mind off of their pursuers, and for the first time Amelia’s tactics had given Meg serious pause for thought.
Amelia got up to stretch her legs while Meg deliberated over her next move. “So, where are we going in such a hurry, anyway?” She suspected Meg had a destination in mind before they’d even left Springhaven. The two strange gentlemen had only hurried her along.
“The same place the other side are going to,” said Meg, not looking up from the chessboard. “Only we’ve to get there first.”
“And what about this other side: who are they? You didn’t really tell me before.”
“The Black Side,” said Meg, indicating the pieces in front of her. “The Black Queen and her men.”
“You mean those strange men at the tea house. In that case… you and I and Sir Percival must be the White Side?” she guessed. It explained the relevance of all those tedious chess games, a little.
“Well, there are more players than that, but yes.”
Amelia stood toying with one of the stylised chess pieces on its long pin – a paladin she had managed to take, to her great surprise. “So… this is like a game of chess?”
“In a roundabout sort of way, yes.”
“So, who is this Black Queen? How come I’ve never heard of her?”
The combination of the difficult chess situation and the sudden barrage of questions appeared to be wearing on Meg’s nerves. “I don’t know who she is; I’ve never met her.”
“And those two men dressed in black?” Amelia, jumping immediately to the most dramatic conclusion as her imaginative nature dictated, had already made up her mind they must be assassins, elegant and deadly.
“I’ve never met them before, either. For all I know, they might not even have anything to do with the Black Queen. I just thought we’d better not take the risk.”
That reminded Amelia… “And the White Queen – that would be you, I suppose.”
“No, that would be you , dear,” said Meg, snappishly.
This temporarily stunned Amelia into silence. For as long as she could remember, she had dreamed of being a princess, but she had always recognised her idle flights of fancy for what they were. Now… maybe even now they were heading for a palace, where an empty throne awaited her royal bottom. Princes might travel from all corners of the land to compete for her hand… She looked again at the chessboard, the game in progress, and remembered the small problem of the other Queen. “Do I… Do I need to be really good at chess?” she asked, afraid of the answer. She’d learnt a lot about the game from Meg, but doubted she could win a game against a serious opponent, except by a piece of remarkable good luck. “I’m not going to have to play for my life or anything, am I?”
Meg burst out laughing. “Oh, heavens no, child! Wouldn’t it be so much easier if it all hinged on a game of chess?”
“Far less running around,” Percival put in, from the driver’s seat as usual.
“Just as well it doesn’t, with the way you play,” said Meg. “Perce said it would help you understand the basic concepts of strategy a bit, and of course the names and roles of the pieces have some relevance.”
Queen, paladin, mage, warship, commander. Amelia ran through them in her head, thinking about how they moved and their individual usefulness. “So if I’m the White Queen,” she blushed a little at how that sounded: all the other players existed solely to support and protect their Queen as she advanced across the board, “then what are you?”
“The White Mage, if you’ve no great objection to that. Not that you know anyone any more skilled in magic,” said Meg.
“Is Percival something?”
“I am most certainly something ,” came Percival’s voice again. “Although quite what may be a matter for debate.”
Meg rolled her eyes. The mystery of the man behind the gleaming visor had apparently worn off, as far as she was concerned. “Perce will be your Paladin. This old bus,” she
Amelia got up to stretch her legs while Meg deliberated over her next move. “So, where are we going in such a hurry, anyway?” She suspected Meg had a destination in mind before they’d even left Springhaven. The two strange gentlemen had only hurried her along.
“The same place the other side are going to,” said Meg, not looking up from the chessboard. “Only we’ve to get there first.”
“And what about this other side: who are they? You didn’t really tell me before.”
“The Black Side,” said Meg, indicating the pieces in front of her. “The Black Queen and her men.”
“You mean those strange men at the tea house. In that case… you and I and Sir Percival must be the White Side?” she guessed. It explained the relevance of all those tedious chess games, a little.
“Well, there are more players than that, but yes.”
Amelia stood toying with one of the stylised chess pieces on its long pin – a paladin she had managed to take, to her great surprise. “So… this is like a game of chess?”
“In a roundabout sort of way, yes.”
“So, who is this Black Queen? How come I’ve never heard of her?”
The combination of the difficult chess situation and the sudden barrage of questions appeared to be wearing on Meg’s nerves. “I don’t know who she is; I’ve never met her.”
“And those two men dressed in black?” Amelia, jumping immediately to the most dramatic conclusion as her imaginative nature dictated, had already made up her mind they must be assassins, elegant and deadly.
“I’ve never met them before, either. For all I know, they might not even have anything to do with the Black Queen. I just thought we’d better not take the risk.”
That reminded Amelia… “And the White Queen – that would be you, I suppose.”
“No, that would be you , dear,” said Meg, snappishly.
This temporarily stunned Amelia into silence. For as long as she could remember, she had dreamed of being a princess, but she had always recognised her idle flights of fancy for what they were. Now… maybe even now they were heading for a palace, where an empty throne awaited her royal bottom. Princes might travel from all corners of the land to compete for her hand… She looked again at the chessboard, the game in progress, and remembered the small problem of the other Queen. “Do I… Do I need to be really good at chess?” she asked, afraid of the answer. She’d learnt a lot about the game from Meg, but doubted she could win a game against a serious opponent, except by a piece of remarkable good luck. “I’m not going to have to play for my life or anything, am I?”
Meg burst out laughing. “Oh, heavens no, child! Wouldn’t it be so much easier if it all hinged on a game of chess?”
“Far less running around,” Percival put in, from the driver’s seat as usual.
“Just as well it doesn’t, with the way you play,” said Meg. “Perce said it would help you understand the basic concepts of strategy a bit, and of course the names and roles of the pieces have some relevance.”
Queen, paladin, mage, warship, commander. Amelia ran through them in her head, thinking about how they moved and their individual usefulness. “So if I’m the White Queen,” she blushed a little at how that sounded: all the other players existed solely to support and protect their Queen as she advanced across the board, “then what are you?”
“The White Mage, if you’ve no great objection to that. Not that you know anyone any more skilled in magic,” said Meg.
“Is Percival something?”
“I am most certainly something ,” came Percival’s voice again. “Although quite what may be a matter for debate.”
Meg rolled her eyes. The mystery of the man behind the gleaming visor had apparently worn off, as far as she was concerned. “Perce will be your Paladin. This old bus,” she
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