Hello, everyone! I'm baaaaaack! I know it has been a while since I last updated this story. Luckily, it's November! That means it is NaNoWriMo time! For this month, I have/plan to have devoted almost 20K words to this story, which is about five chapters. This is going to be the first of those five chapters.

Here we go a plot-plotting...and bringing back some other APH characters we definitely don't get to see often enough. I don't own any of these characters, or even the AU, really. Just assume I don't own anything. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: The Meeting in Paris

The hooves of horses served as the closest thing Ludwig had to a reminder that if he did not leave his hiding spot now, he would be no more than four minutes early – which was cutting it fairly close. Ludwig threw open the desk drawer. If it was not here, where else would it be? He had idly put his old military baton here somewhere, and he couldn't imagine leaving the castle without it. He pushed aside the papers, not concerned for the moment about the disarray of paper and pen. He would have to organize it when he got back; there was no time anymore.

Where was his baton, the scepter that had been presented to him upon his appointment as regiment leader of his apprentice squad? He had carried it on his person until settling into the Berlin Palace, and now…how could he function without it? Forgoing pride, Ludwig kneeled to check under his desk. Surely it had to be somewhere. On his hands and knees, he pulled under the desk and checked under the back panel to no avail. Ludwig recoiled backwards as the realization hit him: he was going to be on time, which was practically late.

As he pulled out, something sharp rammed into the back of his head, and Ludwig couldn't help but yelp as he turned to look at what he had hit. The desk drawer had fallen open again, but instead of his normal documents, Ludwig realized that he was staring at an empty, dust-ridden shelf, in which there was only a small, leather-bound red book.

A secret drawer in his desk? Ludwig plucked the book out, wiping the dust off on his handkerchief and taking a closer look. He tentatively opened the inside cover, squinting at the thin feminine handwriting there: Property of King Annelise Solberg. He knew the name, had grown up seeing the elegant King Annelise in her visits to the military academy. She had trained there as a child, too, and her marriage with Queen Anton had been all the local gossips discussed, for they were the most successful royal couple in many years. Ludwig had looked forward to training under King Annelise, hearing her accounts of the battles she had fought with Clubs. The last civil war had taken place in Annelise's prime, right before she became King and helped make peace.

"Majesty!" An un-hooded attendant, her black hair flying wildly, tossed her head into the door. "I beg pardon, majesty, but the Jack is looking for you."

"Of course, I should be going." Ludwig tossed his cloak over his shoulder, pocketing the former king's notebook. "Thank you, I'll meet the others in the courtyard."

"Yes, Majesty," said the attendant with a bow, and Ludwig hurried off.

Toris met him just outside the double doors leading to the courtyard, and Ludwig accepted the weight of the small golden circlet.

"The people will be glad to see you," said Toris with a smile. He didn't mean Ludwig per say, rather the image of their new king – the dashing youth always dressed in thick red cloaks and with the light golden circlet. Now he was the subject of local gossip.

"Anything for the people," said Ludwig. He stepped into the light, Toris following behind to make sure the aforementioned red cloak didn't drag in the mud. He met Kiku at the entrance of the carriage.

"We'll be off as soon as Feliciano arrives," said Kiku. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm sorry, I was almost late," said Ludwig. "I couldn't find my baton, and I did want to bring it with me."

Kiku nodded understandingly.

"Ludwig! Kiku!" Out of breath, hair all askew, Feliciano came bounding towards them. Feliks hurried behind with Feliciano's circlet, insistent on handing it to the young Jack when he finally stopped moving. "Ve, sorry I'm late!"

"We haven't left yet," said Kiku. Feli laughed, making Ludwig smile in spite of himself.

"Oh, Ludwig, I found this on my dresser," said Feliciano, and out of his robes he pulled Ludwig's precious baton. "I thought you would like it, ve~!"

"Thank you, Feli, I was looking for it," said Ludwig. He followed them into the carriage, tucking the baton into the inner pocket of his coat.

Only then did he remember the tiny red leather book tucked into his robes. Ludwig considered opening the book up right away, showing his discovery to Kiku and Feliciano, but King Annelise had hidden that book for a reason, in a secret drawer no less.

Patting the coat pocket as if to set a reminder for himself, Ludwig turned his attention to Kiku and Feliciano and let his thoughts be occupied by the World Meeting.

XXX

According to Feliciano, the parade was a glimmering success, a sparkly beacon of hope for the people, the celebration to upend all other parties! Ludwig really was not an expert on sparkles and party-throwing, as his Jack was, but he did agree that the people did seem to get excited when their carriage rode by. He had done his share of waving up on the bench next to Kiku, and the people positively screamed with delight at the sight of Feliciano on the back of the carriage, waving and throwing out flowers. Kiku had praised the progression of the festivities, and Ludwig wasn't really an expert on that, either. He thought the parade had gone well, was that enough?

According to Francis, however, who was sweeping around the room with the air of a show dancer, it had been the most catastrophically beautiful affair to have happened in Diamonds since he had ascended the throne; still it was not enough. The King of Diamonds swept around tossing his hair and offering drinks as he allowed them to stroll through the magnificent summer palace.

Instead, Ludwig might add, of actually meeting. Only fifteen minutes had been allotted to introductions and social activity, and they had already spent twenty-seven. Before long, there wouldn't be any time to discuss the wool industry! Still, Francis flitted here and there, tapping them all on the shoulders and inviting them to hear the histories of this tapestry and that bench; meanwhile Lili hopped after her husband mostly to apologize to the increasingly tense diplomats. Ludwig wasn't one of those, of course – he wasn't tense at all. In fact, he was enjoying looking at the glass staircase instead of discussing the wool industry.

Okay, maybe he was a little tense. Still, it was entirely justified. If they didn't get moving soon, the entire day's itinerary would be messed up. That didn't shine favorably on Diamonds, and Ludwig wanted this conference thing to go well for Francis, Lili, and Vash. The latter of the three was leading the party, and Ludwig was glad that he at least was intent on getting back to the council room. If Francis hadn't side-tracked them six million times, they would have been very successful.

"You look as though you aren't appreciating the architecture," said Roderich suddenly, materializing at Ludwig's side.

"I'm not giving you more money."

"Wh-what? I'm not – I'm not here about your money!" Ludwig gave the Jack of Clubs a sly glance. He began brushing his clothes down, as if they had been horribly ruffled. In the past three years, Roderich had made a personal visit to Hearts ten times in order to request more financial aid to help their struggling economy. Frankly, Ludwig was sick of having conversations with him, as they usually revolved around money.

"I wanted to talk," said Roderich. "Make small talk, if you will."

"I'm familiar with the concept."

"Oh, you deceived me, then. You have been awfully standoffish today."

"I have not been…" Ludwig gritted his teeth, giving a second glance at the lavishly dressed Jack of Clubs. "We should be discussing the wool industry, not the wool coats the nobles like to wear."

"We aren't horribly off-schedule."

"We're fourteen minutes off-schedule, actually." Ludwig had to grit his teeth.

"Oh, lighten up. The tapestries are beautiful." Ludwig wasn't surprised to see Roderich so taken by the diamond-lined chandeliers and the real leopard fur lining the hallways. It was common knowledge that Clubs was falling into poverty, and had been falling for quite some time. And though you couldn't tell it from the fine silks Roderich was wearing, the monarchs were falling in wealth just as their people would. He knew that Clubs would do nothing to ruin this conference, but the temptation to just wrap himself up in one was in Roderich's eyes. It made Ludwig uneasy.

"How have you been?" said Roderich lightly. "I heard from Feliciano that the Harvest went well this year."

"It was excellent," said Ludwig. "He was the center of attention." Just like he should be. Both men glanced up at Feliciano, who was clinging to Kiku's arm and pointing out every little detail. He had already spent much of the morning re-connecting with the others – praising Arthur's new pocket-watch, helping Lili pick flowers for the centerpiece for that night's dinner, asking all the right questions about Yao's latest speech – and Ludwig could see the way Elizabeta kept dancing around asking Feliciano barely-too-personal questions. He had a funny feeling that if Liz didn't find her share of gossip from the Jack of Hearts, she would move on to Kiku – which was essentially why Ludwig had asked Feli to cling to Kiku instead of him this morning. That, and Feli would keep complaining that Ludwig was being too uptight – which in his defense, was untrue, as they were here on business and not to go gallivanting around the palace.

"And there you have it, the grand tour!" Francis clapped his hands together, turning towards them.

"We'll be going back to the meeting room now," said Vash, shooting a look at the King of Diamonds that very clearly said don't you dare speak. Ludwig couldn't remember being happier all morning. When they finally turned around, there was a skip in his step.

And dammit, Roderich was laughing at him.

"What?" said Ludwig.

"I apologize," said Roderich. "You look as though you just discovered a trove of treasure in your basement."

"At this rate, we'll only be twenty-two minutes behind schedule," said Ludwig. "I can make up for the lost time by shortening my presentation and making sure Feliciano keeps all comments under a minute."

"Relax," said Roderich. "We will have everything under control. I will say, though, that it will be good to finally sit down. It feels as though we have been walking forever."

"That's your complaint?"

"I see my lack of athleticism as a reflection of my artistic talent," said Roderich, turning his nose in the air.

"I didn't say anything about you being athletic or artistic," said Ludwig. "Besides, you're the Jack of Clubs – what do you need to be artistic for?"

Wrong thing to say, it seemed, for Roderich's eyes flashed.

"Be careful, Ludwig," said Roderich. "You are toeing a line, sir, and I would not advise you cross it. Art is the very soul of all royal culture! And you call yourself the King…"

"The good of the country is the soul of royal culture," said Ludwig. Roderich shot him one of the most disdainful looks Ludwig had ever received.

"I expect you are not the one pleasing the nobility, then," said Roderich. "You would fail miserably."

"Excuse me?" said Ludwig. "I please them very well – by keeping my military well-trained and my villages out of debt."

"Francis has done a masterful job at being a host," said Roderich. "A feat I doubt your business attitude would accomplish. What good is having diplomacy if you cannot have hospitality, hmm?"

"I – Hearts is very hospitable, thank you very much!" said Ludwig. Before he could continue his lecture, Feliciano slipped between them, his hands locking evenly around Ludwig's broad forearm and Roderich's silk-clad one.

"Ludwig, Roderich, why are we raising our voices?" said Feli, his smile wide. "Did you see the chandelier in the atrium? We should get one, Ludwig!"

"I doubt something of that size would be functional…"

"I suppose you're right," said Feli thoughtfully. "Our palace is not designed for that sort of light refraction. The effect would be all wrong."

"Feliciano, tell me," said Roderich, trying unsuccessfully to loosen Feli's hold without seeming impolite. "How do you host guests?"

"With wine," said Feliciano. "Nobles love wine." He laughed. "Of course, we provide them the finest beds we can offer, and a grand feast! At the feast there is dancing, and music, and we are sure to give them a tour of the gardens and the gallery. They've come to discuss business, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy themselves, right?"

Roderich shot Ludwig a nasty smirk, and Ludwig felt himself seething; for Feliciano's sake, he dropped the argument. Fine, so maybe he wasn't the loosest or most entertaining king. That didn't matter – he was King of Hearts, and he was the best choice for the position. Gilbert wouldn't have given it to him, if he hadn't been the right choice. No matter what Roderich said. Besides, he had Feliciano, who made up for everything he did incorrectly.

They moved into the meeting room finally, and Ludwig was the first to his seat. He checked his pocket-watch. Twenty-one minutes behind schedule, not as bad as it could have been. He marked this on the top corner of his agenda. Kiku slid into the seat beside him.

"Are you preparing?" said Kiku. "I didn't think there was much left to worry about."

"We are behind schedule," said Ludwig, his pen wavering from the amount of pressure he was putting on it. "I must find a way to make up for lost time."

"Ah, I believe Vash will handle it," said Kiku hesitantly. "You should not worry, Ludwig. It will work out."

"I like to be punctual," said Ludwig.

"And you're very good at it," said Kiku. "Perhaps you are a little wound up over this?"

"I'm not uptight, I'm not wound up," said Ludwig. He tossed his pen down, worried it would break through the paper. As it was, there was a rather large and ungainly splotch of ink instead of a letter. That would bother him, later.

"I think you are tense," said Kiku. "Maybe it has nothing to do with the meeting, but I think you would like things to be different than how they are now. Am I wrong?"

"Kiku, you don't know what you're talking about." Ludwig kneaded his forehead.

"Perhaps you can share?"

"Dammit, vhat I'm saying is zat nothing is wrong!" The frustrated, accented words slipped out at the very moment the entire room got quiet, and for a moment, Ludwig heard only his voice against the very still silence. Kiku at once reverted to his typical mode – moving back in his chair, pretending that he didn't exist. For once, the trick worked, for Ludwig found that they were all staring at him.

"Is everything alright, mon ami?" asked Francis. Ludwig gripped his pen tightly in his hand.

"I would like to get started, if that's all right," he said. Accent-free again, and quieter, entirely composed. He would not let this best him.

"If you're done with your marriage issues, we will," said Vash. He fixed Ludwig with a curious look, reminding Ludwig of how much Vash knew. By a mistake made long ago, Vash had discovered Ludwig and Feliciano participating in…er…improper behavior for a then-engaged man.

"There's no problem," repeated Ludwig. He could feel his cheeks burning bright red, and as Francis hesitantly called the meeting to order, Ludwig felt the pen snap in his fingers. When Ludwig looked down at his hands, he sighed to see them covered in ink.

The first few hours of the meeting did not improve Ludwig's mood. Instead of returning to the agenda, they deviated further from it, talking more about petty issues than real issues that mattered. Ludwig did his best to get them further and further back to the posted agenda – he even cut five minutes out of his presentation on Hearts military power, but all the others were interested in was petty gossip. Somehow, Liz had managed to ask distant questions that insinuated pregnancy to Lili – in accordance with the latest inter-kingdom rumors. A few of the nobles had been more interested in another rumor mill surrounding Alfred and Arthur. Six was the current tally for congratulations on the harvest festival, and Feli had taken them graciously; normally, Ludwig would want this type of praise, but he had not come all the way to Paris to make small talk instead of work on economics and politics!

When they broke for snacks, Ludwig was one of the first to leave the room, although Feli and Kiku caught up to him in the hallway.

"Where are you going?" said Feliciano, tugging on Ludwig.

"There's ink on my hand," said Ludwig, showing him his mostly-blue fingers. "I should wash it off."

"Ludwig," said Kiku. "Ludwig, I am sorry for offending you."

"You didn't offend me," said Ludwig. He heaved a sigh, turning back towards his friends. There was no use running from them. "I think the pressure of today is getting to me."

"What pressure?" Feliciano asked. "Ve, these people are our friends!"

"They expect a lot of us," said Kiku quietly. Ludwig nodded.

"They expect everything from me," said Ludwig. He leaned against the wall, trying to resist the urge to put his head in his hands and block Kiku and Feli out. "I have to make this day go perfectly, and so far, everything is off."

"The responsibility isn't just on you," said Kiku. Ludwig laughed. There was a look on Kiku's face that Ludwig considered unreadable – something desperate, but submissive, because Kiku could never be anything but submissive.

"Of course it is," said Ludwig. At their stunned faces, he balled his hands into fists, letting one slam into the hard stone-wall behind him. "Feliciano is the one that entertains, and I am the one who makes decisions. And though I don't doubt your intelligence, Kiku, all of those Hearts-born diplomats in there do. So yes, it is all on me."

"I'm not just a street performer," said Feliciano coldly. "Ludwig, ve, how could you be so mean?"

"Feli –" But before Ludwig could get out another word, Feliciano had turned on his heel and was making his way towards the meeting room again, little fists at his sides. Ludwig cursed, slamming his head into the stone panels behind him.

"I didn't mean it like that," said Ludwig. He turned to look at Kiku. "You can see what I mean, can't you?"

"No," said Kiku. "I don't know what you mean at all."

"Those nobles in there," said Ludwig. "They all look to me now."

"They look to us."

"Tell me honestly, do you believe that?" said Ludwig. He cast his husband a despairing look, and Kiku stared right back. Ludwig hadn't seen this sort of look in Kiku's face, either. He was disgruntled, which was certainly a step up from the normal calm that radiated Kiku's being.

"Perhaps it hasn't occurred to you that this meeting means a lot to me as well," said Kiku. "I will not stand aside because some of the nobility is – "

"Face it, Kiku, they're never going to think of you any differently," said Ludwig. How could Kiku be so un-relenting to the truth? There was no dodging the subject anymore. He had seen all the nobility gossip, their eyes accusing, their words sharp as swords. Outsider. Foreigner. How could Kiku ever be anything different to them? No matter how much Kiku was worth to Hearts, he would always be second rate to the nobles. There was no use batting around the subject any longer.

"Are you sure you are not the one making the judgment?" said Kiku. Ludwig opened his mouth to speak, but Kiku's eyes flashed dangerously. "We had best return to the meeting."

They walked in silence on their way back. Ludwig could see how Kiku seethed, but he wasn't going to apologize for his honesty. The way Kiku fumed, so silent and determined not to stand up for himself, it was no wonder he let the others walk all over him like this. It had been three years since Ludwig had last seen Kiku be anything more than the quiet Queen of Hearts, the background member of their trio, the one that somehow attracted all eyes but no respect. He felt bad for Kiku, personally, but it was his own fault. It was his own fault.

Sadiq called his name. Ludwig turned to the Foreign Minister, who had been speaking to Arthur and Matthew, Foreign Minister of Spades.

"You seem a little uptight today," said Sadiq, crossing his arms. Ludwig's hands were so far in fists that his neatly cut fingernails dug into his palms.

"I am not uptight." He nearly spat out the words. He could feel Arthur's sudden judgmental gaze on him, and it made Ludwig even angrier.

"How about you take a break?" said Sadiq. "Let Kiku and I handle things for a few minutes. Take a walk."

"I just had a walk," said Ludwig. "I'm fine."

"No, you aren't," said Sadiq. "Kiku and I can handle the discussion, right?" He clapped Kiku on the shoulder. Not looking Ludwig in the face, Kiku nodded.

"You need me," said Ludwig. "The Hearts representatives will be looking for me."

"They'll make do with two of their monarchs," said Sadiq. "Look, Lud, majesty, nothing against you. Still, you need a break. You look like you're about to cleave the entire castle in half."

"I'm fine," said Ludwig. "Besides, Kiku is too submissive to everyone else's ideas to actually put something new on the table."

Their tense silence could have been cut like a knife. Kiku mumbled something and ducked into the meeting room under Sadiq's arm. At the sight of everyone rushing in the doors, Sadiq pulled Ludwig forcibly aside by his elbow.

"Everything okay, Ludwig?" said Arthur as he passed. Ludwig could see the rise of the Queen of Spades' particularly bushy eyebrows, and it made him want to scream and perhaps use his fist to show Arthur who was okay and who was not.

"You take a minute and think," said Sadiq. "I'll come get you in a few, once you've calmed down a bit."

Sadiq was the last one in the room, and he shut the door in Ludwig's face.

Ludwig stared at the closed door for several minutes, and then he uncomprehendingly backed up, away from it. Some of the panic and rage in his chest died down as he stood there, between two tapestries displaying the last two crowning ceremonies. He could remember the terrible look on Feliciano's face, the resentment coming off Kiku in waves. Perhaps he had chosen his words poorly, but it wasn't as though he was wrong. Frankly, Ludwig was tired of keeping his opinions on his fellows' incompetent points to himself.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Feliciano and Kiku. He did. He thought they made up for everything he did improperly, all of the flair and personality he didn't really show. Still. Why couldn't they admit that there were some parts of being a ruler that Ludwig had to handle himself?

He shouldered past two rows of six hooded attendants as he moved towards the more open area of the castle, where he could catch some fresh air.

The others would be discussing agricultural trade. Ludwig had heard speculation about Clubs installing a protective tariff, which didn't sit well with him. He had plenty of points as to why the tariff was a bad idea, and now he wasn't even able to share them. It would be down to Kiku, and Kiku would no doubt subtly drop hints and then give up. They needed him in that room! Ludwig spun around, fully intending to come back towards the meeting and take his rightful place. It wasn't as if they could lock him out, anyways. He was the King of Hearts!

He stood aside to allow six attendants pushing a cart to pass, and then he started in the other direction. Suddenly, he heard yelling.

Breaking into a spring, Ludwig tore up the hallway towards the meeting room, meeting Feliciano just outside the doorway. The Jack of Heart clung to Ludwig's forearms, his amber eyes wide as saucers. All Ludwig could hear was yelling from inside, and then Alfred burst out, Arthur on his toes.

"Yao!" cried Alfred. "Yao, where are you?"

"Feli, what happened?" said Ludwig. He grabbed the side of Bella's arm as she went running out. "Bella, explain."

"We were talking about the tariff," said Bella. "Then all the lights went out. There was a yell, and when the lights went back on, Yao and Kiku were gone."

Ludwig's blood went cold.

"Kiku…" he said, slowly processing it.

"They've been kidnapped!" cried Alfred, turning with an angry look to the now-emerging Diamonds monarchs.

"I will have the Royal Guard search the ground," said Vash, adjusting his cloak as he stormed down the hallway. "We will find Yao and Kiku, even if we have to turn this entire palace upside-down."

Ludwig stood there as they rushed around, his throat going dry as he recalled Kiku's eyes dropping to the floor, his discomfort tangible. He winced at the memory of his own words – Ludwig had suddenly never hated himself more passionately.

They had better find Kiku. Ludwig would never forgive himself if the last memory he had of his husband was of Kiku taking insult after insult, and of Ludwig discounting everything Kiku had tried to be.

Oh, no! Kiku has been kidnapped! And there's nothing like a quasi-racist Luddy to get things spicy. If they didn't already, the others are positive that Ludwig and Kiku need marriage counseling. Let's be honest, Ludwig's fidelity to Kiku is pretty questionable. Wink wink. See what I did there? Also, sorry the diaries scene was so short. Don't forget about that discovery, though...

Anyways, next chapter will return to Kiku's POV - and Yao, the fourth main character of this story! I know, right? Wow, this is going to be so exciting. I'm so ready. Expect another three chapters from me within the month! Granted, this fic takes a lot longer to write than Elemental because 1) Elemental has shorter chapters, 2) Elemental requires a lot less research and plotting, and 3) Elemental is six times less formal of a voice, so that's easier as well. Those are my excuses, but it doesn't matter. We WILL get to Chapter 7 by December!

If you liked this chapter, please leave a review, and don't forget to favorite/follow/recommend to people! Thanks for reading, everyone!

~Elsi