Arthur sat on his throne, tapping his fingers rapidly against the arm rest. He had better things to do than speak to peasants, but his advisor suggested the idea. According to his spies, the unrest amongst the commoners was growing. These meetings were supposed to help build relations, but Arthur knew what the true problem was: he hadn't yet received the spades mark.

Every thousand years, the royal courts were reincarnated. Those who were marked with a spades insignia would become rulers of The North. The North was the most powerful kingdom out of the four kingdoms, and Arthur was currently it's King.

Out of the three Spades reincarnations, one was always a royal. The other two were commoners. One reincarnation, a commoner named Yao, had already received the mark of the Jack. The mark of the Jack was a Spades symbol, with an intricate scepter depicted inside it. The kingdom rejoiced when the Jack was found. Arthur could tell morale was at an alltime high. Unfortunately, that high did not last very long.

Five years later, and neither the King nor the Queen had been found. This was very unusual, as the reincarnations usually revealed themselves within a fairly short time span of each other.

Still, Arthur was not worried. He had faith that his mark would show soon, and he would officially be respected as The True King...

Arthur refocused. He had let his mind wander as the man before him begged and pleaded for more time. A man knelt in front of him, as Arthur's guards stood nearby, observing the exchange.

The man had borrowed from the bank and had neglected to repay them. The bank commanded that he be imprisoned and compensation for the ordeal.

"And, as your highness, The True King Of Spades, knows, the drought did not let me properly farm my crops and so I-"

"Enough." Arthur raised his hand and the man immediately quieted, looking up at Arthur with pleading eyes. "Did you take a loan from the bank?"

"Yes, your highness."

"And did you fail to repay the loan."

"Yes, your highness but-"

"Stop!" He felt his voice rise, and tried his best to calm down. His patience was already paper thin. "You took out a loan and you failed to pay it back. Don't run your mouth in my court or I'll have you hanged. Answer the following questions plainly, understood?"

"Yes, your highness."

"Good. Now do you have any children?"

"Yes, your highness."

"How many?"

"Two."

"What age and gender?"

"They are twins. One boy and one girl. Both are five years old, your highness."

"Good, old enough to start working. The bank will decide which child they would like to possess, and you are ordered to spend the next five years imprisoned, effective immediately."

"Your highness, no!" The man began to get up and the guards took their cue. They stood in between the king and the man, ready to unsheath their weapons.

"Are you trying to commit treason?" Arthur could feel a migraine coming on. He was truly annoyed now. "If you bothered to read the laws then you would have known the consequences. You took out a loan. You didn't repay and now you will suffer the consequences. Accept your fate honorably. That is, if you have any dignity left."

The man began to silently sob before he was taken away by the guards.

Arthur sat back, truly tired. It was not easy being king.

"The next person will be the last for today," Arthur decided.

"There's still a line wrapping halfway around the castle." Yao spoke up for the first time. "I'd suggest you keep seeing them until sunset, my king."

"There's always a line wrapping halfway around the castle," Arthur rolled his eyes. "The next one is the last."

Yao huffed in response, which Arthur chose to ignore. Yao would have harsher words with him later. Yao knew not to make a scene in front of others and kept his true feelings hidden until the proper time.

The guards ushered in the next person.

He was dressed in a long, dark blue robe. He knelt before Arthur and hung his head, waiting to be addressed.

"What do you want?" Arthur noticed Yao glared at him for his blunt language.

The man raised his head and appeared to be taken aback by him. Arthur saw him take a deep breath before speaking firmly.

"Your highness, my king, The True King Of The North, I beg of your help. My name is Alfred F. Jones and I have travelled far, from Alkirk-"

"Alkirk?" Now this piqued Arthur's interest. Alkirk was a town formerly known as Frey and belonged to the kingdom of The West. A few hundred years ago they had pledged their allegiance to The King Of The North and changed their name in order to pay their respect to the royal Kirkland family. Arthur had read about this village before, but had never met anyone from it. They were on the outskirts of the kingdom, and the journey took at least a month's time. "Is it true you hold seasonal parades in my honor?"

"Yes, your highness," when talking about his home, the man smiled, and Arthur noticed just how blue his eyes seemed as he spoke with passion. "To hold our celebrations means to support our kingdom. It's very important to us, however, times have grown hard on us. The taxes on wool have increased so much that we are losing money by exporting. The tax on sugar has been so high that no one in our village can afford it. I understand the importance of taxes but-"

All charm of the man was lost once Arthur heard of his "struggles". "What was your name again?" asked Arthur.

"Alfred F. Jones. I'm the the leader of my village and-"

"Leader?" Arthur began to laugh. "How old are you, boy? Eighteen?"

"Nineteen." The man frowned and Atrhur could tell he was striking a nerve. Still, he decided to push.

"Oh, how Alkirk must have fallen. To elect a boy as their leader."

"If I recall, your highness is only twenty-four. Where I come from there's a saying about a kettle and a pot."

Arthur stopped smiling and he stood up. Arthur raised his hand and took pleasure in slapping the grin off his face. "Clearly your parents didn't teach you manners," Arthur could feel his hand sting, but didn't let it stop him. "If you are the representative, then I pity what a village that was named in my honor has become. I think you all must be taught a lesson. I'm raising the tax on grains by fifteen percent."

"You-," the man began to ball his fists and shake with anger. He looked up at Arthur and he could see the anger in his eyes.

"Is there anything else you would like me to tax?"

"I," the man closed his eyes and fell to the floor, bowing his head even further to the ground. "Please, your majesty, I didn't mean to offend. There are many children and babies we cannot afford to feed and-"

"All I hear is a group of commoners not working enough. Stop speaking and leave before I decide to have my guards take care of you."

The man began to shake and Arthur could see tears fill his eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something, but turned, and left without another word.

"Really?" Yao asked, when the man left.

"He was so disrespectful. Maybe he'll learn his lesson."

Yao left without saying another word.

Arthur sighed and decided to return to his chambers. The day had been stressful, and he wanted to rest in peace.

He stood still as his maids began to undress him. He began to imagine what it would be like to receive the mark of The King when one of the maids screamed.

"The mark!" The maid squealed and Arthur ran to his mirror. If he had taken a second to look at the maid he would have seen the look of horror on her face.

"Finally, my time has come!" He could officially be crowned The True King Of The North, The King Of Spades, Arthur Kirkland. He could see his future now.

Arthur turned around and looked at his bare back in the mirror. On his right shoulder blade, there, clear as day, was the mark of The Queen.