Aligning the Vanguard

Returning inside from the autumn chill, I found an open folding chessboard resting beneath the warm circle of the reading lamp. Several dark wooden pieces remained scattered across the checkered inlay, with one carved knight tilted precariously over a divisional line. Propping my bayoneted rifle securely against the board's raised beveled edge to steady my stance, I approached the fallen piece. Grasping the turned timber steed with both gloved hands, I applied deliberate leverage to right its base and slide it squarely into the center of its grid. With the vanguard properly marshaled, the quiet room settles into complete order.