Just Like Him

Upon the creak of two huge double doors. A satisfying scent from mixed books, parchment, and ink, greeted her nose.

It was relaxing. A perfect place to meditate. However, in this case. . . A perfect place to converse regarding the plea for help from Ellysia's one and only princess.

"Take a seat, Clementine." Offered King Lawrence. He gestured a gloved hand towards an empty dusty blue chair situated in front of his cluttered table.

With her gaze travelling, Clementine abided and took the empty chair (cringing as she thought of sitting on something dusty). Her attention finally halted at the sight of the king's utterly cluttered mess of a desk.

Various parchments, crumbled or smoothened; quills in disarray and missing their tips; books opened to a certain page whilst others were stacked violently in a pile; and most eye-catching. . .

Broken shards of of glass that refracted light from the uncurtained windows. She guessed that the pieces were from a frame laying front first near the edge of the desk.

It was chaos indeed. As if a supertyphoon had recently wrecked havoc. The place was an absolute contrast from its past organized state.

"It isn't that much of a surprise for Ellysia to fall into shambles," stated the king, arranging his desk with both his hands (totally oblivious to Clementine's somewhat judging gaze as he 'tried' to clean the mess).

"Pardon me, Your Highness. But I don't quite understand." Clementine was befuzzled at the moment. Seeking clarity from the king's somewhat vague statement.

"Ah. To say the least. . . Ellysia have always been a rickety wooden bridge from the start. The kingdom's problem rooted from the queens of each reigning era from centuries past and now." Explained King Lawrence.

"The queens?"

He nodded in affirmation. "Do you know a thing or two about chess?"

She shook her head. "Not quite, Your Highness."

"The queen happens to be a vital role. Both in chess and so as in reality," King Lawrence handed her an item. One whom she recognized to be a chess piece; the queen.

"A king could only do much in the game and has limited movements. Whereas the queen can move around freely in limitless paths. The queen is the mind and heart of every kingdom. The king happens to be the soul. If a queen happens to get eaten by a piece, whether it be the knight, bishop, or even pawn. . . Then expect a crumbling game with barely chances of winning," He paused, clearing his throat.

". . . The queen is a major support to the king and the king relies as much to the queen. Like chess, it also applies the same to royals of reality." King Lawrence finished.

Clementine placed the piece back on the table, watching it with scrutinity and question. "What does it have to do with Ellysia then?" Inquired her.

Silver jeweled optics shone in deep intrigue and fascination. The topic was really hooking. And she craved for more. . .much less, she's quite interested with Ellysia and some of its history

She wanted to learn more. As she only studied bits and chips of the aforementioned kingdom's culture and historical things.

"Ellysia was first ruled first by Juvelenthysia as the king and Proportia as his queen. It was good but all changed in a jiffy of time. Proportia fell in love to another man, fled faraway leaving her legal husband. . ." Silence ensued. Tick-tock, tick-tock, says the clock that continued to turn around.

Though Clementine broke the silence. "Never knew that Proportia coveted another man."

"Heh." Snorted King Lawrence. "Apparently. You could certainly tell what comes after. Everything went downhill. From then on it began a curse of like, every queen tumbles down for many different reasons and the aftermaths were always the same. The king left behind and the kingdom in shambles."

"What're most of the reasons. . . If you don't mind?" Clementine sheepishly asked.

King Lawrence shrugged. "Cheating on their husband, dead, ill, murdered. . . It goes on."

"That's an awful lot of causes."

"Indeed." The king confirmed. "Although that curse was believed to have gone away upon the reign of Nicolas and Raquelline— Isabelle's parents."

"Your Highness?" Clementine called, raising her hand a bit alike an obedient student to their teacher when asking for their attention. "As far as I'm concerned. Chess have other pieces. . . In terms of Ellysia— where can all these pieces be? You can play a game without a queen, for as long as the king doesn't get eaten," she paused.

"There're pawns, bishops, rooks. . . How come the former Ellysia goes crumbling down when I'm quite certain they've the rest still?" The magician questioned.

"Marvelous. You saw the hole." The king marvelled. "It goes as simple yet bewildering as this. Ellysia's royals have always been 'overly' independent, thinking that they're able to run a country without advisors and the likes. Though they do posses knights, however, they do want no one but them to meddle with the kingdom's affairs."

"Seems too cryptic. . ."

The king chuckled. "You'll learn more and understand everything soon. As of today's era, Nicolas has his own advisors and he leans more on them than his queen. Despite the absence of the latter, they're able to pull off an amazing systematic reign all over the country."

He paused pursing his lips.

"It's a matter of trust, support, and belief. In the end he gave the whole three to his accomplices."

Remaining silent, Clementine chose not to indulge deeper. The spirale of information had been too much for her to comprehend. Admittedly, she'd rather learn things slow as she was somewhat one of those slow learners (at some point).

Aside from that. Both of them were quite straying far from the actual topic at hand. The sole purpose of coming in the office was to discuss about the recent plea from the princess, albeit they ended up talking about chess and whatnot.

Their conversation was somewhat of value too, in a sense. Anyway, knowing full well that they were going off-point, Clementine decided to stir things back right.

"Your Highness. I've no intentions of rudeness albeit I'd like to remind that we're off our supposed topic." Sheepish yet hiding sternness, she pointed out.

Squinting, her eyes travelled from the man in front towards the ginormous window. Wonder adorned silver-jeweled pools focused beyond.

From her peripheral, she could see the king glance at her— smiling as he did so. Although she was quite certain that it wasn't of happiness but of reminiscing remorse, of pity, of self-guilt. . .

Come to think of it. . . Smiling?

It seemed rather weird to witness the stone-hearted man smile nor laugh. King Lawrence was always that aloof and cold man. . .observing him laugh and smile sincerely towards Shaun and now herself, had her thinking twice, thrice, and many times.

'He's human too.' she reminded herself.

He can laugh, he can grin, he can cry, he can rage, he can do anything because he's human and there's no law that prohibited him to shackle them down. He's been gifted emotions the moment he was born, though as he grew things happened to which became a hindrance to showcasing his feelings.

"Wouldn't it be so bad if I tell you something. . .?" The king questioned.

She shook her head as response.

"When Shaun came, I thought I saw him pass by. The lad reminded me so much of him I didn't realize how light and warm I was feeling," He gazed at her, soft and warmth glazing bright pools of jeweled obsidians.

"Shaun resembled him so much, however, I just witnessed who bore the exact same resemblance, the exact painted copy. . ." The king trailed off somewhat hesitant to say the next few words, recalling someone from his past whom was never been given a chance to witness someone so precious grow.

"You're just like him, Clementine."