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Ch 37 FUCK HIM!! Part 1
🕑 Added 2023-09-02 16:45:36 +0000 UTC"Eh, which one is that?" Bran asked innocently with a cute tilt of his little head and a frown on his face as he pointed towards the intricate wooden board.
"That is the Queen," Sansa answered absentmindedly, her attention divided between the conversation and the board between Robb and her father.
It was around noon just before lunch was to start and they were seated around the familiar high table in the Great Hall, which lay deserted, save for their family. Robb and Eddard occupied one side of the table, Bran rested comfortably on Sansa's lap, while Arya sat a bit farther away, since she had already been reprimanded twice for being too loud and distracting.
"That's stupid," Arya remarked, her face scrunched up. She glanced up at her sister, challenging, "The Queen doesn't know how to fight; she only knows how to wear dresses and look pretty. How come that piece is the most powerful and can move all over the place?"
Sansa patiently explained, "The Queen represents the Queen's family, just like the White King represents the Royal Family and the Black one the Rebel King." She recalled asking the same questions to Jon when he had introduced this game during his previous visits. "Can you tell me who the current Queen's family is?"
"I know! I know!" Bran said, jumping excitedly on her lap, "It's The Lannisters! Isn't it?"
"That's right," Sansa confirmed, wearing a proud smile as she affectionately rubbed Bran's head. He basked in the praise, his chest puffing up. "Seems like someone's paying attention to the Maester's lessons."
"Humph! I knew that too," Arya said pouting before she suddenly pointed at another towering piece on the board. "Tell me then, what is that?" she challenged Bran, who shook his head, unable to recall this one.
"That is the Navy representing the Royal Navy," Sansa answered for Bran while fondly rubbing Arya's head despite her protests, "And both sides have two of these."
Bran, still curious, questioned, "How come it can't move straight and can only go sideways?" His eyes followed Robb's move as he captured one of their father's Navy pieces.
"Hmm... Maybe it's because the Navy uses ships that can only traverse through water and not land so that's why on the board it can't move straight and can only move diagonally," Sansa said with a shrug, as this wasn't a question she had asked Jon but what she had said seems like a reasonable explanation, "And the last two big pieces are the Knights and Lords,"
"Knights?" Bran's eyes sparkled with awe. "Like from the stories?"
"Yes," Sansa said with a knowing smile, she knew her little brother was obsessed with the stories of Knights and their gallantry, "And the Knights here represent the Cavalry and since they are one of the fastest ones on land, they can jump from place to the other, regardless of who's blocking them. And those towers that somewhat look like the first keep... are called Lords. They represent the Lord Paramounts, and like the Knights and the Navy, each side has two."
And Just as she said that Robb took one of Father's Lord with his Queen, with a smirk on his face while her father just made his next move expressionlessly
Sansa smiled and replied, "Those are the pawns, also known as foot soldiers. The two Lord Paramounts each bring two pawns, while the Queen brings three. One of them represents the King's personal army, the Kingsguard, making a total of eight pawns for each side."
Arya interjected, nodding sagely, "Those are the weakest ones."
Sansa disagreed gently, "No, that's not always the case, you know. If they manage to get close enough, they can take out anyone, from Knights and Lords to even the Queen. They can even scare away the King. And if, somehow, they reach the end—your home—they can transform into any piece on the board except for the King."
Bran, perplexed, frowned and said, "That's not making sense."
Arya chimed in, "That's what I said."
"Hmm... Let me think," Sansa said with a pondering expression, before her face suddenly lit up, "Oh I know... Tell me, Do either of you remember that story about Ser Barristan Selmy and the Defiance?"
"Yes! Yes! I know!" Bran immediately answered, jumping up and down, "Ser Barristan Selmy sneaked into the Dun Fort, the seat of House Darklyn and rescued King Aerys, and even killed Symon Hollard during the escape to avenge his fallen Kingsguard brother,"
"That's right," Sansa nodded with a smile, "And that proves my point... What a whole army with Lord Lannister at its head, couldn't accomplish, Ser Barristan, a single Kingsguard, managed to achieve once he infiltrated the castle."
While Sansa was teaching her younger sibling the game called Chess that Jon said he got from a sailor from somewhere in Essos, most of her focus was still on the board. That's why she could easily see how Robb was on the verge of losing. Her brother was a very aggressive player, and he was somewhat obsessed with the Queen. If his own Queen was in danger he would protect it with all his might somewhat even willingly losing a few important pieces and similarly, he wouldn't be able to resist the lure of Father's Queen and lose the game in two moves.
Sansa almost opened her mouth to help him but stopped at the last moment since she knew her father would want him to make mistakes and learn from them.
"Aha! I got your Queen," Robb exclaimed triumphantly as he made a move. "You lose in three moves, Father. My Lord goes here, and then my Navy moves there, and it's checkmate."
"You're correct," Eddard replied calmly, acknowledging Robb's impending victory. "You can indeed trap my King in three moves and win. However..."
"No! Noo!! No 'howevers'!" Robb panicked, frantically reevaluating his moves.
"You lose in one," Eddard declared, moving his Lord piece from its corner of the board to the other side, effectively trapping Robb's King, which was smothered behind his Pawns.
"Ahhh!! Shit!" Robb cursed, his face as red as his hair. Sansa could understand him as the Chess Rage one feels when you lose at the last moment because of a blunder is very real and blinding.
"You're adept at tactics, Robb, and you excel in short-term moves," Eddard remarked calmly while resetting the board. "But you need to remember to always see the whole board, think about the long game and keep your home safe, otherwise you'll win the battles but lose the War, Understand."
"Yes, Father," Robb replied, wearing a slight pout.
"Move over, Robb," Sansa said, standing up with an excited smile on her face, "It's my turn now,"
"Aww, But I want to play another game,"
"I want to play, too," Arya said, even though she never finishes and always messes with the board when she starts to lose.
"Me too! Me Too!" Bran followed excitedly.
"Get lost! both of you," Robb said pushing his smaller siblings away from the board, "We only have this one board and you don't know how to play anyway—"
"I do! Idiot!" Arya said and immediately started hitting Robb angrily with her small punches and then they all started shouting and fighting each other.
"Calm down, Kids, You can take turns," Eddard attempted to restore order, though his voice was drowned out in the chaos. He sighed inwardly, thinking, 'Where's Catelyn when you need her?'
