Flight of the Five Swans

Fear Chapter 2

"Checkmate."

Cliodne stared at the board in consternation. Back in Kyoria, she had been the undefeated chess master since the age of six. Her sisters had long stopped trying to challenge her, and even Ty hesitated when she invited him to play. Defeat in chess was an unpleasant feeling that she had never really experienced before coming to Deturus.

Correction: She'd never experienced defeat before playing against Soran.

She blew at her bangs and glanced up at her opponent. Lord Soran tossed his white-blond hair out of his eyes and lounged in his chair, a crooked, somewhat cocky smile on his face. As eldest nephew to the as-yet unmarried Deturian king, Soran was King Einor's heir and closest advisor. He had personally taken it upon himself to ensure that Cliodne's stay was both comfortable and productive since her arrival at the palace nearly five months prior. In fact, it was largely due to Soran's natural diplomacy that trade negotiations had been completed so swiftly, as Deturian custom typically did not favor fast action of any kind—though Cliodne herself would not have labeled a two-year endeavor as fast by any means. Soran had become Cliodne's almost constant companion, escorting her on rides through the forest and outlying villages, recommending all manner of books for her to read, and thoroughly thrashing her in their now-daily chess matches.

So maybe he wasn't entirely diplomatic after all.

Cliodne leaned back as well, mirroring Soran's unconcerned position.

"I completely missed that knight." She said ruefully.

Soran began replacing the chess pieces in their proper starting places on the board. "You were too distracted by the queen." His green eyes darted up to meet Cliodne's, holding her gaze a split second more than necessary before glancing back down at his busy hands. Cliodne cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. This wasn't the first time she'd suspected Soran of flirting with her and to be perfectly honest, she didn't know how she felt—nor what to do about it. Eralie had always been the romantic one, or Raia.

"And speaking of queens..." Soran began. Cliodne felt a slight twinge of panic. "Has your sister responded to our invitation yet?"

Cliodne almost laughed out loud. "Well, Eralie's not the queen just yet, though I do believe it's only a matter of time before Father makes it so. But I didn't write to her, I wrote to Father. And no, I've no response from anyone yet."

"Pity."

Cliodne set to work helping Soran set up the pieces for another game. As she contemplated her first move, the door to the drawing room opened and admitted the robust figure of King Einor. Tall yet sturdy, the king of Deturus's implacable expression concealed a heart of gold and deeply generous nature—as well as a rather wicked sense of humor. He was around her father's age, and had been one of Kyoria's closest allies for a number of years.

"I knew I'd find the two of you in here." He boomed, his twinkling eyes making up for the lack of smile gracing his face. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Cliodne stood and curtseyed. "Not at all, your Highness. Perhaps this is my cue that I've humiliated myself enough for today."

King Einor laughed, a full chortle as robust as he was. Lord Soran merely smiled, and though she knew her joke had been rather weak, Cliodne was disappointed. In five months, she had yet to hear Soran laugh. He smiled, certainly, and his smiles seemed genuine, but she had yet to see anything amuse him even to the point of chuckling.