The black king and queen were meant to be a good team, supportive of each other and compassionate toward their subjects.

The red king and queen, on the other hand, were at odds with each other. The red king was a psychotic type who was bent on having a war with the black side. The red queen, while a strong leader for her troops, was walking a tight rope of obeying the king’s bellicose intentions while trying to avoid getting them all killed.

To further thicken the plot, the black king was a pacifist, afraid of going to war. The black queen, strong and more realistic, sees the need for preparedness and gently nudges her king toward this realization.