Violet eyes started attentively down the hallway, watching for unwanted visitors. Instead of invaders, visitors clad in different hues of reds greeted the ashen-blonde's eyes. The colors of the newcomers told Lukas exactly who was coming. His face remained emotionless as the four figures approached and came to a pause in front of him.

"Your Majesties." Lukas bowed, one foot a step forward, the opposite arm tucked underneath him and placed at the bottom of his stomach as the other rested at the base of his spine. The knight was conscious in these movements, and he executed them without a single flaw. As he stood back up, he turned to the double doors behind him. He knocked on the doors, and pushed them open with a loud creak. Warm air blew out from the throne room, where everything was accented blue.

Arthur Kirkland and Alfred Jones, the Queen and King of Spades. Arthur sat properly, as all nobles should; back straight, ankles crossed, chin tucked. His hands were resting in his lap, fingers still. Alfred sat sloppy, leaned back against the plush blue cushions of his throne. His elbow was perched on one arm rest and he leaned into his hand, a small smirk decorating his lips. One leg was crossed over the other, his left foot waving a bit in the air. Lukas turned to the foursome of people he was escorting, face void of expression. King Ludwig nodded to him and Lukas stepped back from them, turning and bowing once more.

"Mathias, you shall stay out here." The King of Hearts spoke to the tallest of the bunch, who nodded swiftly and stepped out of the throne room. Lukas joined him as the royals of Hearts passed, giving a small nod in reply to the smile the Jack sent his way. Lukas swept out of the room, the doors slamming shut behind him. Silence filled the corridor for a few brief moments.

"Hey there." The knight was grinning at Lukas, and the Norwegian barely cast him a glance. "You're ignoring me?" He chuckled, quirking an eyebrow, and received no response. Lukas just stared forward, peering through the strands of hair that hung in his eyes. His golden cross pin glinted in the light leaking through the tinted windows, holding back a good section of the ashen hair.

"I'm Mathias Kohler, by the way." The Knight of Hearts held out his hand, smile never wavering. Lukas barely turned his head, but that was enough to get the other in full sight. His gaze flickered from the other Knight's face to his hand, and the Norwegian's violet eyes narrowed to almost slits.

"… You won't drop your hand unless I introduce myself, will you?"

"Nope." Lukas rolled his eyes, gaze cast up to the ceiling far above them.

"Lukas Bondevik." He brought his hand up and shook Mathias's, subconsciously tracing half of a spade into the other's skin with his thumb, as he always did when shaking hands with another member of his own castle. It was simply a reflex that was trained into him from the start.

To his surprise, he received a response. It felt like a spade, but it took Lukas no time at all to figure out that it was a heart instead. He drew his hand back and it fell back against his side. The two Knights observed one another for a few long moments in silence, which the Spade was relieved to have.

"You're Danish." It wasn't a question. Mathias quirked an eyebrow at the other's bluntness, but a smile still remained present on his lips. Lukas found with irritation that there was amusement in that smirk.

"Wow, you're quite blunt aren't ya? How'd you know?" The Dane's tone irked him further. It was cocky and sarcastic, and Lukas found himself having to unclench his fists before he could throw a punch at the other's face. Oh how he wished to. Lukas had been treated with respect his whole life, so the other's tone was irritating him and angering him.

"A hunch." Another short answer escaped the Knight's lips. Lukas turned away from him and let out a short sigh, feeling irritation creep beneath his skin. Another silence ensued the Norwegian's words, Mathias attempting conversation only to receive either silence or short, curt answers.

"Great gods above, give me a proper answer!" A smirk twisted onto Lukas's lips as he heard the annoyance and whine in the Danish man's voice. Running a few fingers through his fair blond locks, Lukas continued to be silent for a few more moments to try and grate on the other's nerves. Mathias gave a childish huff, and Lukas's head jerked slightly as he snorted, raising a hand the stifle the sound.

"You're such a child." Lukas's voice echoed in the empty corridor, amusement hiding in his violet gaze. Mathias brightened slightly, and Lukas felt a faint tug in the back of his mind as he wondered why. He assumed it was because he wasn't being silent anymore.

"I am not!" Mathias argued, trying to pout.

"You countered it with a childish remark as well." Lukas replied smoothly.

"If anything, you're being the kid here."

"How so? I'm intrigued as to how you've come to that conclusion." The Norwegian's voice was practically oozing with sarcasm, and he rolled his eyes.

"Smart ass." The Dane huffed, folding his arms.

"I'm much more intelligent than a mule." Lukas turned to look at the other to find that Mathias was grinning. The Dane laughed cheerfully, unfolding his arms and clapping his hand on the Norwegian's shoulder. Lukas hadn't been prepared for it, and he flinched slightly at the casual contact.

"You know," Mathias started. "I think we could get along." Lukas rolled his eyes for the second time in their conversation. He doubted that they could ever get along; the Dane was just so annoying.

The doors opened, and Lukas was suddenly at attention. His expression hardened into an emotionless mask once more. He bowed as both sets of royals exited the Throne Room, hair falling into his face a bit. Mathias received a nudge when he didn't follow the other Knight's example, and he quickly copied the Norwegian.

"Lukas," Alfred addressed. Standing up straight, Lukas turned his gaze to his superior. Alfred was smiling, Arthur on his arm. Lukas noted that the Queen looked slightly annoyed at being treated womanly, but made no signs that he was anything less than comfortable.

"Yes, your Highness?"

"Escort our guests to their rooms, will you?" Lukas nodded. "We will wait here for news of the other Royals." Alfred had a smile on his face, and he and Arthur turned to face Ludwig and Kiku. They bowed to the set of royals and they received the same gesture in return. The Spades Royals swept back into the throne room.

"Follow me, please." Lukas said politely, and began walking down the halls at a brisk pace.

.:o0o:.

Feliciano, Ludwig, and Kiku received guest rooms next to each other in the east wing. Lukas was polite and respectful to them, and was very formal. Mathias trailed after the Norwegian, a stupid little grin on his face. Once the other three had retired, Mathias was led to his room, next to Feliciano's.

Lukas pushed open the door for him, and Mathias's eyes widened slightly. The room was a deep shade of royal blue, and the carpet was tan. He took a step inside, leaning his battleaxe against the wall. A low whistle of appreciation left his lips as he did an entire rotation to take it all in, his own blue eyes wide.

The bed had gray pillows with blue and black accents, and the sheets were white with different shades of blue embroidery. He ran his fingers of the smooth material, and continued to look around. Two large windows had sunlight pouring into the room, and Mathias cringed mentally to think of how horrible waking up would be. He hated waking up to sunlight in his eyes, but he noticed with relief that a set of navy curtains, appearing to have been made of a heavy material, were drawn to the side.

"Yo, Lukas," The Norwegian paused as he was starting to leave.

"…Yes?"

"It alright if I hang with you for a while? I'll need a tour, anyways." Lukas frowned slightly, and the Dane thought that it looked horrible on him. The Norwegian seemed to be thinking about the offer, and he gave a slight nod of approval before speaking.

"… I guess so." Mathias brightened, and he took a step out of what was to be his room for the week. He closed the door behind him, waiting for the satisfactory click it made, and grinned at the other. Honestly, he thought that was Lukas was rather pretty; ashen blonde hair, fair skin, large violet eyes. Kind of like a girl. He chuckled at the thought, and Lukas quirked an eyebrow. The Spade kept quiet though, refusing to bring the chuckling to attention.

"So, where're we going?" Mathias trailed after him like a puppy, blue eyes impossibly bright. Lukas gave him a dry look before turning and walking down the corridor with surprisingly quick, long strides. Mathias had to jog to catch up with him and extended his walking stride to keep up.

"I want to stop by my room." Lukas said dryly. Mathias shrugged at his irritated tone, trailing after him. The Knight slowed in front of a blank portion of the wall, where the distance between doors became uneven. His fingers brushed the blue-hued wall and a door formed. Placing a hand on the silvery-blue knob, her turned it and pushed the heavy oak doors open. The interior of this room was different than Mathias's; that was the first thing he'd noticed. Bookshelves lined two of the four walls, reaching all the way to the ceiling and filled to the brim with different types of books. The walls were cream instead of navy, and the carpet was almost white. The bed was pushed against the wall in front of a wide window, making it a very nice spot to read, and a long desk was pressed against the opposite wall. Papers were in a neat stack off to one side with a bottle of ink and feather nearby, and a couple of various books stacked to another. A small brown box was pressed against the wall, at the back of the desk, and the Dane faintly wondered what was in it.

Mathias stayed by the door awkwardly, taking everything in with his lips parted in shock.

"Well?" Lukas frowned at him.

"Well what?" He got an eye roll in response, and Mathis made a face in response.

"Move away from the door, dimwit." Lukas's tone was harsh, and Mathias stepped away. It clicked closed, and Mathias vaguely wondered if the door remained on the other side. Lukas picked up a few of the books that were scattered on the floor and returned them to their shelves, pausing to trace a finger over the spine of a thick, leather bound book. Mathias found the way the Norwegian moved intriguing, as if he'd practiced the motions hundreds upon hundreds of times. It was flawless.

Lukas turned around, quirking an eyebrow, and Mathias felt heat rise to his cheeks as he was caught staring. The Knight of Spades said nothing, and he brushed past Mathias to open the door. When their shoulder's brushed, electricity shot up the Danish man's arm, making the hair on the back of his neck prickle.

Mathias followed Lukas through the quiet corridors, humming slightly to ward off the silence. Lukas made absolutely no noise as he moved through the hallways and descended down the stairs. Mathias wondered if Lukas had learned to be so quiet, or if it just came naturally to the solemn Norwegian. He assumed the latter. Mathias was naturally a loud person, but he had years of practice to not make a sound when he was moving.

When he had first been chosen as a Knight, his family had rejoiced. The heart symbol over his own heart was a dead giveaway that he was a Knight. He remembered very little of going to the castle, or the days he spent learning manners and how to act properly. Ten years he'd spent under the careful watch of King Ludwig, learning everything he would need to protect his charges. He'd learned how to protect them, and to attack anything that seemed suspicious or mysterious. Memories of his screw-ups were painful to think about, as he remembered every last word yelled at him by a furious maid or butler, or calm, disappointed words that were spoken to him by the King.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he had run straight into Lukas, catching them both off guard. Mathias was pulled out of his trance instantly, and he instinctively grabbed the Norwegian's hand to keep him from tipping over, planting his weight in the heels of his feet to avoid having them both hit the hard flooring.

Lukas glared at him as he stood up, ripping his hand out of the Dane's grip. "Watch where you're going, idiotic anko." He hissed, voice filling with venom. He spun on heel and kept walking, and Mathias had to run to catch up; he was going so fast. Lukas weaved through the complicated hallways, and Mathias almost got lost a few times, even thought the layout of the palaces' were identical. Lukas ducked behind a staircase, and the Knight of Hearts quickly came to the realization of what the other was trying to do.

Lukas was trying to lose him.

A grin stretched onto the Dane's face as it occurred to him. It was like a game of tag, really, and he was "it". Mathias ducked behind the staircase after Lukas, finding a pattern in the way he was going. With his stupid grin still present on his expression, he ran straight ahead instead of turning in one of the corridors. Making a few turns, he caught sight of Lukas coming down the hall. He had to bite his lip to prevent any laughter from bubbling over, and he noticed that Lukas was glancing behind him to check for Mathias.

The Norwegian ran straight into him with a squeak of surprise and Mathias grabbed his wrists before he could bolt.

"Trying to lose me, Lukie?" Mathias teased. Lukas scowled at him, violet eyes flashing, and Mathias tightened his grip on the other's wrist. "Nice try."

He heard quiet Norwegian, and caught a few words of what the other was saying. Laughter finally escaped the Knight of Hearts lips, grinning at the smaller man.

"You've got quite the pottymouth, don't you?"

"Slipp meg før jeg skubbe mitt sverd gjennom hjertet." Lukas snarled in reply. Mathias took a few seconds to translate, and he chuckled.

"How would you do that without control of your hands?" He questioned. He was starting to like Lukas more and more. It would be fun to get on his nerves.

Lukas made a rather rude gesture with his hands in response.

"Ooh, someone's getting pissy." The Dane sang, smirking in victory.

"I said–" Lukas looked ready for slaughter, violet eyes fiery with anger.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Mathias tightened his grip, and Lukas didn't even flinch at the lack of blood flow to his hands. Mathias could see his left eye twitch ever so slightly. "Promise you won't run off when I let you go?"

Lukas was silent for a couple of moments. "… Fine."

"What was that?" The Danish man pretended not to hear, a cocky smirk working it's way onto his lips.

"I promise! Now let go of me!" Lukas's violet eyes flashed and he managed to rip one hand away from the Dane's grip. He got a fistful of Mathias's scarlet tunic and slammed him against the wall, a dull thud echoing down the corridors.. Mathias's head cracked against the wall and he gritted his teeth in pain at impact. It took a moment for him to collect his breath, but he started laughing once he had.

"You look hot when you're angry," He croaked out. Lukas froze, and his expression went from one of murdering intent to one of surprise and shock. His grip went slack on Mathias's shirt, and his cheeks flushed pink at an alarming rate.

"Hold kjeft." Lukas hissed out, emotion seeping into his generally monotone voice.

"Hvorfor kan du ikke lukke mig op?" Mathias replied.

"You're impossible."

"Thanks for noticing, princess." Lukas gave him a strange look, cocking an eyebrow. Then he looked away and folded his arms, staring down the corridor in the direction they had come.

"I believe it's time for supper."

.:o0o:.

Supper consisted of three full courses, and Lukas sat opposite of Mathias. He'd picked at his food, trying his best to ignore the blue gaze burning into his skull. The conversation was light; talk about families and kingdoms, affairs of friends, stuff of that sort that was discussed at almost every meal until a new, more interesting topic came to mind.

"When will Diamonds and Clubs be making an appearance?" Kiku asked, tilting his head to the side a bit in curiosity.

Alfred shrugged slightly, running a hand through his hair. "I was told they should arrive tomorrow. Diamonds in the morning, and Clubs sometime around noon, I believe." With a small sigh, the King leaned into his hand.

"I believe Ivan and his court will be showing up just before the festivities." Arthur added.

Ludwig nodded, sipping at his beer. The liquid sloshed around in the mug, and some foam was left behind on the German's upper lip. Feliciano giggled and reached over with a napkin to wipe it away.

Lukas had nothing to say and it would be a lie to say that Yao, Arthur, and Alfred hadn't noticed. For that reason, they didn't address him at all throughout the meal, leaving the Knight to absorb himself in his thoughts. The Norwegian excused himself before dessert was served, disappearing from the hall and leaving behind an almost full plate. He climbed the steps to his room calmly, intent on removing all unwanted memories and forgetting them. He did this surprisingly often; going through all of his memories and discarding ones he deemed unnecessary.

"Lukas?" Lukas paused and turned a bit, looking down the steps. His younger brother Emil, who worked in the kitchen, climbed the steps to meet him, taking them two at a time.

"Good evening Emil." Lukas gave a slight smile to his younger brother, normally hidden affection seeping into his voice.

"You were more quiet than normal at dinner tonight; normally you have some smartass comment to throw in. You're alright, aren't you?" Emil, despite how he and Lukas bickered, adored his older brother and was never really all too sure how to phrase it without getting embarrassed.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just have no interest of being near the other Knight as of right now. " Lukas frowned slightly, and Emil nodded in understanding. He, too, found the Dane irritating, and understood that Lukas would have no desire to be anywhere near him.

"Okay, well… Sleep well, alright?" Emil cast a final worried look at his brother before he turned and trotted back down the stairs without another word. Lukas gave a slight smile in the Icelander's direction, affection written all over his face. Then he turned on heel and rushed to his room, footsteps abnormally loud as he took off in the direction of his safe haven.

He was glad to close the door behind him and he stared out the windows of his room. The moon was shining beautifully, and the stars twinkled alongside it as they tried to match it's brilliance. The corner's of Lukas's lips twitched into a smile, and he began unbuttoning his tunic. Casting the long blue coat aside, it fell upon the chair positioned at his desk. He started unbuttoning his shirt, fingers fumbling with the buttons as they began to shake. Once removed, that was cast to the side as well and his pants were left where they fell.

Pulling his pin out of his hair, he fingered the golden cross as memories flickered across his thought process. Presing the cool metal to his lips, Lukas let out a soft sigh that fogged up the precious metal.

"Jeg vil ikke glemme." He breathed out, and set it on his bedside table. Lukas crawled under his covers, quickly engulfed and the warmth of all three layers, and welcomed sleep with open arms as unconsciousness tugged at the back of his mind.

.:o0o:.

Alrighty! So, I was reading through this again and realized that, really, it could be so much better than it is. I actually have the plot and the story planned out now, and I'm going to have one of my friend's pressure me to work on this. I really want to get it done, I swear!

To those of you who read the original, isn't this one better? I certainly think so; I really do. I want to set a deadline for this story, which I think will be around every week to every two weeks because school's back in session and it's slowly chipping away at my soul. QwQ

Translations:

Slipp meg før jeg skubbe mitt sverd gjennom hjertet. (Norwegian): Let go of me before I put my sword through your heart.

Hold kjeft. (Norwegian): Shut up.

Hvorfor kan du ikke lukke mig op? (Danish): Why don't you shut me up?

Jeg vil ikke glemme. (Norwegian): I will not forget.

Alrighty! I do not own Hetalia, any of it's characters, the Hetalia Cardverse, or basically anything besides the plotline of this story! I totally wish I owned Norway, but I don't so whatever. That nation would be in ruins if I was in charge XD

-StarryEyedArtist, signing off!