The Rogue Guardian

Chapter 76: Black and White Kingdom

Magali moved a chess piece across the board, then folded her arms on the table and lay her head on them. Her eyes lined up with the small stone pieces, making them look like much larger silhouettes, a kingdom of stone towers and carved queens on a black and white battlefield. Abram's hand was a giant as he moved his own piece.

"Have you ever wanted something so much that it hurt?" She asked, voice muffled against her skin. She knew without looking up that he would be raising an eyebrow at her, reminding her to speak up for his dusk hearing. Making a face, she lifted her head just long enough to sign the sentence at him before dropping back to the pillow of her arms.

He smiled a little wistfully. Though he'd taught her to sign when she was little, it had phased out of their ordinary conversation as she got older and better at speaking clearly. Now it was a nostalgic language of memory for them. "Absolutely not, I've never been alive."

She let out a breath between her teeth at his half-joke. "If wanting and hurting is being alive, was I not alive before this summer?"

"You've always wanted, Magali. It's just that now you've figured what it is you've been wanting, which makes it hurt more that you don't have it yet. I'm proud of you."

"For hurting?" She asked, feeling a little bitter.

"Yes. It takes courage to hurt."

"You're being quite poetic tonight."

"Can I not be a knight of many talents?"

She smiled. Abram was good at not letting her be bitter too much. "Is one of your talents locating lost people?"

"I don't have to be. Lost people have a way of find their way home as lost objects don't. I wouldn't worry about Caer, or even about your Thief."

"It's hard not to worry about Morane. She makes jumping off roofs a habit, for the Lord's sake." She tried to nudge a piece forward with her nose, making Abram let out snorting, un-knightly laughter.

"So she must know how to land safely by now, right? Sooner or later she'll land back with you." When she didn't look convinced, he tugged her braid fondly and added, "Trust the Guardian to know other Guardians, princess. You're growing up, learning the world. Learn to delegate."

She swatted his hand away. "Can a delegate a question to you, then? Seeing as Guardians know about other Guardians."

"Of course." He looked happy to be asked, and she felt a little guilty for having kept him at a distance for the past few weeks. Abram didn't have children of his own — none of King Aeric's Guardians did — and she'd always felt that Abram would have wanted a few kids to take care of the way he'd always taken care of her, felt a sort of protectiveness for the kindness he showed her and few others. He appreciated being useful.

"Who do you think Tobias hates more at this point, me or my father?"

Abram breathed a quieter laugh. "Well. Let's see... Tobias practically worships your father, who is currently taking his anger out on him and humiliating him in front of the nobles by displaying his failures at a time when he's already miserable and embarrassed. Meanwhile, you have also annoyed him with your little stunt at the last meeting and by generally being as competent as him. So he hates you more, but he's been more wounded by your father. Does the difference matter?"

"It could." Magali slowly moved another piece, thinking of the game in which Morane had cheated for her, turned the tables, stolen a piece while Abram wasn't looking. "I think I might have been too hasty with that stunt, as you call it, embarrassing him in front of everyone. I'd like to make it up to him."