"No you don't…". At the wave of his hand, two jars, inches away from smashing to the ground, stopped, leisurely glided back to their place on the shelves. Glancing around to see if anyone witnessed his small act of sorcery, Arthur continued to bustle around his shop as if nothing happened.

It was just like any other day, he thought to himself. Customers perusing the cramped aisles and cooing over the sweet smelling medicines laid out for them. People came from far and wide just to get a whiff of one of his homebrewed potions. It was a well known fact Arthur was the best pharmacist in miles, so there was never a dull moment for him at the shop.

The most abnormal thing he could recall from this day was the scary older-brother that had stopped by around noon. He had been oddly aggressive when telling him about about his younger sister's chicken pox. It was an easy cure, and he would have been happy to point the man in the direction of the medicine he was looking for if it wasn't for the constant glare being sent at him. There was also the large knife strapped to his side Arthur had pretended not to notice when the man entered. Wanting the transaction to be over as fast as possible (and before he was stabbed) he hurriedly found the vials the man required and took the coins he received without even checking the amount. The creep kept his eyes on him the whole time, and Arthur was relieved when he finally left.

Yes, just an ordinary day for Arthur Kirkland, pharmacist extraordinaire. He was just about the hang the little 'closed' sign on his door. That was until the door caved down on him.

Recoiling into a shelf, Arthur cursed,"What in the hell do you think you're doing!" but was soon to regret it. Squinting at the broad silhouette on his placemat, Arthur was shocked to realize it was Prince Alfred knocking down his door after hours.

His first thought was, naturally, 'oh god, they've found me out,' but he realized that was not it at all when the prince, hunched awkwardly in the doorway, laughed nervously and gave a short wave hello.

/

It was hard to shake the powerful presence one felt upon being around the prince. Not only did his intimidating stature make Arthur feel like an ant in comparison, but the way he greeted him (after apologizing about the door, of course. The boy had at least some manners,) was so loud Arthur swore he sent jars rattling.

He was also surprisingly charismatic. Arthur, being a gentleman to the grave, invited the prince into his small home behind the store, served tea, and treated the prince as his own guest. Prince Alfred himself was nothing like Arthur had perceived him. He was loud, obnoxious, and laughed shamelessly over his own jokes. Despite Arthur having no idea why the literal Prince of Spades came knocking down his door (and Alfred guiltily avoiding the topic), he found himself enjoying their slightly-one-sided conversation.

Eventually Alfred's expression turned serious as he explained his impromptu royal visit. "My father, the king...he's going to die. Soon. People have told me you're one of the best at curing illnesses in all the kingdoms, and I need you to cure him, please!" He begged. Arthur was taken back by the bluntness of the prince's plead, but then his blood ran cold and anxiety pitted in his gut as he realized what it meant.

There were times Arthur had been almost too lucky throughout his life. Many people were already getting suspicious about how he managed to brew such effective medicines, and many of them were correct, though Arthur would be damned before he admitted to having magic.

But being a mage not only meant a sure death by decapitation, it also guaranteed gruesome deaths for your whole family. Nobles these days were extraordinarily paranoid about magic spreading throughout the bloodline and were sure to eradicate anyone with potentially magic genes.

Turning away from the prince, Arthur realized there was absolutely no way he could accept the prince's request. "I'm sorry, your majesty, I just-"

Helping you is a death sentence.

"I-I'm not sure if I would be able to-"

You'd kill me, I'm sure of it.

"I might not have-"

My brothers too while you're at it.

The prince got what Arthur was trying to get across. His whole body visibly sagged, and the light his eyes held just a minute ago seemed to drain away. Clearing his throat, the prince turned his head, "That's completely fine. I mean, it was a lot to ask of you. What was I thinking, just a bursting into your shop like that," he paused, "I just thought maybe-"

He leant forward, invading Arthur's personal space. His hands desperately reached for Arthur over the table. "Please!" He begged, burying his face in the table and stifling sobs. "We've been to every doctor in this kingdom! My brother's already sickly enough, and without my father! He'll just...I don't know what I'll do! Please…"

Arthur pried his hand from Alfred's grasp to soothingly run it through his hair. He barely knew the kid, but here he was getting his royal snot all over his table cloth. But the charisma and enthusiasm he had while speaking with others drew Arthur naturally towards, like the earth drawn to the sun, so he continued threading his fingers through the soft what hair.

Eventually the prince pulled back, rubbing his hand under his nose and apologizing profusely, quick to lift his head and straighten out his hair, "T-that was completely uncalled for. I didn't mean to burst in your store and suddenly cry about all my problems to you, haha...but I'll be going now. Sorry." He awkwardly stood and turned towards the door, but Arthur reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could go.

"Prince Alfred, I…"

Guilt churned in his stomach.

I'll walk straight into death.

"I'll do it."

/

'i am the stupidest person on this planet," Arthur thought to himself. He let out his frustration by angrily shoving things into his travel sack, packing away all the things he would need while staying at the Royal Castle as well as the things he would need to help the king in his illness. One thing he would be happy to leave behind though was his magic.

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.' But he really was left with no choice. Though the prince came alone, didn't pressure him or threaten him with any sort of consequence should he refuse, only the most heartless of creatures would be able to refuse the boy after they knew of his situation. The whole date of spades rested on his shoulders, and Arthur would do his best to ease it off him even a little.

Letting out a sigh, he watched as his pocket watch ticked to noon and the royal carriage slowed to a stop outside his door, right on time. Scooping up his belongings and posting a note on his shop door about his absence, Arthur wearily climbed into the carriage, praying to whatever gods were out there that his magic would behave.

/

this has been a plot floating around in my head for a while so I decided to just put my foot down and actually write it. I have already planned pretty much the whole story so I just have to get the motivation to actually write it out and make the chapters long as I'm used to doing short one shots and not multi chapter stuff lol so I hope you enjoyed the first chapter :)