Yao- Jack of Spades- 50's or 60's

Arthur- Future "King" (queen) of Spades 17

Francis- King of Diamonds 18

Ivan-King of Clubs 19

Elizabeta- Queen of Clubs 18 (and a half!)

Ludwig- King of Hearts- 18

Kiku- Queen of Hearts- 18

Alfred- Royal Guard- 15 (almost 16!)

Matthew- Assistant Chef- same as Alfred

Feliciano- Jack of Hearts -19

.

A year passed.

Arthur had been spending a long time in Diamonds, preparing for next year when he was to become..."king". Francis had been a right pain in the arse the whole time, but then again, that was expected.

This was Francis.

Arthur had become quite fed up with meeting officials and being proper and acting stiff and formal. The only person he didn't care to put up the act for was Francis, and well...

This was Francis.

Arthur really only looked forward to the letters he got from Spades, particularly one letter.

Yo Artie!

Man, how long have you been gone? Like, three, four months? What are you even DOING up there? This sucks. It'll probably get worse once you're Queen-

(Arthur tried not to cringe at that)

-won't it? But hey! I have awesome news! I got promoted to Royal Guard, and since you're a Royal that means I can hang around you more! Isn't that awesome? Oh! And my bro (Mattie. You've met him before. Blonde. Looks like me. Tripped all over himself and wouldn't stop calling you "your Highness") got promoted to assistant chef! He's really excited. But secretly, I think he wants to be an archer.

Well, Artie. I gotta go. I miss you man. When are you coming home?

-Al

Arthur sighed. Despite the terrible grammar, run on sentences, and all around Alfred-ness of the letter...

Arthur really did miss the boy. He set the letter to the side so he could write back later and moved on to the other, less exciting mail. Most were reports of certain conditions in Spades, a few were from Yao asking him to fill him in. One in particular caught his eye.

"Hearts declares new Jack. Jack Feliciano Vargas. Aged 19."

Arthur gripped the paper in his hands. So the first completed Royal of their age was set.

Hearts...

"Francis!" Arthur pounded on the door. "Let me in you bastard! I need to speak with you. Unfortunately."

A voice was muffled on the other side of the door. "Ohonhon! But mon cher, I am indecent!"

"YOU'RE ALWAYS INDECENT NOW LET ME IN!"

There was another muffled laugh and then some footsteps. The door swung open and Arthur entered hastily. He shut the door with a snap behind him. Francis' room was far more extravagant than Arthur's. The bed could probably rest an army and everything was either gold or light blue (which is the national color of Diamonds.)

Francis stood in the center of it all, half naked.

Well, that's an improvement.

"Hearts completed their Royals." Arthur informed the king, swiftly taking a seat in a plush gold armchair.

"They have a Jack? Who is he?" Arthur handed him the slip he found in the mail. Francis glanced it over.

"What are their powers, again?"

"The King had mastery of all weapons, the Queen can sense every emotion from any person, and the Jack can make anyone he touches fall asleep, if he wanted to."

Francis paced the room. "They are still neutral, correct? No threats? Once a full Royal...I mean..."

"I know, they become more powerful. But I don't think it is a real threat. However, I feel it is best if I return home to Spades."

Suddenly, Francis' serious mood vanished. He smirked and pranced closer to Arthur. "Oh? Back to your little Guard boy? Ohonhonhon!"

Arthur's face flushed. "What are you talking about! I meant back to my kingdom! To Yao!"

Francis laid his hand on Arthur's shoulder and looked right into his eyes. "Don't you want to tell me about how you feel for him?"

Arthur paused. Yes, he did. He'd been wanting to tell- HEY!

"Don't use your bloody persuasion on me, you Frog!" Arthur screamed and stood up, brandishing his fists.

Francis laughed and danced away. "Well, mon cher, if it is not persuasion that will make you tell it is blackmail."

"You don't have anything on me!"

Francis quirked his eyebrow and his smile broadened. "Don't I?"

No, he didn't. Did he? Arthur thought back to all of those meetings and conversations. He might have spilled a bit here and there, but that wasn't enough to make him talk. Maybe Francis was just bluffing. Yeah. That had to be it.

"So, Queen Arthur, when-"

Francis never did get to finish his sentence. Arthur was on top of him in a second, pounding his back on the ground, holding him by the collar. He leaned his face so their noses were almost touching, and in the most menacing voice he could manage he whispered; "Who. Told. You."

The only person Arthur had told was Alfred, and he was sure the boy hadn't betrayed him. Even if he had been gone a while.

Then Yao had to have suspicions, if not know already. He was the smartest man in Deck, for Cards sake!

"No one told me!" Francis said quickly. "In fact, I figured it out on my own. You've always been quite resistant to my persuasion powers the magic has granted me. So...It only took two and two to make me believe you have the starting stages of magic! The power of magic, the Queen's power! If you're so resistant now, imagine what you'll be when you are named Queen of Spades!"

Arthur sighed. He rolled off of Francis and trudged to the other side of the room. "You can't tell anyone."

Francis laughed. "You know my price, mon cher. But really, I don't see why this is such a big deal to you. You're simply a Queen! It's not like you're not a Royal."

Arthur did not want to be having this conversation. Especially with Francis. But he assumed it was better than talking about...that other thing.

"Yes, Francis, but I'm male."

"So? The last Queen of Diamonds was male and he was the one who led us through the Great War beside your parents."

Arthur sighed again. There was no way anyone but a citizen of Spades would understand his worries. The rest of Deck thought he was being silly. Gender had no matter to Royals! But in Spades, if he was male, how was he supposed to produce the next heir?

His urge to go home increased. "Never mind, Francis. I'm going."

As Arthur moved towards the door, Francis bounded ahead of him and blocked the exit, tut-tut-tuting at him and shaking his head. "Not before you tell me about your Guard! What was his name again?"

Arthur felt Francis' powers kicking in along with the blackmail. Well, at least there was one good thing about being crowned Queen. His powers would be strong enough to fully kick Francis' ass.

"His name is Alfred." Arthur found himself saying before he could stop himself. He immediately clamped his hands over his mouth. Francis smiled.

"Oh? And you love him, no?"

"No!" Arthur shouted, but slammed his hands over his mouth again.

"Really? Because I think you do~ You're just in self denial~"

Arthur really wished he could remove one of his hands and punch that smirking bastard in the face.

"I think you miss him dearly right now and that's why you're going to Spades. Because you need his comfort, you want him to hold you. Am I wrong?"
Arthur's eyes widened and he bit his tongue.

"You'll tell me, won't you dear Arthur?"

He knew that bloody bastard was using his powers. He fucking knew it. But he wasn't crowned yet, and he had known from the start that this was a losing battle. "Yes! Yes! Are you fucking happy now?"

Francis laughed and began to say something, but Arthur shoved his fist in his mouth before he could.

Arthur watched Francis fall to the floor in pain, clutching at his bleeding lip.

"Next time I'm in Diamonds, I will be crowned. And you will be sorry."

And with that lovely farewell, Arthur strode from the room, collected his things, and ordered his carriage back home.

Arthur always hated traveling by land. Diamonds was Spades neighbor, touching almost two sides of the country. They shared an ocean, but to travel by sea would be "Too expensive, long, and ridiculous!"

So Arthur was forced in a stuffy, bumpy, horse-powered box.

It was a three day journey, but when he finally arrived back to the Castle he was not surprised to find someone waiting for him.

"Hello, Yao." Arthur sighed.

"Yes, welcome home Arthur. I have some matters to discuss with you. Concerning Hearts. Follow me."

Arthur did as he was told and followed his Jack into their meeting room. There were a few Royal Guards outside of it, but Alfred wasn't there. (Not that Arthur had been looking or anything. Why that's preposterous.)

After what felt like a three hour long discussion with Jack Yao about nothing in particular, the sun had already set and Arthur wanted nothing more than to fall onto his bed, dinner forgotten.

He did just that. Once he returned to his expansive (but not too over-the-top. He wasn't full Royal yet.) room, he stripped down to a thin shirt and some loose trousers and buried himself under sheets and blankets.

Just when he thought he could close his eyes and fall asleep, his door creaked and a thin strand of golden light creep-ed across his floor.

Arthur sat up. He was always trained to look out for assassins. Though if one had managed to get this far he would have to kill whoever was in charge of the Royal Guards.

"Artie? You awake?"

"How can I not be with your fat arse breaking down my door?"

Arthur couldn't see Alfred in the darkness, but he was sure he smiled as he slipped into the room and bounded up to the bed.

"Artie!" He squealed, collecting the Royal into his arms as he simultaneously sat on the bed.

Arthur chocked. "Unhand me this instant! This is highly improper!"

Alfred did no such thing. In fact, he only hugged the Royal tighter. "But I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Al...Can't...breath..."

Alfred dropped the blonde. "Sorry there, Art!" He laughed as Arthur caught his breath.

Alfred leaned over to Arthur's nightstand and lit the lantern.

The light flickered until it gave off enough glow to illuminate the two.

Arthur almost gasped. Puberty hit Alfred like a truck.

It wasn't anything too drastic—Alfred was still Alfred, but his features seemed a bit sharper, his hair was shorter, and Arthur wouldn't have been surprised if he was far taller than him now.

Not to mention, he had-

"Glasses?"

Alfred looked down at the sheets. "Yeah. Turns out I had a reason I sucked at archery and stuff so much. Mattie had the same problem and got them a while ago but...I didn't want 'em."

Arthur crossed his legs so he could sit up straight. "Well, you're as daft as ever. I like them."

Alfred's head snapped up. "Really?"

"Yes, really. They make you look more mature."

Alfred tackled Arthur into another hug, which caused them both to fall backwards. Really, the boy didn't know his own strength. "You're the best, Artie!"

Arthur was suffocating. Not physically, Alfred was being more careful, but...

Arthur hadn't really realized how much he...liked Alfred.

That bastard in Diamonds was right. Curse him. He had to go and ruin everything, didn't he? Arthur hated to admit it, but he did like Alfred's arms around him. Even if the boy was stupid, and clumsy, and a troublemaker...

"I missed you." Arthur heard Alfred whisper in his ear.

"I..I missed you too."

Crap. He was in trouble now. It had been too long since he had seen Alfred. He wanted nothing more than to wrap the boy in his arms and curl up to sleep. He was almost tempted to do just that, but instead he pushed Alfred up and off of him.

Alfred took it was his cue and they both sat up again. "Y'know, Artie..." Alfred began, "My birthday is comin' up soon. I know you're not supposed to, but how about I bring you some peasant clothes and we sneak out of here? I'm turning fifteen, it's about time I got you into some trouble."

Arthur seemed shocked. "You mean...I pretend to be a commoner and go into the village with you?"

Alfred nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I've been planning it for a while, nothing can really go wrong. If you talk like I do and not all proper and stuff, no one will suspect a thing! 'Sides, I want Mom and Dad and everyone to meet you!"

Arthur thought about it. "Fine. When?"

"July fourth, of course! Just a week away!"

I OVE THIS CHAPTER.

Yes, that's right. Arthur has fallen for the loveable idiot. He's not completely head over heels for him, but he doesn't look at him like a friend anymore.

FRANCIS. HOW I LOVE YOU. YOU MANIACLE BASTARD.

Alfred's birthday is next!

Sorry for any mistakes, I'm American!

-Mallory