Chapter Three: Decisions

A few weeks had passed, and the staff of Spades Castle were rushing around organising the eventual wedding between Prince Alfred and Arthur. The Jack of Spades was running between each area of the castle, checking that preparations for Arthur's Coronation as Queen were running smoothly.

Since Arthur was not of Royal Birth, he would need a Coronation to recognise his authority on the throne; such is written in Spadian Law. Alfred was the Crown Prince, so the wedding would be enough to establish his leadership as the King of Spades; recognising his power over his Kingdom and the people within it. Though Alfred intended to rule his Kingdom with advice from his Queen and Jack.

Despite the raucous in the palace and Kingdom, Alfred and Arthur simply enjoyed one another's time together. The green-eyed male had declined moving into the palace until he and Alfred were married; he was a family man and did not want to leave his mother and five siblings so soon.

After a day with the Prince in the palace, Arthur returned home, greeted with a hug from his twin siblings, Eoin and Eire. Both were brunette, Eoin had brown eyes, and Eire had olive green eyes; the two of them were the same height and had the same features.

"Welcome home, Your Majesty," they chorused as they tackled their brother in a hug; chuckling afterwards. The blond male sighed softly, returning the hug before going to greet his other family members. A blond boy, who was the picture of Arthur just with blue eyes, ran towards him and hugged him around the waist. This was Peter, around twelve years old, he was the youngest of the Kirkland family.

Arthur's elder siblings included Alistair, a fiery redhead with bright green eyes, and Dylan, blond with blue eyes. The twins were younger than Arthur by two years.

"Arthur, my dear. Welcome home," a frail woman, seemingly in her fifties, wandered into the main room where the siblings were conversing. Her blond hair faded into white in places, and her face was decorated with thin wrinkles and laugh-lines. Arthur's mother, Victoria, was a calm and loving woman. A soft smile crossed her chapped lips as she saw her son; the new Queen of Spades.

The blond stepped away from his siblings and took his mother's hand, kissing her cheek. "It's good to be home Mama." He carefully wrapped his arms around his mother, nuzzling her neck as he had done when he was a child. She returned the gesture, her wrinkled hands delicately laid against her son's back. "I ensure that you're all doing well for the moment?"

"We're doing just fine, love. Alistair and Dylan are doing a wonderful job keeping the produce up to your father's heavenly stature. God rest his soul." A small hint of sadness tugged at Victoria's voice as she remembered her husband, Richard Kirkland. He had died three years previous; he was sick and simply could not get better. At the time, the Kirklands were struggling for money due to a poor summer; their crops had faltered, meaning they had little to sell at the market.

Arthur placed a hand on his mother's shoulder, "Everything will be fine, Mama. Once the Prince and I are married, I'll try and persuade him and the Jack to let you move closer to the castle, to provide you with the support you all need!" His emerald eyes sparkled; endearment for his mother and family evident in his voice.

The woman chuckled lightly, "I'm sure you will, my darling. Though do not worry about us; we're doing perfectly fine here for now." She glanced down at her son's gloved hands, taking his right one into her own frail hands. She traced a small pattern with her fingertip onto his palm. "Why must you wear these? You're found now, love-"

"I don't want them to know! They cannot know that I was hiding all this time; I hid because I wanted to stay here with you Mama, especially when Papa was sick! You all needed me here, I couldn't just use this as my ticket out of here; it would immoral and unfair to you all!" He cried out, swiping his hand back and holding it to his chest.

His mother stepped back in fright, she had never seen Arthur so riled up for a long time. His calm, gentlemanly demeanour had slipped away momentarily out of panic and fear. Arthur's emerald eyes had shrunk; he had snapped at his own mother.

"I… I'm sorry…" He bowed his head in shame, only to look up again when a pair of soft hands cupped his cheeks and a kiss was pressed to his head.

"There is no need to be sorry, my child. It was I who brought forth the incident. Please forgive me," a childish smile rose on his mother's face; playful, the same as she had been when Arthur was a boy.

Arthur held his mother, trying to convince her that it was his fault for shouting. Though the woman was having none of it, eventually settling her son down and asking Eire to assist in making dinner.

Calm had come over the Kirkland household once more. Victoria was happy to have her son home for the last few weeks that they'd see each other every day. She was excited that her son would be married, especially to the Prince; though she would mourn the day that her child would fly the nest and create a new family alongside Prince Alfred.

Around a week later, Alfred was accompanied by his sweetheart as they performed their usual routine: walk through the gardens of Spade Castle, chatting idly about what had occurred in the time that they had not been together, Arthur was teased whenever he blushed around the Prince revealing a sour attitude that Alfred hadn't expected, and simply enjoying one another's presence as their wedding got ever closer.

Alfred was walking beside Arthur, noticing that the blond was a little more sullen than usual. He took his hand and held it tight, kissing the back of it. "What's the matter, Artie? You seem a little down."

"Beg your pardon? Please refrain from referring to me by that nickname," a pout appeared on Arthur's lips, a soft blush rising to his cheeks. "Also, nothing's wrong. I'm just a little tired from the trip that's all." He had arrived at the castle only a few minutes ago, so this excuse was plausible; yet Alfred couldn't help but think that there was something more.

"You're normally really happy to come to the palace. What's got you so down?" He stopped his tracks and turned Arthur to face him.

The blond sighed softly, "It's just… the recognition that I won't see my family every day. It's going to be odd experiencing that after the wedding and Coronation." His eyes flicked down to the ground, catching a glimpse of his gloved hand at the same time.

The Prince frowned, wrapping his arms around the other male, holding him close and brushing a hand through his hair. "I understand Arthur… If you like, I could try to convince Yao to let them move closer to the castle if need be?"

A small gasp escaped the other's mouth as he turned his gaze up to the Crown Prince in shock, yet excitement. "Y-You mean it Alfred?"

"Of course! If that'd make you happy!" A bright smile crossed his face, teeth bare and shiny white.

Arthur embraced the Prince with a hug and a passionate kiss; as well as a million thanks.

A little while later, Alfred and Arthur wandered to the Jack's office. The Prince knocked respectfully; after a moment, the elder male opened the door. His dark eyes bore into the sight of the Prince and his companion.

"Ah, Your Majesties. Do come in," he stepped aside and bowed to them, allowing them into the room. The two sat down at chairs opposite a rosewood desk, then joined by the dark-haired male. "Now, what can I do for you? There are many preparations that need to be completed if you two are to be wed."

Alfred explained that Arthur felt he would become homesick, much to the green-eyed male's annoyance, and that he was wondering if his family could move closer to the castle so Arthur would be able to see them often. Unfortunately, the Jack scoffed in distaste; a frown line becoming more noticeable on his forehead.

"That cannot happen. Arthur will have duties as Queen once he ascends to the throne after the Coronation! If his family were moved closer to ease the distance between them, how can you be certain that your betrothed will remain here for his duties?" Wang Yao cried out, speaking of Arthur as if he was not in the room. The soon-to-be Queen bowed his head, his hands clutched tightly together, shaking slightly.

"That's not fair! Arthur has every right to be with his family should he want to! Your answer is bullshit Yao, and you know it!" The Prince growled in anger, but he then turned his attention to Arthur, who had gotten up and was walking toward the door. "A-Arthur, where 'ya going?"

Silence filled the room for a few moments. Arthur then removed his gloves, turned back to the two and placed his right hand on his heart; the Marking of the Queen stained the back of his hand. The Mark was a Spade made up of numerous connecting, flowing lines, a small rose inked in the centre. "I'm going home to my family. Despite, my status in this castle and nation."

Yao and Alfred were wide-eyed; the Queen was found by pure chance? Why didn't he come forward sooner? The Jack got up from his seat and rushed to Arthur, grasping his hand violently and scratched at the back of his hand, to see if the marking was fake. However, the male's pale skin, reddened from the incessant scratching, was still stained with the birthmark of a Queen.

Arthur's green eyes were dark in anger, "If you'll excuse me. I'm going to go back to-!"

"You can't just leave! You are the chosen one by fate! We allowed you to leave the castle since you were the one Alfred had chosen; but fate herself chose you and you must be protected!" Yao ordered, pulling a small string, which hung from the ceiling, ringing a bell. "The guards will be here post-haste. You are to be under complete surveillance until the wedding. You will not be allowed out of your room until you ascend to the throne, My Queen. Such is the Law of Spades."

Arthur's eyes lit up in fear; under all the anxiety and pressure to reveal this partial-truth about himself, he did not want to be away from his family. Away from Alfred. He ran to the Prince, who held him tight and shouted to the Jack to change his mind. However, the Jack could not be swayed; as the guards entered the room, Arthur was seized and taken away.

One final call of each other's name linked the Prince and his Betrothed together, before Arthur was locked away in a room far away from Alfred's. The blond would not stop banging on the door as he tried to get out of the prison he had trapped himself in. Decisions were created to be made, and in Arthur's case, his decision had left him with emotional turmoil.

Author's Note:

Hey, everyone! So sorry that this is up late today, uni's been piling on the work as expected. Plus I had to write this chapter from scratch; all chapter's will be from scratch now. Before I had a few chapters written so I edited them and put them up. This time I had to write the whole thing in one sitting, so excuse the grammar or spelling mistakes, if any.

Just to confirm; I chose Victoria for Arthur's mother after Queen Victoria, Empress of India and such. Alistair is Scotland, Dylan is Wales, Eoin is Northern Ireland and Eire is Ireland (I liked the idea of them being twins who get on quite well, but will have disputes over subjects should the need call for it), and Peter is of course Sealand.

I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and see you next week!