Doctor Abbott

Untitled Part 37

The guards opened the doors to the great hall allowing Lúta and Ben in. The queen was sitting with her husband and immediately plucked her plate off the table to join her friend at the far end for some private conversation. She gave both of them a hug before taking her seat, "I have missed you two so much, and thank you for last night, Ben. I know you did everything you could for the human."

Lúta sat a basket of fresh bread down and took her seat next to her friend while Ben approached the seat by the king. Mâvis picked his chalace off the table and gestured to Ben before taking a sip off of it. "I was starting to wonder if you were coming."

"Sorry, the two of us dragged our feet a bit getting ready. I brought us a game to play." Ben motioned to a box in his hand.

"A game? Do I look like a cub?" Mâvis grumbled.

"I'm sorry, sir, this is not a game for children. Quite the opposite. Easy to learn but it takes years to master. It's very good for keeping the mind sharp." Ben smiled seeing the king sit up and take an interest in the box.

He opened it and started setting up the chess pieces on the cover of the box. "I picked it up from one of the other humans on the island. I had to fashion a few new peices but it is complete. This is your king and queen, your knights, bishops, castles and these little ones are your pawns. "

Ben continued, "They all have a job on the board and can only move with limitations. I have all the same pieces and must move with the same limitations. The key is to learn those limitations and how to use them to your advantage against your opponent."

Mâvis poured some ale into his chalice and offered the pitcher to Ben, "It looks interesting, Abbott. I will try it." By the time they were finished with dinner Mâvis had a majority of the moves figured out and was now experimenting with strategy.

Genevieve was packing up Jocelyn as she turned to Mâvis, "Are you coming to bed, love?" He simply growled and waived his hand at her as he focused on the next move he needed to make. "Fine then, husband, I expect you will come to bed at some point tonight." She gestured to Lúta to follow her upstairs.

The guards closed the door as the women left. Ben sat marveling at how quickly Mâvis had taken to the game. His level of concentration was intriguing. While he waited for Mâvis to make his next move he topped off the king's cup with a little more ale.

It wasn't long after that Mâvis realized he was losing, and he brushed off the rest of the game in frustration as he picked up his drink. He watched as Ben packed up the board, carefully wrapping each piece for proper storage. Taking another sip he finally spoke, "What do you think about what Kevin said of my daughter?"

Ben stopped suddenly, he was now feeling nervous of the direction of the conversation. "Sir, I think my opinon was made clear of your relationship with her the night I cut the arrow from your back."

"So you are telling me you are not the least bit curious as to how she got here?" Mâvis eyed him knowing any answer but yes would be a lie.

"I suppose the thought may have entered my mind on more than one occasion, but it's not my place to question that."

Mâvis grunted and averted his gaze for a moment, then he borught his attention back to Ben, "I found her." He watched intently as Bens jaw went slack, then he continued, "Well Genie did anyway. I met my wife in the Canadian Passages. Her father was a general in a village beyond a vast mountain range. It took a long time for us to make it back here. But it was good for us because we became very close to one another on the way back. At some point we got too close to a human pathway and stumbled on a man and women fighting with eachother."