Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting! I'm back with the third chapter, this time featuring the King of Clubs! The introduction to the Kingdom of Clubs will be quite long, so it will extend for more than one chapter. I wrote about Ivan's backstory in this chapter so hopefully you will like it and hopefully I added the appropriate emotions and managed to convey Ivan's feelings clearly. :) As mentioned, it's my first time writing so I'm probably really bad at describing scenes and all that but I'm still trying so do enjoy :D
For old readers, in case you're confused about the change in order, I apologise for the mess-up of chapters! One very helpful reviewer has kindly pointed out the really bad structuring, which I have amended and hopefully it's better now. :) I have changed the order such that the story opens with Lovino first, and then goes around the other Kingdoms so as to give you readers a clearer idea as to how the other Kingdoms are run (haven't touched on the Kingdom of Hearts yet though) and also the backstories of the Royals.
King Ivan Braginski never wanted to be King. As much as people said that those who ended up in the position had royalty in their blood and no one else would make a better choice for the throne, Ivan disagreed. Life in the castle appealed to many, with its glistening halls and expansive rooms, but when Ivan was helped into his green robes and the heavy velvet was draped across his shoulders, it was as if the weight of the garment was a symbol of the burden he was about to undertake – the burden of leading the Kingdom. One of the maids handed him his staff, a long, golden scepter that had a glittering jewel at its tip and Ivan took it from her, offering a tiny smile. He was nineteen when he discovered the mark in the shape of a club on his right shoulder. He had been bathing, moving the cloth over his arm when he realized something strange. It had been small at first, not bigger than a pea, but the sight of it had pierced Ivan with an iciness that crept from his heart to his toes, and suddenly the water had turned cold. Ivan had been sure. It could never be a mistake. The mark had been as clear as day, a blemish on his pale skin. He had known that from that morning onwards, it would start to grow, for its appearance meant that the current King's time was about to be up and that it was only a matter of days before he had to step up.
Of course, Ivan had tried desperately to hide it. But when his own father came crashing through the door to his and his two sisters' hideout, he knew that it was over. Ivan hated his father. He was an alcoholic, and would often come home intoxicated and with a bottle of vodka in his hand. Ivan hated the vodka. His father would sway unsteadily into the house, the bottle hanging loosely from his hand, and when he saw his children his eyes would focus, if only just for a moment, and his eyebrows would scrunch up tightly.
"You…" he would point at Natalya, then Katyusha, and always, always, his finger would eventually land on Ivan. Little Ivan was barely ten then, and all he knew was that when he was younger his mother had brought him and Natalya out to the sunflower fields to play. He could still remember his mother: Mariya Braginskaya was a beautiful woman with kind eyes and strong arms that would often hoist a laughing Ivan into the air and onto her shoulders, and from the view on top of his mother's shoulders, Ivan would watch as the breeze blew the sunflowers from side to side. Mariya had platinum blonde hair, like Katyusha, and a smooth, oval-shaped face like Natalya's. Ivan had inherited his rather large nose from Mariya, and whenever he was made fun of it, Mariya would playfully poke him on the nose and chuckle, "Well, think of it as a gift from your mother that will follow you everywhere!"
At that time, even Natalya still smiled. She was a smart girl, Mariya always said, and would definitely grow up to make a name for herself. Katyusha was big-hearted, she would add, and would make many friends and probably gain many admirers as well. And Ivan, she would turn to him, the laughter emitting from her lips light and not unlike bells upon seeing his eyes widen in anticipation. "You're special." Mariya would poke his nose again. "You will grow up to be a fine young man one day."
And Ivan believed it. His dream was to open a flower shop when he grew up; everyone would laugh at him whenever he mentioned his ambition but the truth was, Ivan loved flowers and he wanted to be able to share them with the world. Flowers brought joy, and he would be the joy-bringer of the Kingdom of Clubs and beyond. His plan was to start small and sell flowers but whenever he had an excess, he planned to leave them on the doorsteps of the less fortunate. Ivan particularly loved sunflowers. He loved them for their vibrant yellow hues, the way they brought the landscape to life, and the way they always followed the Sun. When he grew up, Ivan decided, he wanted his flower shop to be in the middle of a field of sunflowers. But that was before The Accident.
The Accident, as it came to be known as to their family, occurred when Ivan was eight. Mariya had taken Natalya and Ivan out to the sunflower fields, and the trio was playing a game of hide-and-seek that involved Mariya seeking her children. Ivan was running through the sunflowers while glancing around at his mother, who had her hands over her eyes and a grin on her face while she counted loudly. When he was finally satisfied with the distance he had put between himself and Mariya, he sniggered and took a few steps back – and the next thing he knew, he was falling through empty air.
Ivan screamed. He was so in shocked that his mind went blank except for five words: cliff, falling, help, die, Mom. The rocky surface of the cliff that he had missed rushed past him as gravity pulled him downwards, and all of a sudden he heard a loud thump and his back found solid ground. All was silent for a moment as Ivan laid on the ledge, his body paralyzed and his eyes frozen towards the sky. He took a moment to register that the noisy, wheezing sound and the deafening booming that persisted were his breathing and the beating of his heart. Everything suddenly seemed peaceful and the sky was still as blue. The boy exhaled and slowly sat up, surveying his surroundings. He realized that he had gotten lucky and had landed on a rather narrow ledge, just wide enough for him to lie on. A peer over the ledge brought a nauseating view of a rushing river and a couple of jagged rocks below. Ivan was sure, however, that if he had shifted a little to the side he would be careering downwards against the wind and get smashed against the rocks. He shuddered at the thought of his body lying broken beside the water.
"Ivan! Look up!" Ivan's head shot up at the sound of his mother's voice. He could see her head, peering over the edge of the cliff. The eight year old suddenly felt an immense sense of relief at the sight of his mother, and he silently thanked whoever had helped him and made a promise to do all of his overdue schoolwork when he returned home.
"I'm here! I'm fine!" Ivan shouted back. Another quick survey led Ivan to discover that he had only fallen a relatively short distance, and that drew another promise to help his parents clean the house later.
Mariya's face immediately regained some of its color and a bit of her usual smile returned. "Alright, can you reach my hand?" she said, lying on her belly and shuffling forward, dangling one arm below. Ivan stood up and stretched his arm out, but there seemed to be at least a metre's distance between their fingertips.
"I-I can't!" Ivan cried out in reply, panic rising in his chest. What if his mother could not pull him up? What if he was stuck there forever?
Mariya sucked in her breath. When she spoke again, her voice had grown shakier. "Okay Ivan, I'm coming down to get you."
Ivan watched as his mother's head disappeared from the edge again, probably to tell Natalya something, Then, he saw her leg, first stepping onto the rocks to test their stability before she brought the other leg down to find another firm hold in the cliff. Mariya's face was scrunched up in determination as she slowly made her way towards Ivan's ledge, occasionally glancing at her feet to find the next foothold. It struck Ivan how brave and heroic she was, coming down to his rescue. He knew that when his parents were younger, they were adventurous and known to be daredevils, scaling mountains and hiking in difficult terrain, so for some reason he knew that everything was going to be alright as long as his mother was around. Of course, at that time he was too young to notice the way Mariya's hands shook and the cold sweat that beaded on her forehead. It would be years later before he realized that his mother had been afraid.
"Alright, now I need you to be brave, okay? I'm not strong enough to hold you and climb back up, so you need to climb the rocks and it's going to be hard but I will be with you for every step." At his mother's words, Ivan's heart nearly stopped beating. Climb the cliff? It was impossible! His palms were already getting sweaty at the thought of scaling the wall.
"I can't… I'm scared!" he whispered fearfully. "What if I fall?"
"You won't," Mariya said firmly. "I promise I won't let you fall."
And the love in his mother's eyes made Ivan nod earnestly and put his hand onto the cliff, grabbing a rock that jutted out. He could never remember a time when his mother had broken a promise, so he trusted her more than anything.
"Put your other hand onto the wall. Come on, you can do this! Make sure that you have a firm grip. Don't worry; I will catch you if you drop. Now, move one of your legs onto the area here. Yes, there… The surface is slightly concave, it will provide a good foothold…"
And step by step, Mariya guided Ivan until he finally gripped the edge and hauled himself over. "I did it, Mom! Now it's your turn! You'll be fine right?"
"Yes, Ivan," Mariya said as she moved her right hand upwards, feeling across the wall for a suitable handhold. "I have had many years of experience so I'll be fine, I promise."
There it was again. "I promise." Ivan smiled. He knew his mother was going to be fine.
"Are you alright?" Natalya asked, reaching out to touch a scrape Ivan had on his knee. She looked up at her big brother with her wide eyes and expressed her concern by childishly swiping off the dirt on his clothes. Ivan nodded, peering over the edge to see his mother, who gave him a reassuring smile in return.
"Yes, Natalya. I'm alright-"
But for the second time of the day a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, and when Ivan and Natalya looked below, they saw a scene that would haunt their dreams from that day onwards. Just like that, it was over.
Years of experience had failed their mother. Their mother, the woman with the bright smile and twinkling eyes, the woman who loved lying in sunflower fields with her children, the woman with a heart that not only burned with a fiery thirst for adventure but also for her family, was lying broken beside the river. Just like Ivan had imagined himself before. Her eyes, those eyes with the slightly darker blue dots around their irises and that would shine with her adoration for Ivan and his sisters, were now wide open and empty in a never-ending stare towards the sky.
The sky. The sky was still the same expanse of blue, under which a woman laid beside the river, her spine broken and her flesh split from the sharpness of the rocks. As if someone wanted to add the final blow, a particularly pointed rock had penetrated her neck, from which crimson blood flowed freely, contaminating the pristine water and causing it to run red and thick. Her mouth was open in a scream that went on into forever, her voice permanently silenced by Death's scythe.
Mariya's body was like the promise she had made. Broken.
Ivan and Natalya lost track of what happened next. Maybe Ivan had cried and cried and Natalya had kept clawing at the grass until her fingers bled, but when their father came looking for them, he found them sitting at the edge in a painful silence. When he asked them what had happened, they merely pointed at the edge and sobbed again, Ivan rubbing at his already swollen eyes and Natalya clutching her dress tightly. Their father's howl was unearthly, but while Ivan expected him to comfort his children, he merely turned around and gave them a glare so fierce that it made his blood run cold, and the next thing he knew he had been given a hard slap on the face. That was the beginning of everything.
That's all for now! Please do review and let me know how the story is so far! ^^ Hopefully you enjoyed reading!