me: hey! what a nice day! let's relax for a bit and enjoy our hobbies!
mocks:
mocks: friendly reminder that you have to revise and your teacher shouted at the whole class for not doing crap
me:
me: ,,,,buddy
mocks: study for me or else. also, you don't get to play with dogs for a week because of your horrid internet connection. also, chrom lost gauntlet.
me: :(
this chapter, bursting into the room and brandishing papers: HEY, YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED WRITING ME YET
and so concludes my saturday. three cheers!
as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.
"That was pretty good for a first Trial," Alfonso said, putting down his glass on one of the hundreds of chairs in the almost empty marquee. "Wonder why we have to stay in the marquee, though. Isn't it meant for those huge garden parties that royals sometime have?"
"Yeah, I think so," Emma said, brushing away a stray crumb from the corner of her mouth. "Wonder why they would rent out such a huge space for us – didn't they say that it was going to be private?"
"Yes, they did mention something about it. I believe they said something about it being completely secluded?" Arthur said, managing to mumble out against his tart.
"Alfred said that the advisors picked out this venue in the end," Alfonso said quietly, although he didn't seem too worried. "Well, I suppose that the advisors have good interests."
Arthur bit his tongue, thinking about the caning. That was a thing he'd never forget. If he ever found himself winding up to have the power, he'd be sending them with the justice they deserved.
"Anyway. I think we should get going now," Emma said, taking one last sip of her orange juice. "Is it a little too late to back out now?"
"Don't worry. I'm nervous too."
"Hey – are you nervous?" Matthew asked, tipping down his glasses to brush off some stray snow that had begun to fall. "I mean, it's your turn now."
"Yeah," Alfred said quietly, following suit and copying his brother. "I actually am."
Snow had started to fall as the sun hovered precariously above the Spadian sky. The three remaining Elite had gathered around a seemly empty field, talking amongst each other but keeping their distance.
"I haven't done any real manipulation of time for really long, let alone by myself," Alfred said. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Not just Arthur."
"The fact that you mentioned him alone is telling me that you're really thinking about him today!" Matthew said, smiling a little. "But it's good that you're thinking about their safety. I think they'll be able to handle it, though."
"…I hope so. I'm not sure about the Jokers, though, I haven't shaken off the thought of them sending a separate searching party. I don't know what it's about, but…"
"Hopefully you and I can detect it, if Yao won't." Matthew said slowly. He knew Alfred wasn't too familiar with Joker symbols of magic, having only been acquainted with Katya and Gilbert for small periods of time. Matthew, on the other hand, had been close (very, that is) with Gilbert, so he could only hope that he had a better feel for the sort of magic.
Wait, a small voice in his head popped up while Alfred continued to talk. He's been with you, and he's managed to camouflage his magic signature by using a nullifier when someone's snooping. What if they're using them?
Matthew paused, reaching out to ask Alfred, but paused as the little voice continued.
Tch. What do you mean? The only means to snag a nullifier are because you're of the Kingdoms. And the rebels certainly aren't, and they're not exactly floating around en masse after what happened to the Queen of Diamonds. You shouldn't bother your brother; he has a lot on his plate already.
"You okay there, Mattie?" Alfred asked, his expression half distracted. "You look troubled."
"No, no, it's nothing, Al," he said quickly. "It's because it's almost their turn after all. I'll go sit with Yao, you be careful, right?"
"Yeah, right," Alfred said uneasily. He squeezed his hand for a moment before going off.
Matthew swallowed, quickly scanning the quiet clearing before taking his seat next to where Yao was.
"Everything all right?" Yao asked. He had a stack of papers in the space next to his chair, as usual, but he had brought a pair of glasses, unlike the usual fare. "You look worried, Matthew."
"No, it's just…Alfred brought up the problem of the Joker scouting party coming around."
"But they'll have their auras reeking around them," Yao said, using unusually harsh vocabulary, which surprised him. "We'll cast them down before anything happens, all right?"
"Right, yes. Can…can you see better with your glasses?" Matthew said, firmly squashing the thought again in his mind. "I mean, it's not every day you bring them out."
"Yes, Matthew, they do work a lot better," Yao said, sounding more cheerful. "I quite prefer the view from up here."
"You're right," Matthew said, settling a little into his plush cushion. "It's a pretty good day with decent weather."
But as Matthew watched the cameras reorient themselves, rolling around the pitch, and Alfred scurrying to the floor and sharing some words with the Elite, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling from his stomach.
The stage was set.
A small pot filled to the brim with blue carnations. A rolled out carpet stained with royal blue led directly to the marble pillar with the pot resting on top. It was almost like an aisle, leading two people straight to the center of it – namely Alfred and the Elite to perform some manipulation.
Arthur's stomach convulsed at the thought, turning his hands over and over in his lap where they rested. What if, what if…
An official – one clad in light blue uniform, shouted out Alfonso's name, and he walked forward, all cheerful grins. He even snuck in a wave to the crowd, garnering a cheer, before Alfred playfully tapped him on the shoulder and he turned back to him.
Emma and Arthur leaned closer to the TV as a camera panned a little closer to them – not so close that they could hear what Alfred was saying to Alfonso, but close enough that they could see the prince's fingers curl around his shoulders and Alfonso lean on him a little as Alfred slowly lifted his clock on top of their joined hands, the chain swinging like a pendulum.
For a moment, they paused together before Alfonso took a deep breath and nodded to him. The gold around the rim of the clock gleamed for a moment so swift that Arthur thought it didn't happen. The two of them stepped forward, strangely in sync, and Alfonso lifted his palm, dislodging the clock but still keeping Alfred's touch.
The carnations instantly drooped, previously sky blue petals turning into a shade that resembled grey clouds that had had the rain sucked from them. The amplifier in turn seemed to twitch, almost as if it was levitating from their joined hands…
Alfred's expression was concentrated as well, his eyes closed as well while Alfonso performed the spell. The moment his golden watch left their joined hands his eyes shot open and he enclosed Alfonso's hand in his own, ending the spell and causing gravity to pull the watch down back onto their hands.
The shift happened so fast that even Matthew seemed to be taken aback, seeing from the close shot that the camera delivered. The knots in Arthur's stomach only doubled. How could he hope to outshine Alfonso?
Cheers came from the crowd, and Alfred collected the clock with a flourish. Alfonso looked cheerful, and he leaned in for a hug of relief before he and Alfred exchanged a few words, laughing. Alfred was waving goodbye, then Alfonso had gotten to Yao, and before he even knew it Arthur was being ushered back into the cold with the Jack's gentle hand against his back.
The official's shout of his came rang clear in his ears, and he took three shaky steps forward.
Bless the Fates.
Arthur didn't even dare to be such a crowd favourite in his walk there. It was mostly about keeping his composure, to keep his head high as he walked towards Alfred, to not show a single inch of his fear in front of the cameras, where his family would be watching…
Unfortunately for him, though, Alfred caught on the act as soon as their eyes met – his expression turned from inquisitive to concerned in a heartbeat.
"Arthur," he said as soon as he was within hearing range. "Do you need any help?"
"Wh-what do you mean?" Arthur hissed, very surprised that he had found out. "There's…there's really not that much to worry about-"
"Hey, you're stammering as much as Matthew, and he usually doesn't sound this nervous." Alfred said, his tone serious. Their fingers locked, and after a moment Alfred added: "And you're holding my hand tighter than usual."
"Look, I just…tell me when to stop with the magic, all right?" Arthur said, pushing back a lump in his throat as they took the first step. He could almost feel the glare of the cameras as they walked down the strip of blue carpet amongst the snow. "I don't want to hurt anyone, or worry you, or hurt you, or disappoint you-"
"It's nothing about that!" Alfred exclaimed as quietly as he did, fighting his urge to tip up Arthur's chin and kiss him as sweetly as he did that night in the observatory if that would calm him down. "I'm here. I'm not going to go anywhere, Artie, whatever happens. Actually, to be honest, I thought you were going to talk about my ridiculous outfit."
"Honestly, you look rather dashing if you were to be without those horrid medals sticking to your chest," Arthur huffed, barely managing to keep his gaze to the flower pot in front of them after he realized what he had said. "U-um! What I meant by that is I want to tug them right off!"
"Fates, Arthur, gotta keep your needy side in check," Alfred joked, finding it incredibly difficult as well. "Just pulling your pigtails, sugar. You'll be fine. I know you will."
Arthur bit his lip, pushing down his slightly tinged cheeks, and turned around to face him, feeling Alfred's strong arm around his waist. He removed his gloves, stuffing them into his breastpocket and allowed the prince's hand to encompass his own.
The touch was so very warm already that Arthur felt a shiver run up his spine. Whether it was simply to do with the fact that his hands were warm or it was just the reside of the magic that he had done earlier with Alfonso would never be known to him, as he felt the cool tang of the gold clock rest on their joined hands.
Arthur allowed himself one last look at Alfred's very blue eyes, before he leaned a little closer, trying his best to subtly erase most, if not all skin contact between them. Rather unsurprisingly though, Alfred's grip on his waist only grew tighter, and he gave a squeeze to Arthur's hand as gently as he could from the awkward placing.
"Remember that night in the outhouse?"
"Yes, I do," Arthur breathed, remembering the earlier months of desperate uncertainty. "Will it be something like that?"
"If you can do it, I want to do that but with better and stronger results," Alfred said, his tone also hinting that he was thinking back to that time as well. "You okay with that?"
"Let's do this together." Arthur whispered, tilting his fingertips just a little higher to brush their fingers together in a silent embrace, one that they could not have shared with all these cameras.
At first, there was nothing.
Not even a small spark of light, stifling like the first time they had done it with the rose.
Then the familiar din of light. But this time, it glowed remarkably blue – it was the shade of robin eggs in the autumn, the azure butterflies in the garden at spring, the handsome colour of Alfred's eyes.
In another heartbeat, though, it was as if Arthur could feel the pressing cold of his amplifier against his skin, even though Alfred's hand was the one protecting him from the clock. The light blew wide, encompassing Arthur's senses-
-until he felt the curl, the dance of carnation petals underneath his hand, the dried petals crackling and unfurling against the touch of magic that he had brought, breathing back life into the bloom.
He could suddenly feel Alfred's hand on his waist, his whole presence, stronger than ever before. The side that he had pressed up against burned with a cosy flame, and he could feel strands of his hair tickle against his cheeks and his gaze sear through like a wildfire, consuming him and making the clock burst into life. Arthur heard a minuscule ticking noise at the back of his head, and felt almost as if he was holding the clock by itself.
It wasn't until the faint gasps, from beyond the crowd, had reached his hearing that he dared to look.
He let out a breath of shock as he opened his eyes, as a wave of exhaustion rippled up his spine. He unintentionally stepped back into Alfred as the magic stopped and the clock fell back into the other boy's hands with a thump.
The carnations had, well, certainly grown - but not even that was enough to describe what he or anyone was seeing.
The carnations had sprouted to over three times of their original size – the petals had bloomed into a vibrant, energetic cobalt, and Arthur could even see several, completely new petals had grown to join them.
He could hear Alfred's surprised inhale, feeling his breath against his ear like a rush of warmth before the prince – bless him – let out a triumphant yell, grabbing Arthur's hands and spinning him around on the carpet, nearly dislodging the flowerpot.
"You did it," he said, his voice hushed. He buried his nose in Arthur's hair, laughing all the while. "You did it!"
"Alf-Prince Alfred," Arthur said quickly, knowing that the cameras could probably pick up on their celebration. "We did it together. I couldn't have done it without you."
"I don't believe in that," Alfred sang quietly. "I wanna spin you around more, but I don't think we have much time until the sun sets. So-"
"Can I...see you?" Arthur blurted, beginning to walk back to the tent for a waiting Jack Yao. "I mean…when we get to the palace. The gardens, maybe?"
"You might be too cold," Alfred said breathlessly. "Maybe the library – or your room? No, I need you to rest after today. I'll see you in your room as soon as I can get away."
"All right…it's a date," Arthur said, letting their fingers interlock for another heartbeat before he made his way back to the tent.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then came back to a loud cheer from both Emma and Alfonso, to his surprise.
"That was amazing!" Alfonso shouted, hugging him tightly. "It just went POOF and it almost exploded with flowers!"
"Ah…" Arthur said, blushing, but Emma followed up almost immediately.
"You were great, he's right," she smiled a little wistfully. "I'm not sure how I can live up to that now."
"No, Emma, I'm sure that you'll-"
He never got to finish his sentence.
"Get down!" Emma screamed, pushing away a chair and pelting out of the tent, leaving the two of them extremely confused.
"Hey, Emma, wait!" Alfonso shouted, Arthur following him as they both ran out of the tent. "What do you mean by-"
"They're here! I can tell, they're somewhere around here," she panted, tossing her hair out of the fringe as she ran up to the middle of the marquee, her eyes full of terror. "Can't you…can't you tell the disturbance in the distance?"
"Lady Emma, I'm not sure who you mean," Yao was saying, very confused. "Who do you mean by disturbance?"
"The…the…" Emma said, catching the sight of Matthew running down the steps, his face also taut with panic. She could also see the advisors muttering among themselves, but she didn't pay this any attention.
"The rebels, Your Highness," she panted. "They're here."
me, running away from mocks and responsibilities: OKAY, THIS CHAPTER, I'M GETTING TO YOU
this chapter, waving on top of a turret: think of the reviews!
me: aight fam
overworldly - thanks! i was actually a little iffy about the magic attributes for alfonso and emma. for some reason, i felt that arthur's was always going to be power lol. i tried to base their attributes on their true personalities (at least, in this fic.) and i accept your power. thank u
russia says hello - i think my days of being a potterhead have caught up with me haha. thank you (and i think he's always making an impression)!
pastaaddict - now i'm imagining a cheer squad (is that what you call it?)
mi-chan kizanami - funny thing is, that was my original plan. oops
- hm, it would definitely be more controlled than what happened at emil's (im actually surprised anyone still remembers that lol.) since alfred's there to assist, but yes, i would imagine. i'm starting to think of a plot idea for an eventual sequel, so please stay tuned!
hearthorse11 - ayyy lmao. the group is rlly small so i think we're nearing to the end! will keep the sequel idea in mind (also same i can relate bro)
reviews, favourites and follows are what will keep me writing, so please go ahead and leave them!