i'm going to stick with updating on the weekend for the time being, if you guys want me to adapt more to your reading style, i'll consider it. i'm sorry that chapters (for the people on my side of the world) will be released in the middle of the night, I have to pertain to my main viewer circle, whose time difference makes it that way.
i also edited the first three chapters, I will do a formal rewrite after I get out more new content. Which is proving difficult.
but yeah, 50 reviews. Whew. We've gotten so much farther than I could have hoped for, at 15 chapters. Thank you all! Let's make it to 100 and beyond!
Storm, I really do appreciate you recommending my story, and ThisIsTheEarth, the real danger comes from the chainsaw anon. and there's a lot of hate (from reviewers and me) to be expected for that chapter. no spoilers ;)
i still don't own hetalia nor the selection. they belong to kiera cass and hidekaz himaruya respectively.
The next morning, the Chosen had the option of taking breakfast in their rooms. Arthur had considered having it down in the Drawing Room, but when a guard came knocking on his door with an envelope from Kiku, he decided to stay back and devour the words-and the good food. He'd dismissed Anna after his breakfast was delivered, asking about her wellbeing during the rebel attack, which she brushed off his worries and told him she had been fine.
Dear Arthur,
How have you been doing? I trust that you have been well. I hope you have been unfettered by the recent rebel attacks. We have been largely unaffected by their passing, we have only been taking drills in case of an attack on the palace. We were all worried when we received news of the attack. Please write back soon to assure your safety.
Moving on, how is your Deciding going? Mine has been going extremely well, the King and Jack of Hearts have been exceedingly kind. A few people got stroppy and into a fight, so we've dwindled down to around fifteen. I'm aware it has been probably moving slower for you, but King Ludwig and Jack Feliciano wanted a queen, one that is a wise ruler, not a lover. I know the prince must be very careful with his heart, and so do not be disappointed if he does not spend as much time with as he possibly has in the past. You may deny that you feel a form of attraction to him, but I can tell from your speech at the Broadcast that you have sufficient interest in him to feel for him. Do not worry, my friend, I will not make fun of you. I have fallen in love before you, after all.
And it is all right if you cannot provide any more additional aid, I know that you have tried your best to tried to make his dire situation better. Maybe it is fate, after all…never mind. But if you receive any news, please let me know. I-I do worry.
But again, I suspect your motives for staying in the competition have changed, and I am happy that you have garnered affection for the prince, and therefore have something to fight for. I wish you happiness and success in your endeavours to win the prince's heart (I must admit, he is partly attractive,), and I'll make an effort to come to your wedding. Please do not feel obliged to make me your bridesmaid!
Best regards,
Kiku
Arthur bit his lip, feeling a laugh rumble in his stomach from Kiku's amusing letter, even though it was rather formal even for him and his best friend.
Toying with his pen, he tried to garner ideas for a thoughtful letter back, but when he managed to start writing his letter after staring at his paper containing the two words 'Dear Kiku,' a hyper barking sounded outside his door, accompanied with a few giggles.
"Hey, wait up for me, puppy!" a melodic giggle rang out, followed by a cluster of calls.
Gingerly opening the door, a dog pelted in Arthur's room, ears flying and tail wagging, before he leapt up onto his bed and yapped loudly.
"Oi, what are you doing here? I didn't know the palace had pets!" Arthur exclaimed, approaching the dog slowly. He'd raised a cat named Teacup that had died when he was small, being a long-time family pet since his father had married his mother.
The dog just lolled his tongue and yipped happily, taking a running start and leaping onto Arthur's chest, and the lanky teenager jumped back with a yelp, but instinctively wrapped his arms around the pooch, which the dog took as an invitation to lick his face.
"I see, you want cuddles-oi, stop that! You've cleansed my entire face with your slobber! That's enough, I'll just-wait!" the blonde teen spluttered, as the door flung open noisily again.
"Hey, Hero, are ya here? Herooooo!"
"Your Highness…! Is this your dog?" Arthur yelped, currently having a furry snout and a wet nose pressed against his ear.
"Ah yeah! You managed to find him! That's awesome! Hero, come here!"
Hero yipped happily in surprise, and started to squirm rather powerfully for a small Jack Russell like him, which prompted Arthur to quickly place him on the floor where he bounded to his owner and nuzzled the back of his hand.
"Aww, he's so cute!" unfortunately, the gaggle of girls and boys had not subsided, and they fawned over the pooch.
Alfred, however, made his way to Arthur and handed him a napkin, which he proceeded to use to wipe the slobber off his cheek.
"You okay? Hero's just a little boisterous sometimes."
"Yes, I'm fine, he's just a little ball of energy, isn't he? When did you get him?"
"Uh, I got him for my fifteenth birthday. He's just turned four this year, but I still see him as a puppy. Talking about puppies, did he slobber all over you? If he did, sorry about that."
"Yes, well…I had a cat and she didn't lick me all over like that, not nearly as badly, after all…"
"If you'd let your cat lick you, it is okay if I lick your cheek? You know…" Alfred grinned, his smile teasing.
Arthur went shockingly scarlet, and swivelled away from him, pressing a hand to his cheek impulsively all the same.
"A-Alfred! Not in front of them!" he protested, and the prince quickly lowered his volume, shooting a gaze back to his dog and the crowd surrounding him.
"Yeah, the secretive thing. Sorry 'bout that." he said dejectedly, letting his hand drop.
Arthur quickly felt guilty, and discreetly wove his fingers through his, giving him a quick squeeze.
"No, it's fine. Just…try to keep the obvious attraction a little more on the-down low. It's not like I-I enjoy them, of course!"
Alfred winked, giving his hand another fond squeeze, before a high pitched squeal made them both jump apart and quickly cast their gazes from each other, the two of them blushing and flustered.
After the eventful morning, the Chosen all were instructed to come down to the board room for some discussion. When they got there, the princes were sitting and talking in hushed, slightly frustrated tones. The Jack looked tense to the point of looking almost upset, tightly clutching a sheaf of papers. A small group of guards were talking with an advisor clothed in green and blue, their faces animated.
They all gracefully took a seat when Yao hissed out a 'let's begin', and he skimmed through his papers again, waving a hasty hand, signalling everyone else as Prince Matthew and Alfred took their seats, Alfred in the King's chair and Matthew, acting as the Ace, settling in the Queen's chair and the Jack settling into his throne.
A void that will certainly be filled at the end of this Deciding, Arthur thought.
"All right. Most of you, except for the Chosen, know that we have a very important annual meeting that will be taking place in around four days. Unfortunately…we are faced with the task of hosting the other Kingdoms this year, so we must have a part in readying the palace. The Chosen are not obligated to help out with the heaviest tasks, but they are agreed to help out with the little things, such as doing light manual labour."
Natalya raised her hand up, looking incredibly interested.
"Does this mean that all the Kingdoms will be coming to Spades for the Meeting?"
"Yes, all the Kingdoms. Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs." his voice caught on the last word, but he nodded firmly.
She clasped her hands to her chest and began feverishly whispering to Marianne and Clare, who'd she seemed to be best friends with now. Arthur felt no bitterness, but he felt a small twinge of betrayal, remembering how quickly they had been to form a tentative friendship of some sorts and how easily that had fell apart.
But again, if she decided to lump herself with a bunch of fanciful girls that were probably after the crown more than the prince himself, so be it, really. It was her choice.
Subsequently the palace was a flurry of activity for the next few days. Thankfully, the Jack was very occupied with organizing the event, so the Chosen were let off for their lessons for the week. Unfortunately, this meant more spare time to be coerced into help prepare for the huge Meeting, which meant groaning noises and rolling eyes. But after the day was done and the right wing of the palace was deemed 'presentable' (Arthur thought it looked bloody brilliant to him), although he had to ask why there was a gym of some sort in the smack bang of it.
"You know, Alfred likes to play sport here! He calls his buddies up here and we have a good scrimmage!" the same fair-haired general named Matthias, said good naturedly, arranging his badges merrily. Arthur took the fact that he did not address Alfred with the 'Prince' prefix as a sign that they were very close friends, and moved on, doing a quick bow before going to his and Leon's meeting place.
More free time meant more talks with who Arthur was quickly considering to be one of his more…closer friends, and Leon was there already, apparently just browsing as he was turned towards a bookcase.
"Ah, there you are, Arthur! Like, sit down!" he called, quickly whipping around after seeming to inspect a book for another moment, both of them finding plush chairs, like the ones Alfred and Arthur had sat down on their first date.
"Sorry for being late, Leon! I had just bumped into one of the generals from the Joker attack, and we had a small talk. He's named Matthias, I think?"
The brunette perked up at the sound of his name, and nodded.
"Yes, one of the head generals! He and Alfred were totally best friends when they were kids."
"That's interesting, how did you know?"
Leon blushed a little, and seemed to shoot a glance at one of the bookcases before reply.
"You know, that first day me and the prince had our date? The fair-haired guard who led me there, we had a little chat. His name's Emil, and he's pretty nice. Apparently, he isn't from here. He was from Clubs, and Matthias and his husband, Lukas, adopted him. He worked in Lukas's bar before being drafted here. That's, like, totally sad, the draft, but he says he's happy. He's really nice."
"I see, you've made a friend inside the palace. That's great!" Arthur exclaimed, and his friend nodded in reply.
"Talking about dates….me and Alfred had another date, three days ago! It was so sweet, he went walking with me and held my hand!"
The blonde's face immediately fell, and he fought to keep up a happy face, a happy one for his pretty much best friend, but Leon had already noticed, with glee lighting in his face.
"I knew it! I totally called it! You're definitely in love with him! Mark, you owe me your jacket!" Leon cheered, jumping up and doing a victory round around the table.
"W-What? I'm not! It's not like that at all!" Arthur protested, but if the pink tint on his cheeks were anything to go by, it was just like it.
"Aw YEAH! This is the best week ever! Tell me one more thing-have you kissed him yet?"
"N-No!" the blush intensified, and Leon simply couldn't hold back his triumphant laughter, throwing his fist to the air in celebration.
"You did! You totally did! Now Mark has to give me his pants!"
"Don't tell me you're expecting him to run around the palace naked!"
"Now you mention it…sounds like a good idea! I'll ask him to do that when the prince chooses you to be the next Queen!"
"Leon, he wouldn't do that!"
"Why not? You're funny, nice, sassy, smart, sweet…sometimes, and you look nice. Not to mention your singing!"
"What do you mean, my singing?"
"You forget our rooms are right next to each other's. You sing almost every freaking night in the shower. Even my maid likes to hear you sing. What else do the people want out of their queen? You're so good at magic as well, and I barely managed to switch my block! Who would want me to be their husband, let alone a Queen?" Leon sighed, suddenly looking awfully dejected, snuffling slightly.
A loud coughing of some sorts came from around the bookcase. Startled, Arthur quickly realized that they were probably not alone. He got up from his chair and awkwardly squeezed his friend's shoulder.
"Leon…I think you're worrying over something foolish. You've got so many amazing qualities."
"Like what?"
"You're fearless. You say what you want to say, not what other people would like to hear. You can make everyone laugh at your jokes more than I can try. And that's just scratching the surface."
"Do…do you really think so? I mean, even if Prince Alfred doesn't want me, then what happens after the Deciding?"
"He likes you for sure, the other day we were talking, and he told me that he thinks very highly of you," Arthur interjected, but Leon wasn't even finished.
"And that's another thing! Both of you go on and on about anything, and when we have our dates we end up watching a movie together while we stuff our faces with popcorn, or we play cards, while both of you just go on and on! When he eliminates me, I don't have to return to the holding facilities, I think we're given a stipend as well as the money we received from being part of it. I guess they'll just view me as a rich kid, and nothing more. Who's going to marry me?"
"You just need time, Leon. He just needs to feel a little more comfortable, that's all. I can imagine that there's going to be a huge queue of suitors ready to sweep you off your feet. But you don't really want a queue, yes?"
"I only want one person to love me as much as I love them," Leon mumbled, fiddling with his jacket.
"Was there someone in your holding facility? You seem to have someone in mind."
"No one, of course not! I made a handful of friends, yes, but…no one I met I was interested in romantically. Duh." he replied quickly, shaking his head firmly.
"Is it Alfred? I mean, you seem to genuinely like him. Even if you don't feel a real connection, you might just need some time." Arthur pressed.
"Yeah. Ye-yeah, it's probably him. Just a few late jitters from before the huge Meeting and stuff. Anyway, I think that it's going to be totally huge! What did you do? Did you do decorations, or anything like that? Tell me!"
The abrupt change of subject confused the slightly taller blonde, but he went along with it, noting his friend's awkward discomfort.
it was a mystery whether mark ran around the palace naked the next day or not
apparently, in the first drafts of The Selection the prince had a dog, so I decided to add Hero to make up for the angst in future chapters
updating will still be normal for a while. reviews, favourites and follows are what will keep me writing!