Disclaimer: Keys to the Kingdom (c) Garth Nix.

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"Arthur! Get off of me. Now! If you still want your head attached to your body." Leaf said in the most threatening tone she could muster, which wasn't very threatening at all really.

"Sorry." Arthur grinned sheepishly as he fumbled and got up hastily.

"For a Denizen you can't seem to land on your feet coming out of the Front Door!"

"Sorry." He said again, meekly.

"Why are you back? I mean, what's with the abrupt drop in? Pun, not intended. But I'm sure you have matters of the House to attend to, instead of being here." Leaf snapped waspishly to cover up her awkwardness. She brushed imaginary dust off of her t-shirt so she wouldn't have to look him in the eye as he straightened up and stood with his head nearly touching the ceiling of her room.

He hadn't visited until now.

"I know my job Leaf." Arthur said patiently. "But…um…see…there's… a complication." He stated awkwardly. He looked uncomfortable as he glanced around her room.

Leaf frowned as she looked at him properly for the first time in a few years (three and counting).

After Arthur had defeated Lord Sunday and taken up his place in the House as the Rightful Heir of the Architect he hasn't visited the Secondary Realm since.

Suzy came by now and then to keep her updated on the doings of the Great Arthur Penhagilon.

There had been too much to tell though. The changing of hierarchy, the teaching of manners, and all this was the doing of Arthur The Former Mortal Boy.

Her frown deepened.

Leaf noticed that instead of getting just better looking, Arthur was now officially on the ridiculously good looking scale.

His eyes were a light blue that practically shone and his face seemed restructured somehow. He had a straighter nose, his teeth were impeccably even, his cheekbones were more prominent, and he had an air of regality now too. But the most notable change was that he was around seven feet tall, maybe taller. Leaf couldn't really tell.

He still looked like Arthur yet somehow he didn't. Leaf certainly couldn't imagine this Arthur getting something as silly and mortal as an asthma attack. The realization made her sad. After all they've been through, she wasn't part of his world anymore.

"He better not have a girlfriend that's seven feet tall." Leaf thought darkly.

"Well…um…you see Dame Primus found something that the Architect left behind…" Arthur started slowly. The blue eyes that she previously thought were so shocking looked thoughtful. He was trying to judge her reaction and was picking his worlds carefully.

"So?" Leaf asked exasperatedly. "That's great, isn't it? You guys have even more information on the Architect." At that Leaf threw her hands up. "So why are you here in my room?" She winced on the inside at the implications of what she just said.

"Um…"

"Stop using 'um'" Leaf snapped to cover up how awkward she felt at where this conversation was going.

"Sorry. But you see…er…the script that Dame Primus found states that the Rightful Heir needs to find…a partner in his dealings with the House. A female opposite to balance out of all the manly changes the Heir might appoint to the house." Arthur paused to make a face.

"They must have been really sexist, even back then." Leaf deadpanned.

Arthur flashed a grin that suddenly made her room feel very uncomfortable and much too small. He was way to pretty for his own good.

"Basically Dame Primus said it's like a marriage contract. You know, in those stories where the princess has to marry prince to inherit the kingdom?"

"Who's the prince and who's the princess?" Leaf asked sarcastically.

"…"

A/N: Forgive me for my excessive use of commas. :)