Weste the Magnificent's Arc

Chapter 1 of 7

Weste the Magnificent held up a twisted copper ring to the light. The metal gleamed dull and uneven. He set it down on his workbench and sighed through his bone jaw. One day he would forge a legendary royal scepter, a masterpiece worthy of kings. But first, he needed to master goldsmithing. His bones rattled as he gathered his early pieces. Clumsy bracelets. Lopsided pendants. A crown that looked more like a bent hoop. He needed better tools, and better tools cost coin. Weste loaded everything into an old cart he'd found and decorated with fabric and carved panels. The four wheels creaked as he pulled it through the dirt streets. People stopped to look at the display. A woman picked up a copper bangle. She turned it over in her hands, then placed three coins in his palm. Weste tucked them into a pouch at his hip. More customers came. By sunset, half his pieces were gone. The next morning, Weste counted his coins. Enough for new files, maybe better pliers. But his arm bones ached from hours at the forge. A goldsmith needed strong, steady arms for the hammer work ahead. He walked through the town square and spotted a group of children playing a game. They tossed horseshoes at a tall cactus, trying to ring its arms. Weste picked up one of the heavy iron horseshoes. He threw it. The metal sailed through the air and landed with a thunk in the dirt. He tried again. And again. His shoulder joints loosened with each throw. On his tenth try, the horseshoe caught on a cactus arm and stayed. Weste flexed his bone fingers and felt the strength building. Every throw made his arms steadier. Every sale brought him closer to the tools he needed. The legendary scepter was still far away, but he was moving forward. One horseshoe. One coin. One day at a time.