Author Notes:
Okay, first thing's first. I knew there was something I forgot to mention last chapter, so let's start with that. Yes, Louise's speech from last chapter was inspired by Sora's speech from the original NGNL show. That was intentional. Not intentional in the "I'm totally going to plagiarize the source material because I'm an uncreative bastard." I mean, I am an uncreative bastard, but that's not why the speech was like that. There are actual in-story reason why Louise gravitated towards those topics with her speech. We'll get to those in good time.
Anyway, on to this chapter. First, mister Robespierre. He probably won't be showing up again, you can forget about him. He was just supposed to be a little fillerish guy to fill out the beginning of this chapter until we got to real meat and potatoes. Anyway, it did give me a chance to sort of show what Louise's play style will be. Not to say she's going to cheat her way through every game, that wouldn't be a fun main character to root for. I just kind of wanted to get across the fact that Louise isn't as strong a player as most others, so she has to get a bit more creative when it comes to winning games.
Anyway, the real meat of the chapter was the game against Tet. First thing's first, who should have won that match? Well, Tet would win because he's a significantly better player than Louise, but he was playing to lose because he wanted an excuse to give Louise the book and key. However, Louise didn't win because she wasn't bothering at all and was more focused on the conversation. Basically, there was no other way that battle could have ended in any way other than a draw. As for the book and key, I don't think it's that hard to figure out what's in the book. What's the key for then? …
Anyway, I think we covered everything this time. See you all next chapter!
Chapter 3
Two weeks after her coronation, Queen Louise was hard at work cleaning up the Tristain nobles. "Hard at work" in this case meaning Louise would dictate the rules of the bet and Henrietta would actually play the game. The assignment of jobs was Siesta's idea considering she wasn't very confident in Louise's ability to consistently win such important games. Since neither party disagreed, this was the plan they went with. This night, however, they had split up in order to cover more ground. Henrietta had gone to deal with a noble who was selling his maids to the highest bidder, while Louise and Siesta dealt with a different target. Louise and Siesta were walking down the street to where their target lived.
"Hi Queen!" a seiren calls out to Louise as she swam down the waterway. "Nice to see you."
"Pleasure to see you as well," Louise says with a smile. The seiren giggles and swims off. "Siesta, whose idea was it to make it so that each road has those waterways? It's pretty smart."
"I believe that would be King Henry," Siesta says. "Around 3000 years ago it finally occurred to him that for all our talk about being an all inclusive kingdom, we were making it impossible for seirens to live here, due to the fact that we're a bunch of land based races. He had a construction team hollow out half of each road and fill it with water, as well as create several seiren hotspots, so to speak, so that they would have places to live. After all, it's kind of hard to be a citizen of Tristain if you'd die the second you set foot here."
"I see," Louise says, nodding to herself. "That makes sense. I knew seirens could become citizens of Tristain, but I could never figure out how that worked. I probably should have asked Naga when I had the chance."
"Naga?" Siesta asks. "Perhaps someone was brain damaged enough to want to be friends with someone like you?"
"Not how I would have worded it, but yes we were friends," Louise says. "She was a seiren I played with a lot when I was a little kid. We would see who could hold their breath underwater the longest and things like that. You know, kid stuff."
"You tried to hold your breath underwater longer than a species that can breathe underwater," Siesta notes. "Wow, you really are an idiot."
"I'll admit, not my smartest moment," Louise says. "I've gotten pretty good at holding my breath though. I think my personal best for underwater was around 18 minutes. Above water is less impressive, only around five minutes."
"You can hold your breath for 18 minutes?" Siesta seems stunned.
"It's a pretty useless talent," Louise says. "Useless, but I'm proud of it. I still practice from time to time, just to make sure I never get too far out of practice and lose the one thing I'm somewhat good at."
"Well congratulations, now you can challenge these corrupt nobles to see who can hold their breath longest," Siesta says. "Considering how many of them seem to ready to strangle you when you're done meeting with them, holding your breath is probably a useful talent."
"Being strangled is different from holding your breath," Louise points out. "Anyway, corrupt nobles. What can you tell me about the one we're going to talk to?"
"Let's see," Siesta says as she flips open her notebook and looks at her list. "Looks like Count Maximilien Robespierre. Somewhat of a politician, pushing for various laws and policies be put into place in order to benefit the people. Or so he says. There's been talk of him only supporting policies that benefit him and the people who pay him to support those laws, as well as turning a blind eye to crimes if payed well enough. I also hear that anyone who tries to bring any of that up or opposes him is 'taken care of,' so there's that as well. Not killed or hurt, obviously, that's not allowed, but put in a place where they won't cause trouble for him. He's also been involved in some less then savory political power plays in the past. My favorite is this one here, when he tried to steal the crown from Henrietta's father. They played each other in a completely one sided poker game. The card dealer was on Maximilien's payroll, so the deck was cut in ways that would make it impossible for Henrietta's father to score even a weak hand. The king won anyway, because he was the greatest card player ever. To further rub his victory in Maximilien's face, he exposed the cheating and shamed the poor man. Maximilien lost his standing and only just recently started gaining it back. Glad to see that we're here to tear it all away from him once again."
"We're not going to strip his title, we're going to make him worthy of having it in the first place," Louise says.
"Let's get this done quickly, I imagine Henrietta is probably already done with the nobles she was tasked with taking care of," Siesta says.
"Right, let's take care of this," Louise says, approaching Maximilien's house. She approaches the door to his manor and knocks. A maid opens the door and seems surprised to see Louise standing there. "Good evening. Would Count Maximilien happen to be home?"
"Allow me to go bring him," the maid says. She disappears into the manor and returns after a few minutes with the Count in question.
"Good evening, Count Robespierre," Louise says.
"Good evening, Your Majesty," the Count says. "To what do I owe this honor?"
"I simply had some things I wished to discuss with you," Louise says. "May I come inside?"
"Of course," Robespierre says, allowing Louise and Siesta into his manor. He has his maid show Louise and Siesta to his dining room where they take a seat. "So, your highness. What is the matter that you wished to discuss with me?"
"Well," Louise says, looking for the best way to begin. "I simply wished to discuss a rumor or two I had heard recently."
"What kind of rumor?" Robespierre asks, sounding rather suspicious.
"Should I break it to him gently?" Siesta asks Louise.
"Go ahead, you have a level of tact I could never hope to achieve," Louise says dryly.
"We heard that you were a political scam artist who only supported stupid policies and used underhanded means to silence your opposition," Siesta says. "In short, we heard you're a brat."
"May I humbly request you ask your servant to hold her tongue?" Robespierre asks Louise.
"Believe me, I've tried," Lousie says. "She's not good at following orders."
"Following the shrimp isn't a strong suite of mine," Siesta concedes.
"I'm not a shrimp," Louise grumbles. "Anyway, what do you have to say in your defense?"
"I shouldn't have to say anything," Robespierre answers. "The accusation is baseless, implausible and just wrong. I support every policy and motion that benefits the people at large, never once thinking about what benefit it would bring me."
"Even though you would fall under the umbrella of people benefitting," Louise says. "But that's besides the point. We're not here to accuse you, or charge you, or arrest you. We are simply here to ask that you stop and actually use your title responsibly. When nobility is caught doing such terribly underhanded things such as accepting bribes or thinking solely of actions that benefit themselves and no others it reflects poorly on this kingdom at large."
"I can't help but feel that having such an infamous player become ruler reflects more poorly on our kingdom then any crimes committed by nobility," Robespierre says. "A weak ruler makes a poor impression."
"I'm not trying to make an impression," Louise says. "As I said, I'm here to ask you to stop abusing your rights as a noble. To that end, I have prepared a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Robespierre asks.
Siesta produces a large bag and places it on the table.
"Inside this bag is approximately 10,000 ecu," Siesta says. "We'd have brought more, but we didn't have any larger bags, and the shrimp is too weak to carry anything heavier than a feather."
"And what, pray tell, is the 10,000 ecu for?" Robespierre asks. "I do sincerely hope you're not accusing me of being bribed and then hoping that I'll stop if I'm bribed."
"Not at all, the money is merely an incentive," Siesta says.
"Here is the deal I will propose to you," Louise says. "We are going to play a game of chess. If I win then you will stop taking bribes and do your part to act as a proper member of Tristainian nobility. If I lose, then you will receive the 10,000 ecu and will be free to do whatever you wish. We will never bother you about this topic again."
"I fail to see this as a fair bet," Robespierre says. "I'm an innocent man. If I win then I get a bag of money and my innocence will never be questioned again. If I lose I don't lose anything. I fail to see what's in it for you."
"I believe we all see what's in it for the shrimp," Siesta counters.
"…" Robespierre considers the offer in question. "And if I were to accept, what are the rules of the chess game? Perhaps tournament rules for simplicity's sake?"
"No, I will not be betting the crown," Louise says. "Besides, you already played for the crown once and lost. Playing for it again would be against the rules.
That was a tactic that Henrietta made sure Louise was aware of. Playing with tournament rules meant that winner took the crown. The game, time and any other bets accepted at that moment made no difference. If a game was played using tournament rules, the winner would take the crown. If a noble were to ask Louise to play a game using tournament rules, Henrietta made sure she knew that the answer was to be "no."
"Such a shame," Robespierre says. "I presume your majesty has already come up with the rules to the game?"
"Indeed I have," Louise says. "The set up will be standard chess formation. You will be free to move your pieces however you wish, but I will not be able to move any of my pieces at all. The winner is whoever knocks over their opponent's king first."
"Surely you jest," Robespierre says. "That's not even a game, that's you admitting defeat."
"Are these rules acceptable?" Louise asks.
"… I see no reason why they wouldn't be," Robespierre says.
"Then I'll provide the summary so there is no chance to admit that you're an idiot and had no idea what you were playing for," Siesta says. "The game played will be chess. Count Robespierre is free to move his pieces however he sees fit, while her shrimpliness may not move any of her pieces at all. The winner is whoever knocks their opponent's king down first. If her shrimpliness wins then Count Robespierre is to cease all illegal activity and become a worthwhile member of society. If Count Robespierre wins, he is awarded 10,000 ecu and we never have to be anywhere near him again. Are there any questions?"
"No questions from me," Louise says.
"Nor I," Robespierre says. "I'll have my maid bring out a chess board we can use."
Robespierre signals the maid over and gives her the order. A minute later, the maid brings a chessboard over to the table and sets it up. Louise played black, while Robespierre played white.
"Are both idiots ready to go at it?" Siesta asks.
"I'm ready to play," Louise says, ignoring Siesta's insult.
"And I as well," Robespierre also ignores the remark.
"Very well, both parties please swear by the pledges," Siesta requests.
"Aschente," Louise and Robespierre say in unison.
"You may begin," Siesta announces.
This won't even be a challenge, Robespierre thinks to himself. What kind of rules are these? Is the queen perhaps hoping to get on my good side by putting things so ridiculously in my favor? Perhaps thinking I'll support her if she allows me to do as I please? Ha! What a fool. I'll drag this out as long as possible. Make her bleed, make her regret giving me this opportunity.
As Robespierre was monologuing to himself Louise reached across the board and flicked his king off of the board, sending it spiraling through the air until it landed on the floor.
"The queen wins," Siesta announces.
"… Huh?" Robespierre asks.
"I said the goal was to knock the opponent's king down," Louise says. "I never said it had to be with another chess piece."
"You… You set me up!" Robespierre exclaims. "You cheated! That's grounds for disqualification, and that means I win!"
"I fail to see how she cheated," Siesta says. "I even went over the rules in such a simple manner that a dog could understand them. You must knock your opponent's king down. Since no method was detailed, you could do it through any manner you wished. Her shrimpliness simply decided to be cutesy about it."
"I refuse to accept this ruling!" Robespierre declares. "The referee in this case is completely biased, being the queen's maid! I declare we talk to an unaffiliated party and have them be the judge!"
"It seemed perfectly fine to me," an unknown voice said.
The three sitting around the chessboard turned and saw a young blonde boy standing in the room with them. The boy was wearing a beret with a clover pin on it, as well as a red jacket with a pale green shirt under it and blue shorts.
"How did you get in here?" Robespierre asked.
"The door was unlocked," the boy says. He walks over to the table and examines the chessboard carefully. The boy comes to a conclusion and nods his head. "Yep, I'd say you lost fair and square."
"I fail to see how," Robespierre says. "The queen purposely set up the rules in such a way to give her an unfair advantage, thus rigging the game in her favor from the start. Would you really say that's fair and in the spirit of the ten pledges?"
"I'd say there was just a big difference between the rules of the game you were playing and the rules of the game you thought you were playing," the boy says. "It seems to me you just failed to ask for a little clarification. If the rules were 'the opponents king must be put in checkmate to declare victory,' then that'd be a different thing. Well, I suppose then someone could just move all the pieces on their turn, putting the enemy king in checkmate immediately. Wow, actually deciding how to play the game is almost an entire game in and of itself!"
"Well there you have it," Louise says. "A third party has passed their judgement. You lost, Count Robespierre."
"… It seems that I have," Robespierre concedes. "Very well. I swore by the ten pledges. You shall have your wish. I will no longer accept any bribes from anyone, and I'll start working towards being a better noble."
"That's all we ask of you," Louise says. "Thank you very much, Count Maximilien Robespierre."
"You're welcome, Your Majesty," Robespierre says grimly. "Is there anything else you have to ask of me?"
"No, Count. That will be all," Louise says. Louise gets out of her seat and leaves the Count's manor, followed closely by Siesta and the boy.
"Well played, your shrimpliness," Siesta says. "Not how I would have handled it, but I'm not as bad at games as you are. If I were as awful as you are then I probably would have done something as underhanded."
"I wouldn't say it's underhanded," the boy says. "I thought it was actually rather clever."
"Since no one's asked yet, who are you, if you don't mind me asking," Louise asks the boy. "I'm thankful for your judgement during that game, but I can't say I'm not curious who you are."
"I'm just a passerby," the boy says. "You can call me Tet if you want."
"Thank you for your help, Tet," Louise says. "Is there perhaps anything you wanted in return for the help, or was that just a random act of charity?"
"There's a few chess tables set up down there," Tet says. "How about we play a game?"
"Your shortness, I wouldn't recommend such a thing," Siesta says. "Henrietta is likely waiting for us and it wouldn't be nice to keep someone who would actually be a good queen waiting."
"… Siesta, go on ahead," Louise says. "Tell Henrietta that I'll catch up with you later."
"Very well," Siesta says. "I'd try harder to dissuade you, but this means I get to spend less time with you. The amount of time I spend away from you is directly related to how happy I am."
"… Thank you, Siesta. You're dismissed," Louise says.
"Of course, your shortness," Siesta says with a bow before turning around and leaving.
"Okay Tet, where are the chess tables you mentioned?" Louise asks.
"Over this way, Miss Queen!" Tet says, leading Louise down the street. They eventually ran across a few tables with built in chess boards. Tet sat down and motioned for Louise to take a seat as well. "So, do you want to go first?"
"Doesn't matter to me," Louise says.
"Well, you are the queen, so it'd seem weird if you didn't go first," Tet says, setting up the board so Louise played white. "Are the standard rules of chess okay?"
"I don't see why not," Louise says. "I don't exactly have a reason to play against you the same way I did the count."
"Okay then, what should we bet?"
"We're betting?" Louise asks. "I thought this was just going to be casual game."
"Well, isn't gambling a huge part of every game in this world?" Tet asks. "Everyone always bets something, right?"
"I suppose," Louise says. "I don't particularly have anything I can bet at the moment. What would you like to play for?"
Tet pulls out a book and a key and places them both on the table.
"This is actually a book I wrote about two good friends of mine," Tet says. "It's a pretty good story, I think you'd find it entertaining."
"Okay," Louise sounds a little uncertain. "And the key? What's it go to?"
"I don't know," Tet admits with a smile and a shrug. "I found it and thought it was interesting. It has to go to something, doesn't it? I wonder what its story is."
"Okay, I'll bite," Louise says. "You're betting the book and key, but what am I supposed to be betting here?"
"How about your crown?" Tet asks.
"Absolutely not," Louise says. "I'm sorry, but the right to rule isn't something I can simply gamble away."
"Right to rule? I just wanted to wear the crown for a bit," Tet says.
"Huh? Really?" Louise asks. "You just want to wear the crown for a bit."
"Just a minute, to see what it's like," Tet says. "Sound like a fair bet?"
"... That sounds okay to me," Louise says. "Aschente."
"Aschente," Tet says as well. "Your move."
The game begins. Louise opts for a defensive play style to lead off. Considering the stakes of this match are very low, she wasn't too concerned with whether or not she would win. As curious as she was about both the key and book, she wasn't going to be too broken up about not getting them if she lost.
"So how is the crown treating you?" Tet asks as he makes a move. "Having a fun time as queen?"
"No, not really," Louise replies. "It's been really stressful."
"Really? It doesn't seem like you're doing anything that stressful," Tet says. "You're just playing games. Games are supposed to be fun, right?"
"I haven't gotten a chance to play much," Louise says, thinking about her next move very carefully. "The games we've been playing against the nobles aren't games we can afford to lose, so Henrietta's been handling them. That game against Robespierre was the first time I've played in a while, if you can even call it that playing."
"Why's it matter if you win or lose?" Tet asks. "Isn't the tenth pledge Let's all play games and have fun together? If you're focusing so much on winning or losing then you're not exactly following the pledges, are you?"
"I'm sorry, but I need to take this seriously," Louise says. "Tristain is such a weak kingdom I can't afford to let it get any worse. I need to do everything I can to make it better. Everyone's relying on me to make that happen. I can't afford to let them down."
"I think you're going about it wrong," Tet says. "No matter what the stakes are, it's just a game. I think that's been your problem the entire time."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Louise asks.
"You're pretty bad at games, aren't you?" Tet asks.
"I suppose you could say that," Louise says.
"So, do you remember the last time you ever actually enjoyed a game you played?" Tet asks.
"Yes, actually," Louise replies. "Back when I was a little girl playing with Henrietta or Naga. I never beat them at anything, of course, but I still had lots of fun playing with them. Beyond that… I don't think I've ever really had fun."
"That's why you keep losing, you're too tense!" Tet says. "It's a game, lighten up and have a good time! I've never met a single person who hasn't played better when they're having fun."
"It's easy for you to say 'have fun and don't worry.' You're not a queen with an entire nation's fate on her shoulders," Louise says.
"You're right, I'm not," Tet admits. "I've had much bigger things to worry about before."
"Bigger than having to keep an entire nation alive and thriving?" Louise asks. "… Who are you, exactly?"
"I'm just a passerby," Tet says with a smile. "Wow, that was a pretty good game."
"Huh?" Louise asks. She looks at the board and sees just what the results of the game. Both sides were reduced to their king as their sole unit left on the battlefield. In other words: "A draw?"
"Yep, we tied!" Tet says. "I'm kind of surprised, to be honest. I thought I'd be able to promote my pawn with you noticing, but you actually managed to catch it. Good game, Louise!"
"When did… when did any of this game happen?" Louise asks.
"You must have been pretty engrossed in our conversation," Tet says. "Don't worry, you still played a pretty good game! Since it was a tie, that means we either both win or we both lose. Which sounds better?"
"I'll say we both win," Louise says. She takes the crown off of her head and hands it to Tet. "Just for a minute, okay?"
"Just fine!" Tet says. He takes off his beret and replaces it with the crown. In exchange, he places his beret on Louise's head. "There you go. And, as promised, here you go."
Tet hands Louise the book and the key.
"I'll be sure to take care of them," Louise assures Tet
"Oh, don't worry about that, they're yours now, do what you want with them," Tet says. "I had fun playing with you. I look forward to playing a few games with you again. See you around Louise, good luck with being queen!"
"Thank you Tet," Louise says. "I'll see you around."
With that Louise got up and walked away, deciding that perhaps it was around time for her to finally head back to the castle. She still had a lot of things to deal with after all.
