Diseased Jottings From A Random Mind

Pawns

Pion sat on the floor of the cell. He, along with others who lived in the beggars' quarter of Orsiny, had been rousted from his bed by the duke's soldiers. They had then been taken to the duke's castle and placed in the cells to await whatever fate had been decreed for them. The occupants of the cells were the dregs of the town's inhabitants. There were beggars, prostitutes and cripples - the most wretched of their sort.

Pion himself was a dwarf, marked out from the others by a deformity of birth. His twisted body had not taken well to the cold and damp that permeated the stones of the castle, and he had suffered more than most. His imprisonment had passed in a haze of agony, causing him to lose all but the most rudimentary perception of time. So, when the duke's soldiers forced him and others from their cells, he had no idea how long he had been imprisoned. Brought painfully to his feet, the dwarf was forced to stumble through torch-lit passageways, up stone steps and into a large hall. From a wooden door came the muffled sounds of laughter and merriment. Pion recognised the cruel tone of the hidden festivities and shuddered.

A servant dressed in the duke's livery called out: "You have all been brought here to provide amusement for the Duke of Orsiny and his guests! Each of you shall be given clothes to wear! Then, when you are ready, you shall enter the great hall!"

One of Pion's fellow captives asked, "What if we refuse?"

The servant nodded, and one of the soldiers stepped forward and plunged his sword into the breast of the captive. "You shall die," the servant informed them. "Remember, your lives are worthless, save for what value the Duke of Orsiny grants you."

Fearful of what might happen, the prisoners dressed themselves quickly in the clothes they were given. The garments came in two colours - one half of the clothes were in black, the other half in white. These were then further subdivided. Some were given crowns; others bishop's mitres. A few more had knight's casques and soldier's helms. By far half of them - Pion included - were given plain stocking caps.

Eventually the servant was pleased. "Form up in two lines," he ordered. "Black to the left, white to the right." Then the soldiers marched them into the great hall.

Pion was astonished by what he saw. All around him were lords and ladies, dressed in their finery, being waited upon by servants. The remains of a magnificent feast were strewn across the stone flags of the hall. As the prisoners entered, the gathered nobles stopped their revels.

A young man stood up. "My lord duke! What are these creatures that you have allowed here tonight?"

The Duke of Orsiny gestured from his throne. "These are the people of the town, brought here tonight for our amusement."

"Amusement?" The young man sounded perplexed. "What amusement could such foul creatures bring?"

"You are familiar with the game of chess?" the duke asked.

"Of course."

"Tonight I shall play chess against any man who wishes to challenge me. But, instead of playing upon a board, we shall play here upon the floor of this hall. Instead of playing with figures of jet and ivory, we shall play with the bodies of men. And, instead of imagining the cries and fury of battle, when our pieces meet they shall fight!"

As the Duke or Orsiny spoke, his guests began to murmur amongst themselves. The murmuring rose in volume until it became a clamour. Then, as the duke finished his speech, the clamour became an exultant cheer.

The young man called out above the noise. "Then, sire, allow me the honour of challenging you!"

The Duke of Orsiny nodded. "I accept your challenge." Then he called out to his soldiers, "Place the pieces!"

Pion and the others were forced into place: two small armies facing each other across the black and white slabs of the hall. He found himself in the first rank of the black pieces, a pawn facing other pawns across the board. Somehow, he caught the eyes of the unfortunate across from him: a young man who he recognised as the idiot son of a tavern keeper. The boy's eyes were wide with fear, and his lips quivered. Pion mouthed words of reassurance to him, but he did not know if the boy saw him or understood.

The game began. "Queen's pawn to queen's third!" the duke commanded. There was a moment of silence, then the duke repeated his command. "Queen's pawn to queen's third!" One of the soldiers crossed the board, prodding the tavern keeper's son into his new position.

The duke's opponent responded. "King's knight to bishop's second!"

And so the game proceeded. Pion had some skill at the game of chess. While his dwarfism had prevented him from earning coin by all but the basest of physical labour, his mind was still quick. He had learnt to play the game, and play the game well. So, Pion watched the game unfold around him. In his opinion, the duke and his opponent were mediocre players at best. They had set the board well, but were unwilling or unable to make more decisive moves. The duke's guests seemed to be of the same opinion. And, as more pieces were moved, the guests became more restless.

"This is no amusement!" a man in merchant's dress called out. "You promised us blood, Orsiny? Where is it?"

The Duke of Orsiny glared at the merchant. "You wish blood? Then blood you shall have! Rook to king's fifth!"

By now most of the pieces knew what was expected of them. The rook advanced along the row until he came face to face with a man in a black tabard and a knight's helmet. Then he hesitated, unsure of what to do next. Two soldiers approached, bearing arms, which were handed to the pieces.

"Fight!" the duke demanded. The knight and the rook looked at each other, unsure of what to do. "Fight, or both shall die!"

It was a short battle, brutal and unskilled. The two men swiped at each other, gouging at each other's flesh until one fell bleeding to the floor. The crowd, which had been quiet during this diversion, cheered and applauded as the insensate body of the loser was carried away.

After this, the fights came thick and fast. Pion understood what the duke and his opponent had done. Between them they had set the board so that once battle was joined, the blood would flow ceaselessly until the floor was awash with crimson. Pieces would move, then fight, then move again in the ceaseless logic of the game.

Pion found himself next to the tavern keeper's son and realised that soon he would have to face the boy and kill him, or die himself! He closed his eyes and prayed for guidance, but there was none. "Pawn takes pawn!" came the duke's command. Two soldiers stepped forward, bearing swords which they handed to Pion and the boy, then retreated.

"Do we have to fight?" the boy asked, his voice high-pitched and tremulous.

"No," said Pion.

"But if we don't ... ," the boy began.

"We do not have to fight," Pion replied. "But I must."

The dwarf spun round and ran for the edge of the board, towards the Duke of Orsiny and his opponent. The soldiers reacted, trying to stop Pion before he reached the duke, but the dwarf evaded them and cannoned into the nobleman. "This madness stops!" Pion cried, and chopped with his sword. The blade bit deep into the duke's arm, drawing blood; but before Pion could strike again, one of the duke's soldiers felled him from behind.

"What do you wish done with him, sire?" the soldier asked.

It took a moment for the duke to recover his composure sufficiently to reply. "Take that creature below and place him in chains. He shall pay for his crime."

The soldier bowed. "My lord," he said.

The duke held up a hand to stay the soldier. "And send men to the beggar's quarter. It is time that rat's nest was cleansed."