The Lone Soldier

1

The lone soldier stood on the tartan battlefield, his face as pale as the land upon which he stood.  His comrades had been slain in battle, but he would stand strong until the very end.  His king had constructed a castle upon this land, but its remnants lay in ruin now, and the warrior was now the sole guardian of his glorious leader.  The enemy bore down upon him, paying no heed to his stubborn last stand; he was unimportant in their preparation of the final strike.  His king, the once-glorious leader of vast armies, hid in the farthest corner of his crumbled castle, knowing all too well what forces were coming to take his kingdom.  The pale combatant stood defiant; retreat was not an option.  He would rather die for his leader than be seen retreating.2

A horse came into view, and it struck a chord of fear in the soldier’s heart.  The paleness on the noble warrior’s face was matched only by his dread, knowing that the mounted warrior was coming for him, to slay him.  The horse was black as the night, and the ground beneath it seemed to turn black where it stood.  It seemed to float over the ground as it neared him, and the soldier braced for the ensuing attack.  Black as the darkness from whence it came, the mighty steed neared, seeming to grow in size as its evil penetrated the very heart of the warrior.  It was more than a match for the brave defender.  The soldier was struck down by this superior fighter and felt himself falling… falling… hitting the hard ground that was tainted by the presence of the enemy.  As he lay there wondering what would become of his king, his people, his homeland, the warrior felt himself, as if from another realm, being raised up and carried off the evil-infested land.  He seemed to be carried forever, carried beyond the battlefield and beyond the carnage he had just been engaged in.  Just as his trip seemed to begin, it ended.  This must be heaven, he thought, as he found himself surrounded his old comrades, the scars of war gone from their faces.  He relaxed, knowing his glorious king would be joining them shortly in this land of safety.3

Knight takes pawn.  Checkmate.4