"A magician must never reveal his secrets," the Aged Man said, swooping his arms with emphasis. Long white hair trailed down his back, and his eyes shone like embers. He drummed a bony knuckle against the surface of a wood table. "Especially when the secret is that there are no secrets. To some, the infinite impossibilities are a magic itself."
Jest sat at the end of the table, silently listening to the Aged Man's speech for the hundredth time- not that he was counting. His chin was propped up on his fist, and his elbow was resting on the simple wood of the simple table, sitting on a simple chair on a simple wood-planked floor of a simple log house. Raven perched on the top of a coat rack near the door, his black feathered head tucked under the wing of his black feathered body in sleep. Jest envied him.
The Aged Man continued blathering and pacing around the room, his patchwork garbs dancing around his ankles. Jest didn't know where the man got his energy from. They had just fought against an army of the Red Queen's, had killed one of her bishops, and won one battle of many more to come. Somehow, the Aged Man found the strength to continue a lesson he had started years ago, when Jest was hardly old enough to go to school. The Man proved not to be senile, but he never gave up on his lesson of impossibilities, the first lesson Jest had ever learned.
Jest got up to stretch, then fumbled around in the pocket of his gentleman coat. Oh how he hated pockets- the things you needed always got jumbled with the other things you needed! Finally, he pulled his hand away to find a silver coin. He twirled it on his thumb. The Aged Man looked over to him distractedly, and Raven awoke from his perch. Jest gave a tired grin.
"What if the war could end with a flip of a coin?" Jest said, his voice resonating in the room. The coin stopped spinning, and with a flick of his thumb, shot spiraling into the air. Raven and the Aged Man watched. "What if we all just lost our heads?"
The coin plopped in his hand. Jest slowly removed his fingers, to show that the tails side was facing up, and the head side was down. Raven gave an unimpressed squawk. Jest eyed him. He flipped the coin again. This time it didn't come down, and instead disappeared into the ceiling. "Now we have truly lost our heads," Jest muttered.
3, 2, 1.
Jest stuck out his hand and the coin landed, tails facing up. Turning it over, another tails was on the back. Jest gave a weary smile, and asked, "What has two tails, no head, and gives a reputation of being very wealthy?"
The door to the cabin burst open, and a young man wearing a very fine top hat stepped in. The man tipped his hat and leaned against the wall, twirling a cane. Jest grinned.
The young man smirked, and said, "I'd like to say one of my hats, but that doesn't qualify. How about a nice coat instead, hm?" The man took off his purple coat and tossed it on the coat rack, making Raven give an annoyed huff. His coat did indeed have two long coat tails, and was in peak condition. The man gave an honest smile, and said, "Giving another one of your private shows, are you? You need to get out more."
Jest tucked the coin in his pocket and went over to him, embracing his friend in a hug. "Hatta, what is your fine presence doing here?"
Hatta pulled away and straightened his elegant hat. "Answering riddles, it seems." Lowering his eyes, he said, "The Queen asked me to send you to the palace, though I was on my way over here anyway." Hatta glanced at the Aged Man, who was mumbling to himself near the fireplace. Hatta's violet eyes brimmed with boredom. "Getting lessons from your old mentor, I see. Old in age, old in trust. Quite a predictable place to find you, nowadays."
Jest waved off Hatta's comment, curiosity bubbling inside of him. "What does the Queen need me for?"
Hatta whistled. "Love, that isn't for me to know. I'm just her messenger with no message other than what I've already told you." Hatta flopped into Jest's chair and propped his feet up on the table. He looked at Jest's head speculatively. "Your poor head is going to be lonely without a hat to keep it company. I can't see what keeps you from picking one from my shop. I make very nice hats, you know."
Jest patted the top of his head and sighed. "I know." He brushed his wavy black hair out of his face. A hat could keep his hair out of the way, too. "I hate to leave you now that you're here, but I suppose I shouldn't keep the Queen waiting."
Hatta's eyes were squeezed closed. They fluttered open. "Too much supposing is opposing. Give your friend a rest and go, love."
Jest gave Hatta an affectionate pat on the shoulder and walked to the door. Jest nodded to Raven before opening the door to leave. Raven peered down at him. "As you leave, before you go, tell the Queen I said 'hello'."
Jest gave a smile. "I'll make sure of it." Waving at the Aged Man, Jest crossed the threshold of the door. "Good bye."
He closed the door behind him. His body still ached from the battle earlier in the day, and he was surprised to find twilight setting in. Time was always speeding up and slowing down in the land of Chess, but it would be nice to have time to rest for once. To not fight day after day, to be able to just go home and relax. He had been avoiding going home, though. The Aged Man's cabin in the woods suited him enough.
Jest followed the road to a spot in the woods that would give him a direct path to the palace. Once in position, he summoned a great tower to form around him, and took a step in the direction of the castle, causing the ground and tower to rumble.
He let the tower crumble away, the stones eroding to be a part of the path beneath him. Now, however, the path was made of smooth cobblestone, no longer a dirt road in the forest. He was in front of the castle gates. He nodded towards a castle guard.
"What is your business being here," the guard demanded, mustache twitching.
"Hello Gregory, it is just me. Jest," Jest said. Gregory maintained his still position, looking expectantly at Jest. Jest groaned inwardly.
"The White Queen has asked for my presence." The guard grunted and moved away to open the gate. The expectant look remained on his face. Sighing, Jest reached in his pocket and gave Gregory a coin. His eyes boggled.
"This coin has two tails!" Gregory exclaimed. Jest winked.
"Similar to that of a fine coat. Good day, Gregory." Jest passed through the gate, leaving the confused guard to stand there.
The castle courtyard was decorated with beautiful silver statues, white rose bushes, and ponds with clear water, reflecting the starry night sky. Jest breathed in the fresh air, the fragrance of the flowers filled the air. The tailored courtyard was very peaceful, however the silence was broken by the sound of bickering. Hovering over a rosebush were two flowers, a Larkspur and a Violet. They were fighting over a pair of gardening shears.
"You almost cut me!"
"If you just gave them to me, I wouldn't have!"
"You did it on purpose! I know you did!"
"Oh hush!" the Larkspur whispered loudly when they noticed Jest. The Larkspur craned in his direction and waved.
"Nothing to see here- just doing some guardening." Jest paused in his walk, and turned to them.
"Guardening?"
The Violet pushed the Larkspur out of the way and faced Jest. "These awful roses are the spies of the Red Queen, don't you know? Someone has to guard this garden." The Larkspur pushed the Violet back.
"Which is me- now hand those shears over!"
Jest walked away, leaving them to their quarrel. He heard someone cry out, and twirled around. The bud of a rose lay on the ground, pruned. The other roses sharpened their thorns, ready to defend, but the Larkspur and Violet were still fighting over the shears.
"Aren't white roses on the White Queen's side?" Jest said, voice filling with dread.
The flowers froze. Looking closer, Jest saw that the other roses were shaking, their shouts unheard by the Larkspur and Violet. They dropped the shears, horror filling in their eyes.
"What have we done!"
"We done? What have you done! you were the one to behead the Queen's loyal servant!"
"No- it was you!"
Jest turned away for good this time, quickly walking away from the flowers.
The palace doors were soon in front of him. He thumped the silver door knocker, and a fish servant soon opened the door. "The Queen has requested I be here," Jest told the servant. The servant bowed, and lead Jest to the throne room. Two other servants opened the door, and Jest stepped in. Jest's friend the March Hare, Haigha, looked over to him with bloodshot eyes. He could tell it had been a long day for him, for Haigha held a shaking teacup in one hand and a saucer in the other. Jest nodded a hello. Haigha gave a crazed smile back, and hopped off his short stool, placing his teacup and saucer on it. He picked up a cowbell from next to the stool and banged on it with a wooden stick.
"Presenting the White Rook, Jest Mathurine," Haigha announced, voice cracking. An appropriate distance from the throne, Jest bowed.
The White Queen sat in her throne. Rather, she bounced in her throne. Her legs kicked against the throne excitedly, and her head bobbed up and down. The White King sat modestly in his throne beside her, and smiled gently at Jest. The Queen spoke first.
"Hello, Jest!"
Jest gave a polite smile. "Hello, your majesty." He nodded towards the King. "Your majesty."
The White Queen beamed, her bright blue eyes sparkling. "Oh Jest, we have wonderful news!" She turned to her husband. "Right dearest?"
"Indeed," the White King agreed. The Queen continued bouncing in her throne, letting silence hang between them. Jest fidgeted awkwardly, but continued smiling. Finally, she spoke again, settling in her seat.
"Jest," she said slightly more calm. "You and your family has been loyal to the crown for ages. Your parents fought nobly in the war, and your parents' parents fought nobly in the war. Some as pawns, some as rooks like yourself."
Jest politely waited for the Queen to get to the point. She sat smiling for a moment, then continued.
"I like you, Jest." Jest raised an eyebrow, then bowed again.
"Thank you, your majesty. I am honored," Jest said. The Queen twiddled her thumbs distractedly. She looked back up, ignoring his comment.
"The King and I are very grateful for you and your family's efforts. Unlike the rest of your family, however, you have always been there for us, even in unprecedented situations." The Queen smiled bashfully. She twiddled her thumbs and let her gaze wander like a puppy's.
After too much time had passed, the King tapped the Queen's hand. She spoke suddenly.
"Lily is coming home! Isn't that great news," the White Queen said, looking between her husband and Jest. The change in subject made him frowned slightly.
"I have not had the pleasure of meeting this great 'Lily'. Who is she, may I ask?"
The King informed him. "Lily is our daughter. I'm sure we mentioned her- she is returning from schooling." The King pinched his brow. "Private tutors would have been much better, but she insisted on going abroad."
Jest straightened. He had no idea that the King and Queen had any children. He flicked his attention back to the Queen, who was almost bursting with excitement. She clapped her hands giddily.
With Jest's attention back on her, the Queen announced, "You are to marry her!"
Jest flinched, stumbling back a step. Haigha gasped from behind him, the crash of a teacup falling on the floor making them all turn their attention to him. Haigha cowered under their gaze and ran out of the room, leaving the mess of tea on the checkered marble floor. Jest quickly recovered, eyes wide and brows furrowed from the Queen's news. He cleared his throat, bringing their attention back to him.
Hesitantly, Jest asked, "I beg your pardon?"
The King scolded him. "It isn't respectable to beg."
The Queen clapped her hands again, eager to have the attention on her. "You will marry our daughter, Princess Lily of the White Queendom!"
The news sloshed in Jest's head. The world stilled. He straightened his cravat- blasted thing, it was. He couldn't move in the stiff gentleman clothing of his black jacket and pants. They were more of Hatta's style. He had changed out of his battle clothes -a simple ensemble that consisted of a black tunic, black close-fitting pants, and black boots- when the day's battled was over with. He wondered how the Queen expected him to react from this on-the-spot information. Thankfully, the King responded for him.
"Of course, this is your choice, and if you wish not to, you do not have to. But" -the King gave an authoritative look- "it would please the royal family."
Jest unconsciously squeezed his hands. When he had come to the palace, marriage was the furthest thing from his mind. Now, he had to answer to his sovereign. His heart was indeed loyal to the White Queen and King of Chess, but at the same time, his heart did not like the idea of marrying someone he did not know. Oh, the things Hatta would say about this.
Jest brushed his black hair away from his eyes, yellow as lemons. He did his best to disguise the terror that lurched inside of him, the pounding of his heart. He was sure they could all hear it. He licked his lips. "I apologize for my... late reaction- this is all quite sudden. I'm sure her highness, Princess Lily, is as wonderful as she seems, but... but this is all very fast. She doesn't even know me."
The Queen clucked her tongue. "You must marry first, then get to know her, then meet her. It will all work out fine."
The King, thankfully once again, saved Jest from the Queen's hasty ideas. He turned to his wife. "Darling, I'm afraid you don't understand. Jest would prefer to meet Lily first, then get to know her, then marry her. This worries him, which would make this situation, in fact, not fine." The King gave Jest a fatherly look. "Lily is a good girl. I am certain you will be the perfect husband for her, and that she will be the perfect wife for you."
Jest's mouth ran dry. He gave a hard gulp, trying to find the right words. Instead, he asked, "What made you come up with this proposal?"
The Queen was silent with sheepishness from her husband exposing her, so the King answered. His deep voice no longer had the gentle tone it carried before when he spoke. "The Red Queen's army is approaching swiftly, and the battle today was only one of many to come. Though there have been many battles in the past, our spies reported the Red Queen's latest plan."
"The roses?" Jest interrupted as politely as he could. The King nodded.
"The white roses have been our spies for quite a while now, painting themselves red to disguise themselves with the roses of the Red Queen. There have been few occasions when a rose has returned with valuable information, but one arrived just this morning. The Red Queen is planning to bombard us with attacks in a week or so. We aren't sure exactly when. However," -the King pinched his brow in distress- "that isn't the only news. The Red Queen has already found a replacement for the Red bishop that was killed in today's battle. For some reason, she has enlisted her only son."
Chills ran down Jest's spine, his breath catching. This was a bloody, dangerous war they were fighting. Many loved ones had died from it, including his own parents. Why anyone would put their own child in the midst of battle was beyond him.
The King continued. "Sources say that her son is here to-" the King's voice quavered- "kill our daughter. I will not let that happen. That is why we need you, Jest. Even if you don't marry our daughter, we need her protected, and you are a most loyal servant. Marrying her would ensure that you be by her side at all times."
The air around them was heavy with the King's news. Jest hardened his jaw. Forcing himself to meet the King's eyes, he said, "If protecting your daughter is what you wish for me to do, then I will. Marrying her is not necessary for me to keep her from harms way, though. I will not let her get hurt."
The King relaxed slightly, but the Queen fidgeted in her seat. She sat up and said, "But- but marrying her would still make the royal family happy. You would like to make the royal family happy, yes?" Her eyes gleamed with hope.
Uncertainly, Jest nodded. The Queen nodded her own head vigorously in response, her white hair quivering in its bun. "Then the courtship will proceed?" she asked eagerly. Jest knotted his hands together, tugging at his black gloves.
He wanted this war to end. He wanted the bloodshed to stop. He wanted time to process all that the King said. A girl- a princess was going to die. They wanted him to marry her. Him. A rook. A man who fought in war and took countless lives. Indeed, he had been there for the royal family in most situations, big and small, and had formed a connection with the noble King and bumbling Queen. But did they really feel comfortable with Jest joining their royal family and marrying their daughter? To live side by side with her for the rest of his life? He wasn't sure he was comfortable with the idea. It was too soon.
Jest clenched his hands, forcing his hands to still. His heart still pounded louder and harder in his chest. Each breath came in dry, making his throat a desert. He licked his lips and hesitated. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Finally, he lifted his head and said, "Yes. I am honored that you think me worthy of joining your royal family. Of a courtship with your daughter." He bowed. The Queen squealed, and the King gave a joyous laugh. Jest smiled, trying his best to make it reach his eyes. Though it couldn't.
The King gave one last chuckle, then said, "Now, dear Lily doesn't know that there is a threat on her life." The King clenched his jaw, and the Queen reached for his hand, which he gave a comforting squeeze. He raised his chin. "She is also unaware that she has a suitor. The latter she will find out soon enough, but I would hate for her to feel frightened. We mustn't tell her of the threat."
Jest nodded understandingly. "There will also be a ball in honor of Princess Lily's arrival!" the Queen piped. "That may be the best time to introduce yourself to my most dearest daughter. The ball will be in two days hence- the day Lily arrives. Oh, it will be a most wonderful ball." The Queen smiled dreamily. She started bouncing in her throne again. "You are dismissed!"
Jest bowed. Before leaving, he remembered something. He turned around. "Raven says 'hello'."
The King and Queen nodded distractedly, already forgetting he was there.
When leaving the throne room, he saw Haigha with an absurd look on his face. Jest glared at him.
"What?" he said. The tiredness in his voice surprised him. He hadn't realized how sluggish he had become, his jaw slackening and his hands numb at his sides. Haigha looked at him nervously.
"The Queen..." Haigha whispered. Jest nodded. Haigha's bloodshot eyes widened. He reached for his ears, hiding his face with them. He peaked out. "Will you- are you- did you get engaged?"
Jest shook his head. He put his hands over his eyes. "No. I'm going to be in a courtship." He slowly walked through the grand corridors of the palace, Haigha hesitantly following him.
"Oh." The simple word tumbled out of Haigha's mouth. Jest's hands fiddled with a glass marble that he had pulled from his pocket, rolling it over each knuckle. They didn't speak the rest of the way to the palace's front doors, where a servant opened the door for them, giving Jest a curious look. They walked slowly across the courtyard, Haigha mumbled to himself about teatime and Hatta's hat shop and having to make it to Hatta's hat shop by teatime, until Jest suddenly stopped walking. Haigha bumped head first into his calves. Jest looked solemnly at a rose on the ground, decapitated. He reached down and picked it up, carefully avoiding the thorns above the place it was cut.
"It'll grow back; don't worry," a voice said. Jest glanced around, then noticed that one of the white roses was speaking. "She will grow back not knowing she died- a new blossom will bloom, replacing the rose you hold before you." The roses watched him examine the head of the flower, then tuck it in his pocket. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the Rose said. Jest tilted his head questioningly. "The next time you reach in, all you'll get is pain and a throbbing in your finger. Unless, of course, that is what you want to happen."
Jest shook his head. "Thank you for the warning," he muttered. He reached in his pocket, and sure enough, pulled his hand quickly away to find that a thorn had punctured his skin through his soft leather gloves. He winced silently and pulled off the glove, a small bead of blood welling on his finger. He watched the blood slip down his finger and plop on the ground, where it was soaked up by the grass.
"Tsk, tsk. Told you that would happen," the Rose said. The roses giggle, then fell quiet.
"So sad that a white rose makes others bleed red," another rose said. The other roses nodded. Jest reached for the white rose in his pocket again, this time making sure he wasn't reaching for a thorn. He held it in the light of the moon, its white light shining through the thin, waxy petals of the flower. He wiped the rest of the blood from his finger on one petal of the white rose. He grabbed the end of the remaining stem and slid his gloved hand firmly over it, the thorns breaking away from the stem and falling to the ground. He held the flower to the moon again.
"You will not be forgotten. Though you were one rose in a rose bush of many, your beauty is singular, and you are an individual in life and death. No one shall take that from you, even as your petals wither and you fade away," Jest recited. He tucked the rose in his coat's lapel. The red and white stood out against his black suit, a fitting way to end his eulogy. He bowed to the roses in the rose bush, and left, Haigha following skittishly at his heels.
Marriage does not mean death, he told himself. This is a courtship, not a prison sentence.
"Lily," he whispered to himself. He closed his eyes, imagining the princess. "Lily." She probably had blonde hair, since the flower she was named after was often yellow. Maybe freckles. Brown eyes?
"Lily?" Haigha interrupted. "Those weren't lilies; those were roses." A new image filled Jest's mind. A girl with skin as pale as white roses, and hair as bright as red roses. A smile as cold as ice, and a touch as burning as fire. Jest opened his eyes and shivered.