as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.
True to both the schedule and Jack Yao's word, Arthur had the entire afternoon to himself.
He'd drafted the beginnings of a rambling letter to Kiku, telling him about his currently very brief time in Spades, though he had stopped as soon as he had heard a small commotion outside – that must be the Chosen from Diamonds and Clubs.
What appeared like a small fleet of blue carriages pulled up to the entrance of the palace, barely visible from Arthur's window. The cameras, unlike last time when he arrived in the dead of night, were poised perfectly to take photos of the Chosen exiting the carriages with the fading sun in the background. Though there were a few jostles here and there with palace security, it was around half an hour until everyone had exited their carriages and the cameras followed them into the palace.
After all the excitement had cooled down, Arthur resumed his examination of the map – maybe he would actually do some sightseeing after all. Just seeing the amount of space that the palace library took up on the map excited him, not to mention the gardens that he could barely see from his window.
It had all the usual clippings of a traditional, beautiful garden – Arthur could see the peaks of arching trees and a hint of white marble, but the one aspect that he most dearly wanted to see for himself were the rumoured blue flowers that covered the gardens, the crowning jewels of the establishment. All he had ever gotten to see of it were photos and mentions in lectures and textbooks about the history of the palace, but being able to see it in person...
Hopefully after the meal, the garden would be much more open for a lone visitor. In the information pack, there had been a schedule for the next week. It had stated that the rest of the palace would be busy for the last batch of arrivals, so Arthur would be attempting to avoid contact with too many people, obviously. As a result, he decided that he would visit it straight after dinner, two hours before curfew if dinner took an hour. That would give him ample time to at least explore a little bit of it and perhaps see some of the blooms before having to scamper back to his room.
Arthur really didn't know what to keep his eye on at dinner – the menu, which outlined a series of elaborate dishes, with creamy sauce and some form of fish, or his assigned seating partners.
Interestingly enough, there were visibly less people at dinner than there had been at the start of the day – they had probably already been eliminated, or something like that. His mind cast back to the people behind the Ace and Jack in the hallway, but Arthur's seating partner to his left didn't really give him time for him to dwell on it.
Said seating partner, named Leon, looked like he had walked off the pages of a fashion magazine with his immaculate hair and refined posture. Even from when he had started speaking, his voice had a cool edge to it that made Arthur feel like a bit of an old sod. From the brief conversation they had, though, his looks were a little deceiving. Arthur had asked him whether he had come from a holding facility, to which he answered no.
"I've been, like, educated at home my entire life," he had explained, with an elegant hand motion. "Did something give that away?"
"Nothing in particular," Arthur replied, "I just guessed that you were from an affluent family, or went to a holding facility. It's the easiest way to get into a Deciding around where I was, at least."
"Oh, I see," Leon said, though his expression didn't betray any enthusiasm but remained mostly the same. "Back at home, there was, like, a lottery system we went through. I got lucky. That's it."
After talking a little more about their respective experiences, Arthur felt a little more reassured about being able to not make enemies. Even though they weren't particularly close, they seemed to share a few interests, including a passion for tea. They were discussing the brews in their respective home countries until a group of around four settled in the same row that they were sat down in.
Tilting his head just a little bit, he could see more people getting to their seats, people brushing off some invisible dust from their outfits, people reading the menu...the scene had started to pick up somewhat. That was how Arthur was introduced to his other seating partner, Emma.
She seemed rather popular already, speaking to a friend as they sat down, somehow feeling familiar – though, as soon as they got close, Arthur thought it a little prudent to eavesdrop.
"...and I think I spoke too loud - oh no, I hope the prince doesn't mind, I usually don't talk this loudly." she fretted, and the other girl patted her hand.
"It is going to be fine, I think he likes your cheerfulness already," her friend said – her accent was a little strange, somewhat like Kiku's, but more exaggerated. "I think you should cheer up, Emma. At least you were not asked that you had to stay behind."
"Huh. Wonder what that's all about," Leon commented next to them, worrying at a stray thread on his collar. "Did you guys see them as well?"
"Yeah! It was pretty odd," Emma said, turning around to face the two boys. She had striking green eyes, and her hair sat prettily just on top of her shoulders underneath a felt headband. "They haven't shown up for dinner, either."
"Maybe he wants to give them something? Is it something to do with their holding facility?" Arthur said, his thick eyebrows narrowing slightly.
"No, I do not think so," the girl next to Emma said, her dark eyes shining with worry. "I knew one of the boys that were asked to sit back this morning, and we both went to the same facir – facility. I do not know why."
However, it seemed like the others were more annoyed about the singling out of the group, whisperings and mumblings all around the table that the cameras of course captured. As the front three seats of the dining table remained empty, they were placated temporarily by the arrival of the exquisite meals.
In the middle of the now rather quiet dinner, the three royals took their place. Prince Alfred looked slightly tense, but the Jack and Ace appeared as they had earlier on in the day, minus the materials.
The Chosen started to stand up, caught up with the tradition of greeting the royals, but Alfred gave the group a comforting smile, shaking his head.
"There's no need for that, everyone, please continue eating," he said, and the meal continued, albeit with more whispers than before.
But all around the dinner table, dubious looks were thrown left, right and centre. Emma's friend continued to look worriedly at the door, her short hair obscuring half of her face. It took Emma to persuade her to start tucking into her dinner.
"It probably means they've gone home," someone next to Leon whispered, and Arthur couldn't help but pay attention there too. "Why else would they not be joining us at dinner? Marianne, I can't see how many people are gone, though. Can you?"
A huff, and Arthur continued eating. "Of course not, Clare. Though, if they are gone, then the more, the merrier. The faster the competition ends, the better."
Arthur didn't even realise he was so visibly distracted until Leon tapped him gently with the edge of his expensive looking shoe.
"Fish skin for your thoughts," he asked, nudging his own with a fork and Arthur ducked his head in embarrassment. Right, there were cameras, and it probably wasn't a good look.
"I'm just trying to hear what everyone's saying," he stammered, suddenly much more interested in the meal than the people in their vicinity. "About people going home."
Leon gave their surroundings a look around, and then went back to his meal. "That's okay, I guess...just, like, don't make it so obvious. Don't want to draw attention to us, you know."
"I agree," Arthur said, his voice relieved as he cut another portion. Feeling even more thankful that he knew how to use the complicated cutlery, he settled into his seat. Something finally felt familiar.
He probably settled down too soon.
"How is everyone enjoying their meals?" Alfred was saying, instantly commanding everyone in the room's attention. "If you don't mind, that is, I'd like to come around and talk with each of ya."
Obviously, this put everyone on edge – even Arthur, even though he'd never admit it in a thousand years. Attempting to eat discreetly, especially when the food was so delicious, was an arduous task, and he could only alternate between taking sips of his water and bites as he heard out for footsteps or the small hum of conversation.
When the prince's presence arrived to their section, Emma immediately dropped her fork on her plate, causing a loud noise to echo through the dining hall and eliciting stares. A light blush tinting her cheeks, she rapidly apologised, seemingly unsure of what to do.
"Is there something happening here?" he teased. "I do hope you're enjoying the food."
"Oh, oh, it's nothing, Your Highness, ah, ahaha, it's nothing, really, heh, I was just kidding around," Emma giggled nervously, her gaze not quite meeting his. "Um! I'm so sorry!"
"She is just a little nervous, Your Highness," her friend smiled, dipping her head in a greeting, visibly embarrassed. "Please excuse her."
"Ah, I see how it is. Don't worry, you two, I know what it's like to feel nervous. Are you enjoying the meal? Was it Lady Emma?"
Emma's cheeks glowed peony, and her gaze grew excited again. "Yes...and yes! I'm enjoying it a lot."
Alfred nodded, acknowledging her comment before turning to the girl next to her. "What about you, Lady Sakura? Is it different than you're used to?"
Oh, so that's why she was familiar, Arthur realised after looking at the pretty girl – she had been with them this morning. One more name to remember, I suppose.
She pushed her hair to the side before replying. "Yes, absolutely...even though there are a few things different to the fish prepared at my house, I really like this style as well."
"They prepared it in a different style? That's really cool, uh, interesting, since you're from another region," Alfred said, his eyebrows raising in intrigue. "You must tell me about it later, Lady Sakura."
"I would be happy to," she said, an unfettered sparkle in her eye. "Perhaps I could help you teach to cook one day? Yes, that sounds like a plan!"
The prince nodded, cowlick bobbing. "Let's do that together soon."
He asked the two girls to continue enjoying their meal, before moving onto Leon and Arthur, seemingly ignoring the stares that cottoned onto Sakura immediately afterwards.
Alfred decided to open with an easy question. "How are you two finding the meal?" he asked, choosing to stand behind the two of them, perfectly in the middle. "I hope it's to your taste."
"Absolutely, Your Highness," Leon replied, moving his chair slightly backwards so they made eye contact. "Honestly, this fish is so exquisite that I'm glad I'm not allergic."
"Neither do I, Sir Leon," Alfred chuckled, "I would prefer you'd only enjoy things whilst under the care of the palace. I'm very happy you are. What about you, Sir Arthur?"
Inadvertently, Alfred held his breath. Being more than aware of the cameras around them, Sir Arthur could definitely tease him about the encounter that they had earlier on in the day – but thankfully, nothing but kind words about the dinner left his mouth.
"At least," Arthur was saying, gesturing at the cutlery, "There's something here I'm familiar with." This garnered a few laughs from the people around him, and Alfred took that as a cue to move on.
"I'm glad, sometimes I get a little mixed up sometimes," Alfred said, winking. Tragically, he knew he'd have to get a move on, so he missed Arthur's reaction, but he hoped it was a positive one. "Enjoy your meal, gentlemen."
Taking a deep breath, he continued on. Remember to be witty, funny, smart, put together, curious, refined, ask for more details, ask them on dates but not all of them, what else...
"...so that's the schedule for tomorrow. I've already requested your maids to wake you up half an hour early for the interviews on tomorrow's Broadcast. Come directly to the Drawing Room; there will be no time for breakfast here tomorrow. If you are unsure of any of the details, please reread the hand out in your packet for the week. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Jack Yao," the room said in unison. The briefing had started when the food was starting to be packed away and a majority of the cameras dismissed, only a few of them lingering at the royals' table.
"If you are to explore the castle tonight, please return to your rooms before curfew and be on your best behaviour. Once again, your maids will be reporting back if you are not in the room by ten o'clock. With that," Jack Yao said, looking at the time on the clock that read eight, "You are dismissed for the day."
With that, everyone filed out of the dining room in an orderly fashion, but that was where the order ended. Obviously, guards were stationed all around the palace and everyone was probably well versed in manners so it didn't erupt into a matter of lawlessness, but the speed and variance to where everyone went confused Arthur briefly.
Even though many of the fellow Chosen were content to leave in groups, Arthur simply decided to continue with his prior plan. He'd been courteous enough to say goodbye to both of the acquaintances he'd sat next to over dinner – they would be sitting together for awhile, so it was better to make friends rather than stay distant.
Taking a short detour to his room for the map in his pack as well as picking up a windbreaker that Anna had probably left for him, he began to make his way downstairs to the gardens. Actively avoiding the pockets of noise, from people exploring their palace or snippets of conversation, Arthur managed to find his way after a few misplaced turns.
To his relief, there was a grand clock smack dab in the middle of the gardens as soon as he arrived – it read forty minutes to nine, so that meant more than ample time. An intricate shrubbery decorated its base, covered with dark flowers that Arthur couldn't quite make out due to it being night even though the lampposts were consistently lit.
Not wanting to indulge too much in the one ornament, he decided to keep moving forward. A little more than two hours would be quite enough to explore at least a majority of one direction, so he continued to walk northways. Thankfully as he moved, the sounds of people from the palace grew weaker and weaker, so he'd be able to appreciate some peace and quiet – a first since he arrived in the palace. Of course, he hadn't made any adversaries, but he barely knew anything or anyone. Best to not get close just yet.
Before long, he was dwarfed by the same tree arrangement that he had watched outside of his window earlier in the afternoon. It certainly felt more intimidating than it had in the daytime, and Arthur felt himself tense into his jacket a little more. Even though the spring was slowly easing off into the summer, the wind still held a chill. Folding his arms, Arthur continued, trying to not focus on the crunch of his shoes into the brittle path, keeping his eyes forward until he came to a stop in front of some...structure.
It resembled some sort of gazebo made out of wood, but his gaze wasn't as drawn to it compared to the sheer amount of blue around it. There was a noise, but it faded in Arthur's ears – must be the wind, or his footsteps, or something nearly not as important as the flowers.
Lilies, dahlias, peonies, irises, marigolds, tulips...roses...Arthur had never seen anything like it in person. The dim light surely did no favours for it, but even without it his breath was completely taken away.
Arthur's slight tread broke into a less dignified run, desperate to approach the blooms before he ran out of time. The fragrance reached him sooner, disarming in its sweetness, almost overwhelming his senses. Was it because of magic that they were kept so pristinely, in peak condition year round? He wasn't even sure if he was allowed to touch them, yet his fingers delicately reached out for a blue rose perched invitingly on the edge.
"Gonna steal the flowers, huh?"
Arthur froze. To his absolute horror, the crown prince of Spades tilted his head outside of the gazebo like structure, his eyes very wide and very blue underneath the moonlight.
Finally, a moment to himself!
...At least, that was what Alfred was internally cheering to himself as soon as he plopped down on the swing in his good ol' homey hideaway. Technically, it was Matthew's too, but he didn't show up tonight nor had he used it for years, so there.
Eliminating eight people in a day had to be one of the most exhausting things Alfred had done so far, and it was his only elimination yet! Sure, he didn't match Deciding thirty when the then princess had ended the competition after only simple seven hours, but eight was a good start, right? Right?
"..."
"Please, Your Highness...one week! I swear, I can do better! Did I say something this afternoon? Whatever it is, I'll take it back!"
"Is it something I did, Prince Alfred? Please, let me stay – I'll change for you. Whatever you want, I'll do!"
"You can't do this...I've been in love with you my entire life, Your Highness...please reconsider! Just one more day, please..."
"What was it you didn't like? My face, my hair, my clothes? Just say the word...please don't kick me out so soon, I didn't know I would be going home so quickly."
Fighting back a swear, Alfred placed his head in his hands. The pleadings, the tears, the cries of agony ran through his mind once more. Though it had been a good day, having managed to arrange two possible dates during dinner and another two on his way down here, he'd ruined the lives of eight people on the spot, and he couldn't do anything about it – a completely unheroic thing to do.
There just wasn't that spark, that shared interest, no compatibility after all. Even so, the incredible guilt sitting in his gut would take awhile to fizzle out. Not to mention, he'd have to do this for another thirty one people.
He wondered how his father had done it. He'd purposefully avoided watching the old Broadcasts and whatnot of his parents to not turn into a crying, feeble mess, but maybe he should have, manliness be damned. It had seemed so easy for them...
Before Alfred could delve deeper into his own thoughts, a bizarre crunching noise came from outside. Standing up from the swing, he squinted outside from the doorway to see a shock of blond hair, a jacket and the odd eyebrows.
Sir Arthur? What's he doing here? Alfred wondered to himself, half in awe and half in surprise. Right...Yao did say they could do whatever after dinner. I guess he came down here.
Bracing himself for the guy to turn around and call his name or something, Alfred was even more surprised when he didn't, instead making a beeline for the flowers around the gazebo. There was something strangely elegant about the way his feet slowly crept forward and his lilting hand reached out for a rose – huh, a rose? Was the guy trying to pick his garden's flowers?
OK, they weren't technically his, but whatever...
Coming outside, Alfred craned his neck to call out to him. "Gonna steal the flowers, huh?"
The guy froze as if he were a deer in the headlights. It was kind of uncanny how he pretty much became a stationary object, fingers frozen in mid air and feet positioned awkwardly as he twisted around to face him. Green met blue, almost like that strange eye contact that they had made earlier on in the day, before Arthur practically dropped into a bow.
"I'm...so sorry, Your Highness, I promise I was only admiring them," Arthur stammered, not knowing what to do with his hands except stuff them into his pockets. "I...It's just, I haven't ever seen anything like them, and I was-"
Crap, he looked like he was going to cry. "Hey, I was just teasing, you know," Alfred said quickly, awkwardly holding out his hands to try to placate him. "It's okay. Really, it is."
"I...um," Arthur stumbled over his words, and Alfred could see the beginnings of a dark flush on his cheeks. "I'm...? Pardon? Come again? You're not...angry?"
"Uh, no, I'm not, Sir Arthur," Alfred said, rubbing the back of his neck, not knowing what else to do. Poor guy probably thought he was going to be arrested. "I promise you, I was just joking. You can look and admire as much as you want, as an esteemed guest."
Arthur's thick eyebrows furrowed further in disbelief, but he chose to not act on it. "Oh. Well, in that case, please, don't mind me." With that, he started to walk away – leaving Alfred a little deflated. They had got on well, right? Did he just want to be left alone?
"...Pardon? Oh, I'm sorry – yes, I do prefer my own company, though it would be nice to continue our conversation from earlier today. It is getting late, after all."
A chill ran down Alfred's spine when he had realised that he had accidentally spoke out loud. Choosing to quickly save the situation, he offered to take Arthur on a brief tour of the palace gardens. He was quite surprised at Arthur's passion about the flowers; he'd personally never taken too much knowledge in them other than their beauty.
What could have turned into some blasted arrest surprisingly turned into a pleasant encounter with the prince.
Initially, Arthur hadn't known what to say as soon as they started their slow walk down the path. "So, Your Highness...do you come down here often?"
"Not really, which sucks." The continued use of informal speech continued to confuse Arthur, but he decided not to comment on it. "Though I have to say, I do walk past here a lot when I go to the stables, since it's so pretty."
"Oh, the stables? I don't think we had much chance to talk about your horse, erm-"
"Butterscotch!"
Oh dear, he'd forgotten that so soon. "Yes, Butterscotch," Arthur said. "Would you like to tell me more about them?"
"She's a very sweet horse," Alfred said, and Arthur could notice his stance relaxed as soon as he started talking about his pet. A pet...didn't the prince have another one, that would be mentioned infrequently on the news? Something like that, Arthur thought before pulling back his thoughts to focus on what he was saying. "I realised until awhile ago that I kinda left her care to the stable hands, so I've been seeing her a lot more and taking care of her these few months. That is, if I wasn't a hundred percent busy with Deciding stuff, heh."
"Did you do all the planning by yourself?" Arthur asked. He couldn't imagine planning an event under such heavy scrutiny. "It sounds quite exhausting."
"Well no, I had a lot of help," Alfred said. "You know Matthew and Yao...uh, Ace Matthew and Jack Yao, they figure stuff out when I can't. Since I'm not an official king until the Deciding ends, I don't have as much power when it comes to admin things, but other than that pretty much. I also talked to the King of Hearts for advice, so it wasn't really a one man effort."
"I see," Arthur said. Somehow, it felt reassuring that the monarchy was so tightly knit together. "Though...is it OK if I ask about you and the King of Hearts? In the holding facilities, we watched a film about his Deciding, but are things different here compared to there?"
Alfred nodded, tilting his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose before he continued. "Yeah, things are a bit harder. You guys learn about the mark in the holding facility, right?"
The singular mark, appearing on the body of a monarch that cemented their position in a Primary Suit. "Yes, we do."
"The main difference is that the mark appears after the winner of the Deciding is chosen in Spades, but in Hearts the mark chooses the winner. And the King of Hearts...gosh, it's weird to hear him being called that, but we're really tight."
"Oh, so the mark chooses the winner in Hearts, but the mark comes to the winner here," Arthur echoed, his eyes catching on a blue dahlia. "So that explains the absolute shock at the end of the film."
"Yeah...that was funny," Alfred chuckled, casting his mind back to the frenzied call that Ludwig had left him on the evening of the announcement. "Ludwig doesn't freak out, ever, but he did when he called me. I think he was crying, too."
"Is that what you mean by 'really tight'?" Arthur said, not being able to resist poking fun at his casual language. It was jarring, to say the least, to hear the stoic King of Hearts being referred to as just Ludwig.
"Yeah, that's what I mean!" Alfred exclaimed. Huh, apparently the teasing had gone right over his head. "We've been best buddies since we were kids. But yeah, it was really good luck. Thankfully we don't have to do that sorta stuff here."
"It's all up to you, yes?"
"Technically, yeah, but I'd go over the decision with everyone I know that's looking out for me, you know? Not only am I gonna marry them, but...they're gonna be the Queen. Not an easy task."
"No pressure," Arthur snorted, the edges of his mouth lifting into a smirk. "All these remarkable people, and you have to choose one in front of a country – well no, a continent. You'd need all the luck you can get, Your Highness. I'm not the luckiest fellow, but you seem as if you need it more."
Alfred smiled in response, tilting his head just so, their eyes meeting for a moment. "Thank you, really, Sir Arthur. After all the awkwardness, I'm surprised you're willing to go to such lengths to help me."
Huffing, Arthur looked away after a moment of eye contact that lasted too long. His cheeks were pink, that was due to the cold – the cold! "Don't get the wrong idea, it's just that you talked about how hard the process was...so I felt that you deserved at least some recognition for your hard work, that's all. Erm, Your Highness."
"It means a lot," Alfred insisted, waiting for Arthur to turn back around before he continued. "I guess it's the same for everybody, but support really is everything. And I'm sorry for boring you with this sorta talk when we were supposed to be talking about lighter things, but this is what you get, heh. My bad for not fitting the idea of a perfect prince..."
Arthur's expression softened, and he turned around, back facing the rows of blue flowers surrounding them. "Prince Alfred, I'm certain you don't have to be told these things, but being genuine can encourage affection with the one that will become Queen one day, amongst other things. So perhaps, it's good to not be a perfect prince."
I suppose I didn't get to find out much about the gardens, Arthur thought to himself. Thankfully, the prince had brought the clock he'd usually carried with him to their impromptu meeting, and so they managed to make it up to the palace through a side entrance thirty minutes before curfew would be a thing.
"I hope I didn't ruin your sightseeing," Alfred said wistfully as soon as they got into the palace and noticed that the hallway was essentially deserted. "You did seem like you were having a lot of fun, Sir Arthur."
"I was having fun, yes," Arthur admitted, "Though, for all the laughing at me you did this afternoon, I was surprised you had fun."
"Hey! That's mean," Alfred grumbled, pouting. "Ya know I didn't mean to. I just thought it was kinda sad that you were walking alone like that."
Arthur's smirk dropped from his face. "You..." he started to hiss, but the prince had already moved on.
"So, as a hero and a totally awesome prince, I had to intervene!" he cried, complete with an accompanying hand gesture, clearly forgetting he had to have an indoor voice when attempting to sneak back into the palace.
"Keep it down," Arthur muttered, nudging him with his elbow and 'accidentally' applying a little too much pressure. "Dolt. I thought we were trying to be discreet."
Alfred gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders, his right hand lowering. "Yeah, yeah," he said noncommittally, "But I was right, no?"
"No, you weren't," Arthur said, looking the other way once again. Well, he supposed that all royals were a level of bratty, but calling himself a hero...that was on another level! "Now if you'd excuse me, I'd like to go up to my room before curfew."
"Aw, you can't be that old, right?" Alfred teased, but relented when he saw the slight murderous intent in the other boy's face. "Hey, I'm just joking. Of course. Goodnight, Sir Arthur. Thank you for spending time with me tonight."
"...likewise," Arthur mumbled under his breath after glaring at him for a few moments. "Good night, Your Highness."
Alfred watched him skirt up the banister, and only waited until the outline of his form had disappeared up the stairs that he turned back in the direction of his room. That had been...surprising, to say the least.
It wasn't after he had finished looking over his schedule for the day, taken his shower, got changed and settled into the covers for the night that he realised that, in some odd way, it had been his first date.
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