Arthur's crowning neither had the exuberance or capacity as the Diamond Jack and Queen's coronation did. They kept it to the bare minimums. Yao announced to the Kingdom that Arthur would be crowned early. Rumors spread like wildfire. Arthur was King already? Did they find a Queen? Had there been a threat of war?

The peasants of the capitol ducked down their heads as they walked through the town. More than money and merchandise was passed over the clerk's tables.

But the whispers were greatest among those who lived in the castle. Alfred was missing, and no announcement had been made. He was not a Royal. He was nothing more than a friend of the King's. But a friend of the King is still a very powerful person indeed, and yet Arthur remained quiet about the matter. He did not once ask a maid to fetch the guards. He did not look in the kitchen or the training grounds.

The only attempt he made to find his best friend was to walk down to his brother's loft and ask with a closed face and trained eyes.

Matthew looked upon him with the greatest pity, and handed him a note while whispering "he only left this."

Arthur calmly unfolded the note and read the short scribble.

Mattie,

We talked about this before. But I guess I finally made up my mind. I can't loose my freedom for...for nothing. I'm leaving. I took Ace. Tell Ma and Pa that I'll see them again.

Love ya bro,

Alfred

He nodded distantly, and handed the note back. "Thank you for everything, Matthew. I really must promote you to an archer..."

Matthew frowned, and reached for the Royal. "Arthur..."

Arthur stiffened and drew back sharply. "With all do respect, Matthew, but I shall be crowned soon and I must insist you refer to me as 'Your Highness or Your Majesty'."

Matthew drew in a breath. He looked to his shoes. "Of course. My apologies, Your Highness."

Arthur fled the room.

…

Alfred shivered as the wind blew through his cloak. It was a brisk night. It was mid-autumn, and in this part of Deck, the trees were a fiery display. The grass crunched under Alfred's feet as he relived himself from Ace's burden, choosing to take the lead rope instead.

"Do you think I'm a coward, Ace?" Alfred asked. His backside hurt terrible and his thighs were pinched in a most unpleasant manner. Beside him, Ace was sweating, his breathing labored. "I mean, I was doing the Kingdom a Favor. Royals of Spades can't rule without loving each other—and well, Artie and I never really loved each other. We were just being stupid kids. I'm sure Artie'll find a nice girl and make her the Queen. Or uh...King."

Alfred sighed and rubbed at his temples. "I mean, I still love the dude as a friend. I...I can't just forget our history like that. I've known the guy since I was ten, Ace. Can you believe that? Now I'm sixteen. Time flies." Alfred sighed and kicked at the dirt. "Ace, help me out here bud."

Alfred's horse whinnied and pawed at the ground.

"What am I doing?" Alfred muttered, grabbing at his hair. "I'm talking to a fucking horse for Spades sake! What is wrong with me? Why am I so god damn confused?"

Suddenly, a branch above Alfred rustled. "Glad you asked, Kid."

Alfred startled and tripped over himself, landing on the grass in a heap. "Who's there?" He called, sitting up.

Gilbert popped his head under the leaves. "Just the awesome me," he explained, hitching his legs over to hang upside-down. "Listen, Al, you seem a little...freaked out."

Alfred shook some brown leaves from his hair and shivered once more. "I haven't exactly been my best, I feel like I'm going crazy!"

Gilbert frowned and sighed. He disappeared in a cloud of blue dist only to reappear at Alfred's side. "Dude, remember what I told you a while ago? Follow your heart. You're following you head. You can't trust your head. Anyone can mess with your head. Only a select few can touch your heart."

Alfred gripped at the dry grass on the ground. "What the hell does follow your heart even mean? How do I know what's my head and my heart? How do I know anything for sure?"

Gilbert smiled sadly. "You don't, Kid. That's what makes you guys so great. Knowing everything...it limits you. But you have something to fight for. I—I lost that a long time ago."

Alfred buried his face in his hands. For a moment it was only Alfred, his horse, and Gilbert, standing at the edge of the woods and listening to the wind ruffle the trees. Then Gilbert sat down beside Alfred. "I used to love this girl," he said. "It was...it's hard to explain. Jokers know no time. I can go wherever I please. I was a Joker before I was born. But...I was alive recently. And I fell in love,because that is what humans do. And she loved me. But I followed my head. I thought I wouldn't stand a chance. Everyone kept telling me to give up. So I did. Then the Great World broke out and...well I died with that choice. Living with a choice is one thing—dying—that's true pain."

Alfred peeked through his fingers. "So...y-you're a ghost?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Nah. I'm a Joker. I work for the Magic. It was my choice. It's not the best choice, I'll have you know. But I couldn't bear being in a world where she was not..."

Gilbert dragged off and he went silent.

"I'm sorry, Gil. But...I don't love Arthur. I mean...I can't. I can't love Arthur."

Gilbert stood up and brushed the dead leaves from his pants. "You can't, or you won't?"

With that, he began walking. "Keep heading West!" He called over his shoulder. "There's a nice woman, she's your first stop! Good luck, Kid, you're gonna need it."

…

Arthur stood on a small stage. Yao was beside him, holding the Royal crown of a Queen of Spades. "Are you ready, Arthur?"

Arthur looked over at Francis. "I...I don't know anymore. I have to! But what if...what if I can't!"

Queen Lily took Francis' hand and led him over to Arthur. Jack Vash followed. "Listen, Arthur," she said in a voice too young to be so commanding. "You are a strong person. You are a smart person. I've only known you for a short while, but I know that you have the power to get through this. Diamonds will be behind you every step of the way." To this, Francis and Vash nodded. Lily laid her hand on Arthur's shoulder. "And Arthur? You're going to make a wonderful Queen."

With that, Yao placed the crown on Arthur's head. It was light. So very light. Arthur wasn't even sure if it was there. Though with the weight of the world on his shoulders, he wasn't sure if it was just the comparison playing tricks on him.

"Thank you. All of you."

Yao linked his arm and led him out onto the balcony.

Below them were thousands of citizens, some local and some that had traveled mile upon mile to quench their thirst for rumors.

They cheered as expected, and then hushed into a expectant hum.

"Now announcing, Spades New Royal, Your New Royal, his greatness be ever in Magic, Queen Arthur Kirkland!"

The crowd went completely silent. Then all hell broke loose. Shouts of confusion were thrown up the balcony. Others (mainly well-traveled merchants) looked unimpressed. Some people tried to get into the castle.

Some called fraud.

But what was worse-

Some were yelling for Alfred.

WELL THERE YA GO

Have some angst. I'm really proud of this chapter. I have so much more planned! I do hope you all will enjoy it. It's starting to get confusing, so feel free to leave ANY QUESTIONS in the reviews! I will be sure to get back to you. Any other critique/comments is super appreciated!

Thanks for getting me 100+ reviews, you guys are amazing.

Sorry for any mistakes, I'm American!

-Mallory