Okay! This is my first Cardverse story and something I was working on before I hit my dry spot and I've now finished it so, enjoy!
Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!
The Sleeping Beauty Of Spades
The Old Queen of Spades had been ill for some time and everyone knew she would not get better. She was the last of the old Spadian royal family and the new King and Jack had been found after the deaths of the old King and Jack. The first was the Jack and Yao Wang was found shortly after the old Jack's death and then the old King succumbed and a week later, Alfred F Jones was found to be the new King. The old Queen was not long for this world and, soon after, she finally gave up her life and the search for the new Queen began.
The heavily armoured royal car made it's way through the streets of the Spadian capital city followed by a cavalcade of guards on motorcycles. The car moved slowly so the occupants of the car could keep track of the spade-shaped watch that was being held by Yao and he and Alfred were watching the single hand of the clock as it pointed in different directions, pointing out where they needed to go.
"Turn left, aru!" Yao ordered as the hand ticked ticked toward the nine and the cavalcade took the next left turning. It was leading them to the next queen and Alfred was excited to know who would be ruling the kingdom with him and Yao.
"What do you think they'll be like?" he asked as the hand pointed ahead again.
"They could be anything," Yao replied. "They could be male, female, stern, easy-going, whatever is needed. Whatever we lack, the new queen will have. Turn right, aru!" The driver turned the wheel and they were driving down a different street.
"This is so cool, dude!" Alfred exclaimed. "The royal family will be complete again."
"Turn left!" Yao ordered and looked up. "This can't be right, aru." Alfred looked up out of the window and found that the car was turning into the car park of the Spades Central Hospital. They looked down at the watch again and found the hand pointing at the hospital.
"Could the new queen be a doctor or nurse?" Alfred asked. "Or will they be a patient?" Yao did not answer as the driver parked the car and the motorcycles came to a top beside the car and one of the riders, dressed in the military uniform of Spades but with spades on his epaulettes, removed his helmet to reveal a face similar to the young king of Spades. Alfred's brother Matthew took his role as Ace seriously as protection of the royal family also meant the protection of his brother as his violet eyes scanned the surrounding area for threats and the other riders moved out to strategic points to best protect their royals. Once they were in position, Matthew opened the car door and Alfred and Yao got out. Alfred was dressed in a dark blue jacket with brown trousers and a with shirt and tie, covered by a coat, a lighter blue than the jacket with spades running down the sides of the coat opening. Yao was dressed in an oriental style tunic with a shoulder cape decorated with spades and a mandarin style hat, also covered with spades.
"Are you sure we're in the right place, Al?" he asked, looking at the hospital. Alfred looked at the watch in Yao's hand.
"This is where the hand's pointing," he replied. "Let's go find the Queen!" Matthew went ahead and lead the way into the hospital. When the royal party was inside the building, some of the guards followed them in while others kept watch outside.
The receptionist recognised the King and Jack immediately and did not challenge them, instead calling the chief registrar to let him know about the situation. He immediately left his office to meet the the royals and ran to catch up with them, directed by people they had passed who had watched the royals wide-eyed.
"Your Majesty!" he exclaimed when he found them. "Your Eminence! Welcome to Spades Central Hospital. To what do we owe this honour?"
"We seek the next queen," Yao replied. "This is where Spades watch lead us, aru."
"So the next queen could be here!" the registrar replied. It would be good publicity for the hospital if the queen was discovered within its walls. He just hoped it was not one of his top surgeons. They were so hard to replace.
"Every assistance will be given, Your Eminence," he assured and they began to follow the watch hand again. It lead them round a maze of corridors and they found themselves at the Coma Ward.
Yao was praying that the queen was a nurse or orderly but he had a bad feeling about this. The watch hand point down a corridor, lined with rooms and they walked down it, joined by the on-duty nurse, until the watch directed them to a room with the number 234. 23 was code for Coma Ward, 4 was the room itself.
Matthew opened the door slowly, looking for potential risks but there was no one in the room except for the figure in the bed. It was hard to see the person's face as the light was subdued and they were surrounded by monitors and medical equipment so Yao and Alfred moved closer to get a good look at the person in the bed while the watch pointed in their direction.
The figure in the bed was male with blonde hair and enormous eyebrows with a breathing mask covering his face and wires trailing from his body to monitor his vital signs. He looked like he was in his early twenties, slightly older than Alfred, and he was slenderly built. He obviously had friends or relatives who visited as evident by the cards, flowers and balloons by the side of his bed.
Alfred went to the man's bedside and looked down at the comatose man who just happened to be the new Queen of Spades, at the delicate, almost feminine features. The man was pale, as to be expected, but Alfred wondered if he was naturally pale any way. What he did know about the man, however, was that he was cute.
And comatose.
Alfred reached down and took the unconscious man's hand, holding it like it was precious and fragile, like it would shatter if he held it too hard.
"Who is he?" he asked. The on-duty nurse came forward.
"His name is Arthur Kirkland, Your Majesty," she replied. "He was brought in here after he was hit by a car."
"What's his condition, aru?" Yao asked the on-duty nurse.
"Your Eminence," the registrar replied. "You must understand that the Doctor/Patient Confidentiality Clause …..."
"This man is the new Queen of Spades!" Yao replied, adamantly. "For the sake of the kingdom, we need to know and that gives us the power to override Doctor/Patient Confidentiality. Now what is his condition, aru?" The registrar turned to the on-duty nurse and indicated for her to tell them.
"The accident caused swelling on the brain, Your Eminence," she replied. "He was put into a medically induced coma to help him to heal. When the swelling went down, we tried to bring him out of it but he didn't come round. He shouldn't still be in the coma but, for some reason, he just won't wake up."
"Brain scan, aru?" Yao asked.
"There was very little damage from the swelling," she replied. "And the other injuries had healed completely. We're at a loss as to why he's still in a coma."
Alfred just looked down at the man in the bed. Arthur Kirkland. Queen Arthur. That sounded good but now Alfred wanted to see Arthur's eyes to see what colour they were. He had to wake up. He just had to. He gave the hand a squeeze.
"Don't worry, Artie," he said. "I'm here now and I'll wake you, I promise."
The last thing Arthur remembered seeing was the car heading toward him. He tried to jump out of the way but, in an effort to avoid him, the car had swerved the same way and after that, Arthur remembered nothing.
Arthur could not pinpoint the moment when he began hearing what was going on around him. It seemed to start as a low buzz but as time went on, the buzzing became words, unintelligible, at first but they became clearer and he could feel something over his face, correctly deducing that it was an oxygen mask. He could hear the door open and close, could feel when he was being examined by the doctors and the nurse that came in always talked to him and sometimes that was how he knew what part of the day it was or what kind of day. Good morning, Arthur. You should wake up, it's a beautiful day! Or Good Afternoon, Arthur. It's a little wet outside but it might stop raining soon! And he could hear his brothers when they visited. Come on, Bunny! Time to rise and shine, yer wee shite! That was definitely Allistor. Oi boyo, when are you going to get up and burn some food? Yes, very funny, Rhys, you git! Hey Bunny, I've found your secret whisky stash. How did you get a bottle of Red-fire? I mean, that stuff really rare but worth every sip! Damn it, Patrick! Not the Red-fire whisky! It had taken Arthur months to get his hands on a bottle of the whisky that was made using water from the spring that was heated by Mount Feuersturm, a volcano in the kingdom of Hearts, giving the whisky a wicked kick and it had cost a pretty penny.
There were times when Arthur hated his brothers!
It was the same routine. Doctors examined, nurses bustled around, making small talk that Arthur could not return and his brothers tried to tease and bully him back into consciousness and he would actually sleep but nothing worked. Arthur wanted to wake up fully but the effort seemed too much, He would try! He would struggle through the darkness toward the light but he would become exhausted and sink back into blackness and sleep.
Then one day he heard the door opened. As there was no Good whatever time of day is was, Arthur! or Oi, Bunny! Arthur ruled out the nurses or his brothers and figured it was the one of the doctors come to examine him. Then he felt his hand being taken but it was just being held. Gently.
"Who is he?" That was a voice he did not know.
"His name is Arthur Kirkland, Your Majesty. He was brought in here after he was hit by a car." That was one of the nurses. Wait! Your Majesty! The King!
"What's his condition, aru?" That was another unrecognisable voice.
"Your Eminence," Arthur had never heard that voice before either and Your Eminence was what they called the Jack. "You must understand that the Doctor/Patient Confidentiality Clause …..."
"This man is the new Queen of Spades!" the second voice replied. "For the sake of the kingdom, we need to know and that gives us the power to override Doctor/Patient Confidentiality. Now what is his condition, aru?" Wait! Did the voice just say that he was the new Queen of Spades? Had the old Queen died? Arthur knew that she was ill at the time he ended up in front of the car but was the voice serious? Was he the new Queen?
"The accident caused swelling on the brain," the nurse replied. "He was put into a medically induced coma to help him to heal. When the swelling went down, we tried to bring him out of it but he didn't come round. He shouldn't still be in the coma but, for some reason, he just won't wake up."
'I'm trying to,' Arthur called out in his mind. 'I'm really trying to!'
"Brain scan, aru?" the second voice said
"There was very little damage from the swelling," the nurse replied. "And the other injuries had healed completely. We're at a loss as to why he's still in a coma." Arthur felt his hand being squeezed.
"Don't worry, Artie," the first voice said. "I'm here now and I'll wake you, I promise." Artie! Did that voice seriously just call him Artie?! Arthur struggled toward the light to give the voice a piece of his mind but, as usual, he became exhausted but he pushed further and, before he lost full consciousness again, he managed to leave a small indication of his displeasure.
Alfred gave a start when the hand he was holding tightened around his fingers, only slightly but the movement was there.
"He just squeezed my hand!" he exclaimed. Yao turned to look at him. "I mean it! He really squeezed my hand!" Alfred turned back to Arthur. "Come on, Artie! Squeeze my hand again, you can do it!" Nothing.
"I swear, Yao," he said. "He did squeeze my hand." The nurse shook her head.
"There's been no sign of consciousness since he came in, Your Majesty," she replied.
"I didn't imagine it!"
"No, of course not, Sire," she said, stepping back.
"I think that Queen Arthur should be moved to the palace," Yao said to the registrar. "Where he can get personal, all-around-the-clock care. This is no reflection on your hospital but this is the Queen! He'll need to be the soul focus of the medical staff looking after him and your staff have other patients to take care of, aru."
"I'll see to the paperwork for the Queen's release into your care, Your Eminence," the registrar replied. "But you understand that I must consult his family first."
"Then do so, aru," Yao replied. The registrar left to called Arthur's brothers and deal with the release forms while Alfred looked back down at Arthur.
"I didn't imagine it, Yao," he insisted. "Artie did squeeze my hand."
"If that's true," Yao replied. "He'll do it again. We just have to give it time, aru."
"It has to be a joke, Al," Patrick said as his eldest brother drove Rhys and him to the hospital. Patrick was a brassy red-head while Rhys was auburn. Allistor was redder than red and they all had green eyes and big eyebrows. "I mean, this thing about Bunny being the new Queen …..."
"It better hadn't be a joke," Allistor replied. "And there's no way our little brother's going anywhere until I'm satisfied that it is real and he'll be taken care of!"
"And if Bunny is the new Queen ….. ?" Rhys asked. They were pulling into the hospital car park.
"They've still got to prove they'll look after him," Allistor said as he parked up. "I don't care if they are the King and Jack!"
The preparations for Arthur's removal to the palace were in motion when the other Kirkland Brothers showed up at his room. Alfred was sat beside Arthur's bed, still holding his hand and trying to get Arthur to squeeze it again. Matthew was standing guard for his brother, Yao and now Arthur while Yao sat by Arthur's other side as nurses and orderlies bustled around, preparing Arthur himself for the move.
"Bunny's not going anywhere until I say so!" Allistor said, adamantly as he stormed into the room, followed by the others. Matthew jumped between the Kirklands and the Spadian royals, Arthur included, his hand going to his gun, in case he needed it. Yao stood up from his seat.
"You must be Mr Kirkland's brothers," he said, calmly. "You do realise that your brother is the new Queen, aru."
"Don't care!" Allistor replied. "You have to prove that you can look after my little brother or you don't take him anywhere, I don't care who you are!" No one saw Arthur's eyelashes flicker.
Damn it, Allistor! Arthur said in his head. You woke me up, git! He realised he could feel someone holding his hand again and he felt that person standing up but kept hold of his hand.
"Ya know we can get Artie the very best care, don't ya?" Alfred replied, standing up. Once again, no one saw Arthur's eyelashes twitch. Did he just call me Artie again? Then he heard a chuckle.
"Artie!" Rhys chuckled. "Did you seriously just call him Artie, Your Majesty? I'm surprised he didn't wake up just give you what for."
There's an idea!
"Well," Alfred replied. "He did squeeze my hand." Allistor, Patrick and Rhys froze and stared at the young King in shock.
Did I? Arthur pondered. He remembered being annoyed at being called that irritating nickname and tried to give a response before he was wiped out, he had not been sure if he had or not.
"He …... what?!" Patrick forced out. Ah, Patrick! As articulate as ever.
"He reacted to my voice and squeezed my hand," Alfred replied.
"More likely reacted to being called Artie," Rhys commented. "He hates his name being abbreviated more than he hates being called Bunny by us."
"Why do you call him Bunny?" Alfred asked.
DON'T YOU DARE!
"When he was a wee tyke," Allistor replied. "He used to have an imaginary friend called Flying Mint Bunny."
NO! STOP!
"We used to make fun of him," Patrick said. "Teasing him, saying Flying Mint Bunny wasn't real and that he was a baby to believe in a figment of his imagination so he decided to make us see his friend."
DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD!
"So he put green food colouring on a real rabbit and stuck green wings on it," Rhys hammered in the last nail in the coffin of Arthur's childhood reputation. "He showed it to us and it bolted. The feathers flew everywhere and Arthur fell over, covered in green splotches and feathers. We had a good laugh over that one."
YOU WANKERS!
Alfred began to laugh loud and long at the picture the Kirkland Brothers had painted and Arthur took exception. He struggled again toward the light to tear a strip off Alfred, King or no King but he just could not find the energy to reach the light but this time, he knew that he had left the impression that he was unhappy with everyone's behaviour before sliding into full consciousness again.
Alfred's laugh turned to a yelp as he felt his little finger pinched between Arthur's thumb and middle finger and he looked down at Arthur who looked the same as he had since Alfred had first set eyes on him.
"He just pinched me!" he exclaimed and bent over Arthur. "Artie, come on! If you can pinch me, you can wake up! Come on, open your eyes!" But Arthur's eyes remained stubbornly shut.
"He did that last time," Matthew commented. "Maybe these little motions are taking it out of him and he can't do anything else afterwards until he builds up his strength again, eh?"
"That would suggest," Yao mused. "That he's aware of everything that's happening around him, aru."
"At the very least," Rhys replied. "He seems to be reacting the King, even if it seems to be to things that annoy him. Allistor, maybe the palace is the place for Arthur, we haven't had this much reaction out of Arthur since the accident." Allistor had to admit that Rhys had a point but the idea of handing over the care of his little brother to people he barely knew, even if they were the royal family, made him a little uneasy. Yao could see that Allistor had his reservations.
"I already have my staff getting the best possible people to care for the Queen," he stated. "And all of you will have access to the palace to visit whenever you wish, even provide rooms for you to stay if you wish. The Queen will have everything he needs and he does seem to connect with the King, aru."
"It makes sense," Patrick said. Arthur was reacting to the King and this was the closest they had ever been to him waking up. Allistor sighed.
"Aye," he agreed. "It does. All right! I agree to Arthur being moved to the palace and we will be staying with him. I think someone he recognises should be there if he were to wake up." Yao smiled.
"I'll make the arrangements, aru," he said and Alfred gripped Arthur's hand.
"You're going to the palace, Artie," he grinned. "Where you belong."
Arthur was settled in the Queen's chamber, a large room with a pair of doors, leading to a balcony and it was decked out in the traditional blues of Spades with Arthur placed in a magnificent four-poster bed with blue velvet curtains.
Nurses, hired for Arthur's care, had dressed the unconscious new Queen in blue, silk pyjamas after bathing him and settled him into the centre of the bed with the covers pulled up to his chest. The maids who had been assigned to him had been out into the gardens to collect some Spadian Blue Roses and set them in a vase on the bedside table, hoping that their scent would draw some reaction from the Queen. Footmen had talked to his brothers, asking what the Queen's favourite music was and set up a music system to play the music during the day.
The Kirkland Brothers were touched by the royal staff's attempt to create an atmosphere of simulation to help the Queen that they had just found, a queen they barely knew and it had not even been a day. They had even decided that they would talk to the Queen when they were in the room, just as the nurses had.
Rooms, as close to the Queen's chamber as possible, were made ready for the Queen's brothers and they would take turns sitting with Arthur as well as, when duties allowed, King Alfred. The New Queen's discovery had not been announced to the populace yet, let alone his condition as they wanted time to see if they could coax more reaction from Arthur.
But they could only delay for so long before the Finding of the Queen became common knowledge and they would have to officially announce it to the Kingdom of Spades as well as the other three kingdoms of the Land of Cards.
When Arthur next surface from deep unconsciousness, he knew immediately that something was different. The smell of hospital disinfectant had been replaced with the scent of roses and, instead of the feel of cotton against his skin, there was the smooth texture of silk and soft, classical music played somewhere nearby. Arthur like classical music, it was relaxing but he also enjoyed music of the Punk genre from three decades ago and, right on cue, after the classical music finished, one of his favourite songs 'Pretty Vacant' began to play. Arthur's lips twitched in an attempt to smile and he felt the oxygen mask pulled away from his face.
"Rhys!" he heard Patrick call out. "His lips are moving."
"What?!" Rhys's voice replied. "Let me see!" Arthur felt the mattress beside him dip as Rhys had obviously climbed on to the bed to get a better look at Arthur and Arthur tried to keep smiling.
"They are moving!" Rhys gasped and the oxygen mask was replaced. "Come on, Bunny! Wake up, you have to see the room they put you in. I thought the ones they gave us were nothing to sneeze at but they're nothing compared to the Queen's Chamber, makes you wonder what the King's chamber is like."
He was in the Queen's Chamber! Well, that would make sense since they said that he was the New Queen and he wished he could see it all.
"They put you in a huge four-poster bed, Bunny," Patrick said. "You always wanted one of those." Well, that was true. "It's got the most beautiful blue velvet curtains with silk sheets and pillows. You should wake up and see it and that's just the bed! The rest of the room is magnificent and there's a beautiful en-suite bathroom. There's also doors on to a balcony and the view from that! You can see for miles and I can't describe it! You'll need to wake up and see it for yourself so come on, open your eyes!"
Arthur wanted to see it! Want to badly but he did not feel up to the struggle. He would wait until he built up his energy. He wanted to make it to the light this time, make it back out into the real world and he would gather his strength to push through the dark and back to the living.
He heard a door open and close.
"All right, gentleman," Arthur did not know that voice. "If you'll excuse me, it's time to tend to my patient." The dip in the mattress disappeared as Rhys got up.
"Talk to you later, Bunny," He heard Rhys say and the door opened and closed again.
Doctor Henderson completed his tests and he could not understand why Arthur was still unconscious. He was one of the best doctors in the four kingdom and he came immediately when called to the Palace of Spades but not told why until he arrived. The new Queen of Spades had been found but he was in a coma but the tests Doctor Henderson perform told him that Arthur was not exactly in a coma but he was in a kind of state where he was trapped between asleep and awake. He could not find anything physically wrong with Arthur, other than the healed injuries from the accident that he had read about in Arthur's medical file from the hospital. He was at a loss as to why Arthur was not awake.
Allistor was now sat beside Arthur, ignoring the darkness outside as he read one of Arthur's favourite books to him. Doctor Henderson had examined the brainwave results from the hospital and determined that Arthur had periods when he was 'asleep' and a machine was brought in to determine when this was happening. The machine was showing that Arthur was 'asleep' right now but Allistor kept reading out loud to him and he did not hear Alfred quietly slip into the room behind him.
"How's he doing?" Alfred asked, startling Allistor out of reading as he turned toward the young King.
"He's asleep right now, according to the machine," Allistor replied, indicating the device showing Arthur's brainwaves. "I just wish he would wake all the way up. I don't understand why he responses to you and not me or his other brothers."
"I wouldn't take it personally," Alfred replied. "He might be just used to you and the others where as I'm someone new. Or it could be like your brother Rhys said, I'm annoying him by calling him Artie."
"Well, whatever works," Allistor commented.
"Tell me about Artie," Alfred said. "What's he like?" Allistor hummed as he thought about his brother's traits.
"Like all us Kirklands," he replied. "He has the Kirkland pride, sometimes more than the rest of us and he won't come right out and tell you his feelings, none of us do that. Bunny shows his true feelings through his actions but if he does something, he'll deny that it's because he cares, he'll make up some kind of excuse for what he's done. And any soft feelings are hidden under a grumpy exterior and a scowl. But he does care, make no mistake about that! Out of all of us, he's the one that took Peter's death the hardest."
"Who's Peter?"
"Peter was our littlest brother," Allistor said. "He was the latecomer to the family and never particularly strong, health-wise. He died ten years ago when he was twelve and it hit Bunny hard but that's Bunny for yer. Looks like he doesn't care but actually cares the most."
Alfred smiled at that. Caring royals was something every kingdom needed and Arthur sounded like something Queen Kiku had told him once, now what was it ….. ?
"He sounds like a tsundere," Alfred replied.
"What's a tsundere?" Allistor asked.
"Something the Queen of Hearts told me about," Alfred said. "It's a character type in Manga. It's a character that's hostile and unfriendly at first but they'll warm up over time."
"Sounds like Bunny," Allistor agreed. "He's not easy to get close to, you have to put in the work and get past that prickly exterior and but, if you do, you'll find the loving core, deep down in that shell he puts up."
"I'll keep that in mind," Alfred replied. "Anything else I should know?"
"Don't let him in the kitchen!" Allistor said. "Trust me, my little brother could set ice on fire!"
Arthur had developed the ability to tell who was holding his hand at any given time. Allistor's hand had a burn scar from when he messed about with a bonfire when he was eight. Patrick's thumb pressed into Arthur's hand in a certain way and Rhys had a habit of sliding his thumb between Arthur's thumb and index finger and just resting the rest of his hand on top of Arthur's.
Then there was King Alfred. Arthur always knew when Alfred was sat beside him because he would feel Alfred's fingers lace in between his and rub his thumb on Arthur's hand. He never stopped even as he spoke to Arthur.
"Your brothers told me you work in publishing," he heard Alfred say. "And that you're an aspiring author yourself, that's so cool! I couldn't write a book myself, wouldn't know where to start or how to get the words down. You'll have to show me what you've written, Artie."
Will you bloody stop calling me Artie!
"Ya wanna wake up and let me read ya stuff?"
I'd like to wake up and correct your grammar! Arthur thought. Your speech is atrocious! Arthur felt his hand being squeezed.
"Please open your eyes, Artie!" Arthur could hear the almost pleading tone in his voice. "I want to see if they're green, like your brothers."
Yes. They're green!
"Artie, the kingdom needs its Queen," Alfred's voice had a hint of sadness now. "I need my Queen! I need you, Artie!" The tone broke Arthur's heart and he wanted to be able to open his eyes and comfort the young Spadian King. Arthur's eyes flickered and he began to push again toward the light again. The closer he got, the harder it got, like swimming through half-set jelly that set firmer the closer he got to the light but he was determined that he was going to make it out this time.
The light was close, so close but Arthur was tiring again and his strength was sapping with every inch but he pushed on, pushing past the energy drain and the light slowly got closer but he was reaching his limit, exhaustion pushing into his soul but Arthur was going to make it out this time if it killed him.
Arthur was almost there now and he reached out to touch the light which gave off a bright flash that blinded him for a moment and then it faded, leaving behind the sight of a young man with blonde hair with the cutest cowlick and the bluest of blue sky eyes behind half-wire, square lensed glasses.
Alfred could not help but feel like he was begging but he wanted Arthur to wake up. To come back to the world that needed him and to stand by his side as Queen before the Spadian people and the other kingdoms and, even without that, he just want Arthur to stand by his side.
Then he saw Arthur's eyelids flutter and he bent over Arthur to be sure that he was not imagining it. Arthur's eyelids continued to flicker and Alfred held his breath as Arthur's eyelids slowly slid open, revealing the Kirkland green orbs under them. The breath Alfred had been holding left him in a rush as he lost himself in the emerald depths that seemed to really see him.
"Artie!" he breathed. He had finally woken up and shown Alfred the same green eyes as the other Kirkland Brothers but they were different, somehow. A little brighter, maybe, or perhaps Alfred was just being bias.
But then Arthur's eyes began to slide shut again. He had used up all his strength in that one act and he was sinking back into the dark abyss of his own mind.
"No," Alfred exclaimed. "No, no, no Artie, don't! Stay with me, don't you dare go back! ARTIE...!" But Arthur's eyes closed again and the brainwave machine indicated that Arthur was falling back into sleep again.
Alfred slammed his fist into the mattress beside Arthur. They had been so close, so close to Arthur coming back to them. What was it going to take?
Arthur could not stay in the waking world for more than a moment but it was enough to get a small look at the King of Spades. He had seen pictures, of course, in magazines and on television but they did not compare to the real life glimpse of the handsome blue-eyed blonde but, try as he might, he could not keep his eyes open for very long and he sank back into oblivion and 'sleep' but it was not all bad. Arthur had dreams when he slept and this time, they featured a cute young man with sky blue eyes.
"He opened his eyes," Alfred insisted to the crowd in the Queen's chamber. "And he saw me, I'm sure of it." The Kirkland Brothers, Yao, Mattie and Doctor Henderson looked toward Arthur as if hoping that he would open his eyes again, just to confirm what Alfred was saying. No one doubted that Arthur had opened his eyes but they thought that Arthur seeing Alfred was just wishful thinking on Alfred's part.
"Your Majesty," Doctor Henderson. "I believe that the Queen did open his eyes, however this could have been caused by a muscle contraction in the eyelids, perhaps the brain remembering how to open the eyes. You said it was only for a second and there's no indication that the Queen is any closer to waking up."
"Well, I'm going to be optimistic about it," Rhys declared. "We've had more response from Bunny since the King came. To tell the truth, I'm a little jealous that His Majesty's getting all this attention when his own brothers haven't even had so much as an eye twitch before but I'll get over if if it gets Bunny to wake up."
"Aye," Allistor replied. "I wasn't here when it happened but I'll believe that this was more than an involuntary response."
"Bunny's going to wake up," Patrick said, adamantly. "And when he does, it's going to be thanks to King Alfred." Doctor Henderson just nodded, indulgently. They were the Queen's brothers, of course they would cling to every good sign.
"I hope you're right," he replied. "In the meantime, we'll just have to watch out for any other signs."
Arthur's brothers had spent the day with him but Alfred had been unable to get away from his duties to sit and talk to Arthur, to try and get him to wake again, even if it was to annoy Arthur into waking up and yelling at him.
But, as tired as he was, he just could not sleep so he put on his dressing gown and made his way to the Queen's Chamber. The only sounds in the room came from the machines surrounding the bed and the drip, drip, drip of the hydration fluid into the intravenous tube that ran down to Arthur and the catheter in his arm. The brain machine showed that Arthur was 'asleep', he always seemed to know when it was night. Alfred watched Arthur's chest rise and fall and listened to the heart monitor, signs that the Queen of Spades was alive.
Alfred's eye fell on a book on the table beside the bed and picked it up, wondering if one of Arthur's brothers had left it there after reading to Arthur and found that it was a collection of fairy-tales by a pair of brothers. It seemed like an odd choice compared to what he had heard the Kirkland Brothers reading to Arthur. Shakespeare, Dickens and Tolkien were not quite the same as tales read to children as they were lulled to sleep. Maybe one of the brother decided to have a change of literature, perhaps to try and get a reaction. Maybe Arthur hated that kind of literature or maybe he loved it. He would have to ask one of the brothers.
There was a bookmark in the book and Alfred opened the book at that point, finding it at the beginning of one of the stories and began to read it out loud, just in case Arthur 'woke up'. It was a story about a princess who was cursed by an angry fairy to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall asleep for a hundred years. Alfred finally fell asleep in the chair before reaching the end of the story, hoping that it did not take that long for Arthur to wake up.
Arthur knew someone was in the room with him because he could hear the light snoring and knew it was none of his brothers. Patrick and Rhys did not snore and Allistor's snoring would make the house rumble. He knew it was Alfred because their fingers were interlaced although the rubbing thumb was absent.
Arthur listened to Alfred for a while and then took in everything else he could sense. The birds were singing out the dawn chorus so it was obviously morning and the maids must have replaced the roses while he was asleep because the scent was stronger and fresher. The bed sheets smelt cleaner so they must have been changed the day before while he slept too.
He heard the door opened and close and light footsteps made their way over to the bed.
"Your Majesty," he heard Yao's voice say. "Your Majesty, it's time to wake up, aru!" There was a snore and then a grunt.
"Whaa..." Alfred said. "What time is it?"
"Nine o'clock," Yao replied. "You gave the maids a fright when they went to your room and found you missing but the nurses said you were asleep in here. Have you been here all night, aru?" There was a creak as Alfred sat up in the chair and stretched.
"Yeah," he replied. "Couldn't sleep so I thought I would keep Artie company." Arthur had given up complaining about being called 'Artie'. Let's face it, it was not doing him any good and he doubted it would, even if he was conscious enough to moan about it.
"I supposed I should get changed and go do my duties," Alfred sounded reluctant to do so.
"I've cleared your calender for today," Yao replied. "You can spend the day with the Queen. I think that would be of more benefit, aru."
"Thanks, Yao," Alfred replied. "You're the best. Hear that, Artie! You got me for the whole day."
"Oh joy!" Arthur thought, sarcastically, envisioning a whole day of being called 'Artie' but deep down inside, he was looking forward to it.
It was eleven o'clock and Rhys could not believe that he had slept in when it was his turn to sit with Arthur. He dove out of his room and down the corridor to the Queen's chamber, hoping that Arthur was not 'awake' yet as he burst into the room.
He found the King turning round to look at him as he sat, holding Arthur's hand and Rhys stared for a moment, not expecting Alfred to be there and then he bowed.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," he said. "I should have been here a couple of hours ago." Alfred just waved it off.
"Don't sweat it," he replied. "I had it covered. Come on, sit down." Rhys took a chair on the other side of Arthur's bed and took his other hand.
"Good morning, Bunny," Rhys said to the prone figure on the bed. "Sorry I'm late. Beds here make sure you don't want to wake up." Alfred chuckled.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Rhys asked. He always asked Arthur questions, even though Arthur was unlikely to answer them but there was always that one possibility that he might wake up and give a response. "I'll tell you, the food is fantastic, you should wake up and try it." Alfred smiled again. The nurses had been in to give Arthur his 'breakfast' and to clean up any 'waste'. Alfred had left the room for that but came back in immediately once they were finished. He had the feeling that Arthur would not like anyone seeing him like that.
Arthur was listening to everything and he mentally snorted at the mention of breakfast. He was sure his taste-buds had forgotten what taste was like.
"What I wouldn't give for one of my scones!" he thought.
"Beats those brunt rocks you call scones any time, Bunny," Rhys said, as if reading Arthur's mind.
"Bugger off, you git!"
Alfred picked up the book that he had been reading to Arthur the night before and waved it at Rhys.
"Does Artie like fairy-tales?" he asked. Arthur remembered, as a child, how he would devour every word of any fairy-tale book he could lay his hands on. His brothers used to tease him about it but he did not care. Even now, Arthur had a certain nostalgia for the stories.
"He did when he was a kid," Rhys replied, looking at the book. "We used to make fun of him about it but I don't know what it's doing here. I haven't been reading fairy-tales to Bunny and that wasn't here the last time I sat with him. Maybe Allistor or Patrick brought it in?"
"Nobody read it to me, as far as I know," Arthur thought.
"I was reading it to Artie last night," Alfred said. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd sit with Artie and I got bored so I read it out loud. Artie wasn't 'awake' but I thought he might wake up so I'd read it out to him."
"Sorry I was asleep for that," Arthur thought. He liked the idea of Alfred reading to him, he liked the sound of Alfred's voice, except when he was calling him Artie.
"Which story were you reading to him?" Rhys asked.
"About some royal chick who gets cursed by an angry fairy who was mad at her parents," Alfred replied. "Jabs her finger on the spiky part of a spinning wheel and falls asleep for a hundred years."
Appropriate! Both Arthur and Rhys thought, simultaneously.
"Sleeping Beauty," Rhys replied. "Very apt." He looked at his brother.
"Don't take a hundred years to wake up, Bunny!" he said.
"I'll try not to!"
As the day went on, Arthur's other brothers came in to sit with him but the one who was with him the most was Alfred who listened to stories Allistor, Patrick and Rhys told him about Arthur's childhood, many of which had the listening Arthur internally groaning with embarrassment but with every word that was told, Alfred was more and more entranced until he realised he had fallen in love with someone he had never heard a single word from.
Arthur, it seemed, was like a hedgehog. Prickly but still so cute and lovable and Alfred could not wait for Arthur to wake up so he could find out for himself. He got the feeling that life would never be boring with Arthur as Queen. He had been warned that Arthur, like all the Kirklands, did not express his affection with words but with actions.
All Arthur could do was lie there as all his inner secrets were exposed to the king and, when he woke up, he was going to kill his brothers but when his brothers were not there, he would listen to Alfred talk about his life, about the antics he would get up to and the trouble he would drag Matthew into when they were children. Alfred had been a scamp as a child, was the impression Arthur had come to, but a lovable scamp. Then Alfred talked of his life since becoming king, of his duties to the people of Spades and how he got lonely sometimes without his queen by his side to share all the joys and burdens and Arthur's heart went out to the young monarch. He knew what it was like to be lonely. He and his brothers got along now, kind of, but it was not always that way. He had been the youngest and not as rough-and-tumble as his brothers as a child so, when they were not teasing him, they were ignoring him, hence his reading and his imaginary friends.
As Alfred talked, Arthur got the impression of an enthusiastic, childlike young man who just wanted to love and be loved.
Arthur fell in love!
But could Alfred feel the same about him and if he could, how could they be together? Arthur had only been able to open his eyes for a second before he fell back into darkness again and he got the feeling that, if he tried to wake now, it would be the same result.
He really wanted to open his eyes and keep them open. But how?
Evening drew in and Alfred had spent practically all day in the Queen's Chamber with Arthur, talking about everything and nothing until there was nothing more to say. Arthur had slept part of the day but he was awake now, listening to Alfred ramble until he finally ran dry of words.
"How about I finish the story I was reading to ya last night?" Alfred said, picking up the book and opening it at the bookmark he had put in to keep the place. "How does that sound?"
I'd rather you started from the beginning, Arthur thought. I missed it last time. But Alfred picked up where he left off.
"A hundred years past and, as the princess slept," Alfred read out loud. "Thorns grew around the castle in an impenetrable forest …... Yeah, right! A hundred years, come on! …... And then a prince came along, having heard of a legend of a beautiful princess sleeping in a lost castle …... how do they know she's beautiful? Assuming much!"
Just read the story and spare me the commentary!
"Anyway," Alfred continued. "The prince drew his sword and began to hack his way through the forest of thorn to the castle in the centre …... I thought they said it was impenetrable?"
JUST READ IT!
"He reached the castle and made his way to the tallest tower where the sleeping princess lay," Alfred said. "How did he know that's where she was? (Arthur groaned) ….. He fell in love at first sight ….. snort …. and he bent down and kissed her lips. The princess awoke and opened her eyes and, on seeing the prince, fell in love. They married and lived happily ever after." Alfred hummed.
"Hey, Artie," he mused. "Do ya think that'll work for you?"
What? Alfred approached the bed and bent over Arthur. Now that the idea was in his head, the thought of kissing Arthur began to appeal more and more until he really, really wanted to kiss Arthur, if only to see what Arthur's lips felt like.
"Should I kiss ya to see if it wakes you up?" Alfred said, huskily. Arthur could tell that Alfred was bending over him as he spoke the words in Arthur's ear. Arthur swore that he shivered. From apprehension or anticipation, Arthur did not know.
Alfred carefully removed the oxygen mask from over Arthur's face and lowered his own lips to Arthur's, stopping a couple of centimetres away and he whispered.
"If you don't want me to kiss you, Artie, you have to wake up and stop me." Arthur did not want Alfred to not kiss him, he just wanted to be there for it and he began to fight toward the light.
"I'm gonna kiss ya, Artie," Alfred whispered again. "Are ya gonna wake up?"
Don't you dare until I get there! Arthur's mind called out as he struggled to reach the light again. He would not let exhaustion stop him this time.
"Last chance, Artie," Alfred said as his lips got closer to Arthur's.
WAIT! Arthur was too far away from the light and he was tiring. He was not going to make it!
Alfred lowered the last centimetre and brushed Arthur's lips with his own. Arthur's lips were lightly chapped but soft and Alfred could not help but go in for a firmer kiss.
Arthur felt a light brush of another's skin against his lips and then he felt a firmer kiss press against his mouth and he was disappointed that he had not made it in time. Then he felt warmth rush through his whole being and a wave of energy rolled through Arthur, sweeping away the resistance that was holding him back and he flew headlong toward the light, once again blinded by the brightness and then the light faded to Alfred's close eyed face close above him and Alfred's lips firmly pressed against his. Arthur's eyes fluttered shut again but, this time, he was losing himself in the kiss.
Alfred could not believe he was doing this! Did he really believe that a kiss would wake Artie, what a stupid idea!
And then he felt it! Arthur's mouth moved under his, returning the kiss, too much for it to be an involuntary response and he slowly ended the kiss and pulled back. Arthur, for a moment, looked like he was still asleep and then he slowly opened his eyes.
"Artie?" Alfred said, uncertainly, expecting Arthur's eyes to close again.
"Alfred!" Arthur said, roughly with a voice that had not been used in some time but it sounded perfect to Alfred.
"ARTIE!" Alfred cried and went in for another kiss that Arthur fully anticipated with. He wished he could put his arms around Alfred's neck but the muscles were too weak from lack of use so he had to settle for Alfred wrapping his arms around him and holding him tight.
The kiss had to end, just as well for Arthur who was about to lose consciousness again through lack of oxygen and Alfred looked down at Arthur as if he had just witnessed a miracle, which he had.
"I never really expected that to work," he admitted, never thinking that the clichéd True Love's Kiss would be the thing to pull Arthur back into the land of the living. "Welcome back, Artie! I should tell everyone but I want ya to myself for a while." Arthur smiled. He want time alone with Alfred himself.
"Well, there's lots to tell ya, Artie," Alfred said. "I'm King Alfred ….."
"I know," Arthur replied, hoarsely, his mouth dry from not taking fluid by mouth for so long. "But first, can I have some water?"
"Hmm," Alfred replied. "Oh yeah!" He went to pour a glass from the jug that was refreshed regularly for everyone who sat with the Queen and brought it back to the bed. Alfred slipped his arm under Arthur's shoulders and raised him up so he could drink. Water had never tasted so good to Arthur as he took some sips from the glass, wetting his parched throat. When the dryness eased off, he pulled his lips away from the glass and Alfred put it on the table beside the bed.
He turned back to Arthur, stilling holding him then stroked Arthur's cheek with the back of his right hand while looking into his green eyes. Arthur looked up into Alfred's sky blue eyes and face that was more handsome than the one glimpse he had gotten before and they were lost in that moment.
"Artie," Alfred breathed and bent down for another kiss. He had begun to think that this day would never come but Arthur was awake and in his arms, his Queen and he would never let him go.
"This may sound weird, Artie," Alfred said when the kiss ended. "But I've listened to the stories about you from your brothers and …... I've fallen in love with my Queen." Arthur smiled.
"I heard everything you said to me," he replied. "And I've fallen in love with my King." Alfred's face broke into the most brilliant smile that lit up the whole room.
"Artie!" he breathed and kissed Arthur again.
"And Alfred?" Arthur said.
"Yes, Artie?"
"My name is Arthur!"
Alfred eventually let the world know that Arthur had come back to the world and his brothers were the first ones in the room where Arthur let them know that he had heard every embarrassing story that they had told Alfred, vowing revenge, and blasted Patrick for stealing his Red-fire whiskey who laughed and reassured Arthur that he had not touched his precious whiskey, that he had been waiting for Arthur to wake up but he fully expected to share a glass of it with him.
Then Yao and Matthew arrived. Matthew was very happy for his brother whom he had watched fall more and more in love with the comatose Arthur every day. Yao bowed and welcomed Arthur back to the land of the living, informing him of his new station in life to which Arthur replied that he already knew, that he had heard them that day in the hospital.
"If you were awake all that time, Bunny," Allistor asked. "Why did ye not completely wake up till now?"
"I tried to wake up," Arthur replied, still being held in Alfred's arms. "I tried so many times but it was so hard and I became so tired that I just couldn't. I managed to open my eyes at one point and saw Alfred but I couldn't stay awake."
"I told ya he really saw me!" Alfred said in vindication and turned back to Arthur. "I saw ya looking at me, Artie. I thought you'd woken up then but it broke my heart when you went back to sleep."
"Sorry, love," Arthur replied. "I just couldn't stay awake." He began to cough as talking took its toll on his larynx that had not been used for many months and Alfred brought the glass of water back to his lips.
"I think His Highness should keep conversation to a minimum," Doctor Henderson said as he came in, just in time to hear Arthur coughing. "Just until he gets used to using his voice again and now, if you gentlemen could clear the room for a while, I would like to examine my patient."
Everyone began to file out of the room, except Alfred who refused to leave Arthur for a moment and the doctor had no authority to make him leave so he did his tests with Alfred in attendance. Doctor Henderson found Arthur in good health for a man who had been incapacitated for months and he put together a diet and physiotherapy regime to build Arthur's physical condition back up.
Alfred listened to every word with the intention of helping Arthur back on to his feet and, one day soon, Arthur would stand by his side before the Spadian people as his Queen and his equal.
The finding of the Queen was finally announced to the Spadian people as well as the condition in which he was found. The improvement of his condition was also reported on every television channel and everyone prayed for the quick recovery of the new queen. An ordinary man who worked like they did, had a family like they did, would be their new queen and they had high hopes for the new Spadian royal family.
The royals of the other kingdoms were informed as well. King Francis of the Kingdom of Diamond sent his congratulations, as did King Ludwig of Hearts and King Ivan of Clubs and all promised to come and visit the new Queen as soon as it could be arranged, as tradition dictated but Yao asked them politely to delay the visits for a while to give Arthur time to regain some of his strength. All agreed and the visits were delayed for six months for the time being.
Sat on the balcony of the Queen's Chamber, unseen was a man, dressed in red and black, with white hair and crimson eyes, watched everything that was happening with a knowing smirk. For the reign of the next royals, the King and Queen had to be in love so Red Joker, Gilbert Beilschmidt had cast a spell over Arthur while he lay in a coma, a spell that said he could only be awaken by True Love's Kiss, although he was impressed by the strength of the new queen that he had been able to fight the spell and wake up, even if it was only for a moment.
Another figure appeared beside him, this time a child, about twelve years old, dressed in black and grey with blonde hair and blue eyes with Kirkland eyebrows. This was the Black Joker, Peter Kirkland, the fifth brother who had died when he was young. Gilbert was the brother of the King of Hearts, Ludwig Beilschmidt, and he had died just as his brother took the throne. It was a legend that the deceased family members of royals or those destined to be royal became jokers. The legend had faded into myth but was, none the less, true and they worked from the shadows to guide the ruling royals in the right direction.
Black Joker Peter looked into the chamber at his brother and the king and turned to Gilbert.
"Went the Sleeping Beauty route, huh?" he said, having spotted the fairy tale book that Gilbert had placed in the room for Alfred to find.
"Ja," Gilbert replied. "What can I say? The Awesome me is a sucker for the classics!"
There we go! This was the longest one-shot I've ever written, nearly ten thousand words. And yet another story about why Arthur's brothers call him Bunny, I'm running out of ideas for that and I just had to put a little punk into Arthur :D
Hasta la Pasta!
P.S. King Ludwig of Spades is now King Ludwig of Hearts. (smacks head on laptop). Thank to Shiori Kudo for pointing out that little error.