"Happy birthday, my fellow pieces! Let's celebrate our birthday before we go to war. Its a new life, my dears! Enjoy while it lasts!" A smallish king with a big, pointy moustache was making a speech, standing in the middle of an army.

It wasn't a massive army, but an army it was nonetheless. A row of eight frontline pieces, all in black shining armour were neatly lined up, with a selection of various fighting champions in the back row, the king among them.

The king looked around as he addressed the black pieces. No one was listening. No one had even noticed that the king was delivering a speech. Everyone was busy chatting away. Some were busy listening to a knight telling a joke. The king, right in the middle of everyone, was standing and delivering speeches quite invisibly.

Except for Maya. Maya was one of the centre pieces in the front row. She'd been listening to the babbles of the king since morning. Or since she was born, she wasn't sure about that. Battles of the past, stories of his greatness and something about the upcoming battle she couldn't quite fully grasp, the king was speeching non-stop. Why not ask him a question, she thought. May be that'll put a stop to his barrage of words.

"What a fantastic speech this was, my king. I am truly impressed. Umm, I just had a question in my mind..." Maya had turned her head around and looked at the king with a curious expression.

"Ha, at least someone was listening." The king chuckled. He looked at the little pawn standing in the row in front of him with a curious expression. "Ask away, my dear." he declared in his kingly pride.

"Why is everything about battles and fighting? Why can't we just, live? I mean, we've just been born." Maya asked.

"Why is everyone always asking me this question..." The king asked a question in return, then broke into a song.

War is what we do
A new one's in the brew
We dash and squash, we swing and roll
but never do we stroll

The places where we go
They call them simply squares
But that is where we stow
Until the king declares

Its a battle of the mind
pitchforks not required
Time and space unbind
Until the king is mired

We live to fight this day
We die to fight tomorrow
The gods have rigged the play
It's a new day every day

The king's last words brought him into a stupor. His lilting tone vanished to make way for some hushed whispers. "What did I say... a new day every day? That's unimaginable. What a heresy.. I don't remember what happened yesterday but...wacky thought this was..." The king was talking to himself.

"Ahem", Maya cleared her throat to get the king's attention.

"Your highness, thanks for the song. But please, who am I? Who are you? What are you the king of? What is all of this? I don't remember anything and yet I feel I've spent a lifetime on this board." Maya said.

The king smiled.

"You are the queen's pawn, my dear Maya, on the vast and beautiful land called the Chessboard. I am your king! of course, and if you don't remember anything, that means you are just like everyone else here. No one remembers anything around here at all. Just some distant reflections." The king's voice trailed off as he looked into the distance.

From across the horizon, a white pawn, wearing full armour had started marching towards Maya.

"It has begun, my lord. They've moved pawn to d4." A distinctly clear and high pitched voice came from the king's neighbouring square. It was the queen, standing right behind Maya. The queen was a magnificent personality, tall and graceful, with bright blue eyes and an aura of authority about her.

The din of the conversation died down as the white pawn stopped at its new square. Everyone straightened up, got their gear in order, and looked at the king.

"I have never seen such an insane whitefolk king. He thinks he can actually come to my land, capture my army and claim the whole board for himself!" The king was foaming at the mouth.

"May be its just a ruse?" conjectured the queen, though she did not appear convinced of her own words.

"They would lose, I can tell you right this moment!" the king stressed on the moment part, his pointy moustache trembling as he spoke. "Unprovoked, misjudged..." the queen couldn't hear the trailing voice of the king any more, and prayed his highness would come out of his fit of rage in time to plan the battle.

"I guess they are waiting for us to make a move, your highness." said the queen, tentatively.

"Pawn to d5!" the king came out of his daze and shouted at the top of his lungs.

That pawn was Maya, and it was time for her to move. d5 was two squares ahead. Maya nervously readied herself and marched to d5, bringing herself right in front of the white pawn, head to head.

"Hello, little girl. Ready to die?" the white pawn in front of her smirked. 

Coming soon :)