The ride to the palace was longer than Alfred had anticipated. By the time the Spades palace came into view, the sun had set completely, and stars were beginning to illuminate the night's sky. Alfred leaned out the window of the vehicle and gawked at the building as they approached. Alfred had never seen the Spades Palace before. The large estate was located in the heart of the country of Spades. The Jones' farmhouse was on the northern border of the country and until now, he had had no reason to venture this far into the heart of Spades. During the ride, Alfred had imagined what the palace may look like, but it was far grander than anything that his imagination could have come up with. The tall, looming palace was encased in a shining, silver material that seemed to glow and refract light even in the pale moonlight. The towers and walls of the palace were all ornately decorated with the country's emblem in iron and cobalt blue. In the center of the palace was a tall looming tower, and at the very top was the royal crest, a clear, sharp spade.
Upon arrival at the palace main steps, palace guards opened the door of the vehicle and escorted the three men inside. As the tall, heavy stone doors of the palace were opened before Alfred, he found himself at a loss for words. The palace seemed even larger on the inside. The ceilings reached far overhead, and most of what he saw was formed from glistening marble.
"This is the main hall," Yao's voice pulled Alfred out of his awestruck wonder. "The main ballroom is past the end of this hall, and just past that is the throne room."
"I can't believe this..." Al whispered as he looked around. "Uh...Mr. Jack?"
"You may just call me Yao, Your Excellency."
"Oh. Okay then, Yao."
"Yes, King."
"I still have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I don't have any idea on how to rule Spades."
"Oh. No need to worry, Your Excellency. While the announcement of your arrival will be in the morning, you will not receive most of responsibilities until after your training."
Alfred tilted his head to the side. "Training? What training?"
Yao raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You weren't aware? Occasionally..." Yao paused for a moment and looked at Alfred up and down, "when it is deemed necessary, the new royals go through some extensive lessons to assist them before they begin their official rule."
"Oh." Alfred pursed his lips and tried his best not to be offended by Yao's statement.
"Your lessons will begin tomorrow. Arthur will be your instructor." Arthur, who had been lingering by the palace doors suddenly stepped forward at the sound of his name with a bitter expression on his face.
"Excuse me, what?"
Yao turned and looked at Arthur with a puzzled look. "I thought we had agreed that you would be giving lessons to our new royal?"
"Yes, we had indeed agreed on that, but that was before I-" Arthur paused and looked at Alfred before swiftly looking away. "I just think I'm more suited for giving lessons to the next Queen, not the King."
Yao smiled, unaffected by the irritation dripping from Arthur's voice. "That shouldn't be an issue, Arthur. I deem you quite capable of issuing the proper lessons regardless of if it is a King or Queen."
Arthur frowned and looked at Alfred out of the corner of his eye. Then, without another word, he turned down a hall and disappeared. Yao turned back to face Alfred. "You'll have to forgive Arthur. His fuse can be short with people he doesn't know well." Alfred nodded, but his gaze remained where Arthur had disappeared down the hall. Yao continued. "There's no need to worry. Arthur knows absolutely everything there is to know about Spades. That's why he's employed here."
"Oh...okay." Alfred said as he turned back to Yao.
"You must be tired after everything that's happened today. Come, I will show you to your room." Yao began walking towards one of the hallways, and Alfred soon followed after the Jack. The walk to his room seemed to be a feat in and of itself. The snaking corridors and long halls seemed to go every which way, and Alfred wondered if he would ever be able to navigate the labyrinth unaccompanied. Eventually they reached the top floor of the innermost tower. Yao stopped outside of a pair of large double doors and turned to Alfred.
"This is your room, Your Excellency. Feel free to use it as you like. All of the palace servants and guards have been made aware that you are here, and you may ask them for anything that you may need. My room, as well as the study and the library, are in the East Tower. If you need anything, you may call on me as well."
"Thank you, Yao." Alfred didn't know much about Yao yet, but he could tell that he was the type of person who approached most things as they came. The Jack was a position that would be a constant helper and adviser to the King, and Alfred realized that he was very fortunate to have such an approachable Jack. Alfred extended his hand to the dark haired man. "I look forward to working with you."
The Jack smiled at the King's statement and took his hand in a firm handshake.
"And I, you." Yao stepped backwards and bowed briefly. "Have a good rest, King. I will see you tomorrow." With that, Yao turned down the hall and disappeared back into the maze of corridors. Alfred waited until he could no longer hear Yao's footsteps before turning his attention to the large doors. Alfred twisted the door's silver handle and stepped inside the room.
The King's bed chamber was large, not unlike the rest of the castle. An impressive chandelier hang from the ceiling, illuminating the room in soft light. There were large oak drawers and closets adorned with mirrors that Alfred assumed may be filled with clothing. Opposite from where Alfred was standing were wide, pointed windows that looked out on the palace's inner courtyards and gardens as well as the main gates. Pressed up against the wall to Alfred's right was a bed. The bed was enormous and covered in warm and expensive-looking fabrics. Velvet curtains were draped liberally across the room including around and to the side of the windows as well as over the bed's canopy. Everywhere he looked, Alfred was overwhelmed at the luxurious items that he saw. The room was easily four times larger than the attic that he and Matthew had shared.
Matthew. Alfred thought back to his brother who would now be sleeping in the farmhouse attic all alone. Was it really fair for him to be here? Alfred tried to shake the thought from his mind. In a few short weeks Matthew would be able to move into university housing. The thought seemed to ease his worries, but did little to calm the loneliness that was beginning to fall over Alfred. He had had a handful of close friends at school that he would never be seeing again, and he wouldn't be seeing his brother everyday anymore. Alfred wandered over to the bed and sat down. It was incredibly soft. Alfred pondered for a moment about his situation. Yao seemed nice enough to talk to, but he was lacking a certain friendliness. Then there was Arthur. Alfred thought about the blond man who would apparently be giving him some sort of lessons. While he was relieved that he would not be thrown face-first into his King responsibilities without a drop of training, he was less than excited about being taught by Arthur. Alfred frowned and laid across the bed. Before he could think about his situation any further, the comfort of the fabrics beneath him soon lulled him into a state of drowsiness. All of his worries seemed to slip away as he began to drift into sleep.
"Maybe this won't be so bad..." Alfred muttered to himself as he felt sleep closing in around him. His eyes slid closed, and not long after the new King of Spades was fast asleep.
Alfred awoke to the sound of a soft knock on his door. He jolted awake, and looked around, shocked as his surroundings. But then, after a brief moment, the memories of the previous day came rushing back. Light was coming in from the palace windows. It was morning. He relaxed slightly before hearing the knock on the door again.
"Uh, yes?" Alfred called towards the door. Shortly after, the knob twisted and an unknown person entered the room. It was a woman with brown hair that rested just above her shoulders. She was wearing the palace's maid uniform and was holding a small stack of clothes. She looked older than Alfred was, but she had a warm smile that stood out to him. She bowed briefly before speaking.
"Good morning, King. I trust you slept well."
"Uh...yeah I did." Alfred said, unsure of how to respond to such a question. He then looked down, embarrassed, to find that he had fallen asleep in the previous day's clothes. The maid looked down at the clothes she was holding.
"I've brought your clothes for the day. Everything has been prepared in the appropriate size, so there is no need to worry." The maid walked across the room and placed the stack of clothing on a nearby table. "Lord Arthur humbly requests your presence after breakfast." The maid paused for a moment, as some color traveled to her face. "Do you require any assistance getting ready, King?"
At first, Alfred wasn't quite sure what the maid was asking, but then his eyes traveled to the pile of clothes on the table.
"No...uh yeah no, I'm good." Alfred stuttered out his answer, lacking the composure that he was hoping for. The maid nodded.
"Very well, King. I will wait outside. Once you are done, I will show you to the dining room." The maid bowed once more before exiting the room and closing the door behind her. Alfred let out a sigh before rolling out of bed.
"This is going to take some getting used to..."
Alfred retrieved the clothes from the table and quickly began getting dressed. The clothes were the finest quality that Alfred had ever seen. He wasn't too keen on the stuffy-looking blue tie that had been included with the white shirt and dark pants, but after a little bit of struggling, he got the tie to look somewhat presentable.
The maid showed Alfred to the dining room, and Alfred made sure to pay careful attention to the path they took this time. If nothing else, he wanted to make sure he could make it to meals without being escorted. The dining room was impressive, which was to be expected. The room, which was on the first floor of the palace, had several windows that looked out on the inner courtyard. There was a long oak table that could seat several people, most likely for the purpose of formal dinners. At the end of a table, there was a chair that far larger and more elaborate than the others, and sitting beside that chair was Yao, sipping a cup of coffee. There was a partially empty plate before him. Alfred figured he must have already eaten. Yao looked up as Alfred entered the room and stood up, setting his cup aside.
"Good morning, King." Yao bowed slightly, and gestured to the large chair. "Please."
Alfred walked over to the large chair and sat down. "Good morning, Yao."
Yao sat down again shortly after Alfred took his seat. The Jack was dressed in simpler clothes than what he had worn the day before; he wore no hat today, and instead was wearing a simple garment with a blue spade embroidered over his heart. Before Alfred could say another word to the Jack, a small stream of servants began to pour into the room. They held assorted plates and dishes and placed one after the other before Alfred. When they were finally finished, Alfred wondered if he had ever seen such an array of different foods in his life. There was a wide variety of different cakes, meats, sausages, fruits and pastries, many of which Alfred had never seen before in his life. And that's when it hit him. He was starving. Between everything that had happened within the previous day, his brain had temporarily overpowered his hunger. But now that the confusion and disbelief had settled down, hunger hit him like a train. As he tired to think about where to begin, Yao spoke up.
"Eat as much as you want, King. No need to hold back." And Alfred didn't hold back. He started with the dishes closest to him and worked his way outward. And every single thing he ate was delicious. By the time he was finished, there was very little left on any plate, and Alfred leaned back in the chair, completely satisfied.
"That was great," Alfred said as he ran his hand over his stomach with a huge smile on his face. Yao suppressed a short laugh in response.
"I'm glad you liked it. Now, in regards to today's schedule, Your Excellency..."
"Yeah?"
"Your lessons with Arthur begin today. He's already waiting in the study." Alfred's smile dropped quickly. Lessons. That was intimidating enough without having that man named Arthur teaching him.
"Oh yeah."
"The study is in the East tower. Would you like me to escort you there?"
Alfred thought for a moment before shaking his head and standing up. "Nah, I'll find it myself. I need to get used to this place eventually." Yao smiled in response.
"I see. Well, I'll be in the North hall working today. Don't hesitate to call on me should you need anything."
"Thanks," Alfred said as he stood from the chair. Yao stood as well and bowed again.
"Have a good day, King."
Alfred smiled as he slipped through the door.
"You too, Jack."
Alfred realized shortly after he left the dining room that he should have taken Yao up on his offer. He got helplessly lost in the castle despite his best attempts to keep his barrings, and when he finally did make it to the East tower, he opened every single door that he passed, hoping that eventually he would find the right room. Eventually, upon reaching the East tower's fourth floor, he found the study. He burst into the room out of breath and startled the room's only inhabitant. The small green room had a desk in the back of the room, in front of a wall of windows. The walls were covered with bookshelves, and in the center of the room were two couches positioned around a small table. In the back of the room, propped against a window with a book in his hand, was Arthur. He was dressed well again, in a vest suit with silver detail. His startled expression showed that Alfred had clearly taken him by surprise, but the expression was rapidly replaced with an irritated look. Alfred frowned. This was going to be difficult.
Arthur closed his book and let out a sigh.
"You're late."
Alfred let out a short laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, uh, I got lost."
"I can tell." Arthur walked over to the desk and set his book down. He looked back up at Alfred. "Well, are you going to come in?" Alfred looked around, and saw he was still standing in the doorway.
"Oh yeah." Alfred walked in and closed the door behind him. He took a seat at one of the couches and drummed his hand on his knees anxiously. A few moments passed while Arthur rustled through some papers stacked on the desk. Alfred broke the silence.
"So...what type of lessons are these going to be?" Arthur didn't answer, but instead walked over to the couch opposite Alfred and sat down. He was holding a small stack of papers and slowly began flipping through it.
"Do you know what this is Alfred?" Alfred shook his head in response.
"No, what is it?"
"Your school transcripts."
Alfred sucked in air through his teeth, immediately knowing what Arthur was looking at.
"Oh."
Arthur placed the stack of papers on the table, then rubbed his temples before pinching the bridge of his nose. "These are really embarrassing marks for a King." He paused and looked up at Alfred. Alfred said nothing, so Arthur continued. "You'll need to fix this. I have a lot of things to teach you about your duties as King of Spades, but I can't even teach you that if you're failing your own country's history." Arthur stood up, and pulled a number of books from the bookshelves on the wall before returning to his seat. He tossed one of the thicker books towards Alfred. Alfred caught it, then looked at Arthur. "Chapter one. We start now."
The teaching that ensued was humiliating by Alfred's standards. He spent the next several hours reading aloud from history books, and taking various tests issued by Arthur. He was drilled on everything from past wars, to manners, grammar and current events. Alfred was pelted with hundreds of questions, very few of which he could answer correctly. And with each incorrect answer, Arthur was growing more and more visibly irritated.
Alfred looked out the window. The sky was dark and clouded, but he could already tell it was early afternoon. Unphased by the amount of time that had passed, Arthur continued with his drills.
"And when was the last war with Clubs?"
"Uh...seventy years ago?"
"No, forty eight years ago. God, Alfred we just went over this! How could you have possibly forgotten already?" Arthur closed the book and placed it on the desk as he shook his head in disbelief. Alfred scowled at the response to Arthur's reaction.
"Hey, you're not really helping. You act like you're teaching me, but you're just showing off what you already know."
Arthur threw an accusing look at Alfred.
"Me? I'm doing everything possible to help you! These are the simplest of facts that I'm teaching you, and you can't even get them right. I'm amazed, really. I'm amazed at how incompetent you are."
Alfred eyes widened in anger. "Incompetent?"
"Yes! How could someone who knows as little as you be chosen to be King of Spades? It doesn't make any sense!"
Alfred stood up and walked closer to Arthur, anger rising inside of him as well.
"What about you? You act like you're so great, but this is all you can do isn't it? You're act so stuck up, but you've never worked a day in your life, have you?" Arthur took a step back, and his expression changed for a brief second. What Alfred was saying was effecting him. Alfred took a step closer and looked into Arthur's eyes, his voice dripping with anger. "Why are you even here? You're not a Spade. You don't belong here."
Alfred regretted his words the moment he said them. He watched something flicker inside of Arthur's eyes; something he hadn't seen before. Pain. As if what he had said had truly hurt him. Arthur said nothing, but quickly and silently walked from the room, slamming the door behind him. Alfred let out a sigh, immediately knowing that he had gone too far. Alfred walked to the back of the room, and looked out. The windows were facing away from the castle, and looked out on a small grove just beyond the palace gates. He watched the tree's dark, twisting branches dance in the wind. Teardrop Oak trees. They were the same types of trees that lay just beyond his farmland. Alfred remembered how he and Matthew had liked racing to the edge of their property when they were young. Alfred won every time, but always made sure to wait for Matthew under one of the dark trees, just at the edge of the forests surrounding their land.
Alfred was pulled from his daydream as he saw a figure run towards the grove. As he saw a flicker of blond hair, he immediately recognized the figure as Arthur.
"Going into the woods to sulk...that's surprisingly childish," Alfred mumbled to himself as he saw Arthur's figure fade from view. Realizing that the lessons were definitely over for the day, Alfred began to walk towards the door. However, something stopped him in his tracks; a low, rumble of thunder. Alfred froze in his place and looked out the window again. A few scattered raindrops had begun to collect on the glass window. Alfred's mind raced for a moment. Arthur was in the grove.
"Shit."
Alfred burst through the door and ran down the marble steps and through the corridors trying to find the closest exit to the grove. Teardrop Oak trees were rare, and hard to cultivate. They were named for the sweet blue fruit it bore in the fall, but what many people were unaware of was that the trees have a strange reaction to rain. When it rains, the tree's root system expands rapidly, making the surrounding ground very unstable. Alfred remembered how once he had raced Matthew in the rain, and accidentally fell several feet down into a crevice created by one of the trees. The hole was so deep, that Matthew had to run and get their father to help pull Alfred from the hole. And now Arthur was in a grove full of those trees. In the rain.
Alfred eventually made it to a side exit in the palace and bolted outside, not minding the confused looks from the palace guards. The rain had begun to fall more rapidly, and the cold water stung his face and eyes. However, the rain was not deterring him as he bounded towards the tree line. Alfred leaped over a low fence surrounding the grove and rushed in. As he had feared, the rain was causing the roots to shift, and several crevices and holes were already becoming visible on the ground before him. Alfred maneuvered through the grove quickly, stepping on the roots as he went to prevent falling through the unstable ground.
"Arthur?" Alfred called into the woods, but the rush of rain was beginning to drown out sound, and rising mist was beginning to limit visibility.
"Arthur!" Alfred called out again, louder, and waited for a response. He thought he heard a muffled voice, and called out once more.
"Arthur!"
"Alfred?" This time, he heard Arthur's voice clearly as he rushed towards where the voice was coming from a short distance away. He paused as his eyes finally found who he was looking for. As he had feared, under an especially large tree was a deep, earthy chasm surrounded with dark roots. And at the bottom of the pit was Arthur, looking up at Alfred. He looked bad. He had a number of rips and mud on his clothing. His muddied hands and shoes suggested that he had already tried to climb out a few times. Arthur wore a composed expression, but there was a definite fear in his eyes that even to rain and mist couldn't fully disguise. He let out a surprised gasp when he saw Alfred appear at the top of the crevice.
"Alfred?"
"Arthur! Are you okay? Can you move?"
"I'm fine, but I can't get out. This damn mud is making it impossible, and I-"
"Arthur, it's fine. I'm here to help you." Arthur's eyes widened at Alfred's words, then his expression returned to it's familiar composed state.
"Alright."
Alfred looked around, trying to weigh his options for helping Arthur. After a few moments, he decided on a plan of action. He tested the sturdiness of a nearby root by kicking it, and when it did not give way, he grabbed onto it firmly as he carefully lowered himself into the crevice. With one hand firmly wrapped around the root and the rest of his body hanging in the crevice, he kicked his feet around until he found a small foothold on a lower root. Once he felt secure, he extended his other hand towards Arthur, who was now just a short distance away. Arthur reached out and firmly grasped Alfred's hand.
"Now what? You can't possibly lift me up with just one-" Before Arthur could finish his sentence, Alfred lifted Arthur off the ground and towards him.
"Grab on." Alfred's instructions came quickly with no further detail, so with little time to spare, Arthur threw his arms around Alfred, holding on as tight as possible and pressing their bodies together. Alfred quickly returned his other hand to the branch hanging above them. The rain plus the additional weight of the man holding onto him was making holding on a lot harder. Alfred could feel the rough bark cutting into the underside of his fingers, but there was no turning back now. Alfred inhaled, and then with all of the strength he could muster, pulled himself and Arthur out of the crevice. As they ascended, Arthur quickly grabbed onto the nearby roots as they came within reach, and soon the pair scrambled to safety at the base of the tree.
Out of breath, Alfred dragged himself to the base of the tree, and rested his back against the cold, damp bark. Arthur shortly followed and sat down beside him. The cool rain was still falling, and for a while, the pair simply sat shoulder to shoulder in the rain. Arthur looked at the man beside him. Alfred was still breathing hard with his head tilted back, resting against the tree. His eyes were shut, but soon Alfred turned his head to his side and a pair of icy blue eyes were now staring directly at Arthur. Arthur could only hold his gaze for a few seconds before looking down. The memories of what he had said in the study along with the embarrassment of running through a grove and falling down a hole was making it hard to look at much of anything at the moment. Suddenly, Arthur's eyes fell on Alfred's hands. The two hands that had pulled them to safety had thin ribbons of blood running down them, and the crimson fluid was beginning to slowly drip on the ground below them. Arthur winced. It looked painful. He looked back at Alfred, whose gaze hadn't wavered.
"...Thank you." Arthur paused for a moment, trying to think of something more eloquent to add to the simple statement, but couldn't think of anything. Alfred nodded slowly with a smile forming on his lips.
"I was pretty heroic, wasn't I?"
Arthur snorted at the statement.
"I wouldn't say heroic, you're just stupid strong."
"It's not stupid! It saved you, didn't it?"
Arthur paused for a moment and let out a short laugh.
"Yes, it did."
Alfred smiled at Arthur's words and gently nudged his shoulder.
"Next time, go to your room to sulk like a normal person." Arthur turned to look at Alfred, and Alfred nearly jumped at what he saw. Arthur smiled. It wasn't small or laced with sarcasm as he had seen previously. It was a genuine, warm smile that Alfred could only describe as dazzling. Alfred felt heat rush to his face despite the cool rain running down his cheeks. He turned away from Arthur and let out a small laugh to try and dissipate the warm feeling. The pair sat in comfortable silence for a few more moments before Alfred spoke up again.
"Sorry...you know. For what I said."
Arthur nodded in response, and shortly after the rain began to let up. After a few more short minutes, the rain stopped completely, and the roots of the dark trees gradually shifted back to where they had been before.
The pair quietly made their way back to the castle. The rain clouds were moving out, and soon the sky was illuminated in sunset. As they approached the castle, the palace guards rushed to open to gates and palace doors for them. They entered the main hall and almost immediately saw Yao walking down the hall with a stack of papers. When Yao saw the pair approaching, his jaw dropped. He placed the papers on the floor and rushed over two them.
"Your Excellency! Arthur!" Yao paused and looked at the two up and down. "What happened to you two?"
Alfred let out a short laugh.
"Oh you know...stuff." Alfred looked at Arthur for help in an explanation, and eventually the other blond spoke up.
"It's nothing to worry about, Yao. We'll be heading to the infirmary now." Arthur grabbed Alfred's arm and pulled him behind him.
"Wait, Arthur...I'm hungry, can we get something to eat first?" Alfred protested lightly and Arthur stopped.
"Fine..." Arthur looked around the hall until his eyes landed on a servant. He called out to the maid. "You there. Please bring the King's food to the infirmary." The maid bowed and hurried off towards the kitchen. Arthur tugged at Alfred's arm once more. "Come on."
As the two left the main hall, Yao watched them in bewilderment. Then the Jack smiled.
"Looks like those two are finally getting along."
Arthur led Alfred down a long corridor, then finally they arrived at a door at the end of the hall. The two entered the room. Alfred immediately became aware of the smell of disinfectant, and looked around. It was a room similar to his school's infirmary, although far nicer. There were a few beds in the room, as well as tall cabinets filled with assorted jars and medicines. Arthur gestured to the nearest bed.
"Sit down over there." Arthur opened one of the cabinets and rummaged through the contents as Alfred sat down on the bed.
"I'm really hungry, couldn't we have gotten food first?"
Arthur closed the cabinet with an irritated sigh.
"Look at your hands, Alfred. How were you planning on eating your food?" Alfred looked at his hands, confused, then realized the shape they were in. There were open cuts, dirt and dried blood all over the undersides of his hands.
"Oh."
Arthur shook his head and brought a few vials, a roll of bandages and a damp cloth towards the bed. He pulled up a chair in front of Alfred and sat down.
"How could you not have noticed that, Alfred?"
Alfred shrugged. "It doesn't hurt that much." Arthur raised his eyebrow and gestured for Alfred to give him his hand. Alfred complied and placed one of his hands into Arthur's open palm. Arthur proceeded to rub the warm, damp cloth over Alfred's hand.
"I mean the cuts are one thing, but the dirt alone..." Arthur said. Alfred pouted in response.
"My hands aren't dirty."
"...they're filthy." Arthur mumbled as he continued to clean Alfred's hand. Alfred suddenly winced in pain.
"Ow? Okay, that hurts..." Arthur pulled the cloth away from his hand.
"Sorry..." Arthur set the cloth aside and opened one of the vials.
"What is that?" Alfred asked as Arthur removed the lid.
"It's a topical with magical properties. It's very effective on cuts." Arthur dipped his fingers in the strange solution, then gently massaged the medicine into Alfred's hand. The strange medicine stung at first, but then the cuts began to feel warm. It felt good. Alfred looked up at Arthur. His brow was furrowed in concentration, and as the warmth spread across Alfred's hands, he also felt it heating up his face. Arthur looked up, but when his eyes met Alfred's he let go of Alfred's hand and looked away. He grabbed the bandages, and began wrapping the treated hand.
"How did you know the trees behaved like that?"
"They grew all around my farm. I fell into hole like that on a rainy day once."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but I've never had to pull someone out of one. That was a first." Arthur let out a small smile and finished wrapping the bandage. He took Alfred's other hand and began repeating the process with the warm cloth. Alfred spoke up again. "Have you never gone into that grove before?" Arthur paused for a moment before answering.
"Yes, but only once. It wasn't raining on that day."
Alfred wanted to inquire about Arthur's cryptic answer, but was currently distracted by Arthur's hand. It had stopped rubbing and was instead just resting on top of his own hand. Arthur was staring down, unmoving, as if he were remembering something. Alfred closed his hand around Arthur's lightly. Arthur was pulled from the state and looked up into Alfred's eyes. His expression was unreadable.
"What are you doing?"
Alfred shrugged in response. "I'm not sure. I just felt like you needed that."
Arthur's cheeks flushed with color as he pulled his hand away and looked down. He reached for the vial.
"You're weird."
Alfred let out a laugh as Arthur finished treating the other hand.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Shortly after, a maid appeared in the doorway holding a tray containing a platter of sandwiches and two bowls of soup. Alfred stood up at the smell of food and Arthur tugged his arm back down.
"Sit, Alfred. I'm not done yet," Arthur said as he tried to finish tying the last of the bandages on Alfred's hand. Arthur looked over his shoulder at the maid. "Thank you, just set the tray over there." The maid set the tray on a nearby table, bowed, and then left the room. Not a second after Arthur finished tying the bandage, Alfred crawled across the bed to the table, grabbed a sandwich from the platter and shoved it in his mouth. Arthur sighed and shook his head. While Alfred was eating, Arthur wandered over to the sink to try and wash some of the dirt from his hands. As he pushed up his sleeves, Alfred suddenly spoke up.
"Whoa, hold on dude." A serious edge crept into Alfred's voice and Arthur immediately took notice.
"What is it?"
Alfred walked over, sandwich in hand, and pointed to Arthur's forearm. On the underside of Arthur's forearm, was a long, shallow cut which was strangely black.
"You were cut by one of the lower roots. Those are poisonous." Arthur's eyes widened, mainly in disbelief at how casual Alfred's tone was.
"Poison?"
"Yeah."
"What's the antidote? How toxic is it?" Arthur's voice was becoming frantic. Alfred ate the last bite of his sandwich and took hold of Arthur's arm.
"Relax, you big baby. It's not deadly, but your arm is going to hurt like crazy tomorrow and turn weird colors if you don't get the poison out." Arthur tried not to be disgusted by both Alfred's nonchalance and the fact that he was talking with a mouth full of food. Alfred turned the water to its heated setting. "Hot water draws the poison out." Alfred placed Arthur's arm under the stream of steaming water. Arthur winced at the water's temperature, but then watched in amazement as a black, ink-like substance flowed out of the cut. Soon, it was back to it's normal color. Arthur blinked in surprise.
"Wow."
"See. You're fine." Alfred walked over and grabbed the roll of bandages. "Sit over there. I'll bind it for you." Arthur sat on the bed and allowed for Alfred to bind his wound. He also grabbed a cucumber sandwich from the platter. Before taking a bite, he spoke.
"I didn't know you knew about things like trees and their properties."
Alfred didn't look up, but responded anyway.
"You never asked." He stopped wrapping Arthur's arm for a moment. "I know a lot about Spades. Just not the kind of stuff you find in textbooks." Arthur nodded and took another bite of his sandwich. Alfred returned to his work on Arthur's arm. "You may not have known that about me, but I don't know anything about you." Arthur paused for a moment and thought. He was right. He had read all about Alfred in the information he had collected the previous day. He knew that Alfred's parents were dead. He knew Alfred's age and health records. He knew Alfred's grades and knew he had a twin brother. But he hadn't said anything about himself. Recognizing the disadvantage Alfred was in, Arthur spoke up.
"My name is Arthur Kirkland."
"Wow, thanks." Alfred responded sarcastically. Arthur continued speaking.
"I'm twenty two."
Alfred raised his eyebrows. "Really? Huh. I thought we were about the same age."
"You thought I was eighteen?"
"More or less."
Arthur smiled, briefly, then paused before speaking once more.
"My grandmother was the last Queen of Spades." Alfred's hands froze just as he finished Arthur's bandage and looked at Arthur. His expression was very serious.
"No way."
Arthur nodded and leaned back on his hands before speaking again.
"I used to live with my father. He was a merchant at sea. We traveled all over...I saw so many places." Arthur paused for a moment before continuing. "When he died I was only ten. I never knew my mother, so my care fell to my grandmother. It wasn't until I actually came here that I found out."
"That she was the Queen?" Alfred interjected. Arthur nodded and continued.
"She was amazing. She knew so much. It was watching her that made me want to work harder with my studies. I learned everything I could about this country. I had decided that I wanted to be the next King."
Alfred paused, realizing what Arthur was saying. Arthur let out a short laugh before continuing.
"'Those who are most worthy of ruling receive the mark of Spades.' My grandmother told me that. So I decided that I would try and become worthy."
Alfred swallowed slowly. He felt terrible.
"Arthur...I, I didn't kn-"
"It's fine, Alfred." Arthur smiled sadly. "When she and the King died, I had hoped that maybe I would receive the King's mark of Spades. I thought for sure that no one in Spades had worked as hard as I had to become worthy of the King's mark. So when I heard that the new King of Spades had been found, I—" Arthur looked at Alfred and paused before continuing. "I'm sorry. I said some terrible things to you out of my own jealously."
"It's okay, Arthur. You don't have to apologize." Alfred started to apologize again, but Arthur spoke instead.
"But I think it was the right choice." Arthur looked at Alfred. Alfred was wearing a slightly confused expression. "You being chosen for the King, I mean. I think it was the right choice." A moment or two passed before huge smile spread across Alfred's face.
"Are you saying you think I'll make a good King?" Arthur looked away and took another sandwich from the platter.
"I never said that." Alfred beamed at Arthur as color entered Arthur's face once more.
"You think I'll make a good King!" Alfred said in a mocking tone. Arthur shoved Alfred's shoulder.
"Oh, shut it. You need a lot of work. A lot of work. Tomorrow's lessons are going to be brutal."
Alfred let out a laugh, and soon Arthur was laughing too.
After the two finished their food and cleaned up the infirmary, they retired for the night. They parted ways outside of the infirmary and as Alfred walked up the stairs to his room, he smiled. Although he wouldn't admit it to himself, he was actually looking forward to his lessons tomorrow. And unbeknownst to him, Arthur was thinking the same thing too.
Notes:
Whew, what a chapter!
A hearty thank you to magical trees for bringing our two heroes together~
Fun Fact: Did you know sharing a meal with someone deepens bonds faster than any other activity? Hm. Interesting.
Thank you so much for reading chapter two of The Last Spade! I hope you liked it ^^