12/11/2011

I re-wrote this chapter about four times. I had the hardest time trying to figure out how to explain what being a Wild Card meant. Anyways, enjoy the chapter, guys!

Any questions about the Background Information or if I made something unclear, just send me a message; I promise I will reply without revealing too much of the story.

As for who Prussia is in relation to Germany, they are brothers. Prussia was originally one of the candidates for the Hearts Royal Deck, but was rejected by all of the Eternal Implements. Shortly after this, his Tattoo changed from a Heart to a Joker symbol, and he was ostracized from the Kingdom. No one except Ludwig knew what became of him because in Hearts he was known as Gilbert, but when he became a Joker his title became "Prussia". It's a similar situation with Sealand.

I do not own Hetalia.

-o0o-

No-Man's-Land

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." said an unexpected voice from behind Alfred's back.

Alfred whirled around, hiding the Spades pocket watch behind him as he turned to see a tall, white haired teenager standing a little distance off, leaning on a tree. The stranger smirked, his red eyes shining out of the shadows.

"Hello, Wild." He greeted in German.

Alfred stood up, refusing to show any sign of fear or surprise on his face. A few feet away, Artemis looked up from at the voice of the second person, her ears pointing strait in the air.

"Who are you?" Alfred asked angrily while the fairies around him frantically disappeared off into the trees, abandoning him. Alfred inwardly panicked at this; why would the fairies leave? Weren't they used to people traveling through their land? Why were they so frightened of this one person?

"Oh, you mean you haven't heard of the Awesome Prussia, one of the Jokers of No-Man's-Land?" Prussia slowly walked towards Alfred, looking him up and down with penetrating blood colored eyes. As he neared, Alfred's hand automatically clenched around the Spade clock, determined to keep it out of sight of the strange creature standing before him.

"You're a Joker?" Alfred's stomach tightened in worry; no one ever spoke to the Jokers, only the Kings and Queens knew what they looked like. How could Alfred protect himself from something he had no knowledge about? Casually he reached for a knife hidden in his front pocket; he would be ready if this Prussia guy ever decided to make a move.

"Yes! An Awesome Joker, if you want to be more specific." The Joker laughed obnoxiously with his heads thrown backwards, hands on his hips. Alfred stared at him, not sure if Prussia normally acted like this, or if he was just playing with Alfred so that he would let his guard down. If the first was true, he would be very surprised. He had always had the idea that Jokers were supposed to be creepy, unnatural beings with otherworldly powers that could kill with a single glance in your direction.*

What he had not expected, however, was a lively, loud teenager with ash grey hair and an actual tail- seriously, what was that thing? He was even wearing somewhat normal clothing; a black jacket inscribed with the red Joker insignia and a dull maroon t-shirt with dark pants tucked into thick boots. In addition to the tail, which somehow moved by the way, Prussia had two weird ear things sticking out of his hair. Or at least, Alfred assumed they were ears. He didn't want to think what else they might be.

"I've waited a long time to meet you, Alfred Jones." Prussia grinned at him. "I've always wanted to know what it would be like to meet a Wild Card." Alfred frowned.

"Why are you calling me that? I'm a Hearts citizen, nothing else; I don't even know what you mean by 'Wild Card'." Prussia smiled knowingly at him, causing goose bumps to form on Alfred's skin.

"How can you be a Heart if you don't have a Tattoo, Alfred?"

Alfred's face turned deathly white, and he felt his knees go weak.

"How do you know that?" Alfred demanded. "I've never told anyone that, not even Kiku."

"I'm a Joker, kid," Prussia rolled his eyes. "I know these kinds of things. I also know that since you don't have a Tattoo, you are without a doubt a Wild Card." Alfred's fear instantly disappeared, instead anger and annoyance took its place; who did this guy think he was? Alfred could be whatever the heck he wanted; he didn't need some crazy Joker to tell him who he was!

"What are you talking about? What do you mean 'without a doubt'? You can't just suddenly appear and tell me who I am! You can't accuse me of being something without even telling me why or how! And for the last and final time, I am a Hearts citizen! I've never heard of this Wild Card thing you're talking about-"

Prussia strode forward, anger flashing in his eyes and Alfred flinched, prepared for some type of attack from the older teenager. Instead, Prussia yanked up is left sleeve and shoved his arm under Alfred's nose, forcing the younger boy to glance at it.

"Look," Prussia growled. "Do you see what that is?" Alfred stared down at Prussia's arm and blinked in surprise when he saw a dark purple marking the size of a coin etched into the pale skin. It was the Joker's symbol; a curly line with an arrow at its end attached to the bottom of a circle, and on the top of the circle was two triangular ears, making the whole shape look like a cat head with a devil tail sticking out of its end. This was Prussia's Tattoo.

"This…it's your Tattoo." To say that Alfred was surprised would be an understatement. No one ever showed anyone where their Tattoo was, that is, unless you trusted the person completely; a person's Tattoo was considered a weak point, although it had never been proven.

"Exactly," Prussia said bitterly, and released his clothes, letting his jacket re-cover the mark. "My Tattoo. You don't understand what it's like, Alfred, to have a Tattoo. A Tattoo can be a blessing as much as it can be a curse. Where you live, which Suit you are loyal to, and who your friends are all based upon one simple symbol. It can force you to leave your home, to abandon your family, and start your entire life over. But you," he pointed a finger in Alfred's face. "You don't have the Tattoo. You do not have this, this thing determining your life; you are free. So don't you dare accuse me of telling you who you are because only you, a Wild Card, have the liberty to choose who you want to be. A Wild Card is someone without a Tattoo, the only person in the entire history of Suits that actually has the ability to decide which Kingdom they want to make their home. And only once they are 100 percent sure which Kingdom they want to belong to, only then will a Tattoo appear on their skin. That's what it means to be a Wild Card, kid. Consider yourself damn lucky."**

Alfred stood frozen, shocked for a moment before he was able to reply.

"But, I was born in Hearts! I live in Hearts, my friends, my job, my life is in Hearts! If I was a Wild Card, I would still want to belong to Hearts! If I was a Wild Card, I would choose to stay to Hearts, and that means I would still have the Heart Tattoo either way, but I don't! I still don't have a Tattoo! How do you explain that?"

"Just because you like Hearts now, does not mean that you will always like it." Prussia scoffed. "As a Wild Card, both your heart and mind have to agree on which Kingdom you want to belong to before your Tattoo appears. So that means either your heart," He poked Alfred in the chest. "or your brain," He flicked Alfred's forehead, causing the other to yelp. "does not like Hearts. Besides, just because you were born in Hearts does not automatically make you yourself one of them. And who said you were born there anyways? Do you have a mother, or a father?"

"I-no I don't have parents." Alfred frowned; he had never known either of his parents.

"Well, there you go, kid! You're just assuming that you want to be a Heart, but the fact that you don't have a Heart Tattoo says otherwise."

Alfred opened his mouth to say something, but a third, younger voice interrupted him.

"Gilbert? Is that you?" It was coming from the shadows of the trees and Prussia turned at the sound while Alfred tensed, reaching for his hidden knife once more. Who was it now? Another Joker?

"Peter," Prussia grinned. "Look what I've found sneaking around, it's the Wild Card."

"The Wild Card? He's here?" From the shadows emerged a small blonde boy, no older than 10, with think, heavy eyebrows and intense, light blue eyes. His tail whipped back and forth as he hesitantly walked towards Alfred and Prussia.

"Peter, this is Alfred Jones, the Wild Card. Alfred, this is Sealand, my awesome Joker partner in crime!" Alfred scowled at Prussia. Why was he introducing him like that? It wasn't like the Wild Card was a status***…or at least, he thought it wasn't.

"You're the Wild Card?" Sealand looked Alfred up and down, just as Prussia had done before. His eyes lingered on Alfred's arm that was hiding the Spades clock.

"That's what I've been told," Alfred said loudly, hoping to distract Sealand. "Though I've never heard of it before today."

"That's because they're covering up some of the old legends." Prussia folded his arms across his chest and stared up at the moon, a bothered expression on his face.

"Who's-"

"What are you hiding behind your back?" Sealand interrupted, and Alfred mentally cursed. "I can tell that you are holding something."

Alfred tightened his hand around the Spade pocket watch, and grit his teeth. There was no way in hell that he was going to let a pair of Jokers take the watch away from him. It was his; it worked for him. A Spade clock would only work for Spades, but if it was true that Alfred was a Wild Card, it could also work for him, which it had already done. It wouldn't work for two Jokers, like Prussia and Sealand.

"It's nothing," Alfred said firmly, trying hard to keep his voice even. "It's just a part of Artemis' saddle, that's all."

"I can tell that it's gold though," Sealand said stubbornly. "Saddle pieces aren't gold, right Prussia?"

"Hm, yeah, I agree. I didn't notice that before." Prussia said thoughtfully, lifting an eyebrow. "Why did you come out here in the first place, Alfred? Hmm? To get something, possibly? I doubt you were out just for a leisurely stroll through No-Man's-Land…" He eyed Alfred with renewed interest, but this time there was a strange glint in his gaze that caused Alfred's gut to tighten with fear. For the time since meeting the Joker, Prussia looked threatening enough to scare Alfred.

"Well, the Queen of Hearts gave me this saddle part," Alfred lied, slowly starting to back away from the two. He gestured at Artemis and she stood up, her ears pressed back against her head. "And a Queen could have a gold saddle, right?" As casually as he could, Alfred reached for Artemis' reins, but before he could, a small yellow object flew out of the trees and collided with him. Alfred let out a startled gasp, and let go of the Spades pocket watch in shock. He watched in horror as the bird caught the chain in its beak, flew over to the Jokers, and dropped it into Prussia's outstretched hand, flying back again into the cover of the forest. Prussia took the time to smirk snidely at Alfred before turning to look at the gold object in his hands.

Sealand made an odd choking noise when he saw what it was, and Prussia's eyes bulged in suprise. Clenching his teeth, Alfred withdrew a dagger from his pocket, and curled his left hand into a fist. If the Jokers wouldn't give the clock back to him willingly, as a trained Hearts warrior, Alfred would have to take it back by force.

"H-how did you get this?" Prussia demanded .Sealand gently touched the face of the clock, running his small fingers over the numbers, his face in awe.

"I found it," Alfred glared, narrowing his eyes. "It's mine, it belongs to me. Give it back."

"Do you even know what-"

"This is not yours!" Sealand cried, yelling at Alfred. He grabbed the watch and pointed at it, holding it by its chain so Alfred could see it. "This does not belong to you! It never has and it never will! This clock belongs to my big brother!"

"Your…what?" Alfred shook his head angrily. "You know what? I don't know nor care who your big brother is, kid. I found that clock, and I want it back. So, either you hand it over now, or I will take it from you by force." Alfred pointed his dagger at the Jokers, and a menacing tone entered his voice. "Either way, I will get take back from you, but neither of you will get hurt if you just give it to me peacefully, right now. If not, one of you will get injured in some way. That I can promise you."

The two Jokers stared at Alfred with wide eyes, momentarily stunned.

"Peter, give it back to him." Prussia said finally, breaking the silence.

"What?" the other cried. "Why? This isn't his! This is for the Spades-"

"I know, believe me, I know." Prussia insisted. "But think about what this could lead to! If we give the clock back to him, the whole future of this world will change! Our future will change! All we have to do is hand it over. This could be a great thing, Peter." The boy's lip wobbled slightly, and he looked back down at the watch.

"Fine," he sniffed. "But only because it's for you, Gilbert."

Sealand tossed the clock back into the air towards Alfred, who lurched forward to catch it. He instantly felt better once the gold object was back in his hands, and he sighed in relief when he saw no damage had been done to it from the bird before. Alfred looked back up to thank the Jokers, but his mouth flew open in surprise when he found that they were not there anymore. They had disappeared. He turned in a circle, searching for the two, but found nothing.

"I guess they just left," Alfred said to Artemis. She whinnied in reply as he climbed onto her back.

"I wonder why they wanted this clock so bad though," he wondered out loud. "I'll have to look it up in the Library when we get back to the castle. Let's go home; I don't want anyone to notice that we were gone for so long." Alfred kicked Artemis in the side, and they galloped off into the night, leaving the clearing behind.

-o0o-

Hearts Castle, the King's Bedroom

"Feliciano, do you have everything packed for the Gathering?" Ludwig asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Ve, yes, Ludwig. Thank you for helping me." The Jack beamed gratefully at the King.

"Ja, ja, no problem. Just go to bed now, I need to pack my own things and I don't want to have to worry about you any more for the day."

"Of course, captain, sir!" Feliciano saluted Ludwig, earning a small smile from the tired German. "Good night, Ludwig." He left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"Good night, Feliciano." He sighed. Still so much to do. Sometimes he wished that the Eternal Implement for the King of Hearts had chosen someone else for the job. Someone who wouldn't suffer from stress, like he did.

"Packing for a trip, little brother?" A familiar voice echoed throughout the room. Ludwig started and turned around until he saw Gilbert sitting on his bed, a common smirk on his face.

"Gilbert, what are you doing here?" Ludwig frowned "Has something bad happened?"

"Well, something certainly has happened, but it does not have to be bad. Unless, of course, you don't like the news I give you." The Joker smiled at the King, his red eyes shining.

"What? What is it?"

"What do you think it is?" Gilbert asked playfully.

"Gilbert, I'm not in the mood," Ludwig growled. "Tell me, or I swear I will throw you out the window, so help me god-"

"A Wild Card has appeared."

Ludwig froze, his face expressing nothing but complete and utter shock.

"What? But, aren't they extinct? According to the legends, they haven't been around for centuries."

"Were extinct, brother." Gilbert corrected.

"Well, who is it then? I take it you've met him."

"I'm not telling you who it is," Gilbert scoffed. "That would go against the rules."

"What rules, Gilbert? I'm your brother! Just tell me!" Gilbert made a tsking sound and shook his head.

"Nope, can't do that. If I tell you, it won't be fair to the other three Kingdoms; the Suits wouldn't be even. I can't tell you who the Wild Card is, regardless if you are my brother or not." Ludwig scowled, annoyed.

"And you can't tell anyone else, either?"

"Precisely, Ludie! After all, everything must be fair and just in a world of Cards."

-o0o-

"A card that is fully wild can be designated by its holder as any card they choose with no restrictions…"

Unknown

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

Ja- yes

-o0o-

Background Information:

*There can never be more than two Jokers excising at a time. Jokers have strange powers that allow them to disappear and reappear by use of mirage magic, and they can also travel very quickly, sometimes managing to visit all four Kingdoms in a day. Jokers have a "responsibility" to keep the Suits as even as possible since they have the ability to acquire knowledge about the Kingdoms through dreams. As a result, they act as messengers to the Royal Decks and deliver important information about the other Kingdoms to each of the Kings and Queens. Jokers are not always very trusting; if there is something they want, they will not hesitate to go through any means to get it.

**To simplify, a Wild Card is a person who does not have a Tattoo and can live in any Kingdom at any time without anyone being suspicious of him/her belonging to another Suit. However, if they want to, a Wild Card can choose to permanently stay in one Kingdom. As a result, a Tattoo would appear somewhere on their body, and he/she would not be able to live in any other Suits. This happens more often than not in Wild Card history, although Wild Card themselves are very rare. Wild Cards can be born in any Kingdom and of any status, what makes them different, other than not having a Tattoo, is that they have characteristics of all four Suits and the Joker combined into one person. In addition, they have very powerful magic abilities which make them very important warriors in battles with other Kingdoms. A Kingdom with a Wild Card on their side has an advantage over all of the other Suits in every single way. Wild Cards determine the most powerful Kingdoms of their time, which the main reason why the Royal Deck are continuously on the search for them. ((I hope this clears things up a little bit. Send me a message if you don't understand and want me to explain further.))

***Status and title basically refers to if you are in the Royal Deck or not. If in the Royal Deck, your status is either your number, or if you're the King, Queen or Jack, and the title is their country names. Royal Deck members rarely use their first and last names, unless it is with a close friend. Otherwise, calling a Royal Deck member by their personal names is considered insulting. For example, Kiku's status is Queen and his title is Japan, Feliciano is Jack and Italy, Ludwig is King and Germany.