Chapter 11- Chess Match
There was a slam on the library table. The Sai who was drinking his coffee and scribbling away in his diary was astounded to see an old board game in front of him. “I found this old board game, father, would you like to play?”
Sai smiled, she never wanted to play chess ever, so why now? “I would love to my dear Sara. I’ll take black, and you’ll take white.” He put the diary he was scribbling right next to him.
----
Sai slammed the chess table, and couldn’t take it anymore. “That’s cheating!”
The king laughed. “I am not cheating!”
Sai pointed at Asher, and whined. “Mom, tell dad to stop cheating!”
The queen sighed. “You should call him father now, sweetie, and mother for me. You’re growing older, it’s time to learn the proper etiquette for a demon king.”
The young prince snickered. “Why’d we leave the old castle? I don’t like this castle. There’s too many people living here, and all of them want to see me of all things!”
“Sai, we had to leave because it’s your time to learn what it means to be the king. We have to teach you now, because if you learn later, you might become the weak link.”
Sai looked at his father with wonder.“The weak link?”
“You are the prince of the demon kingdom; you now have to show it. Even if you have to cheat.”
The young prince looked even more upset than before. “Will I make friends?”
Stella saged through his hair. “Sure you will sweetie, I promise.”
“Will they be real friends, or just my subjects?”
Asher took a moment to think about that, as he had never thought about that himself. “They will be both. Now, can we continue the game? It’s your turn.”
----
“Hmm, I’ll move my pawn here.” He moved his pawn next to the edge of the board 2 spaces, and Sara looked at him; mystified.
“How are you able to do that? Isn’t that cheating?”
“How is that cheating?”
“You’re moving pawn 2 spaces!”
“And? There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Sara was about to slam the table out of anger. “There is! I’ve never heard about something like this.”
Sai looked at her dumbfounded. “So, all this time you’ve been playing with Cecil, you’ve only moved your pawn one space, and not two?”
“Cecil did the same, so I thought that was the rule.”
“You don’t know chess all that well.”
“Isn’t it a thing that noble people play during their past-time?”
“Noble people also read.”
Sara started to pout. “I hate reading!”
Sai took his diary, and held it tightly, like he was cuddling it. “Don’t say it like that. Reading is good for the soul, y’know.”
Sara silently moved her pawn. “Shall we continue? I’ve moved my pawn two spaces.”
Sai laughed, as her move was the exact same move as he made a minute earlier.“So, is your strategy to counter every move I make?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Probably.”
“Then I move my knight, that’d be 3f.”
Sara wondered, what in the world was he talking about? “Did Cecil not tell you anything about chess?” Sara shook her head as Sai looked at her with disappointment.
“I’ll guide you through the game, if you could stop copying my every move.”
Sara sighed. She didn’t know how to play chess all that well, neither did she want to lose to Sai.“Fine! I’ll move my knight too.” After a couple more copied turns, Sai silently shifted his rook, and Sara did the same. After a couple more turns like this, Sai sighed, took his diary, and started scribbling again.“I give up.”
Sara sighed. “Why so? Was I too good for you?”
“It isn’t fun playing myself.” He took all of the chess pieces and started to put them away.
Sara stood up from her seat with tons of optimism on her face. “I’ll learn in the future!”
Sai stood up as well, and smiled. “I will teach you then.”
“You will?”
“I’ll teach you, because Cecil’s always been an idiot at chess.”
Sara looked intrigued about this. “He has?”
“He always got mocked by the other servants for his chess-playing. He’s been trying for ages, but still can’t understand it.”
“He doesn’t understand chess?”
“Not a single strategy in the world. I spent ages trying to teach him, but to no avail.”
“Lord Sai, why are you making fun of me?”
Sai chuckled. “I am not making fun of you.”
Cecil took a moment, and spoke again. “Lady Sara, was he making fun of me?”
“No, he wasn’t. It was the truth.”
Cecil ran out of the room, and looked like he was about to cry. “Hey father, can’t we comfort Cecil?”
“I don’t think we can.”
“Then can you teach him with me?”
Sai snickered. “Fine.”
-----
The teenage Sai stopped laughing as he took another sip of his red wine. He was already beyond intoxicated, but it was some type of miracle that he didn't black out yet. “Cecil, you’ve lost again!”
“Lord Sai, you shouldn’t bet money on me!”
Sai hiccuped, and dropped his wine, but got another glass and poured another glass.“Why not? This is motivation to make you better at chess.”
Cecil was reprimanding the young prince, and didn’t notice that the room slowly became quiet. “Motivation? When your father finds out about this, he will kill me!”
Sai hiccupped, and in a nonchalant way spoke, “Then he will, so what?”
Cecil’s voice got lower and lower. “Do you really think he’ll find out?”
King Asher sighed, as the two screamed. “I think I found out.”
Sai pushed Cecil, already half dazed. “Run!”
A strict voice spoke.“Cecil, stay here.”
Cecil whimpered, just like a lost dog. “Y-yes sir?”
“Well, it seems you prefer to spend more time with Sai then me, so Sai, he is your servant from now on. Did you really think I’d kill you?”
Cecil stuttered as he talked,“Y-yes, I thought you would, sire.”
“Why would I? You’re a man I trust, Cecil.” Cecil nodded his head and now Asher looked at his son. “As for you, you should be ashamed of yourself, testing Cecil’s bad talent of chess.”
“So you knew about it? It was really funny seeing him lose!”
“It is. I played him a couple times when I was about your age, and I must say, I laughed at his moves.”
Sai sighed.“Will Cecil ever be good at chess?”
“Well, you would have to get a tutor for him, or teach him yourself.”
“Fine! I’ll teach him!”
“L-lord Sai, it’s fine, I can learn by myself, you don’t need to teach me.”
“But I have to! You’re my servant now, and it’s only the obligation of a master to teach his kids!”
“Your kids?”
“Sorry, wrong word. I meant servants!”
----
Sai looked into the diary he was reading earlier, and sighed, as he flipped the pages of the book. He eventually went into the back of the book, where there was a letter.
----
Dearest Prince Sai,
My last wish from you to me is to go back to the place where we used to call home. I can’t explain all that now, but I want you to destroy it. I’ve used my magic lately, and as you know, my specialty is looking into the future. This is going to leave you scarred forever, and it will forever change the demon kingdom. So please, for my sake, destroy that place as soon as possible. If you don’t, then it will only get in your way, and like a snake, devour you, and kill you, along with everyone else.
--From your Loving father, Asher.
----
Sai got angry, and threw the book at the wall, as his thoughts swarmed him away from reality. What in the world is this calamity you’re talking about? Can it really be that bad?
There was a slam on the library table. The Sai who was drinking his coffee and scribbling away in his diary was astounded to see an old board game in front of him. “I found this old board game, father, would you like to play?”
Sai smiled, she never wanted to play chess ever, so why now? “I would love to my dear Sara. I’ll take black, and you’ll take white.” He put the diary he was scribbling right next to him.
----
Sai slammed the chess table, and couldn’t take it anymore. “That’s cheating!”
The king laughed. “I am not cheating!”
Sai pointed at Asher, and whined. “Mom, tell dad to stop cheating!”
The queen sighed. “You should call him father now, sweetie, and mother for me. You’re growing older, it’s time to learn the proper etiquette for a demon king.”
The young prince snickered. “Why’d we leave the old castle? I don’t like this castle. There’s too many people living here, and all of them want to see me of all things!”
“Sai, we had to leave because it’s your time to learn what it means to be the king. We have to teach you now, because if you learn later, you might become the weak link.”
Sai looked at his father with wonder.“The weak link?”
“You are the prince of the demon kingdom; you now have to show it. Even if you have to cheat.”
The young prince looked even more upset than before. “Will I make friends?”
Stella saged through his hair. “Sure you will sweetie, I promise.”
“Will they be real friends, or just my subjects?”
Asher took a moment to think about that, as he had never thought about that himself. “They will be both. Now, can we continue the game? It’s your turn.”
----
“Hmm, I’ll move my pawn here.” He moved his pawn next to the edge of the board 2 spaces, and Sara looked at him; mystified.
“How are you able to do that? Isn’t that cheating?”
“How is that cheating?”
“You’re moving pawn 2 spaces!”
“And? There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Sara was about to slam the table out of anger. “There is! I’ve never heard about something like this.”
Sai looked at her dumbfounded. “So, all this time you’ve been playing with Cecil, you’ve only moved your pawn one space, and not two?”
“Cecil did the same, so I thought that was the rule.”
“You don’t know chess all that well.”
“Isn’t it a thing that noble people play during their past-time?”
“Noble people also read.”
Sara started to pout. “I hate reading!”
Sai took his diary, and held it tightly, like he was cuddling it. “Don’t say it like that. Reading is good for the soul, y’know.”
Sara silently moved her pawn. “Shall we continue? I’ve moved my pawn two spaces.”
Sai laughed, as her move was the exact same move as he made a minute earlier.“So, is your strategy to counter every move I make?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Probably.”
“Then I move my knight, that’d be 3f.”
Sara wondered, what in the world was he talking about? “Did Cecil not tell you anything about chess?” Sara shook her head as Sai looked at her with disappointment.
“I’ll guide you through the game, if you could stop copying my every move.”
Sara sighed. She didn’t know how to play chess all that well, neither did she want to lose to Sai.“Fine! I’ll move my knight too.” After a couple more copied turns, Sai silently shifted his rook, and Sara did the same. After a couple more turns like this, Sai sighed, took his diary, and started scribbling again.“I give up.”
Sara sighed. “Why so? Was I too good for you?”
“It isn’t fun playing myself.” He took all of the chess pieces and started to put them away.
Sara stood up from her seat with tons of optimism on her face. “I’ll learn in the future!”
Sai stood up as well, and smiled. “I will teach you then.”
“You will?”
“I’ll teach you, because Cecil’s always been an idiot at chess.”
Sara looked intrigued about this. “He has?”
“He always got mocked by the other servants for his chess-playing. He’s been trying for ages, but still can’t understand it.”
“He doesn’t understand chess?”
“Not a single strategy in the world. I spent ages trying to teach him, but to no avail.”
“Lord Sai, why are you making fun of me?”
Sai chuckled. “I am not making fun of you.”
Cecil took a moment, and spoke again. “Lady Sara, was he making fun of me?”
“No, he wasn’t. It was the truth.”
Cecil ran out of the room, and looked like he was about to cry. “Hey father, can’t we comfort Cecil?”
“I don’t think we can.”
“Then can you teach him with me?”
Sai snickered. “Fine.”
-----
The teenage Sai stopped laughing as he took another sip of his red wine. He was already beyond intoxicated, but it was some type of miracle that he didn't black out yet. “Cecil, you’ve lost again!”
“Lord Sai, you shouldn’t bet money on me!”
Sai hiccuped, and dropped his wine, but got another glass and poured another glass.“Why not? This is motivation to make you better at chess.”
Cecil was reprimanding the young prince, and didn’t notice that the room slowly became quiet. “Motivation? When your father finds out about this, he will kill me!”
Sai hiccupped, and in a nonchalant way spoke, “Then he will, so what?”
Cecil’s voice got lower and lower. “Do you really think he’ll find out?”
King Asher sighed, as the two screamed. “I think I found out.”
Sai pushed Cecil, already half dazed. “Run!”
A strict voice spoke.“Cecil, stay here.”
Cecil whimpered, just like a lost dog. “Y-yes sir?”
“Well, it seems you prefer to spend more time with Sai then me, so Sai, he is your servant from now on. Did you really think I’d kill you?”
Cecil stuttered as he talked,“Y-yes, I thought you would, sire.”
“Why would I? You’re a man I trust, Cecil.” Cecil nodded his head and now Asher looked at his son. “As for you, you should be ashamed of yourself, testing Cecil’s bad talent of chess.”
“So you knew about it? It was really funny seeing him lose!”
“It is. I played him a couple times when I was about your age, and I must say, I laughed at his moves.”
Sai sighed.“Will Cecil ever be good at chess?”
“Well, you would have to get a tutor for him, or teach him yourself.”
“Fine! I’ll teach him!”
“L-lord Sai, it’s fine, I can learn by myself, you don’t need to teach me.”
“But I have to! You’re my servant now, and it’s only the obligation of a master to teach his kids!”
“Your kids?”
“Sorry, wrong word. I meant servants!”
----
Sai looked into the diary he was reading earlier, and sighed, as he flipped the pages of the book. He eventually went into the back of the book, where there was a letter.
----
Dearest Prince Sai,
My last wish from you to me is to go back to the place where we used to call home. I can’t explain all that now, but I want you to destroy it. I’ve used my magic lately, and as you know, my specialty is looking into the future. This is going to leave you scarred forever, and it will forever change the demon kingdom. So please, for my sake, destroy that place as soon as possible. If you don’t, then it will only get in your way, and like a snake, devour you, and kill you, along with everyone else.
--From your Loving father, Asher.
----
Sai got angry, and threw the book at the wall, as his thoughts swarmed him away from reality. What in the world is this calamity you’re talking about? Can it really be that bad?