CC101: So this is chapter two, re-edited. There will be some differences so you might want to reread.
Summary: Cardverse/Chessverse AU. King Alfred never got along with his Queen. After a fight, Arthur flees the Castle and is captured by a new royal from across the sea. When Alfred finally gets Arthur back, he finds that their relationship takes a huge turn. The American desperately tries to fix their relationship but how can the King trust his Queen when the other won't stop lying to him?
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 2: The Hunt
Alfred was given a rather rude awakening just after sunrise. The Jack of Spades ran into his room, swinging his arms about. In his hand was a sheet of parchment. "My King! My King! Get up, aru!" Yao screamed as he shook the sleeping King awake.
Alfred moaned as he sat up. Thanks to his fight with Arthur, he had less than a few hours of sleep. "I'm up, I'm up! What's wrong?" He yawned. 'A war better have started or some heads would be rolling down the executioner's block.'
Yao was frowning, worry etched onto his face. "Your Queen gone, aru."
Alfred, who suddenly felt less tired, got to his feet. He swore inside his head. 'Fuck! It is all my fault! Gods damn it!' When he spoke, it sounded tired but firm. "What? Where?"
"I don't know, aru. He left note saying he leave and you get new Queen."
The King paled. 'Shit this is bad! If Arthur isn't here, the Kingdom will fall to ruins. Not to mention the people would protest and revolt!' With a determined glint in his eye, Alfred took off and ran to Arthur's room. His breathing was deep by the time he got there. His sapphire blue eyes took in everything.
Everything looked normal, as if Arthur never left. Then he noticed certain things were missing. Arthur's favorite jacket was missing, and on the desk were tons of papers. The Queen never left for breakfast before finishing his paperwork. Moving over to the bed, Alfred saw the ring he gave Arthur on their wedding day. It was a simple gold band, just the way Arthur wanted it.
A voice came from behind. "My King?"
Alfred turned to Toris, a servant. "I want him found!" The American's face turned into rage and fury. "Question everybody! Find him! FIND HIM!" He yelled at the terrified servant.
Toris ran out of the room quickly to follow his Master's orders.
The King took Arthur's ring in his fist. He stormed out of the room to help with the search. He vowed that not a single person in the Capital would rest until Arthur was found.
Arthur was extremely tired when he finally got to his new home, a two-story white house with red shingles, a stable on the side, and the sea just a few yards away. Trotting to the stables, he unhooked Flora from the carriage and guided her to the large stall that was hers. Not having a stable boy, Arthur had to brush his mare's coat by himself. Remembering to give her food, Arthur also grabbed water from a well that was next to the stables.
Finally, dusty and dirty, Arthur got the house unlocked. The Brit went back to the carriage and transported his entire luggage into the house. Illumi trotted back and forth with him, eventually plopping down on the burgundy couch for a nap. The former Queen managed to get everything back into the house, leaving it in the den for now. There were a few pieces of furniture around, thankfully, but there were also bare spots.
Completely drained of energy from placing all of his stuff into the house, he locked the door, went up the stairs to his room with Illumi at his heels, and collapsed onto the bed, asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
A sudden knock on the door woke Arthur up from his sleep. It was a soft but Arthur was super aware. At first, he thought it might have been the King but it was not a bang. Maybe it was one of the village people from the town nearby.
Arthur smoothed down his ruffled clothes as he massaged an aching area of his neck, and he nearly tumbled down the stairs in his bout of unawareness. Fear shook him, even though he knew that it was not that selfish and immature King of that kingdom he had once ruled. It was definitely a stranger, but what if it was a serial killer? Or someone who was going to beat him up and then take him away? Or maybe it was someone wanting money from him already? He did not have much on him, he did not even know how much exactly.
He cautiously opened the door a crack so that he wouldn't be fully seen, ignoring the blazing sunlight as he did. "Hello?"
A young man and woman stood in front of them. It was obvious that they were poor villagers. The man was tall but skinny while the woman was the opposite, short and stout. They both had black hair and tan skin.
The man looked up to him then gave a small bow. "My name is Darren; this is my wife, Sasha." The woman bowed too, looking as if she was unsure what to do. "My family has been in charge of your gardening until someone came back."
"Oh..." Arthur looked over at the front of the house in front of the small porch, and the couple was right. All of the plants looked very beautiful and blooming and fresh, as if he had been here all along and tending to them all along. "Thank you." He managed a smile and a nod of the head. "I'm Arthur, I've come here every now and then, but ah something came up."
Should he tell them about who he was? They didn't seem suspicious or rude. It and it wouldn't hurt to be comforted for a bit after the scenario just hours ago. "An old acquaintance of mine whom I do not prefer to talk about has decided that he, ah...no longer enjoys my company and so I moved out just this morning."
The man nodded in understanding. "Life is very hard here. The fishing is down as the fish have migrated. My family needs more money. I would like to know if you need a maid. We only want some pay, nothing big."
Arthur's heart altogether stopped at the mention of a maid. Here he was, miles away from the very man that believed Arthur was the bane of his existence, and yet he followed him around. He did not want a maid. He did not want to talk to these people anymore. He refused suicide- there was Flora and Illumi to worry about- but he welcomed seclusion from the rest of the world.
"No..." the Englishman answered quietly, shock still written all along his features. "I will not need a maid. Thank you though." He gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry, I must be going now." He did not wait for them to say goodbye. He shut the door silently, made his way the ice box in the corner of the kitchen, and was happy to find a bottle of alcohol. When he downed that one, he gulped down the next. Arthur didn't care if he had started to cry silently, or if his throat was scorching, or if he was getting dizzy.
Arthur still remembered shining sapphire blue eyes and a joyful smile before falling to the ground and passing out.
The Brit woke up on the stone cold floor in the kitchen. His head hurt like a bitch! Grasping the kitchen counter, Arthur slowly stood up. His green eyes flashed around the room. Bottles of alcohol were everywhere. He also noticed that his leg was stiff from the position of how he slept. Mentally scolding himself for drinking too much, Arthur slowly walked to the washroom. Mumbling and cursing with every step, he made it to the tub.
"Fuck!" He forgot he no longer had servants. He would have to get his own water... with this hangover. "Fuck!"
Weakly, Arthur started to gather water from the well outside, all the while with his skull feeling as if a hammer was slamming against it. He could deal with it being cold, it was summer after all. Finally after five trips, he finished filling the tub. Illumi stretched into the room with a meow and purred against his owner's leg. The former Queen pet the cat once before gripping his head and groaning. He had succeeded in forgetting about that one person. Besides, his headache took over that issue.
When everything was finished, he stripped his clothes and slipped smoothly into the cool, comforting tub. He let out a sigh as he felt his muscles loosen at the liquid, and he closed his eyes. Illumi lay down on top of the towel rack for a nap. After this, he would take Flora on a quick walk to stretch her legs. He would live with this lifestyle. A bath every morning, time spent with Illumi, a ride with Flora, and no memories or remembering of the one he still held in his heart.
For right now, he could forget about all of the problems he had. Picking up the soap, Arthur washed his body raw, getting the dirt of the road off his body. After, he got out and drained the water. Next, Arthur used the towels to dry off. Wrapping one towel around his waist, Arthur went downstairs to get some clothes from the unpacked boxes.
It took a few minutes but he found his citizen clothes, a baggy shirt, and half-calf loose pants. Putting them on, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like every other citizen in the England County except his eyebrows. Large eyebrows were well known to be traits of the Kirkland family. If anyone recognized him besides that man and woman, he could be in trouble. Deciding to grab a straw hat as well, Arthur went out the door. He wanted to go to the beach, see the ocean.
Lucky for him, he didn't have to go alone to the ocean. Arthur saddled Flora and he got himself on her easily. With a soft click of his tongue, one of the ways they communicated, the gentle white-and-brown horse trotted off down the road carefully towards the beach.
It wasn't too far away from where Arthur's house was located. In fact, it didn't take even five minutes, but he took Flora the long way around to stretch her legs and give her a bit of exercise. Overall, with that time combined, it took about fifteen minutes to get to the beach. When he was finally there, he got off his horse into the warm sand, sliding his shoes off and put them inside a bag that hung off Flora's saddle.
Arthur was never able to swim due to his brothers throwing him in when he was only five and nearly making him drown. He had had a fear of the ocean for years, but soon, he learnt that it wasn't so bad after all. He just stayed away from it when he couldn't touch the bottom. Otherwise, he loved it. The sand blew against him, piercing the bare parts of his legs. He gripped onto his hat with one hand, the other tightly with Flora's reigns. She reared back, however, and nearly trotted away when her hooves were touched with water. Arthur laughed and calmed her, switching their positions so that the water poked his feet, and Flora's were dry. She nuzzled him affectionately, snorting and nodding her head. He grinned and stroked her muzzle. Definitely, with this new life now, he would be able to forget.
He watched the sea for a while. The rhythmic pattern was calming his mind greatly. Then his green eyes were locked on the horizon. A huge ship was sailing in the colder waters. Arthur estimated that it would reach shore by tomorrow by the latest.
Arthur watched until the ship was out of sight. Then his stomach complained about the lack of food. Getting on his horse, he led her back home. Once there he cleaned her hair again. After he walked inside and went to the kitchen.
It was here he hit a slight problem, a little slip in the plans. There was no food. He would have to buy some in town. Worry filled his mind. Did he even have money? Sighing heavily, he went to go find out. After moving some clothes, Arthur found out he in fact DID bring money, an entire purse full of gold. Storing most of it away, he set out with a few gold coins to buy some bread and other stuff. Meat and vegetables would cost too much if he bought them all the time. Finally, Arthur grabbed his dagger and hid it in the folds of his pants, just in case of an emergency. With that, he went back to the stables to re-saddle Flora and ride to the village.
When it got difficult to avoid people when he was in the small town, Arthur got off and guided Flora carefully on the cobblestone streets. The village was a richer fishing port. There were more people here so he could blend in with the crowd, but it also increased the chance that someone would recognize him.
Vegetable seeds weren't that much to buy. He bought the cheapest assortment that there was, which actually had a bountiful amount for him to last. He brought five loaves of bread and a few pieces of cat food, as well as some food for Flora, even though she surely had enough to last her. Arthur paid with the gold, left with a few pieces of sterling, and thanked the shopkeeper before going back outside and placing the food into the pouch on the side of the saddle, and the sacks of Flora's feed across the seat.
He hadn't made one-step when he saw it.
No.
Oh, no.
On a nearby store window was a rough sketch of his profile on a piece of clean parchment.
MISSING:
Queen Arthur Kirkland of the Kingdom of Spades
Last seen the night of d/m of this year
Prize: 1,000,000 lbs. in gold for return.
See the local guard stations for more information. Please help find our Queen
-King Alfred of Spades
This was bad.
Arthur immediately kept his head down as he turned Flora around. Quickly walking, he got out of town. Thankfully, the picture of him was not very accurate. If he wore a hat most of the time, he could escape notice.
Once he was far enough, Arthur mounted Flora and raced all the way home. Quickly, Arthur set Flora in her stable stall again. Worry and anxiety pushed him to rush inside the house with his food. Setting the food in their correct places, Arthur started to clean the kitchen. It was a way to think and relax. When he was done cleaning, he started to organize all of his belongings into their rightful places. He rearranged some furniture, cleaned the other rooms, read a bit in his comfortable library during a small break, cleaned some more, and by the time he was done, his stomach was once again growling.
He fed both Flora and Illumi while eating a few slices of bread before going out to plant the seeds. Luckily, there were enough spots for the seeds to go inside of, which was a big relief. He planted most of them, the ones he would definitely use- tomatoes and peppers, mostly- before feeding them fresh water.
Arthur went back inside, a bit exhausted, and poured a single glass of wine with a few more bread slices. This time, he didn't make it to his bedroom, and collapsed from exhaustion on the couch, his large cat on his legs and his clothes still on.
CC101: Read and review! Please tell me what you think! Please tell me if I missed any mistakes when I re-edited it!
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