this chapter is gross fluff. i got to the scene where they meet up and just wrote...4k words
also! plot point. no more filler LMAO
as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.
New Years' Eve.
Alfred made his last trip to the blacksmith's that day after he went on a date with Emma and Alfonso in the morning. Somehow, he felt like he had owed them one for quite a while, so they went to the cinema installed at the lower north wing of the palace. It had been a pretty epic movie, one with lots of action and funny one liners, and Alfred found himself relaxing a little as they passed around popcorn and jokes.
After that, he waved goodbye to the two of them, and made his way to the west wing, finding him at his bench hard at work. It took a few knocks for him to notice him, and he was welcomed inside in a hurry.
"I've fixed up a few more options for you, based on your prompt," he said cheerfully as Alfred sat down on the small bench. The heat from the smelting furnace was definitely heaven in winter…
"Did you get the box I sent you?" he asked, shifting his legs a little more to give the blacksmith more space. "I'm sorry I couldn't give it in in person, we had to receive the Diamonds Joker yesterday night along with a Broadcast segment we had to do the other day…"
"No worries, no worries. I understand that you're very busy, Your Highness. I've put fifteen of them – I've asked a fellow Diamonds colleague to come down with the Joker. He's changed a bit of the colour in the glass that I've cut in a shape that would resemble the actual diamonds, just to save us some funds. I'm sure that Your Highness would want this to be perfect."
"Thank you very much for planning in advance," Alfred said, sounding a little bit breathless. How little did he know about the things that went on behind the scenes?
"It is my duty, Your Highness – and it wasn't really worth the effort. I was thinking something alongside these? You mentioned something about complementing the eye colour, so I decided to go with blue. They are your eye colour, and the queen's eyes are green, so I do think they would complement each other?"
"I know they will," Alfred grinned, childishly excited and fidgeting on his seat. "I trust you, mister!"
"I appreciate it," he said cheerfully, and bustled to the back of the forge to retrieve a massive, sprawling velvet box. In it were nestled no less than fifteen of said rings, all catching the light of the fire in such a way that made them look astounding.
Alfred's breath caught. To imagine the one that he loves, wearing such an entrancing ring like that…call him cheesy or whatever, he thought it the best thing. He wanted to put them onto a pedestal, let everyone know how much he loved them. How much they deserved to be adored.
"All right, Your Highness," he said, twisting open the close and pulling it higher so that the full splendour shone. "I've sorted them into compatible colours for your convenience…"
They were neatly sorted into three colours; three rows of five – one of yellow, the center row one of stained blue, and the last row was filled with rings of red.
"Impressive, hum?" The blacksmith said, taking in his expression of awe. "Well, go on. Pick one up and let's see."
Systematically, he went for the first orange one – it had a dark, ebony carved band, but had a slightly rocky and cool surface to the touch. He ran his finger over the orange glass, feeling the smooth cut of the gem. A golden tinted strip that was carefully polished so that it was almost like a mini band in itself surrounded it.
"What were you planning for the orange gems?"
"I thought at least one orange diamond…but these will be mainly crafted out of topazes and tourmalines since those are easier to get."
"These rings…mister, I don't really know what to say," Alfred stammered, twisting the ring in his fingers. "These are all so stunning…"
"Hm. Would you wear any of these?"
"I'd love to," Alfred said. "But I do suppose I'd want my fiancé to pick mine out for me…"
"Right, well, we'll worry about that later. But please continue to browse, and tell me straight away if you see something that really tickles your fancy, yes?"
The next two rings were relatively simple, set in a sterling silver ring, one surrounded by what were placeholder diamonds and one that was a little lighter compared to the other two, but had the orange gems in a row of three. The last one had the same dark finishing as the first but it had been smoothened and shone like a freshly washed apple. The gem had also been carved into a little heart shape but the fourth had the pseudo gems dotted all around the band, set firmly.
He briefly imagined the ring, placed amongst a stack of books that Arthur would have definitely got into reading if only he had more time to enjoy the library despite all the celebrations that had been happening recently, with the Christmas events and now the New Years…
"Do you want me to forge anything for the time being? Or do you want to look at the blue rings?"
"How long will it take you to carve the gems?"
"I believe they'll be done before dinner if I can be excused from it – the simpler ones, I can do faster. However, the fourth ring I might need to take until just shortly before dinner." the blacksmith pondered, putting on his forging gloves before continuing to speak. "I suppose, if you're wanting to do something for this evening, you can come after dinner to pick it up. I'll prepare a small box if you'd like."
"I'll send a maid to fetch you whatever food you'd like." Alfred amended, mentally reminding himself to send something a little better for his meal tonight. "But yeah, that would be a great help….and the box, too!"
The blacksmith nodded, amused, and picked up an unfinished project – a rapier, by the looks of it – and went back to work in the heat.
Alfred, on the other hand, started to investigate the blue rings.
The first one was very simple in its' beauty – a single golden band. The jewel was a lot more complex though, with the ring's golden tones being twisted and melded in between the deep blue and the tones of green present in the pseudo gem.
"Mister, what's this gem supposed to be? I haven't seen it before."
"It's supposed to be azurite," came the reply. "Mighty fine, the stuff. I thought if you were looking for a regal touch since your queen might not have a noble status or live in the Inner Circles, that this could work."
"It's stunning," Alfred whispered under his breath, turning it around in his fingers. "The green and blue is really somethin' else."
"Ah, but you see, I love to experiment with my gems," the blacksmith said. "So does my Diamonds colleague. He has a talent of drawing colours from a set of pigment charts, then holding it in his mind so that they match perfectly. He had a lot of fun with your rings, Your Highness."
"I must compensate both him and you handsomely then," Alfred decided, slipping the beautiful creation back into the velvet folds of the box. "It is such an important project…"
"We'll discuss that later, Your Highness. But for now, please continue looking at them."
"I'd love to," Alfred smiled, picking the second one up.
It was embellished with what he used to see on his mother's jewellery – a circle of tiny sapphires that had to be half the size of a thimble, and a large, princess (at least, that's what the blacksmith said…) cut one in the middle. The hole was a little larger, large enough that Alfred could childishly peek through the hole , but he tried to picture it on Arthur's slenderer fingers. Maybe the heap of jewellery could be too much…
Then he found it. He honed in on the third ring, his eyes bright as he turned it over delicately in his fingers. It had that sterling silver band that some of the other rings had, but the design was a little more complicated – slightly darker blue pseudo gems embedded in the silver band positioned like a tiara with curves in the silver frame. But the crowning jewel – I know I'm funny – was a lighter coloured blue diamond in the middle. It was perfectly exquisite without being too complicated. Just like Arthur, Alfred marvelled.
"Your Highness? Are you all right?" the blacksmith asked, looking up from his work bench, seeing that Alfred had gone silent.
"Everything's fine – uh, everything's more than fine, actually!" Alfred said sheepishly, rubbing on the back of his neck. "I think I might have found something that's the perfect match."
"Oh? Can I see?"
"It's, uh, this," Alfred said, offering the ring to the blacksmith. He examined it for a few moments, then nodded with a tone of finality.
"Ah, this piece is wonderful. I was thinking on the simple and complicated spectrum, this seems to be rather equal even though I do think it's a more complex design than I'm used to. Are you pleased with that one?"
"Yeah, definitely…I mean, it really suits them." Alfred grinned. "I can see them wearing, you're right."
"Well, then, pop back after dinner and come over then. I'll replace the glass gems by then. Anything you want to change?"
"No, mister. I think it's perfect."
"Almost as if every time I think about him, he appears…" Arthur thought out loud, tapping his pen on the board of his desk.
…nothing. No loud, obnoxious knocks from the door, no 'Artie!' or 'princess' or 'sugar' or whatever stupid new name the prince had invented – not like he was starting to grow fond of them or anything – Alfonso had popped in earlier today, sharing some spare popcorn that he had gotten from the cinema, apparently. Not even little Hero had come yipping to his door.
He'd been having a quiet day today, especially after dinner. Alfred obviously had a lot of work, so damn much that he couldn't even take time out of his day to find time to spend with him or be at dinner – the fact that it was New Years Eve troubled him even more. He hadn't even seen him the whole day, was he…avoiding him?
Shaking his head, Arthur got up from his desk. There hadn't been a reply from Kiku for quite some time; he was sure that his friend had received his message but could be tied up in some paltry state affair. He knew Kiku wouldn't leave him hanging like this…
When the door opened, he couldn't help but feel a pang of relief as Anna burst in, all red cheeked and eager as she brought in two hangers and kicked the door firmly behind her as he followed her to his closet.
"Right," she sang, lifting the covers from them, revealing two garments. "Word down there is that the prince has taken out Lady Emma and Sir Alfonso this morning for a double date – possibly for the last time in a while. This means," she babbled as she bustled about. "He's got something big for you. He has been known to do dates where he just wants to spend time with someone, but I know this isn't it. So. I got to finishing your dress."
"Anna, I thought...didn't we say it wasn't a priority?" Arthur said, feeling a little self conscious but terribly thankful. "I – you must have been under incredible pressure."
"I dunno, New Years is a very special time of the year, so I was thinking you'd like to do something extra sweet," Anna said, and waved away his concerns with a elegant flick of her hand. "Voila!"
Oh, Fates, Arthur mouthed internally as he caught sight of the outfit – it wasn't everything terribly feminine or something that held emphasis on curves. Layers of blue tulle, each lighter or darker than the next, draped over each other like rolling waves. Next, he slipped on a pea coat that was dyed black – relatively simple, thank goodness, except for the traditional golden buttons, secured with a small pearl after another at the center. It wasn't a fancy outfit, thank goodness, but it definitely worked wonders. It's something else.
"So?" Anna asked, barely able to disguise the excitement in her voice from outside the bathroom. "Come on, do a turn!"
He did, rather uncertain about the soft material swirling around his legs until he felt his maid give him a squeeze of elation, quickly backing away with a 'sorry!'
"N-No, please, there's nothing to be sorry about," Arthur said, embarrassed. "Your creation is absolutely amazing."
"Thank you, Sir Arthur," she said, beaming. "It really looks good on you. The blue really matches, right? I tried to make it as fitting towards you as I could."
"Yes, it does." Arthur said, taking her hands. "And it fits perfectly. Thank you…but I'm not sure if he's- the prince is even available tonight. He hasn't turned up at dinner at all…I wonder if he's busy-"
"Spare me five moments," Anna said, a crafty look blooming onto her face. "Haven't spared you any heels, Sir Arthur, please wear the best blue shoes you can find. I hope you haven't forgotten them."
She dashed off, leaving him to wonder where in Duchess's name he had left them…
Alfred's chest rapidly moved up and down as he sped straight to the blacksmith's after dinner, where he had been taking it in his study. The princess's room next door was fine – not enlisting Matthew's help this time was all too hard. He'd redone his tie, checked his appearance as in what seemed like twenty billion times, popped in to say Yao. Even running at this speed for ten minutes took a toll one him…
"Ah, there you are!" the blacksmith exclaimed, pulling on his working gloves. "I've been meaning to thank you for the dinner as well, it was terribly delicious, Your Highness."
"My bad for being late, and that's great!" Alfred panted, "But is it okay if I know whether it's done?"
What a strange boy he is, with such casual language as a prince, he thought, but nodded, fishing for a velvet box that he had stashed away carefully.
"Right, you can open that up and give it a polish. I hope it's to your liking?"
"Yeah, definitely," Alfred said, turning it around in his fingers. It flashed him a comforting gleam. "I hope he'll like it."
"I know he will, Your Highness."
Arthur bunched his hands into fists against his skirt, the material light against his skin as he waited tensely outside the corridor to the first floor bedrooms. Anna had popped right back in after she had went outside, delivering a message for him to go there when he was ready. He had finally found his pair of flats with her help, then had ran as fast as his new clothing would allow him.
Just that moment, what he recognized as Alfred's maid was outside the door. She took in his appearance with a hint of surprise, but quickly mentioned that Alfred was already waiting for him at the prince's study – he assumed that it wasn't the bedroom in order to stop people from getting unscrupulous ideas – and with baited breath, Arthur knocked twice on his door.
It creaked open almost immediately, and Arthur waited for the bark and paw steps of Hero to greet him as he had before. But no, he could only hear footsteps before Alfred's voice rang out, asking him to 'c-come in!'
Arthur saw him perched on his balcony, but the moment Arthur closed the door he whipped around and his very blue eyes fixated on him. Alfred's expression lit up, and before Arthur knew it Alfred had pulled him into a hug. Arthur's hands rested uncertainly on his chest, taken aback, but enjoyed his warmth all the same. His heart's beating so fast…I wonder why?
"Y-You look stunning," Alfred murmured, detaching himself from Arthur and placing a kiss to his hand, running his damp lips against his knuckles in his usual fashion. "I hope you're not cold tonight."
"You clean up nicely as well," Arthur said, straightening his tie. He simply couldn't deny how dashing he was in a suit. "How are you?" His tone softened almost naturally when they were together. Alfred seemed all right and his usual self; perhaps his worries were unfounded?
"Hey, just a lot of work. But I'm sorry I couldn't, uh, see you today. I missed you real bad," Alfred grinned sheepishly. "I was hopin' to make up for it tonight?"
When he's nervous, his accent does show up a bit more, Arthur thought internally as he nodded. It's cute, but at the same time…
"What were you thinking about, Your Highness?"
"Follow me," Alfred said, walking to the door that led to the princess's suite. "Could you shut your eyes for a bit?"
"Alfred, what in the name of the Fates-" Arthur protested, but shut his eyes anyway.
"Shh," he whispered, and Arthur felt his arm encircling his waist, bringing him forward. After he heard the glass door slam shut, Alfred asked him to open his eyes, which he did.
Arthur's eyes widened – he had been met with perfection. The princess's suite had been made up; light blues and dark blues with hints of green such as the canopy over the bed and the pale green nightstands - just to Arthur's taste. In the corner, to his delight, he spotted a vase filled with blue roses, and Alfred nodded once, allowing him to go. Even though, yes, the gardens were filled with them, he'd never ceased to be impressed…
"Alfred! The balcony!"
The prince grinned bashfully, tugging on Arthur's arm to bring him to the front. "Surprise…?"
Candles, strewn across the landing of the balcony as some hung on hooks and others were on poles, shone in the night sky. As the two of them made their way up to the spot that was marked out, fireworks exploded in the sky, jolting Arthur's tender heart even more. It was New Year's Eve. So this was what he was planning.
It's definitely perfectly cheesy, Arthur thought as he leaned out from the railings in awe, feeling tears well up in his eyes at the sheer beauty of the scene. But he really does mean well.
And I love him all the more for that.
Alfred watched, his heart pounding in his chest as Arthur leaned out in front of the balcony. He swore in that moment that nothing in Cards, in the world, would be as beautiful as he was in this moment. He slipped his left hand into the pocket of his suit, feeling the harsh velvet of the ring box.
"Arthur," he said, blushing madly as the other boy turned to face him with a surprised face, his mouth an o. "I, uh…I'm really sorry. About today, ya know? Here you are, making a huge effort me for wearing a dress-"
"That's not as much of a concern as you should be busying yourself with." Arthur said, shaking his head with a hint of exasperation yet playfulness. "And if you really wanted to make up for it, you're going to have to wear a full ball gown next time!" Even though Arthur felt quite comfortable (and the pea coat he absolutely loved), it would be rather cute to see him in that sort of attire as a prince.
"As you wish," Alfred stammered, resting his gloved hands on Arthur's jacket, leaning on his shoulder and placing his chin where torso and neck met.
"You're so affectionate tonight…" Arthur remarked, taking Alfred's hands and lacing them around his waist. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, no, it's just…" he broke off, pulling out the watch, then back to the royal square below. "Hey, Artie, look!"
The two of them bent over the railing of the balcony, and realized that they were doing a New Years countdown.
"Ten, nine,"
"Arthur, I…" Alfred said, now sounding very nervous. Arthur turned to face him, surprised that his face was beet red. Fireworks briefly illuminated his flushed expression, and the sight made him bite his lip. What in Fates' name could have caused him to think so romantically?
"Seven, six! Five!"
"I had to spend the day away from you because you know me, I blurt out things," he said.
"Blurt out what? Alfred, what's the-"
"Two!"
"I wanted my New Years' kiss to be with you," Alfred blurted, pulling Arthur into an embrace. The way his fingers laced uncertainly around his cheeks made Arthur's heart and head fill with such adoration that he felt that he'd burst.
"One! Zero!"
And in that moment, Arthur scrunched his hands in Alfred's suit jacket and kissed him to fireworks and cheers, feeling the other boy freeze before reciprocating passionately, sharing a kiss that shook his very foundations.
"Did you think you'd have this kind of celebration?"
"No," Arthur laughed, fending off half heartedly another kiss from Alfred. "Oh, come off it, you idiot! You're not a puppy."
Alfred had been peppering his face and neck with kisses after they both had left the cold of the balcony and into his study – they'd been perched on the loveseat and had spent most of their time warming up.
"Aww," Alfred said, giving Arthur his very best puppy dog eyes, coupled with quivering lip. "You know you love it."
"Ah..." Arthur said, and finally relented to those big blue eyes. "I suppose I do, love."
"Tonight, I…I realized something, Arthur," Alfred said, and Arthur looked back up to where their hands were linked.
"Hm?"
"It was hard to hold myself back from you today," he confided. "It was so tough to spend time away from ya when I knew you'd be hurt since I wanted to try to spend some time with Emma and Alfonso before the New Year. I think you know why."
"…!" Is he…doing what I think he is? What I hope he is? Is he finally finishing the Deciding?
"I don't want to spend any more time away from you," Alfred said, his face flushing defiantly. "And I'll do anything in my power to prevent that."
"Alfred…I can't have that, either. Spending time away from you is always hard for me, that I've come to notice." He's being honest. I'll do so, as well.
"Forgive me for being so, uh, crass, but…there is something I could do. To make sure that we'd never really have to be parted."
Arthur's breath caught, and he leaned in closer, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. When he withdrew, his eyes were tender. Duchess, please give him the courage…
"Tell me, then. I'd love to do it."
Alfred's right hand left Arthur's clasped one, going for his pocket. Arthur's eyes widened, and he felt an elated sob rise up from his throat.
"Arthur, I-"
"Your Highness!" Just then, a loud and urgent sounding knock came from the door, leading the two of them to jump apart. Alfred's expression was one of total defeat, but he got up anyway, making sure Arthur was close just in case something happened.
"Your Highness! Have you seen…" he stopped in his tracks, noticing Arthur. "Ah. Sir Arthur, just the person I was looking for."
"Is there an issue?" he asked, all thoughts going to certain people. "Are my family all right? Is there a problem?" Gods, had Erin's cold taken a turn for the worse?
"No, sir – apparently, the Queen of Hearts has managed to invite you to his coronation. It's been discussed with the Jack of Spades…"
And just like that, Arthur's world was thrown into absolute disarray again.
The Queen of Hearts. Kiku…
PSA: i love ruining lives
replies
hearthorse11 - yes. yes. yes it is. i swear leigh bardugo is out to claim my soul
vivadragnire - haha i'm glad you are! don't worry, i'm not finished with prucan yet.
pastaaddict - don't worry! they'll make their comeback soon.
russia says hello - i hope this chapter did deliver on what you were expecting!
CFAA (FFNet read your username as an url lmao) - oh my god, you're amazing. i update every week so i hope that's enough :)
n kukurichan - kiku finally stopped waiting lol. it wasn't at the best time though...and anna definitely likes to see her liege happy - although she doesn't question it and loves to tease him. i really appreciate your comment with the kirkland family, i think i've been taking a few liberties with their characters and i'm happy you enjoy them. ^^
actually, now i read back i think i might have hit lots of your hunches since i love hinting haha. please don't break any bones...
reviews, favourites and follows are what will keep me writing, so please go ahead and leave them!