Chapter 6: A Strategic Game

Winter's finger was impatiently tapping against the table she was seated in front of in the drawing room high up in the castle's keep. The room had become a command post of sorts for her. Hundreds of rolls of parchment sat on the table—all categorized and neatly piled together of course—and Winter's map had considerably more marks on it now.

Winter had lost track of how many days it had been since Lord Ironwood had arrived at the castle. It had at least been a week if not two or three, and in all that time it felt like she was no closer to tracking down the dragon than when she'd first begun. The signs of its presence were obvious. There had been many reports of game animals gone missing, groves of trees mysteriously knocked down, and large footprints that had no trail leading to or from them. But none of these clues had led to the dragon itself yet. They almost seemed to be appearing at random. If Winter didn't know better she'd say the dragon was somehow mocking her.

Winter leaned back wearily in her chair. At this point she was willing to entertain some of the more outlandish rumors about dragons. Maybe this one really could turn invisible or disguise itself as some other kind of creature. Lord Ironwood hadn't been wrong about its cunning. Or perhaps it was the beast's patience that was thwarting her. Whatever the case, she'd never known a dragon to hide itself away so successfully for such a length of time.

Outside the window, the sun was getting low in the sky. It meant another fruitless day had almost come to an end. Winter felt agitated. The hunt for the dragon was beginning to grate on her, although she didn't think that was the source of her unease. It suddenly struck her that she hadn't seen Princess Yang all day.

Yang had become a constant in Winter's life. The princess had done her level best to pull Winter away from her duty, but thankfully, she'd eventually given up. However, as the days had crept forward, Yang had always been there with a kind word, a compliment, flattery, or whatever else she'd thought Winter might like. She'd even taken to bringing Winter her midday meal directly to the drawing room. Winter had tried to explain to Yang that a princess should not demean herself by doing servants' work, but Yang had rebuffed her advice.

Now that Winter was aware of it, she keenly felt the princess's absence. It also explained why she'd been so hungry when she'd eaten her supper. It was impressive how subtly yet effectively the princess had wormed herself into Winter's routine. Winter wondered if the princess's absence today was all part of some strategy of hers to make Winter realize how naturally she'd come to depend on her. If so, it was a brilliant tactic. It was painfully obvious to Winter now how much better her days were when Yang was in them.

A forlorn sigh escaped Winter's lips. Surely it wouldn't be long now until the envoy King Jacques had dispatched would return from Patch. Winter was loathed to admit how much she was dreading that day. It would mean that Yang's time in Atlas was over, and perhaps Winter would never see her again.

A knock at the door interrupted Winter's thoughts. She looked up from her chair and took a moment to compose herself. Then she said, "Enter."

The door opened. Unfortunately, it wasn't Yang on the other side but Captain Elm, one of the castle's senior guards. Winter realized she'd been foolish for even expecting Yang. The princess never knocked.

"Captain," Winter said. "What do you have for me?"

Captain Elm walked in. She held out a parchment in her hand and said, "Some more odd news. I didn't know if it was relevant or not, so I thought it would be best to inform you."

Winter took the parchment and unrolled it. She stood and paced about the room as she read its message.

"A dozen sheep have vanished from the royal pasture?" Winter asked, summarizing the message.

"Yes ma'am," Elm said.

"And there's been no word as to how? No reports of poachers nor sightings of any strange creatures?" Winter asked, setting the parchment on the table with the rest.

"No ma'am," Elm said. "As near as anyone can tell, they just vanished."

"I see," Winter said. The dragon certainly could have eaten those sheep, but for it to escape unseen after venturing so close to the capital was unlikely. The royal pastures were less than a day's walk from the castle and practically in sight of the city of Atlas itself.

Winter said, "I'd like you to look into this more closely. Maybe it's nothing, but we won't know for sure until we have some answers."

"Yes ma'am," Elm said.

"And how are the guards getting along with Lord Ironwood?" Winter asked.

Lord Ironwood had not been idle while Winter had been trying to track down the dragon. He'd been drilling the castle guards on tactics and techniques for fighting a dragon en masse. It was an unusual step and one the Order didn't normally employ. Winter dearly hoped it would prove to be unnecessary. Even with time to train and prepare, casualties were sure to be high if the guards had to fight the beast. King Jacques hadn't been keen to lend Ironwood his guards either, but he had been convinced to give his approval after Ironwood had offered him a reduction in how much gold Atlas would be expected to pledge to the Order next year. The king had also extracted the promise from Ironwood that not a single one of his guards would leave the castle without his explicit consent, something Ironwood had readily agreed to. Winter wasn't sure how he intended to secure the king's permission if and when the time came, but Ironwood hadn't appeared to be concerned.

Captain Elm said, "Lord Ironwood seems like a natural leader. The guards have been taking to his training well. Although he's been absent today."

"Yes. I believe he intended to work with our blacksmiths next. He no doubt has a list of all manner of specialized equipment he'd like them to produce," Winter said. Again, she hoped all of it would prove to be unneeded.

"I see, ma'am," Elm said.

"Is there anything else to report?" Winter asked.

"No ma'am," Elm said.

"Very good. You are dismissed for today," Winter said.

"Ma'am," Elm said. She bowed respectfully to Winter and left the room.

Winter cast a forlorn eye across the table and its ever-increasing collection of reports. She had half a mind to read over everything again, but she knew that would be a waste of effort. She rolled up the map on the table and took it in hand. Then she headed for the door. It seemed the dragon had evaded her for at least one more day. Perhaps tomorrow would be different.

A few minutes later, Winter was rounding the corner of the hallway that led to her quarters. Her door came into sight, and that wasn't all. Yang was standing there too, leaning casually against the wall nearby.

"Princess Yang!" Winter said, displeased by how eager she sounded.

"Did you miss me that much?" Yang asked.

Winter scowled. "I would say I didn't miss you at all, but I doubt you would believe me.

"You know me so well," Yang said.

"What can I do for you, Princess?" Winter asked.

"I was just thinking," Yang said. "We're such good friends now, but you've never invited me to your room."

Winter eyed Yang, trying to find her angle. She asked, "And what of interest do you think you would find in my room?"

"You, mostly," Yang said. She added, "Friend."

Winter realized too late that she hadn't refuted Yang's claim that they were in fact friends. She countered with, "And you think it's appropriate for you to enter a knight's room unchaperoned?"

"Hey. We're both women, right?" Yang said. "I don't know what you think the fuss would be about."

Winter didn't like her own argument from weeks earlier being thrown back at her. Especially not since now she saw how flimsy it was. She walked past Yang and opened the door to her room. She paused there and considered simply walking inside and leaving Yang alone in the corridor. However, she turned to Yang and in a very formal tone asked, "Princess Yang, would you care to visit me in my quarters?"

"How could I say no?" Yang replied.

Winter walked into her quarters with Yang right behind her. Her room was rather plain for one who had been born into royalty. The furniture was all finely made of course, and there were tapestries on the walls to insulate the space, but everything was functional rather than ornamental. Only the odd knickknack here and there, such as Winter's looking glass, hinted at the wealth her family commanded.

Winter absently unrolled the map in her hands. She knew she should set the hunt aside for today, and she knew she was being a poor hostess to her guest, but she couldn't quite get the dragon out of her head.

"Any luck finding the dragon's treasure today?" Yang asked.

Winter didn't respond. Yang had made so many quips insinuating that Winter was only interested in the dragon's horde by this point that she was completely indifferent to them.

Winter continued to study her map until she heard Yang say, "This is really nice."

At first Winter thought Yang was talking about her quarters in general, but when she looked up, she saw that Yang was admiring a chess set that was sitting on a small table in one corner of the room. The set was exquisitely crafted with tasteful gold inlay decorating the board and had pieces masterfully carved from ivory and ebony.

Winter almost laughed. Of course Yang would immediately gravitate to the one truly ostentatious sign of wealth in the room. The princess seemed to be magnetically drawn to things like jewelry, fine works of art, gold, and fancy clothes. It was a quirk of hers that was impossible not to notice after spending any length of time with her.

Winter said, "That was a gift from a would-be suitor. If only the man could have measured up to what he offered."

"Do you play?" Yang asked.

"In days past I was quite the avid player," Winter said.

"But not anymore?" Yang asked.

"I don't have time for such frivolities," Winter said. "And to be honest, there's no one left in the castle who can give me a proper challenge."

Winter turned back to her map. But her ears perked up when she heard the unmistakable sound of a chess piece being set down on the board with purpose.

Winter lifted her head again. Yang had moved one of white's pawns two spaces forward and was standing there with a grin on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

"I see Her Highness knows the latest rules," Winter said.

"Maybe I do," Yang said coyly. "Only one way to find out."

Winter debated with herself for a moment. Then she rolled up her map and set it on her dresser. She walked toward the table and sat in one of the chairs next to it.

Yang sat down as well.

Winter said, "Very well. But I won't tolerate any debates on what 'castling' is and whether or not it's a legal move."

Nearly an hour later, the sun had gone down and a fire had been set in the room's fireplace. Both Winter and Yang were still seated at the chess board. There were considerably fewer pieces in play now, and over the course of the game Yang's expression had slowly gone from a smug smile to a regular smile to no smile to a pout. It was her turn, and she was staring at the board intensely enough to drill a hole through it with her eyes.

Winter had been impressed with her opponent. Yang definitely knew her chess. She hadn't fallen for any traps or made any obvious mistakes. A couple of times she'd even had Winter on the back foot, albeit temporarily. Who knew the princess had such a strategic mind? It was another thing for Winter to add to her growing list of Yang's attractive qualities.

Winter was also pleased her own chess skills hadn't atrophied as badly as she'd feared. She certainly wasn't as good as she'd been at her peak, but she still rated herself as an expert player.

Yang finally made a move. She pushed one of her pawns forward, leaving it one square away from the back row and promotion.

A tiny smirk graced Winter's lips. She moved her own pawn on the opposite side of the board to the last rank. Then she reached for her captured pieces standing off to the side, but she didn't grab a queen like Yang was no doubt expecting. She promoted the pawn to a knight.

Yang looked very confused. She lifted her head to stare at Winter and then lowered it to look back at the board. She repeated this several times, but Winter offered no explanation. Eventually, Yang made her next move, completing her pawn's trip across the board and promoting it to a queen.

Winter didn't hesitate. She moved her freshly minted knight to attack Yang's king which was completely surrounded by pieces and pinned against the edge of the board. In other words, it couldn't move.

"Checkmate," Winter announced.

Yang's mouth actually hung open. She said, "No way."

"Thank you, Princess. That was a most enjoyable game," Winter said. And she meant it too.

"With the knight…" Yang said.

"Yes," Winter said. "It seems appropriate, does it not?"

"We need to play a rematch," Yang insisted.

"Of course," Winter said. "But not tonight. It's far too late."

"Alright," Yang grumbled. She stood up and said, "See you tomorrow then?"

"Of that I have no doubt," Winter said. She stood as well.

Yang started to leave. But Winter, to her own surprise, blurted out, "Princess…."

Yang turned back around.

"I will miss you when you're gone. I hope you won't forget about me," Winter said. She had no idea where any of this was coming from. Perhaps the firelight was making her sentimental.

Yang smiled sweetly. She walked back over to Winter and put a hand on her cheek.

Winter's eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned into Yang's touch. It was such a small gesture, but Winter felt a warmth spread across her chest. Being so close to Yang felt right, and Winter wanted more. She wanted more so badly that it scared her.

Winter pulled away from Yang. It was difficult for her, but it needed to be done.

Yang said, "I'm not going anywhere, Winter."

Winter hated how much she loved the sound of her name on Yang's lips. She said, "Yes you are. My father's envoy to Patch will surely return any day now."

Yang started to say something, but whatever it was she was trying to tell Winter died on her lips.

Winter cast her eyes down. They fell on the chess set, and an idea popped into her head. She plucked a white knight from off the table. Then she took Yang's arm and placed the piece into Yang's hand.

"Here," Winter said.

"What's this?" Yang asked.

"Something to remember me by," Winter said.

Yang's eyes actually went wide. She said, "You're…. But…."

"No arguing," Winter said. "It's a gift."

Yang held the chess piece out, staring at it. She looked like she was in absolute awe, as if Winter's gift was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her. Winter couldn't fathom why. Surely a princess, especially one as beautiful as Yang, was accustomed to admirers showering her with gifts.

Yang suddenly grabbed Winter's hand and yanked her in close with surprising strength. "Run away with me!" she exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Winter asked, confused.

"Run away with me!" Yang repeated. "You're right. I can't stay here forever. But that doesn't mean you can't leave with me."

There was genuine desperation in Yang's voice. Winter was astonished. Something had changed. This was no game of seduction Yang was playing.

"Princess…" Winter said.

"Don't deny yourself this!" Yang said. "Don't deny me this! We both know what we want. There's nothing stopping us."

"Princess!" Winter said more forcefully. "What we want is irrelevant. I am a knight. I have my duty, and I will not stray from it."

"Your duty is—!" Yang cut herself off. A maelstrom of emotion was swirling in her eyes. She muttered to herself, "It had to be you, didn't it? The noblest knight in all the land come to slay the dragon with no thought of reward."

"I'm sorry, Princess. I can't give you what you want," Winter said, although it wasn't easy for her.

"Forget about what I want," Yang spat out. "What do you want?"

"I've already told you that," Winter said.

Yang fixed Winter with an absolutely piercing look. Winter was actually shaken by the intensity of it. And for just a brief moment Yang's pupils seemed to take on a cat-like appearance as they reflected the firelight.

"No," Yang said. "You've told me what's expected of you. What do you want, Dame Winter Schnee?"

"I…" Winter said, her voice trembling. "I'm not afforded the luxury of what I want."

"That's not what I asked," Yang said. "I know what your duty is. I know what you've dedicated your life to. But what. Do. You. Want?"

"You," Winter whispered, so quietly that the word could barely be heard over the crackle of the fire.

Silence settled over the room, although Winter couldn't hear it over the sound of her heart pounding in her chest. Yang was staring at her with a fervent expression, and it frightened her. She couldn't decide if the princess more resembled a predator about to devour a tasty morsel or a siren about to lure a sailor to their demise.

"Princess. It's late," Winter said, trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere in the room. "It would be best if you go."

Yang didn't move at first. But then she backed away a few steps. She walked to the door and opened it. But just before she left, she turned to Winter and said, "The only one holding you back is you. Someday soon, someone's going to make you realize that."

Like that, Yang was gone.

Winter stood there for several long minutes. Then she practically collapsed into a chair.

"I have my duty," Winter echoed, although her voice sounded weak. Not even she was convinced.

Author's Note: Winter, you may be in trouble. Eh, I'm sure it'll all work out fine in the end, right?

Fun fact about chess. In roughly the 15th century there was a big update to the rules. They added the double-step move for pawns, castling, en passant, and other things. I was originally going to have Winter reference en passant as a new rule rather than castling, but I figured not enough people would know what the heck that was. Also, I'm not an expert chess player. I'm maybe 1,200 rated on a good day. So I have no idea how impressive/realistic a smothered mate is. I just love the concept. Plus it's thematic.

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.