The title of this chapter sounds so serious - all I really mean is there's a delivery. I think I'm all out of what I'm naming each chapter now...


Arthur was marvelling at the range of clothes in his wardrobe – his wardrobe – when there was a knock at his bedroom door. Startled, he swung his wardrobe shut and made his way to answer. However, before he could, the door banged open and Alfred rushed in. Arthur winced as it hit the wall and bounced off.

"Alfred!" admonished the Queen. "Enter rooms more quietly from now on!"

"Okay dokey!" said Alfred, cheerily, grinning at his Queen. "Yao and Kiku are gone now! Let's celebrate!"

"Ah..." Arthur replied, not sure what to say or do.

"C'mon, then! Mattie's waiting for us in the lounge!" With that being said, Alfred grabbed Arthur's hand and all but dragged the smaller man out of the room.

"Hey! Wait! Let go! I can walk there on my own!" Arthur protested, trying to tug himself free.

"Yeah, but you're too slow about it!"

Finally, they reached the room and Arthur sighed in relief. Once again, he tried to pull away from Alfred but the King kept a tight grip and opened the door with his other hand. Arthur really didn't want Matthew to see them holding hands so, alarmed, he threw himself backwards, trying desperately to get free.

Instead of letting him go, Alfred blinked at him and quickly slipped his arm around Arthur's waist. "You okay? You looked like you were about to fall over... Did you stumble?"

"No, I-!" began Arthur before glancing in the room. Matthew was sitting with his back to them, thankfully, but he seemed about to turn around due to all the commotion. "Just let go of me!" he hissed.

With a surprised look, Alfred finally let go of him. "Sorry..." he said, looking confused.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur entered the room. Matthew smiled at him. "Hello, my Queen."

"Oh, now, you don't have to call me that," said Arthur dismissively, smiling warmly at him.

"What if I want to?" asked Alfred with a large grin as he closed the door.

"If you know what's good for you, don't." Arthur sat across from Matthew and was delighted to see that tea was provided. He poured himself a cup and gratefully drank it. The day had been full of ups and downs so his favourite beverage was relaxing.

"Urgh," said Alfred. "I hate that stuff."

Arthur was surprised. "How can you not like tea?"

"I prefer coffee," said Alfred with a shrug, gazing happily at the other pot on the table.

"But that must be a lot more expensive to reach the palace! Surely it would be better to drink tea and save money for the people?"

The King pouted. "But I don't like tea! Besides, tea is imported from Hiled and Jibineg – that costs way more than the coffee!"

Shaking his head, Arthur place his cup down. "Hiled exports to all the other countries. And, with Jibineg, we have a roaring trade. Tea is beneficial. Unlike coffee. Only a select few drink that and it is really expensive as such. Please consider this in future."

"You don't need ships to get coffee," Alfred retorted, pouting at Arthur. The Queen only frowned and shook his head once again.

"I think it's within our budget, Arthur," said Matthew, quietly, picking up a bottle and squirting the contents into his teacup.

"What is that?" asked Arthur, curiously.

"Maple syrup."

After a brief pause, Arthur decided to give up on the subject of whether they should keep ordering certain foodstuff. Instead, he glanced at Alfred and frowned. "This is a rather tame celebration. I almost expected fireworks and alcohol."

Matthew winced but the damage was done. "Oh, wow!" exclaimed Alfred. "That sounds like such an awesome idea! Mattie, can you do that?!"

"I can," said Matthew with an exasperated smile.

"Ah, no, I did not-!" Arthur began but Alfred suddenly rose and switched chairs, dropping down beside Arthur.

"Thanks, Artie! That was such an awesome idea for your first night as Queen!"

"That-! You-! Stop!" cried Arthur as Matthew obediently rose from his place.

"He won't stop pestering till he gets his way," explained Matthew, apologetically. Then the Jack slipped from the room.

"Mattie's such a great brother! He knows just who to talk to so I can get what I want!" said Alfred, grinning at Arthur.

"Hm. How childish," said Arthur as he lifted his teacup.

"Hey," said Alfred. When Arthur glanced at him, he realised that the King suddenly looked down.

"Yes?"

Chewing on his lip, Alfred gazed at him for a moment before looking away. "You do know about the coronations? We have to go to all of them..."

"I do. As such, it will be a while before I see my younger brother again." Although he carefully kept his face blank, Arthur had only found out that afternoon from Larry who had come to measure him again. The measurement was unnecessary but the information was welcome. He had been rather upset at first, yelling at Riley and Charlie who dared to peek into the room after Larry was finished. They had placated him until he had calmed down. Now, though he was aching to make sure his brother was safe, Arthur was keeping his composure. His new duties may keep him busy but he would make sure they were done before he tended to personal matters.

"Yeah... You still angry at me about that?" asked Alfred, nervously.

"Of course not. That was my own naivety and misunderstanding." Arthur paused. "I do apologise profusely for my behaviour. The Spade kingdom must be ashamed of me..."

"Nah, it loves you," said Alfred with a grin. Arthur frowned, wondering how he could be sure when Arthur hadn't even been introduced to the populace yet. "You're different."

"Different...?"

"Obviously. You'll be great for the kingdom!"

Trying not to blush and failing, Arthur looked away and picked up his tea. "Well, next time, I shall not run from my responsibilities. Not that I can, now everyone knows who I am," he added jokingly.

"Yup. I've always known, really. Well, not always but since we were kids."

Arthur almost choked on his tea. "You... What?!"

Alfred sighed dramatically. "I knew you didn't remember!"

"What do you mean?!" demanded Arthur, setting his cup down and turning so that he was facing Alfred.

Taking a deep breath, Alfred launched into his explanation. "My dad took me on a tour of the kingdom 'cause, y'know, he could. But also 'cause I needed to see my future kingdom. But I was rather young for that and didn't really care about meeting nobles, especially since it was nearing my birthday. I wanted to go play so, after introducing me to a lot of nobles, I ended up at your house."

Letting this sink in, Arthur stared at Alfred's confident blue eyes. Something was stirring in his memory but he couldn't quite place it yet. "How old were you?" Arthur asked.

"About four," replied Alfred with a shrug. "Not really sure. But, when we got there, your parents, instead of talking to me like I knew what they were saying, chased me into the garden where you were. I tried to get you to play but you wouldn't leave your plants alone. Finally, finally, you relented and played! I told you all about my birthday and how I would be away from all my friends - y'know, the guards and that - and you said you were sorry for that but that I should be happy that I wasn't a street urchin or something. Then, as I was leaving, you hurried up to me, all shy cause you knew I was important all of a sudden, and-

"- gave you a pot..." said Arthur, slowly, remembering. He could scarcely believe that the little golden-haired boy, the sweet little thing that had successfully riled him enough to leave his flowers, was the same man before him. The little prince had definitely grown up...

"Yeah!" grinned Alfred, obviously ecstatic that he now remembered. "You said it was a present. And in it was a sunflower! I wouldn't let anyone take it from me and I kept it beside my bed! Then we went to visit the other countries and, well..." He trailed off, looking a little guilty.

"And you gave it to Ivan who has taken brilliant care of them," finished Arthur with a small, proud smile. "Although, I must say, I am glad it was not left in your care alone – it may have died, what with your apparent short attention span."

"I don't have a short attention span," said Alfred with an indignant pout. "I'm the one who snuck out of the castle to see you after I got back from all my touring. You were the one who completely forgot about me."

"Huh?" said Arthur, dumbly, feeling himself blush. "You came to see me?"

"Uh..." said Alfred, looking sheepish. "Well, I tried to... But the guards spotted me before I got a street away and I got taken home. I tried a few other times but I kept getting caught."

"I see..." Arthur said a little hesitantly. Barely, he could remember being upset that little Al hadn't returned to him. But, after a few months, he had returned to his gardening and looking forward to having a younger sibling to boss around. When Peter had come along, his hands had become full helping his parents. Al was forgotten as life moved on.

"When I became King..." began Alfred. He paused as Arthur gazed at him, noticing a sad expression cross his face. It vanished as quickly as it had come and Alfred looked back to Arthur, smiling softly. "When we knew there was a Queen out there somewhere, I knew it'd be you."

"Eh...?" breathed Arthur, a little shocked.

There was a knock at the door and Matthew re-entered. He surveyed them for a moment, clearing noting how close his brother was to Arthur as he leaned eagerly towards him. Smiling, he bowed to them. "The fireworks have been prepared if you'd like to come to the garden."

"Yay! C'mon, Artie!" cried Alfred, grabbing Arthur's hand once again. This time, Arthur slipped from his grasp and rose on his own.

"It's Arthur!" he insisted as he followed them.

"But I wanna call you Artie! I called you that when we were kids!"

"We are not children any more. My name is Arthur."

"Okay, okay! Just hurry up, will ya? This is gonna be a blast!"

Sighing, Arthur watched Alfred race along the corridor, starling maids out of his way. With a shake of his head, Arthur glanced at Matthew who he had fallen in step with. "Sorry for suggesting this. I said it without thinking."

"That's okay," Matthew assured him. "We have fireworks for the coronation. There'll just be a few less for that occasion."

"Ah, smart thinking," said Arthur, nodding in approval.

"Thank you, my- Arthur," said Matthew, blushing a little and looking proud.

At the door to the garden, Alfred was bouncing, a maid behind him staring in alarm. "Hurry, hurry, c'mon!" he called.

"Alfred, behave yourself!" demanded Arthur and the King quit his bouncing with a pout. "I apologise, miss," Arthur added to the girl with a smile.

"N-No, sire. It-It's not a problem..." she said, breathlessly.

"You're so slow!" cried Alfred as Arthur and Matthew reached him. Grabbing Arthur's arm he dragged him through the door. This time, Arthur only sighed. He supposed there was no use in telling him to stop.

In the night air, Arthur shivered a little. It was cooler than it had been earlier and his silk shirt did not do much to keep in the heat. The dusk made the blue plants appear black and the greenery grey, lending to the chill. A deathly silence had fallen over the place, no birds tweeting like normal.

"Peaceful, isn't it?" said Matthew behind him.

Arthur actually found it slightly eerie but nodded anyway. Before he could say anything, the peace was shattered by a bang overhead. Gasping, Arthur gazed upwards to find bright blue lights in the sky. It was certainly beautiful, the light brightening the flowers.

"Wow!" cried Alfred, as if he had never seen them before. Matthew drew closer to him, standing silently beside him. Arthur hung back, not wanting to intrude on the remains of Alfred's family. Instead, he turned his face up and watched the seemingly never-ending fireworks. After a few moments of doing this, however, he became a little fed up and looked round at the garden, gazing at the flowers.

A movement caught his eye and he looked up to see someone standing in the shadow of a tree. Gilbert? With a quick glance at the preoccupied brothers, Arthur slipped away. When he reached the Joker, a red firework exploded above them making Gilbert's eyes shine with more colour than before.

"Hallo! I was going to wait until midnight but then I got bored!"

"What do you want?" asked Arthur, folding his arms.

"Oh, you know," said Gilbert, grinning, the bird on his shoulder cheeping.

"You lied to me," Arthur pointed out. "I rather think I do not need to undertake your 'favour' – whatever it is."

"Now, do not say that," said the Joker, smiling mischievously. "It is very simple. And you will 'learn more about the world'."

Arthur was grateful for the darkness as he felt himself blush. He scowled. "What is it, then?" he demanded.

Gilbert held out his hand and Arthur glanced down at it. Frowning, he held out his own and took hold of it. The parchment crinkled in his hand and he took it in confusion. "These are parts of my awesome journal. You need to activate them by magic," Gilbert explained. "When you do, you will hear my memories as I heard them. I spared you my thoughts, though – they're too awesome for you!"

"More like you do not want anyone to know your true intentions."

Pouting, Gilbert put his hands on his hips. "Not awesome," he muttered.

"Well, what do you want me to do with this?"

"I just want you to listen to them. That will be all and your debt will be paid."

Immediately, Arthur became suspicious. "What is this...? You cannot-"

"Arthur!" called Alfred.

Surprised, Arthur jolted backwards, away from Gilbert, and turned. Alfred seemed to be unaware of where he was as he was looking around him in confusion. Turning back, Arthur found that Gilbert had vanished so he hurried towards his King, slipping the parchment into his pocket. Reaching him, Alfred looked relieved and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Ah, Alfred!" gasped Arthur. "You are hurting me!"

Not seeming to hear him, Alfred released him. "Now isn't the time to look at your precious flowers, Artie! Look at them!" The childish man pointed excitedly at the continuing fireworks. Arthur was frankly surprised it was still continuing. There must have been a lot of fireworks for the coronation.

"Yes, yes," said Arthur, rubbing at his ribs. He wished he could retire but he didn't want to put undue worry on Alfred or Matthew and he couldn't think of a good reason to excuse himself. "They are... pretty, I suppose."

"Yeah!"

"What were you doing down there, Arthur?" asked Matthew, suddenly at his elbow.

Startled, Arthur tried to think. "I-I thought I saw a cat..." he said, weakly.

Matthew looked at him for a moment before reaching a decision. "Yes... They seem to like slipping in through the gate," he said. "Just don't tell Alfred or he'll want one."

Gratefully, Arthur nodded and smiled. "Do not worry yourself. I am not letting him get any pets." They both turned back to watch Alfred's joy at the fireworks.


Having finally gotten rid of Alfred (who seemed to think that, after the impromptu party, they could 'hang' in the Queen's suite), Arthur went over to the table and armchair that was placed beside the fire. The room was different from the one he had been in before. He was sure the bed was bigger, with more bedclothes. The wardrobe was almost the length of the wall. Candles were placed around the room but the servants had blown them all out except for candelabra Arthur had been holding.

Sitting down, Arthur took the pieces of parchment from his pocket. One was labelled with a '1' and the other a '2'. Taking a breath, wondering what would happen to him, Arthur placed the second one on the table before willing the first journal entry to activate. He was startled as he heard the voices and he had to look around to make sure no-one was in the room. Calming himself, Arthur listened...


"How... How dare they?!" said a man's gasping voice. "How dare they?!"

"Woah, there, mister," came Gilbert's voice. "I wouldn't move around if I were you."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the one and only Joker! And you're the current King of Spades. Man, it's a good thing you already have a boy, huh?"

"Silence! I am not dead yet!"

"But you soon will be, what with having been assassinated," said Gilbert, suddenly serious. "But you want revenge, ja?"

"Of course!" snapped the King.

"Then I have just the thing for you!"

"What are you prattling on about?"

"A curse."

There was a pause as the King contemplated the Joker's words. "And... who would that curse affect."

The grin could almost be heard in Gilbert's voice as he replied. "Oh, only the King, Queen and Jack of every country in this world. For instance, when you die, they will have to remove themselves from their own thrones or face death."

Another pause. "What are the exact details?"

"If a King or Queen dies, the Kings, Queens and Jacks of every country will have to step down. The Jack position is currently given to a noble, but I bet you any amount of your remaining time alive that it will change. He or she will be voted in. As for the Queens, I have something special in mind for them. Do not worry, though – you will not be affected by these changes. Kesesesese!"

"And what must I do for you?"

"The curse requires... certain conditions..."

"Such as?"


Shocked, Arthur let the piece of parchment fall. It had stopped at that point and he was wondering what it meant. He knew that everyone had talked about a curse but the real consequences of it had happened so long ago, no-one really believed that it had happened any more. No-one remembered how it had used to be and so it had always proceeded like this.

What had the King of Spades had to do to implement the curse? How could he have done that, despite knowing how it would affect his descendants?

Most disturbingly of all, why had Gilbert made him listen to this?

Reluctantly, he picked up the next entry and willed it to activate, listening intently.


"Hallo, there!" said Gilbert, cheerily. "What is it that you want?"

A man's voice answered, a different accent from the first. "I need you to kill the King and Queen of Spades."

"Needing a change of scenery so soon?" asked Gilbert, the amusement clear in his voice.

"Something like that."

"Well, I am afraid that I cannot do that, King of Clubs. After all, I only meddle a little. Watching the world fall apart on its own is my pleasure."

"You will not do it?" asked the King.

"Nein. But I can find someone who will..."

"Do that, then."

"Do you really want Ivan on the throne, though? At such a young age?" asked Gilbert.

"Net. I will not discuss my reasons to you."

"Keep your underwear untwisted," said Gilbert, probably grinning.

"It will be difficult to kill them, though. Will your person be able to do it?"

"Ja. After all, they do spend a lot of time at sea."

"Khorosho," replied the King of Clubs. "What do you wish for in return? I hope it-"


Magically, the two pieces of parchment caught fire. They shrivelled up and disappeared as Arthur stared at the space where they had been. Now he understood why the Joker had given them to him.

Firstly, he now knew that the person who had started the unusual process of succession had been the King of Spades. The disasters which had forced the others from their thrones were part of the curse. But it was all revenge for an assassination. One of the other countries had dared to kill the King.

He also now knew that someone had killed the previous King and Queen – paid, no doubt, by the King of Clubs. Arthur was unsure why they would want this but he felt irrationally angry. Alfred and Matthew were kind and good men – they did not deserve to suffer for the Kings and Queens' games. The desire for revenge was strong.

However, if revenge was to be sought, war would fall upon the world. As a Queen, Arthur could not let that sort of thing ravage his country.

So he found himself faced with a decision. Should he tell Alfred his discovery? Or should he keep quiet?

Thinking back to everything the Joker had ever told him, he knew that Gilbert was a liar. Was this a lie, too? Something staged to give a semblance of truth.

Chewing his lip, he realised the only way to go about this. Arthur would have to investigate himself. If he found out whether the King of Clubs had really commissioned the assassination and why, perhaps Alfred would be a bit calmer about it. For Arthur had no doubt the young King would become enraged when he discovered the truth.

With a sigh, Arthur rose and walked to his bed in the dim light from the fire and candelabra. He settled himself down before, with his magic, he extinguished all the light sources so that he could worry in the dark...


The clock struck five to and began to chime. Gilbert grinned and glanced up from one of Arthur's books he had taken from his house. "So the boring Spade finally listened to them? It is ironic it is midnight, nein?" His pet bird chirruped. "I had better prepare my official uniform!"

With that, he stood and smoothed down his clothes. Magically, a tail appeared, attached to his trousers. Horns were suddenly on his head. A mask formed in mid-air, white with red lines, no face to speak of.

"Ready!" grinned Gilbert as he plucked the mask from the air. He was looking forward to what Arthur would do next.


I think I just accidentally made Gil into Arthur's stalker. The only reason he has that book is cause he reckons it'll be hilarious when Arthur goes back for them to find a few missing.

Khorosho means Good.

Yeah, a while back I had this idea that Arthur and Alfred met before. I was unsure as to whether he kind of went past Arthur's house a lot or something and managed to catch sight of him with the Marks but left him well enough alone or something... I scrapped that bit cause, frankly, that's kinda creepy. Besides, Al doesn't really have the patience to see him and not barge in.

Arthur's parents were nobles. I'm not sure if I pointed that out before and I sincerely hope I did. Oh, I haven't. Basically they were the lowest of the nobles. But they were important to the King and Queen for a particular reason. Which I won't bother to discuss just now.

I think that's about it. Except... Gil's mask is basically cause I read a doujin where he had one and it actually looked pretty darn awesome. Better than the art I saw when I Googled to find out what he actually wore in art. Turns out it's a hoodie. Shoulda known.

EDIT! I'm in the middle of writing the 10th or whatever chapter and I just realised that I had a continuity error. So I've fixed it. :)