Arthur strode into the library. He was adorned with a long cape that nearly went to the floor, speckled with Spades and colored purple to show his national pride.

Arthur was thirteen. He was still a bit short for his age. His head barely reached the center of the bookcases (though granted, they weren't that tall to begin with.)

His shaggy blonde hair looked unkempt as usual, even though he had tried his best to smooth it down.

His eyes grazed the familiar books around him. He had probably read through the entire library at least once in his time at the castle. He has a certain gift for literature.

Arthur allowed himself a small smile, about to turn into the fiction section (that was surely worn from his use.)

However, instead of gracefully turning the corner as he had planned, he collided with a precarious stack of books and a person along with it.

"Omf!" Both the person and Arthur huffed as they fell to the floor, the books tumbling around them. "Ah man!" A boyish voice cursed. A blonde head appeared in Arthur's line of vision. "Hey, are you okay? Sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you like that."

Arthur sighed and sat himself up, looking at the young boy in front of him who couldn't be more than ten years old.

"I'm quite alright." Arthur assured him. "What are you doing here anyway, though? Usually this place is deserted."

The began stacking books on top of one another. "Oh, this is my punishment for sneaking into the kitchen and eating all the strawberries."

Arthur chuckled, and started to help stack books. "Now, normally I would not being saying this, but as I rather have a sweet tooth myself, I congratulate you. The chefs are hard to get by."

The blonde boy laughed. "I know! You don't have any idea how long it took me to get in there! I only got in this time because I hid in a crate of tomatoes."

"Clever..." Arthur commented, stacking up the last of the books. The pile was ridiculously high, almost taller than the boy himself. "Are you sure you can carry all of these yourself?"

The boy waved him off. "I'm Alfred F. Jones! Of course I can! I am the hero, after all."

Arthur watched in some amazement as the young boy picked up all of the books and lifted them without a grunt. Alfred turned back to Arthur. "Thanks! Sorry I bumped into you!"

Arthur merely watched him go.

The next day, Arthur had pushed Alfred out of his mind, as more pressing matters were at hand.

"Give me a brief description of Diamonds." Jack Yao commanded.

Arthur looked up at the ceiling. "Diamonds: Our standing ally. Their King, Queen, and Jack are chosen through a series of qualifications in the higher number's families. Currently, they only have one member: Francis. He was picked last year, once he turned thirteen. Diamonds is known for it's powerful economy and fashion."

Yao nodded. "Hearts." He commanded.

"Hearts was almost destroyed after they lost the Great War, which leads to their long standing neutrality. They are known for their art and food, along for their agricultural benefits. After the war, they developed a system of voting to elect their Royals. The current King is King Ludwig, the Queen is Kiku."

"Clubs."

Arthur sighed. He hated this one. "Clubs is the standing threat to Spades. They choose their Royals through a series of tests and battles that all willing children enter at the age of eighteen. It is held whenever a standing Royal dies. The last winner was King Ivan and Queen Elizabeta. They have no Jack yet. They have harsh weather and a militaristic government which makes their Suit almost impenetrable."

Yao nodded, seemingly happy with Arthur's responses. "But what of our own kingdom?"

Arthur huffed. "Yao, I do believe I know my own kingdom!"

The Jack gave Arthur a stern look. The blonde relented.

"Spades: known for it's rich history and culture. Allied with Diamonds. Their Royals are chosen on a Family/marriage basis. The King being the first male child of the previous King and Queen, the Queen his wife. Then the Jack is usually another close family member, but has often times been a close friend of the Family. Courtship is required between the King and Queen."

Yao closed his book. "What is special about our King and Queen?"

Arthur paused. "We are considered to derive from the first blood." Yao nodded.

"And," Arthur continued. "Our King possesses great strength, our Queen magic, and our Jack knowledge." Arthur finished.

Yao seemed happy. "You may be dismissed."

Arthur sprung up from his seat, and rushed out of the doors. Usually he didn't mind lessons, but that day had been particularly boring. He ran down the hallway, planning on going to the gardens. He could almost feel the sun on his skin when-

"Omf!"

He collided with something that wasn't too soft, causing both of them to tumble away from each other and land in a heap.

"You again!" A boyish voice beamed. Arthur sat himself up, his brows furrowing. "Alfred, was it?" The blonde boy nodded, and Arthur stood up. "Well," he said, "if we keep meeting like this it's going to get rather dangerous."

Alfred laughed and stood up too. "This time it was your fault, though! I wasn't the one running through the halls like a madman!"

Arthur crossed his arms. "I say! That is not a proper way to speak to me!"

Alfred cocked his head. "Huh? Why not?"

Arthur paused. The boy didn't know who he was. Usually people took one look at his eyebrows and knew, but Alfred was pretty young...

"I'm Arthur Kirkland."

Alfred held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Arthur!" He said with a oblivious smile.

Arthur sighed. "No, you daft fool! Kirkland! Don't you pay any attention in history class?"

Alfred frowned and dropped his hand. "I don't go to school." He informed Arthur. "I work in the armory. I don't need to."

Arthur gaped. "The armory! You're barely ten!"

Alfred crossed his arms and looked very offended. "I'm ten and a half, thanks very much! Plus, I'm a hero! I have to start out early in the ranks if I ever want to do something for Spades. Duh."

Arthur began walking at a slow pace. "You want to help Spades?"

"Yeah! It's what good people do! I want to protect everyone I love!"

Arthur couldn't help but roll his eyes. The boy was the very idol of ignorance. However Arthur had to admit he was quite the determined little thing. Besides, he had already done quite well at proving himself an able body with the books and a sharp mind despite his schooling with his infiltration of the kitchen.

"Say, Alfred," Arthur said, "Have you ever been to the gardens?"

Alfred shook his head.

"Would you like to?"

"Yeah!"

And thus, a very strange relationship began. It took Alfred a while, but he eventually realized Arthur's status in the Kingdom. Arthur had expected him to bow, or start calling him "You Majesty" or at least complain that Arthur hadn't told him earlier. But all he had done was shrug and say "Pfft. You think you're so tough and you still believe in unicorns."

To which Arthur's bristled reply was; "They're real! I've seen them!"

Years went by, and as happy I would be to report that their friendship went unharmed, I cannot. They fought almost daily over anything they could find to fight about. But Alfred would always come back later and apologize, and Arthur would then whisper something of a stumbled amount of words which Al always took to mean "Sorry."

Their friendship was also marred by their large status gap. Arthur was forced into meetings and classes and other "Important, Grown-up Royal business you wouldn't understand." while Alfred was burdened with an increasing amount of work.

This, though, Arthur thought only strengthened their bond.

"I am so tired of straightening up and remembering which fork to use and speaking at the right time and blah blah blah!" Arthur yelled, refraining from pulling out his hair one day he and Alfred met in the Garden.

"You think you have it bad?" Alfred replied. "I had to lift boxes, fetch the horses, remember to shine the shields, clean up after lunch, and then hit the irons before I could return home! Ugh!"

Thus, their years were spent. As they got older, they were forced to see each other less. Alfred was eventually promoted to a guard at the fresh age of thirteen "I'm like the youngest one ever to be ever!"and Arthur was to take more involvement in the kingdom. "You're sixteen now!" Yao would remind him, as if he could ever forget. "It's time you started working!"

It's not as if Arthur didn't agree with him, what with his coronation taking place the moment he turned eighteen.

Life was, as it usually tends to be, hectic.

Aha! There you have it! The first "real" chapter of Greensleeves! I hope you all liked it. But I am sorry for any mistakes! I typed this up and two in the morning...there's bound to be some. Thanks to everyone who has already subscribed! (I'm assuming you're from my other story: "What Happens In Vegas")

You guys rock! Hopefully, I'll update again soon to thank you!

-Mallory