<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Irresistibly Fish]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://brettfish.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[brettfish]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://brettfish.wordpress.com/author/brettfish/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Tandem Post: Meeting The&nbsp;Queen]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>Two steps forward and then one to the right. I stand and wait, watching&#8230; guarding&#8230; carefully listening to my own heavy breathing&#8230;</p>
<p>I try to remain focused completely on the spaces around me, watching for you, zoning out of the chatter and in on any nearby movement that may be about to occur.</p>
<p>This time you will not get by me.</p>
<p>I am ready, alert, prepared for the inevitability of your attack.</p>
<p>One thing in mind, protect my liege, at all costs, even if it means i may have to sacrifice my very life.</p>
<p>And there you are&#8230; I finally catch sight of you, caught behind your wall, for now, but I know that will not last</p>
<p>In fact, just one minute later and already I spot a gap in the wall&#8230;</p>
<p>Soon, you will be coming&#8230;</p>
<p>I take a step to my left, another step forward</p>
<p>And one more.</p>
<p>All the while, watching, waiting, thinking, calculating.</p>
<p>Perhaps if I just keep myself moving, you will eventually make a mistake&#8230;</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s as if I can almost smell the deep thought that is resonating in the air just above me.</p>
<p>My horse makes a startled sound.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sh, Th&#8217;gink, it&#8217;s okay lady, easy now,&#8221; I quietly whisper into her ear, trying to calm her down.</p>
<p>When the moment comes to strike, I need her to be ready, totally in control.</p>
<p>More silence.</p>
<p>Followed by a gentle tik, tik.</p>
<p>The tell-tale sounds of plastic on wood&#8230;</p>
<p>Like a black widow on the prowl, you seek a deathly mating ritual.</p>
<p>And I, I will do everything I can to stop you.</p>
<p>&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8230;</p>
<p>And almost all too easily, there it is. The moment I have been building up to.</p>
<p>In an instantly regrettable moment of distraction, you took your eyes off of me.</p>
<p>I suspect it was the sight of the castle to your left?</p>
<p>As I gallop into view, straight, straight, and then at the last moment pull an audacious slide to the left.</p>
<p>I have your man in my sights&#8230;</p>
<p>And you must fall, so that he may make his brief escape&#8230;</p>
<p><a href="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/?attachment_id=11351" rel="attachment wp-att-11351"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="11351" data-permalink="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/meeting-the-queen/queen/" data-orig-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/queen.jpeg" data-orig-size="600,401" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="queen" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/queen.jpeg?w=300" data-large-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/queen.jpeg?w=600" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11351" src="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/queen.jpeg?w=300&#038;h=201" alt="queen" width="300" height="201" srcset="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/queen.jpeg?w=300&amp;h=201 300w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/queen.jpeg?w=150&amp;h=100 150w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/queen.jpeg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<p><i>This post is my first post as part of a tandem blogging exercise with Dave Luis, Mandy Collins and Nick Frost. One title unwrapped by four storytellers. Read Dave&#8217;s post over <a href="https://bloggsymalone.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/meeting-the-queen"><strong>here</strong></a>, Mandy’s post <a href="http://mandycollinswriter.com/2015/04/08/meeting-the-queen"><strong>here</strong></a>, and Nick’s post <strong><a href="https://medium.com/@nick_frost/meeting-the-queen-1d8ca4a30ad8">here</a></strong>. Please share your thoughts on our fun exercise in the comments on each post, and remember that with bloggerists, sharing is always caring. </i></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/tandem-post-revelations-at-dawn"><strong>[To check out the following Tandem Post i did with the title, &#8216;Revelations at Dawn&#8217;, click here]</strong></a></p>
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