100 chapters, i say before turning away from you for a moment. allow me to scream into the general direction of the sun, thanks

ANYWAYS. thank you for sticking around for so long! even if you were reading from day one (?) or just jumped into this fic an hour and 25 minutes before i published this chapter, thank you! it's been a very long ride and we're almost done. :D

a spot of trivia, the title of this chapter derives from fall out boy's 'bishops knife trick. their latest album is such an arthur album so i wanted to add it in.

as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.

When Carlos got to Matthew's office that morning, he expected it to be pretty much empty. Except for the large bear that Matthew had received as a gift, but nonetheless. Matthew had been tending to the Joker Gilbert these past few days, and it was showing – the paperwork had been piling up at the desk, and Carlos was hoping that he could clear some it for him.

He owed Matthew that little, of course.

To his surprise, Matthew was in the office at eight in the morning sharp, tilting his glasses with a steaming cup of what Carlos assumed to be coffee tipped with maple, the fog tinting his glasses as he was setting down the drink, his stuffed – no, it was real – actual bear curled at the foot of his desk, fast asleep, muzzle shoved in between his paws.

"…! Good morning, Ace Matthew," Carlos said unsteadily, setting down his own cup of strong coffee on the edge of the table, the dark colour contrasting with the mildness of Matthew's coffee. "I, uh, didn't expect you to be here."

"I didn't want you to be burdening with work that should be my own," Matthew said, offering him a small smile as Carlos moved towards his side. "Besides, I supposed I was burdening myself with a false hope. Everyone's starting to move on, even King Ludwig, who has even more of a right to be upset than I am. so why shouldn't I make an effort?"

Carlos' mouth stilled in uncertainty. No doubt, he had felt profuse guilt after he knew what the advisorship - something that he had been integrated into – had become. Even if he hadn't originally been part of it, graduating from being a commander of a small squad deployed for a year who had earned some tactical commendations from being selected for a screening for an advisor for Jack Yao, the distinctions on the way of his life had definitely gotten muddy. Jack Yao had asked him if he could have been Ace Matthew's aide – he told him that he thought that while Matthew was inexperienced, he was willing to learn, and so that was why he appointed a relatively older person to assist with the new Ace.

"Carlos? Carlos, there's no need to feel guilty," Matthew said, and Carlos met his violet eyes, nodding curtly once. "I know that you have spent several years of your life protecting this monarchy; I trust you. I heard you speak out for me at the trial, it was…it was not your fault."

"You read me too well, Ace Matthew," Carlos said quietly, pulling up a chair opposite his table, pinching off a piece of paperwork from the pile that was a few centimeters taller than Matthew's lamp. "Even so, I was 'part' of them. Even if…your beloved was someone I did not know, it was anything but unjust. Any man would have helped out, if he could."

"I suppose that's why they're being sorted out by Alfred when he is crowned in a few weeks," Matthew said, in a voice so faint Carlos could barely make out the words. "…Right. You've seen the disaster that they are in the media right now. With Hearts in the country, their hands are tied."

"Wait, Ace Matthew," Carlos said quickly – remembering the conversation he had overheard in the board the day where the whole of Cards had heard of Joker Gilbert's condition. "I've forgotten to tell you something…"

It is the night after the airing of Yao and Alfred's damning Broadcast. The countries of Cards have risen up against them, putting their plans to a complete stop – the advisors are in panic. Many rooms in the advisorship lodgings have been stripped clean by the advisors themselves, the only evidence that they ever lived here being an empty photo frame, half used bottles of shampoo and frayed toothbrushes lying abandoned in the toilet, bulky leather suitcases lined up against the walls, their edges touching. Amongst them, Carlos sits in the metal frame of his bed, the mattress sagging underneath his weight as he tries to mend a shirt.

"Ohy, you," an advisor said and Carlos scanned her for her pin – it was red, meaning the second band of advisorship. He almost fought back a sigh – she was not high ranking, meaning that they had decided not to feed him to the wolves just for now. "Bring your badge, the purples have called a meeting."

"Uh, on it," Carlos said, sticking the pin inside his pillow and placing both pillow and shirt on his tiny desk – even as both Jack and Ace had insisted, he had elected for a smaller room so he could feel a little closer to his old home. "What's in it?"

"Purples are calling an emergency meeting," she said, throwing it over her shoulder as the sound of her black shoes were muffled by his thready carpet. "Planning last ditch efforts before they go."

"Right. You all know why we're here, and it's thanks to that damned Broadcast," Aileen – everyone knew her as part of the purple advisorship, the highest rank that festered the most ideas about how to usurp the monarchy, something that ran in their blood as much as another two generations ago. She in particular had a father that had readily convinced her that the monarchy was weak, and that there were things in the castle that were worth taking, including power. "If anyone hasn't watched it, we have a clip here."

"These were the marks they left on me just because I dared to challenge them," Alfred was saying in the clip, the gasps of the audience audible as the picture of his gruesomely cut up back were shown – even that caused a handful of the advisors to look away, Carlos' fists clenching underneath the table. He was in hot water with them already, there was next to no need to bring more attention to himself. "I…I they made me keep my mouth shut because they threatened me with more beatings, which I got. I was so afraid to the point where I only told Jack Yao two days ago."

"Coward," Aileen snarled, shutting off the monitor with an angry jab. "This little hero complex liar of a prince has won the whole world over with his little blue eyed act. Even before he's been crowned, he's winning!"

"What do we do now?" someone in the crowd blurted, and if looks could kill in Cards, the person would be writhing on the ground clutching their throat. "Um…um, I mean,"

"I won't be shamed for failing to carry on my father's work," she spat angrily. "Along with that and the arrival of Hearts, it's failed miserably. All we can do is try to see what we can do with the useless pawn."

"The girl? The daughter of the Joker rebels? That's insane, you know it – the two factions are more divided than ever, with the halfhearted attack on Hearts that ended in 'peace talks'…" another objected. "Even though, it could garner them support."

"I am full aware of the fiasco that was happened in Hearts, Nicholas, but we promised ourselves to not ally with them. They're but a ragtag bunch of middle class fools, and with the way both factions wear the badge of Joker rebel, their little rebellion will be quashed. Ours will leave a scar upon the monarchy how much we can."

"But with the Hearts due to arrive, what can we do? Our hands are tied!"

"Whatever we can," she said, gritting her teeth as she took her seat. "Right. Any ideas…"

"…I did not think it would be so bad," Matthew said forlornly, and lifted a hand from the bear's white fur and adjusted his glasses. "I will contact Alfred about it, but please, for the sake of your own safety, don't tell them that you told me."

"R…right away, Your Highness," Carlos said, but paused. "Um, Ace Matthew, I thought you would be a little angrier."

"Oh…I'm sorry, Carlos," Matthew said dully after an awkward silence. "I've been tired these past few days, and I believed that anger just wasn't the right way to go around and do things. I've been so angry for so long. I've been feeling numbed. What's the point?"

"Not all Aces are good ones," Carlos said slowly. "But I know you are a good Ace, Matthew. You will protect the monarchy and the kingdom for the sake of Cards. Even if you feel that you don't have anything to live for, I know that you will get the willpower…somehow, somewhere, to get back and continue fighting."

"…you're right, I'm sorry," Matthew said after another long pause, his fists clenching on his desk, nails catching on the wood of the table. "I should do it, not only for his sake but the rest of the country. I have a duty to protect Spades."

Who's his – oh, yes, Carlos thought internally, shutting his mouth before he could say it aloud. "So, Ace Matthew, we should finish the rest of the paperwork before the Broadcast tonight, so we can actually have a free moment. What do you say to ice cream in the middle of winter?"

"Forget the paperwork, you're better to spend time with," Matthew said with one of the most genuine smiles Carlos had seen in a while, gently setting down his bear before the two of them made their way to the door.

"Good evening, Kingdom of Spades," Alfred said, holding the microphone with two tightly clasped hands, his fingers sliding over his strained knuckles. "On tonight's Broadcast, we – I have a special announcement to make about the end of the Deciding."

Arthur looked once at the two of his friends – the three of them were sitting behind the wings, as Alfred wanted to give them as much space behind the curtains from the press. Emma's head was bowed, and she looked several shades of uncomfortable, but Alfonso gave him a nod – he had let his hair down today, and was wearing a small silver pin on his suit, the one that signified that he was to be Arthur's advisor as soon as he and Alfred were officially crowned.

"As members of the audience may have remembered, I, uh, I told the public that the Deciding would complete after the New Year." Gasps and murmurs broke out amongst the tightly packed room, and Alfred barely managed to physically waver. He could never get the hang of this…

After the Broadcast had been called the day after Alfred had his conversations with Emma and Alfonso, there had been speculations and several discussions about the purpose of the Broadcast. Many people had voiced concerns after the subject matter of the last one had been about the treatment that the advisors had been unleashing upon the Spadian monarchy, but most if not all news outlets who did a segment agreed that it had to be something to do with either the end or the result of the Deciding.

Alfred had gone straight to Jack Yao that night to let him know. It was only misfortune that led to both him and Ludwig being in the same room, but there was no anger nor sadness directed to his best friend. It was just a sense of loneliness, of loss. But he knew, for the sake of both of the Beilschmidt brothers, that he had to move on.

"Tonight, I'm here to make good on that promise. I've chosen who is to be the next Queen of Spades…and my other half," Alfred said, and the way he turned around and extended his hand to Arthur most likely sent thousands of people, regardless of whether they were parked in front of the television or doing maths homework and pelting in the room, gasping as Arthur took it and Alfred kissed the back of his hand, giving him a little grin. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to have the honour of introducing Mr Arthur Kirkland."

The cheers grew even more raucous as Arthur blushed, bowing a little and taking Alfred's hand again when he got back up, waving a little for the sake of the show. They shared a smile that simultaneously made Alfred's heart beat a little faster and made him sure that this was the boy that he wanted to marry.

"Arthur Kirkland," he said, going down on one knee and fishing in his pocket for the ring he had given back to him for the 'official' engagement. "There are a lot of things I wanna say right now, but since we're on TV I don't wanna ruin anyone else's programs for tonight. I know that it's only been eight months since we met each other, but I want to spend that and much longer with you by my side. Arthur, will you marry me?"

"Yes, of course," Arthur said, breaking into a wide smile that he tried to cover with his mouth – he was smiling in front of millions of people, damn it all, it was embarrassing! – something that elicited a matching beam on Alfred's face as they embraced to claps widespread over Clubs.

Berwald looks up from his position next at the bar and tilts up his glasses with his wrist as he wipes lime juice off his fingers. He cranes his neck to try to see the commotion around the TV the bar had. He and Matthias still have three days left before they have to return to the palace, and they along with Tino have settled into a comfortable pattern of spending most of their time in the cosy Blue Fjord in the time of cold.

"Papa! Papa! I told you, I told you!" a little girl's voice peaked right out of the commotion that the evening usually generated.

Business at the bar suddenly saw a sharp rise at around seven – which wouldn't be unusual thanks to happy hour, but save for the fact that instead of attempting to chat up Lukas and knock back drinks, they had all crowded around the television until Lukas had shouldered himself through the crowd and demanded that they bought at least a drink for themselves or they'd be kicked out.

"Look, what's all the fuss about?" Lukas sighed, raising an eyebrow. "I doubt that anything on the television could be so blasted interesting."

"The Deciding's finished!" one of the men exclaimed, patting the little girl's head. "Margie here's absolutely obsessed about it, so she's the little lass that inspired the whole betting thing."

"Come on, Wilson, you're not serious," a woman with a slightly wet hat from all the melting snow groaned, but her hands covered with her fingerless gloves were fishing out a few dollar bills. "Fine, I'll cough up the money, but only if you buy the girl a hot chocolate for her keen sense. It's on me tonight, lass."

"We're rich tonight, Papa!" she called, brown hair clustered around her shoulders as she waved the little bill triumphantly over her head. "I knew that Sir Arthur would win the Deciding!"

"Did someone say Deciding?" A loud voice coming from the bathroom made Berwald pursue his lips and prep his ears for the earsplitting sound that would break the hustle and bustle of the bar. "Is it over? Come on, don't keep old Matthias waiting! Honey, has anything happened? Is Alf doing well?"

"He just got engaged and you missed it," Lukas said drily, but looked behind his shoulder to see that Tino had been recording, Tino giving Matthias a thumbs up and a wink. "What a friend you are."

"AWW, my Alf's growing up," Matthias cooed, squatting down in front of the television and grinning as if Alfred could see him in that moment. "Hey, man! Congrats! I'm really glad you got engaged! Don't forget to invite good ol' Matthias and his loving family to your wedding, aight?"

"He can't hear you," Lukas groaned, but it didn't seem as if the other patrons noticed the very public as they were busy exchanging betting papers and money. "Right, right, you'll be seeing him in three days. Wish him luck then."

Back at the palace, it is getting relatively late at ten in the evening. Dinner has been a quiet and private affair for the most wanted people in the palace, with Alfred having dinner with Yao and Matthew in his study, and Arthur finally getting to spend some time with Queen Kiku.

"How many times would you complain, Art, if I said 'I told you so'?" Kiku said, winking at Arthur as the other laid down on his bed, green eyes fixed firmly against the ceiling and one arm lying over his forehead.

"It still doesn't feel real, Kiku," Arthur murmured, squinting past the lavish drapes of the royal's guest room. "It doesn't. I'm just waiting for the moment that the Fates don't accept me as queen."

"You are fortunate in the way that it does not choose, it lets Alfred choose who is queen. All you need to do is go down to the shrine with him and voila, you are all done with your coronation ceremony," Kiku said, finishing the last bite of his dinner – a curry containing rare herbs grown only on the fringes of Hearts territory completely covered with a luxurious helping of gooey, melt in your mouth eggs. "He chose you, and we all know it. There is no challenging the legitimacy of your status."

"I'd give the press three days," Arthur said cynically, but brown eyes met green in a moment of unity only best friends who had known each other for so long could share. "I'm sorry, Kiku, to dampen the mood. It's been so long…"

"No, you have always been like this. It's good to see that you are still yourself, no matter the consequences." Kiku said, pushing away the small side table and joining Arthur on his bed. "Still, I am grateful that we both have our happy beginnings."

"Happy…beginnings? I thought the saying was happy ending," Arthur said, tilting his head so that their heads touched each others. "Do you mean that?"

"Nope, I meant what I said, Art," Kiku said, looking at him with his clear eyes, mirth shining in them. "Happy beginnings. This might be the end of our adolescence, but it is the beginning of something that we have both worked for. One thing, though…"

"Hm?"

"That wasn't your first proposal, was it?" Kiku said, mischief dancing on his lips. "Certainly not. Go on, how did he propose to you before?"

"Where do you get your information?" Arthur exhaled, moving his arm down to cover his eyes in an attempt to hide his blush. "Right, well, it was actually before I left to come to Hearts. He flat out told me that he wanted to marry me; and of course I said yes! He…he then proposed to me later in the rose gardens, after the whole trials thing…and then tonight. I don't know how else I can rephrase me saying yes to him again…"

"He probably knows, after the third time," Kiku laughed. "Ah, Art, your tsundere side has gotten him very desperate for your approval."

"T-Tsundere? What's that?" Arthur asked, but a mischievous smile from Kiku told him that he didn't really want to know. "W-well, h-he was an idiot to ask me so many times, n-not like I enjoyed them or anything…"

"Of course, Art, of course," Kiku said, wearing his familiar, knowing smile. "So, I wanted to ask whether we could go visit the famed gardens soon after your wedding…"

On the other side of the Spades palace, Alfred learns that not everything has been smoothed over by the support of the Hearts, and learns that he has been betrayed by the girl who wept so bitterly when he told her that he loved someone over her.

"Emma…why?"

;)

replies

CFAA - yes! i'm really fond of aph belgium and portugal in the first place so i wanted to do them justice!

em - HAHA, thank you for beta'ing me in the first place! after reading diamond ball tbh, both getting to know you/being beta'd seemed like some pipe dream. but thank you for everything (including putting up w/ my stupid youtube memes, lol.)

vivadragnire - is it weird that i never even considered emma doing that? and alfonso is such a bro, i believe in him.

hearthorse11 - yep! i also think that she threw herself in the romance more than alfonso, who noticed that his best friend in the process was really into alfred and you could see that he had started backing off a little earlier than emma had. and alfonso and arthur both have a lot to learn, so we'll be there for them. thank you for reading as always x

russia says hello - oho a scandal you say? i say, scanning the hastily typed notes i leave on the document i do all the writing on. christ tho, honestly that's a really interesting idea. i've felt that this story's been lacking in non romantic action recently, so that'll definitely be an angle i'll be exploring soon! thank you ;D

n kukuri chan - pfft, showing up like the spanish armada, i see? kiku probably has tapping devices and secret guards to make sure that whatever they say when the other's out of earshot will get back to each other, lmfao. and it's SO SCARY because after i wrote the tsundere segment i looked at your review and gaped. yep...the german bros aren't having a good time. still going mum on gilbert .

oh shit yeah, i did. i always fret over characterization but maybe it's been due seeing with alfred's characterisation i've been with for 2-3 years now (damn, i'm old but not old at the same time lol.) tbh in the original plot, alfonso really wanted to go home and there would be a bit concerning arthur feeling terribly alone and guilty, but i think alfonso appreciates their friendship and would at least want to use his talents to help out his friend.

concerning emma, i don't think that she's angry at alfred because tbh, you can't be angry at someone that you've loved deeply for a while. she definitely has things that she doesn't want anyone knowing but at the same time she wants to pursue the things she wants, not what someone else wants for her, etc. she is fiercely loyal to the ones she loves and for alfred to break her heart like that, she's a bit tender as of rn. for now, i'd say she's someone to look at.

(regarding your note, ohhh i haven't forgotten about rochu, i promise you!)

reviews, favourites and follows are what will keep me writing, so please go ahead and leave them!