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He lay in his hospital bed, peering over his pieces as the machines beeped in the background. He blinked several times as the young girl made her move and called checkmate. His eyes scanned the board and he felt his jaw drop.

"How in the....??""

His stunned expression met the smug smirk of the little girl sitting across from him. "Well Fräulein...i must say I'm impressed. Not too many people can claim to have beaten me in chess...outside of my step sister, you're the only person to beat me." He looked over and noticed the nurse stiffen across the room. "Miss are you ok?"

The nurse nodded and turned away. He then turned his attention back to Kyra. "Who taught you how to play?"

He gave the little girl a smile as he settled back into his bed. "I must say, he taught you quite well. It's been a long while since I had quite the opponent like you."

He noticed the sullen look appear on the little girl's face at the mention of Salem and he felt the atmosphere in the room grow heavy. There was certainly something weighing on her, judging by the million yard stare she was giving.

"What's wrong dear? Talk to me. What's troubling you?"

So this was the root of the problem. She blamed herself for the loss and she was upset and worried that he blamed Salem for the loss. He moved closer to the little girl and reached out to gently raise the girl's face so that she was looking at him.

"Kyra, I understand what you mean. I know you're worried about us losing the titles. I watched the entire match. I saw everything. Am I disappointed that we lost the titles? Yeah I am. I knew eventually we would. I just didn't expect it to be this soon..."

He paused.

"However I don't want you to blame yourself or your dad to blame yourself. There's nothing you could have done. There's nothing more HE could have done. It was basically a seven on one. He was fighting a war on multiple fronts. I don't care how good you are, no one can do that. I wonder even if I had been there, if I could have done anything..."

He grew quiet and his eyes took that far away look that Kyra had had earlier. "Maybe.....maybe not." He sighed. "I'm disappointed and angry, but not at you or your dad or anyone else in the group. I'm angry at the circumstances and I'm angry at Cartwright and his group for putting us in this position and what he did."