8/3/2012

This is a short story based on and set in the universe of my other story, The Wild Card (cardverse AU). It takes place directly after Kiku Honda is declared Queen of Hearts. For anyone who hasn't read my other story, the flowers Kiku mentions are the Heart Queens' Eternal Implement (magical objects that are specific to each Kingdoms' King, Queen, and Jack, and have special mysterious properties that only their owner has access too. Examples of Eternal Implements: Kiku's flowers, Arthur's clock, Elizaveta's sword, etc). Edited by my beta reader, waterbringer. Requested by and dedicated to the wonderful ScarletteDiscord from DeviantArt who created my first ever piece of fan art for the original story. I hope you like it!

I do not own Hetalia.

-o0o-

Hearts Castle

Kiku Honda had never been as scared as he was at this very moment. Actually, terrified might have been a more accurate word. He could not remember ever being as nervous as he was right now. He had to fold his hands in his lap to keep them from shaking.

He took a deep breath and looked upwards toward the wooden ceiling, trying to breathe slowly and evenly. He was purposefully trying to avoid looking at the red flowers lying on the table in front of him. They were the main cause of his worry. Most Hearts citizens would be thrilled upon receiving such a gift, but if he was being honest, Kiku had neither wanted nor needed them. He would have been fine if he had not been chosen, however fate seemed to have a dry sense of humor.

The sound of the door opening was harsh on his ears. He blinked and his eyes flashed to the doorway where a young teenager with caramel colored hair was entering. The door was shut quickly behind him and then there was silence.

The teenager was staring at him with wide eyes. Kiku stood up, moving slowly so as to not scare the other away with any sudden actions. They stayed there like that for a moment, blue sapphires meeting dark brown as the pair gazed at each other.

"Alfred," Kiku finally said when he could no longer tolerate the deafening silence. The teenager blinked at the sound of his name and then with a flurry of movement, he launched himself across the room.

Kiku's eyes flew open and he stumbled backwards with a surprised cry. The second before Alfred reached him, he shut his eyes and held his hands up in front of his face to protect himself.

Hands, softer and warmer than he was expecting, brushed against his arms and flitted over his clothes. Kiku didn't have the time to be surprised before strong arms were surrounding and crushing him into a bone breaking hug. He was almost lifted off the ground by the sheer strength of the other's grip.

"Alfred!" he gasped.

"Are you ok?" Alfred's voice was muffled as he pressed his face against Kiku's hair. "Are you hurt or anything?"

Kiku blinked in confusion. "I'm fine."

"You're not hurt?" came the quiet reply.

"No," Kiku said honestly.

Alfred lowered him so that his feet touched back onto the ground. He kept his hands on Kiku's shoulders and stared into his eyes, searching to see if the other was lying or not.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Of course," Kiku said.

Alfred sighed in relief and released him. "Oh, thank Ace. I was so worried."

Kiku's brow furrowed. "Why? I haven't done anything that could possibly harm me."

"Yes you have! You had the test to see if you're the Queen or not! If you handle the Queen's Eternal Implement wrong, you could get poisoned. You could've died, Kiku. And I- I don't know what I would've done if-"

His voice had started to waver dangerously and Kiku stared at his friend in alarm.

"Alfred, are you crying?" he asked, shocked.

"No!" Alfred protested but his voice cracked. "I'm just tired! I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." He glared at him, but Kiku could see that Alfred's eyes were glossy. He felt his expression soften.

"Alfred- Alfred, listen to me, please," he said and Alfred looked at him.

"I. Am. Fine." He spoke slowly so that the words would land heavy on the teenager's ears. "I'm not hurt, or poisoned, or dying. I am perfectly healthy."

Alfred stared at him for a moment before his face broke out into a brilliant smile. He lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Kiku in another crushing hug. Alfred's shaky laughter echoed in his ears while Kiku opened and closed his mouth like a fish, trying to breathe.

"I'm so glad you're ok," Alfred said after he put Kiku down. "I was really scared."

"I can tell," Kiku said. "But weren't you more curious as to what the results of the test were?"

Alfred smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess, but to be honest I was more worried if you were ok or not. I was really upset when you didn't come back from the Castle last night. I was so worried that I was going to march over here and force them to let me search the place."

"You wouldn't!" Kiku said, aghast. "That's insane, Alfred! What makes you think they would even let you inside the Royal Castle, much less search for me?"

"It would have worked!" Alfred insisted and Kiku shook his head at his friend's foolishness. "But then Castle guards came and I figured they were going to bring me to you anyways. And that meant something big had to have happened so…." His voice trailed off.

"So?" Kiku repeated.

"Well, so that means you had to have been crowned the Queen!" Alfred finished.

"And that doesn't bother you?" Kiku asked.

"Whoa, wait, you mean I'm right? You're the Queen of Hearts?" Alfred's eyes lit up.

"Yes," Kiku said stiffly and was once again engulfed in another hug before he could get another word out. Alfred swung him around in a circle and laughed in joy, squeezing Kiku so tight he thought he might pass out.

"That's so awesome, Kiku!" Alfred's voice was loud and boomed in Kiku's ears. "This is so cool! You're going to be the best Queen in Suit history ever!"

"You- you're happy about this?" Kiku asked. He had thought Alfred would be upset upon hearing the information. He had thought Alfred would refuse to talk to him, or even ignore him completely. He had not expected this.

"Duh, of course! My best friend is going to be one of the most powerful rulers in all of the land! How can I not be happy?"

"I thought that you would be mad," Kiku said honestly.

Alfred's brow furrowed. "Why? I think it's really amazing that you're the Queen."

"Well, now I'm going to have to live here, in the Castle. We won't be able to live together in the same house anymore. We won't even be in the same village."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Alfred!" Kiku said, exasperated. "I'm worried about how I becoming Queen will affect my relationship with you!"

"Oh," Alfred said, his mouth falling open.

"Do you see it now? We won't be able to spend as much time together, if any. I don't even know if I will get to see you at all anymore."

"Why not? You're still Kiku Honda, my best friend. You being Queen isn't gonna change that. I'll come and visit you everyday if I have to."

Kiku smiled sadly. "I'm not sure if they would let you."

Alfred huffed loudly and crossed his arms. "Well too bad for them, whoever 'they' are. You're the Queen here, Kiku, not them. You make the rules now, and there's nothing anyone can say to change that. If you want to spend time with me, who's anyone to tell you otherwise?"

Kiku frowned, thinking over Alfred's words. What he said was true. Kiku could do what he wanted, as long as it didn't harm the Kingdom. And more than anything he wanted Alfred to be by his side while he adjusted to his new life.

It was Alfred for whom he asked when the Royal Deck wanted to know who Kiku wanted to tell the news first. Kiku loved his parents and it was because of them that he became the person he was today. But while his parents had always pushed him to work harder, Alfred showed him that there was more to life than just studying and schoolbooks.

Alfred had chosen Kiku to be his friend. That alone meant more to Kiku than anything his family had done for him. Alfred taught Kiku how to play tag, to catch fireflies on hot summer nights, about cleaning cuts after he had fallen and skinned his knees in the marketplace, on how to stand up to bullies and how to make friends with everyone else. He had shown Kiku so many little and wonderful things that wouldn't seem important to many adults, but it meant the world to a tiny Japanese boy without friends.

Alfred had been there for nearly every part of Kiku's life. His companionship and loyalty was more valuable to Kiku than any crown. And he refused to be Queen if it meant letting Alfred walk out of his life. Kiku wasn't going to give Alfred up to anyone, for anything, ever.

He looked up at Alfred, who grinned crookedly, and gave him a small smile of his own. Their friendship would remain intact, he was sure of it. As long as Kiku stayed firm on the issue, the Royal Deck had no right to force Alfred to leave. What Alfred had said was from before was true.

But then again, when had he ever been wrong?

"You're going to have to leave the village," he said to Alfred.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that," Alfred said. "That means I get to stay here with you, right?"

"Yes," Kiku said. "They can't force you to leave; I won't permit it. You're going to stay here- by my side- as long as possible."

"Good. That's the way it should be."

They smiled at each other- Kiku finally content now that he knew Alfred would stay by him and Alfred beaming like he was the happiest person alive.

"Hey, do you know who the King and Jack are yet?" Alfred asked.

"No, I just know that they've been chosen as well. I've been all over the Castle since I passed the test. I haven't even slept-" Alfred frowned at that but Kiku gave a wave of his hand to show it was nothing serious. "Why, do you?"

Alfred nodded happily, his frown disappearing in an instant. "You would never guess who they are, but you'll be really happy once you find out."

Kiku said, "Can you please tell me who it is? I'd rather you tell me than one of the Numbers from the Royal Deck."

"Ok, well, the King is Ludwig Beilschmidt and the Jack is Feliciano Vargas," Alfred said, speaking so fast Kiku had a hard time understanding. "I don't know if I'm right or not, but I think they're the same guys who helped you a few years back when you got lost in the forest. Based on what you told me from before, they look a lot like the two kids who saved you. Do you remember them?"

The names did sound familiar. A long time ago, two boys named Ludwig and Feliciano- a German and Italian- had helped Kiku find his way back to his family after they had been separated while traveling to another town. His family had been extremely grateful to the two children, especially the eight year old Kiku who had felt a strange connection with the strangers. Could they really be the same people from all those years ago?

"I remember," Kiku said. "And I suppose it is possible for them to be the same people. What an odd coincidence."

Alfred shrugged. "Maybe it was fate or something?" he suggested.

"Maybe," Kiku said skeptically. He did not believe in fate. A person made their own decisions and then acted upon those decisions; fate had nothing to do with it.

"Do you want to go meet them?" Alfred asked. When Kiku hesitated, he added, "You might as well; you're not doing anything in here anyways." He looked around the room with a look of disdain, as if the room was too boring to entertain him for long.

"I was waiting for you," Kiku said with a sigh. "But I would like to meet them personally before we are introduced to the Kingdom as the new Hearts Triumvirate. Go ask the guard where the King and Jack are." He nodded towards the door and Alfred scurried off.

He walked over to the table he had been sitting at before and stared down at the pile of flowers on the polished wood. In the dim light, the petals looked as red as blood. He gently picked up the flowers, still unused to the idea that these powerful objects were now at his disposal. From this moment on he would have to carry the flowers around everywhere he went; he couldn't risk the opportunity of someone stealing them. Not that anyone but himself could unlock Tokyo's power, but losing it would still be a serious problem.

His fingers clenched around the fragile stems and his knuckles turned white. He hated everything about this situation. He hated that with these flowers he had the option to kill or save a life.

"Kiku?"

He started and looked up to find Alfred staring down at him. The teenager's brow was furrowed and he looked worried.

"Ah, did you find where they are?" Kiku asked.

Alfred nodded, hesitating. Then he said, "You're gonna be fine, Kiku. You know that, right?"

"I-"

"You will be fine," Alfred repeated, this time with more conviction. "You can handle this, that's why Tokyo chose you. You're smart and brave and you can make the tough choices to save all of Hearts. You're going to be the best Queen Hearts has ever seen."

Kiku smiled, encouraged and warmed by his friend's words.

"I hope you're right, Alfred."