Words: 3677

So, rosenthal brought it to my attention that the beginning of my story has a similar plot as the story Rising Fall of the Queen of Spades by InvaderPey. I read it, and I'm pretty sure I've read it before. I didn't mean to steal InvaderPey's idea, and I feel absolutely terrible, but I'm not sure what to do. I think the plot of my story diverges enough after the first chapter, and obviously I didn't copy any of the story word-for-word, but still. Should I just delete this story? Rosenthal said they only read the first half of the first chapter, so for people that read the rest of my story, do you think they're too similar?

Either way, I'll post the next chapter now. There's some bonding, and Alfred meets King Francis.

The next couple of weeks passed quickly enough. Alfred had settled in decently well to his role as King, learning the ropes easily. Most of his job was just signing papers or reading recommendations, requests, and petitions from various groups and individuals. He also attended plenty of meetings, which mainly consisted of listening to nobles argue over various issues. King Alfred was considered a fair King (much to the chagrin of more corruptible nobles), and the people quickly grew to love him for his optimism and willingness to interact with the people. Few drastic changes were made, the Kingdom being in a time of relative peace and prosperity, but Alfred did get rid of some archaic laws that he considered oppressive and he toyed with taxes and government spending to try to give more money to the people. In all, his reign was proving to be very successful.

Arthur, for his part, was also settling in to his role as Queen. Technically his role hadn't changed, but under Alfred's rule it felt like an entirely different job. He attended more meetings (some because Alfred invited him and some because he simply showed up and Alfred didn't seem to know he didn't belong there) and continued sorting his paperwork. His workload was a bit heavier than under the previous King, because now Arthur was trusted with issues Henry would have deemed 'too important' for him. In fact, the most bizarre part of the whole thing was how much Alfred seemed to trust his judgment. Arthur was great at politics, a tactical and manipulative genius, and he would have gladly used his skills if given the chance. It seemed he was finally being given that chance. If the King noticed what the nobles said or the way they scoffed when Arthur began offering his opinions at meetings, he didn't mention it. He considered his Queen's opinion, even seemed to value it over most of the nobles', and that gave Arthur the confidence to continue offering his advice. For the first time since being crowned, the Queen was almost content. Of course, he was still wary, still waiting for the other shoe to drop and for everything to come crashing down, but for the time being everything was well for Arthur.

Despite how well they worked together, the King and the Queen had a bit of a distant relationship. They were friendly enough, and they considered each other strong allies in arguments with Yao or the nobles, but it never really got beyond that. It was very much a professional relationship, and Alfred feared that it (along with all of his other relationships inside of the castle) would only ever be professional.

That was why a couple of weeks after their wedding, on the day the new King was to meet the leaders of the Kingdom of Diamonds, Alfred was ecstatic to finally learn something about his Queen: Arthur liked to cook.

It was sometime in the morning, long after breakfast and too long before lunch for Alfred's liking, that he had wandered into to kitchen hoping for a snack. He was startled to find a group of cooks and maids huddled outside the kitchen doors nervously.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, Your Majesty!" They were startled, having been transfixed by whatever was happening beyond the kitchen doors.

"I'm so sorry," one said tragically. "We tried to stop him!"

"Stop who?" he asked, afraid of the answer. What was going on?

"The Queen," a maid hissed. Alfred blinked in surprise.

"Arthur?"

"Yes," she said impatiently, sighing. "He managed to trick us out of the kitchen and locked us out."

"The Queen isn't allowed in the kitchen," a cook added helpfully.

"He's not? Why?" Alfred asked curiously.

"You don't know?"

"No?"

"The Queen is…" the cook paused, glancing nervously toward the door again, "Rather fond of cooking." She bit her lip.

"He is?" Alfred's face lit up with the news; so the Queen did have interests after all! Well, he'd heard that Arthur had done a lot of the embroidery around the palace, but he wasn't quite sure he believed that.

"Yes, well, unfortunately he's not very good at it." Alfred frowned; that seemed a bit rude to say. "What I mean to say is, Queen Arthur presents a bit of a hazard in the kitchen."

"A hazard? What does that mean?"

"He has a bit of a tendency to accidentally set parts of the kitchen on fire."

"And use up all of our ingredients on food we have to throw away!" another cook added indignantly. Alfred's lips quirked up in a bemused smile.

"Surely it's not that bad," he said.

"Oh, it is," a maid assured him with a grave expression. Alfred pursed his lips, looking at the kitchen thoughtfully.

"Is the door still locked?"

"No, but it's not safe to go in while the Queen's cooking." The King laughed at that.

"I think I'll risk it," he said, opening the door. He walked into the kitchen ignoring the distressed sounds of the staff outside.

Alfred's jaw dropped in shock as he looked around the ruined kitchen. It looked like a tornado had blown through. One person can't really cause this much damage, right? he thought nervously. He walked slowly though the kitchen, surveying the damage. Flour was splattered on the wall, covering what appeared to be scorch marks. A half-filled pot of water sat under the sink, limp noodles blackened as if they had caught fire. A plate of food sat on the counter: meat seared black but still red on the inside, peas so overcooked that they were dissolving into mush, and unseasoned boiled potatoes. What the hell…? The Queen glanced up at him from where he was standing over a pile of dough, kneading it. Arthur was wearing an apron and a chef's hat and was also covered in flour.

"Hullo, Alfred. Mind getting the scones from the oven?" he asked casually as he began rolling balls of dough. Alfred looked over to the oven, alarmed to see that it had filled with black smoke. He opened it up and pulled the tray out quickly, coughing. Arthur frowned.

"Ah, they've burnt. Must have left them in for too long. I'm sure they're still good." Alfred glanced at the black lumps before looking back to Arthur. Why was he acting like this was normal?

"I heard you terrorized the cooking staff," he said in response, watching Arthur dip the balls of dough into some kind of oil. Arthur huffed in annoyance.

"They just can't appreciate good traditional meals." Alfred laughed.

"Is that what this is?" he asked, gesturing to the dough.

"No, these are pastries. For dessert and breakfast," he said in a way that clearly indicated he thought Alfred was an idiot.

"Oh." Alfred stood by the counter as the black smoke cleared away, watching Arthur worked. For all the mess, Alfred couldn't help but notice something: Arthur seemed completely relaxed in this environment. He hadn't actually thought of it before, but Alfred couldn't recall ever seeing Arthur look truly comfortable. It was nice.

"You can have those scones it you want," Arthur said without looking up from his pastries. He was blushing slightly. "I take it you're here for food. You can have some."

"Okay. Thanks!" Alfred said with barely a moment's hesitation. He really didn't want the scones, but he was hungry. And he had only ever eaten what he could cook growing up, so he was used to less-than-delicious food. Plus, he looks really cute when he's cooking.

So Alfred picked a scone and took a bite out of it. It immediately crumbled in his hand and dried his mouth completely. He thought it tasted like eating burnt chalk. Arthur was looking at him expectantly, though. Not the sort of expectantly where he was expecting praise either, but the kind where he looked like he had heard every insult under the sun and was waiting for Alfred's disgusted reaction.

Alfred remembered the cooks, cowering outside. He remembered the dishes he used to make, mixing everything he liked in a bowl and eating it (it turned out everything he liked did not mix well). He decided to prove Arthur wrong, just because he was sick of the Queen always being right.

The King smiled and took another bite. "Hey, this is pretty good! Not too burnt!" he said brightly. Arthur looked completely taken aback, and then a little bit hopeful.

"R-Really?" he asked dubiously. Alfred was fairly certain he would have to wash his mouth out with a fire hose when he was done, but he thought he could eat the whole damn pan for that look of hope on Arthur's face.

"Yeah! I've never had scones before," he said, picking up another.

"W-Well, it's an old family recipe," Arthur boasted. Alfred smiled, munching away at the scones while Arthur prattled on about his cooking skills.

They passed the next few hours like this as Arthur finished some more pastries (these ones, unburnt, actually did taste good) and the pair cleaned the kitchen. Alfred learned that Arthur really did like embroidery, as well as reading and gardening. He laughed at Arthur for these stereotypical omega activities, until Arthur threatened to poke his eye out with a sewing needle. Overall, though, they got along fine. Alfred, ever the optimist, even started to think that they were becoming friends. At the very least, it was a start.

The afternoon brought an event that Alfred had been nervously anticipating since it was announced: he was to meet the Royal Diamonds.

Out of all the Kingdoms, Diamonds seemed to be a decent choice. They had been allies of Spades for a fairly long time, and the meeting was only meant to strengthen the ties between the Kingdoms. There were no major problems to deal with or disagreements that could cause too much trouble, so it was a fairly safe choice.

On paper and politically, at least.

The Queen and Jack had taken it upon themselves to prepare the King for this meeting. Old alliances and agreements were great to know, but Alfred knew nothing of the Royals aside from their policy decisions.

The King, Alfred knew, was Francis.

"He's a dirty frog and a creep," Arthur warned. "Watch out for him. Don't be fooled by his pathetic appearance, he's actually quite manipulative." Alfred nodded, taking down notes.

"Oh, and he'll try to touch you, the perv. Can't keep his hands to himself." Alfred looked at Arthur in alarm; was Francis really that bad?

"Ignore him," Yao advised tiredly. "He and King Francis have a history and don't get along. Just be aware that Francis is manipulative. He'll try to get the upper hand, so don't let yourself seem like a pushover." Alfred frowned as he took more notes. What sort of history could Arthur have with the King of Diamonds?

"Queen Lili is a quiet young omega," Arthur continued more calmly, reclaiming control of the conversation. "She's actually the youngest of the Royals. Very polite, but don't sign any papers she gives you without showing them to me or Yao first. And watch out for Vash."

"Jack Vash," Yao cut in, "manages the military fund. He is very pro-defense. He will also shoot you if you look at Queen Lili for too long." Startled, Alfred looked up from his notes.

"Wait, what?"

Yao sighed. "He is Lili's beta protectorate. And he takes his job very seriously."

Arthur snorted. "Him being a beta protectorate doesn't matter at all. They're worthless to omegas. Just keep an eye out for his guns." Yao frowned but didn't comment, and Alfred felt like he was missing something. Before he could say anything, however, a guard hurried into the room and announced:

"The Royal Diamonds have arrived!"

Alfred stood nervously at attention as the carriage rolled to a stop. Next to him was Arthur, as stiff and formal as he was at any meeting, and on Arthur's other side was Yao. Neither of them seemed particularly nervous. The carriage doors opened, and out stepped an alpha that Alfred first thought was a woman. He had long, flowing hair, and was dressed in a flamboyant outfit usually reserved for noble women. His scruff of beard was the only way Alfred could tell that this was the (male) King.

King Francis flashed them a bright smile as he walked over. Behind him, a very young, fragile looking omega stepped carefully out of the carriage with the help of the beta behind her. The beta was fierce looking, scanning the area with a distrustful gaze. These were the Royal Diamonds.

"Bonjour!" King Francis called airily as he approached them. He nodded to Arthur and Yao. "Arthur, Jack Yao," he said politely before addressing Alfred. Not Queen Arthur, Alfred thought curiously.

"I take it you are King Alfred?" Francis asked with a wide grin, holding out his hand. Alfred shook it hesitantly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty! Ah, and you look quite young, too. It's refreshing!" Francis laughed as Alfred put on a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, King Francis," he said politely.

"Of course, of course! Oh, I suppose I should introduce you," Francis said, gesturing to the other Royals. "This is Queen Lili." Lili bowed slightly, face blank, and held out her hand.

"It is an honour to meet you, King Alfred," she said in an oddly emotionless tone. Alfred was unnerved; she reminded him of some sort of creepy doll. Regardless, he nodded in return and shook her hand.

"It's an honour to meet you, Queen Lili," he said. She blinked at him, nodded, and stepped back.

"And this is Jack Vash." The Jack nodded sharply at Alfred, scrutinizing him. He held out a hand and gave Alfred a strong military grip.

"It's good to meet you, Jack Vash," Alfred said as he realized Vash wasn't going to say anything.

"Right. It's a pleasure," Vash said gruffly before walking away.

With the introductions out of the way, Alfred led the group back to the castle. They sat down in a conference room at an oval table, Diamonds on one side and Spades on the other, each across from their own rank.

"So, how is Spades doing? I've heard you're quite the popular King," Francis said with a wink.

"Ha, I don't know about that, but Spades is doing well. How's your Kingdom?" Alfred asked politely.

"Great, wonderful." Francis seemed distracted, looking Alfred over with a calculating expression. After a few moments silence, Yao interrupted.

"I understand you wish to discuss our trade agreement," he said coolly. Francis glanced over at him and smiled.

"Yes, of course, always straight to business with you." He laughed again and pulled out some papers.

The next hour was spent discussing various treaties and agreements. Alfred thought it went fairly well; he held his own, at least. The Royal Diamonds were all… unique people, but they were reasonable enough. The only thing that really bothered Alfred about the meeting was that Arthur hadn't spoken at all. He spoke plenty at meetings now, and Alfred knew the Queen had a lot he wanted to say at this meeting, but he just didn't. Queen Lili hadn't spoken much, but she still said some things. And Vash only spoke when they were discussing mutual border defense, while Yao spoke a lot. Maybe it just depended on the person, and not the position?

Either way, there wasn't much Alfred could do about it now. Later he might ask Arthur why he didn't say anything, but for now he had to entertain their guests.

It was during dinner, shortly before the Royal Diamonds left, that Francis approached Alfred.

"Alfred, may I have a word with you," he asked quietly. Alfred glanced around nervously. Yao was talking to Lili and Vash, and Arthur was nowhere to be seen. He tried to think of an excuse and, upon failing, agreed.

"Sure." Francis led him over to a corner of the room out of earshot of the others. He wasn't smiling brightly like he had been before, and he appeared rather hesitant for the first time that day.

"How is Arthur?" he asked after a short pause. Alfred was startled.

"Uh, he's fine," he said. Francis nodded, unconvinced. Once again he gave Alfred the uncomfortable impression that he was trying to stare into his soul.

"You seem like a very nice guy," he said finally, doubtfully.

"Thanks, you too," Alfred said with a tight grin. Francis didn't smile.

"Has Arthur told you about me?"

Alfred swallowed thickly. Well that sounds very ominous, he thought. "Well, Yao mentioned that you and Arthur have some sort of past."

Francis nodded thoughtfully. "Yes…" Seeming to have reached a conclusion, he snapped out of his daze and looked at Alfred meaningfully.

"I first met Arthur a year before he was chosen," he began. "He was a student, or an intern, or something, studying foreign policy and diplomacy in Diamonds. He started working there a few months before I was chosen." Francis glanced around the room, looking for eavesdroppers. Alfred looked around nervously as well. He got the feeling that Arthur wouldn't be too pleased to know what Francis was telling him.

"We've never really gotten along, for a variety of reasons. They don't really matter. We still spent enough time together, arguing and drinking. We would get drunk and cause mayhem, fool around a bit…" Francis' gaze became distant and Alfred felt the stirrings of what he would later recognize as jealousy. Alfred cleared his throat and Francis focused again, an odd urgency about him.

"The point is, Arthur has never been a normal omega. He's irritating and argumentative, and when he first came to me and told me his mark had filled in, I laughed." Alfred was startled to find something akin to regret cross Francis' face.

"He didn't want to be Queen. He was studying in Diamonds and he wanted to be a diplomat. Do you know how odd that is, Alfred?" Francis asked intently. "Whenever we'd get drunk, it was all he'd go on about. How he was going to make something of his life, make it on his own as an omega. I thought it was a phase. We were both at that age, you know, a bit rebellious. I figured he'd grow out of it, find an alpha, settle down."

"When he showed me his mark, he asked for asylum. To be allowed to stay in Diamonds, under my Kingdom's protection. Even as King, you know, I had no power to do that. I told him I couldn't, and he yelled at me. Screamed at me. It was just like every other fight we'd ever had, until he started crying. And begging." He looked Alfred in the eye. "Arthur doesn't beg. You know this." Alfred nodded, feeling sick.

"He tried to hide his mark, but someone saw within a week. He was sent back to Spades, and crowned Queen. I didn't see him again until my next meeting with Spades and… he wasn't the same. Arthur… something inside him has broken. His fire had been smothered. He had always been fiery, you know, but now he is cold. I'd never seen him like that." It occurred to Alfred that Francis looked old. Burdened.

"He didn't speak once at that first meeting. To me or to anyone else. I haven't heard him speak at all since he left Diamonds, two years ago. I know he still blames me for what happened." Francis looked lost in thought again for a moment, and Alfred was terrified to consider what he could be thinking. Finally, he looked back at Alfred, expression clear once more.

"The reason I told you this, King Alfred, is because Arthur won't. Get him drunk and he might talk to you, but… there is nothing more I can do. My inaction has caused something terrible." Francis looked over Alfred's shoulder, and Alfred turned to see Arthur stroll back into the room.

"I don't know you at all," Francis said. Alfred turned back to face him and found him still watching Arthur wistfully. "But you are the King of Spades now." He looked Alfred in the eye again. "And whatever your intentions, I doubt you can hurt him much more than he already has been. You are young. Perhaps you are different. I hope you are."

Without another word, and ignoring Arthur's suspicious glances at the pair, King Francis wandered off. He looked as bright and lighthearted as he had been when Alfred first met him.

Alfred, Arthur, and Yao waved as the carriage carrying the Royal Diamonds rolled away. After their conversation, Francis had continued to mingle and chatter on happily. He had smiled easily and moved like he was lighter than the wind.

Alfred had watched the others from a distance. He wasn't sure he could put up a show as well as Francis. Through the rest of the evening, Francis' words spun in his head. A lot of it was stuff Alfred already knew, in terms of Arthur's personality. He hadn't known that Arthur wanted to be a diplomat, or that he had studied in Diamonds, but the rest wasn't really a surprise. It was just hearing it all at once like that seemed to solidify what Alfred already knew or suspected: Arthur had been mistreated. Horribly. By King Henry, and his own family, and the laws and culture that allowed and encouraged it.

But Francis was wrong about one thing. Arthur was always meant to be Queen. Alfred thought that Arthur was everything a Kingdom could ask for in a Queen: intelligent, passionate, clever, manipulative when he needed to be, and polite most of the time. It was the position that was wrong, and had always been wrong. The Queen wasn't meant to be a sex slave, bowing to the whims of the King. He was meant to be a great leader, loved and respected across the Kingdom!

Francis had done what vague suspicions hadn't. He'd lit a fire in Alfred, a burning dissatisfaction for the injustices and cruelties Arthur had been subjected to as an omega. Francis had exposed a rift between what Alfred believed was fair and what existed.

For Alfred, only one question remained: what could he do about it?

A/N: Yay, Francis isn't a villain. Sorry if he seemed kind of preachy with his spiel. I always got the impression that when he wasn't being perverted or fighting with England, Francis tended to get super philosophical and deep. Like that Jeanne D'Arc episode.

Oh, also, note: a beta protectorate is a beta that protects an omega and caters to them (during heats and financially, etc) until the omega is mated. I might have made that up, or I might have read about it in some story somewhere that I can't remember at the moment. :(