Aline

Chapter 7

The chateau had a small windy road that led up to the hill. But it was a magnificent view once you did reach the top of the hill. The driveway became encased with surrounding trees, the new fall of the sparkly snow shimmered as it fell onto the bare trees.

"Mother. Father. I'm home," Dirik said his beaming smile gleaming 0n his face as he entered through the door to the entryway.

"Your parents are having their usual evening walk in the garden, young master." The butler came into the entryway through one of the doors that led to a hallway for various rooms in the chateau.

"All bring the ingredients to Martha. Please inform my father that I would like to have our daily chess competition at six."

"Very well. I will see to it, young master Dirik." With a slight bow, the butler left off to inform his parents.

Turning around Dirik grabbed a few of the sacks while the stable boy grabbed the bottles of oil ready to bring them to Martha, the family cook. Martha was like a grandmother to him. She always doted on him when he was younger giving him cookies that he failed to sneak away. He had never met his grandparents as they had died when his father just became of age.

Martha had been fairly aged then but she seemed to look the same as years went by it was like she had never aged at all. Still the old lady with her white hair in a neat tight bun. An apron tied around her neck and waist. And her shoulders hunched from cooking over the low stove for years.

"Afternoon Martha. We have the ingredients that mom gave me on the list."

"Oh," Martha gasped as if she expected to pick them up herself the next day. "You and your mother are such sweet children."

She probably viewed everyone around her to be children as she was the oldest in the village for years since her husband died eight years back.

The stable boy had already set the bottles of oil and disappeared. Dirik always thought that he was like a magician disappearing and appearing wherever he went doing one task then disappearing to do another one. Or just appearing behind without any hint sometimes scaring the scarce guests that they did have to visit. But it wasn't like they had many guests that visited in the first place, the ones that did visit were typically family members.

Dirik went to the garden where his parents, the Count and Countess of Neckerburg. The sun was just below the horizon and cast all shades of purple, pink, and orange into the sky a magnificent sight. The calming hues signaled to him the time every day that his parents ended their walk.

When Dirik came round their chateau he saw his parents heading towards the large double doors.
"Father, are you ready to lose once more," Dirik yelled to his father cockily who was several meters away. He was talking about their weekly chess match which Dirik had won the previous eight times.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that young man," his father yelled back with just as much force and unwavering confidence. "I just let you will all those times so that you wouldn't feel sad."

Dirik chuckled, his father was obviously just saying that to impress his mother who had her arm linked with his halfway up the stairs.

Heading into the sitting room his father had already set up the chessboard which sat in front of him. While Dirik's mother sat next to his father reading one of the many books that they kept in their library.

His pieces were clear glass while his father's were glass with painted matte black.

"Pick your move son."

"Gladly." A smirk glided across his face.

Dirik took the pawn directly in front of the king piece and moved it up two squares.

"Now son," here came the little speech he gave every time they played chess. It was annoying at first but now he has heard it so much that he just began to give up and ignore it. "Playing chess isn't just about having fun and placing the pieces wherever you please." Dirik already knew this it was impossible to win against his father if a heavy amount of strategy wasn't used. "Back in my day they sometimes even used diagrams that resembled chessboard and their pieces when examining battle strategies."

Placing his next piece down his father not even paying attention as he was in the middle of giving his amazing speech the words came out of him in a monotone voice, "Your turn father." The word was easily able to tell that he did not care about his father's speech having practically already memorized it.

"Oh." His father didn't sound surprised about it at all but sounded as so.

His speech ended partially has he didn't continue it any further. For that part, Dirik was thankful to just go straight back to the game that had been stopped halfway through.

"Speaking of which, Dirik. When are you going to join the military?" Not waiting for Dirik to answer that he had no plans to join the military. "You know when I was your age I was already serving in the military for two years."

Of course, his father had been in the military, he had even been a commander of a group of soldiers. At his age, they were in the middle of war forty years ago, in which the daughter of Duke Spindle-wood was about to be engaged to the crown prince but had gone missing. There had been great controversy over what they were going to do but eventually, word got out that they had kidnapped Lady Aline and planned to use her to throw over their kingdom.

"And... checkmate. Looks like I've won this game as well father."

His mother let out a soft chuckle as did he at the thought of his father being so confident before but ultimately losing. His father had been excellent at the game as well as enjoying it so much that he taught Dirik how to play chess at a young age, which allowed Dirik to master his skills and playing style as well as knowing well how his father played.