The knight

“Isn’t this exciting, brother? Look!” Jess pointed to the horizon, where a row of fierce men stood motionless, waiting for a command. Jess let out an almost maniacal laugh and doubled over supporting himself on Tristian’s shoulder.

The hysterical laughter of Jess threatened Tristian to be sick. His throat was dry, his eyes red, as he stared without blinking on the black line ahead. “Get your hands off!” he said, pushing Jess’s hands as far away as he could, which wasn’t much since they were assigned to their positions and were not to move unless commanded.

“This is a disgusting war,” he spat, “It’s a tragic necessity,” replied Jess.

 “It’s but a game to them. How many kings did we serve? Huh?” Tristan continued paying no heed to the other “Hundreds? Thousands? I’ve lost count. The queen always finds a way for us to come back, for your king she always says. It’s ridiculous and I’m tired of dying, a humiliating near-death experience”

 Jess was calmly looking at his own reflection in his sword. Tristian started fidgeting with his hands, mumbling incoherent words. Jess was silent for a few moments to show his respect of his brother’s emotional outburst like glass under intense heat, before he burst out laughing himself. “Well there’s no going back now. Brother, we-“

“I am not your brother.” Tristian interrupted with a harsh tone. Only if he could erase the undeniable bond between them, as if the blood they shared could disappear and be replaced with a wholly new blood. Neither related to the other, yet could exist just the same. Jess froze for a second.

 “ouch, you hurt me with those words, but don’t think for a second that I like this more than you do” he said in a sarcastic tone that pushed all thoughts of fear out of Tristian’s head and into a dark abyss where they sat waiting to be called again.

“Oh, won’t you look at that. Really? You aren’t enjoying this?” he said mockingly, throwing his hands around him as if showing a kid a land of candy and surprised at how unimpressed the child was. “Look all around you. I’m sure you will find what amuses that little walnut you have in your head.” He said looking with absolute disgust to Jess. He thought him a vile thing.

“I’m not this useless pawn anymore, Tristian. I have ambitions,”

“Is that so? And what are those little fancies of yours? Care to tell me, little brother,” Tristian said as he chewed every word and spat them out into his face.

“I will be a knight! And you will see, but oh,” Jess widened his eyes as he looked at the enemy lines, the air between them was heavier with each passing second, two soldiers from each side were facing each other in the middle of the field, no sun shone to their armor glimmer, it was an utterly still day. No wind, no cloud, no sun and no stars. Nothing but dread filled them and the air that was soon to reek with the smell of blood and rotting limbs. “This war, carries so much beauty in it. Yes, yes an unpredictable beauty. The deceiving, the cunning, the beauty in death and Tristian the pride, oh the pride.” Jess stated with such immense hunger it pushed the last drops of empathy Tristan might have held over the edge, it left him speechless, motionless and now afraid but not of the war but of his own blood.

“Who-“ he swallowed, “who put these absolute hogwash, ridiculous, idiotic thoughts in your head!?” every word showed more emotion than he intended until they formed a swamp of rotting words said out of fear and worry. Jess mumbled a few words before they all turned into a high pitched laughter, “you think so little of me. Brother,” he said sarcastically.

“Was it the queen?” Tristian spat, “did the old bat promise you higher ranks? You can’t say no? Afraid to reject offers you know will be the end of you”

“They won’t be the end of me, I will be right behind you, only on a horse, that is.”

“The end of you as you are, Jess.” He said, trying to bring back whatever was left to scavenge out of him, Jess shouldn’t end this way he thought.

A long silence followed, the soldiers moved around. the horsemen were at the front now face to face with the soldiers of the other side, surely they had their own thoughts about this mass grave they were about to create. This piece of art drawn with their own blood and limbs. They must have families waiting for their return or perhaps no one at all. Like Jess and Tristian who had been alone all their lives. Grey smoke now descended on them, crawling like a serpent among their rows. Their lungs were filled with the smell of tobacco. Thoughts rushed through Tristian’s head. He had always have been the rational one, the one who wanted none of this catastrophic life. He wanted nothing but a tranquil one. He was not afraid to be singular nor to be alone. Unlike Jess who feared and ran from it like a cat sprayed with water. Who wanted all the things that had no reason or certain outcomes? He constantly jumped and hopped on a thin string and prayed he wouldn’t fall. And the most frustrating thing, Tristian thought, was... He never did.

“If you want out of all this ridiculous nonsense, now is your chance,” Said Jess in a hushed tone.

“You think I should leave?” asked the other surprised.

“Do you remember when we were little?” Jess asked suddenly. “That day we got lost and couldn’t find the way home, not that we had a home anyway, but it was a place we knew. Ironically it still is. This place, it’s all we ever were and ever will be. These pieces they use and toss when they get bored. A knight, a king it’s all the same, we all die in the end. No one survives this, no matter what the statistics say, no matter which side spills more blood.” His face twisted in disgust, but kept his eyes fixed on the rows ahead as if he could create an invisible shield between them, “I’m sorry.” he said

“Don’t say that. We can both leave, Jess.”

“No, no I can’t, I forged my own path in here.”

Tristian gestured to the spilled blood that started to puddle around their feet, slowly staining them with it like ink on a white canvas. “In this muddle?” he asked,

“In this muddle.” Jess repeated with a sigh. His eyes carried more than his words could ever tell, Tristian opened his mouth to argue further on but he saw in those eyes that they had to part. Funny he thought, of all the time they spent together they disdained each other. One avoided the other like the plague and now when they had to go separate ways, it became sorrowful. They had grown used to each other’s hate.

Tristian took off his helmet, made his way off the battlefield as the knight on the other side started trotting toward them. Getting nearer each passing second. He was about to take another step as realization dawned on him and Jess broke into a hysterical laugh mixed with loud sobs, that vibrated through Tristian’s spine. His blood ran cold.

The knight was a few feet away, as a wild shiver took over his body, eyes widening in fear,

“No, no, no” he repeated endlessly.

“You can’t move unless commanded!” he gasped between laughs, “of course I knew though, naturally I had the guts to try and leave this loony bin before you.” Jess said with bright eyes and a smirk as he watched the knight drive his spear into his brother’s chest, only to take his place on the battlefield.

***

“Knight to B2!”

“Checkmate. I win yet another game.”

“You have to teach me your technique,” he said as he took another cigarette out of his pocket.

“Let’s play again then, shall we?”