The soldiers swept across the fields, mounted warriors riding among them, following their own complex routes. Strongholds dotted the plains between the two kingdoms, looking quite harmless and deserted but in reality filled with soldiers ready to shoot anyone that should come too near. The fighting was ferocious, and bodies littered the fields. But the brave soldiers fought each other still, all hoping to win glory for their respective kingdoms. Not a one knew that they were giving their lives for a pointless struggle for power between two brothers.

---

At that moment, both kings were in their chapels. They were both there for the same purpose.

“Father, as you know, we are fighting for our kingdom. We need all the support we can get. Would you object to sending a few soldiers onto the field in the name of the church?”

Father Sandrine knew that this was not a request; it was a command. He really didn’t want to get the church mixed up in this whole war business, but this purple and silver clad king radiated a fierceness about him that told the Father what he already knew; he couldn’t say no.

“Yes, your highness. I will make all the arrangements.”

“Thank you, Father,” said Nicholas, and strode out, his cape billowing out behind him as he descended the steps. His heart felt lighter than it had in fifteen years.

Jonathan carried himself proudly out of his church, but inside, he trembled. His own brother! How could Nicholas do this? As the older brother, Nicholas was entitled Jonathan’s kingdom, but he had run away from home before he could inherit it. Their father had named Jonathan as his heir, but Jonathan knew the people would never stand for it. Besides, their father had suffered mentally, the same way that Nicholas did now. Jonathan knew that if Nicholas had stayed, he would have his kingdom, and Jonathan would be living happily on the side, without the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders. He sighed. Nicholas…

---

Catherine knelt inside a grand mausoleum, the train of her long grey dress sprawled out behind her. Tears leaked out from under her closed eyelids. “Daddy,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to do!” She took a great shuddering breath. “Oh, I wish you were still here. You would know what to do! I love Nicholas, but he can never be the king you were. And now he’s gone crazy!” She took several breaths of the musty air, trying to compose herself, but she felt the tears streaking down her face faster than ever. “I just don’t know what to do!” With this final exclamation, she broke into tears in earnest, head in her hands, seen by no one but the ghost of her father.

---

In the dead of night, ten of Jonathan’s soldiers attacked the fortress nearest Nicholas’s castle. Only five men survived the bloody attack. Four of Jonathan’s men, and a sole survivor from Nicholas’s army. The four men had subdued and bound the single man.

“We will give you a choice,” said the leader of the small group. “You can join us, or die.” The man’s heart thudded desperately in his chest, and he thought his mind would shut down soon from fear, but he kept his face composed.

“I will never join you,” he hissed. “Never. I will remain loyal to my king.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “Long live King Nicholas!” He shut his eyes one last time and knew no more.

---

That same night, a band of the Church’s soldiers managed to infiltrate Jonathan’s castle. Jacqueline watched helplessly as the guards and soldiers fought mercilessly against one another. Suddenly, Jonathan flew at the soldiers with a fury Jacqueline had never known he possessed. She watched in fear as her husband fought his attackers. He cut down many soldiers, but it seemed their forces would never run out. Master swordsman he might have been, but Jonathan was no match for dozens of soldiers at once.

Jacqueline gave out a cry as an attacker crept up behind Jonathan. He whipped around and killed the man, then turned back to fight off the three soldiers coming at him. Jacqueline had never felt more helpless in her whole life. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With a courage she had never felt before, she wrenched a dripping sword from the grasp of a fallen soldier. With a cry, she plunged into the brawl.

“Jonathan! Jonathan!” Jacqueline finally saw him lying on the floor. “No,” she sobbed. She lay prostrate over his motionless form. Then she felt him breathing.

Jacqueline left Jonathan in the care of the palace doctors. “There is nothing you can do,” they had told her. “Just go and relax. You need to recover too.” But she wouldn’t listen to them. She would no longer be that helpless maiden who was destined to always wait on the sidelines. She had to do something. And she knew just what she could do. She could knock some sense into Nicholas.

---

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Catherine woke up to the sound of birds. She breathed in the fresh morning air, and it filled her with new life. She threw off the quilt, sprang lightly to the floor, and walked over to the window. She looked out, savoring the beautiful morning. Now that the new day was here, the future didn’t seem so hopeless. Maybe she could convince Nicholas to end this crazy war….

She lingered for a moment, a moment too long. An arrow flew straight from the tower and embedded itself in her chest, right above her heart.

Her screams woke Nicholas, who leapt from the bed to her side.

“Catherine! What’s wrong?” Then he saw the arrow.

“Nicholas,” she said with difficulty.

“No!” Nicholas gathered her in his arms and rocked her as if she was an infant. “No!” He sobbed into her breast as her life ebbed away.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too.” He knew she had heard him. Her face curved into a smile just before her body went limp in his arms.

Nicholas roared like a wounded animal and collapsed on the floor.

---

Nicholas sat with his head bowed at the very pew Catherine had knelt at just days before. He eyes were dry; he was now beyond tears. He gazed up at her magnificent tomb, deaf to the ceremony going on around him. He saw clearly now how foolish he had been, how foolish this war was. All it had done was kill Catherine. Catherine…

He buried his face in his hands as the music washed over him and floated up to the sky.

---

Some weeks later, Jonathan stood in front of another tomb. He was back on his feet, but severely weakened. He looked up at the magnificent marble sarcophagus, face contorted with fury. “How could you do this? How could you have torn our family apart so? He choked back a sob. “Catherine is dead, Jacqueline may be dead, my own brother is trying to kill me, and countless other people are dying in this pointless war.” He paused, trying to compose himself. My father.” He spat the last word out with such a vengeance that he actually choked with rage. “How could you do this to us?” Suddenly his strength deserted him. “How could you do this to us?” he whispered.

---

Nicholas sat with his head in his hands in the dark throne room. A single light from the sky above shone down on him. He couldn’t believe the sun was still shining, not after what had happened. A figure stirred in the shadows. Nicholas didn’t move. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman step into the light. Catherine…

“Hello Nicholas,” said Jacqueline. He didn’t move, sat motionless for several minutes.

“What do you want?” he asked finally.

“I wanted to see you, to talk some sense into you!” Now that Jacqueline was here in front of him, and saw him so helpless, all her thoughts of vendetta vanished.

“I…” said Nicholas. Suddenly, a vision of Catherine swam in front of his eyes. Stop this, she said. I know, thought Nicholas. He squeezed his eyes shut. I was a fool. I’ve got to put everything right. But he made no move.

You are nothing. You go this far, only to give up. I was right about you all along. This continued to torment him for some time, until the voices that had threatened to overcome him for years finally broke his remaining will.

Jacqueline had noticed the change. She saw his face soften, then harden again. She watched tentatively as his eyes closed tighter and tighter, and when she heard him groan softly as though in pain, she knew all was lost.

He raised his head, a new determination rising in him. “I’ll kill you,” he growled. “You know I will.” Jacqueline closed her eyes.

“I know.” From behind her stepped a knight and an officer of the bishop’s army. “But you won’t have the chance.” A tear dropped silently to the floor. Nicholas bowed his head as she raised her sword—

---

Two girls, one with dark hair and one with light, sat on the floor, a wooden board between them. The floor was strewn with ivory figures. “Check mate,” muttered the dark-haired girl. She flopped backwards, gathering up the tiny figures that had been thrown hastily aside during the course of the game.

There was a slight pause.

“You wanna play again?”