After countless times when Elizabeth stayed with her parents and travelled by the magic boat on the thermal rivers that crossed, winding, the high and snowy Lost Mountains, after enjoying the magic sphere that carried them to the most magnificent and so hot depths of the Earth and last but not least, after diving in an air bubble into the depths of the ocean where she managed to see in that deep darkness a lot of marine life, with the help of magic lights coming out of Eliot Edwards' wand and carried by currents that illuminated everything, after all this and many, many chess matches lost against her father, daughter and father fought again and the mother sat next to them ... a new chess game, of course.
"Check," the father warned her.
"I liked it more when you told me what to do."
"That was more than three days ago. Now you're responsible for your decisions, at least in chess. But you play very well, I have to admit. Better and better ... you learned so much in such a short time."
"I'm proud of you, my dear," her mother encouraged her too.
The girl thought a little and then moved a piece, but unfortunately she moved it wrong. The father as happy as a child with the help of a pawn removed a knight.
"I guess you're thinking of something else too, dear. What's bothering you?" the father asked.
"I don't know what to do."
"Can we help you?" her mother asked as she got up from her chair. "Are you sick?"
"No, Mom. But three days later is the first test at this Magic Contest. And yet we don't know exactly how to pass the test with the golems. I mean, we know theoretically what might mess them up, but we wonder if we really succeed in what we thought we'd do."
"Yes, indeed, every creature made of ice is a feared adversary. It doesn't compare to an ice dragon, over which if you somehow threw fire and injured it, it has the ability to take a mouthful of water, to blow with ice on itself and be as before. But, I'm sure these golems are very strong, too. I find it almost impossible for some children to face such an enemy."
"Thanks, Dad, I'm much calmer now," smiled the girl, because she knew her father did nothing more than express concretely what the situation was.
The father looked at his daughter sighing and with some personal reproach for his words.
"I know, but I still don't think you wanted me to say you should go to sleep peacefully as everything will be resolved."
"You're right."
"And then, I said almost impossible, my dear. That doesn't mean you can't succeed. It's just going to be hard."
Elizabeth sighed.
"Why do you think the other teams will succeed and you won't?"
"They're trained much better than we are. Mr. Hikaiddo's students are true wizard warriors. They're powerful and they work very well together; they're united."
"And the other team?"
"The elves? Well, they're elves. They're wise and will surely win. They obey to each other; they accept each other just like Mr. Hikaiddo's students."
"I think the common advantage of the two teams is that they pay attention to each other. They get on well and are united."
"Yes, I think you're right."
"The conclusion is that no matter what strategy you choose to fight with the golem, you must be united and collaborate, get on well."
The father moved the wand.
On the table, there was the proud queen, that imposing queen who seemed to be invincible and surrounded by her devoted soldiers.
And on the same board there were two pawns, which stood next to each other and defended each other.
The father moved his wand and the pieces began to move.
"When this seemingly invincible queen attacks the two pawns, one defending the other, look what can happen."
And the father attacked one of the pawns with the queen. The queen defeated that pawn, but the pawn defending the other destroyed the queen. The other soldiers who were on the side of that queen once without queen surrendered. The piece was destroyed.
"You saw how two pieces that seemed helpless, managed to destroy a powerful piece like the queen. You must be like these pawns even stronger because you're three."
The father made the queen appear again and turned her into a miniature golem.
"It will be the same with the golem if you are ..."
"United," smiled the girl.
"Excellent! Very good, my dear. In order to succeed not only at this event, but in daily life too, in any other situation no matter how difficult it may be, you must know who you can really rely on. And with that person you can achieve almost anything, if you're always united."
"But ...," she interrupted her father.
"Say it, my darling."
"The queen was destroyed only with the sacrifice of that pawn."
"Good observation. You see, this is another lesson. Always, but always, before you do anything, you must analyse the situation in such a way that you don't endanger the others, if you cannot save them. That means you can do anything to win, but never sacrifice anyone to get a thing. No matter how big the gain is, don't sacrifice a friend for that. You could lose a true friend forever."
Elizabeth took her father in her arms.
"Thanks, Dad. Every time I talk to you, I'm much calmer and more confident in myself and our team. Thanks."
The father kissed the girl on the forehead and then asked her:
"And you could also talk to the other competitors. Considering that you'll all win the same parchment and you won't fight for it one against the other, they'll certainly give you some good advice, considering their experience."
The girl nodded, as she'd only have to win if she obeyed her father.
"Are we still playing a game?" the father asked.
"Of course."
And the two, father and daughter, enjoyed the pleasure of this game, called chess, in the presence of Mrs. Edwards, a mother and a wife so devoted and full of love certainly as she were in real life.