Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, just the story.
Also, this chapter is quite short but I felt it perfect to end Act 1. There is a long note at the end of the chapter that is very important in regards to continuing this story since this is the last chapter of Act 1.
Emil watches all the Royal Flushes from the other kingdoms leave through the portals. He finds it amusing that Arthur and Lovino still refuse to go through Peter's portal, deciding to use the Queen of Spades magic again for transportation. Tino hugs those he is close with while Berwald shakes hands with the Kings of Hearts and Diamonds. The only people the Ace of Joker knows well outside of their kingdom are the other Aces after that tournament. There's also Vash, who he already said goodbye to, but no one else piques his interest to speak with.
His brother, Lukas, comes over after talking with Arthur. "Will you not say farewell to the others?"
"I've already spoken with Vash," Emil states as he crosses his arms. "There's no one else I need to say it to."
"You seem to have gotten close with Toris. None of the other Aces have your gaze?"
He shakes his head. A thought of Lovino pops up but he stays firm with his decision. "No. I'm fine."
The Jack of Joker hums, standing beside him. They watch the last group leave before he speaks up. "I know I can be overprotective of you-," the younger man snorts, "-but you should make more friends."
"You should, too, Lukas."
"I have." His eyes wander with the Dane as the sunny blond leaves the room. "Think on it. If you wish to befriend others, you can always start with Diamond and work your way around." He pushes himself off the wall. "I'm sorry but there's a certain Joker I need to keep an eye on."
"Has he finally gotten to you?" The Icelander smirks.
"Far from it." Lukas shakes his head with a small grin. "I'll come find you later."
"Don't bother," he says while his brother leaves. He comes to realize he's the only one left in the room and decides to visit the queen. Something has been on his mind since the day they opened the tunnel. He wishes to speak with Tino about it. Knocking on the office door, he peers in, checking to see if Tino is there. "Tino?"
"Come in, Emil." He enters and the lithe man smiles at him. "How may I help you?"
Tino motions for him to take a seat and he does. "Do you remember several months ago when we opened the tunnel? The warning my brother and I told you?"
"Oh." He straightens in his seat as his smile disappears. "I do. What about it?"
"Do you have no concern about it?"
"It's not that I'm unconcerned about it," Tino says while shaking his head, "we just don't know if it will truly happen."
"Our history books have proof of the same thing repeating. No matter what year it is, if the tunnel is opened, a war emerges and peace is shattered." The Ace stares at his hands. "I've been studying more about it with my brother. He's completely absorbed into it. I'm happy that Matthias can distract him from it right now but it's still unsettling."
The Queen of Joker smiles kindly at his young friend. "I understand your worry, Emil, but Fate isn't always set in stone."
"That may be, but Destiny can still take hold." He stares into Tino's eyes. "When all Flushes come together after the tunnel is opened, ill luck arises on each land."
"But we are still missing one Flush."
"And when they appear, everything will set into motion." Emil frowns. "I am merely asking that we prepare for the worst to come after hearing news of that Ace of Diamonds appearing."
Tino closes his eyes as he sighs. "I will consider it." He gazes down at his desk, the papers there not important anymore. "How far is Lukas into this?"
"So far that he's trying to see if there's a way to stop it when every Flush is present."
"He's so worried about our kingdom. It's great to hear." He smiles. "I just wish he didn't jump to conclusions on things."
Emil furrows his brows. "What do you mean?"
"I don't mean to accuse that what both of you say is untrue." He glances at the Icelander. "He believes that Matthias could be traitor to our kingdom. He found him speaking secretively with someone before moving to a different location."
The Ace of Joker's eyes widen. "So that's why he wants to be closer with Matthias lately."
"Matthias may be a good distraction, but it's not for a good reason." Tino rests his head in his hands, expelling another lung full of air. "Why must we worry over such things? Nothing is going to happen in the near future."
"Isn't it best to be cautious, Tino? How else will we know what to do if war truly breaks out between the kingdoms?"
Tino hums, leaning back into his chair. He stays silent with is eyes closed again. Thoughts race through his mind as his eyes move from one side to the other under his eyelids. Emil waits for his answer, his instructions. As Captain of the Guard, they'll need to plan a protocol just in case drastic measure are in order. He hopes that is what the queen is think of.
"For now, I want you to stop reading about the past." Tino opens his eyes as he looks at Emil. "I will speak with Berwald about this and he will guide you. I know he can plan a good recourse for us to use." With a smile, he nods at the other. "So please let this go for now and go about your duties. That is an order, Emil."
Emil stands, bowing in respect. "Of course, my queen." He leaves the room, stomach in knots. Nothing will be solved this way but he can't do anything about it. He's already spoken with Tino, there's not much else to do. They'll just have to wait and see what time brings them.
The Ace of Joker cannot help but wish that the Ace of Diamonds will never show. If they stay missing, their tranquil lives will stay the way they are now. He doesn't want that to change.
Matthias rushes around a corner and blends into the shadow. He watches as Lukas comes around, scowling while scanning the area. The Jack of Joker curses as he continues on down the hall. When he's gone, Mat comes out of hiding and sighs in relief.
As much as he enjoys the thought of his destined partner chasing him down, he has a feeling that it's not because Lukas has finally admitted he wants to be with him. No, he knows that after the meeting, someone overheard a little of the conversation he had with his friend. It's no surprise to him that it was possibly Lukas who tried following after them. He can't tell anyone about what he's doing, though.
Searching the corridor, Matthias ducks behind a tapestry nearby and summons a portal. He steps through and enters a black forest. On the other side sit two men waiting for him. He smiles as his portal closes behind him.
"Sorry to keep the both of you waiting. I had someone to lose before coming by."
The man in black sighs. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have come on the day of the meeting."
"I was the one who asked for you, so don't apologize." The blond nods to the tan clothed man. "So what's going on? I felt my shadow wavering like it does when you need my assistance."
The man in black looks at his companion before glancing back at Matthias. "We know why no one has found the Ace of Diamonds."
Not expecting this kind of news, Matthias blinks. "What?"
"We were able to find her, but you're not going to like hearing where she is."
"Just tell me."
A sigh with a beat of silence. "She's at her castle."
Matthias takes a moment, cursing as he glares at a tree. "She's planning something, isn't she?"
"Yes. She's heard of the other Flushes being found and is making her move. What do you want us to do?"
The Dane paces in front of them. "Keep an eye on her. If she does anything, let me know immediately."
"Will you tell the King and Queen?"
"I can't. I mean, we know where the Ace of Diamonds is, which is good, but that doesn't mean we can even get her back." He waves a hand in the air. "There's absolutely nothing we can do unless she somehow escapes Demrad. I know just how hard it is to even enter that place. You both are lucky to even get in and out like you do."
"She doesn't know about us." The tanned man speaks up. "She doesn't care what we do as long as she can get what she wishes. My shadows keep it that way so we can do as we please."
"I'm grateful for that." Mat smiles a little. "Just be careful. Both of you. You may be acting as her own spies but we can't let her figure out the two of you are actually working for me."
"We'll be sure not to raise her suspicions." The black clad man bows his head. "We should get going. The others will wonder where we are."
"Right." He nods. "Keep me posted on her movements."
The two nod toward him and stand. The shorter man raises his hand and his shadow turns into a dark portal. He steps through with the other following him in. Matthias shivers, not understanding how they could be okay with roaming the shadows. It's enough that he can meld into them for hiding. The touch of darkness has never been something he liked.
As soon as he's able to collect his thoughts, Mat creates his own portal and goes into his hut located just outside of the Joker Kingdom. He closes the door and stares at his wall covered with notes. Dread fills him as he thinks about the warning Lukas and Emil have stated before. Unfortunately, he knows that the war to come is unstoppable. No matter how hard anyone tries to postpone it, it will be inevitable.
Note: So this is the end of Act 1. I had a HARD time figuring out what sounded like an okay ending for it. I had originally kept a section with Matthias as the last part of the chapter, but too much was given away. After a long thought on it, I decided to keep some questions unanswered, so I cut that section out. I've kept it in a separate file for now just in case I will use it for a later scene.
Anyway, I wanted to let everyone know that Act 2: Omens will not be posted up for a long while. I haven't exactly started writing it yet and don't intend to post anything up until I'm either half way through writing it or completely finished. The same will happen when I finish Act 2 and go into Act 3. Hopefully the haitus won't be too terribly long since I've been actively writing this story every day. Literally, I pushed out the last set of chapters in a week. Also, I've finished the chapter timeline summary for Act 2 so hopefully I'll be posting up Act 2 either before the end of the year or exactly the start of next year. I hope you'll be patient until then.
I also want to note that there will be a 1.5 act that has scenes from every kingdom and everyone's relationships growing. It's literally going to be called Act 1.5 Growing Relationships. I have a four year skip between acts 1 and 2 and figured I should have some filler in between so everyone knows how the characters are doing. Also, the romance will fly in that part and bring together the pieces of everyone being closer after four years. Not much will be missing. The question about how long part 1.5 will be is still up in the air. Also, I might make part 1.5 it's own thing. I'm still wondering whether I should separate The Five Kingdoms like I have on AO3. I might since it'll be easier to organize. We'll see when I start posting parts 1.5 and 2.
I thank you all for reading Act 1 of the Five Kingdoms and I hope you enjoyed it right up to the end!
For now, I leave a small snippet of a summary for Act 2 just to keep you guys eager:
Nearly four years have passed since the Royal Flushes were filled with the help of the tunnel. Things have been going fine for all the kingdoms. That is, until the Ace of Diamonds is found. After she is recovered, different disasters begin in all the kingdoms. As each kingdom goes through hard times, the King of Spades lays blame on the King of Clubs. It doesn't help when a dark, ominous purple cloud is spreading from the Kingdom of Clubs. The trust between kingdoms quickly break and a war can be seen on the horizon. The Joker Kingdom tries keeping the peace but is unable to. Will they be lost in war and need to be wary of their neighbors, or will they be able to see the truth in the shadows?
I hope that keeps your interest long enough until I post up Act 2!
This is not beta-ed so there might be mistakes.
Ciao: I hope you enjoyed the update, lovelies! Thank you for reading! R&R.