The King of Diamonds waved and smiled at his subjects. A massive crowd, one larger than any the other Kings had seen, gathered below the palace to see their beloved monarch.

The war torn city, though desecrated in parts, felt alive and happy for the first time in four years.

Francis turned to Alfred and Ivan, both of whom stood back so the crowd couldn't see them.

"This victory belongs to you too." He said, holding out his hand.

The crowd cheered loudly as the handsome King of Spades stepped out onto the balcony.

"Vive le roi de pique!" (Long live the King of Spades) They yelled. Francis grabbed Ivan's hand and drug him out too.

"vive le roi de trèfle!" (Long live the King of Clubs) the crowd responded to Ivan's shy wave.

XXX

The Kings and their Cards laughed in the palace's huge dining hall. Paintings of past kings lined the walls again, having been brought out of hidden rooms and peasant homes. Banners of bright orange and white fluttered in the breeze following in through the windows.

"Aiya, Alfred never left Arthur alone! The twins always followed Arthur around, from the time they could walk-aru." Yao said in response to Francis asking what Alfred was like as a child.

"Da, I can see that." Ivan smiled over his glass. "Even as a grown man, he never left Arthur alone."

Alfred lightly punched Ivan on the arm.

"Fratello, we need to talk." Feliciano gently touched his King's arm. Lovino stood behind him with a strangely gentle expression.

XXX

Curious, Antonio followed them to Francis's room.

"Francis, all of us, even you, have wondered why you look nothing like us." Feliciano began. "You aren't Papa's son."

"Feli, that is ridiculous." Antonio said, trying to laugh.

"In Berlin, I found the dead King of Heart's journals," Feliciano said. "Locked behind a painting of the King. In them, he talks about his son born the same year Francis was, before the Great War's ending. He managed to keep this baby, named Franz, a secret for a few years. At the end of the War, Papa decreed that the first born child of the King and Queen of Hearts be handed over to him. The Queen was pregnant and they thought to give that child to Papa. But somehow, Papa found out about Franz and demanded the boy be given to him. That baby, Francis, was you."

"Feliciano, I welcome you back with open arms but you decide to lie about me-!"

"Francis, it makes sense." Lovino said. "I lived in Berlin, I saw paintings of the King and Queen, you look like them! You have Ehren's hair color and the Queen's eyes, you have the same annoyed face Ludwig does and the same domineering personality as Gilbert!"

"Do not dare compare me with them, Lovino!" Francis yelled.

"Francis, please think for a moment!" Feliciano was close to tears. "You have been born by the Hearts but you are the King of Diamonds! Papa's will said so! Even if you weren't born to the Diamonds, you are still Papa's son. He loved you Francis. As do we."

"Who else knows of this?" Francis asked after an eon of silence.

"No one but us." Feliciano said. "Ehren and Cato swore to never speak of your birth, not even to their families."

"I need sleep." Francis suddenly said. "Please leave me." His brothers nodded and left.

Once gone, Francis blew out the candles and crawled into his bed. He lay there for a moment, breathing heavily. He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. Tears fell from his eyes and he did not try to hold back a sob.

"Arthur, why did you have to leave me?" he choked out. "You knew, didn't you, you filthy pirate, you destitute King! You knew you were going to die, didn't you! With those stupid cards of yours." The image of Arthur's hurt and saddened expression swam through his mind. "Oh, Arthur, I don't mean that."

XXX

"Feli, I can't believe you told him!" Lovino said, pacing around Antonio's room.

"You said it was a good idea!" Feliciano sat on the huge bed, his legs pulled up to his chest and his little chin resting on his knees.

"You say I was already born when Papa brought Francis here?" Antonio asked.

"Si." Feli nodded, his curl bouncing slightly. "You were just a few months old."

"I wish I could remember." Antonio stared at the slowly pacing Lovino.

"I wish it wasn't true." Feli said a knock came to the door.

"Hey, what's up with Francis?" Alfred's voice came from under the door.

"Come in Alfred." Antonio called. "It's no use talking through a door."

"Seriously, what's going on?" Alfred wore Arthur's determined expression.

"Don't go telling him." Lovino said, stopping his trek around Antonio's carpet.

"Francis told me." Alfred said, crossing his arms. "You could've picked a better time to tell him."

"Why'd you ask if you already knew?" Lovino snapped.

"'Cause, I wanna hear it from you." Alfred raised an eye brow and looked at Feli.

"What is there to tell?" Feliciano asked. "You already know."

"You didn't have to tell him."

"That's what I said." Lovino resumed his pacing.

"Does it really matter?" Alfred asked.

"No, it's just-."

"You love him right?" Alfred cut him off. They nodded. "He's your King right?" Another nod. "Then it doesn't matter and you shouldn't have told him."

He turned and left the room.

Alfred shook his head as he walked back to the banquet. News of his birth was the last thing Francis needed.

He froze as he heard a familiar voice.

"Yao, I have to admit, I never thought we would get along." Alfred peered around a corner.

The King of Clubs and the Nine of Spades stood very close. Yao stared up at Ivan with a wide eyed expression Alfred had never seen him wear, a sappy slavish look that made him uncomfortable.

"We are very similar, aren't we?" Yao asked, his voice strangely soft.

"I suppose we are." Yao shifted closer but Ivan seemed not to notice.

The Nine cautiously lay a hand on Ivan's arm, a slight blush spreading across his face.

"You're a very regal King, your Excellency." Ivan looked down, his eyes widening.

"Thank you?" Yao didn't recognize the questioning tone.

"Hey, Ivan, can I talk to you?" Alfred rounded the corner, hoping neither would see the hurt in his eyes.

"Of course." Ivan quickly walked away from the Nine.

"What is it?" He asked after putting a decent distance between himself and the Nine.

"What was that about?" Alfred snapped.

"It was nothing, Alfred." Ivan stared at him in surprise. "Nothing at all."

"He seemed pretty hot for you."

"It was one sided." Alfred frowned but was satisfied. Ivan gently hooked a finger under Alfred's chin and titled his face up. "I have eyes only for you."

"Your Excellency!" a Card ran up to Ivan, panting slightly. "An urgent letter has arrived to you from the Queen."

Ivan thanked him and opened the envelope. His real smile spread across his face but quickly fell when he reached the second page.

"Get the Diamonds, Alfred."

XXX

"What is the meaning of this?" Francis walked into his study, his eyes red from sleep and tears.

"Just sit and listen." Ivan said. "'Kings of Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades, it grieves me to tell you of this' let me see. Sorry, 'atrocity. After marching through terrible conditions and hearing my Cards and friends moan from hunger, we discovered a far greater injustice. A camp, with buildings made from the worst materials and workmanship, were it appears those deemed unwanted by the Hearts are sent. If you have heard of the trains, your Excellencies, that take people away, never to be from again, this is where they go. Diamond, Club, and even Heart men are put to work in fields doing ridiculous tasks and given little or no food. It has been bitterly cold here but these people have been given no blankets and are forced to sleep in piles to stay warm. Boys as young as twelve are forced into the same work as a grown man. As for the women, it pains me more to speak of them. Most women are killed, along with their children, their bodies burned in massive furnaces. The ones, men and women, look less than human. Never have I seen a thinner being, that should be dead from lack of food but somehow, they are miraculously alive.'"

"Who would order such a thing?" Francis looked over at Feliciano and Lovino. Both had ceased moving and stared blankly at each other.

Feliciano suddenly grabbed his brother's arm. "Gilbert's purity."

"What does it matter if Gilbert's a virgin?" Antonio asked.

"No, he wants the Heart Suit to be 'pure'."Feliciano seemed to shrink before their eyes. "He always talked about it but every time Ludwig would ask him how he planned on doing it, Gilbert would deny everything."

"You're saying it wasn't Ludwig's fault?" Alfred's face held little emotion. Feliciano nodded. "Bullshit. He's King, everything's his fault."

"Yeah, about that." Lovino said dryly. "Ludwig really isn't King. He's more like a figure head. Sure everything runs through him but the Ace, Ten and Jack do more to run the Suit."

"Speaking of which." Ivan said, turning the letter over. "Yekaterina reports that they have killed the Ace of Hearts."

"What?" the Cards turned back to him as one.

"Da. Listen." Ivan cleared his throat a little. "'During a small battle near the camp we freed, we found the portion of the army lead directly by the Ace of Hearts. It was a quick battle. We took them by surprise and found ourselves with the chance to either capture or kill her. She was injured badly and died before I or any of our ranking Cards could talk to her.'"

"Poor Roderich." Feliciano said softly. "That means now Gilbert will hold the Ace."

For a moment, no one heard nor saw.

"We have to end this." Alfred's voice penetrated the silence. "This can't go on anymore. We've lost too many lives. All of us. Heart, Diamonds, Spades, Clubs." The others looked at him as his voice trailed off. But they met each other's eyes and Alfred needed to say no more.

"My Clubs can be in Berlin in two months." Ivan watched Alfred proudly.

"We must be there to meet them." Antonio added.

"Then we will be there." Francis smiled slightly.

XXX

"Sire?" the Kings turned as they left the room to go their separate ways.

The Nine of Hearts stood against a wall, trying to melt into the orange paint. She was watching Alfred intently, her eyes wide and questioning.

"Yes?"

"I have this for my brother, can you take it to him?" she whispered. "He gets very cold easily and his elbow hurts because of it. He broke it once, your highness-."

"I'll see to it that he gets it." He smiled down at her. Her eyes never lost their questioning.

"Thank you." She curtsied and scurried off.

As she turned though, her eyes found Francis's for just a second. She felt sad looking at both the King of Diamonds and Spades and was drawn to them, more so than any one she had ever met. She blushed lightly and continued on.

Long chapter to make up for the short one. Isn't Lili cute?