For as long as he could remember, Alfred knew that he was destined for something great; to be something great. He was told that as soon as his parents spotted the King of Spades birthmark above his heart that he was going to be a great King. He was determined to be a powerful but kind King and be loved by his people. As a child he followed his predecessor like a puppy, taking mental note of his posture, his smile, his voice, trying his best to mimic everything he did; much to the joy of the women of the castle. But as he grew he began to see and understand more about how the King did his job, and how he treated his duty to the people of the kingdom of Spades and by the time he turned seventeen, he began to see that the kingdom was ruled by tradition, and not all of it did Alfred agree with. However, his aspiration seemed to become more and more distant as he came to realise what the reality of being a king is really like. Until he met his queen, and his purpose became clear to him again.
"Prince Alfred, this is Prince Arthur; he is going to be the next Queen."
Their eyes met and Alfred felt his world slow down and heartbeat race.
The young teenager before him sucked in a sharp breath, as his deep green eyes widened from underneath his thick eyebrows, taking in Alfred's entire stunned stare. The teenagers did not notice the courtiers around them frown in confusion over their silence.
To Alfred, Arthur looked perfect… his soft bright blonde hair fell lightly along his smooth and milky skin and Alfred couldn't help but take notice of every single one of Arthur's soft features, from his small pixie nose to how his cheeks reddened the longer they stared at each other in shocked silence. It was as though they were in a trance.
"Is something wrong?"
"No!" Alfred and Arthur squeaked, as their cheeks flushed in vibrant shades of red.
Even Arthur's voice sent a shiver down Alfred's spine, making him quiver from the charming and regal accent. Alfred quickly pinpointed his accent to belonging to the woodland village region of the Spades Kingdom, no wonder his skin was so different to Alfred's, which was tanned from the exposure to the sun that plagued the capital of the Kingdom.
Amazingly Arthur seemed to be just as flustered as Alfred.
"Splendid, now all of your royal studies will be spent together," The tutor explained, clapping her hands together in joy. "In a year's time you will begin to officially shadow the King and Queen, and then your training will be complete."
"I…" Alfred murmured, struggling to hear himself think over the intense anxiety brought upon by his beating heart and Arthur's stare. Alfred lifted his hand to shake Arthur's, "I look forward to working with you."
Arthur smiled as he took Alfred's hand, shocking Alfred by how soft and fragile his skin was.
Alfred could not sleep the night after first meeting Arthur; it was as though something had awoken from deep within him. He had become so excited; he could only liken it to the excitement of how a puppy feels when he sees his master with a stick. Something about Arthur drew Alfred to him, he made him feel like being a King is going to be fantastic, it awakened the hope that he thought he lost as he grew up.
He didn't understand what it was about the young prince that gave him such ambition, but he knew that this was a chance for him to complete his childhood dream of being a special King. He was angered by the fact that he was not allowed to meet Arthur earlier and he hardly ever saw his younger brother since he began training to become the next Ace, and that was because of tradition. Tradition dictated the lives of the Spade monarchs, and Alfred could only imagine that the other monarchs experience the same thing.
Alfred also couldn't help but wonder whether the other monarchs felt the same way about their queens as he did.
After a year, Alfred's feelings for Arthur did not subside but only grew stronger; his cheeks flushed every time he and Arthur spoke, and constantly found himself staring at Arthur. Luckily for him, Arthur would always stare back. Alfred was convinced that Arthur felt something towards him: the young Prince would smile when he caught Alfred in a stare, compliment him, and talk to him sweetly…
However, once studies were over; they were separated before they could speak without interruption and it made Alfred's heart ache in pain and need, and by the disappointed look in Arthur's eyes as they were escorted apart, he was in pain too.
He watched Arthur as he was led away by his advisors and courtiers, watching his long royal cloak float around his black shoes as he walked. The sight always brought pain to Alfred's heart and he had to fight the urge to run to him and demand that the conversation continue. It angered him, Arthur is his Queen, and they're expected to work together for the good of the Kingdom: they should at least get to know each other before they're forced into the throne-room together for the rest of their lives.
Alfred finally had his chance, when they were introduced to a lesson that was focussed on the art of dance, since the Spades Ball was coming in the next month, it would be proper for the future King and Queen to learn the proper etiquette.
"Since the Spades Ball is coming up in the coming weeks, it is proper that you two learn how to properly waltz."
"Will we be attending the ball?" Arthur asked.
"Yes, and no," the tutor replied, "you will see the ball from the balconies above."
"But we won't be able to meet the other Kings, Queens and Jacks; we haven't even met our own Jack!" Alfred pointed out. "Even the Ace…"
"Sir Yao is in intense training at this current moment, he does not have time to formally meet you two, but don't worry, the time will come." The Tutor replied firmly, reacting to Alfred's visible irritation. "And Sir Matthew is training as well. In fact, you two are in training, so now please try to focus."
He watched in silence as Arthur removed his cloak, revealing the slender frame that was hidden underneath, he wore a simple tanned waistcoat, with a soft and flowy white shirt, with dark tanned pants and brown boots that reached his knees. Alfred couldn't help but smile sweetly when he noticed the wide white bow that was tied around the collar of Arthur's shirt.
"Place your hand on his shoulder…" the tutor ordered, guiding Alfred's hand around Arthur's waist, "and you here, I'm sure that you both understand how this works."
Alfred and Arthur naturally fell into the standard waltz position, staring at each other, both unable to hide their excitement over some long-awaited intimacy.
"Hello…" Arthur chuckled, pressing his chest against Alfred's in an effort to somewhat match up to their height difference.
Until the tutor slid a thick hard-covered book between their chests and explained that this is the distance expected from them. The tutor chuckled, "think of this as a game and do not let the book drop."
"Do you have a thinner book?" Alfred asked, raising his eyebrow cheekily, making Arthur gasp with laughter.
"Very smart, Prince Alfred," the tutor murmured, her eyes narrowing at the Princes' remark. "Now, this is a very simple waltz."
Alfred's eyes narrowed, remembering that it was odd for a King and Queen to be attracted to each other, however, he was prepared to destroy that idea, knowing that eyes were on him, Alfred looked down at Arthur and smiled sweetly, only for the prince to flash him a smile in return.
Alfred's heart fluttered as he and Arthur stepped to the music, gliding across the dark wooden floors of the large dance hall, watching the world of detailed paintings and gas lights circle around them.
Eventually it felt as though the tutor wasn't there giving them instruction, they only focussed on each other as they slowly circled around the room, sliding along the polished wooden floors. Arthur pushed himself into Alfred, squashing the book between them as their eyes locked in an intense stare.
"Feet! FEET!" The tutor stepped as Arthur took one bold step forward without instruction, locking his leg around Alfred's forcing the taller prince to the ground, where Arthur fell on top of him, shrieking in surprise. Alfred smiled and wrapped his arms around Arthur, keeping him in place.
"I want to speak more with you," Alfred admitted.
After a moment of silence, as the tutor ran to them, Arthur whispered, "meet me in the library an hour after curfew. I want to speak to you too."
"I will," Alfred promised, as Arthur rose before rolling off of Alfred, letting the Prince rise off of the floor.
Alfred could only spend the rest of the dancing lesson with a wide smile on his face, unable to hide his excitement. He held Arthur closely as they glided across the floor, following the instruction of the Tutor.
As Alfred expected, as soon as the lesson was over, they were escorted in different directions: not left any time to speak to each other. However, this time Alfred wasn't left feeling so disappointed, for he knew that he would finally have his chance to speak to Alfred without the interference of Tutors and advisors.
Alfred waited for the guards to finish their rounds, hiding behind the door to his chambers, internally planning the route that he was going to take to get to the library. As the guards footsteps became harder to hear, Alfred slowly opened the dark and heavy door to his chambers; peering his head through the gap to look around.
The castle looked dramatically different at night, the darkness was interrupted by small gas lamps and lighting that littered the long hallway. The walls were decorated with the faces of former monarchs and scenic paintings of the Kingdoms landscape.
Alfred slid through the small gap in the door and slowly closed the door behind him, being sure the check if his long dark blue cloak wasn't caught before he sprinted down the hall, his care feet making little noise on the royal blue carpet that blanketed the dark polished wood. He ran as fast and as quietly as he could, careful to keep his eyes and ears open for any guards.
Alfred quickly ran to the side and pressed his back against the wall when he heard approaching voices.
"It's not looking good, there was another revolt; this time in the Capital."
"What was it over this time?" Another voice asked, Alfred's eyes widened when he recognised the deep and manly voice to belong to the current King of Spades.
"Food."
"Well, surely it means nothing, angry people will do angry thi—"
"They hung the baker: the mob was convinced that he was hoarding the grain and bread: this is the third mob-hanging this month. It is getting worse; it won't be long until they are pounding down the palace doors."
Upon hearing the advisors confession, Alfred placed his hand over his mouth as he watched the candle light approaching from the hallway, and he prayed that the King and his advisor won't turn into his hallway.
"The Jack has become impatient, she is retiring soon and I don't think she will be able to last, she is worrying me and hasn't slept in weeks. How is Sir Yao's training, how soon do you think he can take over?"
"He is exceptional. You, your Queen and the next Monarchs will be in good hands with him."
"And Prince Alfred and Arthur?"
"Soon they shall start shadowing you; soon you will be able to retire your majesty, hopefully before hell rises…"
Alfred silently breathed a sigh of relief when the King and his advisor continued to walk down the straight hallway, not looking to the side to see Alfred standing in the darkness.
"Yes, your highness."
What Alfred had heard disturbed him; however, he could not dwindle on it for too long: perhaps Arthur knows more about the situation. When it was safe to move, Alfred jumped out from his safe-spot against the wall and continued to run down the hallway.
Alfred could only sigh with relief when he pulled on the heavy wooden doors to the royal library, and slid himself in between the gaps. He found himself shrouded in the darkness of the library, the gas lights had been turned off, the candles blown out and the only light was offered from the moonlight that came in through the tall windows that revealed the dark but glittering night sky.
Alfred slowly walked past the dark wooden desks, making his way towards the bookshelves, hearing his feet pat on the cold wooden flooring. The bookshelves stood twice as tall as Alfred, almost reaching the balconies above, which offered only more bookshelves, private reading places and study desks. Alfred was surprised that the library wasn't offered to universities in the Spades capital… perhaps it is for security reasons…
That was something that Alfred decided that he could change when he is crowned King.
"Alfred!" Alfred heard a hushed voice ask, Alfred sharply turned around, looking around for any sign of Arthur; his heart about to beat clear out of his chest. But he couldn't see him. "Up here!"
Alfred looked up to see the glowing light of a candlestick on the balcony, which was held by Arthur, who looked down at Alfred with a wide smile on his face. Without hesitation, Alfred ran up the staircase that led to the balcony, delighted to see that Arthur was running to meet him. Excitement overfilled his heart when Arthur placed the candle on a table before running into Alfred's arms, holding onto him tightly.
"I've waited for so long…" Arthur whispered into Alfred's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I tried to come as fast as I could."
"No, not that. For this; to see you!" Arthur pointed out, as Arthur parted slightly to look at each other, with Arthur's arms still linked around Alfred, keeping him close, "I hate this, and they escort us away before we can talk: damned tradition!"
"Oh, Arthur…" Alfred sighed, placing his hand on Arthur's cheek, feeling the heat underneath Arthur's skin gravitate towards his hand, even under the dim moonlight and the light of the candle, the stunning green in Arthur's eyes was still noticeable, and beautiful. "It's been hard on me too, we aren't allowed to speak during lessons, and we cannot speak after, it is torture! How are we supposed to learn to work together if we cannot learn about each other!? Ever since I first saw you I…"
"I felt that too…" Arthur admitted, his eyes narrowing dreamily as he tilted his head into Alfred's hand, embracing his touch. "I've never felt this way about anyone before; I never thought that I could…"
"Me neither…" Alfred replied, his eyes widening as his heart begged for Alfred to take some action, satisfy his needs for love and affection from Arthur. However, it was Arthur who gave in first; standing on his toes and placing his hand on the back of Alfred's neck, pulling him down until their lips met.
It was as though a fire was ignited within Alfred, he hungrily kissed back, running his hands down Arthur's back, holding him closely as he tilted his head to allow Arthur to kiss deeper. To Alfred, Arthur tasted like sugar, addictive and delicious: it awakened Alfred's senses and sent his beating heart into overdrive.
"Do Kings and Queens ever do this?" Alfred whispered, taking a break from their passionate kiss to breathe, as Alfred and Arthur waddled back towards a study desk.
"No, not ever," Arthur whispered, before hungrily pulling Alfred back in to continue the kiss, grabbing needily of the collar of Alfred's shirt. Alfred propped Arthur on top of a desk, kissing him hungrily and needily, absolutely dissolving into Arthur's addictive taste and scent, and loving every second of it.
Momentarily they broke their kiss, rubbing their noses together consuming each other's breath, reviling in the fact that they are going to be a King and Queen that is unlike any other.