Chapter V

The blade came at him from his right. Left foot stumbling backwards, Alfred braced himself and brought his own sword up to meet it. Metal clanged against metal, and for that brief moment he noted his own advantage; the other sword was thrown back a lot further than his own, giving him a slight opening to exploit.

Slamming a foot forward, he swung the sword and-

-magically stuck. Again. Dammit.

He was released from the hold three seconds later, after Arthur had danced (the bastard) out of reach, and found himself stumbling forward, his foot tripping from the momentum of his previous struggle, and then the ground came up and met his face and-

"... Ow." he said, for good measure, before shifting his head up so he could pout at Arthur, who picked up the sword that he had dropped in his fall. "Are you sure this is supposed to work?"

"... It technically should be. Are you concentrating?" Arthur held out a hand, which Alfred stared at grudgingly before grabbing at. Arthur dragged him up before handing him his sword. "Come on, let's try this again."

Alfred sighed. His breath came out in a puff of misty white in the chill of the morning air. No one else in the castle was awake at this time - not even the maids who were in charge of making breakfast - and here he was, out in the courtyard with Arthur, armed with a sword. Training.

Aequitas weighed heavy in his coat pocket (the Kingdom's Clock, Arthur had insisted, had some stabilizing or regulating quality over the hectic interference of Time Magic - whatever that meant), his fingers were still not entirely awake, as the chill gnawed at the tip of his nose and his cheeks. But nevertheless Alfred forced himself to keep a firm grip on his sword and attempted to find the "concentration" Arthur talked about.

Only five days had past since the morning Alfred had run out in his pajamas to stop a riot. (Or, as Arthur put it, attempted to stop a riot, since he had obviously failed in the end.) Five days had past since Arthur sat him down and gave him The Talk. And from then onwards every morning was hell. His Queen (and he would think this with as much bitterness and sarcasm in his mental voice as he could) would come crashing through the door each morning, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him half out of bed before throwing him a sword and his clothes.

Then they would head down to the courtyard and spend the rest of the morning practicing what Arthur called Time Adaptibility or whatever else it was. Alfred wasn't entirely sure what made him agree to this hell in the first place, but he had a vague feeling that it was because it had sounded kinda cool when Arthur had first talked about it.

People were, it seemed, not supposed to know when Time had been stopped by a Time Mage. In other words, Arthur had said - solemnly, quietly, and so utterly seriously that Alfred had been tempted to crack a rather stupid joke that would only earn him a cuff on the side of the head - there was no way for Alfred to be able to see Time being Frozen, Arthur moving inside frozen time, or even have any consciousness about the fact that Time had stopped.

The thing about Time freezing over, as far as Time Mages were concerned, meant that consciousness was frozen at the same time.

The only people who could still be conscious during a Time Freeze would be Time Mages, or - as Arthur had concluded that Alfred was not a Time Mage after a long and painful session of staring him up and down and even making this big clock poof out of no where so he could do something that Alfred could barely understand - someone with Time Adaptibility.

"It's... complicated." Arthur had said, as if that was supposed to help him understand, or make his confusion go away. "Sometimes it happens in normal humans, where their cogwheels are just tuned slightly different to others, and so they aren't completely affected by our manipulations of time."

Alfred had stared back at him then, and made the most confused face he could at the Time Mage, who simply snorted and crossed his arms,

"When we freeze time around us, we're tapping into the cogwheels around us and telling them to stop by... sending out something like... the right rhythm that resonates with the cogwheels around us."

(This cogwheel thing Arthur spoke about was apparently something that existed in every single object. Normal people couldn't see them, Arthur had explained, and told Alfred to imagine that everything had some invisible gears in them, just like clocks did, that kept their time.

"Even me?" Alfred had asked, vaguely disturbed by the thought of gears grinding together in his stomach, and wondered if some of the stomach aches he got sometimes were the result of rusty gears.

"Even you.")

"In other words," Arthur exhaled, looking rather tired and strained as he tried to explain his own brand of magic to a mere human (to which Alfred indignantly wanted to retort to - it was his King, and his ruling partner, not just some random normal human being), "Your cogwheels are just... an anomaly. Irregular. They don't resonate with the normal rhythm, which gives you the potential for Anti-Time Magic. It's a rare occurrence, but not entirely unseen."

"You'll need this." Arthur had said, "We'll have to develop it for it to be of any use, but you'll need it." He had opened his mouth then, eyes solemn, as if he had something else to say. Something that would tell Alfred why Arthur thought he would need it, to the point of him being so willing to help Alfred develop something that was just an anomaly. An incomplete anomaly. But Arthur clenched his jaw shut and swallowed it, and for a moment Alfred was left to muse about the reason behind that forced silence.

Of course, his brain found itself distracted onto another path of thought soon after.

"Will it stop me from jamming when you do that time magic thing of yours?"

"Yes."

"I'm in." His answer was immediate.

Why, Alfred asked himself, as he blocked another stab from Arthur's sword, did I agree to this so easily?

The next freeze came without warning, in mid-thrust. The familiar sensation of his muscles tightening combined with the burning annoyance (that even now he was still unable to move) in the pits of his stomach made Alfred grit his teeth. His fingers tried to tighten around the grip of his sword, and he tugged, pulled, willed for his body to listen and just move-

Still unable to move an inch, Alfred did the last thing he could think of doing. He whined.

"I swear this isn't working!"

The hold around him gave way, and Alfred breathed normally again, collapsing into a heap on the ground. "Seriously Arthur, isn't there a better way to deal with this? You know, like some magical spell that you can throw on me so that I can just move around when you-" He paused, looking up at the expression on Arthur's face, some mix of exasperation and wonder and amusement. "What? Why are you- Is it that funny to watch me struggle with your stupid magic?"

"You spoke."

"Well yeah, that's kinda what I do on a daily-" He caught himself mid-sentence, looking up in amazement at Arthur, who was giving him the 'You're terribly slow aren't you' look at the moment (accentuated with, of course, a raised eyebrow). "I spoke," he echoed, the realization sinking into him, voice giving way into a strange, bubbling laugh of triumph. "I SPOKE!" He jumped up, grabbing Arthur and twirling him around once (completely ignoring his protests, which really, were nothing considering the current situation) before dropping him and prancing off to bounce around the courtyard.

"Alfred!" It might have been the wind whistling in his ears, or perhaps the overwhelming sense of victory that took hold of him and refused to let go, that gave him the impression that there was a laugh hidden in Arthur's rather annoyed shout after him. "For god's sake you git get back here! Just being able to talk isn't useful enough!"

The castle maids had a shared pastime. Of course, it was because they had a limited amount of pastimes they could choose from, given the nature of their work. It wasn't as if Yao, the Jack, was a terrible boss who forced them to work non-stop, but he was still a very efficient man who did everything in his power to ensure that all courtly matters ran like clockwork; even in the kitchens and the laundry room.

Their pastime then, had to ensure that they could work and return to work just in case Yao showed up around the corner.

"Did you hear? The King fell asleep in the meeting today!"

"Again? He's been sleeping a lot lately hasn't he?"

It was, of course, the sharing of the latest news and gossip about the happenings in the castle. In particular, it was interesting news about their King and Queen, probably because they were the only individuals that were exciting enough to gossip about. Yao, for one, didn't seem to be doing anything of interest.

"I walked in on him sleeping that day, when I went to retrieve his lunch tray." One of the maids said, giggling as she heaved the sheets out of the washing basket to hang on the clothesline. "He was drooling on the paperwork."

"Oh, god, he's so cute."

Alfred - though the younger maids refrained from calling him that and played safe by calling him "The King" (the older maids, the ones who were the wetnurses and nannies and washed his bedsheets when he had soiled them in the night, of course, were obligated by the King himself to call him by his name) - was most certainly one of their favorite topics. A young eligible bachelor (though of course, in some circles the maids were convinced they he was now currently Taken by their current Queen) of rather good looks and the most powerful man in the country, small talk about him was definitely more welcome than news about the stable boys and younger footmen or guards.

"He's been sleeping terribly early though. I wonder what's making him tired."

There was a pause, as the other maids put up laundry in companionable silence before one of them spoke up, dropping her voice to a low whisper,

"... Annie said she saw the Queen coming out of the King's room in the morning yesterday. Early morning."

Another pause; this time all hands forgot about the laundry.

"Really? But I thought they insisted on sleeping in separate rooms-"

"Well you never know, maybe they thought it was only appropriate that way-"

"Or maybe they had really intended to in the beginning, but now-"

"They've stopped quarrelling lately haven't they?"

"No, they've just started bickering more. You know, over small matters. It's almost as if they're-"

"Hey! What do you think you are doing, aru! Stop gossiping and start putting up the sheets!" The circle of maids that had gradually started clumping into a circle scattered immediately, each of them trying to keep straight faces as they returned to their respective chores. "The King and Queen are going to be heading over to the Hearts Kingdom tomorrow, so once the laundry is done you are to prepare their belongings for the trip aru. Don't forget to wrap up the presents for the King and Queen of Hearts as well."

"Y-yes sir!"

"Are we ready, aru?" Yao asked, from the bottom rung on the carriage steps. Alfred and Arthur were already seated inside the plush interior. As the King and Queen, they were to travel in their own carriage, with a few servants and footmen in the one behind, with their belongings. As few people as possible, Alfred had said, wrinkling his nose on sight of the disproportionate number of trunks he realized the servants had been packing. We're going on a four day trip, not a month-long one, Arthur had heard him mutter, after telling some of the servants to unpack a few boxes.

"Yes, thank you Yao," Arthur replied, smiling briefly at the Jack, who in turn, gave a tired smile back. The changes in the kingdom had not been easy on Yao either. As much as Alfred had to fix things up before Arthur came, Yao had been dealing with the logistics of the kingdom as well. It had been hard, Yao had admitted to him, especially in Alphonsus' last months. He would go into long, depressed periods of silence, punctuated by bordering-hysterical orders which didn't make sense. Yao had acted in his steed, as he had done from time to time, since Queen Mathilda's death.

"Alphonsus' death," Yao had mused one evening, as he and Arthur had worked on the Spades Kingdom's accounts in Arthur's chambers, "was a long time coming, I suppose." Arthur hadn't said anything, merely nodded and proceeded to add together figures and sums, a part of him unable to grasp this huge chunk of time lost, and god, fifteen years of his hundred and fifty nine shouldn't feel this jarring. Yao had been a great help to Arthur, after being formally coronated as Queen. He dealt with the bulk of the courtly matters, aiding Arthur with logistics and messages to the rest of the castle.

From the other side of the carriage, Alfred yawned and slumped back in his seat, rubbing at his eyes. Arthur resisted the urge to ask him what he was so tired for, for he wasn't the one who had spent nights up, drafting the most foolproof proposal the Hearts Kingdom could never turn down. Alfred wasn't the one that was supposed to be looking like he hadn't slept in four days. Yao gave them both one last look, half-wary, before shutting the carriage door with a final "good luck, aru". Whilst things had gotten notably less tense between Arthur and Alfred, the whole castle still seemed to be eyeing them with increasing suspicion, much to Arthur's puzzlement.

The carriage shifted forward, jostling Arthur out of his thoughts. Alfred too, was startled from his brief doze, catching himself on the plush edge of the seat in surprise. Arthur frowned, looking Alfred over. In the interest of reaching the Hearts Kingdom at a decent hour, Arthur and Alfred had decided to forgo their usual morning training. He had no idea why Alfred looked so tired.

"Alfred, are you ready for this or not?" he asked, after Alfred nodded off for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"Sure I am," he yawned, waving a hand lazily in the direction of the window. ""s just kinda early, that's all. And I was up doing, um. Stuff."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. As much as his respect for Alfred had grown over the last week or so, he still had his... Prolonged-moments of doubts, to say the least. "Stuff?" he asked, drily.

"Yeah just thinking- Preparing- For stuff, y'know." He waved his hand in a broad gesture again, and looks back out the window, a mild colour in his cheeks. Arthur felt his eyebrows arch of their own accord again, as he nodded. "Right."

Silence.

"Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"I was just thinking-" Arthur bit back the urge to go cut in with 'that's new', "- About um." Alfred paused, eyebrows scrunching, finding the word. "Stuff."

"Uh huh," Arthur deadpanned. "That's interesting."

"Yeah," Alfred glossed over, completely missing the sarcasm. "I was just... Thinking, y'know. About our trip to the Hearts Kingdom, and our proposal and stuff- That's why I was up, I mean. I was re-reading the documents we had prepared and-" Arthur felt himself blink in surprise, at the unexpected admission, "- And Matt got me thinking. He was helping with the preparation and I told him about what we've been discussing and-"

"- And I was wondering if you could tell me... How exactly I could be a better King."

Arthur stared at him for a moment, holding Alfred's determined gaze, momentarily uncomprehending because he couldn't possibly have said that right? Ignorant, brash Alfred couldn't possibly have-

"I beg your pardon?" He gaped.

Alfred's hand twisted agitatedly in the fabric of his pants, eyes still locked on Arthur's with fierce earnestness which Arthur really shouldn't find that endearing. "We were talking about how... How I'm not as bad a King as I might've thought. So I want to know how you think I could make a better King."

Arthur blinked at him again, still more than a little shocked (and also somehow deeply pleased and happy) at Alfred's need for his opinion. He had not, in any way, seen this coming, regardless of how much less of an idiot Alfred seemed to be, in the past week or so.

"Just to clarify," Arthur said, narrowing his eyes, "you're asking for my opinion? On how you can be a better King?"

Alfred looked like he was about to say something, before quickly biting it back, his fingers curling even further into his pants. "Yes," he managed to say, still holding Arthur's gaze.

Well. Maybe there is hope.

"You're hopeless!" came a muffled shout from the carriage, as Ludwig and Kiku exchanged looks from the front steps of their castle in the Hearts Kingdom.

Message had come from their neighbouring kingdom of the new King and Queen of Spades' visit a few days ago, and since then, the castle had been in a rush to ready itself for the official visit. It had been a flurry of dusting the main halls and preparing guest chambers ("Veeee, Kiku, do we give them one room or two? Ludwig says that it's tradition for Spades' Kings and Queens to be married, but he had that look on his face when he's not sure about things, but I heard that they're pretty close and- Kiku, ve, do you have a headache? Why are you-"), and even the servants were nervous, for the Hearts Kingdom had not seen Spades dignitaries in over fifteen years.

God knows how Kiku and Ludwig felt. A few long nights were spent up, discussing every possible outcome of the new King and Queen's visits, with Kiku trying to detail all likely proposals, and Ludwig being on the verge of flustered (which was quite a reaction for Ludwig) at the fact that they had no prior information on the new King Alfred and Queen Arthur to base their plans on. Even Feliciano, who bustled around, constantly feeding them food and filling their glasses in the dead of the night, could sense their worry.

Their worry which was a little... thrown off, at the sight of what seemed to appear to be Queen Arthur throwing open the carriage door unceremoniously, almost knocking it into the footman who had gone to open it.

"HOPELESS!" he shouted, glaring at the second man, another blond, who stumbled out of the carriage as well, red in the face and looking just as agitated. "You asked for my opinion, and I gave it to you, you twat! If you don't like it, you can just shove it up your-"

"But who are you to criticise me when you aren't exactly the perfect Queen either, huh?"

"You asked for my opinion! What else was I to-"

Kiku coughed gently, as Ludwig pulled his startled glance away from the pair squabbling in the distance. "Well they do seem... Lively?"

Ludwig sighed, his hand coming up in an abortive movement, half-way through to rubbing his temples. "We should go prepare ourselves to welcome them."

Kiku gave the two men another long look before following Ludwig in. Well at least that settles Feliciano's question about the room arrangements...

They stood in the middle of the Great Court, decked in the royal reds and purples of the Hearts Kingdom, Arthur to Alfred's left, trying his best to rid his habit of standing like a soldier to no avail. Alfred was distracted, possibly by the various paintings and tapestries that hung from each wall; the Hearts Kingdom was famous for its output of fine art, and the decorations in the court did not betray these expectations.

There were a limited number of guards in the great hall; two at the door, another four flanking the King and the Queen who sat on the elevated thrones. Classic, Arthur noted, but the lack of guards was probably a token gesture for them.

"Hey Arthur! Arthur! Is that a face or is it a-" Arthur resisted the urge to slam his foot onto Alfred's boot, and instead shot him a look instead. Alfred gave him a look of confusion before the 'oh' face finally set in. Arthur fought back against the migraine that was beginning to throb in the back of his skull as his King put on (what he thought was) a serious expression and straightened his back.

Behind him, the servants holding the chests of gifts to be presented to King Ludwig shifted awkwardly. Arthur inhaled, recalling to his best the words he had puzzled over for many nights, and took a bow. Alfred almost followed him - thank god he caught the look Arthur shot him, because a fellow King certainly shouldn't be taking a bow like this, it was most definitely inappropriate, and Arthur wondered if he should force Alfred to take a crash course in Court Ettiquette - but instead grinned openly.

"Hi!" Alfred said, and Arthur decided that positions could go to hell, because if he let Alfred talk anymore an unnecessary war might happen.

"We thank you for allowing us the honour, King Ludwig." It had been a while, Arthur realized, since he came to the Hearts Kingdom. The last time he had come was with Alphonsus, as his Royal Guard, to ask for medical aid for Queen Mathilda. The King was not Ludwig then, which was a problem, because all Arthur had now to judge the success of his proposal was complete hearsay. King Ludwig was a reknown stoic, strict man who honoured structure and order above everything else, and Arthur was not too sure if he could move the man to rebuild an alliance that the Spades had abandoned of their own accord.

Cut to the point, Arthur decided, but be as polite and as humble as possible. Then he had to appeal to their need for the technology of the Spades Kingdom, which he was sure that they still needed. Point out the merits, show an open acceptance to slight alterations in the terms of alliance if required-

"The Spades Kingdom would like to propose an alliance," Arthur started, "A new bond that represents the new governments of both Kingdoms. We understand that we have once abandoned the Hearts Kingdom as an ally, broken many promises that we were supposed to fulfill, but the new King would assure you that-"

"We believe the same." Ludwig said, nodding slightly. The Queen - Kiku, Arthur remembered from his research - gave a small smile as well.

Arthur froze, the gears in his brain creaking to a stop. Wait, what? What did that mean? 'We believe the same'? They agreed? But he had not stated anything about the new alliance, had not mentioned any of the merits that would benefit the Hearts Kingdom, had not even tried to negotiate- Did he mean what Arthur thought he meant? Was it alright? How could it be alright? Now? But what about-

"Really? Cool!"

Cool. Arthur's brain echoed in disgust, as he turned incredulously to Alfred, who was beaming the brightest of grins and completely oblivious that you did not use language like 'Cool' in another King's Court. As he gaped blankly at Alfred, still trying to gain his bearings, Alfred continued happily,

"You see, we kinda have this problem now in our Kingdom. The waterways were polluted 'cause of all the factories on the outskirts, yea? And my dad sorta messed up during his rule, and the filters weren't doing the right things, and the people in the lower towns are suffering from the side effects of dirty water. Our doctors can't do anything, but we really want to be able to help them, and Arthur- I mean, uh, my Queen...?" He trailed off, looking to Arthur - who had yet to recover from his shock from Ludwig's easy agreement and now had to deal with the fact that Alfred was talking to King Ludwig like that - only to realise that said Queen was too busy staring at him with a look of equal horror and amazement.

And so Alfred shrugged, and continued, "Anyway Arthur said that you guys are really good at curing diseases and all that, and we really really need your help." He paused, "Uh, not for free of course! We brought... stuff!" He waved at the men behind him, who looked blankly at him before realising that their King had just given them their cue, hurriedly stumbling forward with the various chests, "And uh- Let-" Alfred made a funny face, scrunching up his nose as if he was trying to remember the right thing to say, "Let it be known that the Spades Kingdom will offer all of its resources to uh-"

"- to aid your Kingdom, to the best of our ability." Arthur caught on finally.

Alfred grinned carelessly, "What he said." He shot Arthur a look of innocent confusion when Arthur glared at him, hard, because god knows how offended the King and Queen would be after being talked to like they were mere commoner 'buddies' with Alfred.

"I... I apologize for King Alfred's lack of manners, he has just risen to rule and is not used to the appropriate behavior in Court," Arthur added hurriedly, eyes scanning the faces of Ludwig and Kiku on the throne for any signs of distaste or anger. "I-I will ensure that this behavior will not be repeated again-" He trailed off, because he realized that as a Queen, that was probably not something he should be saying about his King, not in front of another King and Queen.

There was a moment of silence, and Arthur was very certain his heart was hammering so loudly in his chest everyone present could hear it. Damn it all, Arthur thought to himself, he was going to tie Alfred to a chair and spoon-feed him etiquette once they got back, because they would be lucky to be sent back to Spades with a declaration of war after what Alfred just did, and-

Ppfft.

Startled, Arthur looked up again, only to see the Queen hiding his mouth with the sleeve of his kimono (that was what they called it wasn't it?), and the corner of Ludwig's mouth twitching upwards.

Arthur stared in horror as both the King and Queen's shoulders began to shake with what was most definitely chuckling.

"There is no need for alarm, Queen of Spades." Kiku recovered first, the smile of amusement still on his lips, "We are very taken with your King's concern for his people, and there is no need for formalities with us."

"We would need your Kingdom's help, and we too believe that it is time for a new Alliance to be formed." Ludwig cleared his throat, hiding a quirk of his lips with his fist, "The Hearts Kingdom is very honoured to have your Kingdom approach us first."

Arthur stared.

"And we're really honoured you guys are alright with this too!" Alfred piped in cheerfully, and Arthur no longer held back his urge to rub at his temples.

"I-I'm really sorry, he really doesn't-"

More chuckling, which startled Arthur into silence again. Was he being the funny one here? What about Alfred and his addressing of another King and Queen as 'you guys'? Wasn't that the funny thing?

"Ludwiiiiig!" The doors behind them slammed open, as a shorter man with brown hair bounded up to the elevated thrones, disregarding the guards who saluted him as he ran past. "Dinner is ready!" He grinned at the Queen of Hearts, after coming to a halt, seemingly oblivious to Alfred and Arthur, who were still standing a way in front of the platform, blinking. "Kiku, Kiku! We finally got the recipe you gave us right! So we're having egg custard tonight! With pasta, of course and-"

"Feliciano," groused Ludwig, rubbing his temples in a gesture familiar to Arthur. He felt a pang of sympathy for the King as Feliciano finally noticed Alfred and Arthur.

"Ah!" His eyes lit up, rushing down the steps to bow before them. "You must be the King and Queen of the Spades Kingdom! Vee," he hummed, cocking his head slightly at them. "We've heard so much about you! Have you finished talking to Ludwig and Kiku? Do you like pasta? We're having pasta for dinner you see and-"

Kiku came around to rest a hand on Feliciano's shoulder. "Please pardon him," Kiku smiled, slightly embarrased. "This is Feliciano Vargas, the Jack of the Hearts Kingdom. He- He tends to be very ah, enthusiastic so please do not be offended by-"

"Hey!" Alfred came to clap a hand on Feliciano's back, grinning broadly. "Nice to meet you! Sorry to interupt and stuff but um, did you mention food?"

Turning towards Alfred, Feliciano brightened even more, if possible. "Yes! Pasta! Do you like pasta, your highness?"

Alfred waved his hand dismissively at the formal title. "Just call me Alfred. And yeah! What kind of stuff do you have in your pastas here?" Feliciano chattered on, talking a mile a minute while gesturing wildly, and catching the look on King Ludwig and Queen Kiku's faces, he suddenly understood why Alfred's lack of formality had not put them off at all.

Drowsy from dinner (God did these people eat), Alfred and Arthur shuffled behind Feliciano, attempting to look awake while the Jack lead them to their rooms.

"So how was dinner? Did you like it? I thought the pasta today was pretty good! But then again, pasta is good every day, isn't it?"

"It was good," Arthur said diplomatically, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Yeah," Alfred added, scratching at the back of his head. "Really good." And it had been.

The Hearts Kingdom was famous for their healers and fine art, but no one had ever told Alfred about the wonderful food. Alfred never had a chance to visit the Kingdom. Once upon a time, the relations between the Hearts and Spades had been strong, with the former supporting the latter with Healers, in return for the newest technology and machinery. It had been a good, symbiotic relationship, broken only by Alphonsus' command, for an unspecified reason. It had been a fifteen-year-long, icy silence between the two kingdoms since then.

Not anymore, Alfred thought, smiling a little to himself. He had been admittedly nervous about the proposal, although he had tried to act otherwise. As much as Arthur found it necessary to have given him thick stacks of paperwork, as well as to nag at him incessantly, Alfred knew of the stakes and possibilities of this visit. They had been lucky, he knew, to have come out with such an easy agreement.

After Feliciano's interruption, Ludwig, Kiku and Arthur had tried to play to some semblance of formality, while Alfred chatted with Feliciano at one side. The King and Queen of Hearts had agreed to take a look at their drawn up proposals, and that any discussions would commence tomorrow. After that had been a long, wonderful dinner, and while Alfred had, in fact, caught Arthur's glances (which he assumed to mean "don't get too cocky, git", or some variant of that), the warm lull of food and drink was too strong, and even Ludwig and Kiku loosened slightly over dinner. The three of them, together with Feliciano, had proven to be excellent company, with Feliciano's animated chatter, as well as Ludwig and Kiku's polite but friendly conversation.

I like them, Alfred thought to himself, yawning as Feliciano drew to a halt at a grand-looking set of double doors.

"Here are your chambers!" he proclaimed, throwing the double doors open, as he walked into the room himself, Alfred and Arthur trailing behind him.

"Ve, hope they're alright! Your servants already moved your things into the room, so everything should be here- If they aren't, just tell me, okay? I'm in the next wing, where Ludwig and Kiku are, but um, if you need anything, one of the servants' chambers is right down the hall, behind the draperies. So! This is your sitting-room-cum-bedroom, and..."

Alfred wandered around the room, grinning appreciatively. He honestly couldn't care less about what the room looked like, as long as it had a nice bed, a bath, and maybe a change of clothes-

Someone was not-so-subtly coughing behind him, and Alfred turned towards the sound. Arthur's face was red, his eyes caught on what seemed to be-

Oh.

The bed. The only large, King-sized (Alfred was sure that there was a joke in there, but he didn't want to look too far into that) bed that was in the room, and Arthur was waving a hand at it, obviously distressed, and then Alfred got it, but by then Arthur found his voice again, and was spluttering at Feliciano.

"F-Feliciano I er..." he trailed off, waving at the bed. "The bed-"

"Ve?" Feliciano turned to them, cocking his head. "What's wrong with it?"

"There's only um, one." Alfred supplied, as Arthur continued to grasp at words.

"We're not-" Arthur spluttered, "We're really not- The both of us, we-"

"Oh!" Feliciano grinned, and Alfred never thought that his grin could border on sly, but it did. "Don't worry about that, really! We're very open here! Ludwig and Kiku don't mind at all- Actually, we were worried about your sleeping plans, but this morning Kiku told me to prepare a single room instead!"

"What? Why would he-"

"So it's okay, I promise!" chirped Feliciano, backing away to the doors. "I'll leave you two alone now, okay? Good night!" And the doors closed, leaving Arthur and Alfred alone in the room. Their room. Alfred blinked.

They didn't really think that- Oh yuck! Alfred thought, still staring at the doors. Well, I guess it's not that bad, he mused, brain stuck in the rut of a tangent. I mean, if you're into, I dunno, eyebrows or something, maybe Arthur's kinda cute. Well. I mean-

Arthur's nervous cough startled him from his thoughts, and Alfred felt his ears pinking in the direction they had been headed towards.

"I'll, er, take the couch?" Arthur offered tentatively, hands fidgeting in the cloth of his robes, pointedly not looking at Alfred. "I'll just- Take some of the pillows and-"

"We could share, y'know," Alfred blurted. Arthur stared at him, and Alfred found himself fumbling for words. "I-I mean, it's a pretty huge bed right? King-sized, hah. So there's no need for you to sleep on the couch or um, anything. And it really shouldn't be too big a deal if we just... Sleep on one side each? Right?"

Arthur's expression was indiscernible, as Alfred felt a blush rise to his face and I don't even know where those words came from, why did I even-

"A-Alright."

Alfred blinked. It had been a lot easier than he had thought it would be, Arthur had a habit of putting up a fight with him for so much less. "Okay... Then..." He said slowly, slightly thrown off. He hadn't thought this through. As usual, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Arthur echoed at the back of his head. Shut up, he tells it, as the slightly awkward silence ensued until Alfred really looked at the bed and decided to screw it all.

He flopped down onto it, the covers still done up, burying his face into the thick linen of the pillowcase. He could still feel Arthur's gaze on him, heavy, prickling at the back of his neck. "'M tired," he mumbled into the pillowcase, as a means of explanation.

Arthur snorted. "Aren't we all," and Alfred could almost feel the uneasiness in the room ease. "Not going to shower?"

Alfred shook his head in response, too lazy to lift his head from the pillow (which was suddenly so comfortable) to speak.

"Lazy git," Arthur muttered, without much venom in it, as Alfred found himself half-smiling into the pillow on reflex. They had not known each other for very long - barely over a month - but one thing that Alfred had learnt was that Arthur rarely meant the insults he put forth.

He heard the sounds of Arthur moving around the room, his boots against the heavy carpeting, with the click and latching of trunks. "I'll go take a bath then," he heard Arthur say, as the sound of footsteps grew more and more distant, after the click of a door latch.

Soothing, Alfred idly thought to himself, as the soft sounds of running water filtered into the room, letting himself doze off.

Smells... Comfortable, came the disjointed thought, as Arthur rolled over to his other side. The bed was comfortable and distracting, and Arthur knew that he had to wake up, as the early morning sunlight was already warming his cheek. But he really didn't want to, the slack relaxation of his body fighting against his mind, because yesterday had been tiring, not just the trip, but meeting King Ludwig and Queen Kiku as well, no matter how agreeable and welcoming they had been.

Have to get up though, he thought drowsily, prying his eyelids open to a squint.

Alfred was right in front of him, half a foot away and snoring, splayed out on his side of the bed, his left hand an inch from Arthur's cheek, and Arthur thought hello there.

And as he sleepily watched the slow dip and rise of Alfred's chest, the covers thrown off mid-sleep, mouth slack and without his glasses, suddenly much younger, Arthur breathed in the cold morning air, and thought for the first time (past the embarrassment of last night and all that gossip which had spread throughout the castle), that perhaps Alfred was actually, quite attractive.

It was new and utterly strange to think of it now, Arthur knew, when he was pretty sure that there was gunk in Alfred's eyes, and a little bit of drool coming out of his mouth, but he just was.

And wasn't that the problem.

Arthur brought his forearm up to cover his eyes, groaning quietly. That wasn't it, of course. Alfred was... well, he was Alfred, son of Alphonsus, a bundle not weighing more than a sack of potatoes. He had held him once, upon Alphonsus' insistence, because surely we're past formalities after we've come so far, and he had given both Mathilda and Alphonsus his sworn word - that he would protect them, both the two newborn babies and the King and Queen themselves. And that was what he was supposed to do, wasn't it? Duty and responsibility as the Queen put to one side, it was a promise that he owed to Alphonsus. Even after-

His brain trailed off there, and Arthur found himself staring at Alfred again, and the small puddle of drool that was beginning to collect on the pillowcase.

Alfred was, of course, an attractive young man, if Arthur had to look at things objectively (as objective as physical attractiveness could get). He had the classic good looks, blonde hair and blue eyes, mixed in with the playful charm of a boy that had yet to know the world. He had a way of managing to look equal parts goofy and winning when he grinned, and his facial muscles relaxed easily into casual curves and a slightly crooked upturn of lips.

But that wasn't it, Arthur insisted to himself as firmly as he could, trying to shake off the knowledge that it wasn't just a promise now. Not just duty and responsibility and words he had sworn to keep for a cherished friend. Because duty and responsibility and promises alone would do nothing to produce the kind of resolute determination that throbbed within him when he looked at Alfred now.

Isaac, his brain reminded him, And the rest, it added after much thought. And everything else, Arthur noted to himself grimly. There was also an increasing panic welling up within him, not because of Time Mages and Assassination Plots and Revenge and all that, and also not because he was worried that he would be unable to fulfill his duty or his promise to his now-dead old friend, but because he didn't know if he had the ability to keep Alfred safe. From all that.

And that in turn caused a wave of sickness to wash over him. Because what did it mean, now that his main concern was-

Alfred rolled over to his other side, his hand solidly colliding with Arthur's face in a smack.

"Fuck," Arthur muttered, smarting at the unexpected scratches made on his cheek.

Staring at the solid line of Alfred's back, still clothed in the white shirt he had been wearing yesterday, now wrinkled to hell and back, and with his collar flipped up (not at all endearingly, god, it must be something in the food here), Arthur felt himself lose it.

"Hnn- Arthur wha- WOAH!" Thump.

The sound of Alfred's body connecting solidly with the floor (carpet, Arthur thought mournfully, but it would have to do) was rather satisfying, as Arthur barely held back a smile, while the other part of him screamed insanity because he did not just purposefully kick the King out of his own bed.

"A-ARTHUR!" Squawked Alfred, pulling his head up to bed-height, eyes still squinting and hair sleep-mussed, and an old, distant part of Arthur felt childishly gleeful. "What- Did you just kick me out of bed?"

"You scratched me on the face in your sleep," he answered placidly, turning to show the red marks Alfred had left on his cheek. It was the truth, he thought to himself. Well, partially.

"I wha- It was an accident!" Alfred cried, as he yanked himself up to throw himself on the bed again, making the mattress bounce unceremoniously. "You didn't have to literally kick me out of bed! That hurt and-"

"Oh stop whining," Arthur rolled his eyes, as Alfred threw his face back into the soft pillows. Pulling his side of the sheets off, Arthur moved to slide off the bed, though not before giving Alfred a solid shove in the back.

"And get up, git. We have a lot of things to do."

A/N:
Happy New Years! It's a day-ish late, we know. Terribly sorry about that, the fault is all Cass'. Still, we hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for all the comments and favourites, we're happy to know that people like this story. Please keep them coming, we'd love to hear from you. Have a brilliant year ahead, and thank you for your support!