This was inspired by a line I wrote in the caption of a picture I posted on the Facebook page I admin. This line I've given Arthur and is said later in this very chapter. :D

This chapter is called Once Upon a Time and I'll explain why at the end.

"So, Mr. Kirkland. Can you tell us what experience you have?"

"Of course," answered the young man. "I have a Masters in English Literature and Creative Writing, for which I received a First, mainly because I went above and beyond the course requirements. With my free time there, I read many more books than asked of me and used the knowledge I was gaining to work out where improvements could be made. And I applied this knowledge to the Writing Society I attended."

"Brilliant," said the interviewer across the table with a bright smile. He scribbled something down on the paper he was using to record the most interesting parts of their conversation. "Any work experience you could tell us about?"

Arthur grimaced. "I'm afraid not. However, I've been working in a local bookshop which I was fortunate to get a place at. There, I've been in a role which requires me to serve customers, attending to their needs. I am fairly sure I could apply this to the people this company works with. And the shop works as a team to keep everything running smoothly – I am sure this applies to here, as well, so I have experience dealing with colleagues."

"Do you get on well with your colleagues?"

"Oh, yes. They're a fun, friendly lot. We usually end up in the pub together after work. So I'm able to help them out and chatter away to them. Our customers always comment on how relaxed the place feels. There always seem to be more people there than at the library!" Arthur chuckled a little, hoping that the man opposite him would find it amusing as well. He was relieved when the man grinned.

"Of course. Libraries may be on the way out, unfortunately."

"I hope not," said Arthur with another grimace. "I'll always have a soft spot for a hushed library."

"Hm, okay. So, why do you want to work for Hurlington Publishing?"

"There are an awful lot of books out in the world which I feel could have been touched up a little before being put on the shelves. Some are simply atrocities. I would simply adore helping people to better their work and to help their dreams come true. And what's better than being the first to read a popular book, lording it over your more doubtful friends." They both chuckled at that one. "Also, you happen to publish my favourite book series."

"Oh, really? And what one's that, then?"

"The Corrinia Saga," Arthur replied instantly, blushing a little.

"Ah, yes. That one is quite popular. You're not just applying to meet the author, right?" The man grinned at Arthur, seeming quite amused.

"Heavens, no!" exclaimed Arthur. "I very much doubt I'll ever meet him. Especially since I keep missing his book signings." He sighed wistfully, his head bowing in defeat.

"Well, then, where do you see yourself in five years?"

"I applied to do my PhD a while ago. However, I wasn't accepted and I was hoping that I could reapply in the future. Of course, if I don't get the chance to do so, I'd rather like to be working in Hurlington's, perhaps more than just as an assistant."

"Interesting," said the guy, chirpily. "Now, what three words would your friends use to describe you?"

"Punctual, reliable and determined," Arthur said, promptly. He would have liked to get creative in there, too, but he never showed anyone his work. Everything was in an unfinished state and there was no way he could face having people judge his writing just yet.

"Great, great," said the employer. "Do you have any questions for me?" he asked.

Arthur was only too happy to ask some and started in on his memorised list.

When Arthur hung up, he turned to his flatmate and grinned. "I did it! I got the job!"

"Omedetō, Arthur-kun," Kiku replied, a small smile on his lips. "You worked hard for it."

"Thanks," breathed Arthur. He ran a hand through his hair. "I was rather worried I wouldn't get it. And I have to hand in my notice and- Gosh, I have so much to do!"

"First, though," said Kiku, attracting his attention again. "Perhaps you should celebrate?"

"Definitely," said Arthur with a devilish grin. Kiku returned it.

"Shall I invite the usual people?" his friend asked him.

"Of course," said Arthur. "I'm going to go get changed into something more suitable."

"Hai," agreed Kiku as he pulled out his mobile.

Arthur straightened his pale, green shirt once again, sighing. Kiku had forbidden him from drinking too much, remembering the last time he had 'celebrated' something. So he was talking with 'friends' whom he wasn't too fond of. It wasn't any fault of theirs. In fact, it was probably his fault.

Books and their intricate worlds were his speciality – it was such a shame people got bored if Arthur prattled on for long enough. Arthur and Kiku knew these people from various places. Most of them, however, were from Kiku's computing course. They were the sort to play hours upon hours of games. Unfortunately, Arthur had no clue what they were talking about most of the time.

Some of the conversation veered towards personal matters. Who was dating who, scandalous behaviour, intricate love triangles that people wished would be sorted out soon so they coo over the new couple. The recently-hired publishing assistant didn't give a toss about people he was unaware about.

He sighed and sipped at his one rum and Coke he was allowed to have, savouring the burning of alcohol in his mouth. The night had started out all right. Everyone was happy for him and let him talk of all his new opportunities. He spoke about how he would probably miss that old bookshop which had carried him through uni.

But then they had gotten bored and turned to Kiku who indulged in their whims. Arthur glanced at his flatmate and one true friend at the table. The Japanese man noticed and, since he was not included in the conversation either, he leaned towards Arthur.

"I am terribly sorry, Arthur-kun," he muttered.

"It's nothing to worry about, Kiku."

"Perhaps we should have done this tomorrow when the others were less busy."

Arthur shook his head. "No, no. It is a bit short notice, after all."

Indeed, it was so short notice that no-one was available for this Friday night. Kiku's old student flatmates were on a date together which was a shame because Arthur liked them both well. As long as Feliciano didn't try to hug him too much. The other bookshop workers were also busy, all at various parties or a wedding or babysitting or just too worn out from a busy day to be able to face leaving their comfortable houses.

He accepted all their excuses with grace, of course. It was likely they were all true. However, part of him pointed out that, perhaps, they were only excuses not to have to talk to him. Not that he was all that bothered – or he wouldn't be if he had more alcohol. Making sure Kiku was once again absorbed in his conversation, Arthur sighed wistfully.

What he really wanted to be doing, in all honesty, was reading a good book, curled up in his bed. Or getting drunk. Perhaps if he slipped away from Kiku, he could get himself another drink without him noticing...

"Ow! That 'urt!"

"This is why I told you not to drink, Arthur-kun," sighed Kiku, barely holding him up.

"Well, I wash shelebrating," slurred Arthur as he banged into the railing again. They managed two more steps before Arthur moaned in pain. "'S'sore!" he whined.

"Arthur-kun..." said Kiku, rather hesitant. "There is more rum in your room-"

"Excellent!" yelled Arthur, suddenly lucid and upright. He charged up the stairwell, unlocked their front door and rushed inside, letting the door slam shut.

Kiku found him collapsed in front of his bedroom where his sudden burst of energy had run out.

After the hangover had worn off, the apologies had been given, he had handed in his notice and, thankfully, returned home instead of working – thank the Lord for days off – Arthur collapsed onto his bed and wondered what to do. Reading a book was tempting but... He glared at the large pile of books stacked precariously on his desk. There were so many interesting worlds there that he was unsure which one to start with. After all, he should probably read the one at the bottom which had been present for long enough. But that would involve a lot of rearranging and Arthur didn't have the energy.

Maybe he could do some writing. However, trying to come up with a way to phrase himself well took more effort than he really wanted to do at the moment. And there was the fact that, having read over a previous attempt, he had scrapped the whole lot since it was undeniably rubbish. Sure, he could fix other people's work and he could write fan fiction but if he had sat down to do a serious bit of writing everything went out the window.

Speaking of fan fiction, though...

Arthur got up, groaned at the movement and grabbed his laptop from beside the tower of books. Flipping it open, he pressed the power button and waited for it to load up. His eyes flickered to a certain series of books which had pride of place on his bookcase and he grinned widely.

The Corrinia Saga was set in a magical world where warlocks and witches travelled freely. Knights battled dragons and saved princesses. But it was more than that – the author had taken well-known mythical creatures and twisted them. Dragons could become ordinary humans, blending in with the populace, using their wealth to attract women. Fairies were the same height as humans and kept well away from children. Vampires were unaware of their nature, being killed by 'heroes' while they were still confused over the blood on their hands.

It was a completely different world yet so hauntingly familiar.

In the midst of this world, a knight called Alfred would save towns and cities from the evil which assailed them. Saving princesses was his speciality and would have them home, safe and sound, before the Kings had gotten their armies together. However, he was different from the other knights in that place.

He didn't want to marry the princesses he had recovered from certain death.

When Arthur had read that, he had ranted about it to his brothers for days. His schoolmates had gotten tired of him after a while, too. But he had thought it was outstanding – the end of the first book and none of the happy endings expected had happened. He still got excited about it when he would read it again.

Other characters were introduced in the next book, like the rival, Francis. He competed with Alfred to be the best knight in the world. Of course, typically, they ended up working somewhat together to save a princess. And, after all of that effort in their first collaboration, they were chased from the palace because Francis had taken the naïve princess to bed. (Alfred had loved that, laughing as they rode off into the sunrise – Arthur had growled at it and ranted to everyone once again. It didn't help that he used French words as endearments to sound more exotic.)

Not all of the characters which cropped up again and again were men, however, and Sakura was introduced in book three. She was a princess betrothed to a prince from a far off land but who had a tendency to be kidnapped and placed in mortal danger. Both Alfred and Francis would strive to save her – usually being tricked into going somewhere else before the finale – and would return her to the palace. She was the only princess ever to be grateful and relieved that Alfred didn't want to marry her. For that, Arthur had the utmost respect for the character, despite the amount of time she spent trussed up like a Christmas turkey.

The books were still being produced and there were now a total of ten, one for each year since it started. Arthur had filled himself to the brim with as much knowledge about the world, reading and rereading the books, subscribing to updates, watching interviews. The only thing he hadn't done was be present at a signing. Or he would be present but they would run out of time before he got to the front of the queue. He was bitterly disappointed by that fact.

Then he had met Kiku and his world widened a bit. Kiku also liked the books – not to the same extent as Arthur, of course, but he did show Arthur something he knew about. Apparently, there was fan art and fan fiction and role playing websites. It was interesting to see others' interpretations and findings from their scrutiny. Arguments about who was better between Francis and Alfred and the 'shipping' wars were exhilarating. It was amazing: Arthur was addicted within minutes.

Now, he opened his Internet browser and hurriedly loaded up a fan site. Excitedly, he began to look through the recent submissions and found several new fan fictions (most of which paired Alfred with Francis. This irked him greatly, even though them being gay would be an interesting twist) and a few pictures. Seeing as they all had the tag of 'Alfred', Arthur got rather excited.

Bringing up the first picture, Arthur sighed happily. There he was in all his glory. His perfect blonde hair, with its one strand which stuck up whatever he did. Those determined blue eyes staring out of the screen. His hand resting delicately on the hilt of his sword, reins in his other as he walked his horse beside him.

Looking through all the pictures, he finally came upon one which depicted the scene from the first book where Alfred rejected the King's offers of riches and the kingdom. His eyes were wide and apologetic, his mouth turned downwards, his cloak fluttering in the wind from the large windows. A speech bubble displayed the words he had interrupted the King with, the King who got his own way all the time, the King who was not used to being interrupted. 'Sir, I must protest!'

"Sir, I must protest," sighed Arthur, a little dreamily. With those words, he startled himself and glanced around the room. Luckily, Kiku was out so there was no way he would be overheard. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he turned back to his screen and brushed his fingertips lightly against the part with the words. He stared at Alfred for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Sir, I must protest!" he said, louder this time. "Stop being fictional and very attractive, you giant git!"

Hearing the front door open and close, Arthur clapped a hand over his mouth and stared at his own door, blood thumping in his ears. He really needed to stop talking to himself – Kiku would probably look at him funny if he caught him mooning over a picture. Thankfully, he had calmed somewhat when Kiku knocked on the door and entered cautiously.

"I'm home," he said, softly.

"Welcome back," Arthur replied with a smile.

"Would you like me to cook dinner?"

"If you'd like. In fact, I could help...?"

"No, no! No. I can manage. You should relax, since it is your day off."

Nodding, Arthur glanced back at his computer screen. "I'm sure I can find a way to occupy myself in the meantime."

Kiku coughed into his hand and shuffled until Arthur's attention was returned to him. "I have drawn you another Alfred picture as a present."

"A present?"

"For congratulations."

"Oh, Kiku," said Arthur, smiling a little more. "You didn't really need to. Honestly! The job is present enough, you know."

"Nevertheless, I will bring it to you later."

"Mm," said Arthur. He turned back to his computer as Kiku slipped out of the door.

Arthur loved Kiku's drawings. They were always in a manga (so he was told) style and they looked brilliant. Sometimes he would draw scenes from the book. Other times it would be scenes from a fan fiction. But, most of the time, just for Arthur, he would draw Alfred looking at his most attractive, smiling out of the page at him.

After living with Kiku for nearly five years, Arthur had amassed quite a collection. He pinned them to a large notice board he had bought once he had realised just how many he had tacked up. Luckily, the notice board was propped against the wall and could be turned if they had guests. Arthur may have loved the books and the character but it was no reason to let his little brother poke fun of him.

Lovingly, Arthur pinned the new picture up, marvelling at Alfred wearing his old school uniform. Arthur had been so surprised that Kiku had put so much effort into it. His friend had told him that he had wanted to make the present special as a celebration should always be special. However, Arthur had the sneaking suspicion that he had started it well before he knew about his acceptance and it would have been a consolation prize.

He stared at it for a moment before grinning and clasping his hands. Alfred looked so good in those clothes. Biting his lips, Arthur shuffled around some of the other numerous sheets of paper. "God, I wish you were real," he muttered to himself. "And that you had gone to my school. If only, eh?" Then he realised he was talking to paper and he sighed, spinning away from the board. He was exhausted from the past few days and he needed some rest. It was high time for bed.

In his bed, oblivious to the world, in a deep sleep, Arthur rolled over. He mumbled something in his sleep but otherwise made no noise. Silence and darkness swirled through the room, shutting out the world separated from it.

The sleeping Englishman was in so deep a sleep that he never woke when ten books in his bookcase began to glow a bright green. One in particular began to glow brighter than the rest, starting to shake in its place. A low rumbling sound started, rising in a crescendo until, suddenly, a shape fell forward from the bookcase.

It was a large, dark shape. Human-sized. It landed on the ground where it stayed still for a few moments. Then it groaned and shifted slightly before lying still once more.

Even breathing from both Arthur and the shape were the only sounds which broke the silence which had descended once again.

The line that I mentioned is the "Sir, I must protest - stop being attractive and fictional!"

I suppose you can all guess that it's called Once Upon a Time - it's the start of the story and a reference to the fairy tale world Al is in. (I'm hoping to make all the chapter titles to be a reference to the first sentence in well-known books. :D )

Drunk!Arthur made an appearance. I have no idea where he came from. Well, I do. I wanted to have Arthur's "I got the job" and then to cut to the pub but... I wasn't sure about what conversation I should come in on. So I decided on Arthur not having any friends at the gathering. And that he needed to drink more. But I kind of wanted to get to the next part so I sort of skipped his drunkenness. Sorry.

Kiku's here, too. He wasn't supposed to crop up till later but then I thought, eh, what the heck.

It's shorter than I thought it would be. I ran out of interview questions. =/

Yeah, that's all I have to say. Any questions, let me know, I suppose.