Blood Angel, my dear, you are a great friend and this chapter proves your excellence, I have to say! I hope you guys will enjoy the chapter she wrote. I did help but only a little bit~
CHAPTER VIII
"THE LOVE OF A KING OF SPADES"
"As long as I have you by my side, I have nothing more to ask. Nothing more but to keep you in arms—all safe and warm."
' Alright Alfred… just smile and be as nice as possible…'The King of Spades said to himself as he adjusted his coat to settle on his shoulders just right. He looked forward to the double doors that lead to the ballroom where music and festive chatter could be heard at the other end, 'You can do it…It's for formalities sake… I'm sure you can endure talking to the Clubs at least….not...' He sighed and shook his head, rubbing his temples lightly.
It was already evening, the time for the Recognition banquet held in honor for the newly appointed Ace of Spades who hailed from the blacksmith district. All the other kingdom's representatives have arrived and Alfred had no clue which monarch came from each kingdom, though, he knew and it's for a fact, the Diamonds King and Queen would lay present - they were practically inseparable! He had a wild guess that the Hearts' Queen would have come as well, but not sure if he arrived for meeting their new Ace or seeing his friend the Queen of Spades - probably both. He wasn't sure for Clubs though, not entirely anyway. Would it be Ivan or Elizabeta? Heck…It could even be just a number. 'Oh snap of it, Alfred. Put on your best smile!' He urged himself as looked down upon the flower on his chest.
'Arthur…' He thought as he could basically see Arthur in the back of his mind, glancing over to him. That's right, he was wearing the national flower on his chest and it was set there by the Queen himself- the Queen that he adores and loves with every fiber of his being—what was there to be afraid of? Oh, he might ruin it all, that's what! Looking at tonight's occasion, it was to be for the best and as King, he was supposed to be the one to lead it at that very same best outcome everyone expects!
"As Queen I permit no one to look awful in their welcome party. I'll see you in a few, King...You can go right ahead to the party…I may prove to be a little late."
Arthur had left with Grace to prepare for the party leaving the young king alone to enter the ballroom by himself since the Knave was already on the other side greeting and entertaining guests. Seriously… Kingship can be such a task. His predecessors, as he had read from those journals, regarded at some parts of their lives that Kingship is quite a heavy responsibility and—Lonely. It is every King's destiny to be alone. Alfred can never accept that fact. Maybe it was his resolve or was it origin…. Maybe it was because unlike his predecessors, he was actually one that thinks about the future and not just the present… or was it the fact that Alfred was too narrow-minded to accept that being alone was what he was meant to be…. Or perhaps, it was all Arthur's fault?
" Arthur… I love you…" Alfred repeated, holding him closer this time and letting his Queen rest his head against his chest as he felt the slight tremble from the body he held so close, "I love you so much…Too much to not be able to keep my emotions at bay any longer!" He declared and shut his eyes closed.
" Y..You–" The Queen was able to say, biting his lips gently as he felt such undeniable and numbing warmth hat radiated from his King, " How…How can you say such words so straight forwardly?! Do you not see how wrong this is?!"
" I don't care anymore about duties and principles and rules!" Alfred exclaimed as he rested his head in Arthur's shoulder, " I love you with all my heart…and that's all that matters to me.."
" Y..You- "
"I love your rare smiles.. I love how your eyes glow each time you find something interesting… I love your laughs... I love how you always seem to smell of fresh roses everyday… I love how you would be angry of the simplest things… I love you… I love you so much… I love you as a whole Arthur… I love every single inch of you!" He proclaimed, knowing his list of the things he loved about Arthur was simply endless. "Please, don't see my affections and feelings for you as wrong!"
It made Arthur speechless and almost breathless in his hold, "Y…You…git… And here I was…hoping to the fates not to further fall for you…and now…" He let out a soft sob and clung to Alfred desperately, something Alfred returned with a light squeeze of reassurance upon his Queen's shoulders.
" Alfred… I love you… Gods, I love you so much- it's tearing me apart!"
"Well, here it goes..." He said with a sigh and pulled on his grand old smile before pushing the doors open.
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The party was indeed on set and joyous, the room itself decorated in such beauty and elegance much like the time of his banquet where he performed his first spell. Ah, what a fond memory that was for the King of Spades~ ! But he had to concentrate on the present unless he wanted to get a sharp whack to the head from his oh-so-kind Knave, Yao. Though… he did secretly wanted to get one of those delicious puddings at the side~ Such a yummy delight! Now, now, let's leave that poor dessert alone~
Alfred tore away his gaze from his eye's little sinful gluttonous pleasure and scanned the room as he walked by the sides to observe a bit in the shadows. He could plainly see the representatives from the other kingdoms in the sea of Spadian nobility. From a far he could see the Diamonds' couple side by side having a decent conversation with the Queen of Hearts who seems to be rather enjoying himself in their company. A little bit away was Yao, striking up a conversation with Roderich – the Clubs current Knave. Ah, what a relief this was similar to a thorn rid from his heel! There was no sign of the King of Clubs! Not like he hated the company of the Queen of Clubs, but he didn't really favor being in the same damned room with their King for very obvious reasons.
The Spadian King continued to observe from the side, seeing how each of these monarchs brought a few numbers to accompany them. For Diamonds it was Lady Bella, the fifth of Diamonds, head of the diplomatic relations, and Sir Feliks, the ninth of Diamonds, known for his skilled informants scattered around the four Kingdoms and yes, he doesn't hide that fact. In fact, Sir Feliks seems to be flirty – was that the right word? Oh right, 'undeniably close' – with Toris, the fourth of Clubs, head Archer of the Royal Army. The poor brunette from Clubs was just trying his best to keep the blond man at bay while the female Diamonds' number was giggling at them by the side with a tall man by her side in the colors of Spades, looking rather amused himself.
This was Lord Neeraja, the fifth of Spades and the Royal Healer of the Spadian monarchy along with Lady Aegaratt, the seventh of Spades, who stood beside him in silence as if wanting to stop such an act but was left to merely stand aside. Both of them were formerly the high priest and priestess of a temple dedicated to the Fates in Spades before they were chosen to be among the council members.
Lady Mei and Lady An Lien were close by as well, but seemed to be standing as the guards for the Queen of Hearts because he didn't seem to have a number or his fellow monarchs. How strange. Did Kiku prefer travelling alone or something? Maybe…but there was no assurance that it was indeed the case! Queen Kiku of Hearts is one of the hardest books to read if he was even considered a book… If he was a language, he's the most incomprehensible one that only his King seems to understand.
"Ah finally the King has made his appearance!" Alfred couldn't help but blink at this, looking over to see who called out to him to see his Knave walking over to him, "You made your guests wait for too long, aru…"
Alfred grinned at this and chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head lightly, "Sorry, sorry~. " He said and walked over to their merry little company, waving lightly to all of them. "Evening all, glad you guys could make it!"
"Good evening, your majesty." Kiku greeted with a light nod to him, hands hidden in his sleeves as per usual." Is the Queen unwell?" Asked the ebony haired royal of the Hearts as his face showed extreme worry, not seeing Arthur with him. He is the Queen's dear friend after all so, of course, he'll worry. Add that to the fact that the last time he visited, Arthur was in bed, sick with fever…well let's just say that Kiku was easily alarmed if he wouldn't be able to see the blond Queen in these sorts of festivities.
"Nah, Arthur is just helping our Ace into something nice..." He said with a kind smile to Kiku, reassuring him since he knew that Arthur wouldn't get into much trouble…hopefully, "Don't worry about him…"
"Ah, that's good to hear at least…" The Queen of Hearts said with a relieved sigh before the charismatic Diamond king stepped forward and draped his arm around Alfred's shoulder.
"Ohonhonhon~~ Perhaps your queen will show off with your Ace!", Francis mused with light chuckle and smiled slyly to him which made Alfred chuckle in amusement at him.
"Yeah… Maybe. He did say he wanted her to look at least presentable…" He said with a kind little smile to the Diamond monarchs.
Queen Lilian of Diamonds looked just as much of a little fairy queen, as she always had, standing beside Francis with a curious look upon her sweet and innocent face, " Oh… is your Ace a lady then, king Alfred?" She inquired with a small smile.
"Yup! And a rather pretty one too, if I do say so myself~ " Alfred said proudly as he slightly puffs his chest out.
This earned a disapproving gaze from the Knave of Clubs who had kept quiet through the whole exchange until now, "Apologies, your majesty…But don't you think it's unfit for a woman to take the post of Ace?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. Oh wasn't he just brave to even utter that infront of the Spadian King, himself. He had to hand it to him—He was awfully blunt and Alfred liked blunt people enough to listen to him.
"And what makes you say that, Roderich?" King Francis asked as he looked over to him with a light smile, but his eyes seeming to be brooding at him, "It was Fates decision…not Alfred's. Are you questioning it with its judgment?"
With such a question thrown at him, Roderich couldn't help but bite his own tongue at this to remain silent. His eyes, however, were glaring with utter distaste at him while Francis just turned away from him to look back to Alfred instead.
"Now, now…this is a place for festivities." The Queen of Diamonds said before offering her hand to the Knave of Clubs who seemed surprised like everyone else. "May I have this dance?" She had that most enchanting smile that no one can go against that request. If Alfred was asked to dance with someone like Lilian, he was sure to take it without any second thought. She had this aura that she needed to be protected afterall.
"L-Lilian-" There goes the King of Diamonds pouting with such displeasure upon the request of his Queen, who was every bit of a smiling fairy. King Francis doesn't seem to approve of his Queen being friendly with others, proving Yao's observations about him being possessive quite true.
"It's a mere dance~" Lilian said as she took the confused Knave's hand and brought him to the dancefloor, leaving her King to an almost sobbing state.
"I think you've displeased Queen Lilian by how you answered the Club's knave" The Queen of hearts said chuckling. Alfred blinked once more… Oh so… that's what it is. "It is always nice to have someone whose warmth embraces all around her." Alfred just watched the two danced with the other nobles and nodded in agreement.
"As nice as it sounds, it is harder to be her King…" Francis admitted which made Alfred looked at him with a surprised expression. It was the first time that he heard Francis ever say something about being hard for him to do—and no, it wasn't about the ritual. It was easy to tell from that gaze which watched his Queen that he was…for once serious about something
"Speaking of Kings, I haven't seen Ludwig—Is he perhaps too busy?" Alfred just have to ask! Ludwig was one in his range when it comes to age so expected him to be quite the active person in such occasions. Could it be that the Queen of Hearts really prefers to be alone? Or was he really busy?
"He's…" Kiku opened his fan and looked away, "Ah… quite busy." Oh like, he'll believe that- The music stopped. All gazes were by the stairs and dang… all the adjectives vanished. Wow, Arthur wasn't kidding at all when he said he wanted their Ace to look presentable!
Dressed in an outfit of elegance that lacked of any other armor pieces, one would wonder why she would wear such light-looking armor for being the guard of the three monarchs. The color of her outfit looked to be a shade of navy blue decorated with golden linings while her gauntlets and boots looked as if they were made of black leather. Her head piece and her neck piece were studded with a sapphire-like gemstone that complimented her sapphire blue eyes.
All in all, the former blacksmith looked to be quite the stunning maiden standing beside her Queen who stood proud by her side, a hand of his holding her in an escort like position that made Alfred grin. Guess Francis was right, Arthur did wanted to show off with their Ace.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Ace of Spades…" Arthur introduced with all eyes on them, gesturing to her as Grace – who looked rather confident by his side – bowed her head in greeting to all of the nobility. There were gasps around the room but no one said a thing about displeasure—Afterall, no one wanted to say something bad when all of the four Kingdom's representatives were there.
"Good evening to everyone and thank you so much for attending this event…" She said calmly despite the small hint of nervousness and shyness that Alfred noticed about her. Well, who exactly wouldn't be nervous if you were so used to a simple life only to suddenly be attending a royal banquet at a short moment's notice?
Though, Alfred did mentally note that he should tell Arthur what a good job he did in dressing her up for the party. She was gorgeous, but not as beautiful as his Queen that stood by her side.
Yes, he thought of Arthur as beautiful. Was it bad?
Arthur guided the both of them over to their little group with the King of Diamonds just staring at Grace, looking to be enchanted by her as the young Queen of Diamonds giggled at such a sight, "A beauty your Ace is, Queen." She had just escorted by the Knave of Clubs a few seconds later of the Ace's arrival yet she was one to greet first, "A simple congratulations we bring from the Kingdom of Diamonds..."
"Many thanks, Queen Lilian…" Arthur said before kissing her hand and proceeded to greet the other royals – of course, this included snapping the King of Diamonds from his seemingly dazed gaze on their Ace with a threatening gaze. Alfred just watched the exchange of his little band of friends with a grin. The party was going rather smoothly as well with no really big problems arising to ruin the festivities.
That was until the Queen of Hearts raised his hand to catch their attention
"If I may, my liege, Ace of Spades…. May we see you skills?" He asked with an innocently curious smile to the said monarch before looking directly at Alfred, "That is... if only you permit it so, King of Spades…"
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No, this wasn't happening right!? Someone wake him up from this nightmare he was having!
There out in the middle of ballroom weren't couples dancing but the Knave of Clubs and his Ace, clashing their blade against one another- having a little duel for entertainment's sake for the guests and to satisfy everyone's curiosity of the new Ace's skill. Yao was right when he said that the Ace was quite a talented person in handling the sword and his Queen gave her the perfect attire to match those killer moves with elegance. Couldn't they just settle it with a match of chess or maybe a little game other than using those dreadful weapons!? Yes, he called a sword dreaded item. Why? Because for him, it was, indeed, a dreaded item. Alfred watched everything unfold as he stood by his Queen's side. Ah, he doesn't look all too well… he should really know his limit when it comes to magic.
When Alfred was about to whisper something to his Queen, there was gasps of terror among those who were watching. Alfred's eyes widen upon the sight of blood upon Roderich's lower lip. Grace had made Roderich bleed! She had parried an attack from the Knave and back flipped to gain distance between them and hit the Clubs monarch's chin in the process – whether it was intended or not, Alfred had no idea…
In all honesty, he was slightly proud because of this because Roderich had such an expression upon his face that showed he had doubted her skills and her right to actually take the place of an Ace! This could very be a lesson for him not to look down so easily upon a Spadian citizen, monarch or not!
The King of Spades looked to his Queen who had stood beside him through the whole show to see that he was just as shocked as he was before looking around to his company. He saw Lilian being comforted in the arms of her king, surrounded by both Lady Bella and Sir Feliks as well since she was openly against the use of violence in every aspect of the word.
"One moment, king… She isn't fond of such sights…"Arthur said and went to them to help comfort the young queen and Alfred couldn't help but follow on after him to see if she was alright.
"Dear, everything is fine…Worry not. It's over.." He muttered softly to her despite being so close to the Diamond king he so hated.
Francis gently ushered his Queen to the Spadian Queen's arms – to which Arthur gladly accepted her in - since the queens tended to have a much stronger bond than anyone could possibly imagine. Lili was still trembling a little in Arthur's arms as Arthur softly reassured her with quiet words of encouragement that could only be heard between them.
Alfred felt bad for agreeing to Kiku's requests earlier for a show of skill because he had to see such a heart breaking sight such as this and feel useless in trying to make it better. Speaking of the Queen of Hearts, the said monarch had made a quick step forward and immediately stopped the 'friendly' duel between them to approach Roderich and see the damage done as Yao brisk walked towards the stunned looking Ace, who looked as pale as a ghost from what she had just done.
Well, at least they were quick to act to avoid any more trouble, Alfred thought with a sigh before looking to his own numbers and nodding silently to them. As if knowing full well on what they must do, each one quickly left to scatter around the crowd just for an extra measure of precaution.
Turning his attention back to his Queen, he smiled upon seeing Lili looking better as she pulled away from Arthur to face her king with soft and embarrassed eyes, "Forgive me, my lord…" She apologized softly as Francis chuckled and took her hand to squeeze.
"Nonsense, my dear you mustn't apologize…" He spoke softly and kissed her hand gently as he pulled her close, "You've become very strong, my Queen…Very strong…You shouldn't apologize for such actions..." He cooed.
Now wasn't that such a sweet sight to see. Sure, Francis was rather open about being affectionate and comforting to his Queen but it just wasn't often that monarchs were blessed with such a sight like this, especially within their own circle.
Music filled the room once more and Alfred stole a glance to the center of the dance floor where the fighters were to see that they were gone and only Kiku was making his way back to them, walking immediately over to Arthur's side, "Are you alright?"he asked with a worried expression, seeing how weak Arthur looked all of the sudden.
Why you ask? The answer was simple, it was because Arthur had summoned a sword for the Ace to wield during the duel. The sheer amount of magic he had to use to summon it took quite a toll on his body as well.
"I'm fine my friend… Quite fine" he reassured even though it was clear on his face that he was far from being fine at all.
"I must insist that you need to rest..." insisted the ebony haired monarch, his brows furrowing in worry.
"That's what I told him!" Alfred interjected with a pout and looked to his Queen before glancing over to Kiku, "But you know my Queen is a stubborn headed monarch…" he said with a light chuckle that earned a sharp glare from Arthur.
Suddenly, the doors suddenly opened and the King of Hearts walked in with a rather unamused look upon face which drew some stares from the nobility. Well, not only the nobility but also from the Queen of Hearts himself.
"L…Ludwig?" He said in surprise as the said King frowned and walked over to them with measured and precise steps, "What are you doing here?"
"You actually expected me to stay put in the palace when I heard that you went with no escort?" he asked with a raise of a questioning eyebrow.
"… I had hoped for that, quite honestly.." Kiku said before sighing and shaking his head lightly with Arthur seeming to sweat drop at such a scene before him.
"My sincerest apology, if I did not comply with your unspoken wish, but I did promise to escort you this evening, my Queen..." He said dutifully before bowing to his Queen lightly, making his Queen smile a bit which he hid by drawing out his paper fan and opened it with a flick of his wrist.
"It cannot be helped anymore since you are already here, King Ludwig..." He said softly, closing his eyes gently.
Alfred chuckled at the scene before him before he felt a light tug at his sleeve, looking over to see Arthur looking as if he was trying his very best not to faint on the spot, but still managing to smile as he told the rest of the monarchs, " I must be going…"
"Leaving already, your majesty?" Asked Queen Lilian from the side who was being embracing by her King from behind, earning a small nod from the Spadian Queen.
" Quite so, Queen Lilian… I must retire early for the night..." He said before turning to Alfred and whispered gently in his ear, "King…Stay with them for formality's sake.."
Oh no…not again…Hasn't he done enough hosting for the evening?! No… that's beside the point. He had to stay with Arthur! He looked like he was about to pass out!
"Are you sure? Should I ask someone to escort you back to your room?" He asked with unhidden worry upon his features, his blue eyes looking rather anxious.
"No need for that… I can manage on my own.." He reassured with a small smile before leaving the ballroom, leaving Alfred just there to reluctantly watch him leave.
Oh Fates, help him to figure out why his queen wanted to do things on his own even when he could easily ask for help on such small matters. It always left him anxious. With a sigh, Alfred looked back to the other monarchs present with him, only to see Francis holding Lilian rather shamelessly in public. Obviously the said Queen was quite keeping him at bay but Alfred with the knowledge that his Queen was pretty much in trouble - "Geez! Get a room, why don't cha?!"
"Is that an offer, your Majesty~?"
"Hell no!"
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Finally, the monarchs from each kingdom left! Terrific! Now he just had to entertain the other nobility…Great, his work continues… Inwardly, Alfred sighed because he wanted nothing more than to be with his Queen and see if he was alright. Sure, he could very well trust that he could be sleeping soundly in his chamber as of now but what if that wasn't the case? What if he didn't reach his room? What if he fainted on his way there? Lying on a cold hard floor in the dark?! What if-
"Well, I have to say. I didn't expect this, aru…" The familiar voice of his Knave said, easily breaking his train of thoughts as the King looked over to the smiling brown eyed monarch. Where had he been-Oh right, he went and lead the other monarchs to their carriages at the castle grounds.
"Didn't expect me to fulfill my duties for once?" He asked, sounding more like a statement actually with how he said it because he knew damn well that people didn't have enough faith in him to carry out his responsibilities as king. "As much as I love being here, Yao... I also want to check up on Arthur, but if he wants me to stay then I will… Besides, he needs to rest because of all the magic he used on our new Ace..." He grumbled as he took a glass of champagne from a servant who passed by and took a sip from it.
"It's always nice to see the King in you, aru.." He muttered in a somewhat proud manner, since after all it was rare for Alfred to be this way. "But after the royals leave, it is certain that you shall leave for quarters as well…" He trailed off before adding, "The Ace you speak of is right beside the Queen at the moment...well aren't they quite close~!"
"Oh what?," Alfred said in surprise, staring a bit at him. Well, isn't that nice. Grace was beside Arthur when he, himself, couldn't be. Not that he was jealous of it or anything! No way was he freaking jealous about the Ace being beside his Queen! "Nice to know that she's doing her duties..." He said before looking to the people, mainly wanting to avoid his eyes so he couldn't be read. "And to leave a party that was for her...isn't she just wonderful..." The King said with heavy sarcasm in his voice, something he picked up from Arthur's constant sarcasm on a very healthy daily basis.
"Is that jealousy I sense, your majesty?"
Darn, he knew him too well now. Alfred sighed at this, knowing reasoning himself out wouldn't help as Yao chuckled in amusement at him. The knave looked away and turned his gaze to the crowd, remaining silent for a moment as he watched the people celebrating."That Knave…He was testing her power. I think that's downright disrespectful…" He finally said after a long pause, frowning as he went back to the earlier events of Roderich and Grace's small farce of a duel.
"Well...Roderich has a way of underestimating people...that's his down side... But if he was under orders from Ivan...then that's a whole different story. " Alfred said, frowning as his eyes seemed to narrow and slit dangerously. Yeah, he was still very much angry at Ivan for many good reasons. One was their obvious difference in opinions.
Yao merely sighed. "We don't want any wars coming our way but if they persist such provoking action—" He stopped midway, hesitating to finish it, knowing Alfred would be able to understand.
"I don't want any wars either Yao... So we have to be patient enough with the Kingdom of Clubs...I have a feeling Ivan is working without consulting his Queen..." Alfred said as he closed his eyes gently, sighing as he downed the rest of his champagne with one long gulp.
"From what I hear, he doesn't get along with his Queen." Yao stated as he crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow at his king's daring but continued nonetheless. "Last time I talked with the Queen of Clubs, she was in foul mood. As things progressed, you shouldn't let your guard down."
"Yeah, I know..." The king said as he closed his eyes, finger tapping against the glass lightly, "And neither should everyone else. We don't want this to lead to a war like… that one.."
Ah… The Great War that had brought such demise and suffering across all the lands, sparing no with such bitter tragedies and lose. It could have even been the extinction of every kingdom has it not been stopped.
Yao let out a loud sigh at that, putting his hands inside his sleeves – a habit he does when he was worried or anxious. "That would be the worst outcome to anything...Ah, most Queens of that time was sent to the grave."
" I will not let that happen again..." Alfred said, one hand clenching into fists, the other still holding his champagne flute, as he clenched his teeth together, " No Royal should have their blood spilt..."
"I admire such a dream, King" he muttered before smiling a bit. "But isn't it the duty of every royal to die first before their King and people face the blade?" He muttered softly, looking over to his king with a wary expression.
"I'll change that tradition... Mark my words Yao... You'll live to see the day that I'll change all of it..." He said, looking too serious to be joking. Ever since the beginning… Ever since the start of his reign ... He wanted to be a ruler that would bring about a better change for everyone in the kingdom and open up a better future for them all in a world where they would no longer be dictated by what they can and can't do.
"I'll be looking forward to it then" Yao muttered as he stepped forward and claps his hands three times and announces the celebration was over. He thanked the guests, numbers and even some chosen citizens for coming to the said occasion.
Giving one last sigh, Alfred slipped away from the last of the formalities needed. He was truly dying to see how his Queen was and was worried out of his wit's ends but then again… It was better for him to worry than to let his Queen be the worried one.
"If you're afraid, then we – no… I can wait for you… for as long as you want me to." Alfred whispered into his sobbing partner's ear, running his fingers through his hair lightly to calm him down from such sadness and fear.
"Waiting.. Merely waiting would hurt, Alfred." Arthur said as he buried his face into his king's chest, "I cannot risk you getting hurt in any way!" He exclaimed into his chest, making the King smile rather warmly – but also sadly.
" For the sake of you and for the sake of our kingdom.. I'll be willing to wait as long as eternity.." He reassured, daring a soft kiss by the side of his head as he continued to hold him close to him, close enough for Arthur to even hear his calm heart beat.
" An eternity…" Arthur repeated, looking up at him desperately, eyes shimmering with tears and held such emotions that pleaded him to rethink what he said or even take it back, " Alfred, please… Your life.. I don't want you to suffer such an ill fate. Be it me alone to suffer but not you.." He begged him, hands clutching at his shirt.
Alfred chuckled lightly at this, eyes soft as he gently wiped away his tears with his thumbs, " Arthur.. I am the King of Spades. The king who rules over Power and Time. I can withstand anything and any pain given to me, so you don't have to worry about me. " he said and smiled sadly for him, " Worry about yourself because our people need you. To let you shoulder pain would mean letting our people perish.. Do you want that?"
"Bloody hell.." He cursed out of sheer frustration for his damned fate as the Queen of the kingdom, " Th..Then, we simply must endure. For our people and for the Spades.." He said in defeat, but held him as close as possible still.
"Took the words right out of my mouth.." Alfred mused gently in Arthur's ear, swaying them gently from side to side, matching the silent rhythm and music of their beating hearts.
It didn't take long for him to reach it though and opened the doors quietly to peek inside. In the darkness, he saw no one else in the room other than Arthur which made him wonder where Grace was if she wasn't here as Yao had said she would be.
Pushing the thought aside, he walked inside and closed the door behind him gently – silently – before he went over to Arthur. He knelt by his bedside, seeing him fast asleep all curled up there like a child.
'Cute…' He thought with a smile and went to gently caress his cheek before the Queen lightly stirred but refused to open his eyes. He groaned momentarily as Alfred just watched him, eyes soft and loving as he watched his Queen slowly awaken, "Artie?"
Said man slowly opened his eyes upon being called out and almost immediately met with the king's eyes, " Alfred…" he whispered gently and slowly sat up in bed, " Is…Is the party over? Did anything undesirable happen after I left?" He asked worriedly which actually looked rather adorable for Alfred considering he just woke up.
" No…nothing…" He reassured and gently pushed him back down to the bed, "Lay down and rest… It looks like you still need it..." he said with a light chuckle and sat on the floor beside him, his eyes twinkling gently as he just looked Arthur over with such kindness and love... Something he might not have been able to do just a few and mere hours ago…
" I…I see…" Arthur said as he allowed himself to be pushed down upon the soft mattress, closing his eyes to relax a bit before sighing, " I was barely even there at the event, dammit!" He let out in frustration, covering his eyes with an arm.
"Hey, no worries. You needed the rest after all…" He said with a kind smile and gently reached a hand out in order to take one of the queen's and give it a light and gentle kiss, " Feeling better though?"
" I'm fine of course.." He said before lightly tugging on his hand to get him onto the bed, "Why don't you sit here on the bed? You aren't supposed to be on the floor.."
"'Cause the floor is comfier than the bed~ " Alfred reasoned jokingly, grinning such a goofy grin as he refused to move from his spot on there by his bed side.
"But you can have better rest here…" He said with a little pout on his face that Alfred placed on his almost endless list of what he loved about him, starting from the little things that many people wouldn't notice to the big things, like his sudden bursts of anger or otherwise.
"I know I can… but I want you to have the bed so you can sleep better." Alfred said with a gentle smile and nuzzled his hand, "I can sleep in my room tonight so you can rest as much as you want." He reasoned and went to kiss each of his fingers in an innocent and loving way.
And knowing he couldn't really reason with his King in such a state, Arthur relented with a sigh, " If you say so…Anyway, I do hope our Ace didn't stir up anything with the Knave of Clubs. I worry for the Queen of Diamonds…" Arthur voiced out with a frown, clearly troubled by the events earlier this evening.
"I can't really say for certain about that…" Alfred muttered truthfully, looking up at him over his wireless rimmed glasses. Typical. His Queen worries about others and not himself. Joy. "Either he was acting on his own… or he was ordered to do it by Ivan.." He frowned upon such a vile thought entering his mind, but nevertheless it was still a possibility for that to happen.
"Dear my…" Arthur whispered as he squeezed his King's hand gently, knowing this troubled his mind greatly. "Shall I talk to the Queen of Clubs about this?" He asked, knowing Elizabeta had the authority in that land.
Queen Elizabeta and King Ivan of Clubs were one of those combinations that didn't exactly had a choice but to work together but it isn't a secret that the two monarchs were quite always in each other's throats because of different views in both politics and tactics. Queen Elizabeta was a lady of great pride from a family of great military leaders King Ivan, however, was the son of the former King of Clubs who was quite known for his tyranny. Ivan lived in his father's shadows along with his older and younger sister.
"I don't think that would be of much help. The King of Clubs might not even listen to his Queen..." Alfred said with a sigh and went to rest his forehead at the edge of the bed to hide his troubled face from Arthur.
"Alfred, one thing is for sure. We must keep our patience with them and if we are struck then we are left with no other option but to fight back…" He said softly and reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Which is the last thing that I want.." Alfred said, still hiding his face away as he clenched his hands into fists, " I… don't… want… war!" he said, sounding saddened as he shook his head for emphasis.
"I know..." He said as he slowly sat upon the bed, "That's why at any cost, I'll do my best to help you avoid it…" he muttered before moving to sit beside him. "As King you have the power to do that. Me, Yao and the others are here to help you." he added as he wraps his arms around him gently.
Alfred sighed at this, raising his head to look up to his beloved Queen before hugging him back tightly, "I don't want to lose you..." He admitted in a whisper, obviously scared as he closed his eyes gently.
The Queen's eyes widened in surprise at this before he relaxed and gently kissed the side of his head with such love and care for the man in his arms, " Alfred…. You won't lose me… You won't." He said and closed his eyes to ball his hands into fists at Alfred's shirt.
Does he mean such words? Does he really have no intentions of leaving him even when the worst comes for them? Would he still remain by his side no matter what? "You promise? Even when everything falls and crumbles around us, would you stay by my side still?" He asked desperately, cradling him in his arms like a precious gem that he had found in the rough.
There was a short pause from him, but the simple words he said afterwards eased Alfred even for just a little bit, "I promise…"
A promise… It was all a promise... a test… Something they had to endure together for the safety of the kingdom and all its citizens. Knowing just how risky this all was for everyone - and how just downright forbidden this was for them – they had to sacrifice and stay strong for each other's sake.
They were both so madly in love with each other that it would be no wonder that their thirst for the other's protection would manifest and become a wish that was made true by Fates thru their new Ace; the protector of the monarchy and the one who has vowed her whole life dedicated to keeping them alive...
With her there to protect them, they were safe to love even in secret now right? They were safe to exchange feelings now because they were so well guarded now…Right? 'As long as I have you by my side, I have nothing more to ask. Nothing more but to keep you in arms—all safe and warm.' Alfred thought to himself before he himself slowly closed his eyes.
It was faint but he heard someone whisper on his ear…no, a whisper from deep within his soul. "Would you like me to fulfill that wish?"
To be continued…