@caballaria [ cont from x ]
“You have a particular case of this, I understand much of your life has just been uprooted and now you must relive it from the ground up.. I do not envy your position.” Xander consoled the new king, moving his rook to H1 in a move without remorse, “Checkmate, Alm.” He reminded the boy, cleaning the board from the leftover pieces, “Only in four matches and you’ve learned quite well. Would you say you’re adept to learning new skills quickly? An excellent trait for a king to have.” Praising the boy, Xander sat up and grabbed hold of the board, to set it back securely on a shelf, “Life for you must be incredibly uncertain at the moment. The stress you’re experiencing surely must be awful. But know this— I’m glad to advise you and answer questions you have, most of my advice will be unsolicited, mind you.” A weak scoff left Xander, a quiet form of humor at his own good will.
Putting all pieces away into an organized placement, Xander glanced to the new king and spoke up, “Tell me. Can you walk and talk?” Calmly, Xander paced away, walking in a tempo that would make it easy for the boy to keep up in his stride.
Alm’s brows creased as Xander once more took his king, observing the board with intrigue, how it got to that point, and how he could better himself for next time. Chess was a strange game, with pieces that moved by specific rules across the board and sets that could be done only on specific turns. In a way, it was no different than the field of battle, as a General and a Cavalier would not move the same nor have the same use. He hummed in thought, then helped Xander with the pieces closer to himself so they could set the game-board away.
The compliment rose a small chuckle, and a shrug. In his opinion, maybe he just learned fast because he wanted to learn, or maybe it was because he felt he didn’t really know much at all. Or it was just that chess was, in the end, tactics, which was something he had been trained in since childhood by Mycen.
Xander spoke, and Alm listened, standing to walk when prompted, then hurrying to catch up to the far older and more experienced King. “Yes, sir.” He answered regardless, hands clasped behind him and slowing his brisk walk to try and match the man’s pace. Xander was taller, it took him a little to figure out a pace that would keep them side by side.
“But, by all means... any advice you can give me, I’ll take it.” His curious, interested eyes peered up at the man, posture leaning slightly forward in interest as his steps took a more notable pep.
“I mean, you’re not wrong, it has all been very new to me, but if I have a chance to learn from someone more experienced, I’m all for it. Thank you for offering! I, uh... I don’t know what I can do to make it up to you, but if something ever comes up...”
Of course, he was grateful for anything he could get at this point. Ruling a kingdom when he had all but been the random heir that had popped out of the woodwork had been a far bigger challenge than anything he was used to, and trying to appease the court and the people had been like herding cats while being a mouse.
