A Royal Tournament on the Shelf

A fortress of grand volumes demanded inspection! I marched onto the lower shelf where a row of heavy books leaned in a dramatic diagonal cascade. In the corner sat an ornate wooden box holding carved wooden figures. Chessmen! Worthy comrades of strategy! I carefully plucked a sleek black pawn from velvet lining. Balancing its weighted base against my fabric palm took fierce focus, but with a grand theatrical flourish, I positioned the tiny warrior atop a thick leather spine to guard the passage. A magnificent outpost established!