So this was an idea I had. Just a little Cardverse one-shot. Happy Holidays, I hope you all have a great break!
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
"Tell me to stay and I will."
"Alfred..."
"I will, I'll hide it forever and I'll stay here with-"
"I know. I know you'd stay, that's why I can't ask you to."
It was a spade, perfectly drawn with swirls and twists and a cursive K in the center in royal blue ink. It changed everything.
"But I want to. Please, Alice." But they both knew he couldn't.
"I can't ask you to pick me over the whole country." Alice whispered softly in the backroom of her family's store.
"I would. I'd pick you, over all of Spades."
"That's why you have to go. They need a King."
His bright eyes were swimming in tears that weren't ready to fall yet. Alice hated seeing him cry, even when they had both been children. She looked at those blue eyes. She was so used to gazing into those eyes and thinking they were all for her. That wasn't the case anymore. Alfred couldn't be hers anymore. He was meant for better things.
"Alice." Alfred breathed as he stepped forward. Alice took his face in her hands to stop him, before she started to regret this enough to make him stay.
"You'll be great, love. You will go and rule Spades and meet your Queen and be the best King this country has ever seen." She answered.
"I don't want a Queen."
"They're going to be your soulmate. The King and Queen of Spades are always soulmates."
"I don't need to find my soulmate. I already have you." With that Alfred leaned down and kissed her lips. Alice hugged him closer as he kissed her one last time. This one was unlike all the others before it. It held every feeling, every word. This was one to hold on to forever.
The King finally broke away and with his forehead touching hers he said. "I love you. I'll love you forever, no matter what happens, who my queen is. I'll never forget about you."
Alice smiled softly and nodded. He meant it now, but that was a lie. He was meant for more than this little town in the middle of nowhere Spades. He was going to be a King and she would be a nobody. She always knew he was supposed to do something great, even when they had been young teenagers in love, stargazing in the dark.
The blond kissed his cheek and pulled away finally. "Goodbye, Alfred." He managed to leave before she started crying, a feat she'd say.
When the tears started they didn't stop. Alice cried and she cried alone in the back of her family's store while Alfred out there doing something more. Becoming a king.
"And today marks the three year anniversary of the previous King and Queen's death. Its been more than two years since Jack Yao and a whole year and half since King Alfred took the throne as well. On this day of remembrance, many are still asking, where is the Queen of Spades?"
"Alice, turn that off, you've been watching it nonstop." The Spadian glanced behind her as her mother set up a display. She ignored her for a second and looked back at the screen.
The country-wide Spadian news had been only streaming news surrounding the Royals for the whole weekend, because of the anniversary. "I haven't been watching it nonstop, Mother." Alice returned irritably after a minute, although it was nearly a lie. The news channels were the only ways she saw Alfred anymore, even if it was overplayed clips from old speeches or public events she'd already seen a million times. They were something for her to hold onto. Now it played a video from his coronation.
He stood there on a stage, wearing a nice, expensive suit of various blues. There was the gold chain of his clock hanging out of a pocket and he lacked gloves to show off his king's mark. The blues and violets the Spadian Royals wore brought out Alfred's eyes well. Like he was made to rule up there like that. Alice remembered that he was. She still thought of him as her boyfriend and best friend, still when they were nobodies in this little town in a valley of the mountains of Northern Spades. He was smiling and waving on the TV, with millions of Spadians watching now and then. Alice was just one of them. She pretended he was smiling at her. Just her.
Alice reached over finally and turned the television. The store was nearly empty, and the silence brought a new feeling of loneliness, even if her mother was right there. No one but Alfred could really make her feel less alone right now.
He was in Ace now, Spades' capital. What was he doing? Maybe paperwork or he was in a meeting with people ten times more important than her. Was he thinking of her?
The Queen still hadn't been found, which seemed to be the only favor the Cards were giving her. At least she didn't have to see him so happy on those TV screens with someone who wasn't her.
"Alice!" She jumped at her name and looked at where her mother had stopped and was turned back toward her. "I've called you twice now, hand me that box."
"Sorry." Alice said and quickly set the crate by her mother.
The older woman sighed and motioned for Alice to sit. The crate was sturdy enough so she did. "Love, you have to let him go."
The blond sighed and glanced behind her mother to not meet those eyes that were telling the truth. "I'm trying."
"I know, but you can't spend the rest of your life thinking what if. You loved him, I know you did, he knows you did, but he wouldn't want you to spend every second mourning him like he's dead. Alfred wants you to be happy, as do I. And sitting in front of the telly watching him on the news isn't making you happy." Her mother lectured. She's right, Alice knows she's right. That doesn't make it any easier.
"Mum, I was in love. What am I supposed to do now, while he's out there doing great? I don't even know if he cares about me anymore." Alice admitted.
The other Spadian sighed and took her hands. "You know he loved you too. Those videos can be misleading, we don't know how he really is. I'm just telling you that it's been a year and a half, you can't hold onto him forever. Now how about you go to the post and get our mail, I think I can hand this rush hour." The last part is sarcastic, as there wasn't anyone else even there.
Alice pulled on her coat and started down the snowy gravel roads that were fairly empty on this winter morning. It got quite cold in this area, snow everywhere and frost climbing on anything. Alice could remember mornings when she and Alfred had cuddled together with their respective tea and coffee. Those had been the days. The simple, blissful days.
When she got to the post, she collected her family's mail. It mostly consisted of bills and two letters, each from a brother in the military. One was in the navy, stationed in Diamonds, the other patrolled the castle grounds in Ace. It started to snow on the walk back.
There were girls playing hopscotch with stones, chanting something about how they wished they would be the next Queen. Snowflakes got stuck in Alice's hair and dotted her dark clothes.
Beautiful and smart, that's how she'll be!
Beautiful and smart just like me!
Long live the Queen!
Never mean, long live the Queen!
It was a cute nursery rhyme, Alice had heard somewhere before. She wished it wouldn't be true. The Spadian didn't think she could handle watching Alfred with someone like that. There's no doubt she'd be perfect, that's what Alfred deserved. He deserved to fall in love with his soulmate, Alice was selfish for thinking he shouldn't.
The hopscotch stone got buried in the snow when it became too thick to play. A white world with blue people living in it.
Alice had turned twenty-two in April. Spring, when it became a little less cold and the flowers began to bloom just barely. Alfred was always good at making flower crowns out of wildflowers. He'd put the crown on her head when she wasn't paying attention to him. He'd say that she belonged with the flowers. She belonged in the spring.
Alfred was twenty-one in July. There was a celebration for his birthday now. The whole country of Spades lit up the skies with fire flowers and bursts of light. Sparks from fireworks flew in the dark sky with the stars. Alfred always loved the stars. Maybe he belonged in the stars, too.
Since Alice was twenty-two, she lived alone in an apartment. She still worked at her parents' shop because it was easy to work at, and she wasn't good enough at anything else. She and Alfred were going to move in together. His parents owned some land on a backroad and they were going to take over when the time was right. It still wasn't right yet.
It was still snowing when Alice awoke the next day. Midday, since she didn't have to get up early to work today. Cold, since she was alone, tangled in the sheets.
The blond rolled over and just lied there for a moment. She rested her head in her arms and watched the snow from inside. White and fresh and untouched. There was something blue in the corner of her eye. Something blue and out of place.
Alice adjusted her position and looked at her hand. That was the blue. A spade of blue ink with swirls and twists and a Q in the center. She stared for a while, not registering exactly what was there.
A Q.
A Queen.
The Spadian suddenly gasped when she finally realized what that meant. She stumbled out of bed and managed to grab a coat before bursting out into the white world. Alice ran as the frost bit at her, foolishly not wearing anything but a t-shirt and shorts and that coat. She rushed into the city square where there were Spadian guards patrolling like they always did.
Out of breath she gasped for a minute. Alice could feel the eyes on her, but no one had realized yet. "I'm- I'm the Queen." She finally managed to say.
A nearby guard walked over to her. "Miss? Are you alright?" He has an accent of Western Spades, where Alfred and his family had been from before they moved here when he was eleven. They had all had that accent too.
"I'm the Queen of Spades." Alice repeated, straightening up and trying to not look crazy. The man looked confused until she held out her hand, baring the sign of Spades. The sign of a Queen.
He looked even paler in the cold and nodded then backed away and bowed to her. Alice hadn't expected that much. She had been busy crying in the storage room when they had bowed to Alfred.
From there she was rushed to the train station and given clothes to change into, all while she only had one thing on her mind. She was going to see Alfred again. She was on a train to Ace where she would see Alfred again.
There was a nagging in her mind that she should've said goodbye to her parents. No doubt they would be moved to Ace in a nice home by the castle and never have to work again, but they weren't as important as her. They'd be informed later. She had to be on her way to Ace as soon possible, Spades had already been without a Queen for too long.
A six hour train to the capital, then a long car ride to the castle, by then it was evening. No Spadians crowded the train stations or the streets, they must not know yet. Did Alfred know? Had they told him, the Queen was a girl from his town? Was he wishing it was her? The soldiers stayed close to her as she was led inside the castle. It was warm, no doubt both the heater on and fireplaces blazing.
Alice was directed down halls and she craned her head to try and see past the men. Trying to catch a glimpse of the man she loved and had been without for so long. They finally stopped in a huge room, probably as large as the city square she had been in just earlier that day.
There were three thrones of bronze and sapphire, two in the center and a smaller to the right. The walls were with tall windows and violet curtains. The floor was dark wood with a royal blue carpet stretched in the center. A few tables of the same wood were against the lighter blue walls and held flowers. Blue roses, lilacs, lavender and several others she couldn't name.
Directly across from the thrones was a glass case. It had blue velvet inside, and a single, intricate, silver clock, shaped like a spade. There were two spots on each side that looked like they were meant to hold clocks as well. A guard opened the case and carefully held out the clock to Alice. She could remember the stories about the clocks.
They were an extra authentication, proving who was supposed to the King, Queen, and Jack. Anyone could fake a mark, but only the true Royal could hold their own clock and have it tell time. In the soldier's hand, it was stopped at 12:08, the time of the last Queen's death. When Alice touched it, soft ticking filled the large room, bouncing off the walls. They all, the Spadian guards and Alice included, released a breath.
They all bowed again to her. Alice blushed and clutched the clock tighter. "You.. you don't have to do that." She murmured. At that they stood and resumed their positions.
"Go find the King and Jack, tell them the Queen has been found." The one who had handed her the clock ordered to another. He rushed away. Alice wasn't sure what to do with the clock now, she couldn't just give it back, but it didn't truly feel like hers now.
They waited for a bit, and Alice wondered what they were pulling them out of now. Were they in a late meeting, maybe dinner? Maybe Alfred had been asleep.
There were voices and footsteps outside. The door opened and she could hear a man talking. "Of course, we had to verify that she was the true Queen before informing you, Your Majesties."
Walking inside were three men. The solder was one of them, and a shorter man in nice, purple silks was the second. Alfred was the third. He looked just like what she remembered, hair practically spun from gold and those gorgeous sky colored eyes. He was taller than the other two and wore dark navy slacks and a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was ruffled just barely, like when he ran his hand through it.
Alice couldn't contain herself to be disciplined, not after waiting this long. She shoved the clock into the closest guard's hands and ran to Alfred, exclaiming his name. He looked confused for a moment before he realized it was her and grasped her close, picking her up off the floor and holding her.
"What are you doing here?" He asked her so breathlessly. The King hugged her so tightly, like he would never let her go again.
"I'm the Queen." Alice said back without releasing her hold on him.
"What?!" Alfred finally broke away, but he still had his arms wrapped around her. Their faces were breaths apart. It wouldn't take much for her to reach up and kiss him. Right now, in front of all these guards and the Jack. She could just kiss the King.
Alice showed him her hand. As he examined it, she heard someone ask. "Does he know her something?"
"I bet that's his girlfriend-aru. You said they were from the same mountain village, right?" Another accent says. Maybe Southeast Spades.
"You're the Queen." Alice turned her attention back to Alfred. He's holding her hand with his. "I can't believe you're the Queen."
Alice laughed softly and took his face in her hands. "I am, it was quite a shock to me, too." The King laughed a little louder and finally he kissed her and everything seemed right again.