The Catbird Seat

Chapter 9

Matthew sipped the tea offered to him. Arthur dug his nails into the palm of his hand. Matthew set down his tea cup with a soft clink. The breeze rustled the leaves above them before passing over the rest of the royal garden.

"Matthew."

Matthew's eyebrows tilted up ever so slightly, and his delicate smile twitched wider, silently giving Arthur his attention.

Arthur, much in contrast to Matthew's heavily peaceful appearance, was haggard. He'd been struggling with the knowledge he seized in the Jack's private library. He let out a weary sigh. "… We're…going to have another War."

Matthew's smile shrunk. He'd be happy to have Arthur lean on his shoulder for moral support, but anything beyond that would be…frowned upon. "This is conversation, right?"

Arthur's eyes fell down to Matthew's cup. He thought conducting business in the royal garden would strengthen his resolve. Days of spending breakfasts and lunches in the garden with Alfred had him comfortable the second he stepped out of his bedroom door. Save for right now.

"Arthur?"

"No, I'm afraid it isn't."

"Arthur…" Matthew's tone fell like a disappointed mother's.

Arthur pressed his open palms against his knees to avoid his fidgeting. "I don't want it. Another War. I want to do everything I possibly can to avoid it. I want to go as far as inviting the other kings to Spades to somehow bandage the rising tensions."

Matthew let out a laugh which he disguised as a cough.

Embarrassment burned Arthur's cheeks. "I understand," he spoke through gritted teeth, "that it'd look more like I want to just kill them all with one fell swoop and win three kingdoms." His tenseness eased. "But I honestly want to avoid casualties. I'm sure they do, too. All the kings are young. Too young. It's far too early for a War to take place." After a pause, he added, "I want balance."

Matthew's sudden mirth fled him. "I'm not sure what you want me to do. Perhaps meet in the kingdom between everyone? Diamonds? King Ivan would appreciate the shorter trip. If you're all in Diamonds, you'll be fine. There's plenty of land surrounding the capital. Perfect for fleeing."

"I don't appreciate your joking."

"I'm not." Matthew's gentle smile fell into a frown. "I think the best idea is to meet up, bond, and solve whatever problems the kingdoms are going through. …And perhaps slow down on innovations. Maybe."

"Are you saying it's better to stop the pursuing of science in favor of letting a few people feel a little more comfy in their decrepit world?"

Matthew winced and hooked a finger around his teacup handle. "I didn't say that. I meant that…with the weapon advances Spades has, I would be concerned, too. If I was a king. Or queen. Or anyone who doesn't live in Spades." He took a sip from his cup.

"We can't halt our factories and advances in the name of—"

"—Peace?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth, Matthew."

"You're doing the same with me." Matthew gulped down the rest of the tea in his cup before setting it down with a slightly louder clink than before. He moved to stand. "If you don't have anything—"

Arthur poured Matthew another cup as he kept his gaze locked with the Ace's. With a disgruntled frown, Matthew sat back down and stared at the tea in his cup. Arthur set the tea pot down. "It'd be rude to leave without finishing your tea."

"I know."

"I'd advise you not guzzle it down."

"Thank you," Matthew murmured and trailed his finger down the tea cup's side. "You have more to say?"

"I do." Arthur's eyes rested on Matthew's finger stroking the tea cup. "I searched through my Jack's library."

The finger froze before continuing its motion.

"I found something that—well… Some things that may help me control the flow of this War. So everyone lives. So there are no casualties. No fires. No destruction. Aren't you interested?" Arthur's eyebrows drew together as his gaze flew up from Matthew's finger to his face. "I know you have to keep the Balance first, but can't you appreciate a peaceful existence before a traditional War?"

"Of course I can." Matthew sat up and met Arthur's gaze. "Stop pretending you want balance and peace in Cards."

Arthur's pleading expression melted into confusion. "I'm…not pretending."

"You're pretending, Queen of Spades. You don't want balance or peace. You don't care about the other kingdoms. You only care about how the War will affect you and King Alfred."

Arthur smacked his hands down on the table and stood, glaring Matthew down. "I suggest you think more on your words before you speak. And think about who you're talking to."

"Queen of Spades, I said." Matthew leaned back against his chair and held the tea cup before taking a sip. "I don't care about your real motivation, but…don't try to trick me. Right now your well-being and King Alfred's well-being line up with the needs of your people. Which is great. For now." He set down his cup.

Arthur shoved his anger away and took his seat again, feeling a sense of sheepishness overtake him. "I apologize for my outburst."

"No problem."

Arthur's eyes fell down to the table. "I was looking through the Jack's library to find something to avoid another War. And I found some things."

"I'm interested."

Arthur lifted his chin to meet Matthew's gaze. A soft warmth filled him as Matthew made an effort to focus on the situation despite Arthur's outburst. "The text I found more or less said…that an Ace's power is transferable."

"No."

Worry washed over Arthur. "You don't even know what I was going to suggest."

Matthew shook his head before gulping down his second cup of tea and setting it down. "Doesn't matter. If it involves transferring an Ace's power, it's bad news."

Arthur pointedly frowned and filled Matthew's cup again with the remaining tea.

Matthew let out a frustrated huff.

"If I had all the Ace's powers—all four—then the only beings that could stand a chance against me would be the Jokers. I could just say that we'll all live peacefully. And we will."

"Until something happens to King Alfred."

"Nothing will happen to him." Arthur set the tea pot down. Determination filled his eyes. "We won't have a War ever again. No more dead kings."

Matthew pressed a hand against his chest and glared down at his cup. Once he'd gathered himself, he rested his hands in his lap. "It's wrong."

"How can it be?"

"You're just a human, Arthur. Please, drop the subject. I don't want to see you as a danger to the Balance. It's going to be hard to accept King Alfred's death when it comes along, but…you can get through it." Matthew gulped down his third cup of tea.

Arthur's hand pulled into a fist in his silent frustration, and his head fell forward to hide the temptation of frustrated tears.

Matthew set down his cup and stood before taking Arthur's fist and giving it a small squeeze. "When it happens, I'll help. You don't have to face his death alone. He wouldn't want you to anyway. …Are you going to be alright if I leave you for right now, Arthur?"

Arthur's fist slackened, and he gave Matthew's hand a slight squeeze in return. He nodded before pulling his hand away from Matthew's.

Mostly satisfied with the conversation's end, Matthew stepped back inside the royal bedroom. Arthur knew he was gone when he'd heard his bedroom door close.