writers_muses; Application Prompt - Set 13, #5: Games
Los Juegos de Guerra
“I should warn you, Señor, I'm very good at this game.”
“This game, as you call it, Señorita, is very difficult for women to understand. There is much of war in it.”
Ah, Salamanca in the fifteenth century.
Salamanca has always been a beautiful city. I first came to it with Hannibal, when it was just a few forts and a wall near the river. I helped the king cast out the crow and her people, and I spent a few weeks by the river to enjoy the scenery, before I got back into things and helped the Romans with their Carthage issue. What? I'm a goddess, I go where the tributes are.
I try to get back every generation or so, to see how things are going. I had helped some Spaniards out with a siege in Atella in July of 1496, and it reminded me that I hadn't been back in awhile. Spain in the fifteenth century wasn't the most friendly place. Actually, Europe in general was pretty nasty, and I'd been spending most of my time in the East unless I was called back for something specific. The Ming Dynasty was doing some really great things out there, and the rise of Christianity meant I got called to battles less and less. My presence at battles became a lot more voluntary, which I didn't mind so much at the time.
But I was back in Salamanca, after a quick stop off in Athens, and I'd managed to get roped into a game of Mad Queen's Chess with a really nice Catholic priest - kind of an anomaly at the time - named, as only the Spanish can name themselves, Luis Ramirez de Lucena. I liked chess; I had enjoyed it in India when it was first getting its start, and it became one of my favorite ways to pass the time. As de Lucena said, there's much of war in it.
Did you know that in Greece these days they sell tourists little chess sets with the ancient goddesses carved out of Greek stone? Not kidding.
“Perhaps, Señor, but there is much of love and art in war. And can a woman not appreciate such things?”
He tipped his head and looked thoughtful for a moment, which was good because it meant he wasn't paying attention to strategy. “Explain how there is love in war.”
That was an easy one. I had been worried for a minute that he'd ask me about the art part. I suppose I should have expected that from a chess player; the art is obvious. “The love of country. The love of the family you protect. The love of... God. Weren't the Crusades about exactly that?”
I watched de Lucena carefully. Their god had kept himself separate from the rest of us, who wandered the Earth and interacted with her people, but his people could still be a bit touchy when it came to him. We had been surprised by how the Christians could do what the Hebrews never could - make their god the God - but it just goes to show that you can never predict human behavior. Unless you're an Oracle, but they had been frustratingly mum on the subject.
The churchman nodded and took my rook with his bishop. Apparently he could ponder the nature of warfare and still formulate a successful strategy. Almost successful.
He took his defeat gracefully and kissed the back of my hand. “I will consider your words, Señorita. You are a masterful player and I thank you for an enjoyable game.”
I am the goddess of wisdom in warfare, you know. If I can't win at chess, I might as well hang up my shield and call it a millenium.
I have no intention of doing that just yet.
Anyone up for a match?
Word count: 637