A Goat, A Ceremony, and A Questionable Choice

Elowen is a healer with a steady smile, a well-stocked kit, and a habit of fixing what's broken without making a fuss about it. So when she finds a small carved wooden goat discarded in the mud, cracked clean through the middle, she repairs it on instinct. Not because she's sentimental... but because it's damaged, and damaged things deserve to be mended properly. Unfortunately, the village of Brackenleigh has opinions. In Brackenleigh, confidence isn't just encouraged... it's enforced. Nobody admits fear. Nobody says "I don't know." Injuries go untreated, mistakes pile up, and every smile looks a little too sharp around the edges. And the moment Elowen walks through the gate holding the repaired goat, the villagers decide she must be the answer to their problem. All she has to do is complete a very serious, very traditional, completely ridiculous confidence ceremony. What could possibly go wrong?