 (centre ring/yellow), 2 (fourth ring/black), and 3 (third ring/blue). Your score for the round is 20 points. Your total score thus far: 20 + 14 = 34 points.


There were a few surprises this round, as Almarëa went around the targets and made notes of all the results, but by and large it seemed as though the contestants had relaxed a bit, and most of their scores had (perhaps as a consequence) improved. There were a few very strong showings, and it seemed clear that there was going to be quite a closely-fought contest for the prize. Once she was done, she let all of the contestants collect their arrows, and waited until everyone returned behind the shooting line. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a dark-haired elf, clad in grey with a circlet of silver upon his head, walking up the path in the distance, and smiled quietly to herself. The Lord Elrond had mentioned that he might drop by to watch part of the competition, and it seemed he had chosen this moment to arrive, fashionably late. Hopefully the contestants would not be too distracted by his arrival. "Great job, everyone. You may now shoot your third round of arrows!"

Taeth let out a deep sigh of frustration as her arrows once again fell in a similar pattern as the previous end, and she tried not to slump her shoulders as she marched back out to retrieve her arrows.

And while her lack of good shooting was frustrating today, especially since she was right next to the wizard Ducky who somehow kept hitting high scoring circles despite any true skill, the feel of the competition was beginning to lighten her heart.

She had no ill-will against the elves. She'd met precious few of them before, and the ones she had encountered were pleasant enough. But it would be extremely funny if an unskilled wizard beat all the elves.

When she returned to the starting line, Taethowen gave Bainiel a gentle smile. "At least we're hitting the targets, aye?"

Returning to her shooting stance, Taeth decided to alternate to her non-dominant hand this time. There was apparently something in the air at Imladris which was favoring the unskilled. At best, she could maybe break that luck and even the playing grounds, and at worst, she couldn't fall any lower in the rankings, really.

She'd been quite proficient at shooting with both hands, several years before, and while she hadn't kept up the practice as rigorously, she still did it occasionally. She adjusted her quiver so it hung the proper way to reach for the opposite side.

Switching the stance always felt a little awkward as she made her muscles move against their instincts, but once she was there it never took long to settle into place. Focusing on the target once more, she drew her bow and reached back, with only the slightest fumble, and shot her three arrows at a slightly slower succession than the previous two rounds.

Ducky began to smirk as he saw the results of his latest batch of arrows. Hah, archery, he thought (but did not say out loud). Who said this was a difficult sport? The real sport here was trying to spot the outrage as a random fellow with no prior experience came in and made everyone look silly.

Or WAS he a random fellow?

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps even Elrond was curious, as he swept slowly out onto the field to observe the tournament. The elf lord might make some nervous, but not a wizard. He was used to the company of the great and powerful. And speaking of great and powerful...

He bent his bow again, after retrieving his previous shots, this time feeling cocky as he cocked his bow back. He could afford, he felt, to play a bit more fast and loose. He did not care if he won, only that he placed above expectations, in style.

Twang, twang, twang. Away they went, sailing toward the target. Were they wobbling slightly in the air? Was that the wind, or had he...?

Bainiel

How? How had she managed to do even worse this time? It seemed all her skills had left her. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the target as if she could force it to behave by the force of her stare. She stomped over to the target, pulling out her arrows with less grace than was fitting for a young elf maiden. When she returned to the line the Rohir, who she was sure she had heard called Taethowen, offered a smile and a witty comment. Bainiel couldn't help but laugh. "You speak the truth," she replied, indeed they were at least hitting the target.

Somewhere beyond the line up she could hear voices, something about someone arriving. She turned to look not expecting to see Lord Elrond himself observing the tournament. She wasn't sure she could do any paler than she already was. Lord Elrond was here watching and here she was in last place while a wizard was in second place. A wizard!

In her mind Bainiel was sure she could hear her brother reminding her to be calm, to find her peace inside. She wished he was by her side, he was always a calming force. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture her secret place in the Valley. Her homemade targets in the trees. The sound of the wind rustling the leaves. Idhion humming somwhere behind her. That was a place that made her happy, a place that brought her peace.

At last, she took up her position and fired off her arrows. Surely it couldn't get any worse than her previous round.

Durien winced as her arrows buried themselves halfway up the shafts into the targets. Unfortunately, with one arrow in the black ring, and one in the blue ring, she was still performing quite poorly according to her own standards. How embarrassing, she thought as she waited for the remainder of the group to shoot. She couldn't help but wince once again as she realized she was still near the bottom of the pack in terms of scoring. She wasn't dead last...at least she could thank the Valar for that, but another poor round for her, or a great round for either of them, and she quickly would be.

As the elleth retrieved her arrows, she checked the fletching while trying not to stalk back to her place in line. Taking another deep breath, she remembered that this was a fun competition, not a life or death scenario. She was here to have a good time, to try her hand against some of the best archers in and around Imladris, and not all the blessings of the Valar had to go in her favor. Able to smile, once again, she prepared to take her place in line once more, but a figure moving along perimeter caught her eye. It seemed Lord Elrond himself was here to witness the triumphs of his house, and what was quickly turning into her humiliation. Fortunately, Lord Elrond was not the type to laugh at those who sought to better themselves or to test themselves, which was fortunate in her case and situation.

Surprisingly, Lord Elrond's sudden appearance did not unsteady her nerves. In fact, now that she was wryly aware her chances of success were now dim at best, all of her nerves had disappeared along with the pressure. It didn't mean she wasn't going to try her best, just that there was a strange sense of relief that she while she could be doing worse, there was a limit to how much worse she could get. Taking another deep breath, she fitted another arrow to her bowstring and quickly and smoothly fired off another three arrows.

1. Tarawen - you rolled 1 (outer ring/white), 3 (third ring/blue), and 2 (fourth ring/black). Your score for the round is 12 points. Your total score thus far: 12 + 20 + 24 = 56 points.

2. Artanis - you rolled 3 (third ring/blue), 1 (outer ring/white), and 3 (third ring/blue). Your score for the round is 14 points. Your total score thus far: 14 + 38 + 14 = 66 points.

3. Ducky - you rolled 1 (outer ring/white), 4 (second ring/red), and 1 (outer ring/white). Your score for the round is 12 points. Your total score thus far: 12 + 29 + 28 = 69 points.

4. Taethowen - you rolled 6 (centre), 6 (centre), and 1 (outer ring/white). Your score for the round is 32 points. Your total score thus far: 32 + 16 + 12 = 60 points.

5. Bainiel - you rolled 2 (fourth ring/black), 6 (centre), and 3 (third ring/blue). Your score for the round is 25 points. Your total score thus far: 25 + 10 + 18 = 53 points.

6. Rîn - you rolled 2 (fourth ring/black), 1 (outer ring/white), and 1 (outer ring/white). Your score for the round is 8 points. Your total score thus far: 8+ 31 + 33 = 72 points.

7. Durien - you rolled 2 (fourth ring/black), 1 (outer ring/white), and 4 (second ring/red). Your score for the round is 14 points. Your total score thus far: 14 + 20 + 14 = 48 points.

The wind had picked up a bit, and it seemed to have thrown a few of the archers off - as Almarëa went to check the targets, she noticed that there were quite a few more arrows in the outer rings than usual. Or perhaps they had been distracted by the arrival of Lord Elrond, who came up to the spectators' area just as Almarëa announced that the archers could go and retrieve their arrows. She greeted the Lord of Imladris with a smile. "Good to see you could make it! They have been making a good showing so far. I know it will mean a lot to the winner to receive the prize from you in person."

As the archers returned with their arrows, and once everyone was back behind the shooting line, she stepped forward again. "You may now shoot your fourth round."

OOC warning:
(As we reach the latter half of the competition, rolls of a 1 may have increasingly dramatic consequences. Be prepared.)

Despite the fact that her final arrow also lodged in the outer ring of the target, Taethowen could not help but throw back her head and laugh with delight. Finally! she thought. That puts me what... in fourth place, moving up from last? Yes. Still clutching her bow, Taeth clapped her palms together in excitement, and practically bounced where she stood, regardless of the fact that she nearly whacked herself in the nose with her bow.

Then, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and her face flushed bright red as she realized that Lord Elrond himself had arrived... at some point. Hopefully he hadn't noticed her making a complete fool of herself.

Fortunately, by the time she retrieved her arrows and made it back to the starting line, her blush had calmed, and her hands were... mostly steady again. She'd bit back a bit of a smile when she saw that the Wizard Ducky had finally scored something befitting his actual skill. Or lack thereof.

She genuinely smiled when she saw that her other competitor, Bainiel, had managed to pull out of last place as well. "Well done!" she said when they both returned to the starting line. "Mayhaps the wind is on our side now!"

Taeth wasn't going to risk moving back to her dominant hand, though. Oh no. Not yet, anyway.

Once more, with her non-dominant hand, Taeth shot her arrows down the line, hoping whatever luck had come her way with the last round would stay awhile.

Ah, it did seem to be the wind. The first and last arrows wobbled, brushed slightly by the breeze, and they nearly missed the target. Ducky was not too worried though. The problem, he was sure, was neither mechanical nor anything nefarious. It had simply been bad luck of his to fire off the arrows at the moment he did. Had he waited a split second longer, or been a little faster on the draw, things would have been very different. He would keep that in mind for this next round, he told himself as he went and collected the arrows. He risked a check of the scores, knowing it would make him more nervous.

So far, so good. But that was exactly the sort of thing that set his anxiety running. He preferred when things were going poorly, if he had to choose. The underdog role was easier to step into, and it gave one a hunger to catch up. Sitting on top only made you a target. Oh, but speaking of targets, it was time to fire again. Everyone was in position. Ducky tried to remember his own advice. He knew he was beginning to think about it too hard and 2nd guess himself.

"Don't think, just feel." he told himself, then released without another thought. Three. Times.

Oh, this was going soooo badly. Durien sighed as she plucked one arrow out of the white ring and one out of the black ring. She had never considered herself the finest archer in Middle Earth, but she knew she was certainly skilled. The arrow she plucked out the red ring would have been one she would have considered a poor shot on any other day. She wasn't disappointed because she was in last place, which she was, but because this was turning out to be a very poor reflection of her skills. Of course, her bad day happened to be the one day Lord Elrond happened to be watching her. She wished she could say her nerves were getting the better of her, but the simple truth was that she wasn't nervous at all. She also wanted to blame the wind, which had picked up, but she had performed better on gustier days than this.

Pulling the last arrow from the target, her slender fingers halted and retraced their path as she smoothed the fletching. Something was wrong. It didn't feel right. She normally fletched her own arrows out of necessity and had become adept enough over the long ages of her life. She had finished these two weeks ago, but as she felt the feathers now, she realized they weren't as firmly set as they should have been. She didn't know why they had not set correctly nor did she have any extra arrows not of that particular batch with her to replace them. Ah, well. At least she knew why her performance was so terrible. She wasn't sure there was anything she could do to fix it.

The best she could do to correct the issue was to select the best arrows of the poorly fletched batch that she could find in her quiver and draw the string as taut as she could to add extra power to the flight. If the aerodynamics were extremely poor, the extra power wouldn't help much, but if the arrow was only so-so, it drive it forcefully through the air. Also, if she could figure out which of the three sets of feathers on the arrow was poorest in quality, she might be able to shoot accordingly. It was worth a try, although it would take all of her concentration to do so. Breathing in, the elleth focused, and released three more arrows in the direction of the target.

Bainiel

At last none of them had gone in the outer ring! She could almost do a little dance to celebrate. It was her highest score so far, almost the total of her first two round combined. She had been so worried that the presence of Lord Elrond was going to put her off, but instead it seemed she had done her best to impress. It also meant that she was no longer in last place. She let out a long sigh of relief.

Hurrying to the target she retrieved her arrows once more and returned to the line. The Rohir Taethowen congratulated her and it was only right to extend the same courtesy. "Thank you," she replied with a shy smile. "You did extremely well on that round, I have much to learn from you I feel." She took her time preparing for her next shots to watch the woman. Something seemed different to when she had been so distracted watching on the first round. As she fired off each arrow, Bainiel watched her form trying to decipher what it was. At last it dawned on her, she had swapped hands. That was certainly something impressive, it seemed she was going to need a lot more practice.

Still, she couldn't let herself get too distracted before she took her own shot. Picking up her arrow she lined up her next shot. Hopefully she could do as well on this round, despite the wind picking up. Deep breaths and then she fired, quickly picking up and firing off the next two in quick succession. Let it be a good round, she whispered to herself.

Ducky watched the result of his latest flight of arrows, and bit his tongue slightly. Pressing his lips together to hide the action, he thought to himself:

"You fool. It's like you aimed to hit every single color on the target instead of just aiming for the center of the target! Don't lie, you did that didn't you?" Alternate Duck mind responded:

"Quack quack."

It was utterly useless trying to talk to himself sometimes. He saw some things go awry with the other archers. At least that had not happened to him. He was safe, and still technically in second place after a couple underwhelming rounds. That was just how strong he had started. But now he needed to finish strong. The competition was nearing a close, and Lord Elrond was still watching. In fact, his face looked kind of smug. Was he glad that Ducky was no longer in the lead? It seemed that wizards faced discrimination no matter whether they went to the kingdoms of Men, Dwarves, OR Elves. How rude. Ducky wanted to win now just to prove...uh, something...to everyone!

Now if only he were actually trustworthily good at archery.

Well, he wasn't, but he was darn tootin going to shoot three more arrows, and he would even shoot them at the target instead of his fellow contestants.

Now what was that thought? Go away, thought. Ducky pulled the arrows out of the butt roughly and stomped back to the line. He grasped his bow just a little too tightly, knocked arrows, and let fly.

Better. It was at least a little bit better of a performance, Durien thought with a sigh as she eyed where her arrows had landed. She couldn't fix the fletching, but as her first arrow of this round had proved, now that she knew what the problem was, she might be able to counteract it a bit. She had gained ground in the rankings, enough to tie for second to last place, not just be solidly in last like she was after the third round. She still wasn't thrilled with her results this round, but what could one do? At this point in the competition it wasn't worth trying to use new arrows, and the fletching itself simply couldn't be mended here and now. Plucking all of her arrows out of the target, she examined them for damage. She would reuse the first and second arrows, but the third arrow she replaced with another from her quiver. Hopefully the damage to the fletching wasn't as bad on this one. It wasn't obviously damaged, but neither had the others been, although their flights and a through close inspection clearly indicated they were.

Durien notched another arrow to her bow and drew. She breathed in, tried to counter the effects of the poor fletching and released, sending her first arrow on its way. She repeated the process twice more to finished the fifth round, then slung her bow over her back and waited for the other competitors to finish.

Bainiel

It had not been a bad round she had to say. The first arrow was hanging on for dear life on the edge of the target. When it had struck she had felt her heart sink, would they allow that to count towards her score? Thankfully her next two arrows had hit better, but to lose points from one arrow was not an ideal situation. When the scores had been announced she had been so relieved to hear it was a point. She would happily take just the single point, it was better than nothing. And it was better than some of the others had done what with an injured bird and broken arrow thrown into the mix.

She placed her bow down and walked to the target to retrieve her arrows. As she walked, she tried to stretch out her arms a little. She would normally take things very slowly if she had been practising alone in the valley. She would shoot a few arrows, take a break for a while, stretch her arms and legs, maybe take a turn with her short sword. If Idhion had come with her, it would take even longer as they would take some time to sit and talk. They could spend hours just sitting and listening to the sounds of nature around them. It often depended on if Bainiel and her mother were fighting or not as to how long she spent away from home.

Pulling out the arrows, she tilted her head from side to side. This was more effort than she had anticipated, she certainly needed to build up her stamina. Hopefully she could hold on until the end of the competition before her arms gave in. The stretching had helped a little as she lifted her bow once more, though her arms were shaking a little by the time she fired off the last of her three arrows.

Perhaps it was the dove's fault that Taeth's first shot went wide, even if it hadn't been her arrow that struck it. But as the dove fell to the ground with calls of distress and pain it pulled her focus away, and before she knew it, her first arrow had missed the target completely and disappeared into the brush behind the target line. Taeth may have let loose an unladylike oath under her breath.

Her second shot was... better. Her third was good, and she stomped off with frustration to retrieve her first arrow, wishing that all her shots had been true this round.

As she returned, Taeth noticed that Tarawen had retrieved the injured dove and was presenting it to Lord Elrond. If no one had noticed the dove, Taeth would have gone and put it out of its misery. Better to be a meal than injured and abandoned.

When the scores for the round were announced, Taeth was at least relieved to hear she hadn't dropped further in the standings. She'd really like to be in the top three, but being smack in the middle of the standings was solid footing. Especially when she was competing against so many elves.

She was not the only archer to have some issues this round, it seemed, for it took a little longer for everyone to assemble at the shooting line again. Taeth took the opportunity to check her bowstring and make sure her quiver was sitting comfortably and accessibly if she was to keep shooting left-handed instead of right.

Then Almarëa called for the fifth round to begin, and Taethowen took a breath, lifted her bow, and loosed her arrows as she whispered a supplication for Béma the Hunter to guide her aim true.