Alfred sighed and dropped his head in his hands, closing his eyes as he did so. It had been two days since his coronation as King; two days since he and Yao had spoken to the Pirate Captain. And, quite frankly, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about the man. He gritted his teeth and blew out through his mouth, a harsh whistle resonating from the small movement. He was the King of Spades, he shouldn't be thinking about the man, let alone wanting to befriend him. He ran a hand through his sun coloured hair, and opened his sky blue eyes. Life really hated him sometimes. He sighed again, just as the door to his office clicked open. He trailed his eyes upwards, focusing on the pair that looked similar to his own. His twin smiled softly, and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

Matthew stepped forward, his lighter blonde hair falling over his face slightly. He brushed it away, missing the one strand of hair that always hung over his face. He sighed and rolled his violet orbs, before taking a seat opposite his brother and his King. The boy had been worried for his brother, who'd locked himself in his office to take his mind of off the problem with his Queen. He gave Alfred a tentative smile, which the younger twin returned with a hint of tiredness. They simply sat and stared at one another for a while, keeping each other company. The twins hadn't much of one another since the Coronation, so they were quite content to sit a while.

"Alfred... are you feeling well?" Matthew asked hesitantly, his calm voice cutting through the pleasant silence. The normally loud King was silent for a moment, thinking of how to answer his brother without worrying him. The older twin looked concerned.

"Did… you know about the man in the dungeons; the man who is my Queen?" Alfred asked, looking out of the windows of his office. His brother was silent as he moved to peer at his kingdom. Of course he knew, everyone who had an important role in the Kingdom knew of Captain Arthur Kirkland. Matthew dropped his gaze and sighed.

"I did Alfred. I knew from the moment he was found." Alfred turned to face him, a strangled look on his face. Matthew frowned. It wasn't normal to see him like this, normally; Alfred was full of smiles and laughter, always looking at the world with optimistic eyes. But this, he looked almost ill. It startled Matthew slightly, knowing that the man who had tamed the seas was tormenting his brother.

"I don't..." He began, searching for the words that he needed to express. "I don't understand Matt. I don't even know the man, and yet I feel terrible for keeping him locked under my castle. He's most likely killed people, more than he cares to think about. Yet it feels wrong to have him down there. If I allow his out, he will most likely cause more havoc, but..." He trailed, bringing a hand through his sun coloured hair.

"Alfred, we both know what you're going through. We both know that you do not feel for this man, nor do you actually care for him." Matthew tried to reason. Alfred glanced away from his brother. "That is just a stupid curse that is making you think more of him." Matthew attempted again. The King only responded with a sigh. The younger twin often thought about how hard this was on his brother, how he was too young to rule by himself, and how much pressure was constantly on the boy.

"I suppose... you could be right." Matthew sighed and smiled with a little bit more happiness. This, he could work with. "Come on Al. Smile, be happy." The older brother glanced back at the younger. " Everyone's worried. You've got to put the guy behind you and lead this country like a hero." Matthew caught a twinkle in the blonde's eyes. He knew that would work. It always did.

"You're right Matt. I need to toughen up and be the leader that this nation needs." He commented softly, looking at his brother with a twitch of his lips. The thought of being a hero, being the hero, pushed the pirate from his mind and the twitch grew into a full blown grin, the King regaining a shadow of his old self.

. . . . . . . .USUK

Yao looked down at the man in front of him. He sighed and raised an eyebrow.

"What am I going to do with you?" The man sent a deadly smirk up at him.

"Ohh? I never realised you cared so much Yao." He retorted. The Jack of Spades rolled his eyes slightly.

"I don't Arthur. Or normally, I wouldn't, not after what you did." An unreadable emotion flashed through the Queen's eyes. "But, you are one of the people I have to serve, so there isn't much I can do about it." The pirate was silent, contemplating the hidden mention in the Jack's comment.

"I suppose you'll never forgive me for what I did to him... Is he-?"

"He is fine." He interrupted, his tone of voice harsh. "Now if you don't mind, I have a King to serve." He turned on his tail and walked out without another word.

Arthur waited until he was long out of sight, before sighing again. He glanced out of the window quickly, before closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

WHAT IS THAT ENDING?

I'm sorry, guys, I'm crap and I know it.

...

Meh, sorry it's taken so long to get the new chapter up. Not to mention I've had a bad case of writers block… FML…

On another note, does anybody think I've rushed this? Like how Alfred feels? It's just trying to explain the 'bond' a little bit more, and how it really effects him.