Prologue--A Chess Game

A Story by starsnwaves

Two sisters with royalty on their mind, and a promise. Prologue to "A Chess Game".

The two sisters walked side by side along the trail, waning daylight glinting off their hair.

“Opal,” the younger asked, “will anything change?”

“What do you mean, ‘anything’?”

“If you get elected for something.” Pearl kicked a lone rock absentmindedly every other step, her tennis shoes keeping a steady beat in time with her sister’s steps. It was a game they’d always played, trying to mimic each other’s actions--after all, everyone had always said that the Savitsky sisters could have been twins if not for the four year age difference. Long, copper-blonde hair and sky blue eyes had often led to name mix-ups at school and at home. But, the sisters liked it--and they had made it their own. “Like, if you become queen, or a rook, or something like that.”

Opal laughed. “I’m not going to become queen, Pear--”

“But, if you do. What’ll happen?”

Pearl had a serious look on her face. She had stopped keeping pace with her sister, and the shadows from the setting sun accentuated her stony expression.

The older shut her eyes. She had never given it much thought before. Sure, the royal Election was a huge buzz in Eastern Chess; you couldn’t turn a corner in the City without hearing about it. There were posters plastered up on every wall of her high school, encouraging peers to vote for so-and-so for this year’s female rook, or to consider such-and-such for the new king of Eastern Chess. And it was all her parents talked about at home, reminiscing about how exciting the Election had been in past years and how Opal was a sure-win since this year was a 17-18 Election.

Maybe she did think about it a little. After all, what girl didn’t want to have ultimate power over the kingdom while enjoying all of the fineries of a palace?

“Well,” Opal pondered, “I guess I’d get to live in the palace, and be a really important person who’d have to make a lot of important decisions.”

“And?”

“The rest of our family would move in, too.”

“And?”

“I guess…that’d make you royalty, too, Pearly.”

Her little sister’s face was suddenly all sunshine and rainbows. She nodded, grinning, as if Opal had given the correct answer on a game show or something. The two things were pretty similar--"winning a thousand dollars from a televised competition, making her sister smile. Both gave Opal a fuzzy little breath of warmth that seemed to go directly to her heart. Pearl did a little dance, jumping up and down, skipping around Opal.

“Oh, you’re gonna be queen, Opal, I just know it!” she sang, almost breaking Opal’s nose with a particularly enthusiastic bout of jazz hands.

Opal rolled her eyes, but a smile came to her lips. She grabbed hold of Pearl’s shoulders, halting her frolicking instantaneously.

“Pearl, I need you to promise me something.”

“Okay. What?”

Opal took a deep breath. She mentally tensed herself. Every time she’d thought about the Royal Election--she did think about it pretty often, truthfully--there had always been one little nagging feeling that had plagued her mind. “If I do become part of the royal family…you need to promise me that you’ll still be there with me--for me.

Pearl was silent for a moment, and then laughed. “Opal, that’s ridiculous. Why would I ever leave you? You’re my sister--annoying sometimes, but still my sister.” She playfully elbowed her Opal in the side--a difficult feat, as Opal was about five inches taller. She frowned. “You’re keeping something from me. I can tell.”

“Just promise me.”

“…Okay. I promise.”

“Good.” Opal smiled, feeling a wave of relief washing over her. She took her sister’s hand, squeezing it. Pearl smiled back, a little shakily. That was okay, though, Opal thought. If she had to pick a favorite thing about Pearl, it would be her loyalty. If she did become queen--unlikely as it was--at least she’d have Pearl. And if Opal had any bit of doubt left in her core, that thought put it completely at ease.