Disenchantment Sagas

Prince Derek

"Ummm...uhhh...uhhhhh...."

"Your turn is almost up, Derek," said Tavish.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking..."

Derek was in Tavish's room for the usual morning lessons. The two were sitting at the table playing a game of chess. Tavish watched his stepbrother with his arms crossed as he tried to decide what move to make. Derek had his chin buried in both palms of his hands with his eyes darting across the chess board. Tavish tapped his finger on his elbow, indicating that Derek's turn was about to end. Derek quickly moves a chess piece. Tavish responded immediately by taking that chess piece and replacing it with his. 

    "Aww!" whined Derek. Derek looks at the chessboard. Tavish's white chest pieces had outnumbered Derek's black chest pieces. Derek's eyes began darting around before randomly moving a chest piece, to which Tavish replied again, this time completing the game with checkmate.

"AWW!" Derek whined once more. "I lost again!"

"You made more mistakes this game than the last one, Derek," said Tavish, clearing the chest board and placing it in his box.

"Well, I'm not good at this game like you are!" Derek replied defensively. "What does playing chess have to do with my studies anyway?"

"Chess is like war, Derek," said Tavish, getting up from his couch and putting away his chest board. "You are the one who commands your army and strategy. When you make a mistake, you will be closer to losing the battle, making it harder to win the war."

"I guess that's true," said Derek. "I've always wanted to start a war!"

"You never want to start a war, Derek," said Tavish scoldingly as he turned to face him. "Wars are the last thing you ever want to initiate. If there is a conflict between neighboring lands, you always want peace talks."

"But what about the war we were in for years? Peace talks never seem to work,"

"That war was absurd and a waste of resources. To think, it was all over ownership of a canal...."

"It was a nice looking canal, though..." said Derek quietly.

"The point is," said Tavish, "Is to teach you how to face these events if they ever happen in your era as a ruler. You don't want to be an incompetent king."

"Like father?"

"Yes, just like father...." Tavish sighed as he walked to his door and opened it. "Alright, that's enough for today, Derek. Off you go."

"Umm..." Derek twiddled his thumbs.

"Is there something else you wish to ask Derek?"

"I uh...umm...do you think you and I can play today, Tavish?"

"No, Derek, I have things that I must attend to, and I don't have time to play with you and your stuffed animals,"

"Aww, ok..." Derek gets off the couch and walks to the door but stops. "When will you have time?" He asked, looking up at his older brother.

"That I do not know," Tavish replied. "Off you go."

"But-"

"If I have time, I will let you know. Now go."

Derek hangs his head low and leaves his room. Tavish closed the door with a loud bang, followed by clicking locks. Derek strolls down the cobbled stone hallways, sighing every few minutes that pass by. That's when he enters the throne room and sees his father, King Zog, sitting on the throne with a dinner table in front of him. The throne echoed with the sounds of his snores.