"Checkmate!"

"Ah, you are a worthy adversary, Zeon..."

Gash and I sat on the floor in my room with my favorite wooden chessboard. He insisted that we play to take my mind off things, and I'm very glad he did. It was hard to think about my new family when you can whip someone in a good-old-fashioned game of chess? He was very persistant, I'll give him that. As we began to set up for the next game, Koruru opened the door and flung herself on my bed where she began to weep openly.

We looked at each other, Gash and I, and decided that we should try and figure out what happened. We climbed on the bed at opposite sides and asked what was wrong. In her normally sweet voice, marred by hiccups and sobs, she said that my father's new wife had decided that it was a waste of money to pay for her and Hyde's wedding. Hyde's master would not pay for it either, because the responsiblity of funding the ceremony always fell squarely on the family of the bride. She wouldn't stop crying into the pillow. Gash and I shared a moment of mutual understanding and as he tried to comfort her I left my room and skulked downstairs. My stepmother and my father sat on their thrones.

"Dad!" I shouted, taking long, quick strides. He glanced at me, at the anger written on my face and politely excused the scribe whom had probably been reading off a list of needed items for a tiny village in the southern part of our kingdom. Before he had a chance to ask me what was wrong, I launched into the story. "Did you know Queen Eduron told Koruru that she couldn't get married to Hyde? She's upstairs, crying as we speak."

Her face became stiff as she turned to look at me slowly. "Don't speak such foolish lies, child. I would never--"

"My son does not lie, Eduron." My father said in a deep, commanding voice. His form stood from the throne and walked down to meet me. I looked up and him as he placed one of his large hands on my shoulder. For some reason it calmed me. And as I looked up into his reassuring eyes my temper became much more placid. "Zeon. Go fetch Koruru. Tell her that I would like to speak to her."

"She didn't tell me to come to you father!" I said hurriedly. I didn't want to get Koruru in more trouble by having my father think she was using me to get her way. He rose his large hand to silence me and I became quiet.

"Do not fret Zeon. I only wish to inform her that her wedding will be paid for as I promised. I broke one promise, and I do not intend to break another," those blue eyes twinkled at those words and I longed to believe in what my father was saying to me. I threw my arms around him and a hug and thanked him before darting up the steps to bring Koruru to my father. I bounced on the bed and leaned down at Koruru's eye level against the pillow. Her eyes were puffy and pink. I moved one of her locks from out of her face, and informed her of what my father had told me. He face brightened instantly and she brought me into a hug before going downstairs to acknowledge my father's summonings.

Gash grinned at me and patted me on the back as we returned to our chess game, which I won in a matter of moves. Gash took the loss in good nature and we continued to play deep into the night until we were summoned for dinner.

My new stepmom obviously didn't like that I treated my servants like my friends instead of like lowly cretins. My father had usually allowed the sevants to sit with us as we ate dinner so long as there was no company. Seh vehemently protested againtst this, saying that it may lead them to think that they can do whatever they want because they dined with us. I suppose it was only fair that after taking my side that morning that he should take her side that night. I insisted that I should be allowed to eat with the sevants then. She forbade that, saying that a Prince should not dine with the help. I think she was truly afraid of the look I gave her, and I returned to my room, seething with anger just like I had done the days before their marriage.

Koruru and Gash entered my room to watch the moon. It was something that we just did on spur sometimes, because the moon had a pale, pretty face and the gentlest glow. "You know Zeon," Gash said with a smile. His skin looked oddly dark in the gentle moonlit night. "When to moon shines down on you, it looks almost like you're shining back."

Since then I looked at the moon whenever I could. It comforted me. I would even talk to it sometimes and I always felt like it would respond back to me. My only two friend did not find this strange. Instead they thought that it was something I needed. All people needed an inanimate object to talk to about things no human being would ever understand. While most demon children had teddy bears and stuffed animals, I something far more grand. Something that I could never lose. I had the moon.

Koruru and I were walking through the garden under the moonlight. Gash's mistress was angry at him for getting so friendly with me. I could not get my father to stop her there--her sevants were hers, just like his were his. He could have no control on how she governed her help, even if they were married. The pond looked so beautiful with the petals floating in it and the shimmering koi making them bounce around on the surface. I've seen them in the morning with dewdrops collected on their petals. It was truly a sight worth getting up early or staying up late for.

"Zeon... do you like Hyde?" Koruru asked out of the blue. Did I like him? I barely knew him! All I knew was that she liked him and that he seemed to make her really happy. As far as I was concerned, Hyde wasn't cheating on her with anyone, so I guess he was alright in my book. I told her this and she smiled. "I like him. I'm glad I work for such a kind family. I don't think anyone else in the whole demon world would pay for their servants' marriage."

I nodded and stared up at the moon, and Koruru started to hum. She grabbed the sleeve of my black silk pajamas and pointed to a bench swing. I recognized it as my mother's favorite place to go. To sit under the trees with the diluted light falling on the pages of an open book in her lap. It had once shone and been made of pale wood, but now its been worn down. The wood is broken and it looks ratty. Vines have taken over the seat, but I sat on it anyway. It used to rock without a single sound. Now it creaked back and forth, back and forth...

I imagined his mother on this swing in its hay day. I remembered that she would always swing on it with me whenever I found her here, and she would sing and lightly rock me to sleep here. More than I realized or remembered, maybe this bench contained more of my mother's soul than even I did. Koruru sat beside me and wrapped her arms around me to break me from my stupor. My face was wet. Had I been crying? Yes, I had been crying. She patted my back to sooth me, and I buried my head into the crook of her neck and took in her scent. She smelled of honey and fresh bread, of rasberries and milk. "I miss her." I managed to croak out. She shushed me gently, and began to rock the swing back and forth with her legs.

"It's okay. I know you miss her."

Neither of us mentioned what had happened at the bench to Gash. He didn't need that on his mind. His mistress had been keeping him so busy with running around doing trivial tasks that he didn't have time to hang out with us anymore. When his work was finally done, we was too tired to do anything, and always went straight to sleep in the sevant's quaters. We saw hide nor hair of him for almost a month. His mistress finally gave him a break and he joined us at the bench after Koruru left directions for him on his pillow.

Like Koruru and I did, Gash thought that the rotting wood and vines and creaking gave the bench more character. We spent hours there, just talking, or being silent and enjoying and relishing the fact that we were not alone, and that the three people beside us understood. We sat together in silence and allowed our ties to strengthen, like a tree growing older, reaching to the sky with trunk so thick and branches so large.

But at night I sat here alone and sometimes thought about my mother, sometimes staring up into the sky, and sometimes just to let one or two tears fall. One night, Gash came out and found me laying protrate on the bench, kicking off with one foot. I sat up and made room for him. I thought he wanted some thing but he was silent. It was one of those strengthening times, I thought.

"You should come back inside," he said at last. "There's a storm coming." I nodded and walked with him back to the dark castle. He left me and bade me good night before heading the sleeping quarters for the servants.

I went up the stairs past my father's sleeping quarters, and I heard Queen Eduron's voice as she spoke to him. I suddenly felt a wave of sickness that my father was sharing a room and bed with that horrible woman. I pressed my ear to the door to hear what they were saying better. Even though eavesdropping wasn't a polite thing to do, I wanted to know what they were saying.

"--that boy of yours is simply mental! He practically spends all his time with the servants! He wants to eat with them, play with them, next thing you know he'll want to sleep with them too!"

"Fuck... you..." I breathed slightly.

Eduron continued. "Did you know he has never once even spoken to Cherish? Not even once!"

"Zeon is fine. He and Koruru have practically been friends since birth."

She scoffed and continued as though she hadn't heard. "And the smart mouth on that one! Gash has been shirking his duties to play with him!"

"That is a bad thing?"

"Of course! A sevant is supposed to serve, not play chess with his master!"

"They are both happy, so I see no problem in what Gash is doing."

"He talks to the sky you know. That boy is bloody mental. Ever since that bitch Azurla died he's been--"

Silence.

"I think," Eduron continued, "that a little separation from his servant friends will help him. Don't you?"

"I suppose so..."

I stood up and went to my room as fast as I could, shutting the door. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed this all to go away.

Uh.... Yeah.... Nothing to say about this one except...

DUN DUN DUNNNN! The plot thickens!... I think...

Review? Please? I haz cookies?