The Chess Princess

Once upon a time there was a lovely princess who lived in a lovely castle with a lovely library and a lovely king who was her father. 

This princess lived her days out happily, reading in the library, playing in the gardens, and (her most favorite activity) playing chess with her dad. 

But alas, a time came when the king died, leaving the queen behind to take care of the kingdom. Now the queen was a beautiful woman but she wasn’t necessarily a leader. There were enemies eyeing them and their land with greed. Now would be a decent opportunity to strike. The queen had to do something fast. So she arranged a political marriage between the princess and the prince of another kingdom, uniting them both under one banner. Soon there after, the queen died some say if heart break and some say of just plain stress.. 

Now the daughter was very sad at the loss of her parents and her arranged marriage, but she soon realized this is what fate had in store for her. So the coming year, she was married, and then the next year, was crowned queen alongside her husband who was crowned king. 

They went on to have a daughter, named Iris. The king was disappointed, hoping his wife would have a boy, therefore producing an heir. However, after the daughter was born, the queen had miscarriage after miscarriage. It soon became obvious that this was to be their only child and heir. The king was very saddened at this however the queen did not mind, loving her daughter with the purest love a mother could ever offer. So while the king attended his kingly business and largely ignored his daughter, the queen would spend time with her in the tower playing chess with her and read her stories. She wished to give her twice the amount of love to replace her father’s. 

But tragedy then struck yet again. Iris’s mother grew ill and quickly died not long after the princesse’s 15th birthday. This hit Iris very hard, Locking herself away in the tower for days to mourn. But she soon found strength through memory of her mother. 

“Remember,” she used to tell her during their usual chess game. “The Queen is the most powerful piece in the board. You are the most powerful piece on the board Iris.”

And so, after a three days of solitude, Iris walked out of the tower, standing tall and brave. But still very sad. 

Her years leading up to her 18th birthday were lonely ones, only gaining joy from her occasional trips to the town market, her daily rides, and of course her chess matches. She played nearly every single person of the castle staff, and beat them too. She had perfected her game it would seem.

Solemnly, Iris walked the courtyard of the tower she would soon be living in in the coming weeks. It was a tall, towering building, casting a dark shadow across it’s mosaic stone courtyard. It was once part of a old castle but now only a few crumbling walls and the tower remained. 

Inside, the tower was rather plain with no decorations in its room but had some of the most beautiful architecture she had ever seen. 

Iris decided she would not mind living here that much. Especially if she got to redecorate. But she supposed that hardly mattered as she would be only here as long as it took a prince to complete her test. 

So she began to think. But her thoughts began to swirl of her looming future marriage to a stranger and her controlling father so she stopped and opted to hide in the castle library and stare at her chess set, wishing horribly that her mother was there. She fiddled with the lovely stone pieces, tracing the shape of the knight’s arched neck, the pawns round top, when she was suddenly struck with an idea. 

“Always be the strongest piece on the board,” her mother’s voice echoed. 

“Don’t worry, mother,” iris whispered. “I will be.”

All night iris worked feverishly. Sketched after sketch she drew of her idea for her test. So when the morning came her eyes stung and she was utterly exhausted. But she did not rest- time was awasting!

She hurriedly ran down the castle stairs and into the courtyard where she met the black smith. She showed him her blueprints and sketches and of her idea. She asked him if he would help (she would pay him handsomely of course she added)

The black smith complied and began work as she requested. As the week dragged slowly on, the Princess was scarce, checking on the black smith constantly and sometimes even rolling up her sleeves and helping with the work herself. They were loosing time. The end of the week was near. 

Part of her doubted that they were going to make it. But on the fifth night her handmaidens and servants told her that they knew what she was up to. They told her to not to worry- they had not alerted her father of her activities. Not only that, they had heard through the castle gossip that they had fallen behind and they all wished to help. 

So That evening a group of young servant girls showed up at the black smiths forged with aprons and their sleeves rolled up and ready to work. And that night they finished. And early!

And then the seventh day came. 

The king demanded to see his daughters test for he had suitors waiting already. 

Iris led the king to the tower’s checkered tile court yard and gestured for him to look. 

Set up on opposing ends of the court yard arranged on the alternating squares were giant, metallic chess pieces. The pieces were giant, roughly about a head taller than most men though hollow so they could be pushed and moved with ease. There was a set of white pieces on the end closest to them and a set of black further away. 

“What on earth-?” The king began. 

“It’s my test,” iris explained. “Whichever suitor can beat me in chess may get my hand in marriage.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the king responded. 

“It’s my test,” the Princess pointed out, refusing to back down. 

Finally the king agreed, thinking that surely some prince would beat her. But he was very very wrong

Game after game iris would crow those wonderful words, “checkmate!”

A week went by and the suitors began loosing interest and went to find other princesses with easier tests. 

Iris’s father was angry at first but there wasn’t much he could do. He had to abide by his family’s tradition.  

And so iris spent the next 10 years in her tower, and sometimes venturing out into the forest and generally led a peaceful life. 

It wasn’t long after those ten years that the king opted to retire and step down from the throne, becoming sick in his old age. 

And so iris, now completely grown and ambitious, volunteered to take over. The people agreed unanimously- she was to be their queen. 

Being so wonderful at chess led to her being a excellent tactician during war time, defending and conquering when needed. So the kingdom knew an era of peace beneath the chess princess.