King Ivan of Clubs was not marching to war. Nor was he tucked away in his castle, ordering troops forward like a coward. No, Ivan was far more sensible than that. He knew the power of Spades. They were a naturally persistent people. They have long lasting traditions and an unbending patriotism.

Or rather, they had. Now they were at their weakest point in history. The people's traditions had vanished in the wartime, and the patriotism had gone with it. But the thing that made Ivan so confident in victory, was that the unwavering love of the Royals had snapped. It was a twig in the hands of his Queen, who had every right to destroy love, to hate love, to not love. His Queen was a respectable woman, their secret Jack another brave man. But Ivan was the King, and because of this, he was smiling sweetly at their old friends. Friends from the last generation. Perhaps, with any luck, Hearts would follow in the footsteps set down by their ancestors.

"We are guaranteed to win," Ivan pressed, squeezing his eyes into half-moons.

The King of Hearts, Ludwig, slouched further back into his chair. "I don't see, then, why you need our help. This is not our war. Hearts has been neutral since the times of the Great War. We are a peaceful people."

Ivan's smile slipped, just a little tick. But that was all that Kiku needed. The Queen of Hearts sat up straight in his chair, and narrowed his eyes at the King of Clubs. "We have no quarrel with the Spadens."

Ivan shifted into a more open position, his arms out wide. "Comrades," he began, the fake smile still plastered on his lips, "I am here to offer a brilliant opportunity. A way to join me, join Clubs, in the conquest for a better world."

He continued, with more certainty.

"For too long have Spades commanded the four Kingdoms. Ever since the Great War, they have thought themselves superior. They claim their army is the greatest, that their Royals are only of pure blood, and that they are the only Kingdom with true traditions and culture! They brush aside your music, your foods, your art. They laugh at my Kingdom's most honored ceremonies. Diamonds is no better, following along behind Spades like a lost dog."

"If we want to change the world, and for the better, we must fight. Spades is weak, crumbling, and we can once again take our rightful places as two equal Kingdoms of Deck! Diamonds and Spades are but little sacrifices compared to the grand futures of our own Kingdoms."

Ivan smiled, a small, self-assured, genuine smile, and extended his hand in a silent question. "Join me," he finished.

…

Elizabeta hadn't held a sword in a long time. She expected it to feel alien in her hand, but her palm closed around the hilt as if it had done so just yesterday. The Queen eyed the blade. It gleamed back at her, not a speck of blood on it. It was sharpened perfectly, not so thin that is was weak, but enough to slice through skin like butter.

"Eliza?" Roderich asked, a careful hand on her shoulder. "You're alright, aren't you?"

Elizabeta snapped out of her thoughts, and nodded slightly. "Yes, of course." She whispered, still not turning towards the man. "I have your sword."

Roderich took the weapon, his hand resting on Eliza's for longer than either thought was needed. He coughed, and stepped away.

They were alone in the small room. Clubs had captured large sections of Diamonds, but they had done so with absolutely no fight. The people of Diamonds had an incredible knack of making themselves scarce. Clubs was based at the very edge of Diamonds. Spades stared at them across the plains, egging them on, teasing them. But it was all a facade. Elizabeta could feel the land quake with each step Clubs took towards it. The people were terrified. Unlike Diamonds, though, they were not used to the uncertainty. They were not used to looking up at an empty Capitol, at starving through their struggles. They were not used to seeing turncoat soldiers and a beaten army. Spades might as well have been renamed "Helpless."

Elizabeta dipped her head down. She reminded herself that this was necessary. In order to make what she believed in a reality, then she had to go through with Ivan's plan. She picked up the armor, and turned to Roderich. She began to help him into it, strap by unyielding leather strap.

"This must be hard for you," the Jack commented, trying not to look at her. "I'm so, terribly sorry for what you had to go through."

Elizabeta swallowed, and tugged on a shoulder of the armor. "It was needed. I did what I had to." She buckled the last of the armor, and stepped back. It was gleaming, and perfectly fitted. As it should have been, for Elizabeta was once renowned for her wartime skills.

"I understand why you won't be fighting," Roderich said, carting his fingers through her hair. "But let it be known that I fight for you."

He left the peasant hovel, left Elizabeta, to go see to the troops. The girl stood in the middle of the abandoned home, trying not to gag at the affections she'd been shown. He was only doing what he thought was right.

But nothing was right. Not anymore.

…

Peter was sick and tired of waiting. He had been waiting since the beginning of time. He wanted to finally do what he was put on this world for. He wanted to see it all happen, every detail that he had planned. Each leaf he knew would fall, each blade of grass trampled, each scream of a dying man. Peter had known about the horrors meant to happen before the Kingdom of Spades even existed.

But he was confined to the small things. He was not like Gilbert, of the past, of the generations, of history. But he was of what will be, the future. To muddle in the present could destroy everything. Peter always complained about that. It simply wasn't fair that the past and the present had such a close relationship, while the future had to sit out and wait like a princess in a tower.

Peter no longer wanted to lead peasants from unsafe grounds. He didn't want to reunite families, or bandage wounds, or talk to that uncertain man in the bar. He was made for so much more. He knew the people that were involved in the future. His future.

The King, The Queen, he knew them. He could help them. Oh god, did he want to help them. Yet the future remained to stare on in envy.

"You know what?" Peter shouted, standing up suddenly. The few adults he had been trying to convince jumped. "I'm done! I'm tired of hearing the same argument from hundreds of mouths! 'Tradition!' you say. 'Honor' you repeat. I've been told a thousand times that these are the things Spades stands on. Has it ever occurred to you that if we as a people do not settle our closed minds and help, that there will be no more Kingdom to rest upon the things you cry out for? Call me a dumb child. I don't care! But when you are all people of a dry, broken, nameless land, don't come crying to me!"

Peter stormed away from the group. Once he'd gone far enough, he closed his eyes, and let himself be guided to Gilbert.

It was instant, Gilbert must have been close. Which was expected, as he was dealing with the King and Queen, who were most likely to be found in Spades. Peter expected to see the two, who he'd seen a thousands times from afar. He did not, however, expect to see them in such a state. Alfred was on his knees, clutching Arthur, who was still wearing full armor. For a split second, Peter thought that Arthur had died. He'd seen a scene in his visions, where Arthur came very close to such a thing, but it was not in the time room.

Besides, Arthur was very obviously alive, because he was very obviously kissing Alfred. He was pulled haphazardly in the other's arms, streaks of tears still on his cheeks. Peter felt slight disgust at the scene, and was about to turn away when suddenly, time stopped. The room snapped to black.

Oh, he was in trouble.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Gilbert screamed, his eyes dangerous and burning.

Peter flinched back, feeling nothing solid under his feet. Not that it was anything new. "I was just looking for you! I didn't think that this was happening!"

"You knew it was going to happen, you idiot!"

Peter pouted, and crossed his arms. "I didn't know it was happening now! You know I've always had a bad concept of present time! Besides, I'm tired of doing all the un-fun work!"

Gilbert looked like he was about to retort. His hand was out, palm sideways, about to point out the wrongs in Peter's argument. His eyebrows were dipped, his face red, and for a moment, it looked as if Gilbert had been caught in his own time-pause. Then he deflated.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I know this has been weird for you, and I know you want to help. But I know you know that you can't. It's too dangerous. Peter, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Peter stared at his feet. "I know," he whispered. "But...I miss them, you know? It...I hate seeing them in this state. I want to be able to make them smile and laugh and see them how they usually are, not avoid them. I want everything to be happy again."

Gilbert sighed again, and crossed the space between them to wrap Peter in a hug.

"Believe me, little dude. I know what that feels like. But we can't. And that's the hardest thing of all."

Thanks so much to Rexlover180 for being an awesome beta!

And this is the other side of the war! We'll be seeing battle soon, I promise. But I thought that we should give you just a little bit of fanservice first. before, you know, other things happen.

Thanks for all the reviews! I never thought this would be so popular-and it means a lot!

-Mallory