Matthew marched through the halls of the Shoburgh castle towards the Queen offices, determined to figure out where Arthur snuck off to. The Queen and Ace always got along very well, and Matthew knew that Arthur would be the one to convince if Alfred won't listen to reason.
Peter had shown up a short while ago to report on the day's distressing turn of events. Feliciano had snuck into Clubs and assassinated Katerina, the elder sister of Ivan and Natalya. The Jack of Hearts was now locked away in the Nodiff dungeon, and Clubs had declared war on Hearts. Ivan had Peter pass along a request for Francis to also have Diamonds declare war on Hearts. Ludwig sent Peter to Spades to inform them of their unfortunate entry into the war.
This news sparked an argument between Matthew and Alfred after Peter's departure. Matthew voiced his fears that having the four kingdoms at war is a very bad idea, and that they need to stop this now. Unfortunately, Alfred was being stubborn about staying the course and not giving up to Clubs. While they argued, Matthew noted out of the corner of his eye that Arthur and Yao both left the room as well, clearly not interested in joining the sibling squabble that ended with Matthew storming out not too long after.
He knocked on the door and entered the Queen's office, and found the parlour to be empty. He closed the door gently, before crossing the room and going down the side passageway. He walked quietly, so as to not accidentally disturb Arthur if he happened to be concentrating on something at his desk at the far end, and listened for any trace of activity.
Matthew reached the end of the passageway, and was surprised to find the office was also empty. He shrugged as he considered that perhaps Arthur had gone all the way to his quarters, and turned to leave.
Before he could step away though, he heard Arthur's voice nearby.
Matthew followed the sound to one of the side doors, which led into the Queen's specialized magical study room just off of the main office. He reached for the doorknob and tried to turn it, finding it to be unlocked. He slowly pushed the door open, allowing a crack to see what was happening inside the room.
Arthur was pacing around a table, muttering to himself as he read through a large book in his hands. On the table was an urn, which was black with green and grey streaks.
Matthew continued opening the door, making enough space to gently slip himself into the room. He then tried to gently close the door behind him, just in time for Arthur to finally look up from his book, see him there and falter in his steps.
"Bloody hell, Matthew," Arthur uttered, "You really shouldn't sneak up on me like that."
"Sorry, Arthur," Matthew apologized, "I hope you're not too busy, I was hoping to talk to you."
"About the war, surely," Arthur guessed as he looked back at his book, "I could hear you and Alfred all the way from the staircase as I left. I take it he didn't listen to you?"
"Of course not, that stubborn jackass," Matthew confirmed, "So what are the odds of you listening to me?"
"I understand your concerns, but you need not fret," Arthur reassured, "What I'm doing right now should change the course of the war, if only I can figure out how to cast it."
"How to cast it?" Matthew echoed, "What are you doing?"
"That urn on the table, I borrowed it from the Jokers," Arthur described, "It has magic that can amplify my own, so I can create a powerful spell that will secure a Spades victory over Clubs and Diamonds."
"The Jokers let you borrow a magical urn?" Matthew reiterated, "To cast a powerful spell?"
"Well, they didn't technically let me borrow it," Arthur corrected, "They haven't realized yet that I took it."
"You just took it?" Matthew repeated, "And do you know what this urn's magic is capable of?"
"Its magic told me it would serve my purpose when all four kingdoms are at war," Arthur explained, "I obviously wouldn't choose a magical weapon that couldn't fulfill my purpose."
"And that's all you know about it?" Matthew interrogated, "What if this urn's magic has other intentions, or unintended side effects? What is the price to pay for using it?"
"The ends justify the means," Arthur defended, "Even if it harms Spades in some manner, victory must be assured."
"This is absurd," Matthew opposed, "I insist you return the urn to the Jokers immediately. We can find another way to end the war."
"This is the right way, Matthew."
"No it's not -"
"If you're not going to help me, then get out."
"Arthur -"
Before Matthew could protest further, Arthur summoned a barrier of blue magic that pushed Matthew backwards out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Once free from the magic, Matthew rushed to the door, and found that the blue magic was now keeping it locked and impenetrable.
"Arthur, let me in," Matthew shouted as he pounded his fist on the door, "Don't do this!"
After pounding his fist and shouting a few more times, Matthew stopped as he realized he was not being listened to. He was helpless to stop Arthur, which felt utterly frustrating. He knew he couldn't let Arthur go through with this, especially if they didn't know exactly what would happen if this magic was used. He needed to get past Arthur's magical barrier, or find another way to get in there.
"Jokers, I need your help," Matthew called as he backed away from the door, "Get to Spades now, it's an emergency!"
Matthew took the moment to catch his breath and prepare to explain the situation. A few seconds later, Gilbert appeared at his side.
"Gilbert, thank goodness," Matthew started, "Arthur's in there casting -"
Before Matthew could finish his sentence, his vision began blurring as the blues of Spades swirled into streaks of black and grey. He quickly recognized that Gilbert was holding his wrist and was teleporting them away from Arthur's office, which was the last thing that should be happening. Matthew didn't even pay attention to where they were as they arrived at their destination, and simply pulled his wrist out of Gilbert's grasp as quickly as possible.
"You idiot!" Matthew immediately scolded, "I didn't want you to teleport me away, I needed your help stopping Arthur!"
"Stopping Arthur?" Gilbert scoffed, "Why?"
"He's casting powerful magic right now," Matthew reported, "Magic that would upset the fate of the war, at who knows what cost!"
"Do you know what type of magic he is casting?" Peter inquired.
Matthew turned to face Peter, only to suddenly realize that he wasn't alone with the Jokers in the room. Antonio and Natalya were sitting on a couch right there, while Lovino sat in a chair further away. All three Aces were staring at him in concern, a strange coincidence given the entire Deck was now at war.
His resolve wavered for a moment, as he considered whether to discuss Arthur's actions with so many unfriendly parties in the room. However, Arthur had to answer for this idiocy, and calling him out on it right now might save them all.
"Arthur has this urn, he says he took it from the two of you," Matthew explained, "He claims it has the power to amplify his own magic, so that he can cast a spell to sway the war towards a Spades victory."
"What urn?" Gilbert quizzed, "What does it look like?"
"It was black with grey and green streaks," Matthew detailed, "He knows nothing about it, except that its magic told him it would serve his purpose once the four kingdoms were at war."
"Gilbert, it's not that urn, is it?" Peter checked.
"The curtain did catch fire just outside that room," Gilbert considered, "And you left Arthur alone in there!"
Peter disappeared while Gilbert began pacing and muttering curse words.
"Gilbert, is there a problem?" Antonio probed.
"If it's that urn -" Gilbert began, just as Peter reappeared.
"It is that urn," Peter confirmed, "They're all in danger!"
"Who?" Lovino pried, "Who's all in danger?"
"All sixteen Royals," Gilbert revealed, "That urn's magic can only be triggered by a Royal, at a time when all four kingdoms are at war. The moment it is activated, that urn's magic will kill all sixteen Royals in one fell swoop."
"What?" Natalya exclaimed as the three Aces all jumped to their feet.
"Can it be stopped?" Antonio asked.
"Only if it hasn't been cast yet," Peter disclaimed, "We need to stop Arthur from triggering it."
"He's in his magical study in the Spade Queen offices," Matthew identified, "He used his own magic to kick me out and lock the door, that's why I called for help!"
"You'll need help restraining Arthur," Lovino volunteered as he crossed over to stand by his side, "I'll come with you."
"So will we," Natalya offered, "In case we need all hands on deck."
"I'll take Matthew and Lovino," Gilbert directed, "Peter, you take those two, we're going right now."
Matthew and Lovino placed their hands on Gilbert's shoulders, and the room immediately began to swirl in black and grey streaks. It slowly transitioned to blue streaks, but with some bright white streaks shining through.
"He's casting the spell!" Matthew heard Gilbert shout through the haze of the teleportation.
The room settled, and Matthew realized they had arrived in the magical study of the Queen's office. Arthur was still holding his book while staring at the urn, which was now glowing with light.
"Restrain him," Lovino ordered as he pushed Matthew forward.
Arthur only had a moment to turn and see them before Matthew and Lovino grabbed his arms and pulled him away from the urn, the book falling to the floor as they held him back.
"Let me go!" Arthur resisted, "What are you doing?"
While he and Lovino struggled to control Arthur, Matthew saw Peter appear with Antonio and Natalya, and watched as the three of them immediately inspected the glowing urn on the table.
"It's already activated," Natalya observed, "What do we do?"
"I don't know," Peter answered.
"I have an idea," Antonio claimed.
The Diamond Axe suddenly materialized in his hand, and Antonio swung it hard so that the blade slammed down on the urn. The urn remained intact, but the magic halted for a moment before recoiling with a burst of energy. Antonio was sent flying back into a nearby bookshelf with the Axe, but managed to stay on his feet.
"The magic reacted to the Axe!" Peter detected, "Try all four of you at once!"
"I've got Arthur," Gilbert assured as he wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist from behind, "Go, now!"
Matthew let go of Arthur at the same time as Lovino, and immediately summoned the Spade Axe. Arthur tried to bolt forward, but Gilbert held on tight as he teleported him out of the room instead. The Axe materialized, and Matthew quickly noted that Lovino's Heart Axe had appeared as well.
Matthew looked over to see that Natalya had the Club Axe ready to swing, and Antonio was back in formation with the Diamond Axe. The four of them charged in unison at the urn, and swung the Axes down on it.
As contact was made, time seemed to slow momentarily for Matthew.
The four Axes hit the top of the urn at the exact same time.
The magic's light faded briefly as the Axes cut through the urn, with streaks of light shining through the newly created cracks.
The moment the Axes hit the bottom with a thud, a shot of blinding white light obscured everything.