A/N: I don't know why, but I really want to do a Fate crossover with Age of Calamity. I may have to try that at some time.


"It's easy… just draw and… release!" Again, the arrow missed the mark, just as every previous one had. Komali dropped his bow with a sigh as he began the unpleasant task of collecting his arrows. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he found the makeshift training grounds in the small patch of woods outside the village. Obviously, it hadn't been used in years and was rather shoddily put together, but at least it was away from prying eyes.

It could be rather tough, being the child of one of the greatest archers who ever lived. Ever since his first primaries had come in, he'd had a number of instructors offer to take him under their wing, stating it would be an honor to train the child of the Master Revali. The only one who had never made an offer was Teba, telling him that he was far better off learning from his father rather than anyone else.

At first, Komali had been flattered; however, it had quickly become rather stressful. Many instructors wouldn't leave him alone, even though he had tried to be open about not being terribly interested in archery. That wasn't to say that he wouldn't like to at least train a little but he wasn't sure he wanted to devote his life to practicing it.

But he was Revali's son. Of course, he'd follow in his father's footsteps.

Finally, just hoping to be done with the whole thing, he'd picked an instructor that he found to be rather enjoyable. While he couldn't say his opinion on the whole thing had changed, he had found himself at least a bit excited. Maybe, he would be able to impress his father with his bowmanship.

Then, at his first training session, he left his instructor speechless. Not because he was blessed with natural talent. Oh no, it was quite the opposite.

He could barely nock an arrow, let alone loose it.

Even though the instructor had done his best to recover quickly, a heavy awkwardness had Fallen over everyone present.

Komali wanted nothing more than to excuse himself early; however, he knew that his parents expected more from him.

So he stayed, trying to hide just how pathetic he felt.

Afterward, he'd overheard a conversation between his mother and the instructor. His mother hadn't understood why the teacher was so baffled and out of sorts. Eventually, the man had to spell it out for her: he had not been expecting the son of the Revali to be so talentless with a bow. In a move that surprised even Komali, she had told the instructor that his services would no longer be needed.

How humiliating.

Of course, the child was so frustrated and worried about how his father might respond that he had stolen away in an effort to develop some semblance of skill.

Of course, all he had really figured out how to do was send projectiles hurtling into empty space. It was something, but nowhere near what he'd been hoping for.

Finally collecting all the arrows, he trudged back to the clearing where his bow awaited him.

And there, he found his father.

The navy-feathered Rito looked around the makeshift range, inspecting every inch of it with a small, wistful smile.

"I shouldn't be so surprised to find you here," his father mused quietly as his emerald eyes focused on Komali.

The child stood, staring back. How had he been found? What was he supposed to say now?

"Your mother told me what happened."

"Of course she did," he grumbled quietly. Why did she have to tell him everything? Of course, now his father knew that he hadn't inherited a scrap of his talent.

He couldn't look his hero in the eye, so he stared down at his talons, scraping them through the dirt.

"Did I ever tell you about my first lessons with a bow?"

"No…"

He could imagine his father having folded his wings behind his back and pacing, just as he always did when telling Komali a story about his past.

"I was kicked out."

"What?!" Komali looked up to find his father wearing a bemused smile from where he sat, running a careful eye over his bow. That couldn't be right. Of all the stories he'd heard, that one had never cropped up. As far as anyone in the village had been concerned, their Champion may as well have been born with a bow in his hand.

"That's right. I was so angry and embarrassed that I built this range myself. I wanted to show them all that they were wrong about." The older Rito fell silent as he made a few adjustments to the bow before finally looking up to meet his eyes. "Do you actually want to learn how to use a bow?"

"Yes," Komali said. It wasn't exactly untrue; however, most of his interest now was in proving everyone that had seen his first attempts at archery wrong.

"Don't lie to me."

"Maybe… I don't know."

"I wouldn't expect you to," his father replied quietly as he set the bow on the ground. "You're still a fledgling and have years to figure it out."

That wasn't the response he'd been expecting. Seeing as his father had never talked to him about the whole thing, Komali had always thought he was expected to follow in his footsteps.

"What is it?"

"I just… I thought you'd be disappointed."

His father sized him up for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he motioned for the boy to join him. Komali settled in his lap, craning his neck back to look up at his father. "If you want to pick up a bow, that's fine. If you want to sing and play instruments like your mother and uncle, that's fine. If you want to help educate the next generation, that's fine as well. Whatever path you choose, I will be proud of you. All I expect is that you will give that path everything you have. Do you understand?"

"Everything I have?" the boy echoed quietly.

"Yes. Everything. Anything less is an insult to yourself."

Komali wasn't entirely sure he understood but he did feel much better. Even if he chose a different path than his father, at least he knew his father wouldn't be disappointed.

"Would you like to go home now? Your aunt Amali is making that wildberry pie you love."

"Could we… could we practice a little more before we go?" Maybe archery wouldn't be his thing, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Besides, if his father had started off as badly as he claimed, then he wouldn't judge the boy for struggling to get the hang of it. It also helped to know his mother had removed him from the class rather than being kicked out. If nothing else, at least he had that.

"Sure. Show me what you can do."