Chapter 5- War games

Echo gets a hint about her mother while learning military tactics

War Games

"Father? I thought we were going to do a bout?" I looked at him as he showed me a very large board, like a game would be played on. It depicted mountains around the upper right corner, forrests on the lower half, a sea in the upper left corner, and rolling grassland in the middle of this all, with a deep valley in the very center.

 

"This is a very old game. My... Father tought this game to me. Two side, played by two opponents. One player has a red army, and the other blue. It is a military tactics game. This will take priority over everything else in your life, including swordsmanship," Father took out three red horses, a tiny castle, four miniture swordspeople, a flag bearer, a larger swordsman, and a red king. He had matching peices that were blue. "These are more valuable than you are; damage or lose even one, and I will personally see to it that you commit Seppuku. Understood, child?"

 

I nodded as he handed me the eleven game pieces. "I understand, Father. These are more valuable than I am." And I did understand. These were one of the few things Father had kept from his father, so they must have some value, at least sentimentally.

 

"Good. Now, the horses represent calvery; the castle is your castle, the palace; the swordsmen are your armies; flag bearer is important, for he represents moral; the large swordman is you, the general. Lastly, there is the emperor. If he is killed or captured, you are almost guarenteed to lose the game," Father sat opposite me, and pointed for me to sit as well. "Now, place your peices where you believe they're most stratigically based."

 

I looked at the board. I took my castle and placed it in a small area between the mountains, then placed the emperor next to it. I placed one swordsman in the mouth that lead to the valley. I stationed my horses down by the sea, except for one behind my swordman. I stationed the three armies around the bases of the mountains. The flag bearer and general were placed halfway between the armies and nearby sea.

 

Father looked, watching over my stationing of the men. He nodded, then clustered his troops around the castle and emperor he placed in the woods, dead centered. He set the armies around the castle in a half circle, with one horse between each man. He had the flag bearer in back, behind them. His general sat at the head of the armies and mounted soldiers. He did it so quickly, it seemed as if he had always used the spot, or had just randomly placed them.

 

"Alright. Now, why did you pick the mountains as your base?" Father said, not looking up, his eyes hidden from my view.

 

"They're the easiest spot to protect. They form a barrier around the palace, and those who are uphill will always have an advanatage against the lowlands. It also grants easy access to the sea."

 

"Good. You already have some idea of how to create an ideal kingdom; easy to protect, and near water. The earliest of all society started by rivers. It provides transportation, food, and shelter. I'm sure that if you looked in my ancestry, you'd find that my ancestors lived in villages near running water. And you also come from a village by a river." With that, Father stood and left the room, exiting through to the armory.

 

I sat on my ankles, looking at the board. I moved my armies closer around my general, as if they could provide some support to me. "But, Father," I said quietly to myself as I rearranged my armies. "You told me when I was young that mother lived in the forests here."