Author's Note:

Just to tell you who the brothers in case it isn't clear.

Owin = Wales

Alister = Scotland

Seamus = Ireland

Sean = Northern Ireland

And the Faun, Luca, who is mentioned is New Zealand.

Again, just going to apologise if any of the characters in this don't act like how they are in the Hetalia Anime. I hope you can forgive me, but as I said earlier, they are ruling Kingdoms so sometimes they have to be serious and act like rulers. Yes, this mainly applies to the Bad Friends Trio, but please bear with me. I am just apologising in advance really.

And if you get confused as to why the Kirkland family use wolf references for one another or if there is mentions of the 'wolf within' it is because they are Lythari Elves, which are shape-shifting Elves who can turn into wolves when they desire. That is the reason.

Thanks,

Miscmasquerade.

Chapter Two:

The room was deathly silent, laying thick down on the entire family, oppressive and almost choking. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the great clock on the wall as it counted down the seconds, the minute hand reaching closer and closer to the spot which would mark the hour. All eyes in the room were focused on Arthur, waiting with baited breath for him to say or do something.

Arthur just stared at the letter. The royal seal that had been holding the parchment shut was broken and the letter lay on the table of the family's dining room. The whole family was gathered, sitting at their respected places at the large oak table.

Their father, the head of the Kirkland family, a tall man with dark auburn hair and a beard to match, sat at the head of the table. It was his right. For the past century he had been in charge of the entire Kirkland family. From the seven of them sitting here now all the way to the extended family that lived in the various different pockets of civilization on Albion.

To his left sat their mother, a small woman. Arthur had inherited her soft, pale wheat gold hair, her delicate features and spell binding emerald eyes that sparkled with life. She was dressed in a beautiful, yet simple dress. Being away from the mainland didn't present many chances to enjoy the desirable and regal fashions that the women of the court got to parade around in, but their mother always held herself with grace enough to shame any Queen.

Arthur was proud to take after their mother, even if it meant he was shorter than all of his brothers, it was often the joke amongst his older brothers that Arthur was the runt of the litter, he was just lucky to be a pretty runt. Such mocking had always got Arthur riled up and determined to prove all his brothers wrong about him.

All of his brothers were more like their father, tall with auburn hair, ranging from so dark it looked like it was brown which was how Owin's hair was, to the same shade as their father's which was what colour Alister's hair was, right to how the twins, Sean and Seamus, who had fiery red hair and a lot of freckles.

Arthur was the odd one out and his brothers mocked him for it, Arthur could still remember how they had teased him when he had been younger. Pulling his hair, pushing him in the dirt. Worse was when they would turn into their wolf forms and chase him all around until he had sore paws.

However, it wasn't because of the differences in him and the contempt he held toward his four older brothers that currently had Arthur scowling in this manner. It was that letter that lay open on the table in front of him. It was a letter that would decide his fate and with it the fate of his family for many generations to come.

"No." Arthur suddenly stated with conviction. "I refuse."

The family had expected this, they had known it was coming, Arthur would refuse in this manner. He was nothing if not predictable really. Though, sadly for Arthur, this refusal would not be accepted this time, and as such it was not met as graciously as all the others had been over the years. Instead it was met by their father slamming his fists down on the table and moving out of his seat, brows furrowed in a frown. "Oh no you don't, not this time. You are under the impression there is an option for you here Arthur." Their father's voice boomed, his displeasure at his runt pup of a son daring to refuse such an offer that had been blessed on the entire family.

He had no daughters to barter, and the fact that Arthur had the ability to carry and birth offspring made him a bargaining tool like no other. Over the years he had tolerated how his youngest had denied every suitor that had turned up, a family as old as theirs wanted to keep their bloodlines as pure and regal as they possibly good. For a time Arthur had been a promising investment with how close he had been to the King of Diamonds, but since it seemed Arthur had not satisfied the Diamond King as the King had chosen another to be his Queen. Since that moment, Arthur had been a rather large disappointment to him, especially if he couldn't get him to marry someone, it made him useless.

"I will not go to court, act like some simpering maid and I will not accept his interests or his advances. King or not, I will not be some bargaining tool just so you can get yourself back in Court and in the favours of the King." Arthur now snapped in response, his wolf eyes flashing. His father might the alpha of their family, he might just be the runt compared to his brothers, but Arthur was not going to back down so easily over a matter that concerned him in this way.

It was now Alister spoke up, defending their father's decision in this matter like only he would. "Are you touched in the head? This is the King who has asked for you, it is a chance for our family to restore itself to the glory we held before." Alister looked to Arthur with a look of irritation, he was the next in line to lead the family, which was why he stood up so readily for their father.

Though this just made Arthur scowl more. "Then you go to the court and marry the King. I will not be a tool used to bring back this so called glory our family had. The glory of this family from hundreds of years ago means nothing to me and it will probably mean little to our new King, we are just Lords living out here in permanent exile. I am not a whore to lie on my back, spread my legs and let whoever you deem it fit to fuck me. Family glory or not, I am not bait to be used to pull people in." Arthur stated fiercely, he knew he was being backed into a corner here and he could feel the wolf rising in him, wanting to fight his way out of this.

Before the brothers could continue arguing, as Alister really wanted to, the look was clear on his face and he even had opened his mouth to retort to Arthur's argument, he had a scathing reply all ready to hit Arthur with, but their father started to speak interrupting the pair of them. Oh he was still angry, just as much as Alister, it was evident by how it was written all over his face, but he was managing to keep his voice level this time, calmer. "Arthur, this is not just some Lord or Duke, Earl or Count, you have refused all despite their title in the past." Arthur opened his mouth to protest over that, he had reasons. But his father simply raised his hand to stop him. "I am talking Arthur." It was a signal to be quiet and Arthur obeyed, but still glared at his father as he continued.

"Your brother is right. You cannot refuse this time, the King has requested your presence in the Court and he has clearly stated his intentions of pursuing you romantically. It is not about family glory or honour Arthur, nor is this about you spreading your legs like the whore we know you really are. If you refuse this you will put such a black mark on our family name we may never remove it. Now you did it for the King of Diamonds, so you will be going to do it for the King of Spades." It was not a request or even a question, it was an order. Arthur had no way out of this and he was being given no chance to argue in his defence.

"You will go to the Court, Owin will be going with you as your chaperone, as is customary for such courting traditions." Their father continued.

All through this, Owin had just been sitting there, bored, and carving a dragon out of a block of wood with a knife. Though now his father had mentioned this, Owin looked up and blinked. "What?" He questioned, it registering he was going to have to leave also. "You mean I have to go too, just to play babysitter?" It was a fact he did not look happy about. It seemed it was just going to be a day of irritation and annoyance for the Kirkland family members.

"You will be going with him Owin, and you will watch over Arthur and our new found interests at the Court. You will be acting as a representative of our family, especially since you are older than Arthur, so make sure that it is clear you are acting on my word and your voice is mine in all matters concerning Arthur." Their father told Owin, who fell silent once more, just nodding since it was his duty. "Once the marriage is secured and done with, you will return back here to Albion to be with us once more." It was another order, not a request.

"What if I fail father?" Arthur suddenly asked, finding a chance to speak up. "What if it happens again and I fail to secure his interest or even worse he meets me and decides he does not like me?" It was a fair question, as far as Arthur was concerned.

The eyes of his father narrowed as he turned his gaze to his youngest son. "Let me put it this way Arthur; if you fail to secure this chance and gain the King's interest for long enough for him to marry you and put a pup in your belly, you will not have a home to come back to." Their father paused to let those words sink in. "So you will go to Court, you will allow the King to charm you and woo you, you will graciously accept every gift, love letter and poem and you will lovingly return them. Rest assured, Arthur, if you do not and if you fail in this I will not see you step foot on this island, the ship carrying you back here as a failure will sink before it even reaches port. You will be disowned from the family and disgraced. Do I make myself clear enough for you Arthur?" Eyes bore right into Arthur now, who was just staring down at the table with his ears burning in anger, embarrassment and shame.

"Crystal." Arthur finally said, not looking at his father, but he made no secret of the bitterness and the venom laced in his voice as he spoke that one word. He hated his father, he hated his brothers for just going along with it and Alister for siding with his father and he loathed his mother right now. All the way through this, she had just sat there, silent, not saying a word and just listening. She had not condemned her husband, nor had she spoken in his defence. She had just sat there, doing nothing. Arthur realised he was completely on his own, left there with no one to support him through this. No one cared enough it seemed.

"Good." Their father broke the silence once more. "You and Owin will go and pack your things. You leave tomorrow morning at dawn." Another order.

Arthur just stood, saying nothing further and in a swish of fabric, he walked out of the door and slammed it firmly behind him, the sound reverberating through the dining hall.

It was night before Arthur had finished packing up his belongings. Throwing the last item of clothing into the trunk before he slammed the lid of the chest shut. A wave his hand and the padlock jumped to attention and attached itself around the clip on the chest, locking itself shut. Despite his foul mood about leaving and what he was being forced to do, Arthur had obeyed his father's orders and packed up everything in his room. His clothes, books, spell and alchemy equipment, it had all been put into the chests and sealed up safely, ready to be taken downstairs by the servants in the morning.

It made Arthur sigh, one final glances to the chests that were sitting there. His entire life had been packed up and in the morning, along with him, it would be shipped away, off to the mainland of Spades. And there would be no one who would claim to miss him once he left this island, his family didn't care. Owin was furious about having to go with him, but Arthur knew it was only because Owin didn't want to have to spend a year, perhaps longer, away from the young shepherd Faun boy that lived in the village near their castle. Arthur was willing to bet money that Owin had packed as fast as he could just so he could sneak off to meet the Faun by the name of Luca and spend the evening with him before he had to leave.

Arthur had to admit he was going to miss his home, the green fields, the rolling hills of the moor land that were beautifully coloured by the densely packed heather at this time of year. He would miss the forests, with their hidden glens, the secrets of the magic folk and spirits that lurked within the branches. Despite her silence this afternoon, Arthur would miss his mother. She was the only one who he had ever felt truly close to in this household, the only one who understood him.

He was going somewhere he had never been before, meeting with strangers and, more condemning, he was going to have to meet a stranger that would one day be his husband, unless he could bare to face the humiliation of being disowned from his family and left with nothing. Arthur was content to brood over these thoughts, despite how angry they made him feel, however, this deep contemplation of this matter was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Arthur glanced to the door, wondering who was there and almost daring them to try and come into his room. Another soft knock came after he hadn't answered for a couple of seconds, which spurred Arthur into replying. "I wish to be left alone." Arthur called to the person on the other side of the door. He didn't want company right now, he wasn't in the mood.

Nonetheless, a voice floated through the thick oak of the door. "Arthur, it's your mother, please can I come in?" It was like the gentle coo of a dove, his mother's voice was always soft, gentle and pleasing to the ear. A tone of voice a mother should always have for her child.

Arthur winced, he was still angry about how she had said nothing during the family meeting and instead just sat there. But, deep down there was this urge, he wanted to reach out to his mother and let her hold him, and right now that need for comfort was outweighing his urge to be left alone and shun the world. "Yes mother, please come in." Arthur finally replied. He felt like a small child who was lost and scared.

His mother seemed to sense this as she came into the room, since, after she closed the door, the first thing she did was walk to Arthur and embraced him, smiling lovingly as Arthur returned the hug and buried his face in her hair. She moved her a hand up and gently stroked through Arthur's own golden locks. "Hush my child, it will be alright," she soothed softly as she held him.

"How will it?" Arthur asked, he choked out the question, he wasn't even sure when he had started to cry but he was. "Father said I have to go there and succeed or I will no longer be a part of this family." A sigh from his mother was what he got in return, she gently eased Arthur's head back and looked to him, gazing at him with the same eyes.

Finally she stepped back from him, pulling out of the hug. "I know what your father said my child, it was cruel of him, harsh, but you must understand how important this is to him. It is an opportunity our family has not had for many generations. He only desires the best for this family, for Alister when it comes time for him to be head of the family and he also desires the best for you Arthur. What father would not want their child to marry a King? You will never have to want for anything ever again, King Alfred will be able to give you a better life than we ever could if you marry him." His mother tried to explain.

Arthur shook his head. "That is not his reasoning and you know it. He does not care about me, he views me more as a daughter than his son. To him I am just a tool for bargaining, he tried it with the King of Diamonds and now he is going to pursue it with the King of Spades. All he wants is a place at Court once more, because you know as well as I do, holding a place there brings money with it, more lands, better titles, power, if you play the game right anyway. A chance to advise the King and get more of everything, be the favoured family. That is all he wants, my happiness has nothing to do with his plots."

Arthur's mother sighed and stroked over Arthur's cheek gently, wiping away his tears. "You have every right to be upset my son, but there is nothing we can do to change this. Just try to find the positives in this, you will marry the King and your sons will be Princes and your daughters Princesses. It will be a marvellous honour my child, one many would kill for and you will bring prosperity back to our family once more. We all have to make sacrifices my child, but you have to look for the silver lining." She tried gently.

"My sacrifice will be my happiness. This is not what I want with my life, I wanted to be free, like my brothers are." Arthur murmured, knowing his mother was right, but it didn't make him feel any less miserable.

"You are different to your brothers, my sweet pup. A gift was given to you, a rare and special gift, it sets you a part from them. You must look for happiness in other places my child, in the faces of your children, watching them take their first steps and how they grow strong." She soothed kindly. "You do not know what the future holds for you, perhaps you may yet find love in the King? They say he is very strong and very kind, I am sure he will make a good husband to you." She tried to encourage.

Arthur shook his head. "I do not care for his kindness and I definitely do not need his strength to protect me. I want to stay here, this is my home, not there with the backstabbers that exiled our family in the first place." He was being defiant, he knew, but he didn't want to go, why did no one understand that?

His mother quickly adopted more of a stern look now. "Then think on this, my son. The King is in the same boat as you, he is being pressured into a marriage by his advisors because a King cannot rule the Kingdom without a Queen. The balance of magic will shift and dwindle if he goes too long without a Queen, he is like you, being backed into a corner and being forced to pick a Queen before the year is out." She informed Arthur, her stern look still there. "And rumours fly on many wings, my pup, it is said that only your portrait pleased the King, he discarded all others, but not yours."

Being told this was actually a surprise to Arthur, it was something he would never in all his life expect. A King keeping the portrait of someone like him and discarding all others despite how Arthur was pretty sure there had been far more beautiful contestants than him. "Even with our family's history?" Arthur asked his mother now.

"Even with such knowledge, my child." His mother's soft reply as she nodded to him, smiling once more as she saw the expression on Arthur's face change from a scowl to one of confusion and at the same time a sense of pride almost. She knew Arthur was not a vain man, but he still was clearly complimented by such knowledge.

Finally Arthur broke the silence by sighing, the fact his mother had told him this just made all words taste bitter on his tongue. "I still do not wish to leave here mother." Arthur spoke at long last, the fight was out of him now and he just wanted to cling to the fact this was home and nothing more.

"I know, my pup, I do not wish for you to leave either. I still see you as the sweet babe I held in my arms, so tiny. But your father has spoken and we all have our duties to follow." His mother leaned in, placing a gentle kiss to Arthur's tear stained cheek. She even brushed some of his hair back from his face and behind his ear once she pulled back away from him. "You have grown into such a beautiful young man Arthur, I am sure the court will think so also, my young one. Just be careful though my son, there may still be those in the court who our Black Witches, take care they do not spoil your chances with the King and if you can, give them no reason to." His mother now cautioned him lovingly.

Arthur nodded in agreement, he knew all too well the stigma that followed their family, Black Magic was illegal in Spades and to practice it was enough to get you burned at the stake. It was a fate Arthur did not wish to suffer. "I will do my best." He assured his mother, managing to smile now.

His mother returned with a loving smile, taking her son's hand and placing a velvet bag into his palm. "It is a gift for you. When I was a young girl my mother gave it to me before I left to marry your father, it has been passed down from mother to daughter in my family for many years, I have no daughters, but I feel it is important you have it." She explained, still smiling as Arthur now drew out a silver chain with a pendant that was like a rounded diamond shape, however it twisted in the centre, causing a spiral shape. "It is blessed in the sight of our gods, my mother told me it possessed a strong magical power and would protect the wearer of it if they knew how to tap into its magic. I never figured out how and nor did my mother, however I like to think it has always brought me luck, so I pass it to you, my son, in the hope it brings you the same amount of luck." She explained to Arthur softly.

Arthur gazed at the pendant, he could sense the power in it, and it travelled all the way up the chain to his hand. Nodding a little, he now unclipped the fastening and then put it on, clipping it shut once it was secure around his neck.

"It suits you." His mother said, gazing at Arthur. "You are leaving at dawn, so this is my farewell to you." It was hard for her to have to say goodbye to her youngest son, but she knew she had to do this now since she would not be able to in the morning. "I wish you all the happiness in the world, my son and I promise when the wedding happens, your father and I will be there to see you marry." She didn't want to think about what would happen should Arthur fail so she was just focusing on him actually marrying the King. "Now, you should rest, you have a long journey ahead of you, my son."

It was a final hug and kiss farewell before Arthur and his mother had to part, embracing for what could potentially be the last time, tears marred them both as his mother finally exit the room.

Arthur flopped down onto his bed once his mother was gone, knowing he had to sleep, but it did not come easy to him, and when it finally did cloak him, there was no comfort in his dreams, and only nightmares swirled around cruelly in his mind. Dreams of standing there in the dark, alone with no one there to hear his cries.

When dawn finally broke, Arthur was awoken by the servants knocking on his door, wanting to come in to take his things down to the waiting carriage. Arthur had to suppress how he wanted to mourn the fact he was leaving, it was just too painful for him, but despite that he did not want to cry in front of the servants, his father's yes men.

His things were taken away and Arthur was left to clean up and dress, a maid came in to help him, brushing his hair and fixing him up into his travelling clothes. All this time, Arthur just said nothing, he was feeling too bitter. His father hadn't even bothered to say goodbye, Arthur knew he shouldn't be surprised really, the man barely cared after all.

Once he was ready, Arthur was led downstairs to the carriage that was to take them to the ship that was waiting at the port, ready to take them to the mainland. A journey that would be long and probably take them a couple of weeks.

Outside, Arthur was greeted by the dawn chorus, birds happily twittering in their trees, singing their happy songs. Right now Arthur just wanted to throw a stone at them and hopefully kill a bird or two. His older brother, Owin, was standing there, dressed in his own clothes, there was even a bow and quiver on his back, since his role was to also protect Arthur, and he was taking that literally. Arthur's own weapons, such a fencing sword and his own long bow, had been stored in the trunks with the rest of his things.

Arthur gave a nod to his older brother, knowing Owin was not happy about leaving either, so he didn't dare try to talk to him right now, he didn't want his brother's wrath on top of all this also. Owin didn't respond to him though and just got into the carriage.

Arthur didn't go to the carriage right away, instead he gave one final look to the only world he had ever known. The castle he had called home all his life, the home he wasn't ready to leave. There was a shout from Owin, telling him to get a move on, so Arthur tore his gaze away and with heavy heart he got into the carriage. The door slamming shut behind him was like the lid of a coffin closing shut. Above there was a flick of reins and the carriage started to move, the horses whinnying as they trotted off down the road to the port where the ship was waiting to carry Arthur to his fate.