"Jeune de Valeur, September 6th, 1407."
Guided by the dim glow of the candlelight, a girl dipped her pen into a small ink bowl. Reading aloud her writing, the girl's pen continued moving on the worn paper to create words.
"This is my journal. I am Jeune de Valeur. I live in a children's home in the Black Village. Let me explain how my world works."
She looked up, checking to make sure that nobody could hear her.
"I live in a world of lies. There are two kingdoms, the Black Kingdom and the White Kingdom. Here, everyone is created by the king, the supreme being. There are ranks. The king, or the rei. The queen, or the reina. The bishops, or the saintes. The knights, the chevaliers. The rooks, the chateaus. And the pawns, the valeurs."
"I am, as you've probably guessed, a valeur, or a pawn. I am the lowest of ranks in this world. It doesn't matter what happens to me, because unlike everyone else, I'm replaceable."
The girl, Jeune, started to hear voices near the door. She quickly put out her candle and placed her pen back in the ink bowl.
She thought the door would open, but it didn't. She sighed in relief. Looking around her small, musty room, she observed the unstable metal-rimmed bed and the desk with nothing but an unlit candle, a journal, and some ink.
The voices outside stopped and she knew it was safe to start writing again. She used a match to light the candle and opened the journal once again. Taking her pen, she continued.
"My life is not a desirable one. I live in a poor children's home, with barely enough money to feed ourselves, much less buy toys. I used to take the children's home's money to gamble on Piquet games. I was confident I could keep it a secret and get some extra money at the same time, but the madame found me out. I've been locked up in my room ever since, bored. I still have a bag of money for when I can escape the village, though."
The door to the room opened unexpectedly. "Jeune?"
Startled, the girl dropped the pen. "What is it, Madame?"
"Dinner is ready. We're eating bread and cheese again."
Jeune sighed. "Of course. Give me a moment." Madame eyed the journal on the desk, but left the room without another word.
Picking up her pen for the last time, she wrote one more entry.
"I wish I could see the world. I wish I mattered. I wish I could just escape. But wishes are a fickle thing."
She got up, blew on the candle, and left the room.
YOU ARE READING
A Game of Chess
FantasyIn this world, there are only two rules. 1, protect the king. And 2, never trust a white piece. How hard can it be? This pawn is about to find out what it means to be on the chessboard.
