The group was settling in for their midday rest. As Brusce set about watering the horses and preparing a lunch, Aodhan led Alasdair to the side, where he had set up a small dragonchess board. The unpainted wooden figurines were carved relatively simple, but their postures made the whole board feel more lively and energetic. Quite a number, though, were still just pieces of wood with a symbol carved into them to show what they represented.

"I hope you remember the rules. It was not your favorite game when you were young, but you were one of the few able to put up a decent fight.", Aodhan says as he gestures for Alasdair to sit down. "Those were the days, right? Youth is wasted on the young, as they say."

The lord takes a seat opposite his former tutor, his body language clearly questioning the purpose of this.

"I think the two of us will have quite a few things to discuss in the coming weeks", Aodhan continues as he moves his side into a very common opening. "And that usually goes better with a small distraction. It makes the silence stretch less awkwardly."

He looks at Alasdair expectantly, betraying no emotion in his black eyes.

===

The old man's gaze softens. "Yes. I think you are right." He sighs. "I'm not saying this lightly, but I feared the moment when we had to slow down. When we stop running. But alas, it is necesarry, is it not? To reflect on what on Earth just happened. To accept, for now, where we are."

Alasdair inspects the three layers of the chess set. "Nice craftsmanship, Aodhan. And I appreciate that the king is tall and slender. Unlike that bloody son of mine. Well. You know which one."

He unclenches his fist. "Look. We have not always had the best relationship. But I want you to know that I appreciate what you do for the family. Even though I don't always fully understand what is going on in that head of yours, I know you have good intentions. Mostly. Probably." He pauses for a second. "And right now we really need your head. Last week my biggest worry was if we can hunt enough deer for the king's birthday celebrations. Now I wonder how we keep ourselves from starving. What is happening? What has become of this world?"

After some consideration, Alasdair pushes one of the filigree figures on the lowest level. "Dwarf to 1d3." He looks Aodhan in the eyes, but as usual he cannot figure out what's going on behind them. "Your move."

===

Aoadhan spends quite some time looking at the board before he answers.

"It's always scary to stop running. No matter whether you are running literally or just avoiding things. Stopping means facing what's after you. I've seen more than a few people unable to do that. It's good to hear you're not one of them."

He picks up one of his figures and responds with a classic feint move, though it's a rather obvious one. Then he looks at Alasdair.

"This world hasn't really changed. It's your position in it that's different. That my sound trivial, but it's very important to keep in mind. Everything still works as you'd expect it to. Except for playing the 'brother of the ruling lord' card, of course. Among other things, that means you won't starve as long as you know how to wield a sword."

Aodhan folds his hands.

"It also means you can be absolutely certain of my loyalty to your family. It has not faltered in centuries, and it will not falter now."

Aodhan meets Alasdair's eyes for a few seconds to ensure that the message is understood. Then he looks at the board again.

"A few days back, I didn't think there'd be much need for us to get along. You're not gonna be around for that much longer, and you were not relevant to the succession either."

He looks back to Alasdair, silent for a short time before he continues.

"Since you've stopped running now, I take it you want to go back eventually. We've already checked a few things required - knowledge about what we're facing, strength to face it, support. However, there is one more very important thing: trust. We'll have to build trust among this group if we want to have any chance of success. And I'd be lying if I said I fully trust everyone. As would you."

He holds Alasdair's eyes for a moment.

"Your move."

===

Alasdair frowns briefly. The Hotenow Defense is known to be fundementally flawed and Aodhan would know that. Not only that, Aodhan would also know that Alasdair knows it. What is your plan, old man?

"Yes. I did not expect to sit on the throne any time soon. Nor to rule for long. It is not my place to be.", Alasdair says.

Aodhan's blatant honesty took a while to get used to. But after a while, it's kind of refreshing. No hidden agenda, no reading between the lines. His mood swings, on the other hand, still irritate Alasdair. It's like dealing with three different people. At least they take turns.

"But that does not mean I can accept the state we have now. Yes, I need to go back and right things. There is something sinister going on that I do not understand yet. And we need to root it out. I am glad to have you on my side. For all our differences, I do trust you." Alasdair reaches out to his unfinished knight piece, stops for a second and takes his hand back. "Trust is earned, not given. And not everyone in this motley crew of ours has had enough time to earn my trust. Or has actually earned my trust in all these years." A brief moment of pain flickers on Alasdair's face.

"This ordeal. As much as I hate it, it is a chance. It will reveal the true colour of people. Whoever manages to stay alive for a while will be forged by fire. And whatever, whoever wreaked havoc on our home has no idea what's coming for them."

Alasdair picks up one of the finished pieces instead, a beautifully carved dragon. "Dragon to 3c5." A highly aggressive move, pretending to play along with the Hotenow Defense move. Aodhan must have planned something else, and know that Alasdair is aware of it.

Let's see who blinks first.

"Your move."

===

Aodhan chuckles.

"Bravado? Are we not both a bit old for that?"

He moves a figure to continue his flawed defense.

"I commend you for bravery, but it will take more than that to bring our enemy down. I hope you realise that."

He folds his hands as he leans back.

"Still, you are right - the next days and weeks will show what our company is made of. Just keep in mind that it will be a crucible for all of us, and that trust needs to be earned both ways."

Alasdair raises an eyebrow. He has not thought about it that way.

Aodhan watches without emotion as Alasdair carefully and hesitantly moves to further exploit the weakness of the Hotenow Defense. It goes on like that for a bit, but in the end Alasdair does not get distracted into a fumble by second-guessing Aodhans moves and ends in a winning position.

Alasdair wonders. Could it be? Did he get careless? Could I beat him, for once? Yet Aodhan smiles, though it is a weak smile. "Good. It seems you remembered some of what I taught you, even after all those years." Ah, beans. Of course, it's a lesson. Again.

They get up and pack up the game just as Brusce calls over for lunch.

"We should do this again", Alasdair says. Aodhan nods, his smile an inch wider as they walk over.