The King’s Golden Arrow

Every day, the king would practice archery in the palace gardens. The king loved archery more than anything. He had a large quiver full of arrows. But his favorite was a magical golden arrow. This arrow was bright, shiny gold. It was the most special arrow in the whole kingdom.

The king went out to the garden with his bow and arrows. He practiced shooting at the targets. Zing! Ping! The arrows hit the bull’s eye every time.

Then the king pulled out his golden arrow. He placed it carefully in his bow. The king pulled back and shot the golden arrow. Zoom! It flew through the air and hit the very center of the target!

“Perfect shot!” said the king. He shot his golden arrow again and again. It hit the bull’s eye every single time.

“This golden arrow is amazing!” said the king. “It’s the best arrow ever.” He waved to his wise friend, who was watching nearby. “Did you see that shot?” asked the king.

“What a marvelous arrow,” said the wise man. “But do not get too proud. All arrows can miss even golden ones.”

The king did not listen. He thought his golden arrow was so special that it would always hit the target. How could it ever miss?

The king decided to go hunting in the forest with his golden arrow. He rode out of the palace gates on his tall, white horse. Soon, he spotted a deer.

The king grabbed his golden arrow. “I will hit that deer for sure,” he thought. He placed the arrow in his bow. The king pulled back, aimed, and shot. But he missed! The arrow did not hit the deer.

“Oh, no!” cried the king. “My magical golden arrow missed!” He did not understand. Yesterday, it hit every bull’s eye. Why did it miss today?

The king saw a rabbit and tried again. Zing! The golden arrow missed once more. Now the king was very worried.

“What is wrong with my special golden arrow?” he wondered. “Why can it not hit any targets today?”

Just then, the king’s wise friend came riding up on his horse. “You seem upset, your majesty,” said the friend.

The king said, “I do not understand. My golden arrow always hits the bull’s eye. But now it keeps missing! This arrow is supposed to be magical.”

The wise man thought a bit. “I know why it is missing today,” he said. “This golden arrow is your most prized one. So you worry about losing it. Those worries make your hands shake when you shoot. And then you miss.”

The king knew his friend spoke the truth. He had been so nervous about losing his precious golden arrow. Those worries made him shaky.

“Do not think about losing the arrow,” said the wise man. “Just relax and shoot. You will hit your targets again.”

The king saw some ducks sitting on a nearby pond. He picked up his golden arrow and placed it on his bow.

This time, the king did not think about missing. He cleared his mind and took a deep breath. When he felt calm, the king aimed at a duck.

He let the arrow fly. Zoom! It flew through the air and hit a duck right in the wing.

“You were right, my friend,” said the king. “When I relaxed and stopped worrying, my arrow flew straight once more.”

The king and the wise man went back to the palace. The king proudly put his golden arrow into the quiver.

“Thank you for reminding me to just have fun and not worry,” the king said to the arrow. “You are so special to me. But sometimes I get nervous about losing you. I will remember to keep calm when I shoot.”

The golden arrow glowed warmly next to the other arrows. The king knew that as long as he stayed focused, his magical golden arrow would continue to help him have amazing adventures.