A lone figure stands by a window. He is staring upward in the sky, like one of the supplicants in the old abbey from town. He had been here for a long time, and would be here for still more, but..

"You have visited your knights?"

A womans voice, broke the old man's reverie. Silently, and with great slowness, he turned his head towards its source. Ah, of course, it was his queen. Who else would have dared go near him in a time like this?

"You have visited your knights!" she said again, but this time, it was not a question. With a sigh, he noded, and wearily said "It is an old tradition of our family. Before a battle, my fathers used to talk with their knights, just as I have now talked with mine". Slowly he moved aways from the window, and nearer the black chair in the left corner of the room. He saw red ants crawling below. This fact irritated him almost as much as this conversation with the queen right now.

"It is a losing tradition as I remember" she said as he tiredly seated himself. Even here, his posture is straight. It would not do well to forget proper manners, he's a king afterall.

"You do not know that, we might yet prevail!!" he is getting angry now. Why is the queen opening wounds, and in a time like this? "We have done 700 training exercises, Completed three circles of the hidden knowledge. My Knights are ready, and the Bishops have given their benediction on the army. Even if we perish we are assured of entrance to Ellesium"

The queen only looks at him. Calmly taking his impotent rage. He regretted at once the things that he said. All this subtle questions, all this reminders of his past preparations. She wants something from him. But... what?

"What do you want!" he finally asked as he slumped back in the chair. All forms of propriety gone.

"You know you cannot win. Not against them. The only way to win is if you make a blood sacrifice

He waved his hand dismissively, he knew all the arguments. But to win in such a time, to ask such a large favor, would require a sacrifice in corresponding value. Preferably, the one thing dearest to him. But, he doesnt know of anything to offer. The only thing that he values in this world that would be remotely considered as something he loves would be his... his head snaps sharply up.. it would be his wife.

The queen only looks at him. Their eyes meet for a long time. Neither one moving. Then when a casual bow, she said "I want to be with my children tonight", and gently turned away.

Rain begins to trickle. Small drops dropping like tears from the sky. The flowers in the courtyard swaying from the gentle proding of the winds. Later that evening, the few who ventured in the courtyard reported seeing a solitary figure up in the castle. The shadows hides the face so none could be certain as to whom it was, but they all say it was staring in the sky, looking like a supplicant from the old abbey in town.

------------

The day after tomorrow is the big tournament. I hope I hold my own against the competition this time. The last two tournament had been a disaster as I went a combined score of 1.5/10 - but I feel much stronger now than the last time. I hope my feeling matches my actual performance.

Status
Circle three: Complete
12. Zwischenzug 661-702

Starting
13 Stalemate 703-717