Chapter Text
Gart sat in the courtyard staring down the home edition of Duel of Wits. His chin on his hands, he eyed the miniature knights and attempted to picture in his head their movements. If he were to move that one over there… no, that wouldn't do. He would leave himself open.
Again.
He huffed and tapped idly his finger against his cheek as he revised his plot. One would think that playing the game alone would present itself as mindlessly easy since one could, theoretically, set it up for the other to win. It wasn't difficult. But, and this was what Gart had mastered at doing, it was a challenge when you're playing against yourself and you want both sides to win.
And that was a fun difficulty.
His hand hovered over one of the knights, thinking of both offense and defense before grumbling and retracing his hand back. It wasn't that he didn't like playing with others, in fact he welcomed it. He just found it to be more difficult to find an opponent then actually playing by himself. He always had himself as company (as well as his parents back home), but he would find himself oftentimes on his own while at his Grandparents castle.
It was especially so lately now with his aunt, uncle and new baby cousin joining their company.
The small prince placed a hand over a knight and tapped its head, watching it shake to life and move to position before firing his own doll, the arrow bouncing off the shields and landing nowhere. Well, shoot.
"Hmm… interesting."
Gart's heart leapt into his throat as he jumped in place, staring at the sudden voice when all tension was relieved at the sight. Graham towered over Gart, his hand mindlessly stroking his long grey beard as he eyed the board. "I would move that knight over there." He then said.
"You would?" Gart raised a brow, questioning the decision. "Why?"
Graham raised a brow of his own. "You wouldn't?" Blond curly locks shook no as the old man crossed his arms. "Why not?"
"You leave yourself open." Gart tapped on the knight his grandfather discussed and moved it into position. He then went and tapped his own archer and watched the arrow fly and hit its target, surprising Graham. "I would have moved that knight instead. Would have bounced and given you another turn to hit me."
"Is that so?" Graham moved himself to stand opposite of Gart before, with heavy grunts, taking a seat. Old eyes examined the board carefully before a sly smirk graced his face. "Well, I be… that's a solid strategy. However… suppose I were to do something like this." He carefully fixed the set to what it was prior and hit another knight, watching it fire and hit Gart's archer.
"What?!" Gart gasped staring at the battlefield. How did he never think of that?! "I… I could have thought of that."
"Really now?"
"Yes." A beat. "...No."
Graham chuckled and fixed the board fresh. Gart, who never would say no to welcome an opponent, especially if it was someone like his grandfather, sat there staring at him. Confused. "Grandfather, why aren't you with mother and uncle Alexander?"
"I could ask the same of you, Gart." He stroked his beard in thought before tapping on a knight.
The small prince frowned and tapped on a different knight to rotate. "It was boring. All she does is sleep, what's so amazing about that? I can sleep with my eyes closed."
Graham let out a laugh. “I bet you could.”
Gart smiled but slowly lowered his head. "But, mom said to step outside if I was going to keep chatting. I think she's mad at me."
"Oh, I don't think so, Gart… busy, perhaps, but not mad." He reassured. "In a way, she’s just like her own mother. Your grandmother still kicks me out of the room if I'm in her way as well."
"She kicks you out?" Gart looked up at him.
"Just the other day she pushed me out of the kitchen for trying to take all the chocochips in the middle of the night as a snack." Graham whispered, smiling as Gart started to snicker.
"So why were you kicked out now?" Gart asked, watching Graham move his archer.
"My beard kept waking up the baby whenever I leaned over to look at her and everyone in the room told me to leave because they were trying to get her to finally nap." Graham laughed. "Besides, I was wondering where you went off to and figured you could use some company."
"I'm alright by myself."
Graham just raised a brow. "Allow me to rephrase myself." Graham then said. "I was the one that needed company. And you're the perfect person to have company with."
Gart, surprised, smiled at hearing that before tapping the knight. With another tap at his archer, he watched it bounce and just mildly miss the opponent's.
"Clever… but not clever enough." Graham grinned and tapped the knight into position and watched the arrow soar and hit Gart's archer successfully. Noting the small child observing the board in both curiosity and frustration, he stroked his beard once more. "Best two out of three, Gart?"
"Bring it!"