Dedicated to: Donna (Thank you so much for attending our TOS meet and greet event! )

Chapter 42: Game of Chess

The soft clatter of the thudding small woods against the board and the hushed voices of my brothers woke me up.

Hindi pa man ako gumagalaw sa pagkakahiga ko ay alam ko na ang ginagawa nila. I grew up with that constant sound— how the small pieces of those woods would be shuffled, the swoosh of the small amount of the red cloth against that smoothened surface against a board with colored tiled boxes.

Even with my eyes closed I could clearly imagine it.

At first, I didn't move, I just stayed lying on our huge sofa, hugging my pillow while blinking at the ceiling with the familiar chandelier that made me remember the endless court lessons that Casper and I had to remember.

I knew that we were inside one of our favorite libraries in the palace, where we usually spent our free time together. Hindi ko na napansin na nakatulog na pala ako dahil sa lamig ng panahon.

I used to look up at the ceiling if I happened to forget a certain passage or section of the law that had been implemented a few hundred years ago, but this time I stared at it because I was literally feeling lazy, unable to move.

I could hear Evan, Caleb, Finn, and even Casper's voices while having their discussion. The crackling of fire from the heart and the constant splash of the wind mingled with snow on the high windows.

Tilting my body to the right side, tightly hugging the pillow with a thick blanket that I didn't remember if I covered myself almost covered my whole body, I glanced at the tall window— I couldn't see anything but white— the color of snow. There was a snowstorm, and everyone's huddled inside the castle.

Casper and I recently just had our lesson from one of the masters on how to identify real weather to weather drawn by a vampire gift. And now that I had a slight idea about it, I wouldn't blame my brother for this extreme coldness.

Kung si Zen ang siyang may dahilan nito ay siguradong hindi iilang beses na siyang sinisisisi ni Caleb at Lily.

Mas umusod ako sa dulo ng sofa upang higit na mapagmasdan ang mga kapatid ko. Except for Dastan, who was reading a book on the chair near them, and Zen who was leaning near the window with his arms crossed, everyone was sitting on the carpeted floor, and in the middle of them was a chess board. Casper and Evan were the ones playing yet everyone around them was so invested.

"Are you sure that Father would take that move?" tanong ni Lily.

Napamasahe sa kanyang sentido si Evan. He looked frustrated. "Don't distract me, Lily. That's how Father usually uses his knight. Now, what's your move, Casper?"

Sa likuran ni Casper ay naroon na sina Caleb at Finn na bumubulong sa kanya. Pero agad rin tumira si Casper na tila hindi na kailangan ang opiniyon ng dalawa.

"Hmm... then Father will take your pawn like this," sabi ni Evan.

Ilang beses pa silang nagpalitan ng pagtira ni Casper nang nag-angat na ito ng tingin kay Evan. "If this is Father's game style, I wouldn't have lasted for ten moves, Evan."

Caleb, Finn, and even Zen who were standing by the window groaned in frustration.

"Matatalo ninyo ba talaga si ama?" tanong ni Lily.

"Why not try to ask him to play with you, Lily?" tanong ni Caleb.

"I used to win against him."

"That's because he purposely let you win," sabat ni Zen na umismid.

"Have you ever won against Father, Dastan?" tanong ni Finn.

Lahat sila ay lumingon kay Dastan na natigil sa pagbuklat ng aklat. "I can't remember."

Muling umismid si Zen. "Never."

"Si Ina lang ang nananalo kay ama," sabi ni Evan.

"Don't you think Mother's a good player or Father's just a Loverboy? Maybe he's just letting our mother win," ngiwing sabi ni Caleb.

Marahas na akong bumangon sa kinahihigaan ko. Minsan na akong nanunuod ng paglalaro nina ama't ina. If Father looked so confident every time he plays with us, when it came with mother he always looked serious, conflicted— challenged.

"No! Mother's good at chess! She's even wondering why no one can beat Father because it was too easy for her!"

Lahat sila ay napalingon sa akin. "You're awake," ngiting sabi ni Casper.

Until Evan showed a small notebook, even Casper had his notebook as well. They also had their pen. They went to the nearest table, and Evan and Casper started writing down their notes.

Tuluyan nang lumapit si Zen sa kumpulan naming magkakapatid at nakisilip na rin siya sa ginagawa ng dalawa. Kahit si Dastan ay iniwan ang kanyang aklat at nakisilip din sa mga ipinakikita nina Casper at Evan.

"I have notes of his gameplay," sabi ni Casper.

"Me too," dagdag ni Evan.

"You can give us insights about his gameplay when you played with him," muling sabi ni Casper.

"Basta malakas siyang pumitik sa noo," sabi ni Zen na nagpalingon sa aming lahat sa kanya.

"What?"

Namaywang si Lily sa kanya. "Zen, think about the game not the punishment."

During that snowstorm, my siblings spent their whole day navigating Father's chess gameplay, and even Dastan looked so invested and listened to Casper and Evan's discussion.

Until the day comes that Evan asked Father for a chess game. Natatandaan ko pa na halos lahat kami ay naroon sa likuran ni Evan na tila pinagtutulung-tulungan namin si ama, ngunit sa huli umalingawngaw lang ang malakas na pagtawa ni ama habang hindi maipinta ang mukha ng mga kapatid ko.

He was smiling so brightly at the other side of the room, while all my brothers were looking like they were caught in a sudden storm.

"I think he's cheating in every game, he's probably wearing a charm spell," bulong ni Caleb.

I thought everyone would disagree, but with Dastan, Zen, Casper, Evan, and Finn's bitter faces, they all nodded in agreement.

***

Hindi ko akalain na sa kabila ng sitwasyon ko sa mga oras na ito ay magagawa ko pang balikan ang nakaraang iyon.

I could remember how cold the weather was during that time that I had chapped lips, and my teeth were in constant clatter yet when I had a brief trip down on my memory lane— all I could feel was utter warmth as if my heart were a garden with a blooming flower, slowly awakening in the morning sunlight.

Na sa halip na takot ang siyang bumabalot sa akin sa mga oras na ito— sa suliranin na ngayon ay hindi ko sila kasama, nagagawa kong tumawa.

Fate knows how much I wish my siblings would be here— yet beneath this devastating state I had in front of the hundreds of eyes around me was the cunning realization— behind the strips of my messed-up hair, the heels of my palm on my cheeks and forehead was the glimpse of crimson eyes and devilish smile.

Nanatili akong nakasalampak sa lupa habang nakayuko at malakas na tumatawa sa harapan nilang lahat. Patuloy na ang pag-agos ng mga buhangin na unti-unting bumabalot sa aking mga hita.

All of them could say that I lost it— that I had accepted my fate being buried on the sand but after hearing Delilah's information...

Tumingala na ako at tumanaw sa madilim na kalangitan. Bahagyang inangat ang dalawang mga kamay. The movement of my fingers was uneven as if they were cracking on their own like I had been possessed. The creatures stepped back as I looked sinisterly terrifying and disgusting— like a living woman with a curse.

I could have hated Father for joining in this kind of game, losing and letting a woman get buried alive just for a damned tradition, but after hearing the game from Delilah— everything falls into place.

Father didn't take me to this place for nothing. He might have spread those rumors about the enchanted water, attracting numerous greedy creatures obsessed with power and youth, but he was confident enough that no one could ever decipher his trail of puzzles but me.

"The woman lost it!" malakas na sabi ng lalaking tagapag-anunsyo.

I marinated the horrendous scene—allowing everyone to think that I had completely fallen into the pit of despair. Little did they know that this laughter was not a symbol of defeat but rather a small emblem of fire— growing, crawling, moving...

Nang tumigil na ako sa pagtawa at muli akong tumayo ay muli kong hinanap ang mga mata ng mga nilalang na nagdala sa akin sa sitwasyong ito.

Harper— the woman representation of the angels from the high throne and the red-haired woman from the seas— a mermaid, and these two men helping them were ones of the previous embargos.

They possibly knew about the location of the Holy Land. Yet they couldn't reach it, they were challenging me, or they didn't have the power to reach it.

Because who else could possibly reach the Holy Land again aside from King Thaddeus and his first woman? Father and Danna reached the Holy Land and came back alive. Thinking about his mission with his first love made me feel that familiar sting in my chest.

These four creatures brought me into this situation because they knew that they couldn't survive this.

"Fuck it, which place hasn't he been to?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, grinning from ear to ear as I shook my head in fascination. I had always admired my mother for ruling behind the shadows of Father, yet I couldn't help but get excited with all these discoveries as our journey continued.

Claret, Kalla, Naha, Queen Leticia, Anna, and Iris had the same thought for my father. They said that he's a great game master— like a great player moving his every piece in the most calculated move. He had taken the first place for years even in his death.

I didn't know why suddenly the surroundings turned into utter darkness— a grayscale where I could see the same image of my father sitting at a table across mine with chess pieces laid on top of it, and then slowly there were visions of my siblings appearing around me— facing my father as well.

I saw how Father grinned, the locks of his hair hid his eyes, and a shadow covered his expression as he intertwined his fingers in front of his face, blocking the view of his coldness and threat.

Shivers ran down my spine. I found myself hugging my arms around me as I witnessed the same scene that happened years ago— where every one of us was on the other side of the table— fighting against our father.

Because from the very beginning, it had always been him and us— his children in this endless game of chess against him.

Hinanap ko muli sina Harper at ang babaeng may pulang buhok. Nanatili silang naroon sa likuran ng mga manunuod ngunit ang kanilang mga mata'y nasa akin.

I tilted my head more— acknowledging this setup from them. Friend or foe— either way, I'd reach the Holy Land first.

Lumingon na ako kina Delilah, Luna, Remi at Luna na kapwa napaatras nang harapin ko sila.

"Are you okay, Your Majesty?" tanong ni Luna.

"Don't worry, I am fine. There's no way my father would lose in a game of chess, but thank you for the information, Delilah." I nodded at her.

"Ngayon ay simulan na!"

Malakas na tambol ang sunod-sunod na dumagundong mula sa nakahilerang bahay ng aliw.

"Harper! I will end this now!" mariing sabi ni Kreios sa isipan ko.

Pansin ko na nagsisimula nang lumutang ang mga buhangin malapit sa mga paa ko.

"Didn't you read my thoughts, Kreios? I found the Holy Land."

"No!"

"These creatures... they have been waiting for us. They know that I am the only one who is capable of finding the Holy Land because I mated to someone like you— to someone who has the same ability of the woman who was buried after Father purposely lost his game."

"I will never bury my Queen alive!" giit ni Kreios.

"I trust your power, Kreios. You are my love— your power will never be a threat to my life."

"But Harper—"

Pinagkrus ko ang mga braso ko. "Can Elena play chess?"

"Yes," sagot ni Delilah.

"But she's not that good."

"Luna, make sure that Elena will lose the game."

Nagsinghapan sila sa sinabi ko. Tipid akong lumingon sa kanila at ngumiti. "It's fine."

"Harper!"

"We will proceed, King Kreios Sageton Doyle. And unlike Danna... I will let everyone in this damned place witness how I rise from the dead with sands gliding down my body— not as a loser in a battle— but as their Queen."