Tristan was sitting opposite Vienna on a sofa in front of the fire place in the library of Vienna's house. He was drinking soda and was playing chess with Vienna.

Tristan liked to take his time making his moves. He drank and thought deeply. It was a good excuse to spend time with her alone before they had to go back to the dinner party that was going on. It was a lunch party but guests stayed longer because Emanuel O'Neil insisted. If anyone entered they could say they were in the middle of a game of chess.

Vienna waited for him to make a move in her own way... She had a clip board in her hand and was drawing Tristan. He only got more and more handsome as days went by but his eyes became more hardened and more serious. She could see the weight of responsibility on his young shoulders.

Tristan put down his soda bottle on the side table and rubbed his hands together. He reached for his queen and moved it.

Vienna sighed "Did you just kill off my only remaining knight? That piece is my favourite."

He smiled "Well. I killed your favourite game piece with my own favourite... My queen slays."

He gave him a hard look as she put her clipboard face down. She said " You are not funny." She then reached over to her bishop. She moved it but then regretted it. She moved it back.

Tristan said "Tsk. Tsk Vienna. No retreats allowed after you make a move."

She said innocently "Retreat. What retreat? I didn't move at all. You must have imagined it..."

Tristan said " Are you trying to deceive me? Grave mistake... I give you a chance... Put that game piece back to where it was ... and I will forget you tried to cheat and deceive me."

She said "I don't know what you are talking about?"

He said "Cheaters get punished by me Vienna..."

Vienna said "So do losers..." She then moved her Bishop.

He said "That wasn't so hard was it?" He then moved his queen."

Vienna leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest "Your queen slayed mine.. I can not  win with with no queen... I just have a king and a couple of pawns left..."

He said "It's not real life Vienna. You have a king in real life..."

Vienna bent over thinking about her next move and then she said "I can nothing ... Pawns can hardly move and kings in chess are useless..."

He said "But kings in real life are not useless... At least your king isn't." He winked.

She moved one of her pawns forward.

Tristan moved his queen and said "Check mate... The last king rules..."

She said "What is the price for losing? You will make me write lines?"

He said "You will drink from my soda bottle. I like sharing with you..."

She enthusiastically "It beats writing lines..."

She reached her hand over to his bottle. It was quite full. He drank slowly. Or maybe he pretended to drink and hardly took sips so he could watch her drink. He always liked to watch her drink. She had no idea why.

She slowly started drinking and then a drop fell down on her neck. She knew that drove Tristan crazy. It always did.

When she put down her soda bottle he was looking at her intensely. He took a deep breath and put the chess pieces back they were meant to be.

Vienna was always getting to go first. Ladies first was always his motto. She made a move.

Tristan leaned back and thought hard staring at the board.

Vienna grabbed her clipboard and carried on drawing him. He was probably plotting his attack on her army on the chess board. He was a tactician. He took his time.

He finally made a move.

Before she knew it she lost half her chess pieces. She sighed and leaned back. "You killed my queen again with your knight..."

He said "Vienna. Striking the queen is quite common.... One or off the chess board in any war... That's why a real life king must be stronger than a chessboard king and not be restricted to a few moves. No king should hide behind its security forces or he is risking his queen falling down... A true king must not compromise the queen..."

She breathed "This is only a game Tristan. Try not to make it about our relationship. Go on ... Say it... Whats coming next? Oh, a chess board king is like one of those weaklings my mother wants me hit it off with..."

He said " Your Mother sees life as a game... A fairy tale when a knight comes with his good looks and marries a princess. Well your prince is a dark prince Vienna. Your mother needs to accept that her own king is a dark king..."

She put her hands behind her neck and relaxed leaning back "Does that make me a dark princess? One who they never show in Disney movies? Villain are never the heros..."

Tristan said "That's to do with perception. Image is everything. You don't see tragedy often by Disney. The end is always happy... When the society wants to see happy endings, Romeo and Juliet have no place in fairy tales... For me tragedy is fairy tale. If sacrifice and tragedy didn't exist mankind wouldn't be where they are now... Freedom and peace doesn't come without a price..."

She said "I know... We are living how we are because of our parents making sacrifices... We never forget where we come from... I know all that Tristan."

Vienna got back to her game and sighed as she moved her own knight.

Tristan moved quick.

She sighed "You slaughtered my knight... I save the other knight to protect the king..." She moved her knight back in front of her king "So if you want to kill the king you have to go through my knight and then my king will stab you..."

He narrowed his eyes "I am your king Vienna. Your only king." He then moved his knight "Check mate. Your knight is not going to stop mine... When the king is too weak to defend itself, it gets killed pretty quick. No one can protect a weak king..."

Vienna said "Enough with the metaphors... No weakling can be my king..."

He said "And don't you forget it...

Vienna moved her king to the side.

Tristan said "Ouch." He then moved his queen to kill her queen. As he knocked over the queen with more force than necessary Vienna's queen fell off the table onto the carpet.

She said "What?"

He said "Check mate. Killed your queen and cornered your king. Trapped him. All in one move... Do you still call it your king? It's not your king if I can kill it ... I am your king... Don't you forget it."

Vienna looked at her discarded queen and picked it up from the floor. She looked at the game piece as she said "You know when my father was slaying my mothers weak new king, he didn't knock over the queen... He never hurt my mother..."

He said "She didn't get hurt. No. But your father put the fear of god in her by how he dealt with Michael O'Connor."

She sighed and looked up "Thats True... Now she is worried about me... going to college and find a guy I like and leave you for him... Then she fears you will give me the same treatment. So she wants us to break up while my father can protect me. She wants this to happen before you become so powerful but it's too late... You are powerful. You rule three kingdoms... The Giovanni's, O'Kane's And O'Neil's... Her already pale skin got paler when you became the Irish king... Your coronation gave her nightmares..."

He said "The only kingdom I care for is your heart... I would give up all my kingdoms to keep ruling your heart..."

She smiled as she stood up "Tristan..."

He stood up "Yes Vienna..."

Vienna said simply "Let's make out..." She bit her lip. That was another gesture that made him go crazy. He took a deep breath. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. He attached his lips to hers. They kissed deeply and Vienna wrapped her arms around her neck.

Vienna slowly pulled away and whispered "My mother is a queen ... She will only bow to her own king... She tries to block you because she simply can."

He smiled " I have captured the heart of her princess and I am not returning her back to her castle. She can send as many knights or kings as she want. This princess is mine... She belongs to me... Who do you belong to? Say it..."

She said "I belong to you Tristan. Only you..."

He kissed her deeply and urgently. Her lips were so soft and tasted heavenly. Her breath was refreshing like rose water... Her cheeks were like rose petals brushing against his cheeks when he moved his head down to her neck and kissed her neck.

She gasped "No hickey please. You don't need to mark your territory... Everyone knows I am yours..."

He said "You are right. I won't need to... Everyone knows to keep their distance from the borders of my territory or feel the full
Force of my dominance."

She felt like he was tickling her neck "What if someone walks in on us. What if my mother comes in now? What would she say?"

He said as he planted kisses on her neck "I would say ma'am... I am sorry for the inconvenience... But I love your daughter...."

Vienna chuckled "Wouldn't you tell her to stop telling my father you are no good for me?"

Tristan pulled away and looked into her eyes "She is a mother... No one will ever be good enough for her princess. She won't stop. I just have to prove I am worthy of you Vienna. I welcome the challenge. I will prove I am worthy of your love..."

She said "I love you..." She then leaned closer and kissed his lips. She moved her hands from to his chest. She ran her hands up and down his hard chest. No one could match this king in any fight. No one. She was certain.