The official decision was made relatively quickly and by that same afternoon, Alfred had received the order to prepare to leave before the dinner preparations had been started. He still fought and complained about the decision, though no one seemed willing to budge on it or even show him the slightest bit of sympathy. So grumbling he packed several large bags and left them piled in his room while the final details and transportation was sorted which only seemed to take slightly longer than the one that determined he should go.
When the time of his departure came Arthur and Yao saw him off, along with a number of the hired help and guards that stayed at their castle. Both of the court members were having no difficulties in producing cheerful smiles at seeing him carry a few personal items for the journey along with him and wishing him a pleasant trip while trying to keep their snickering to a minimum. Alfred glared at them each in turn and tapped the side of his glasses to activate the charm that darkened the lenses before trying to save what was left of his dignity as he got into the back of the auto destined to take him to the airship port. His personal guard got in beside him and to unnecessary enthusiastic waving, they pulled down the brick paved drive.
The journey through the city was shorter than he liked and he stared vacantly out the window for all of it. The older inner city was at one time completely surrounded by a great wall made of stone and several enchantments, though as the years and the cultures progressed it fell into disuse. The war with Hearts and their airships in the centuries previous had proved its defences ineffective, needing to be replaced by the underground system that currently ran haphazardly underneath the buildings. Only small sections of the great stone structure remained, the biggest of which that once held the main gate to the city, now remained as more of a tourist attraction than holding any real purpose. A swift highway travelled passed it and the gathered hordes of visitors likely did not notice who was passing by them in an official looking vehicle.
The traffic was thick as they moved to the newer portion of the capital. Away from the original buildings began newer streets at right angles of one another and in sensible rows. Once peace with Hearts had been temporarily achieved, the following years had seen massive growth outward in creating a structured city to hold more businesses, shops and homes. The population grew as well as people moved to join the city growing in industry. It felt as though it was consistently changing at times and there was always something new to find if you searched long enough.
It was with a groan of irritation that Alfred departed the auto and stood before the privately owned royal airship when they finally arrived. It stood in its own section beside the airfield used by the public and as he stretched his legs a little he watched as a commercial flight climbed vertically into the sky. His own transportation was being loaded with numerous supplies and fuelled for the journey. He put off boarding as long as he possibly could, but the inevitable caught up and he climbed the stairs to the passenger compartment.
No amount of luxury helped him for the hours of empty travel across an ocean, however. And while he sat bored and glaring out of his window, Alfred was left to only imagine what he could have been doing to the south in the Diamond kingdoms. Francis had always kind to him when they visited and he could just as easily be spending his banishment on a beach until everyone he had just left behind realised how much they missed him and begged him to return.
The true realisation of his situation hit as soon as the dark outlines of the mountains appeared on the horizon announcing their entry into Clubs territory. The cold hard rock and overcast skies were what welcomed the king, their bleak appearance a portrayal of the people that hid among the crags and called them home. He had briefly visited once shortly after his coronation though the visit would have been better described as his flying a safe distance past and refusing to leave his airship because of the cold.
They landed at the closest airship port which unfortunately was still over an hour's train ride from the capital itself. Despite the ability for the ships to make vertical landings they still needed enough flat ground to properly land which sparse and hard to find in the mountains. Alfred sniffed in contempt as he left the comfort of the Spade's vessel, pulling his coat tighter around him as he boarded the coach and took a seat. The entire train was warded with several deflection spells to prevent any attempts on his life by the mountains throwing rocks before they could start moving, all of which he ignored in favour of asking the cute stewardess to bring him something strong so he'd survive his first real look at the Club city.
There wasn't anything to look at out the windows while they travelled, most of the trip was through tunnels dug into the stone which likely saved time in the journey at the cost of scenery. It went far faster than he would have liked and before long he was catching glimpses of buildings clustered together. The train pulled into the final tunnel and an announcement was made that they would be pulling into the capital station.
Alfred stood, and stretched for the last few minutes, readjusting his coat and running his fingers through his hair to look more put together and less like he'd been traveling all day. An assistant also attempted to help smooth out a few of the wrinkles in his appearance right up until the train came to a halt at the station and the doors slid open.
Stepping out onto the smooth concrete platform of the underground station, Alfred kept his head up high and his forced smile into a comfortable and well-practiced grin. The air was hot and stale from the locomotives passing through the space with little circulation and after sitting in the comfortable cabins he had to stop himself from gasping. Sweat immediately began to trickle down his back beneath the many layers he had worn and made the short walk seem like a much further journey.
He wondered if Ivan felt stifled in his regal attire as he stood waiting calmly for him near a fleet of autos made for crossing heavy terrain. Bundled up in thick woollen coats, Alfred was sure the other must be suffocating but somehow appeared relaxed. Ivan smiled warmly, but Alfred knew better. Having practiced one of his own, he could spot a forced smile from a mile away. "Welcome, Alfred Jones," Ivan said smoothly, "It's nice to have you in the Clubs kingdom." Lies, all of it.
"Thanks for inviting me to stay." To outsiders, it would seem like they were old friends as they shook hands and Ivan swept a hand back to gesture to the autos, however, that was far from the truth. As Alfred nodded and slid into the back of the centre vehicle, he could tell Ivan detested the situation nearly as much as he did.
Once both kings were packed into the back and members of security filled the rest of the seats in the flanking autos, the envoy rolled towards the tunnel exit leaving behind staff to unpack Alfred's various luggage into a remaining vehicle. The Spades king rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window at his first real look at his temporary home for however long it took for his government to realise their mistake and take him back.
"How was your trip?" Ivan asked more out of politeness than general interest. Having been the reigning monarch for longer than Alfred, he was better able at keeping up politeness than his blonde counterpart.
"It was fine. Long," he complained, studying the cramped buildings they passed on their way through the capital. There weren't many streets that were wide enough for autos to pass through, something that wouldn't change without major reconstruction of the old city. War generally didn't reach the far off kingdom thanks to its rough habitat and meant that most buildings in the region had stood there for centuries longer than ones found in the other three.
"Our kingdoms are far…" Ivan mused quietly, folding his hands into his lap and looking out his own window. Many buildings were made of stone and brick seeing as they were the materials so readily available around them. It made the entire city seem dreary and sad in Alfred's opinion with so much grey around him on all sides.
The fleet of vehicles turned off the main road and followed a few narrower streets until they reached the base of one of the mountains that stood casting a shadow over the city. An iron gate blocked the roughly carved route up and they paused briefly until the men stationed there opened it to allow them through. From there on the journey was bumpy as they climbed the steep slope to the base of the castle. Alfred, as they went further upward, refused to look down and see how close they were from falling off the edge to their death. Instead, he kept his gaze on the lake that reflected the setting sun opposite the city of them to keep his mind off it.
The castle for the Clubs royalty was built partially into a large crevice in the mountain, leaving only the front that faced out that would need defending. It was a clever design really, Alfred remembered having been forced into studying the history of the other kingdoms as well as his own and hating it all tremendously. Something about how the road they had used to travel up was the only path and it bottlenecked armies that sought to take it over. That was until the invention of Heart's airships proved the design just as useless as the walls in his home country. He chuckled quietly that they had never seemed to upgrade their defences and felt ever more superior.
Just before reaching the main ledge that held the castle proper each auto was forced to squeeze through two taller pillars that were the remains of what once was the castle's portcullis. Hinges still clung to the crumbling forms and runic symbols for protection could faintly still be seen weathered down where they had been carved. In its day, it likely looked like an impressive and impenetrable feature, but not it gave Alfred the impression he was going to be forced to chop wood for a fire and eat meals by candlelight.
The Clubs castle was made primarily of blocky stone towers hidden behind a thick wall that closed off the hole that sunk into the mountain. They had utilized as much of the space available to them while building it, as the highest points of the roof scrapped the top of the crevice that hosted it. The stones had grown dark with age though were still maintained and taken care of, and numerous ledges held the dark forms of gargoyle-like monsters studying their approach with critical eyes.
Once the fleet came to a stop out front the next to hit him was the frigid cold that sunk in as soon as his door was opened. He pulled the jacket tighter around him, the sweat from earlier making him worse and tried to not dash for the front door or let his teeth chatter too loudly. He reminded himself he could have been sitting on a beach in Diamonds right about now, not freezing to death in Clubs.
Ivan acted as though he didn't feel the cold, making Alfred wonder if he felt the temperature at all after seeing him handle the heat in the train station just as effortlessly. "Come in," the Club king invited, leading the way for his guest up the steps and to the massive door. Alfred followed closely, flanked on all sides by various attendants and guards, glad to not be standing on formalities outside.
The large door lead into the foyer which was already a vast improvement to standing outside even with the doors still open. Once out of the biting wind, Alfred could start to feel warmth returning to his cheeks and fingers and he rubbed his hands together in what he half hoped appeared more as a gesture of eagerness to being shown around. Once everyone meant to be inside were in, the doors were shut and people began to move to their various places. Alfred's own security team went to speak with the royal guards that belonged to Ivan and his attendant was immediately taken in by the castle servants and made welcome.
Ivan didn't slow as he strode towards the connecting set of doors that would lead into the rest of the castle. The walls on either side bore large Club flags in deep forest green that stretched the length from floor to ceiling, meeting the equally green rug with royal insignia woven into its design. Men grabbed the metal handles that belonged to the following set of smaller doors and pushed them in to allow the royals into the great hall.
For what lack of colour there was on the outside of the building, it was made up for inside. Tapestries of rich colours and delicate designs filled most of the walls and what space remained was filled with oil paintings, blotting out the stone and wood that lay behind them. Dividers jutted out at regular intervals carved from a dark wood and filled with stained glass provided private alcoves with benches. Directly ahead of them a large staircase made of the same type of wood and polished until it shone rose to a pair of doors where behind surely royal offices were.
As Alfred continued to study the castle interior he tipped his head back as far as it would go, noting the painted ceiling hosting a scene where a group of mysterious figures appeared to be gathering around and peering down at them. He had only seen a painting like that before in one of the Diamonds' royal buildings though it really didn't surprise him; it was likely someone from Clubs that had painted that one too.
He wasn't sure how much time he spent staring at the various decorative pieces when he suddenly felt Ivan's eyes on him. Snapping his head back down to meet the other king's gaze he tried to regain his aloof regard to the castle. "Admiring the paintings?" Ivan remarked with a hint of amusement.
Alfred shrugged, pretending he hadn't been only a moment before. "They're alright."
"I'll show you to your room first. We held off having dinner until after you arrived." Any further comments that could have been made about Alfred's behaviour were ignored and Ivan continued leading him forward toward the grand staircase. "It'll be a small welcome for you staying with us."
Alfred nodded, falling into step behind him and sneaking glances whenever he found the chance at the decoration that thickly filled the room. Ivan strode with purpose, not slowing even as they ascended the stairs towards the upper floors and didn't look winded when they reached the top, something the Spade king wondered about as he attempted to mask his desire to pant by breathing heavily through his nose at having matched Ivan's pace. Beyond the doors, they followed several hallways that turned them back around and climbed a few smaller sets of stairs that rose in the centres of them. One or two servants bowed before scurrying about their duties but for the most part, they remained alone.
"You'll have the guest chambers." Ivan waved a hand at a set of doors ahead of them made of painted wood, designs carved into them of vines and flowers with twisted metal handles. "I'll send someone to collect you in 15 minutes."
"Thanks, Ivan." Alfred brushed past his host fully intending on freshening up after traveling all day. He was tired and grumpy as it was, but hopefully, after shedding his coat and washing his face, he'd feel like a slightly less irritable human being. And once he had a full stomach he could relax and sleep hidden away in his new room.
"Alfred," Ivan's firm hand grabbed his shoulder before he could get too far. "I will not have you causing trouble while you are here."
"Hey, don't go causing political incidents," Alfred half joked, half threatened. He threw a cool glare back and tried to brush the hand off. "Why'd you even agree to this?"
"Because I thought it would strengthen relations between our nations," Ivan growled and his grip squeezed into him. "And I didn't think they would actually send you."
That made him snort and he pried the other's fingers away. "Surprise! Here I am!"
"I am serious!" Alfred didn't spare a glance at him, instead waving his hand in a mocking manner as he made his way down the rest of the hall. "There will be consequences if you do."
"Oh, what will you do?" he asked dramatically. "Send me home?"
Ivan's lip curled. "I can come up with more creative punishments than that."
"Sure. Let me know when you do." Upon reaching the door, he yanked it wide and stepped inside. "See you at dinner."