CHAPTER 17

(SHEILA’S POV)

Orion and I shuffled back into our humble hut. We sat onto the bed's edge with relief evident in our eyes. The day's events had left us drained, but now, nestled together, we could finally decompress.

"Wait, the Old Lady won three regional archery championships?" Orion's disbelief jolted me from my thoughts. I nodded, a wry smile forming. "And you said she never went further because she simply didn't feel like it?" His curiosity lingered, eager for more of Willowhart's legend.

I couldn't help but chuckle softly as I dabbed at the last remnants of blood on Orion's neck with a damp cloth. "That's what Madam Runa always told me during our days in the haven," I reminisced, the memories flooding back. Putting aside the soiled cloth, I reached for a fresh one from the basket at my feet. "Let me clean your hand," I offered, turning my attention to the gash on Orion's palm and tending to it with care.

Orion seemed speechless. He was clearly perplexed by the revelations of my m