Hey there! I'm back with Chapter 13! We return to the Kingdom of Aces in this chapter, and Antonio makes a promise to Emma while Lovino spends the day unconscious. I'm sorry if I made Emma sound really manipulative and whatnot, I wanted to make her extremely overprotective of Lovino, and because she knows that Antonio has feelings for him she's willing to get them closer if it means that Lovino will be safe! I hope it's a legit reason, I needed to come up with a reason behind why Antonio and Lovino will get to spend more time with each other even though Antonio is just his guard.

So yep! Do enjoy this chapter!

Antonio was surprised when the Queen summoned him. He hurried over to the balcony overlooking the garden, where the servant had told him Emma was waiting at. A day had passed after the carnival, and Lovino still remained in bed.

It was a pity, Antonio thought. The sun was shining rather brightly that day.

He found Emma sitting at the glass table, sipping her tea while seemingly staring at something in the distance. The fingers on her porcelain cup were shaking as she brought the cup to her lips slowly and a few drops spilt onto her white dress. This drew an immediate reaction from Antonio, who shouted for her. Emma's head jerked towards him and she took notice of the tea on her garment, stains slowly spreading across the fabric. She set the cup back down onto the table and looked around uselessly for a cloth. Her eyebrows were tight in annoyance, as if the spillage had just been added to her already long list of worries and frustrations.

Antonio could read her expression. Emma was known to have a cheery and easy-going demeanor, but when something was troubling her, it was obvious on her face. He offered to get a towel for her, and the Queen hesitated for a moment before shaking her head and testily refused, "Forget it. Please take a seat."

The formality perturbed Antonio slightly, but then Emma closed her eyes and exhaled, releasing all her pent-up tension and smiling at her old friend. The usual fire in her jade green eyes that exuded friendliness was only but a faint flicker, and it was then that Antonio realized that there were no other servants with them. Emma had wanted their meeting to be private.

"Is there anything wrong, Your Majesty?" he asked, pulling out the chair opposite Emma's and sitting down.

Emma leant forward, as if to create an even more personal space between the both of them. Her cat-like smile fell, a façade taken apart to make way for a serious set of lips. "It's about the King. Lovino."

Antonio nodded slowly, not sure where their conversation was heading but his curiosity was piqued at the mention of the King. Lovino. It had a really nice ring to it and Antonio suddenly found himself wondering how it would taste on his tongue – what happened at the dance was not enough. It was too little, and Antonio already found himself craving for more.

"He isn't doing very well, and his body is getting weaker and weaker. Plus, I've been receiving letters from the people, all asking about their King. His secret's out and I'm afraid the other Kingdoms might come to know of it. Consider me paranoid, but I'm scared they will come for him one day. I can't let that happen," Emma explained lowly, as if fearing that someone would hear them. Antonio's eyes, skilled from training, surveyed the area and revealed that there was definitely nobody around.

"I…" Emma started, then paused again to stare at the table, frown deepening in thought. Antonio could tell that she was hiding something, and that she was unsure of whether she could trust him. Her fingernails were clawing at the tablecloth unconsciously, and despite himself, Antonio reached out and placed his hand over hers comfortingly.

"Emma," he stated kindly, attempting to assuage her fears. This time, he was helping her as a friend, not as someone working under her. "I'm guessing you're worried about the King. Don't worry, I'll do my best to help."

He felt Emma relax and her eyes, rimmed by dark circles, flashed in gratitude. "I saw the both of you dancing yesterday, and…"

Now, it was Antonio's turn to tense up. He had lain in bed the night before, attempting to replay the dance in his mind, but all he could see was Lovino rushing towards the fallen woman and slitting his skin open, and then collapsing. Antonio had been overwhelmed by complete panic, and everything else that happened after that was a rush of events. He vaguely recalled him scooping the King up into his arms and carrying him over to the horses. He briefly remembered himself running, limbs powered only by instinct, through the crowd.

"I saw the way you looked at him, Antonio. I know you have feelings for him, so I was wondering if you would like to protect him," Emma finished. Antonio realized that his normally laidback friend was staring at him with a rare fierceness that somehow betrayed that she was only going to accept one kind of answer.

If Antonio really went and thought about it, he remembered dating a few times, but they had all led to break-ups because everything just had not worked out. He had gone out with both men and women, but the end result had always been the same. Antonio was the kind of person who lived and breathed passion, and all of his past relationships had not been able to burn brightly enough for him. It just had not felt right for any of them. The people whom he had dated had been genuinely nice, but they had just not been The One. Antonio wanted to find The One, someone who would be his soulmate. Most people married only just because they were ready, but Antonio was different. He would not settle for anyone except that one person who would be able to make everything feel right – who would be able to make him feel as if all the pieces of the big puzzle that was the universe had fallen into place and that there was no one else he would rather be with.

The dance he had had with Lovino was short, but at the balcony, he could suddenly recall how it had felt – like no one else in the carnival existed besides the two of them, and it felt like the starting spark of something new, something that could possibly kindle a raging fire. He did not know Lovino very well yet, but Antonio wanted to. He wanted to take a chance on Lovino.

"Protect him? I already am doing that, aren't I? And so are Alexandre and the others."

Okay, maybe that was not the answer Emma had been looking for.

Emma groaned. Alright, that was definitely not what she had been wanting to hear.

"Yes, but I want you to really protect him. Lovino's like my brother and we have been through a lot together. I can't imagine ruling the Kingdom without him and I don't ever want to see him get hurt. You're the only person I can truly trust to protect him. Do you understand what I mean?"

Against all odds and the thick-headedness he had that all of the other guards laughed at him at, Antonio understood. Emma wanted him to not only protect Lovino with his life, but with everything he had. "I promise, Emma. Wherever he goes, I will follow, and I will make sure that he returns safely. I will defend him to my last breath and I won't let anyone, King or commoner, lay a finger on him."

He finished with a determined nod, giving Emma's delicate hand a light but firm squeeze, sealing the pact. "I promise you, Emma."

Emma's eyes were watery as she nodded back, now less burdened. "I know you do. Thank you, Toni."

Antonio smiled at the old nickname. He had not heard that from her in years.

"You should probably go back to doing your duties," she told him, and he stood up in acknowledgment.

"Goodbye, Your Majesty," he bided. Their conversation had ended, and that signaled the return of formality. However, just as Antonio turned to leave, Emma called out after him, "You have my approval, by the way!"

His look of confusion was only met by an innocent shrug.

Emma leant back against the chair, heaving a sigh of relief. Her plan had gone well. She had grown up with Antonio, and she knew that once he loved someone or found a worthy cause, he would go all out to fight for them and she had observed the pair at the carnival. Antonio had behaved as though Lovino was the only person worth looking at in the crowd and she had seen that all of his attention, and his being, had been fixated on Lovino and Lovino only. She had seen the way his eyes had softened and shone with thinly-veiled adoration, the beginnings of what his feelings would blossom into.

And Lovino – though the King was not extremely confident of himself, he had never acted that shy and whenever Antonio turned to steer them in another direction, she had noticed Lovino sneaking glances at his partner. There had been chemistry between the both of them. Emma was sure of it. Which was why she now wanted the both of them to bond. She did not care about what others would think of her or of Lovino or Antonio; she only cared about Lovino's safety and she had seen an opportunity to ensure that.

One trait that Antonio and Lovino shared was that once they had they were bent on doing something, no one could stop them, so the best she could do was to ensure that that something for Antonio was protecting Lovino, in case the latter ever intended to do something stupidly noble. Yes, Lovino did stupidly noble things all the time, even though it always seemed like he did not care on the outside. It made Emma feel manipulative, but she hoped that her friends would be happy anyway, since it was obvious that their relationship could be developed further.

Emma picked up the teacup again, realizing that her tea had turned cold.

Lovino was running for his life. He was darting across the familiar cobblestoned streets of his Kingdom, the lanterns stringed across balconies the too-known symbols of the carnival. His legs acted like they had a mind of their own, one flying in front of the other based on pure fear. Sweat trickled down his neck and his clothing stuck to his skin, but Lovino was not deterred by the numbness slowly encasing his body and the fatigue overcoming his mind. The only thing he knew was to run, run, run, because he was in danger and if he did not run he would –

"Please help us, Your Majesty!"

He was not going to turn back, he was not going to turn back, he was not –

Lovino peered over his shoulder. The horde of people – his people – who had been chasing him had stopped, and out stepped a single lady. It was the lady he had saved at the carnival, the lady in the emerald dress who had collapsed. She was dragging her feet forward slowly, reaching one rotten arm out towards Lovino. The King, who had stopped fleeing, took a few steps back in caution.

"You failed to save us," the lady moaned, her voice sad as if it had come from the depths of her ailing heart. She fell to her knees, as more boils appeared on her skin, bursting and emitting pus.

No, they can't appear that quickly it normally takes a while –

"You're not doing enough, Your Majesty." She was pulling herself forwards, fingernails digging into the holes between the bricks. "You're not doing enough."

"What are you talking about? I saved you, I saw you get better I saw you stand back up –" Lovino's backtracking was stopped when he bumped into something soft.

"That's wrong, my King. You didn't save us." Lovino spun around, chest heaving in fear. He was panicking more than ever and his mind had become blank, until he took in the face before him.

It was the old woman he had given his cloak to. She seemed worse than she had been when he had seen her: her frame had gotten even more skinnier and half her face had rotted away. Lovino could see her jawbone. At her feet, tugging at Lovino's pants, was her grandson. His eyeballs were missing, leaving only empty sockets that kept on spilling blood onto the ground, onto Lovino's shoes, everywhere –

Lovino screamed.

His muscles tensed up and he bent forwards, ready to bolt off, when he realized that he could not move. He looked back down, only to see that all of the people were grabbing at his legs, their sockets now empty and their faces groaning not his title, but his name.

"Lovino…" they wailed, their cries similar to nails on a chalkboard and their fingers scrabbling over his skin. They were piled up on top of each other, a massive, writhing pile. Scratches had appeared on Lovino's flesh, and he could not move no matter how much he tried. He remained rooted to the ground by his people, and all he could do was scream and scream for it all to stop.

"Stop! Please! I tried, I swear, I tried…" Lovino started sobbing, fresh tears streaming down his already grimy face and mixing with snot and sweat. I can't do this, I can't –

"Lovino!" Someone was shouting his name, and it rang out clear in the mess. Lovino snapped to attention, eyes searching the area desperately. It was Antonio. Wait, what? He was standing on the stage (Where did that come from?) and waving vigorously at Lovino, dressed in his usual surcoat.

"Take my hand!" The Knight yelled, bending over the edge of the stage and extending his hand out.

Fuck, he's too far away.

"I can't! You're too far away!"

"You can do it, Lovino! Just try!" Antonio smiled in that familiar way of his, his lips spreading encouragingly.

"I can't fucking move! I can't do it!" Lovino screamed back. To his horror, his skin had started turning a swollen red.

"Shit HELP ME!" He wanted to kick at the people; wanted to swipe at them and escape, but all of his urges merely remained unanswered by his body, persistently pushing to no avail.

"You have to believe in yourself! Faith is the only thing you need!"

Lovino was too caught up to curse at Antonio. Instead, he only nodded helplessly and squeezed his eyelids shut. He could feel his arms aching as boils broke the surface of his flesh, but he kept on repeating to himself, "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this."

And he finally lifted his arm. Instantly, he felt someone grabbing his elbow firmly, pulling him forwards. The pressure holding him down suddenly vanished, and when Lovino reopened his eyes, he was staring at none other than the face of Antonio.

"Be careful, Your Majesty," Antonio chided kindly, and Lovino stood up straight again, only to be pulled towards the right. Confused golden eyes flitted around the surroundings, and he saw that he was at the carnival. Panic seized his heart momentarily, until he realized that the people around him were dancing and there was no one with bloody faces and gouged-out eyeballs. It was only then that Lovino realized that he was also dancing. With Antonio.

Oh.

At that moment, he realized that his hand was clasped in Antonio's and he felt his cheeks warm at the feeling of Antonio's other hand just below his shoulder blade. He let himself get swayed sideways, mind lagging behind and still recovering from the shock earlier on, and glanced at his partner.

He was surprised when he saw that Antonio had been staring at him. There was something off about Antonio, however. His usually cheerful bottle green eyes shone with a much deeper intensity and his huge ever-present grin was gone, replaced by a small and pensive curl of his lips that hid whatever was on his mind. The seriousness of his expression unsettled Lovino a little.

"Hey, urm. Are you okay?"

Antonio did not answer his question, but instead leant forward and whispered into his ear, voice tinged with something different that sent an unexpected shiver down Lovino's spine. "Would you like to move to somewhere more private, Your Majesty?"

The way he said "Your Majesty" had none of the respect and reverence that others had when they said it, but had a teasing lilt to it instead. Lovino could not deny that he quite liked the way Antonio had said it. He did not remember nodding, and only remembered being led away from the crowd and into an alley, before he felt himself being pinned against the wall, his arms pushed against the hard concrete. Antonio leant over him, his face visible only due to the dim lights hanging above. Alone with him, Lovino caught the smell of sweat on Antonio, but he could also smell the castle's stables and a hint of something spicy that for some reason made the blood in his veins feel hotter. Both of them were panting lightly, and Lovino watched as Antonio's eyes swept him over downwards, before returning to his face and settling on his lips. Lovino squirmed weakly, his mind telling him that it was definitely not a good idea to be this close to Antonio, but his body was tensed up and impatient, as if expecting something.

Something that if he dug into the depths of his mind, was something he wanted. Well, damn the boundaries. Damn it all.

Antonio licked his lips. Once, then twice. Lovino looked away, blushing, suddenly incredibly self-conscious. He could already feel his blood rushing to a certain somewhere, and he could not look Antonio in the eye.

"Look at me, Your Majesty." Those words felt familiar, and Lovino tried to grasp at the fleeting memory but failed. He responded to the surprising gentleness in Antonio's voice, much like the way he was held at the dance earlier, by shyly turning back, only to feel another pair of lips crashing against his.

Lovino's first reaction was to slam his head forwards.

"OUCH!"

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Emma.

"Yeah, I think I'm alright hahaha…"

Lovino's eyes shot open. He realized he was lying on his bed, and the first thing he saw was Emma, rushing forwards with a worried expression on her face.

"Lovino! You're awake!" She grabbed both his shoulders and shook the sleep out of his eyes, but it only made his head feel like it was going to split into two.

"Cut it out, Emma…" Lovino groaned, groggy vision focusing on the room around him. He took in the mirror, the bedside table, the small portrait of him and Feliciano, Antonio...

Wait. What the fuck?

Lovino pointed one finger accusingly at Antonio, who was standing at the corner of the room rubbing his head. "What the heck is he doing here?"