CC-101: Okay guys… I know it's been awhile but I was in Germany! (And the Netherlands! And a lot of other vacations plus some college visits!) I was in an exchange student program and went over to Europe for ten days! It was soooo much fun. Germany is so cute and tiny! Drinks all around! As America's drinking age is 21, it was nice to be able to drink legally (and a full glass!) in public. My family makes wine so sometimes I get a sip or two.

So as my apology, I made it longer than it first was. Now, this is an alert.

THIS IS THE CHAPTER

I REPEAT

THIS IS THE CHAPTER

Enjoy your feels and send in a review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia…

Arthur was woken up gently by the arms that shook him awake. Sleep tried to hold onto him but the hands were insistent. Slowly, he opened up his emerald green eyes and gazed up blearily, unable to see whoever was trying to wake him. Blinking a few times to clear his vision, he realized who it was. It was Toris! The Queen yawned, turning onto his side to fall back to sleep again.

"My Queen, please wake up! The King needs you!" The brown haired servant begged as he shook the sleepy Queen harder.

Arthur almost jumped out of the carriage bed at the words, fear already taking root inside of him and spreading through him like an uncontrollable wildfire. Was the camp attacked and he didn't wake up? A hunting accident of some kind? "Where the hell is he?!" Arthur harshly demanded.

A small familiar laugh came from behind the Englishman. "I am right here, my Queen."

The Queen gasped quietly, and turned harshly before he relaxed at the sight of his King laying on the bed beside him. "Thank the gods; I thought you were in trouble."

Alfred shook his head at the worried look on the other's face. "I am not in terrible danger, but I might be if you don't hurry. Toris came out from the Capital to meet us. He says we are at least another five hours from the Castle and that, unfortunately, my wound is infected."

Arthur let out a frustrated breath. He started to gather bandages and a bottle of medicine from a basket that Toris had placed on the carriage bed. Hopefully, the materials found there could be used to help keep Alfred's wound clean. "How do you know it's infected?" He carefully unwrapped the bandages from Alfred's muscled chest.

The answer stared him right in the face. One edge of the wound, the only part that didn't scab over, was slowly oozing out yellow puss.

"I already said that Toris told me." Alfred repeated.

The Briton started to gather the yellow pus away from the wound before he started to clean it with the liquid in the bottle, hoping that they wouldn't need a physician for this job and that the little medical experience that he had would apply and help their situation. Yao was the one who knew the most outside of the doctors, but he was currently with his lover in Hearts. "I don't know how this happened, but it did... I'm hoping that I'll be able to do some sort of help to it."

Alfred hissed as the medicine was added. The alcohol caused the area to burn. "Can't they come up with less painful ways?"

Toris gave a small smile. "The burn is all the infection dying. That's how you know the alcohol is doing its job."

Arthur presented more of a weak smile at Alfred's pain. "It'll be fine in a bit; just think of it as the burn helping you get rid of the infection."

"Still hurts," the American pouted. Crossing his ankles, he bit the inside of his cheeks to hold back the yelp that wanted to spring forth as Arthur added even more alcohol to the wound. He swore instead, "Great gods!"

The Queen quickly started to wrap the wound with fresh bandages. Once he was finished wrapping the injury, Arthur pressed a kiss to the wound. "My mother used to do this to me when I was younger and got hurt. She said it helped the wound heal."

The King gave a booming laugh, "Really?" He carefully leaned back down to bed, letting his head rest against the purple pillows. "Well, I think I will sleep more." He turned to Toris. "You are dismissed."

When the Lithuanian bowed and left, Alfred stared up at Arthur, who still looked exhausted. "Do you want to join me? I think I will take a nap again. The doctors said you should rest as much as possible."

Arthur nodded, storing the supplies close to them in case they were to be used again. "I think I shall," he answered with a smile, lying down beside his close friend once more. He sighed as the warmth from the younger's body swarmed over him. This was one of the things Arthur hated about being underweight; his body got too cold way too fast.

Alfred smiled. "It's just after sunrise. We should be having breakfast soon. The bridge and the one after that held us up quite a bit. I wanted to move faster but nothing is going how I wanted it to."

"Let's wait patiently," the older suggested as he scooted closer to Alfred and shut his tired eyes. "I don't want to move right now."

"Okay, but we have to go out soon."

By the sound of Alfred's voice, Arthur could tell he didn't want to leave either. "Mmmm..." the Queen threw an arm over the younger with a small yawn and a shift in place before shutting his eyes and, eventually, drifting off. The King quite followed suit.

Alfred next woke up in, what he knew, was another dream. Instead of the carriage, he was in a large garden, with the Spades Roses blooming in every direction. Blue and violet petals decked the area delicately. The smell was soft and sweet, one he secretly admitted to liking. He examined his clothes to see that he was, thankfully not naked like his last weird dream, but dressed in the Royal Robes that was only necessary for special events if hosted by one of the four Kingdoms, weddings, and important dinners. He remembered wearing this particular robe set on his wedding six years ago to Arthur.

"My King? Your son is here."

Alfred choked suddenly, doubling over as the servant announced the arrival of a small boy that came running up to him.

"Daddy!" The little boy called out. His 'son' was a clone of Alfred when he was younger. The only thing different was his hair. It was a more like Arthur's hair color. The boy was wearing fancy clothes. Like his father, blue covered him but it made the child look smart. Glasses on the lad gave him a sharp look.

Alfred caught the boy before he could fall, lifting the child to eye level. Yes, this boy was a definite replica. His skin was paler, close to Arthur's, but it didn't make much of a difference. This must be the child that he and...Arthur had created…together

The King felt himself smiling. He always wanted a family. He spun the boy around before he stopped at a thought. This was just a dream. Arthur and him could never have an actually child, one of their own blood. Then again, what did it matter to him? Even though this was a dream, this was his actually flesh and blood child for the moment. His face was chubby and young, his smile was wide with glee and his giggle was one that was filled of mischief and knowledge that only he held; His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, something that Alfred thanked himself for giving the boy.

"How are you doing, my boy?"

"I'm great!" The Prince giggled cheerfully. "I wrote out my full name all by myself! Yao says that it's amazing how g-...how well I'm writing!"

Alfred laughed. "I am so proud of you Jaden!"

Jaden...the name came natural to him. It fit the boy nicely, as if it was meant for him. His son, Jaden, laughed. "That's what your Queeeeen~ said!"

"Speaking of your mother, where is she?"

"Whot is this talk of 'she' and mother?" A voice from behind them asked, causing the duo to jump slightly.

Jaden, with an even wider grin, wiggled out of his father's grasp and jumped to the now seen Queen; Arthur caught the boy and pulled him into an even more loving embrace, pecking his round cheeks. "Hello, Mother!"

"Because I'm so proud of you right now, I won't even bother to correct your improper use of the word," the Englishman chuckled as he hugged the child tightly.

Alfred laughed. "He has been calling you Mother since he could talk. Nothing you say is going to change it now."

Arthur grinned with a chuckle. "Nevertheless, I would never rip the freedom to call me whot he likes away from him. It's too precious." He pressed a kiss to Jaden's smooth, chubby cheeks. "Go play for a bit, dear. I need to talk to your father about something."

The child pouted but did as he was bid, running off into the garden to play with some faries.

The Queen smiled at his King, giving the taller a gentle wink as he stepped towards Alfred, intertwining their hands. "Hello there, my dear poppet."

Alfred leaned down and kissed his lover's lips for a graceful second. "Hey, doll."

Arthur chuckled, "Doll, mother, Queen. Whot other feminine name shall I be called out of luv?"

"Babe, baby, honey, sweet cheeks, and the list goes on and on!" The younger rolled his eyes as Arthur complained. The older loved the nicknames that Alfred gave him and both of them knew it. It was easy to tell by the way Arthur blushed and how he acted toward his husband after any nickname was spoken.

"Sweetheart, holder of your heart, sweetie..." The emerald-eyed male pressed a kiss to Alfred's hand, smiling against the large knuckles. "There's something important that I have to tell you- something...that involves the date."

Alfred looked at him mock confusion, "The date?"

The Queen stepped away. "I feel ashamed you've forgotten." He turned away from his lover, peaking at him mischievously from the corner of his eye. The tone was pitiful and playful, "And you call me old. One would think you'd remember."

Now, Alfred had on the frustrated pouty face he used when he wasn't getting his way with Arthur. "I don't know what you are talking about." He knew exactly what the other was talking about but if he admitted it, everything would be ruined.

"Five years ago, you handed your heart to my hands. You confessed your love to me and I agreed to give you the same."

Alfred pouted even more. "You're ruining my surprise!"

The Queen looked around the garden, quiet before he lifted up a small bouquet of flowers and handed it to his King. Only five flowers, however, were in the special paper.

Alfred took them, the frown disappearing from his face, "How sweet… Thank you, darling."

"Each of them stand for something that makes up a crucial part of our relationship," explained the older as he pointed out the different colors.

"What do they mean?"

"The first stands for the commitment we have made for each other twelve years ago. The second is for our love that burns stronger every year. The third means our friendship that is still strong and continues on. The four is for Jaden, the wonderful gift that we have created and the fifth..."

Alfred took another step forward to stand really close to Arthur, their noses almost touching. "The fifth is...?"

This time, Arthur's smile was wide and bright. "The fifth is for our future, our days that we will spend as two, and our love that will always run with us."

Alfred leaned down and kissed his husband passionately, "You are so cute, babe. I love the flowers and their symbolism."

"It's for you." Arthur smirked mischievously. "I have the rest of my gift for you tonight." He reached over, grabbing the other's behind and squeezing.

The younger male blinked then did the same to the shorter. "No, that will have to wait."

Arthur smiled, resting his head against his shoulder with a sigh. He stated, "Of course, especially with Jaden so close to us."

"No, I mean that we are going to a special dinner."

"Hmm..." The older's hands started to twirl inside his King's. "Where shall dinner be then? Should I dress up as anything…'special'?"

"It's a secret..."

The Englishman lightly hit the American's arm. "Alfred F. Jones is keeping a secret and not telling everyone? Has the world gone mad?"

Alfred rolled his eyes. "It's only for you silly. The world can learn later."

Taking a deep breath, Arthur smiled at the handsome man in front of him. "Whot have I done to have someone as sweet as you love me?"

Alfred slipped out of his hold. "Your pretty ass might have something to do with it."

"Lovely. I suspect that from you always." Honestly, the other always acted to sexual towards him on their anniversary. It was somewhat annoying and almost comforting to know nothing would ever change that about them.

Alfred laughed again. "Well, let's go. Our Blessing Ceremony for Jaden won't last forever."

Arthur smiled and intertwined their hands as they started to walk out of the garden, "Of course."

Jaden ran up to the two, flowers in hand, and shoved a small bouquet of dandelions into each of his parents' hands. "I collected these for you!" He cheerfully announced as he bounced up and down.

Before Alfred could lean down and take them, he was shaken from his slumber.

"W-Wha-?"

"Alfred, get up!" The voice was muffled as if something was covering up the sound.

Alfred tried to blink away the blurriness that covered his eyes. He called out softly, "Jaden?"

"Who's Jaden?"

Alfred looked closer to see emerald eyes and pale skin, with a messy blond mop on top, and who definitely wasn't Jaden. The King hastily thought of a lie. "She's a girl..."

Arthur's eyes narrowed, as if he could smell the lie. "Jaden is a boy's name Alfred," he reminded as he leaned over Alfred, trying to get the truth from the sleepy King.

"It's a girl's name too but is spelled J-a-y-d-e-n!" Alfred argued as he stuck his tongue out at the other.

Arthur pursed his lips, "And I should believe you because..."

"Why would I be dreaming about a guy?" Alfred challenged in return. Slowly he stretched his muscles from his spot on the bed, carefully not to reinjure his shoulder.

"True..." The Queen looked away for a few yet brief seconds, but then gazed at his King once again with a bright smile. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, my shoulder feels better than before. The medicine seems to have worked wonders."

"That's good. We're about a half hour outside the gates of the Capital; I tried to wake you up but you weren't responding." Arthur sighed as he felt bugged about Alfred's lying to him. They were best friends; best friends don't lie to you! "Whot were you dreaming about?"

"Jaden," Alfred said simply, not wanting to share his dream with Arthur. He would be viewed as a freak and not to mention the fact that he dreamed Arthur got pregnant!

"Who's Jaden?" Before Alfred could finish his statement, the Queen's expression changed from calm and confused to angry and furious. "He's a child that you accidentally fathered from your maids, isn't he?!" It was the only reason Arthur could think of why Alfred would be dreaming about a boy.

Alfred flinched from how angry the other was, "What?! No! I told you: 'Jayden' is a girl!"

"That doesn't make a difference! Are you dreaming of a child you had fathered on accident?!"

"No!" Alfred yelled in return. It was the truth in many ways. One, his dreamself didn't accidentally get Arthur pregnant, it was totally intentional. Two, Jaden was a boy.

"Then who is this Jaden?!"

Alfred decided to answer the question with another question. "Why do you care?!"

"Because I want to make sure it doesn't get you in trouble in the future!"

Alfred took this as an insult. He sent a glare towards the other. "Are you saying I can't defend myself?!"

"I'm saying that accidents could happen- one that could end up with you becoming the father of a maid's child!" Arthur yelled, giving a dirty look in return.

Alfred gave a frustrated sigh. "Jaden IS NOT a maid's child. SHE is a maid!" He stated, coming up with the lie rather quickly.

Arthur looked away in anger; he had been worried that something serious had happened to his friend. Now, he was regretting even worrying about the younger in the first place.

The King huffed and brushed past his 'husband'. Alfred got out of the carriage and looked at the forest surrounding them. He could see the tail that lead to the Capital. He wished he had his commoner's clothes on or even with him; he could slip into the nearest whorehouse and enjoy his time away from Arthur.

"I could leave again, if you want," the Queen called out to him. "You can never hear from me again, if you're going to be pissy about something as ridiculous as me worrying over my best friend!"

"That was not what you were doing!" Alfred called back. He glared as the soldiers around him looked at the yelling royalty. Said people went back to what they were doing.

"Well that's how everything started! My King wasn't waking up so I got nervous and thought his shoulder's infection might have killed him! For three minutes, I called for you to wake up, and for each second where there was no answer, I became even more worried!"

Alfred just sighed. He gave up. Walking towards Night Runner, Alfred mounted the horse and trotted off.

"Of course, you selfish asshole," Arthur muttered low under his breath. "Run away when the kingdom needs guidance." He turned towards the knights, Mathias and Lukas, who were waiting patiently for him on horses. The Queen supposed that if Alfred wouldn't be here, then he would have to take official matters into his own hands. "Do you have a status report on Hearts yet?"

"I am afraid not, my Queen," responded Lukas. "It's almost impossible to receive a bird while traveling like this."

"Right, right, of course." Arthur rubbed his eyes. "Berwald, by whot I assume, is preparing soldiers in case. I need you two to spread the word that we need more men to recruit the smaller towns and counties that can help and perhaps fight in our predicament. We'll need as many as we can find."

Lukas frowned, "Would that be wise, your Grace? It is only two warships. We have enough men to defend ourselves. If we take too many men from the fields our economy will drop, we may not have enough food for winter."

"Right... Go to the towns and villages in a radius of twelve miles from the capital. Check for any naval experience at all," ordered Arthur, point to the Capital. "Even though it's only two warships, we'll need to be prepared if they actually try to do anything that could harm us. Get the men from the Capital and then get going. We don't have much time."

The knights bowed their heads and quickly trotted off to follow their Queen's commands. Arthur quickly went around the camp site, issuing orders to pack up camp as fast as possible. The Queen could tell that the men were a bit frightened to see him in such a state: fists clenched, fingers jabbing in certain directions, posture tall despite his height disadvantage, eyes sharp and filled with a fire that some could only imagine who it was for.

About a half hour later, out of the corner of his eye, Arthur spotted the King returning...with a small dead deer attached to his saddle! It was not a fawn but it didn't look fully grown yet. It antlers were small and only branched out once. He cringed; he had never agreed with Alfred's hunting habits, opting instead to let animals keep their life instead of taking it away. However, he figured that the King had performed the act to let out some anger.

The American set down the deer near the cook's tent and ordered it skinned and stored. The skin was to be taken to make a blanket.

Arthur only looked to what the King was doing, but then forced himself back to ordering the men around again, helping them once in a while when they needed it. It seemed that Alfred was taking care of the horses, brushing them and stuff like that.

There was a loud snort that pushed his hair back, and when the Brit looked up to see who it was, he was shocked to see Night Runner standing by him and nudging him. "Wha- Night Runner, stop." He tried to direct the horse away, but the horse only increased his force.

The horse kept pushing him but also chewing on his hood. Arthur noticed that two of them men started to laugh as their Queen was manhandled or was it horsehandled?

Arthur huffed, trying once more to redirect the horse somewhere else, having to step on the tip toes of his feet now as his hood slowly disappeared. Night Runner shoved him forward more and more, and he didn't stop until the Queen fell against someone strong and tall. The Queen of Spades glanced up, knowing who it was before he looked.

Alfred looked displeased as he pushed Night Runner's head away from Arthur. Reaching down into the saliva soaked hood, he brought out four lumps of partially dissolved sugar cubes that were hidden in the hood. His blue eyes darkened. Whipping around, he glared at the people that had gathered. "Who did this?!" He questioned furiously as he raised his hand with the cubes.

Arthur blinked in shock at the sight of the sugar cubes, and examined the crowd in hidden annoyance.

The crowd of soldiers grew very quiet. Alfred moved toward the men who started laughing at Queen Arthur first. "Was it you two?" He asked.

Both shook their heads, "No, my King!"

"Then you can tell us whot is so funny," Arthur snarled, letting out a small bit of his fury.

The younger looking guard flinched. "I was just telling a joke, My Queen."

Alfred's eyes narrowed. It seemed the entire world went silent before the King spoke. "You think you are a funny man? Well then, entertain us. If you make us laugh, you'll go free."

The guard shifted from foot to foot, looking to his friend for assistance but the other shook his head and looked away.

Arthur smirked. It looked like they found their culprit. "We're waiting, young one," he sneered.

The younger did have some wits though. "It was a crude joke, my Queen. A commoner's jest is all."

"You mean a joke that was meant to embarrass one of the highest authorities in the Kingdom of Spades. Yes, it is hilarious, my good, kind, and wonderful sir."

The man sighed. "W-What is another name for the Black Bitch?"

Arthur's eyebrows rose extremely high, and an eerie silence washed over the others. Arthur let the anger boil inside of him, gathering together and becoming one.

Alfred seemed to understand the joke and went pale. "You didn't..."

The younger man started to shake in his boots.

"I know...you weren't calling your Queen that...yeah?"

The guard reached into his pocket and pulled out a playing card. It was the Queen of Spades.

Arthur growled, "And whot's that? Are you being smart?"

"I-It's a card game, m-my Queen. The Q-Queen of Spades is the card that ends the game, h-hence the name, the Black Bitch." The younger man managed to get all of it out.

"Whot game? You're not making sense, and you better start making the situation understandable or else you'll definitely be regretting it."

The older guard that was also laughing explained. "It's a gambling game, my Queen. When you get the Queen of Spades in your hand, you lose everything. That's why the Queen of Spades in the game is called the Black Bitch."

"So why exactly are you making that reference to me?! Did you not hear my threat, or do you not care?!"

Both flinched. The younger spoke, "It's just a game, my Queen."

"You have no answered my question." Arthur stepped forward so that he injected fear into the terrified duo. "Why is it that you are making such a reference to your Queen?"

The older man tried to explain, "The beast was black and you couldn't do anything to stop it."

"I will personally, by my own will, remove you of your guard status for insulting the Queen if your explanation is not clear!"

Isabel strode forward. "I believe he is trying to say you are Night Runner's bitch. Am I correct?"

The two guards nodded slowly. Alfred, still very pale, almost knocked these men out with a well-placed fist. This was not going to end well for them.

Arthur clenched his hands into taut fists and bit his lip, so much that he tasted blood. "So you're saying I am a horse's partner...the horse, ironically enough, being that of my King's." He glared at both of the guards with a fury that he was trying to hide.

Night Runner stomped on the ground with a hoof. Alfred pet his horse's neck. "I seem to remember Arthur marrying me not my horse."

Arthur smirked. "How horrible it is that guards that protect the kingdom insult their Queen shamelessly."

Alfred nodded, "I agree."

The Brit shook his head at the guards. "Despicable and these are the men that we have defending our land."

The King gave a huge smile. "Well, I hope you two love winter time! I am sending you two to Clubs. You will travel and stay with the next ambassador that leaves for the Kingdom of Luck."

Both guards flinched at the statement; Arthur smirked. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing my Queen," the older stated. The younger looked as if he was going to say something then bit it back.

Arthur smiled viciously. "Good. That's whot I thought."

Nodding, Alfred mounted Night Runner's saddle. "It's time to leave. We have a long day ahead of us." He said to everyone that had gathered. "We leave in an hour!"

Arthur glanced at the men as they started to disperse, and glanced at Alfred before he started to walk as well.

The American royal twisted his horse around and trotted towards the cook's tent again. Giving the reins to a trustworthy guard, Alfred dismounted and walked into the tent.

The Queen's gut clenched; he hoped the same event at the Tooth didn't have to occur again. He walked into the cook's tent quietly, hoping that he would be able to keep to himself.

The King was with someone. The pelt of the dead dear was on the table. Alfred held a knife in his hand.

Arthur watched with slight interest and curiosity. He didn't want to watch this, but he was curious as to what exactly was going on.

The other man gave Alfred a pot of something. The American set the knife down and accepted the pot. The older man left, as Alfred picked up something from the table. It was a large thick paint brush. The King dipped the brush in the pot and then started to paint the pelt with blank ink. The pattern was intricate. The swirls and symbols were lost on the Queen but even he had to admit, it looked extremely beautiful to his eye. The symbolism was lost on him but Arthur could tell it meant something special.

Quietly, he snuck in beside his King, watching him work in concentration. The taller blond was humming a quiet tune, and he didn't make any sign that he had seen or heard the smaller. Arthur found himself smiling as the other worked diligently. "It's a beautiful pattern," he whispered, almost inaudible.

This caused Alfred to jump. His hands managed not to mess anything up but some ink got onto the edge of the table. "Gods damn it Arthur!"

The Queen blushed out of embarrassment, looking away. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't expect you to jump."

Alfred sighed as he placed the brush back into the pot. "You're not supposed to be here, Arthur."

Said person's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't quite get whot you're trying to say." Was Alfred trying to kick him out of the tent?

"This pelt was going to be my apology gift but you ruined the surprise," Alfred explained as he pointed to the deer pelt.

"O-oh." Arthur grinned sheepishly. "You don't have to apologize to me. I wasn't being very understanding, and I wasn't listening. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. I will be finished in under twenty minutes."

Arthur nodded, "Alright. I'll wait for you outside, is that fine?"

Alfred hummed as he picked up the bush again. "You can stay if you would like." With that, he started to decorate the pelt again.

"Oh...okay." The Queen sat a bit away from the other, watching the taller work and wondering why he had done such an action. In reality, he- Arthur- was the one to blame, not Alfred. It was a nice gesture for sure and he got a nice new pelt out of it. Arthur smiled as he watched his King work carefully in concentration. It sounded weird, but it was interesting to watch Alfred work with such care and concentration.

Alfred eventually slowed down the pace of painting until he was finished. He smiled wide as he set the ink brush back in the pot. "It's done."

The Queen stood up and walked over quietly to examine the coat. It truly was beautiful, the coat; the patterns went from swirls to parallel lines to perpendicular. It looked sleek and shiny, even with the paint covering it.

Alfred picked up the pelt and put it on Arthur's head.

Arthur let the taller adjust it as he stood quietly in patience.

Alfred set the head on top of Arthur's messy hair. He used thin leather straps he had made to tie the leg part of the pelt to Arthur's wrists. "There, I have another magical friend besides you, and he gave me a special powder to dry everything up faster. Isn't it nice?"

"I feel ridiculous..." The older complained he twisted his wrist so he could see the hooves that were placed by his hands.

The taller frowned. "I see..."

Arthur saw the hurt in his eyes, "But then again, I walk around with the biggest eyebrows in the entire world, so I don't feel that ridiculous."

"I don't think your eyebrows are ridiculous," Alfred noted in reply.

"You seem to be the only one, then. The entire world and I agree that they are outrageous."

The other reached up to stroke the subject of the conversation. "They make you look cute."

Arthur froze up in shock, trembling as the hand didn't cease in movements. He shivered, legs trembling, and nearly fell to the ground as he let out a small moan that he hoped wasn't heard.

The King noticed the shiver and thankfully not the moan. "Are you still cold?"

Shaking his head, the Englishman tried to move away from the younger's touch. "N-No, it's just..." He bit his lip, unable to say any more than that.

Alfred's hand moved from Arthur's eyebrows to his chin. Forcing Arthur to look at him, he gazed into those green orbs. "What wrong?"

"My neck and eyebrows, when licked or touched, can cause, eh...intense sexual...pl-pleasures..." Arthur explained quickly, hoping he didn't have to repeat himself.

Alfred blinked like an owl that was just introduced to sun light, "Oh, sorry." He blushed as he backed away from the other. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine. How were you supposed to know?" Arthur fidgeted on two feet before leaning forward and embracing him. "Thank you, my dearest friend."

"It is not trouble, my dearest Queen."

Arthur blushed a bit deeper, and stood on the tip of his toes, and pressed a kiss to the younger's cheek before leaving the tent quickly.

Alfred reached up to touch his cheek. "Wow..."

Ever since they had become closer friends, Arthur had never done that to him, even in private. He supposed it was a nice way of saying thank you for the pelt. Either way, whatever it was supposed to mean, he couldn't deny the fact that he liked it. He really liked it. Was that bad? Alfred started to freak out in his head. 'Oh shit! Is something wrong with me?'

Perhaps he was just tired, despite how many naps he took with Arthur. The news from the attack on Hearts and the exhaustion from travel was probably getting to him and giving him these thoughts. Besides, he forced himself to remember, it was Arthur! They were best friends!

Alfred smiled. 'Yeah! That's it!' Though as he left to find his horse, Alfred found himself doubting that more and more.

Arthur was talking to the other (much kinder) guards and men that were there when he saw Alfred. He smiled with a blush, and gave him a friendly wave. The pelt had been taken off and set carefully on the carriage door.

The King found himself blushing and sending an awkward wave back. Determined to get out of there, Alfred decided to go on a short run with Night Runner. It would clear his head...hopefully.

The Queen ran up lightly to Alfred quietly, giving him a friendly smile. "Hello."

The younger blond held back a groan. "Yes?"

"I was going to ask: whot do you need me to get done?"

Alfred thought for a bit. 'Get out of my head for one...' Sighing, he knew he couldn't say that. "Just get the men ready to leave soon. I am going on ahead."

"Alright, I'll do that." Arthur grinned one last time, patted Night Runner, and then went to give the men orders.

The black stallion turned and started to trot away from camp. Once out of the suffocating encampment, Alfred urged Night Runner to go into a full gallop.

Arthur started at an average volume for his voice, and got louder if there was a group not cooperating. He watched them as they packed the camps up and arranged everything into its right place before he finally mounted Flora. The carriage wouldn't do at this point. Within five minutes of travel, the entire group saw someone on horseback stop on top of a hill. This person took out a flute and started to play.

A few men stepped ahead of Arthur, to defend him if this figure was dangerous. The Queen didn't mind; the music was beautiful, and enchanting to his ears.

As they got closer, they all realized it was their King! Alfred was the one playing the flute!

Arthur grinned; it was a beautiful sound. He had always heard the instrument in the Castle, but had never known the player. It was a gentle, soothing sound, one he wished he could always hear.

The men also seemed to like it. Those that had instruments brought them out and started to play along with the tune the King set. Night Runner turned down the hill and Alfred once again started to lead the group. Those on the ground started to dance as best they could; they beat their spears against the ground.

Arthur laughed, watching the men dance with amusement. He had never been one for dancing, but Flora certainly enjoyed it, rocking her head to the music that was being played.

That's how they got to the Castle. When the city heard the music, they joined in as well. The sounds all mixed together to create a surprise celebration of sorts. It was slow at first but soon those that had instruments began to travel with them. People followed the procession. The guards and the high royals stopped in the middle of the Main Square. Alfred moved up to a platform and continued to command the tune. The people were either dancing in the streets, playing instruments, laughing, singing, joking, and eating. Only one thing was certain, most people were smiling.

The children danced around the square and weaved in between the crowd, laughing with large smiles on their faces. Arthur handed off his horse to a guard, watching quietly nearby. He couldn't prevent the grin that was on his face. The air was filled with an endless supply of joy. Everyone he saw had a smile on their faces. He had never seen their home so filled with optimism.

Then there was a small tap on his shoulder.

He took one last look at the crowd before glancing up at whoever had tapped his shoulder. Alfred smiled as he bowed. He quietly asked Arthur to dance with him. The Queen smiled even wider and took the offered hand as he was led to the center of the crowd. Alfred smiled even wider. He spun Arthur all over the Main Square along with the rest of the dancers.

The older laughed loud, feeling almost weightless as he was being twirled around the square. It was only him and Alfred in their free waltz. The King drew in Arthur's eyes. He simply started just to spin in a small circle. Arthur smiled with a laugh and grin that he was sure was out of character but right now, he couldn't ponder on that.

It was then Alfred got a crazy idea. Deciding to just go with it, he leaned down and kissed Arthur, right on the lips.

The Queen gasped as the two stopped moving, hands reaching up to grab the other's shoulders as their lips melded together as one.

It was then the American realized what he did. He backed up slowly, his eyes widening. With that, he turned and ran away, disappearing into the jovial crowd.

"Wait, Alfred!" Arthur started to go after him, but then stopped in his tracks. He ran his thin fingers over his lips in confusion, not sure what to think of the unusual sign of affection from his King. He felt lost. "What just happened?" He quietly whispered to himself.

Meanwhile, Alfred was leaning against a nearby wooden pagoda, crouched and hiding from those dancing in the main square which was about four blocks away. He gulped, running a trembling hand through his golden hair. He could not, should not have kissed Arthur! They were only best friends! They weren't supposed to!

The American felt disgusted with himself. He wasn't supposed to do that. Arthur was his friend, his best friend! The friend he just kissed. His Queen, his beautiful Queen. It was at this time, everything came together for the American King. The difference in Arthur, the smile...the kiss.

Tears started to stream down his eyes as he came to a conclusion. 'I-I love Arthur.'

With that, Alfred F. Jones, the King of Spades, fell to the ground crying.

CC-101: So…. I managed to turn this chapter into a Disney movie! You guys are the best crowd ever! I am so sorry for the wait so hopefully this helps. It is 17 pages and 7,006 words!

Please send in a review to tell me what you think of the chapter!

Guest Reviews

Dear Lola,

Here is your chapter! Thank you for reviewing, I hope you continue to read and review!

Love,

CC-101

Dear Kat,

You spent the entire night? Thank you so much! How did you stand all my mistakes? I have yet to fix them….

Love,

CC-101

Dear Misty,

The Kingdom of Sudoku is a Kingdom between the Chesslands and the Card Kingdoms. They are based off number: Nines being the most respected and ones being the lower class. However, if you work hard, you can improve your ranking. The rank is taken from someone else. So let's say you were a number 4, if you go up to a 5, some 5 just went down to a 4!

Love,

CC-101

Dear Carl,

Thank you for noticing that Chapter 24 and 25 were the same. I fixed the mistake.

Love,

CC-101