So I was reading a Cardverse fanfic and it was awesome. Halfway through reading it, I thought, hey, now I wanna write my own Cardverse idea. Then I remembered what my idea was and I realised it was crap, chaotic and crap. I started stripping away the bits that were a bit too much and then this happened.
I think I'll leave my explanation till the end.
Arthur was scrubbing the bar when his little brother entered and rushed up towards him. He glanced up and inwardly sighed. He was already exhausted but he had promised a history lesson to Peter. He watched the small boy jump up onto a stool before standing up to see over the counter better.
"Peter!" exclaimed Arthur, hitting his hands with the cloth. "How many times must I tell you not to stand on the chairs?! It will dirty them and give me more work to do, you know!"
Peter stuck out his tongue. "I'm here for my History lesson, jerk Arthur! And you better tell me all about the system of getting new Kings and stuff! My friends say I should know this sort of stuff!"
Arthur sighed. "Yes, well... Sit down properly and I'll tell you whilst I finish cleaning up." The elder brother peered over the bar and frowned. "Ah, look at that mud you trailed in here! You've given me more work to do, you little brat!"
"Your fault for being late for my lesson, jerk!"
Arthur grimaced under his little brother's stare. "Yes. I know. I apologise. I just needed to work an extra shift."
"Yeah. Sorry about the mud," said Peter with a guilty look.
Arthur told his brother to wait for him while he went to collect the mop and bucket. It really wasn't fair on Peter, having to do his lessons in such a distracting place. However, the Arthur's brothers sent money erratically and he had to work hard at certain points in time to make ends meet. Poor Peter had to get his lessons in between shifts at Arthur's various jobs. But, on days like these, Arthur sometimes never got a break or had any time to teach his brother.
Thankfully, their next-door neighbours looked after Peter. They were from the Country of Clubs but they were kind and Peter learned a lot about woodcarving and how to take care of the home. Arthur was relieved for that.
When he returned, he found Peter with a small wooden horse. He was making it canter along the bar and Arthur smiled, relieved that he still had his childish personality. When he had been younger, there had been a period of time when Arthur's parents had been too ill to work and he and his older brothers had had to grow up rather fast.
"Did Berwald make that for you?" he asked as he placed the bucket in a corner so that no-one would trip over it.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Peter. "Mine lost a leg when I was carving it so he made this for me!"
"Ah, no. Really? I take it you'll have to start again?"
"Yeah," said Peter sadly before pouting. "It's so annoying!"
"But soon you'll be able to make works of art, won't you?" said Arthur slapping the wet mop onto the floor. He began to swipe it over the flagstones.
"Yep! Now start my History lesson so I can go!"
Arthur sighed at his impatience but began the lesson.
In this world there are four kingdoms: Spades, Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds. Each is ruled over by a King, Queen and Jack. The relationship between these countries is currently good and they get on as well as they can.
Many years ago, the King of Spades died. People thought nothing of it but, in the time between his death and the coronation of his heir, the other Kings experienced disasters which forced them from their thrones. They were forced to abdicate from the outcries of their people. The Queen and Jack followed. When the new Kings ascended to the thrones, the countries were in chaos and they came to a quick agreement: elect the Jacks. This would mean that the voice of the people would always reach the Kings and Queens without a repeat of the previous chaos.
The only problem was that there were no Queens. Being a Queen at that point meant that the woman was married to the King. However, it was also an official position with many roles and errands to run. At first the Kings began courting as much as possible, largely ignoring other problems. Then one of the Kings had a dream where the four countries' symbols danced around him before settling on the image of a woman. He declared that a search should be carried out in each kingdom for women with all four symbols on their body.
When they eventually found them, they asked them to become their country's Queen. They agreed but, when the King of Hearts asked his Queen to marry him, she refused as she was already in love. The King relented and, between all four Kings, they decided that the Queens would be able to decide on their service – in other words, which country they would serves – and who they married.
The King and Queen of Spades died a month ago on a voyage when the ship was overturned by a large sea creature. The Kings, Queens and Jacks of all the countries have abdicated and the new Kings coronated and Jacks elected. Now they are searching for the new Queens.
"Wouldn't it be easier for them just to ask all the girls to go to the palace?" asked Peter.
"Well, men can be Queens, too. It is not just restricted to women," Arthur replied, scrubbing at the floor with the mop. He frowned at the stain and was relieved when it began to disappear. He flopped the mop into the bucket with a small splash. "Remember, being the Queen has become more of an official position, helping to run the country."
Peter nodded. "So, what are the names of the Kings?" he asked, swinging his legs as he watched his brother working.
Arthur returned the mop to the spot he had been working at before and pushed the mop over it. "The King of Diamonds is Yao. The King of Clubs is Ivan. The King of Hearts is Francis. And the King of Spades is Alfred – but you already know that one, don't you?"
Again, Peter nodded. "Yep! But who are the Jacks?"
"The Jack of Diamonds, I believe, is a young man called Sun. I believe he is a distant cousin of the King there. The Jack of Clubs is a man called Toris, a commoner much like us. And the Jack of Hearts is called Feliciano. I'm not sure whether he is a member of nobility or a commoner."
"What about the Jack of Spades?"
Glancing at the message board, Arthur was glad that the notice was still up. He had completely forgotten the name of their country's Jack. Most people forgot about him as he was so quiet and polite. "Matthew," he told his brother. "I think he's the King's twin brother."
"Isn't that unfair?" asked Peter, frowning.
"Yes, quite. But I don't think the people remembered he was the King's brother. His personality is the opposite of King Alfred so, even though they look rather alike, the country seemed to have problems realising who he was. There's nothing we can do about it now."
"Hey, Arthur. Would you like to be the Queen?"
The older brother flushed and glanced round at the small boy. He looked a little concerned and wasn't looking at Arthur. His hands twisted the hem of his shirt in his hands and he was biting his lip. Arthur smiled lightly and walked over, patting his brother reassuringly on the head.
"Of course not. I'd rather stay here with you. Even if you are an insolent whelp."
"Hey!" exclaimed Peter, indignantly. He caught his brother's hand and pulled it away from his head before he froze, frowning down at it. Arthur blinked in confusion before realising what he was staring at. His eyes widened; he had been hoping to conceal it from his brother for as long as possible. "What's with the bandage?!"
"Er, well..." muttered Arthur, looking away from him. "I had an accident in the kitchen."
"Again? Really, you should just let Berwald and Tino cook!"
"I'm fine!" snapped Arthur. "Now, I need to go to my next job so run a-"
"Wait, is that a bandage on your neck?!"
"Ah, well." Arthur looked sheepish and hurried over to the mop and bucket. "It was a rather big accident." He grimaced and looked back at Peter with an apologetic smile. "It'll heal soon. Don't worry."
"I wasn't worrying, jerk!" Peter hurriedly ascertained. He leapt off the stool and hurried to the door. Pausing there, he turned and said, "Just don't get hurt any more. I don't want to have to take care of you." He ran out of the door as he called, "Idiot!"
Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed. He really was a bratty child – he often wondered if it was his fault. He had had to raise him from when he was a teenager. His brothers had all disappeared to do their jobs whilst their parents had died. He had been left alone with a young Peter who had cried a lot. He had tried his best to teach him and provide for him but it was really difficult. And now...
He returned the mop and bucket, declared to his preoccupied boss that he was leaving for the day and slipped into the bathroom. In the room, he lowered the toilet lid and unravelled the bandage on his hand. Staring back at him was the Diamond-shaped mark. Maybe it was just a burn he hadn't noticed, he told himself once again. Then he turned to the mirror and untied the bandage around his neck, letting it drop and drape over his shoulders.
No, the mark of Hearts was still there. He untied his shirt and pulled it down, glaring at the Spade on his opposite shoulder. Finally, he slipped off his shoe and sighed as he spotted the Club on the top of his foot.
He was a Queen.
The young man had heard that the other three Queens had been found and yet he had still not gone forward. He had Peter to take care of. What would happen if he had to leave him behind?
For he had heard horror stories about the Queens' lifestyles and families.
One day, a few years ago, he had come across a young girl who seemed rather distressed. He had asked her what was wrong and she had explained that she was the new Queen's younger sister. However, no matter how many letters she wrote or how many times she asked to see her, she was refused. When he had met her a few months afterwards, she said she had given up – that she'd just forget about the Queen and get on with her own life.
It terrified Arthur to think he would never see his family again. He may not always express it to them but he loved them. He stared at the marks in the mirror and remembered the panic he'd felt when he'd first discovered them. He swallowed and took a breath. He would just have to hide, never go forward.
They would just have to find a new Queen.
A few days later, Arthur was walking between one job and the next when he heard his name being called. He turned to find Peter running up to him, calling out to him.
"Hey now, what's wrong?" asked Arthur as his little brother reached him.
"They came to the house, Arthur! They're looking for you! They say you're the right age and everything!"
Arthur froze, staring wide-eyed at his brother. The day before, a proclamation had been announced that all citizens would be encouraged to go to the palace for a check-up with the Royal Physician. This was their way of trying to find the Queen. A lot of people were going there willingly but they had also compiled a list using the carefully kept archives and were sending guards to bring those of a certain age to the castle.
He happened to fall within the age-range.
"Ah, well. Did you- Did you tell them where I was?"
"No, I wasn't sure. I told them you were at work and they asked me to go find you."
Feeling the panic rise, Arthur took a breath. What would be the best thing to do in this situation? He couldn't go home. And they were currently in the capital city of Donnol so even if he kept going from job to job, he would never be able to avoid them forever. But his brothers were stationed in ports in other parts of the country. So, perhaps...
"Hey, Peter. How would you like to visit our brothers? We haven't seen them in a while and I've been saving money so that we can go on a trip."
"Really?!" exclaimed Peter excitedly, forgetting about the palace guards for now.
"Yes. Anything for my little brother!" Arthur forced a laugh and looked down at the smaller boy. He noticed him frowning and realised that he was getting suspicious of his faked joviality. "Now, I just need you to pick up some things from the house and we can go straight from my workplace. Understand?"
"But... What about those guards?" Peter glanced around as if looking for something and Arthur frowned. What was he so distracted about?
"Ah, they'll catch up with me soon, won't they?" he said, trying to dismiss Peter's worries.
"Yes," said a voice behind him. "Fairly soon, sir."
Arthur cried out and spun round, staring in shock at the two guards who had appeared behind him. They were both wearing full armour complete with helmets and looked serious. He turned back to Peter to find him being held by another one. He was relieved to see that Peter was struggling to get his arm free, still moving and unharmed. However, he stopped moving, just in case, wondering what the guard intended to do.
"What do you think you're doing?!" exclaimed Arthur from his position between the guards. "Let him go!"
"Of course, sir," said the voice again and he felt the guards grab his arms. He struggled to shrug them off. "But I think you should come with us."
"No! Let me go!" Arthur pulled away from them as much as he could and flapped his arms, trying to shake them off. "Peter!" he called out.
"Let the boy go," said one of Arthur's guards. "He's not needed."
"Peter!" cried Arthur again, still struggling. He watched with some relief as the guard let him go and the young boy dropped to the ground. He quickly scrambled to his feet and rushed to Arthur, grabbing him around the waist.
"Let him go! He's not the Queen, jerks!" Peter pulled at Arthur who struggled to stay on his feet. He was suddenly feeling a little weak. For days he had been working extra shifts and several jobs, from bar work to deliveries. He had been running from thinking of his fate, worrying about Peter, worrying about his future, worrying about his country.
It was starting to take its toll and, with this sudden stress, he wasn't sure how much longer he could stay on his feet.
"Peter. Peter," said Arthur patting his brother's head. The little boy lifted his head; he looked angry. "Listen, my brother. Go to Berwald and Tino. I'm sure they will look after you well. And I'll be back before you know it!" He smiled as naturally as he could.
The boy looked at him suspiciously. "I want to go with you. You promised me you'd take me to see everyone."
"I know, I know," said Arthur with a grimace. A sudden idea occurred to him. "Hey," he said to the guards. "If the boy goes home and brings me my money, would you be willing to let me go home with him in exchange?"
The guard who had spoken before gave a low growl. "What do you take us for?!"
"Look!" cried Arthur. "I just want to be with my brother! I have to look after him! Let me go!" Once again he struggled to get free but, this time, he felt a little dizzy and he swayed on the spot. The guards steadied him and one shifted so that they could look him in the face.
"Hey," he said, his voice a little gruffer than the other's. "He looks pale. Might be best not to stress him any more than necessary."
"You're probably right," said the first one. "It's lucky he's seeing a doctor when he gets there."
"I'll bring the boy," said the third one and he grabbed Peter by the scruff of his neck. Alarmed, Peter let go of Arthur, struggling against his captor, and was soon dangling in the air.
"Hey!" shouted Arthur. "Put him down! You'll hurt him, you dolt!" He was about to shout more when, without so much as a by your leave, one of the men picked him up and slung him over his shoulder. Embarrassed and infuriated, Arthur turned red. "You wanker! Put me down! Let me go!" They refused to listen and carried the brothers to the palace without further comment.
At the palace gates, they were stopped by a young man. He had blonde hair and violet eyes, a curl of his hair sticking up. He was wearing a blue coat over his plainer clothes which had Spades symbols on the sleeves and over the pockets. Over this a small capelet was placed, the neck buttoned up properly. On his head was a small blue hat upon which was a Spade decoration and a long blue feather. Arthur was the first to spot him as he was facing backwards over the other man's shoulder.
"Excuse me, but it would appear that he wants you to stop," Arthur pointed out to them. The guards did so and turned in unison.
"Ah, Jack," said the one carrying Arthur. "Sorry. We didn't didn't see you there."
"That's alright," said the Jack of Spades quietly. "I just wanted to warn you that I have no idea where the King has disappeared to. You'll have to make sure that he doesn't meet him, just in case he is a potential Queen. Alfred isn't supposed to meet them till later, remember."
"Yes, we know. You've already told us that."
"Eh? Have I? Sorry. There's just been so many people..." The poor Jack sounded as though he was flustered. Arthur supposed he had every right to be – it must have been rather sudden and, if he recalled correctly, he was quite young to have such an important position. "Ah, is the man alright?"
"He looks rather ill."
"Oh, well, I'll escort you all to the Doctor, eh. Just to make sure he is alright." They turned and started off again. Arthur looked up at the Jack who was peering at him worriedly. "Perhaps we should do this for everyone once a year to prevent people from getting ill like this," he was muttering to himself.
Arthur thought about it. It did seem like a good idea. He nodded at the Jack. "I am inclined to agree. But, really, I am fine. If he could just put me down..."
The Jack nodded in understanding. "Eh, excuse me, guards. You can put them down now." The guards didn't hear and the Jack had to tap their shoulders to get their attention. Thankfully, they followed his instructions and Arthur was set down to walk along the long corridor.
At the end was a door upon which one of the guards knocked. There was a soft "come in!" from inside and they entered. Arthur cursed his luck – it looked as though the guards and Jack were going to sit in on his check-up. He had been thinking that, if he could find something to use as a rope, he could climb out of the window. Sure enough, the guards announced his name and within grabbing distance.
The Royal Physician looked up as they entered. He was wearing a white shirt, his sleeves pushed up, and a pair of brown breeches. He looked very plain for a Royal Physician with no distinguishing features, just his blonde hair and grey eyes. He grinned as the guards stood aside to reveal Arthur. "I see you managed to catch another one, huh? It's surprising how many people hear the word "Doctor" and make a run for it. I'm not going to bite." He gnashed his teeth.
Meanwhile, Arthur ignored him and looked around the room. It was very white and seemed to sparkle with cleanliness. A white curtain separated the back of the room from the alcove they stood in. He could just see the end of a bed and a metal table, various tools sitting on it. He looked over at the odd man who was now looking at Arthur in a way that reminded him of farmers at a cattle auction.
"I'm perfectly fine," snapped Arthur. "I'm only a little overworked. I need to take care of my brother." He gestured to Peter who finally wriggled away from the guard and hurried over to grab his outstretched hand. The small boy glared round at everyone and the doctor laughed.
"I'm not going to hurt him, really! And you." He turned to Arthur. "I'd like to see what's under those bandages."
"I-It's just burns," Arthur assured him, tightening his grip on Peter's hand. "I had a nasty kitchen accident. I always have kitchen accidents, don't I Peter?"
"Yeah," muttered Peter, gazing at the doctor warily. "Even on the days he doesn't hurt himself, he has accidents."
"Why you-" growled Arthur, immediately recognising a slight on his cooking skills. "Those are the way the scones are supposed to look!"
"Is that the way they're supposed to taste?" asked Peter with a smirk.
"I'll-!" began Arthur when he felt something tugging at his bandaged hand. He looked round and gasped, trying to pull his hand out of the doctor's grip. However, this only succeeded in unwrapping the loose bandage. It fell to the floor, revealing the mark. "Ah! No..."
The doctor looked up at him and Arthur knew it was all over. He knew the true marks when he saw them. Nevertheless, Arthur tried to deny it one last time.
"No! I know what you're thinking, but that's just the way the burn scar is healing! I have no other marks-!" He was silenced by the doctor reaching up to take off the bandage round his neck. Alarmed, he dodged out of the way, letting go of Peter's hand as he did so. He glanced towards his brother to find him staring at him in shock and anger. Arthur wondered why he was angry but his train of thought was interrupted by the doctor gripping the bandage and tugging. It came away as quickly as the other one. Arthur gasped and placed his hand to his neck, trying to cover up the mark which had already been seen.
"The mark of Diamonds and the mark of Hearts," said the Doctor. He glanced at the Jack before looking back to Arthur. "You have the other marks, don't you? Let me see them."
Arthur hesitated before sighing and untying his shirt. He pulled it down and let them look at the Spades mark on his shoulder. Then he slipped off his shoe to reveal the Clubs mark. The doctor produced a magnifying glass and stared at them, scratching at them a little to see if they came off. After a few more minutes, during which Arthur became a little more red in the cheeks, the doctor straightened up and turned to the Jack.
"Meet our country's Queen representative," he said simply. The Jack immediately bowed deeply. The guards followed suit. Peter, however, just stared, a mix of emotions on his face.
"Peter..." Arthur began, taking a step towards him. He swayed a little and the doctor steadied him.
"You really have overworked yourself, haven't you? Were you running away from your fate?"
Arthur wrenched his arm from his grip. "Leave me alone! I don't want this!" He stepped towards Peter and reached out to him. The young boy shook his head and backed away. Then he darted around Arthur, shouting back at him.
"Jerk Arthur!"
Shocked, Arthur turned to follow only to find his way barred by the doctor. "I'm sorry, sir, but you're going to kill yourself if you don't get some rest soon. We'll take care of your brother, don't worry."
"What do you mean by that?" Arthur demanded.
There was a pause as the assembled people seemed stunned. He wasn't sure why but he thought that, perhaps, it was his confident tone of voice. The Jack stepped forward. "I will go find him, eh?" he said, reassuringly. "And take him home, eh? To his family."
"I'm the only family in Donnol!" snapped Arthur. "And... I can't look after him properly... No wonder he hates me." Arthur sighed sadly, feeling himself beginning to lose focus. He swayed a little and the doctor came forward to direct him to the bed. He sat down on it as the Jack came forward once again.
"I'll make sure he's with people who can look after him for now, eh? Just until we get things sorted out..."
"Ah, well, there are the neighbours..." Arthur murmured as he felt his eyes drooping shut. He finally let the darkness consume him – his worries and fears had caught up with him and there was not much he could do about it now...
In a gloomy room, a clock was ticking. The second hand was slowly making its way around the face. Meanwhile, the minute hand spun round and round, much faster than it should. The hour hand pointed at the six position, quivering, stuck.
Suddenly, it turned and pointed towards the nine. The numbers on the face slowly dissolved and disappeared. Underneath them were revealed the four marks of the Kingdoms. The Club was where the twelve would normally be; the Diamond was at the three; the hour hand had been pointing at the Heart. Now it was pointing at the Spade symbol.
A mechanism opened a door above the face and a small bird came hopping out. It chirped nine times before fluttering off towards a corner. It landed on something that began to move and a figure as dark as the shadows themselves formed. It walked towards the clock and looked at it, a bright grin the only thing visible.
"It is almost time," it said. "Kesesese!"
So, my original idea had the thing with the marks of all the countries on Arthur but for a different reason. However, I thought it would be interesting if the Queens got to choose who they served. Say Ludwig had been the King of a country but Feliciano had been the Queen from a different one. He could choose to be friends with Ludwig and be his Queen instead of, say, Francis'.
I shifted who had which job and which country because I thought it would be a fun idea if the Kingdoms represented the continents/families/related countries like in HetaQuest. So Diamonds is Asia, Hearts is Europe, Clubs is Soviet Union and North Europe and Spades is the former British Empire. I also tried to have their countries represent their personality - at least for the Kings. Yao likes money and Diamonds; Ivan seems to be violent and his pipe is used as a Club, I suppose(though really more to do with thinking that the Soviet Union as a country would be good); Francis = Heart; Alfred- Now, I was thinking that Spades is hard work and democracy which represents Alfred's work in getting democracy etc.
The bit with the history is how Arthur says it - minus the interruptions from Peter and the explanations of words he didn't understand - so the swapping of tense is due to that.
When the guards, Jack and doctor pause at Arthur's "What do you mean by that?" question, it's supposed to be that his tone is so regal that they're a little shocked. His tone and poise is all supposed to be vaguely regal, like he's always been meant for that role. However, this is from Arthur's POV and he doesn't notice this just yet...
The doctor is no-one from the Hetalia universe. I almost made him the Doctor from Doctor Who but, instead, he's just a kooky doctor. I kind of want him to come back again but I'm not sure he will...
I'm not sure if people will regard Arthur and Peter to be a little OOC in this but I thought that they would be concerned for each other. Especially since Arthur is Peter's go-to guy for Christmas-related problems. And especially since they're all they have at the moment.