A/N: Hi, Starri here! I've been overwhelmed with schoolwork and ideas as of late; I simply couldn't decide which story to work on first. You guys must think I'm such a jerkette for not finishing my other stories before posting this one, but I will finish them, this I guarantee. Just not for a while, is all ...
Pairings: USUK, RusAme, Spamano, GerIta, Turgypt, Giripan, SwissAus and AusHun, LietPol, MapleFish, and a few others. There is some AmeCan and Itacest if you squint, but it's mostly just brotherly. Mostly ...(*-v-*)
Anyways, welcome to the world of Ubiquitous! In the Earth thousands, possibly billions of years from now, a group of young heroes will have to rise to combat a new evil that is attempting to gain control. Will they succeed, or will they succumb?
Let's get started, shall we?
...
PROLOGUE
Seventeen-year-old Arthur Kirkland, advanced student of the Primary Institute of Solitaire, was nervous.
Solitaire was one of five Divisions that existed on the planet Earth. There was Spuoten, at the far east; Quercus, to the south; Pukei to the west, and Inquaes to the north. Long ago, there had been areas called "countries" where the five Divisions existed, but no one in all of the world was old enough to remember such times.
Or so everyone thought.
Technology had evolved, and so had landscapes. The Divisions each had their own seperate skill set, and often traded with one another for goods that other Divisions had more of. Solitaire was abundant in new technology, Spuoten was more agricultural and culinary, Quercus exported wood, Pukei had many metal and ore mines, and Inquaes specialized in ice shipping. Ice was very valuable for keeping buildings and food cool; in summer the other four Divisions would heat up tremendously and were forced to cool the streets to stop oncoming heat waves.
Democracy, autocracy, communism and other forms of government had long since ceased to exist, being discarded in favor of absolute monarchy. There were five royal families that reigned over the kingdoms. The royalty was not handed down by bloodline, but rather to whom the king chose. If a royal got tired of ruling, they would hold an obstacle trial to test the most able out of the candidates, and choose their successor from there.
This didn't happen often, however. King Francis, King Yao, King Gilbert, King Cruz, and King Vash were quite content with their dynasties and were not planning to hand them over any time soon. They each had their faithful Queens, mostly stable economies, and their royal guard to protect them. Speaking of the latter brings us back to Solitaire, whose royal guard had been retired because of old age and various battle wounds, with Spuoten being in a similar situation; new guards had to be chosen immediately, before enemies of the King could make a move. Only the most able of the Institutes' students would be elected.
Some students in Solitaire's Institutes possessed some sort of minor power as result of humans mixing with Fae a few thousand years back; that aspect would be valuable to those who were chosen, and those who did not have powers but were chosen anyway would have to work twice as hard to keep up with their more gifted colleagues.
The powers that the select few students possessed were nothing too important; mostly things like minor distraction and hovering a few inches off the ground. The Seers, however were the exception. There were only four Seers in all of the five Divisions, and their identities were kept unknown in order to protect them from jealousy and kidnapping.
However, Arthur thought, shifting on his feet and wiping his sweaty hands on his cargo pants, in the first round of trials, the different powers will be on display for all to see.
He saw, as if from a distance, his classmates filtering out into the Grand Arena as they were called in alphabetical order. He listened, as if in a daze, to the shouts and huffs and cries of pain from the arena as the people in the first round, the ones with powers, dueled with unseen forces.
And at last, his trance was broken by the sound of his name being called into the arena, along with the boy who's name was on the list before his, Alfred Jones.
With a tingling feeling of apprehension, Arthur made his way into the arena, sensing that something major was about to take place.
~::*::~::*::~
PART I
"Oh, honhonhon," King Francis of Solitaire chuckled as he watched the penultimate pair of candidates for round one of the Knight Trials walk their way shakily into arena. "These two look like something, don't they, mon lapin?"
Queen Jeanne chuckled next to him, fanning herself with what battery remained in her small portable fan. Post-retired guards stood on either side of them, their final job to watch over the royal pair before the Trials ended.
"Yes, dear. I daresay they'd both make good knights."
"Honhonhon, but I'd want nothing but the absolute best for you and our precious little Angelique, non?"
Queen Jeanne smiled and nodded, resuming her observation of the battle that was about to begin.
"Ready ..." The referee readied his whistle, pacing behind the fence as the two boys gazed levelly at each other. "Stand by ..." The boys tensed, muscles bunching and coiling.
"Begin!"
The crowd erupted into cheers as the two candidates dove at each other. The boy with the gravity-defying cowlick, named Alfred, took a swipe at Arthur, the bedhead, but the latter vanished from the spot that he was in, only to reappear behind Alfred, who stumbled, startled. Arthur vanished again, flashing to Alfred's left, where he tripped the larger boy. It took a while, but eventually the audience began to see that Arthur wasn't vanishing, he was simply ...fast.
Like a sleek minnow in a river current. His gift was speed.
Alfred didn't seem to be displaying any particular type of ability; not yet, anyways. He was strong but clumsy, and Arthur flitted gracefully around him, shoving and making Alfred stumble. Finally, after desperately windmilling his arms, Alfred crashed to the ground. Arthur was instantly there, planting a knee on his back to keep him from getting up.
"Time!" The referee called from the sidelines. The audiences continued to cheer, so he raised his voice to make himself heard. "Winner: Arthur Kirkland! To be Considered!"
Arthur smirked as he was rained with cheers, proud. Underneath him, Alfred stuggled feebly. Arthur was suddenly struck with realization. Alfred was the geeky little twit who was in nearly all of his classes. He was loudmouthed, annoying, and always hung out with his twin, what's-his-name-something. Arthur absolutely detested Alfred, and he, Scotty, and a few other boys were merciless in their harrassment of him. Beating him in this trial was not something he regretted.
Sniffing haughtily, he took his knee off Alfred's back and offered him a hand, faking a smile. Alfred rolled over and stared at the hand, surprised, before offering a small smile in return and reching for it. He was abruptly shocked when Arthur snatched his hand away, leaving Alfred clutching at air as he fell back onto his back. Arthur chortled, oblivious to the glare that someone in the sidelines was giving him. He stifled the guilt he felt at Alfred's hurt expression.
"You can manage getting up by yourself, I presume?" Arthur smirked down at Alfred again, preparing to turn around and walk off.
And then, the chain of events was put into action.
Alfred's eyes widened, tears pricking at the corners. His hands flew up to clutch at his hair, and he writhed, curling in on himself. The crowd murmured in confusion, wondering what was happening.
And then, Alfred screamed.
It was a horrible, ear-tearing, blood-curdling shriek. From the line of other candidates from round one, a similar screech joined his own.
"MATTHEW!" Alfred howled, eyes rolling back into his head. "MATTHEW -!"
A boy rushed out of the line of candidates for round two, his looks almost identical to Alfred's except for his violet eyes and one wispy flyaway curl. He kneeled at Alfred's side, quickly pulling on a pair of leather gloves before taking the other boy's hands into his own. Arthur watched in shocked bewilderment.
"Alfred, what are you seeing? Alfred!"
All at once, three things occured. Alfred shot rimrod straight and screamed, "JEANNE!" The crack of a pistol permeated the air, and a small red hole appeared over the Queen's heart.
The crowd instantly hushed. The Queen wavered, her eyes glazed, before murmuring a small "Oh ..." and collapsing into King Francis's arms.
"Jeanne!" His anguished cry split the air. "Jeanne! Mon amour! No, no, Jeanne, PLEASE!"
Alfred took advantage of the silence, springing to his feet, still clutching his head. "Get the King away from here! NOW! NOW!"
The guards quickly obeyed, sweeping the sobbing Francis and his dead Queen away, escorting him quickly to the royal limousine.
"Feliciano!" Alfred's bolt-blue gaze snapped to the lines of the already-tested candidates from round one. A short, auburn-haired boy with a wayward curl stepped foward, clutching his head in the same manner that Alfred was, tears pricking his light brown eyes. A boy who had deep hazel eyes, dark brown hair (also with a curl), and a tan hovered anxiously at his side.
"A-Alfred, she ..."
"I know." Briefly, Alfred's eyes flashed a horrible grief that made Arthur recoil. "Where did the shooter go?"
Feliciano's eyes glazed over, and he fell into his brother's arms. "Too late, he's already on his way back ..."
"Back where, Feliciano?" Alfred staggered foward, his hand falling from his head as Matthew draped an arm across his shoulder. "Please, Feliciano -!"
"Shut up, bastard!" The darker-haired twin's eyes flashed angrily as he struggled to hold his brother up. "Can't you see he's tired?.! Stop bothering him with this shit!"
"Shit? Shit?.!" Alfred gazed incredulously at the boy, shaking Matthew off and advancing a few steps. "I don't know if you noticed, Lovino, but the Queen was just murdered in front of our very eyes! The shooter's still out there, Lovino! Half these kids haven't even been tested yet -!"
"Wait, wait, what's going on?" Arthur finally cut into the conversation. The crowd watched the commotion with confused, frightened eyes. No one in the audience spoke. "How do you know all of this stuff?" He stabbed a finger at Feliciano, who had passed out from exhaustion. "How does he know all this stuff?"
"Are you an idiot?" Lovino stared at Arthur incredulously. "Surely even a bastard like you has heard of them!"
"Heard of who?" Arthur was getting frustrated at this dancing around the point.
And then, Alfred's ageless sky-blue gaze turned to bore into his own evergreen stare. There was a calm serenity that Arthur had never seen before in Alfred's eyes.
"Even someone as dense as you," Alfred spoke quietly, and the crowd strained to catch his words, "ought to know about people like us."
Before Arthur could open his mouth to scream at them to shut up and get to the damn point, Peter spoke up from the crowd for round two, voice light with wonder.
"Arthur," He said, staring at Feliciano and Alfred. "They're Seers."
The breath was abruptly knocked from Arthur's gut by the sheer suprise of the news.
"They saw, Arthur. They were the hidden ones."
Arthur simply stared at the two Seers as the crowd erupted into noise once more.
~::*::~::*::~
Alfred, Arthur, and the rest of the Institute's Top Class were shoved into the inside gymnasium of the school as the whole building was put on a lockdown. The rest of the Knight Trials was rushed, with only a few more teens being chosen to be Considered. While the class waited for the results to be processed and announced, they spoke in hushed whispers about the events of the arena.
"Did anyone see where the shot came from?" asked Peter, plopping himself down next to Scotty and Arthur. His brothers shook their heads in the negative.
"Only that kid with the weird accent saw where it came from, and not even 'n the normal way." Scotty glanced toward the still-drowsy Feliciano as he spoke. The brunette was sitting with Lovino, Alfred, a dark-haired, tan boy named Antonio, and Matthew, sleepily rubbing at his eyes as Lovino fussed over him like a mother hen. As Arthur turned to watch, Alfred yawned and let his head droop onto Matthew's shoulder, his blue eyes tired. Matthew flushed faintly and patted his brother's head. His gloves were still on.
"Boy, King Francis is really distressed. I wonder if Angelique knows the news yet ..."
As if on cue, an angry voice floated from the other side of the gym. Many students halted their conversations and turned to see what the conversation was about.
"What do you mean, I can't see my father?" Angelique tugged irritably at her red ribbons, her light brown skin contrasting with the stark, bleak white of her sleeves. The princess drew herself up, glowering at the referee.
"I'm sorry, Angelique, but your father is in a very ...distressed state right now."
"What? Why?" Several students exchanged confused glanced, but others murmured in understanding. Angelique had a Royal Etiquette class that had cut into the entire first round of the Trials, and had arrived late before being immediately escorted to the gym.
The referee looked troubled. "I-It's not my place to tell you."
Angelique scowled, not in a spoiled-bratty-princess way, but in a I-am-the-princess-of-Solitaire-so-OBEY-ME way. "Then I order it to be your place to tell me! All I want is a simple visit to my father!"
The referee fidgeted. The only sound in the gymnasium was the sound of the AC circulating cool air throughout the room. Finally, clearing his throat, he spoke, voice low.
"Angelique ...your mother was shot at the Knight trials today."
Angelique visibly wilted, eyes widening. "Sh-She's okay, though, right? Were the medics able to -"
"She was shot dead, Angelique."
Angelique stood stock still as the class awaited her reaction with baited breath. The girl began to tremble, clenching her hands into fists.
Through the windows of the gymnasium, the sky grew dark. Thunder rumbled.
"Who did it?" Angelique asked sweetly, voice a major contrast to the demonic fury in her eyes. "Tell me who did it."
"W-We weren't able to find out -" The referee stuttered to a stop as the princess fixed him in a withering glare. He blanched.
"Prepare me the car."
"But the rules -"
"PREPARE THE CAR!" She shrieked, eyes ablaze. The wind outside picked up speed. "NOW!"
"Princess, I can't go out into that wind ..."
Angelique stalked steadily towards him, the sky growing darker all the while.
"Did ...you ...not ...hear ...me?" She said this in a low snarl, almost a purr. "I will see my father, I will comfort my father no matter what the measures. I just lost my mother, and you are concerned about RULES? QUOI?.!"
A chuckle sounded from a corner of the room, and the princess and the referee instantly snapped their heads towards the sound. Strangely, it wasn't Alfred or some other "insensitive" person, but his shy twin, Matthew.
"And what do you find so funny?" Angelique scowled.
"Nothing ...it's just, I admire your resolve. Your determination is inspiring."
"Wh-Wha ..?" Taken off guard, Angelique stared at him with a mixture of confusion and irritation, her anger dissipating along with the winds outside. The gym lightened considerably when the sun was unobstructed by angry storm clouds.
Matthew, noticing this, smiled as Alfred suspiciously regarded Angelique from next to him.
"See? If you focus on something happier, your anger will fade and your choices will be untainted." Matthew looked away shyly, as if he was bashful to be giving such advice to a princess.
Angelique, on the other hand, looked embarrassed. She unclenched her fists and turned back towards the referee, who was warily cleaning his whistle. Her hands fiddled nervously with her ribbons.
"I-I'm sorry for my behavior, sir," she said, frowning and looking down at her feet. "It's just ...my mother ..."
"I understand," the referee said, obviously relieved. "But your father is hurt far more by this than you are. I don't really think that he wants visitors at the moment."
Angelique stood in silence for a bit, and then turned away. "I need to be alone."
"But, don't you want to hear the results for ..." The referee's sentence trailed off as Angelique dashed across the room, threw open the gym's double doors, and dissapeared through them. He sighed.
"Ah, well, I don't blame her, the poor kid. Anyways," He turned back to the students, "the results will be announced shortly, so I want you all single file across the gym. Hop to it!"
Immediately, the students all leaped up and formed a tightly-packed line across the gym, soldier-style. There was a lot of mumbling and pushing and disgruntled shoves.
"Hey, move -!"
"You move, you git!"
"Get the fuck offa me!"
"You're all up in my bubble!"
These arguments continued until the referee blew his whistle for silence.
"All right, I've got the list! The fifteen accepted members of the Guard are ..."
He paused, adding to the suspense, as the class held their breath.
"Get the fuck on with it -!"
"Quiet, Vargas! Anyway, these are the results! Nine Gifted and six not!
"First, the Gifted;
Antonio Carriedo!
Arthur Kirkland!
Alfred Jones!
Feliciano Vargas!
Lovino Vargas!
Kiku Honda!
Elizaveta Héderváry!
Gupta Hassan!
And ...Toris Laurinaitis!"
The Chosen cheered, high-fiving each other as the rest of the class clapped, some with faces contorted in jealousy and dissapointment, and others smiling and congratulating their friends.
"All right, settle down. The six other Chosen are as follows;
Heracles Karpusi!
Feliks Łukasiewicz!
Matthew Williams!
Roderich Edelstein!
Raivis Galante!
And ...Sadiq Adnan!"
More cheering erupted. Elizaveta squealed and chest-bumped Roderich, who staggered backwards looking quite winded. Toris grinned sheepishly while Feliks chattered away and Raivis cried tears of hapiness. Alfred grabbed Matthew and swung him in a circle, and the Vargas brothers and Antonio whooped before Feliciano grabbed them both into a bone-crushing hug.
Peter cheerfully congratulated Arthur, who grinned, while Scotty scowled and pulled his younger brother into an envious noogie. Sadiq grinned stupidly at Gupta, but was fended off by Heracles, who dragged his half-brother away towards Kiku, who was blushing and accepting congratulations from his collegues.
In other words, a pretty happy scene ...
...or so they thought.
"All right, Chosen. Come with me and I'll show you to the castle. You'll get to relax and recuperate today and tomorrow, but the day after, your training begins. You will have a month to master what is taught to you. For the Gifted, you will also have to participate in extra practice in order to master your powers as well."
"What?" Lovino protested. "But that's not -"
"Ah, ah, Vargas! Don't give me that "but it's not fair!" shit! You either rise up to the challenge or give your spot to somebody else! Am I clear?"
"What the fuck ever," Lovino mumbled.
"All right. So, Chosen with me! Everyone else, report back to your classrooms. We've got a lot to do now that the Queen ..."
He trailed off, but nobody pressed him to finish. They did as he asked and didn't complain.
They knew it, too.
~::*::~::*::~
After the Chosen arrived at the castle and were assigned rooms, they were partnered up for training. Raivis, Toris, and Feliks were together, as well as Matthew and Feliciano, Elizaveta and Roderich, Lovino and Antonio, Heracles and Kiku, Sadiq and Gupta, and Arthur and Alfred.
The moment Alfred and Arthurs' names were announced, Alfred froze and Arthur blinked in disbelief. He and the Seer? Alfred and Arthur? The two enemies?
Hell no! Arthur thought.
Fuck no! Alfred thought.
"U-Um, but -"
"I don't think -"
"Quiet!" The duelmaster glared over at the two boys. "Your partner will be your partner, and that is final! You may not switch, and if I hear complaining, I'll replace you this instant. Understood?"
Arthur and Alfred nodded weakly. "Yes, sir ..."
"Good, then." He turned to face the rest of the group. "All right. You will be having dinner with the King every night at 8:00, which is ..." He checked his watch and blinked. "...in exactly an hour. You'd better not be late, ever, or else there will be punishment."
He beamed at them and made a shooing motion with his hand. "All right, go on. Bathe, walk around, borrow a motorcycle or two, I don't care. Just be at the table at eight on the dot. See ya in two days!"
The group filtered out, chatting idly amongst themselves. Heracles could be heard arguing loudly with Sadiq to get your filthy paws off my brother, you damn idiot while simaltaneously shielding Kiku protectively, but other than that everything seemed peaceful. Almost.
Arthur stomped to his room and slammed the door, fuming.
"Why am I paired with that idiot! Of all people!" He could hear Lovino and Feliciano arguing out in the hallway about who got the bed closest to the door, and sighed.
"Might as well clean myself up ..." He shed his clothing with inhuman speed, grabbing a freshly washed robe from the closet in the bathroom before walking to the jacuzzi. There were ten different taps, each branded with a small word that displayed its purpose. He turned two for hot water and herbal tea bubbles, and another two for fluffy suds and fizzy bath salts. He watched, intrigued, as the aromatic concoction filled the tub. Snapping out of his trance, he hurriedly turned off the taps before they could overflow over the side of the tub, shed his robe, and slipped in before the cold air could blast his body. He sighed in pleasure.
What a lovely place, he thought, reaching over to take a tea-scented soap from the side cabinet. He inhaled it with a sigh before moistening it in the bathwater. Too bad there are some not-so-lovely people here as well.
He simply shook his head as he got up and reached for a washcloth.
~::*::~::*::~
Alfred was angry. Very, very angry. The second he arrived in his and Matthews' shared room, he flung himself onto his bed and sunk his fists into the pillow.
Matthew entered quietly behind his brother and shut the door before walking over to sit next to Alfred on the bed. Alfred snarled.
"I am not working with him."
Matthew sighed and fidgeted, adjusting his gloves. "You heard what the duelmaster said."
"But him of all people! Him!" Alfred sat straight up and glared at Matthew, blue eyes flashing. "He's tormented me all these fucking years, and now we're supposed to be all hunky-chumpy?"
Matthew could already see the tears welling in Alfred's eyes. His cheerful façade was breaking.
"I wish ...I wish I wasn't like this, Matthew! I don't want this fucking "gift"! I want ...I ...I want to be normal, Mattie! I want to be able to touch people, to hug them and play patty-cake or whatever without seeing their entire lives flashing in front of my eyes! Every person, Mattie ..." Alfred wiped furiously at the tears that welled in his eyes. "Everyone I touch, even if I listen to them for too long, I see them. Everything. Their regrets, their pleasures, their deepest, most hidden secrets. It's killing me, Mattie! I can only ...thank you for f-finding a block, b-but -!"
"Alfred. Alfred." Matthew wrapped his arms around his brother and buried his face into the wheat-bright locks, inhaling the smell of sunshine and vanilla soap. He sighed and planted a small kiss on Alfred's forehead when the older hiccupped.
Yes, Alfred was the older twin, but also the cursed twin. His Seer abilities had somehow been intensified beyond the normal. Feliciano, for instance, only had flashes of the future if he concentrated on something very hard or if the images came to him. Alfred, on the other hand, could see someone's fate if they so much as brushed against his skin for too long, or if he listened to a speech nonstop. Of course, fate flashes came to him as they did to Feliciano, but his energy was not utterly spent afterwards as the other Seer's was.
In other words, he was different. Very different.
"I don't need Arthur reminding me of my curse every time I so much as flinch when I get a future flash! I hate him, Mattie, but I hate myself more. For being such an intruder! F-For being different, and -"
"Alfred!" Mathew said firmly, tilting his brother's chin upwards to glare into his watery eyes. "Do not say that, don't you ever say that! This isn't your fault, Alfred. You were born this way! And whining about sure as hell isn't going to do anything! The best thing to do is utililize your powers to help your Division, right?"
"Yeah, I guess ... Man, you must think I'm a total wimp right now, huh?" Alfred sniffled pitifully as Matthew brushed the rest of the tears off his face.
"No, you idiot. Everyone needs to cry sometimes. And as for Arthur ...he doesn't know anything you're going through. Don't let him get to you, because he doesn't know you. He's just a stuck-up dick."
"Jeez, Mattie, never thought I'd hear you cussin'." Alfred grinned, and Matthew smiled in return. There was the brother that he knew.
"I do it when I need to." Alfred laughed, and Matthew grinned. His brother's happiness was contagious.
"Hmm, we got half an hour left. What d'you wanna do?" Matthew thought for a moment, and then shrugged.
"I dunno ...take a nap, perhaps?"
"Oh, hell yes." Matthew reached over and set the alarm for eight o'clock, and then lay down on the bed next to his brother.
Alfred snuggled closer and wove their fingers together, eyes drifting shut as he thumbed the leathery texture of Matthew's gloves. He smiled sleepily.
"Love ya, Mattie."
Matthew's eyes softened, and he sighed.
"Love you too, Alfie."
~::*::~::*::~
PART II
"Welcome, new Knights! Welcome to your new life in the Guard!" A chubby man with a red nose and a mop of blonde hair stood smiling at the head of the table. As the members of the Guard took their seats, he beamed and clapped his hands. "King Francis shall be arriving shortly, but he has given us orders to sustain you on appetizers while you wait. Wouldn't want you to faint from hunger, would we?" He laughed, but he was the only one doing so. Seeming to realize this, he cleared his throat.
"Well, enjoy your snack!" He took a silver bell from the pocket of his black overcoat and rung it a few times.
Almost instantly, maids and butlers swept in from adjoining doors, bearing silver platters and jugs of water. The desposited the platters along the center of the table so that Knights on both sides could serve themselves. Tall glasses full of ice were passed out and filled with water, and then the silver domes were simaltaneously pulled off the platters with a flourish.
There were gasps of awe around the table. When the Knights' parents had sent them off to the Institute to stay until their studies were finished, there had only been mandatory meals; sausage and eggs on Monday, bacon and toast on Tuesday, pizza for dinner on both days, et cetera, 24/7, 365. It had gotten slightly maddening after a while, so this assortment of unique dishes was a welcome surprise.
There were plates of roasted cheese pockets; herb-brazed mini meats; tiny quesadila slices; small corn-on-the-cobs glazed with honey; stuffed grape leaves; small noodle bowls, and a few other dishes. Needless to say, more of a meal than anything else.
Alfred was the first to move, grabbing his fork and diving for the mini meats, but Matthew stopped him with a shake of the head.
"Don't you remember any etiquette?" he scolded. "You always let the ones closest to the head of the table serve themselves first!"
"But Mattie," Alfred whined, bottom lip poking out in a pout. "None of them moved! I thought they weren't hungry."
"Git, everyone here is hungry," Arthur said from his spot beside Kiku, boredly inspecting his nails. "You could at least use the manners you were raised with. If you were raised with any at all."
Alfred, eyes flashing angrily, was about to retort, but Matthew nudged his arm and shook his head, warning clear in his eyes. If they started fighting now, who knew how out-of-hand things could get. Alfred closed his mouth, and his eyes became neutral.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said evenly, leaning back. He gestured for the Knights nearest to the head of the table to serve themselves. "Go ahead."
Arthur blinked in genuine shock. Never had Alfred surrendered so easily. While he thought about this sudden change in attitude, the members of the table served themselves, starting from the head. When it came to be his turn, he unconciously reached out and piled random pieces of food onto his plate before handing it to Matthew.
Alfred lunged for the food again, this time reaching it and beginning to pile it onto his plate. Matthew snatched the platters away before Alfred could take it all.
"Leave some for the rest of us, Al. And save some room for dinner."
Alfred grinned sheepishly and waved off his brother's statement. "O-Of course! I'm not a pig or anything!"
"To which I strongly disagree," commented Arthur, sipping his water delicately.
"Says the primadonna," muttered Alfred. Farther down the table, Sadiq and Heracles stifled a laugh, and Lovino grinned. Arthur's face turned red from anger.
"Why, you..."
Before Arthur could add something vile to go along with that, trumpets blared from the double doors at the front of the dining hall.
"Presenting King Francis Bonnefoy, ruler of Solitaire!" The announcer quickly moved aside as Francis strode into the hall, flanked on either side by his personal servants. He tiredly ran a hand through his blonde hair and smiled weakly at his new Knights.
"Welcome, welcome. I am sorry for being so late. I was dealing with ...personal issues." At this, Francis blinked sadly before clearing his throat. "Anyways, I will give you a bit of time to finish your hors d'eouvres before we start on the main course."
Everyone began eating their food after King Francis was seated. He held a murmured conversation with one of his advisiors as they partook, glancing occaisonally at the long line of teenagers. When he saw that they had finished, he turned back to the table and smiled.
"All right," Francis called. He withdrew a bell similar to the one they saw earlier from his robes and rung it. More servants burst forth from the kitchen doors, many more compared to those who had brought out the appetizers, holding aloft steaming platters of delicious dishes. There was smoked and grilled fish that were marinated in fruit juices and thinly breaded; buttered rolls and croissants with a touch of honey flavoring; artichokes stuffed to the brim with bread-crumbs and dressings; old-fashoned steak with gravy and small brocolli florets; piping-hot quiche and pizza platters with various toppings; lemon-seasoned chicken that had been meticulously peppered; shrimp cocktail with a spicy side sauce; lasagna with meat and gooey cheese; spaghetti platters with alfredo, brown butter, and marinera sauces; an assortment of soups and salads, and pots of dumplings stuffed with a variety of fillings.
In other words, it could only be described as a meal fit for a king. And literally, at that.
"Like, oh em gee!" Feliks was practically drooling at the platters spread out on the table. "Do you, like, eat like this every day? Because, like, if you do, then that's totally worth being king for!"
King Francis chuckled. "No, I do not. This banquet is only to welcome you to your new positions. Until another special event comes up, we'll be reverting to the normal schedule."
"What would that be?" inquired Roderich, adjusting his glasses as he stared down the croissant platter in front of him.
"Each day, all the meals are centered around a main course. For example, say I'm in a steak mood. The chefs will prepare several steaks for me and my guests, but there will still be side dishes like potatoes and carrots."
"Oh, I see," said Toris quietly. He fidgeted from his spot on the king's right. Francis nodded at him, and he reached over to serve himself, relieved.
"All right! This is totes awesome, bro!" Alfred's voice was easily heard over the conversations around the table. Matthew warily watched his brother's plate, which was stacked with nearly every food on the table and leaning precariously to the side.
"Mes compliments au chef," he said quietly. He thought no one had heard him, but Francis turned to look at him with an expression of surprise while Matthew was serving himself.
"Ve~, look, Lovi! Alfred's made a food replica with a likeness to the Leaning Tower of Pisa!"
"Idiot, you've never even seen the tower in person. It collapsed centuries ago with the plate movement."
"But I've still seen pictures!"
"It's not the same, dumbass."
"I'd say Alfred's endless hunger also has a likeness ...to a black hole," Arthur muttered while lifting his soup spoon to his lips.
Alfred's eyes flashed. "What'd you say, prissy?" He ignored Matthew's warning nudge to his arm, brushing the offending limb off.
"Nothing," Arthur replied breezily, lowering the spoon and turning to his tea. "It's not like you could get any fatter anyway."
Lovino chuckled, but quickly disguised it as a cough when he saw Alfred's furious expression. Roderich's lip twitched.
Elizaveta nudged him, eyes alight. "A lovers' spat!" she whispered excitedly, "I bet they're gonna go share apology kisses in a room somewhere after this ..!"
Roderich sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Elizaveta ...you know they hate each other, right?"
"That's what they want everyone to think!"
"Oh, you dummkopf."
Meanwhile down the table, Alfred and Arthur had stood up, hands on the table, and were glaring at each other from across the piece of furniture. Arthur was smirking, eyes glinting like fiery emeralds, and Alfred's lips were pressed into a thin line as his eyes smoldered in blue flames. His fists clenched as a few of the other Knights watched the two rivals in silence.
"Bushybrows." Alfred said it quietly, but Arthur heard it anyway.
Arthur flushed in anger. "Fatass!"
"Dick!"
"Oblivious fool!"
"Cocky bastard!"
"Overweight idiot!"
"Well let me tell you that you can't cook worth a damn, you arsonist!"
Arthur gasped. "What did you say?" His tone was low and venemous.
Alfred grinned, having finally found a way to ruffle Arthur's feathers.
"You heard me. And I think everyone here remembers that you burned down the entire Home-Ec wing. Now they have to have classes in the cafeteria, and all because of you."
With inhuman speed, Arthur's open hand whistled across the table towards Alfred's face. The latter ducked it easily and grinned cheekily at the former.
"Saw that one coming, babe. You're gonna have to do better than that."
"Oh, do I?.!" Arthur snarled.
"Alfred, stop it! Remember our talk? Don't goad him on!"
Alfred ignored Matthew in favor of leering at Arthur.
"Do I hear a challenge?"
"Damn straight you -!"
"Enough!"
Francis's voice sliced through all the conversations going on at the table, effectively rendering them all silent. He was standing as well, glaring at the two rival Knights. They shrunk under his furious stare.
"We are here to be comfortable, to spend time with friends and get to know those you think of as strangers. Not to fight! You two are acting very immature, far from your age, and are not upholding anything stated above! I'm awfully ashamed such people can call themselves Knights!"
Arthur looked ashamed, staring at his shoes, while Alfred rubbed his forearm sheepishly.
"Sorry, Your Majestic Highness. I just got a little carried away there." The latter offered a half-grin as apology, but Francis shook his head.
"A little? Non, I'd say it was a lot." He snapped his fingers, and two servants hurried to his side. "I daresay that you two do not need to dine with us tonight any longer, or any other night until you both learn to get along with each other. You can have dinner in the spare chamber."
Alfred's jaw dropped and Arthur stifled a yelp of surprise. It was only their first banquet, and they'd already been banished from the table?
And what's worse, the two thought bitterly, I'm stuck with that fool/asshole until we learn to tolerate each other. No way in hell is that going to/gonna happen!
They were silent as they were escorted down the hall by the two servents, who carried their dinners. Whenever their eyes met, they would simply scowl and look away. After the door had closed and they were in the room, they still refused to acknowledge each other. Alfred started stuffing his face, intent on getting out of there as soon as possible.
"How slovenly," commented Arthur as he ate opposite Alfred. The latter's eyes narrowed.
"Whaf df yff mead?" he snapped with his mouth full. Arthur winced at the lack of etiquette.
"Bloody hell! Swallow that, will you?" Alfred rolled his eyes before forcing the lump of food down his throat. He took a gigantic swig of the soda next to him for good measure, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand when he was done.
Arthur pushed his plate to the side. "Just watching you eat makes me lose my appetite." Alfred laughed.
"Ah, please. I didn't even think you had one, broomstick."
Arthur scowled, and Alfred grinned. "Maybe everything you eat goes straight to those brows!"
"You take that back!"
"Not on your life, babe!"
Arthur dashed around the table, and Alfred got up and ran around the room with Arthur chasing him, laughing. Finally Arthur got tired of playing cat-and-mouse and activated his power, shooting foward and crashing into Alfred, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Alfred stopped laughing when he realized their proximity.
Arthur stared down at his nemesis, face heating up. Alfred gazed back at him with and euqally dazed look. Finally, his instincts kicked in, and he shoved Arthur off, standing and brushing himself off with a hint of pink dusting his cheeks.
"Wh-What was that for, you bloody git?" Arthur leaped up as well, scowling and straightening his clothes.
Alfred scowled as well. "You're the one who jumped me!"
"I did not!"
"Yes, you did!"
"Ugh! This is why I can't bloody stand you, you fat git!"
"Same here, bub. It's not much news to either of us!"
Arthur turned his back on Alfred angrily, sitting down to finish his dinner as Alfred stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
This was going to be a long experience.
~::*::~::*::~
Matthew wasn't that surprised when Alfred came stomping into their shared bedroom. He was surprised, however, when Alfred made a beeline for the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror.
"Al?" he questioned tentatively, peeking around the doorframe. Alfred turned to him, frowning.
"Mattie, do you think I'm fat?"
"N-No," Matthew stammered. Where had this come from?
"Good," Alfred delared, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms. "Because I'm not."
"..?" Matthew shook his head and went back to his bed, rolling onto his stomach and turning on their shared TV. His favorite soap opera, House of Cards, flashed across the screen. Matthew reached for a bottle of water.
"Jeremy," Henrietta was saying. "How could you? I thought we had something!"
Jeremy held his arms out pleadingly, but she backed away. "Henrietta, please! I didn't know what I was doing! I was drunk!"
Henrietta shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "No, Jeremy! I'm done with you! We have to ..." she paused dramatically. "...go our separate ways!"
"Henrietta!" Jeremy cried.
"Henrietta!" Matthew cried.
"Jeez, Mattie," Alfred laughed, plopping down beside him. "You're such a girl!"
"Well, blame Jeremy for letting Michelle get him drunk when he obviously knew she wanted him!"
"Okay, whatever." Alfred rolled his eyes and grabbed the remote, flicking through the channels. Matthew cried out in protest, but Alfred ignored him and continued flicking. He finally settled on the boxing channel.
"Oh, come on, Al," Matthew groaned, burying his face in his pillow. "You know I hate boxing."
"Shut up, hockey's coming on right now."
Matthew lifted his head to see that this was true. The hockey teams from some random colleges in Solitaire were skating out onto the ice amidst cheering fans. Matthew looked over at his brother in surprise.
"Since when have you been so considerate?"
Alfred simply grinned at him. "Heroes never let helpless maidens ruin their minds with soap operas!"
Matthew narrowed his eyes. "Maiden?"
"You know it."
Alfred was still grinning when Matthew gave him a face full of pillow.
~::*::~::*::~
"Ve~, this is so exciting!" Feliciano bounced a little on the balls of his feet and Lovino rolled his eyes.
"Calm down, idiot. It's only a tour of the castle."
"I know! That's what's so exciting about it; it's this castle!"
Alfred simply chuckled, but Matthew seemed relieved.
"Never again will I be lost trying to get to the washer rooms."
"Dude, you got lost?"
"Sh-Sh-Shut up!"
"But, Mattie! It's right around the corner, ve~!"
"How was I supposed to know that?"
Feliciano shrugged and Alfred patted his pouting brother's back. Lovino rolled his eyes again and combed his fingers through his hair.
"Hola!" Antonio walked over with a grin and a bunch of bundles in his arms. Upon closer inspecion, it was revealed they were uniforms.
"Yo, tomato bastard." Lovino pointed at the uniforms. "What're those for?"
"They are our Knight uniforms!" Antonio grinned widely before handing each of his friends a uniform.
"Hmmm, it seems I have an extra."
"Eh, Antonio, you forgot about me."
"Ah, Matthew! I didn't see you there!"
Matthew's mutter of "Well, that's news to me" went unheard as Antonio cheerfully handed him a uniform.
Feliciano unfolded his own uniform, comprised of a white shirt with the blue royal seal, black slacks, black shorts and a black blazer.
"Fratello, how are we supposed to wear the shorts and the pants?"
"Idiot, it's a double uniform."
"Oh! Right! Sorry, I missed breakfast trying to get here on time ..."
"Which explains why you can't think! Serves you right!"
"All right, you lot," shouted the duelmaster, who would be leading the tour. "I'm going to give you all time to change into the summer uniforms; those are the shorts and skorts. Just hand me the pants and skirts and I'll buzz 'em up to the room for ya."
"Whoa! They can afford teleporters?" Alfred looked surprised. Lovino elbowed him.
"Of course, burger bastard! This is the fucking castle, they can afford anything!"
"Jeez, man! Why you gotta be so aggressive?"
Lovino scowled heavily and Alfred laughed and patted his sort-of-friend's shoulder before his hand was quickly slapped away.
"Sounds to me like someone needs a nice cheer-up hug!" Antonio sang while reaching for the older Vargas brother.
Lovino swatted at Antonio with the uniform's shirt. "Bastard, don't you touch me -!"
"Come here!"
"No! Get the fuck off!"
"Your viciousness makes you cute!"
"Sh-Shut up!"
As Lovino attempted to escape Antonio's embrace, Feliciano and Alfred walked a little ahead, Matthew following inconspiciously.
"Alfred, there's something dark looming in the near future." Feliciano commented lowly so that only Alfred (and the forgotten Matthew) could hear him.
"Yeah, I can tell," Alfred said quietly, sidling closer to his friend as Roderich and Kiku passed by. "And I think it involves the King."
A look of pain shot across Feliciano's face, and he slapped a hand to his forehead. Alfred gazed at him, concerned.
"Feli?"
"Ah, i-it was nothing."
Feliciano's pained look became more intense, and he cried out, freezing in his tracks. Lovino finally managed to tear himself away from Antonio and rushed over to his brother.
"F-Feliciano? Che cosa è il problema? Che cosa vedi?"
A young man with neatly kept blond hair and piercing blue eyes turned away from a bookshelf. He smiled and beckoned Feliciano with one hand.
"Come to me, liebling."
Hesitantly, Feliciano took a step foward, but was interrupted by another stabbing pain that burst in his skull.
The stranger smiled and came over to him. He took the younger Vargas brother's hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
"It is fine. You and I will see each other soon."
His eyes held Feliciano's light brown gaze as he began to fade.
"Persistence is key."
"N-Nothing," murmured Feliciano as he lowered his hand. He forced himself to smile brightly at his brother. "Must have been the zeppoli I ate yesterday, ve~!"
"Idiot," muttered Lovino, still unconvinced. "I told you not to eat dessert as a midnight snack."
"But, Lovi! They were so tempting -"
"Listen to me next time!"
Matthew touched Alfred's sleeve, brow furrowed. His brother simply shrugged.
"He'll tell us if he wants," Alfred said airily before entering a dressing room stall with his uniform and locking the door.
Matthew sighed.
~::*::~::*::~
"God," Alfred groaned, tugging on his shirt collar in a vain attempt to release the heat that his shirt trapped next to his skin. "Why does it have to be so damn hot?"
"Solitaire's always had one of the hottest climates," muttered Matthew as he copied his brother's actions. Alfred's eyes lit up when he spotted the outside restrooms.
"I'll race ya to that fountain!"
"Oooh, a race! I wanna join, ve~!"
"Me too!"
"You're not having it without me, burger bastard!"
"I-I'd like to join as well."
Pretty soon the entire class was in a horizontal line several feet away from the outside restroom's fountain. Arthur volunteered to be the referee.
"Why don't you join us?" Roderich inquired politely.
"Ah, no thank you. I would be cheating, you see."
"How?" Some of the Knights had not seen Arthur demonstrate his abilities at the arena.
Arthur shifted and somehow appeared next to Roderich from his place on the wall. He grinned.
"I've been granted Speed."
"Ah," Roderich said, slightly interested. Arthur returned to his spot by the wall.
"On your mark! Get ready! Get set! And ...go!"
Instantly, all the students shot off, screaming and yelping as they rushed toward the fountain. Kiku was in the lead, Sadiq and Heracles were attempting to leave each other in the dust but were neck-and-neck, Gupta raced just in front of Feliks as the blond boy complained about how he was sweating his hair out, and everyone else followed, leaving one person in the dust.
Alfred.
The boy pumped his arms furiously to try to keep up, but he was dead last, no doubt about it. Kiku finally reached the fountain and everyone else streamed in behind him, laughing. Alfred slowed down when it was obvious he'd be last, sighing and trudging over to the fountain line.
"Alfred, what was that?" Matthew asked, surprised that his athletic brother was last in the race.
"I don't know, Mattie!" Alfred replied, frustrated. He stripped off his blazer and flung it over one of his shoulders, huffing and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I guess I'm just not a track person."
Matthew pursed his lips and shrugged, turning back around. Alfred scowled, running his fingers through his sweaty hair. Perhaps it was his weight that was slowing him down? No, that wasn't a possibility. He was still pretty stong, despite the small amount of chub sitting around his stomach area. Then again, he'd never really ran much before. Whenever Athletics Day came at school, he'd always signed up for tug-of-war and weight lifting. Now he was beginning to regret that desicion.
As he was bending down to take his turn at the fountain, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He paused and turned, seeing that it was the duelmaster.
"What's up, Coach?"
"Well, Alfred, I saw you in the race, and ..."
Alfred pouted. "Look, I know I can -"
"I think you should take private track lessons."
Alfred stopped speaking.
"H-Huh? I was ...that bad?"
The duelmaster shrugged sheepishly, grimacing. "Sorry, Alfred."
"Well ...when're they gonna start?"
"Tomorrow morning. Be up and ready at five on the dot. Then you get an hour to practice."
Alfred sighed painfully and shrugged half-heartedly. "Sure thing, Coach."
"Don't be like that, Al." The duelmaster thumped his back in encouragement. "This is really going to help ya."
"If you say so ..."
As he finally took his sip of water, he couldn't help but think that things had been spiraling downwards since he became a Knight.
~::*::~::*::~
Alfred groaned and flopped onto his bed once he and Matthew had returned to their room. "Dude, I can't believe I gotta take private lessons! What kind of nerd does that?"
"I guess you're the nerd now," replied Matthew as he took off his blazer and adjusted his blue tie. Alfred groaned again.
"But I don't wanna be a nerd!"
"Al, stop complaining. You're gonna have lessons and you should just face it."
Alfred sat up and shot an irritated pout at his twin. "Jeez, Mattie, you sound just like mom!"
Matthew grinned. "I guess I sorta do, don't I?"
"Yeah." Alfred sighed. "I miss her. Wonder where she is now?"
"I don't know, but ...I miss her too ..." Matthew's eyes grew watery and he swiped at them beneath his glasses. Alfred looked at him worriedly, and he quickly said "I'm fine."
"I know how close you were to her, Mattie," said Alfred, "But just think, she's probably out there livin' the life while we ..." He gestured around the room in a sweeping motion, "While we're stuck in here."
"It's not that bad," Matthew said quickly, in case the room was bugged. He fidgeted. "This is only until we're unfit to guard any longer."
"But by then, we'll be unfit to do anything." Alfred heaved himself off the bed and stretched. "I gotta go meet Eyebrows in the room. See you after dinner."
"Yeah, see you," Matthew said. He sighed when he realized Alfred was already out the door.
~::*::~::*::~
Alfred was fully expecting an argument when he entered the room, and so was surprised when Arthur continued texting and eating his meal, giving no indication that he'd noticed Alfred at all.
"Yo," Alfred grunted, signifying his prescence. Arthur barely glanced up from his phone as he nodded, then went back to his messaging. He was so enraptured that he didn't notice when Alfred snuck up behind him, peering over his shoulder at the phone.
"I think I'll try to make the deal today," he read, startling Arthur and almost making him drop the phone. "To be honest, all this bloody fighting is getting old and tiring, and I -"
"Gahah!" Arthur made a weird noise, a mixture of a shriek and an exclamation, before stuffing the phone into his bag, blushing furiously. "You bloody git! Don't you know anything about privacy?.!"
"No," Alfred replied truthfully, pulling his leather gloves farther down his wrists. He had gotten them as an addition to his suit when he told the duelmaster about his ...problem.
"You mean Matthew and you have no secrets?"
"Well, not that I know of ..." Arthur mentally facepalmed.
"I ...never you mind. Anyway, the cat's out of the bag. Alfred, I want to make a deal with you."
"Huh?" Alfred was taken aback. Since when was Arthur willing to negotiate with him? "U-Um, what is it?"
Arthur locked eyes with him. They flashed like emerald fire.
"Let's stop fighting each other. I want to be your friend."
...
A/N: Hopefully I will update this at least once a month, which is my goal. Remember to R&R, which gives me fuel for future chapters!