Arthur dreamt of America. It wasn't anything specific; his memory flipped through the moments that they shared: when they first met, their late night acts, the test he had gone through, and their general chitchat. Everything was simple and short, yes, but to him it was so meaningful to him, while at the same time being so painful to endure. When the Queen woke up, dawn was approaching, and he could feel the tried tears on his face.

The Queen looked around to find his King. His eyes found Alfred sitting down at the table, just staring into thin air. It looked like he didn't sleep at all. There were bags under his eyes and his normally tan skin looked a bit unhealthy.

Alfred looked over at his husband. "H-Hey..." The King walked over. "You okay? Still cold?"

Arthur shook his head, cleaning the water from his cheeks with a swipe of his hand. "I'm fine now. Still a bit shaken, but I'm definitely going to be alright." He bowed his head and looked up at Alfred through his eyelashes. "Thank you for helping me."

The younger nodded quickly. "You're welcome. Um...breakfast is on the table. I had tea brought for you."

Arthur shyly nodded. "Thank you." He got up, going to the table to inspect his food. A few pieces of fruits, meat, and eggs were perfectly arranged on a plate, beside the cup of steaming tea. "Whot were you doing out late last night?"

Alfred went to sit down with Arthur. "I was hunting. I was looking for a deer when I saw the bear. Then I saw it attack you."

Arthur looked away; he thought he would have said something that involved his maids. The Queen would bet money that he had had quite an adventurous time with them while he was gone. He cleared his throat and took a sip of his tea before speaking. "Whot, um...whot did you do while I was gone?"

Alfred tilted his head. "I was looking for you, trying to figure out where you went."

"No, not like that, I mean...back at home. Whot did you...do?" Alfred either knew what he was talking about and was hiding it, or he really was clueless as to what he meant. Arthur wasn't going to deal with either of the choices.

Realization flashed on Alfred's face. "I wasn't doing what you were thinking. I truly was just looking for you." The King looked into Arthur's eyes, hoping the other could see the truth in them. "I am being honest."

Arthur saw the truth in Alfred's begging blue eyes. At the same time, however, he didn't want to believe a single word he said. Sitting here, with the King he had loved for so much, was enough to make him doubt both of them. "You were with that maid, though. That one night..."

Alfred nodded. He remembered his father told him 'the way to unlock any heart is honesty.' He should try to be honest. "I was." Alfred admitted. "And nights before that."

Arthur hid his face from sight, trying to suppress himself from cracking. He wasn't sure how he loved Alfred so much when their relationship was extremely messy. "H-how long have you been having them over...? Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Alfred though about it. His blue eyes glazed over as he got stuck in the past for a bit. "My first time with one of the maids? Umm...the third year of our marriage I think." His lips were turned into a deeper frown. "I didn't tell you because you would tell at me for either blowing our cover or for having sex with someone 'below my status.'"

Arthur turned away from Alfred. He couldn't handle Alfred anymore. He thought he would be able to, but he was wrong.

The King moved restlessly as the silence between the two continued. He stood up. "I will um...go check the plans with our Ace."

Arthur didn't respond; glassy-eyed once more, he glanced at Alfred as his heart shattered inside of him and fell to pieces. He couldn't trust the King with anything. Maybe he found it awkward that Arthur had liked him even when the feelings were not returned. It was also obvious that Alfred did not want to have anything to do with him. The only reason he had even rescued him was to make himself look good in front of their people.

Alfred slowly shuffled out when Arthur didn't respond. When the sun hit the American's eyes, he let out another sigh. This was going to be a longer road than he expected.

Arthur rubbed his eyes and sighed, letting the protective wall fall and slump into his chair in exhaustion. He wanted to fix everything with Alfred, but he didn't want to perform the work himself. In fact, Arthur wanted the King to fix it. Alfred had destroyed him, Alfred had broken his heart, Alfred had lied to him, and Alfred would pick up the pieces.

Illumi padded up to him. He rubbed against Arthur's arm. The Queen smiled at his cat, and pulled him into his lap, placing a kiss against the top of his head. Illumi turned onto his back and held his paws up, waiting for the usual belly rub. Arthur laughed at him and complied, the purrs were loud and most likely heard outside of the tent. Arthur was sure that although Illumi looked like a cat, his heart was a dog.

The cat's tail was twitching as another feline came on to the scene. It was Alfred's own cat. The female cat was brown and had a bad temper. Arthur looked over at Alfred's cat but didn't pay her any mind. Illumi was too caught up in the petting to notice her.

The cats name was Mudclaw. The Queen went over to Illumi, sniffing along the way. Mudclaw didn't seem happy at all. She pounced onto Illumi hissing.

Arthur cried out in surprise when the brown feline pounced on top of his cat, some of her claws digging into him. Illumi jumped and ran out of the tent, most likely to hide. Mudclaw followed fiercely.

A guard ran in. "Are you ok my Queen?"

"Yes, yes," he nodded, standing up and brushing his clothes off any cat hair. "Mudclaw ran in here and scratched me, that's all."

"Do you want me to get the rubbing alcohol?"

"Whot? No, no! It's just a scratch, it's not anything major. It didn't really rip my skin; I'll just wash it in the river nearby."

The guard nodded. "Would you like an escort?"

Arthur looked at the man suspiciously. "Why would I need an escort to a river?"

"Well the bear incident."

Arthur doubted that was the true answer. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm not weak."

The guard bowed. "I meant no offense, my Queen." He turned around and walked out of the tent.

Arthur rolled his eyes and left the tent, heading to the river nearby. The guards and soldiers he passed saluted and greeted him, before asking him the same questions that the first guard had inquired. By the time he got to the river, he was steaming with fury and irritation. The bear was gone and it was peaceful. The sun was shining off the water but storm clouds to the east were threatening that peace.

Arthur stripped his clothes and slid down into the comforting warmth with a sigh. He dipped his head back to wet his bush of hair. Everything was extremely peaceful and serene. He was glad he could enjoy the moment. He stayed there for two hours before someone came to him. A servant came with lunch.

Arthur thanked the servant, asking for a clean pair of clothes to change into, and examined the fish on a few slices of bread. Interesting, he hadn't had this before. When he took a bite, he discovered it was quite good.

He pondered on the situation at hand while eating the lunch quietly. He wondered if he could get away from here and not be noticed. But where would he go? Alfred would surely hunt him down. Not to mention the insane brat might have had several guards follow him just in case. Arthur pushed the idea away hastily. It was hopeless to pursue. Besides, he had more important things to focus on, Alfred for example. The Brit frowned. What was he going to do with his King? Everything will change when they get to the Castle.

Arthur's biggest worry was that Alfred would drop the mopey, guilt-ridden, pity-gathering look and revert to his old self, being loud, rude, obnoxious, and sexual with the maids. He hated to think it, he scolded himself for doing so, but he couldn't resist. Not when he doubted the King so much.

He thought back to the note that Alfred gave him. Did he really want forgiveness or was he just sorry he got caught? From the depth of his heart, Arthur wanted it to be the first choice. He wanted to be able to trust Alfred again.

His thoughts came to a halt as he thought. How would he decide if he trusted Alfred again, not to have sex with the maids again? Arthur had said he wanted Alfred to be happy. Did he really expect Alfred to go without sex for his entire life if Alfred rejected his suit? It had been only a day since America was gone and Arthur already wanted more sex.

Arthur looked down in the water and gulped. He had touched himself once, and it wasn't like the two times with America. He didn't want to- he'd much rather take an erection than his hand- but it would do for now, he supposed.

He placed the plate aside and licked a few of his fingers hastily, that hand going past his nether regions Arthur groaned as his hand moved his cock. The hormones running through his body screamed to make it faster. Arthur leaned forward panting, hands and body trembling as he moved closer to completion. "A-Ah...Alfred-"

No one answered him. Eventually he gave a cry, a soft one though. Arthur gasped, gave a few more pumps, and finished over his hand, the sensation spreading throughout his whole body as he trembled from the exhaustion.

Arthur gave a groan. He was so dirty. This was below him, the Queen of Spades!

Arthur glared at his hands wondering when he had gotten like this. He could barely remember before, when there were no problems. Now, where was he? Maybe it was because he became sexually active. Francis always said when some people start they never stop.

Arthur gulped, curling his legs close to his chin. He hoped that meant in certain fields. He certainly did not want to be masturbating while Alfred and he were ruling as King and Queen.

Soon Arthur could hear the servant come back with his clothes. "My Queen?!"

Arthur looked over to the servant and forced a smile to his lips. "Ah, yes, hello. Thank you for bringing them for me."

The other bowed. "Of course my Queen. The King asks that you hurry back as we will set out at dusk."

The Queen nearly scrunched his nose up in disgust, but instead, he nodded his head. "Of course." He was feeling a bit rebellious. Alfred could wait if he could handle it. Wait a second! Was it just the Queen's imagination or was the servant glaring at him? The servant gave another bow and quickly moved away from the river. Arthur watched the servant until he could no longer see him, and waited a little bit before getting out; using a towel, he had brought to dry off before taking his time dressing. Why was the servant like that?

Although Arthur took his time, he eventually went back to the royal tent. He also found that Alfred was nowhere in sight. The short blonde's eyebrows furrowed, and he went back out of the tent and looked around the area. Flora, Freedom, and Illumi were nearby. There was several things going on at once and he knew he should let the guards and servants deal with the work, but it was worth a chance to find Alfred.

He gained the attention of a nearby guard. "Excuse me, sir, but do you know where my King is?" He resisted a flinch at calling him "his King". He was now nowhere near that status.

The guard bowed. "Yes my Queen. King Alfred is talking with the Ace. They should be back within five minutes!"

Arthur nodded, and started to pack his stuff together. He saved the roses for last, holding them and delicately tracing the tip with his finger.

It was at that point that Alfred came back in. Again, he looked as if he went to hell and back. The taller promptly said hello before falling on the 'bed' fast asleep.

"Alfred?" The Queen dropped beside him, eyeing his tired and sleeping face with worry. He looked pale, and his eyes had dark circles under them. What had he been doing with the Ace?"

Arthur gathered the water pitcher from the table and a washcloth before he wiped the King of Spades' face. Next, he covered him up with the blankets, making sure he was tucked in nicely and not cold. The only article of clothing he removed was his shoes; any other would have been awkward.

He brushed back some of Alfred's caramel locks and placed a sweet kiss upon his forehead. Even though their relationship was shaky, he hoped that Alfred would be all right.

Alfred was still asleep when the Ace of Spades came though the tent flap. "My Queen, are you ready to go?"

The Ace of Spades was actually a woman. She came from the Portugal County, on the border with the Hearts Kingdom. She was tan and had long brown hair. Her body was very slim, but had many muscles.

Arthur would admit to liking the Ace of Spades. She was kind and yet firm with decisions. He appreciated her very much. However, he ignored her question. "Whot happened to Alfred?"

"At first, we just did the plans for travel, but then he got a stupid idea into his head. I had to fight him until he gave up. He hasn't been sleeping well lately so it was rather easy to tire him out."

Arthur frowned, a hand instinctively going to pet at Alfred's head. He bet he was the reason for not sleeping well. "Has he not been sleeping well because of me...?"

Isabel nodded. "Ever since you left, he has worked long though the night to find you. I have to admit; he actually came up with a great plan if only a bit dangerous."

Arthur lifted Alfred into his arms, still draping the blankets over him to keep him warm but now resting in his lap. "Whot was it?"

"He threatened the royal families that if you were not found within two months, they would be stripped of all titles and the titles would be given to other powerful families."

Arthur sighed, looking down at Alfred in wonder and pity. For some reason, he must have really missed him. He pushed back some of the King's golden fringe; he was so young yet he looked so much older. He wasn't aging tremendously or anything, but he looked far from his current age. The Queen pecked his ear. "He really did miss me, didn't he...?"

Isabel nodded. "As far as I have seen, you two never got along very well." She raised her hand up and Arthur tried to speak. "Don't give me that 'we are married crap', I don't believe it. However what I do believe is that Alfred realized that he did something wrong and he truly is trying to fix it. You might never have been friends but you are far from enemies."

Arthur looked away from her, instead focusing back again on the King. She was right; Alfred may have never truly hated him, and they actually did work well together when the King was actually doing work. The Queen wondered if he could start working towards a truly civil, friendly, respectful relationship with him.

The Ace bowed. "I must see to preparations. We leave in an hour my Queen." The Ace left the two alone for the time being.

Arthur nodded, not looking up from where his gaze was. Maybe he and Alfred could talk more when he woke up. He wanted to start on repairing their relationship as soon as he had the chance. Then he fixed Alfred's glasses, Texas as the taller called them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw that Mudclaw was coming. The feline ignored the Queen and lay on Alfred's lap. The two were always together. In fact when Mudclaw was a kitten, she would attach herself to Alfred's clothes and follow him around. In the end, Arthur and other high officials just gave up on trying to separate them.

Arthur smiled at the cat before frowning at a thought that came to mind. What was it that made Alfred and Mudclaw so close? He had always wondered what it was, and now that he had confessed, he hoped that he could get closer than the cat was, even though it seemed highly impossible.

Alfred gave a groan as he opened his eyes. His entire body hurt him! "A-Arthur?"

Arthur froze up in fear, his cheeks burning bright. Now what he could do? He couldn't move him away! That would be rude, even to the King. "Y-yes, it's...me. How are you feeling?"

The King still felt dizzy. Arthur, though only a foot away and Texas on his face, looked fuzzy. "What happened?"

"You were with the Ace, and you got into a fight that made you pass out from exhaustion." He pushed back the golden fringe, shyly and intertwining his fingers with the hand that held Alfred's wedding band.

Alfred was confused. Wasn't Arthur mad at him? He squeezed back. "Oh. How long was I out?"

"Not for very long. About five minutes." He smiled small at him, rubbing his thumb over the top of his hand. "We'll be leaving soon, though."

Alfred's head flopped back. Blue eyes were hidden as Alfred's while body relaxed. "I thought you were mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," Arthur answered quietly, toying with some of Alfred's hair. "I'm just a bit upset."

Alfred hummed. "When do we have to leave?"

"Soon. You just rest until then, alright?"

The younger hummed again, and for once in his life, he did what Arthur told him to do.

Arthur smiled at the sleeping face, pressing a gentle kiss against his temple. He removed his glasses from his face, hoping that things would be all right between them.

Suddenly Arthur was forced onto the bed. Alfred's arms were pulling Arthur in until they were cuddling. Arthur's face was in Alfred's chest. Arthur's cheeks blew up into a blush, and he yelped when he realized where he was. He hadn't been this close to Alfred since their wedding night, and it was certainly having the wrong (or right?) reaction in his nether region. Yet Alfred didn't let him go. The stupid git actually brought him ever closer! Arthur's body was flush against Alfred's own muscular build.

"A-a-ah!" Arthur's face grew brighter, heat gathering in his groin area. 'Damn!' He gulped in fright and tried to push the other away from him again.

Nothing. Alfred apparently wanted him there and until he woke up it looked like there Arthur would stay.

The Queen sighed, looking down between his legs the best that he could. But how was he going to deal with that problem? Especially with the way Alfred's leg shifted against him. Alfred instinctively must like making him uncomfortable because Alfred started to wiggle non-stop.

Arthur tried to bite his lip to suppress a moan, but Alfred- like always- was fidgety, squirming as if trying to get comfortable. The older blond groaned into the King's sleeve. Thankfully, Alfred finally found a spot that fit him best but only about another ten minutes of movement. By that time, Arthur pried himself free.

It seemed the gods hated him because as soon as he got out the King's grasp, Isabel told him they had to ride now. It was time to leave.

Arthur covered his arousal by turning so that he was facing Alfred and nodded, thanking her when she left. When the Ace of Spades was gone, he let out a sigh and turned to Alfred to begin to wake him.

Alfred jumped awake. "What's wrong?"

Arthur stammered and covered up in between his legs. "A-a-ah, n-nothing, w-we're leaving now."

The King didn't notice the stutter and nodded. He got up and walked out of the tent.

When a few servants came in to take apart the tent, Arthur scrambled for his coat, covering his erection by draping the coat over both of his hands, and made his way to Flora, who was already saddled up. He fed her a leftover carrot before somehow climbing up onto the saddle without embarrassing himself, checked to make sure Illumi and Freedom were nearby, and waited for the others to give the call to go.

The tent was already down and mostly everything was ready to go. Eventually Alfred mounted Night Runner and called everyone into line.

Arthur tried not to get Flora right behind Alfred, but unfortunately, drawn to her old friend Night Runner, she trotted forward, making sure to stay right beside Alfred and his horse. The Queen of Spades gulped, and glanced over at Alfred.

The King of Spades held himself tall and proud. His blue eyes shinned in the setting sun. He kept the pace at a trot for the beginning.

Arthur cringed every time there was a bit of a nasty bump that jostled him forward, bumping his coat-shrouded arousal into the saddle. He tried to steady himself with trembling hands, while at the same time keeping in perfect step with Night Runner and Alfred

Alfred looked over after a terrible jump the horses had to take. "Are you ok? You like you're in pain."

The Queen was chomping on his lip to stop himself from crying out in a mixture of pain and pleasure after the jump. Nevertheless, he responded to him with a nod. "I'm fine."

It was another three hours before Alfred finally called for a break. Really, Arthur didn't know how long it was. All he knew is that it was uncomfortable and hot. Sadly, Arthur's erection had stayed, a little less burning but still present. He swore it was Alfred's presence that made him like that.

Their stop was by one of the smaller rivers in the Spade Kingdom. It was simply called Minnow River, as the water level was small and could only support minnows.

Arthur peeked beneath his coat. There was still something there, and he inwardly cursed himself for getting aroused by the young King. Alfred dismounted and went to go help Arthur. Arthur gave a quiet yelp, and covered his lower half in time, face blooming into red.

Alfred reached up and picked Arthur up. Setting the smaller on the ground, he frowned. "Are you ok? You keep making these pained grunts."

Arthur nodded, scrambling to make sure his lower half was covered well. "Y-yes, I'm fine."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. Arthur had been acting strange ever since he started riding. Was he just saddle sore? "You sure?" He cupped the other cheek. "You look red."

The Queen's voice and words caught in his throat. Alfred had never touched him like that- so worried, so careful. His face burned more, doubling the flush face.

Now Alfred was panicking. Why wasn't Arthur responding?! "Ace! Get a healer!"

Arthur felt mortified! A healer! He was so doomed. Panic filled his mind. Feeling dizzy, he shut his eyes, and fell to the ground in a heap, darkness consuming him.

CC101- Hey, so I only have around seven reviews until 50! Whoever is my 50th reviewer will get one free oneshot, of any pairing, of any rating, and of any genre. (only for Hetalia however, just to clear that up).