The sky was pale grey. Snow whisked from the heavens, blowing upon a desolate, frost-covered land. A lone figure, a worn cloak thrown over his shoulders, trod through the thick snowstorm, moving slowly.

None lived in this land. As far as the man knew, none lived. He'd awoke almost buried in the white powder, with no memory of why or when or where- now, desperately he searched for another sign of life, of civilization, of anything.

Bitter wind blew like a cold slap against his skin when he tripped over something- perhaps a rock- jutting out of the snow, landing on his stomach with a force that took his breath away. Unsure of whether he should even try to continue, the man, in anguish, cried out, fingers curling into fists as tremors wracked his body. Violet eyes opened and caught an eerie, blue tint staining the snow- too bright to be natural. Craning his head backward, he barely made out the so-called rock he had tripped over... glowing blue. It was not a mere rock.

The man struggled into a sitting position, and tentatively reached out for the glowing tube.

—

Monarchies, Arthur mused. Who needs them? With Clubs and Spades on the brink of war, you'd think they'd be doing something, the irresponsible blokes.

"Kirkland!" Someone snapped. "Stop daydreaming and get back to work!"

Shaken out of his thoughts, Arthur continued his job with a glare at his boss's back, loading crates of miscellaneous items onto a ship. The sun beat down on him as he worked, swinging crates back and forth until the evening, where he would return to his broken-down shack, sleep for a measly five hours, wake up, and go back to work. This had been his life since forever: it had always been this way, and it would always be this way.

The stories Arthur had been told from fellow workers always spoke of the Kingdom of Spades in a favorable light. Spades used to be rich, wealthy, the dominate Empire over all the other Kingdoms. While it was still the most dominate Kingdom, Spades was now certainly a shadow of what it used to be, or at least, what Arthur assumed it used to be. The looming war with Clubs foreshadowed every thought of every citizen. The hostile Kingdom had already attacked Spades' allies, the Kingdom of Hearts, months ago, officially breaking the 'what if they attack' mindset.

Spades was separate from the other Kingdoms: special because it was a small island, protected because the nearest Kingdom was Diamonds, the only neutral Kingdom out of the four. Clubs had always been a problem, Arthur was always told, because the King of Clubs was out for revenge, or so the tales went. It was all poppycock, Arthur firmly believed. The King of Clubs just wanted to see the Kingdom of Spades fall, because Spades was great and Clubs was not.

Arthur situated a crate meticulously, trying not to fall into his thoughts again, when someone shouted, "The King of Spades is dead!"

Collective gasps and murmurs spread through the docks: Arthur hopped off the stack of crates he was balanced precariously on, and ran to the hull of the ship, peering over the side below at the group of commoners. One frantically exclaimed, "Dead? But that means-"

"The monarchs have died out, and with no heir..."

Narrowing his eyes, Arthur listened as someone murmured, "The birthmarks... the sign of the King and Queen... they must be among one of us!"

That did it. All of his fellow workers were idiots, Arthur decided, as he grabbed one of the loose ropes connected to the mast and leaped off the side of the boat. He swung onto the docks, gathering the attention of the group, who gave him warm smiles. "Did you hear the news, Arthur?"

"How couldn't I, with all you lot screaming?" Arthur huffed. "Now, what's with all this commotion of Kings and death and birthmarks? We have jobs to do, don't we? If you value your money, get back to it!"

Someone chuckled. "You're still young. Of course you wouldn't understand how exciting this is!"

"Oh, do tell," Arthur shot back dryly. "Apologies, but politics never called to me the way they call to you all." He gestured to the group of commoners, turning his back in order to climb onto the boat once more.

"Aha!" One of them cried out. "Arthur's never experienced a coronation before!"

Another grabbed Arthur's shoulders and dragged him backward, right into the group of workers. "Singing and dancing for an entire day! We all gather into the Royal Palace and drink away our sorrows! It's-"

"A great way to get wasted?" Arthur interrupted, trying to push away the enthusiastic commoners. "I'll be nowhere close."

One laughed, and replied, "One day, Arthur. We'll get you loving the Spades monarchy."

Shooting a grin back at the group as he walked away, Arthur called back, "Not on your nelly!" He heard the resounding laughs as the commoners continued to gossip about the next line of royalty, and assuming his boss was among them, instead of mounting the ship like he was supposed to, Arthur walked to the end of the docks, gazing out at the ocean.

Everything will return to normal tomorrow, he thought. They'll find the King and Queen, and maybe they'll have the common sense to stop this war.

—

Sure enough, the King was found later that evening. But as one day bled into two days, and two into three, the Queen remained yet to be found. The town was buzzing with chatter: everyone checked for that special tattoo that the Royalty was rumored to have spanning across their back, but no one bore the birthmark.

The coronation for the King proceeded as planned- for one night, everyone forgot about their troubles and eagerly gathered at the Royal Palace. Fireworks lit up the night sky, commoners with masks and dresses and suits waltzed around, and Arthur, as adamant as he was about celebrating a King, found himself dressed in his most fancy commoner outfit (a tunic, a vest, pants, and boots- an obvious lack of fancy), walking along the path that led to the palace.

It was beautiful: tall and elegant, vines weaving their way up the stones, the huge steel door open, revealing dancing, laughing people of the Kingdom inside. Arthur approached the doors to enter, but his gaze fell upon the garden maze on each side of the path, and Arthur would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate gardening. With no one in sight, he snuck inside, admiring the trimmed hedges and roses, deciding that this was more enjoyable than socializing in a palace, gossiping about how cute the new King was, how everyone and their mother wanted to be his Queen.

He eventually neared the end of the maze, leading out into a clear expanse, rolling hills of grass, and a lone tree overarching a bench. Arthur wasn't sure what drew him closer, but as he approached the bench, he spotted someone alone, hunched over, fiddling with what looked like a rose.

"All alone?" Arthur asked quietly. The man turned, eyes wide. He didn't look like a commoner- Arthur couldn't process where he had seen this person before, but something told him that he knew this man.

Letting out a soft laugh, the man nodded. "It would appear."

"Why are you out here, when everyone is inside?"

"I could ask you the same," he pointed out, lips quirking upward. He gestured to the bench, a silent question.

Arthur complied, sitting beside him. "I suppose. Your name?"

"Alfred." He smiled, shadows dancing across his face as the wind blew, rocking the tree back and forth. Its branches waved, and Arthur watched as the Spades emblems that hung from each branch clinked in the breeze. Peaceful this sanctuary was: Arthur wondered if it would be a crime to return once the night was over. "May I have the pleasure in knowing yours?"

Eyes closing, Arthur laughed. "I am just a regular commoner. My name is of no importance."

Shrugging, Alfred leaned forward on his knees slightly. "But I've told you mine. It would only be fair."

This man was strange, Arthur decided. "It's Arthur. If you must know."

They sat in companionable silence, watching the breeze sway the tree, hearing the clink of emblems that decorated its branches like icicles clinking against each other. Wind rustled Arthur's hair to the side, and as he cleared hair from his eyes, Alfred asked, "What do you think of Spades?"

Eyebrows furrowing, Arthur replied, "A broad question, don't you think?"

"Perhaps," he smiled. "Do you like it?"

"It's been my home for as long as I can remember. I'm inclined to like it."

Airily he laughed. "You amuse me. Be honest- if you could change something, what would you change?"

Arthur frowned, glancing at Alfred. "Well, I would start with ending war with Clubs."

"It's not that simple."

"I'm not a child," Arthur snapped back. "I know that it wouldn't be simple, prat." There went his self-control. But instead of leaving, like Arthur assumed, Alfred simply laughed again.

"I bet you could end it," Alfred murmured, smiling at him. Arthur was taken aback, feeling guilty for snapping at him, when Alfred continued, "What do you think of our new King?"

Rolling his eyes, Arthur snorted, "Embellished. Enormously."

The sound of Alfred's laughter seemed well-acquainted with Arthur's ears, for some bizarre reason. "Arthur, I think I like you." Wiping away wetness from his eyes, Alfred continued, "I haven't met one person who openly admitted such words."

"Allow me to be the first," Arthur shot back, unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face.

There was a loud ringing- the Spades tower clock struck midnight. Alfred, with a final, content sigh, stood up, taking Arthur's hand in his own. "I must leave, but thank you for your company." Their eyes lingered- Arthur couldn't speak, too enrapt in this charming person.

Alfred walked out of sight, calling back over his shoulder, "Until next time, Arthur."

—

Spades was in trouble. Clubs was advancing: rumor had it that they intended to strike the Kingdom of Hearts. But without a Queen, Spades couldn't make a decision. In other Kingdoms, such as Diamonds and Clubs, the King was the most important figure- in Spades and Hearts, the Queen held a mysterious power, one that rivaled the King's. Without the Queen, the King was useless: in Spades, the two head monarchs had a special bond, and according to legends, if the King and Queen truly cultivated that bond, their power would be unsurpassable.

But, those were old wives' tales, and no one had ever known nor experienced a bond that powerful. Arthur, as he prepared to leave for work at the docks, tried to shake strange dreams from his thoughts when he heard a loud knock. No one ever visited his tiny shack: Arthur cautiously approached the door and opened.

Palace guards stood outside, gruff and official looking. One declared, "On decree of the King: let every citizen be thoroughly examined for the Queen's birthmark. We demand you give us entrance."

Hissing, Arthur attempted to slam the door shut, but the guards roughly slammed it open, flooding into his house. Two grabbed Arthur's shoulders, and another came around to his back, bending it forward slightly. Arthur lunged out with his foot, kicking the man behind him in the gut. With a satisfying gasp, the guard fell back, and Arthur swiftly twisted in the grasp of the other two guards, strong from his endless days working at the docks. But the palace guards were many, and one grabbed at his jaw from behind, pulling him backward.

Something in Arthur was triggered- maybe it was the fear of being touched without his consent- and something electric surged through him, something he'd never felt in his life. His eyes shot wide, and instantly, blue static exploded around him, shocking the guards and sending them flying backward.

The surge of electrical power left Arthur dizzy, struggling to stand, while all the guards around him groaned, limp on the ground. The door was still wide open- Arthur tried to focus on just who was walking through. He wore regal clothes, wore a crown- it must be the King, Arthur thought, shakily backing away, hissing out, "Leave me! I-I'll shock you, too!"

"You're not afraid of me?"

"I'm not." Arthur curled his hands into fists, trying to clear his vision, shaking his head. He thought he saw the King advance, and a spike of adrenaline surged through him. He couldn't control the blue shockwaves shooting out from him, and the power sent him flying back against the wall. Crying out as his back hit the wall, Arthur slid to the floor, completely worn from the strange electricity coursing through him. He was left defenseless as the King neared, kneeling down beside him.

"Arthur."

The voice was suddenly all too familiar- his head snapped up, vision clearing as he made out none other than Alfred. His heart dropped in his chest, whispering, "It's you?"

He didn't answer, but opted to pull Arthur closer. Arthur tensed, but Alfred gripped his shoulder. "Don't do that. You'll hurt yourself."

"It's not like... I can stop, b-bastard," Arthur snapped, fingers shaking from over-exertion. Alfred was suddenly pulling up his tunic, slipping it above his head, fingers running along his back. Arthur's eyes shot wide open, and roughly shoved Alfred backward, leaning slightly forward. Their eyes locked- Alfred murmured, "It was you all along."

"W-What are you talking about?" Arthur shakily demanded.

"The birthmark," Alfred whispered, almost reverently. "You were the Queen all along."

—