Reconciling Circumstances: Day 12

Word Count: 72,004

Summary of Events:
Chapter 23:
Heleighna and Jacques-Henri watched Granville and the Remparts practise and Jacques-Henri told Heleighna a lot about hockey. Étienne put ice on Sauvage's leg and talked over his worries about how quickly Sauvage would heal with Chérie.
Chapter 24:
Heleighna noticed that Étienne was rather tired and down and asked him about it, leaving him with a question to consider before going off to her training lesson. Étienne sat in the Amyotte's kitchen and contemplated the question, but not really coming to much of a resolution.

Excerpt of the Day:
"Père had bred him to be a perfectionist, he'd always striven to do perfectly, attending every competition, finishing as high as he possibly could, working his hardest, constantly learning and growing and working to always improve himself and get more perfect, and so his mind was focused on the goal of perfection: he had to be at the first competition of the new year.
But his heart loved Sauvage. Étienne wasn't even really sure how much; as much as the siblings he'd never had? As much as he might love a wife — if he were ever to bind himself in that way? As much as the loving parents he'd not really had? Étienne loved Sauvage as more than a horse, though, he was sure of that; even more than a best friend.
Sauvage seemed to be the main source of meaning in Étienne's life — above all other horses — he was the one that Étienne had known and worked with the most, he was the horse Étienne had debuted in Grand Prix with, he was the horse Étienne had ridden in his first Olympics, and would be riding in the next ones — hopefully.
To be without Sauvage was something his heart shuddered to think of, and even his mind couldn't really imagine. But if he followed his mind's breeding to be perfect, and to not ever miss a single Grand Prix competition, he could be without Sauvage for the rest of his life.
So what was more important? Being perfect, or having his stallion with him until eventually Sauvage was old and just died because of natural causes? It wasn't really even a conflict between head and heart, or reason and desire. It was a conflict between reasons.
Which was more reasonable? To have perfect competition record and no horse for five years? Or to not necessarily place as high as he could've and still have his horse for at the absolute least another fourteen years?
If he gained the points in the first competition of the new year, but lost Sauvage, then he wouldn't have any points for up to five years when Tempête was finally ready. If he lost the points then he could still finish out the season, got to these Olympics, three more, and gain thousands more points in the ensuing seasons — depending on how long he could compete Sauvage; but still, he would get points over those five years and then start getting points with Tempête as he scaled Sauvage back accordingly to his age and skill and eventually retired him to stud for the rest of his years.
It was hard, though. To reconcile that with his mind; to convince his mind that for once perfection should not be done. That perfection wasn't important; health was more important than perfection — and would reap a multitude more benefits in the long run."