Thank you for The Vampire of Britannia and icarus923 for reviewing!
Is Pendragon the name of the capital city or the palace? I was never really clear on that.
2006 a.t.b.
"Do you mind if I borrow your son for a while?"
Marianne was surprised, but not necessarily opposed. What surprised her more than the request itself was the identity of the person making the request.
She went and got her son and told him that someone had come, and Lelouch was just as surprised as she when he saw who it was.
"Big brother Schneizel!"
"Hello, Lelouch." As he whisked the younger prince away, he said, "There is a matter with which I require your assistance."
"You need my help?" Lelouch's mind was racing. He couldn't even imagine what Schneizel would be incapable of accomplishing that Lelouch would be able to do.
"Yes. It is very urgent." Lelouch could tell. He didn't even know that Schneizel was capable of moving so quickly. Was the Second Prince going to break into a run next? Lelouch was kind of hoping for it, just for the sake of seeing such a rare sight.
"This will be your first test as a prince of Britannia", said Schneizel when they arrived at their location, another part of the Pendragon Palace. He rested a hand on Lelouch's shoulder. "If you fail, I will be disgraced, and our entire family will be a laughingstock. Do you understand the seriousness of this matter?"
Lelouch was feeling anxious. What kind of trouble had Schneizel gotten himself into?!
"You'll understand what's expected of you as soon as you enter this room", said Schneizel. "Please, go through. We're late as it is."
Lelouch looked up at Schneizel nervously, but the blonde boy's face was impassive. He opened the door and went inside.
He saw the chessboard, and he knew what he needed to do. He was confused as to the reason, but he knew.
He heard Schneizel come in and close the door behind him. He was still rather confused as to what was going on, but he didn't dwell on it. He trusted Schneizel. So, he turned his attention to the game at hand. He was black---unsurprising.
As the game progressed, however, Lelouch began to grow worried. His opponent was quite good. If this person was close to Schneizel's level of skill, Lelouch might lose, and from Schneizel's urgency, it seemed like something big was riding on this game. Lelouch couldn't help but wonder what it was.
Actually, now that he thought on it, he was going to ask, as soon as this game was over. Schneizel at least owed him an answer.
His uncertainty about victory remained with him until near the end, when a strategy suddenly formed in his mind. It all ran through his head---moves, countermoves, and the final prize, the white king. He almost felt sorry for this guy---but not sorry enough to not smash him into the dirt.
No. He had to contain himself. If he let on that he'd come up with something clever, his opponent might pick up on it and move in a way Lelouch wasn't expecting.
He managed to keep a poker face until the endgame. A victorious smirk slipped out and spread across the boy's face, and only then did his opponent realize the trap.
"Checkmate", said Lelouch decisively.
His opponent looked crestfallen.
"Earl Kanon Maldini", said Schneizel, coming to stand at Lelouch's side, "A young child beat you, as I promised would happen. I win our bet."
"You had this arranged from the beginning, Prince Schneizel", Kanon groaned, "That could constitute as cheating."
"What a terrible accusation. I was merely taking advantage of the resources available to me."
Lelouch realized that he'd been played for a fool as much as Kanon had. "This was a set-up! What kind of bet did you make, anyway?!"
"You needn't be concerned about it", Schneizel replied dismissively.
There was no one who Lelouch admired more than Schneizel. There was no one who pissed Lelouch off more than Schneizel. Always, always...Schneizel always made Lelouch look like a fool!
I really have no idea why I randomly threw Kanon in here. *shrugs*