"A Normal Day In Spades"
A Cardverse story
Note: Told you the next part would be here soon... hehe. :) Here it is, and so very long... so very long. (If you compare to the first, that is!)
Please enjoy the last part of the Arc called, -Go Fish-. ~~
Ciao~~!
Chapter 2. Shuffling -Go Fish- PART 2
Their steps were heavy as they walked on the pebble-studded road outside the castle wall. Many people found the big white stone wall surrounding the Sapphire castle, the home of the royal family, intimidating and scary, and they therefore often stayed away form it. For the four men passing through the mighty steel gates however, it was nothing more than their home. The place they all held dear and could be themselves in. But now they felt nothing of the sort as they walked up the road towards the castle doors.
They had for the matter not surpassed the pitiful stares they got as they passed guards, servants and the like of the castle as they walked through the nicely sculpted terrain of spade shaped bushes and flowers surrounding them. They all bowed, as they should in the presence of royalty, but their eyes betrayed their concern and their pity for their family's unfortunate situation.
For they had, of course, heard it too. They raging roar of their queen, and of the order for them to return to the castle, only to present themselves before him in the throne room as soon as possible. Nothing of that sounded any good, and they only hoped their queen wouldn't try to strangle their king in pure rage, a sight they unfortunately had seen a couple of times under they're long reign.
The King of Spades hardly managed a weary, sheepish smile at the Ace of Spades, that gave him a symphathetic look, before took a deep breath, and glance behind him at the three walking a few feet after him.
"Guys, cheer up!" he said, trying hard for his voice to sound normal and carefree. "No need for the long faces!" Ahahahahah~~" he added, smiling as he finally meet the three pair of eyes of the young princes.
They watched their fathers strained attempt at a smile, and they sighed in union, they're head turned towards the ground again.
"Dad." David, one of the triplets began, his voice weak and soft. "Although we appreciate you're attempt at brighten our moods, it's not going to work." he said, blue eyes staring up through his bangs.
"Yeah dad." Liam said. "You heard him." he said as he swallowed hard. "Mum sounded even angrier than usual." the smaller triplet added, dark green also staring up at the king in concern.
"Uh-huh." the last triple mumble out. "Last time I heard him being that angry was the time you played with his magical books and accidentally turned him into a cat for a whole week." he said. "You slept in the quest room for a month after that." he added, looking up towards his father.
Three pair of different colored eyes stared up at their father, their eyes showing concern and a bit of fear at the thought of the Queen.
"Guys..." the king began, his voice showing his doubt clearly. "You know your mother..." he began, his voice trailing off as he he completed on what he was going to say next.
"He's... He's... a bit temperamental you know and, well..." he said, his eyes going back and forth from his three sons, his smile faltering by each second that passed.
"He get's a bit angry sometimes but, you know, it is nothing to worry about!" he said, gesturing with his hands as if to really get his message through, smiling even bigger as to really convince them that he what he said was true.
The three princes then turned to each other and looked each other in the eyes, they all showing that they felt the same.
We are doomed.
After reminding their father that they should probably hurry, or else the queen might think they've run away, and God almighty, they didn't even want to imagine what their mother would do then.
Finally inside the castle, the three princes and the King walked in the empty and poorly lit corridor of the castle towards the door ahead of them, the only door slightly open. The room, unlike all the other, radiated a tiny string of light from within, revealing that someone was inside.
A few steps before the mighty oak doors shielding the royal throne room of Spades from unwanted eyes, the king stopped, and so did the princes behind him. They could feel the tension radiating from the air and only intensified the closer they got to the room ahead.
The king turned to give a reassuring smile to his children, but failed to do so miserably. He then turned his head towards the door again.
The king took a large intake of breath before he stept forward towards the door, and gave a faint knock at the heavy door. The sound echoed in the corridor, making the silent even more evident than before. A reply never came, and as the seconds passed, they all knew that they were never going to get one.
At that realization, the king attentively opened the door slowly, letting more light streaming out in the dark corridor, as he peeked his head inside.
All he could see ahead of him was darkness, the large room only being lit by a few candles against the walls, only showering a third or so of the room in a warm light. Soon after their father had somewhat steeped inside the room, the three sons of the royal couple joined their father as they lent on the door, glancing in the almost empty room.
Almost being the keyword, as they could clearly feel the presence of another person in the room. Tension filling the air, making it thick and uncomfortable, and in a flash the four royalties could feel a chill going through them, cold and as harsh as ice.
"U-Uhm... Babe?" the king stuttered out, his fear evident in his voice.
After that, it all happened in a flash. The four men suddenly could feel themselves being pulled by some invisible force as they were tugged forward from the door way, almost stumbling on each other in surprise. Before they could even think about what had just happened, the heavy door closed harshly behind them, the loud sound echoing in the dark hall. The sudden loud sound had made the company flinch in fear, the hair on their neck standing right up and their eyes where all wide in shock.
A few seconds passed, and the royals breathing was finally to a somewhat normal level. When they had calmed down a bit, they watched as several tiny blue flecks of light, suddenly, revealed them self on each side of the room, forming a narrow road towards where they knew the three golden thrones were situated.
They shared a last final glance at one another, and then they , reluctantly, walked slowly side by side by the floating lights towards the end of the room, the king in tow with the triplets walking side by side behind him.
They walked in silent, and when they where finally at the end of the stairs, that held, at the top, the King's, Queen's and Jack's throne, they stopped and turned their head down in a bow.
Cold wind blew past them, and they shrugged slightly as it brushed by them.
"Rise." A commanding voice then cut through the silence, making the king stiff in his tracks as he turned his head up again. Light began to illuminate the golden stairs ahead, and then, at the top a big blue flame burst through right above the middle chair, lighting up the room.
There, in the Kings throne, sat no other than the Queen of Spades.
The four royals shrunk under the sharp eyes of their queen, that sat proudly and regal in the King's chair, with an air of importance surrounding him like a fog. Nothing could ever claim the small man as being nothing else but a person of a higher standing, not now, and not ever.
The silence that follow was unbearable, the king and his three sons waited patiently for their queen to speak again. The king could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his pulse throbbing faster in his chest. It was never a good sign when the queen got quiet when angry.
Just as the King was about to say something, the Queen's sickenly sweet voice echoed against the walls.
"Good afternoon, My King." the queen greeted, in a manner that could have been sweet and caring, if so had been the case. But is wasn't.
Alfred swallowed hard before he answered. "Good afternoon, My Queen." he said, him being very carful not to stutter.
Poison like green eyes went from staring daggers into his significant other, to land its gaze on the three princes.
"Good afternoon, Children." the Queen greeted, admit with a little less anger than before.
The trio flinched on their spot, but looked up at the throne when they answered solemnly.
"Good afternoon Mother."
When done sharing greetings, the queen nodded as in confirmation, his eyes closing for a bit, only to open up again as the queen rested his head on his palm, arm resting on one of the armrests.
"So..." the Queen said, as he dragged the word out in his mouth, making the others tense up.
"I strangely found your presence not in your study, as I should have this morning, Alfred..." the Queen purred out, his voice floating by the King's name like ice.
"Why is that, I wonder." he continued, his voice mocking and laced with anger, "That I instead find your, and our sons, presence near the Fragil river instead? Hm?" he said, his eyes locked on the man standing beneath him, his face decorated with a evil smirk, making the room's temperature sink even further.
The Spade king could feel the pressure on him, like he was carrying the whole kingdom on his shoulders. He opened his mouth only to close it again, as he scratched his neck nervously.
"W-Well you see, Artie, um, babe, we only wanted to..." he said, trailing off as he turned to his sons for a moment before he glanced back at the throne, not daring to meet his wife's eyes. "We only wanted... , w-we didn't mean for you to..."
BANG
The noise startled the four greatly, their eyes shooting of at the source.
There, before them, stood the queen, no longer in a sitting position, but in his full length by the mighty golden gilded chairs.
"Yes." the others voice roared throughout out the chamber. "That is the thing, dear." he said icily, as his blazing emerald eyes shoot daggers at the other, as he began to ascend the golden stairs.
"You never thought I would find out, hm?" he said, his voice getting louder, angrier and more desperate with each word.
"But you seem to forget, love, that I am but the most powerful magician in all the land of Wonderland, and that this." he said, as he took out a piece of paper form on of his jacket-pocket, only to practically shove it up the King's pretty much stunned face, in anger. "Is not something I can't handle, or be easily fooled by!" he practically hissed out, his pretty doll face flushed red in anger.
The king managed to shake himself out of his stunned demeanor, to only blink owlishly at the piece of paper that was merely inches from his face. He grabbed it slowly from the other, only to look at it more closely. The paper was not any ordinary paper, but a paper carrying an old ancient spell from Asia, engraved and crafted neatly in old calligraphy in black ink.
He swallowed hard then, turning to his pissed off queen, giving him a sheepish smile.
"Um, Yeah. I got it from Kiku some time ago, ha.." he said, his cerulean eyes having great trouble looking into the blazing green orbs that watched him accusingly.
The Queen then huffed angrily, crossing his arms over his chest, as he always did when he was upset.
"So, Do you have anything to say to defend yourself?" the Queen asked, his eyes still glowing a poisonous green.
The king watched his Queen then with slightly confused eyes, before he grinned and said confidently.
"Nope."
The frustrated groan that escaped the Queens lips at the reply, was nothing as the Queen seconds later grabbed the King by the collar only to drag him down to his level, as he started to yell.
"Really Alfred, What is the matter with you!?"
"Are you five or something!?"
"At least try to think of being a good example for our sons!"
"When are you going to learn that you are the king of the this kingdom and that you have obligations and..."
The king said nothing, or he couldn't, as he had trouble breathing. His Queen was tugging his collar quite harshly, making it hard fro his lungs to get in air proberly, and he feared that for his life, because he knew that once the his wife had started one of his rants, he wouldn't stop until he was finished. And that could take forever.
He somehow managed to turn around, meeting the six terrified eyes of his sons, watching in terror how their mother practically molested their fathers throat.
They only faintly recalled their fathers plea of "Do something." under his breath, as they frantically tried to think of what they could do to save their dad, without anger their mother even further in the process.
When standing there with no idea what so ever, they began to panic. Amidst their panic, Al suddenly though of an idea.
"David, David you have to do something! Clearly, you are the only one that could do some type of damage on Mother, if not anyone else! Please dude, hurry!" he pleaded, as his eyes glued them self to his brother. Realization then hit Liam, as he began to understand what Al had in mind.
"Yes, Dave." he said. "You have to do it!" he said, slight panic in his voice as he too watched his other brother with wide green eyes.
The last of the triplets, the one in question, swallowed hard. He knew he had to try.
To try to use magic.
For you see, of all of the royal couples sons, only one of them was granted with the gift of using magic, like their mother. That was David.
Though his powers could never be in any comparison to towards the Queen, his ability was still helpful in some ways, and could be even more in battle and war if needed.
The young prince then closed his eyes, trying to concentrate as his mother had taught him, as he felt the flow of magic running through his veins. He then opened up his eyes, only for them to glow a deep blue color, as he began to chant a spell.
The two other brothers watched in fascination as a small orb of light began to grow from his right palm, to then suddenly be thrown sat their arguing parents.
A loud explosion could be heard, rattling the large windows in the hall, making the whole castle shake.
Smoke covered almost the entire chamber, and seconds later harsh couching could be heard from the middle of a large cloud of smoke.
"D-Dad, M-Mum?" Liam asked softly, trying to cover his eyes from the smoke.
Nothing could be heard, only soft coughs. But then, they heard footsteps ascend on the tile floor, only to reveal the contours of a body emerging from the smoke. It was the King, That hurriedly stumbled our form the smoke, his eyes wide and his steps never stopping as he walked towards the three princes. He grabbed Liam's arm, only to drag him after him, as he walked towards the door, taking Al and David with him also, doing so.
"But.. But, What about Mum?" a confused Al asked his father, as the got closer to the two oak doors. "Will he be alright?" he then asked worriedly, turning around to watch the smoke dim out to reveal the contours of the Queens fragile body, the coughs still coming from him ,but not as violent as before.
"Yes, he's fine. I checked. Let's hurry!" The king said, his voice slightly panicked as he turned the door knob, dragging his sons with him, before turning the door closed with a loud boom.
When in the corridor, their steps never slowed down, and it was only when they heard a loud furious scream echoing throughout the castle, the the four began to run.
END.
Note: Hahaha, I had so much fun writing this! But it was weird because along side writing this chapter, I wrote a very smutty chapter for my other story,From The Otherside Of The Coin With Love, a USUK / RusEng story. Heh, that was a new experience, so to say. Pleasem by the way, REVIEW!~~ ^_^ And I will hopefully see you soon~~