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"He who once was King" [Part 1]

Title: "He who once was King"

Category: Fanfiction.

Pair: EngSpa, UkSpa. Other minor or implied pairings

Words: 7.566

Genre(s): Cardverse AU; Drama, Romance; enemies to lovers.

· · · · ·

Entering the grand ballroom, the explosive lighting and festive atmosphere made Arthur's face twitch in almost disgust.

Having made the long journey from the Kingdom of Spades to there, the Kingdom of Clubs, his body was feeling particularly resentful from the exhaustion of an interminable trip. The journey had been long and disastrous, and Alfred's thinly disguised excitement had ended up getting on Arthur's nerves in more than one extreme situation. He would had been on the verge of throwing himself out of the train's luxury compartment, had it not been for Yao's strict insistence and Matthew's sympathetic and kind intervention.

He sighed, trying to erase the horrifying memories of his journey.

He didn't even know why he had agreed to take Alfred with him to this ceremony. If a marriage within the royal family —or even general nobility— took place in another realm, the moral code of the aristocracy mandated that the corresponding royalty of each kingdom should come to pay their respects, as a mere bureaucratic, symbolic formality.

They had therefore been more or less obliged to attend the wedding.

In any case, it was no secret to anyone the palpable tension and seething hatred between their King, Alfred F. Jones, and the current King of Clubs, Ivan Braginsky. It was so damned obvious how little they tolerated each other's political ideas and presence, that the Four Kingdoms had been fearing that the peace that had managed to last for almost 300 years would be shattered by the bursting of this Cold War bubble.

Therefore, no one, really NO ONE, would have cared if Alfred had not shown up at that exact ceremony —which, leaving the King aside, would star the current Queen and Jack of Clubs.

Thinking about it, Arthur's head went far away again, plunging back into his usual musings and reasoning.

The Kingdom of Spades was the greatest power of knowledge and education among all the kingdoms. Therefore, it was not difficult to suppose that Arthur, as a representative of such a Kingdom, was the very fruit of all that supremacy. It was therefore only logical to assume that his knowledge of history was, frankly, excellent.

For that very reason Arthur began to wander into historical questions as he replayed in his mind the marriage that was to take place.

It had been only some 50 years ago that the old tradition of royal marriage was Heaven's law. And no matter what other characteristics aside from the letter —that is, regardless of the gender, age or even parentage of the two involved— always, in all circumstances, the King and Queen were to be married. By then, thank God, times had changed; and, thankfully, it was no longer a total obligation to consummate the marriage by the role of the Card alone.

It had become generally agreed that, in reality, the titles of King and Queen were just a bureaucratic formality and did not represent a true "couple" relationship, but a simple turn of Destinty pickpointing the next generation of rulers. Thus, that old habit of tying the representatives of the royal offices into a marital relationship had broken down, and situations like the one that was to take place today began to occur: legal marriages between Queen and Jack, for example.

Although, anyway, the Kingdom of Hearts, which was generally the most religiously observant and traditional, still chose to prolong the royal union. Thus, the monarchs Ludwig Beilschmidt and Honda Kiku were married by Church and were loving to each other as a front for their people —even if Arthur knew from his spies in other courts that it was, in fact, a chaste marriage and that the King had a thing for his Jack, but well…—.

On the other hand, the King of Clubs actually had zero interest in things like love affairs, so he had ruled out marriage long ago; ironic and somehow conversely, contrary to him, the King of Diamonds had perhaps too much interest in that sort of things, so tying himself to a single mate happened to be out of the question.

Again, Arthur thanked God that the laws had been modernised, because the Queen of that Kingdom was a poor creature, still thirteen years old, hastily risen to power after the premature death of the previous Queen. A sweet little child who did not deserve to go through the torture of being the wife of such a frog.

So, as much as he might have respected the Ancient History and laws of his great Kingdom, Arthur was indeed glad to the core of the modernisations that had been forced to make in the marital sphere nearly half a century ago. And as much as he loved Alfred, Arthur didn't even want to imagine the conjugal scenario. He hadn't questioned Alfred about it, in fact, but he was pretty sure that in the idiot's straw head there were only hamburgers, superhero comics —mostly produced in the Kingdom of Diamonds— and warships. So he was pretty sure that he had never even considered the idea; which he prefferred.

Indeed, he envied him. He really did. It must be comfortable to be so oblivious and idiotic all the time.

He was brought back to reality for a moment when Yao, his Jack, shouted 'I don't know what two-aru' things at him and he had to understand over his thick Oriental accent that Alfred had caused a mess again.

A vein bulged in his forehead and he could almost feel his blood pressure rise to frightening levels for any doctor. All the while, in the distance, he caught a glimpse of his stupid King thrusting his chest out and facing Ivan, the one and only terrifying King of Clubs, who was looking at him with a cold smile and clenching a pipe with restrained tension.

Arthur would have panicked and probably sweated like a poor wretch on any other day, but this time Alfred had pushed his patience to the limit with the little train journey —he'd told him to behave himself and not pick a fight with the Clubs, for God's sake!—. Between the gnashing of her teeth and a distinct twitch in one of her bushy eyebrows, he ran up to him to grab his ear.

— AUCTCH! H-hey, but what!? ARTHUR! —Alfred had begun to shout once he had been stopped in his attempts to threaten him—. What are you doing - ow, ow…! It hurts, stop it! —but Arthur didn't stop and even pulled harder on the imprisoned ear, forcing the other to whimper like a child.

At the same time, he turned to look formally at the host King and gave him a polite little salute, apologising in advance for what had happened.

— Long time no see, Your Majesty Braginsky. Congratulations on the marriage of your Queen and Jack and, I'm sorry, but I beg your pardon to our King for his lack of manners. —he said, with such poise and quietness that Yao, hiding behind a pillar, had to thank the Heavens that at least one of the royal duo in his charge was able to do his job properly.

Ivan visibly relaxed to give him a polite bow in return.

— Don't worry. Many thanks to you for coming all this way, my lord. —he responded, cold yet elegant and respectful—. How are you enjoying the ball in honour of the bride and groom? Is it to your liking?

One of the specialities of the Kingdom of Spades, actually, was feasts, celebrations, balls and so on, and every year they held dozens of events that were beyond imagination how beautiful and impressive they were.

With that in mind, the modest, quiet ball —far shabbier and far more underfunded than his own — had not suggested the slightest praise in the quiet walls of his mind. Still, cynical and pragmatic, Arthur had said, patronisingly.

— Charming in his own way, indeed. —in a flattering tone.

That seemed to be enough for Ivan who, after a soft smile and a last tense glance at Alfred, decided at last to do a last gesture with his head, and go on his way to visit the rest of the guests.

Once he had vanished, Arthur gave the other lingering fool a cudgel.

— Autch- HEY! —he shouted, sulking at being beaten like a brat, but Arthur refused to listen to his retorts.

He called back to Yao who ran up to him and thanked him for putting the brakes on the other, and Arthur simply told him to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't get into trouble again. The Jack nodded.

When he had checked that everything was in place, he went back to a less crowded area and became self-absorbed again, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time.

Few… people knew it, but he was supposed to have been the King of Spades.

When a member of the royal family is born, God grants him or her a symbol.

This person can be born in the same nobility or in the house of a humble cobbler, as well as in the same street, only God knows if there is a special reason for this. This person, determined from the very first of its days directed to be part of the royal court of the country, shows a mark with the corresponding letter, together with the symbol of the Kingdom. Likewise, there was a subdivision within the nobility, between the lower aristocracy —made up by numbers from 2 to 10— and the upper class —King, Queen, Jack and Ace—, who are the real rulers amongs them all.

Few people knew it —among them, the most senior of the nobility of the Kingdom of Spades and the King of Diamonds— but, at his birth, on Arthur's collarbone there had been a "K", not a "Q".

He had been chosen to be the next King, and he had been trained to be so during his early youth. He had been instructed in all the arts of dialectic, rhetoric and combat, in those that the King would require throughout his life; and had been preparing himself, as fate dictated, to be the next leader.

Or at least he had been doing so until his tenth year.

Overnight the "K" on his skin had disappeared.

It came as a real surprise throughout the court because, much to their regret, such things usually only happened once the King had reached an advanced age and was no longer able to fulfil the role of the Card. But never… all of a sudden. And, strangest of all, not only did his previous mark disappear, but another one appeared. A "Q" marked his skin and, although he understood nothing at the time, all came together for the 10-year-old Arthur once the newborns Alfred and Matthew were placed in his arms, with their respective "K" and "A", and he was told that it would be his duty to instruct them.

Then he understood, he understood that God had put him on the back burner.

But don't misunderstand him, Arthur never had any great attachment to the title of King —at least not as Alfred had, who had always clung to his royal nature as if it had made him one of his much-loved heroes—. He, from the very beginning, accepted his new position, because he knew that if he played his cards right, being Queen would serve him just as well. He had rank enough to set in motion his plans for the future of the country, to make it great and prosperous; rich and powerful.

So, without much ado, he became the one to oversee the education of the Ace and, above all, of the future King, who was basically raised as Arthur's own younger brother —all the more reason why Arthur would never have put up with the royal marriage—. And while Arthur would have many things to criticise about Alfred's personality and tendencies as a monarch —namely that he was young and inexperienced, too impulsive and lacking in logical reasoning, and with belligerent tendencies to boot— he could tell right away that he had the makings of a King.

He was friendly and used to interact a lot with his people —something he had never really done— and he had a certain natural charisma that had charmed Arthur, Matthew and the rest of the Kingdom as a leader since a young age. Arthur had never blamed or resented Alfred for changing his destiny.

A soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts again.

— Good evening, Kirkland-dono. I was looking forward to our meeting today. —he turned his head to smile softly and give a slight bow of his head.

— I couldn't agree more, Your Highness Honda. It has been a while since we last spoke.

In front of him Honda Kiku, the Queen of Hearts and a person he held in high esteem, was dressed in the traditional regalia of his Eastern region within the Kingdom of Hearts, with the mythical red national colour. He was smiling elegantly behind a delicate fan, with kindness in his dark eyes.

They chatted for a while about trivial matters and matters of state, and even invited each other to drink while they waited for the newlyweds —since, as far as he knew, they had been married in the privacy of their private chapel a couple of hours ago— to arrive and they could all celebrate together. He had never had a relationship with any of them, except for some clash with the Jack on business, but his position compelled him to be there to offer them at least a respectful "Congratulations".

Kiku's company —in his thoughts Arthur dared to call him "Kiku", his dear friend— made the situation pleasant until they were forced to part by a girl from Hearts, who came to warn them that they should join their respective clansmates, because the bride and groom had just arrived. The pair of Queens leisurely said their goodbyes and Arthur sought out Matthew and then joined their King and Jack.

Once they were together and in their seats, Arthur could not help but notice the change in Alfred's countenance, who was now looking more relaxed, more grown up.

Now 18 years old, he was a tall, handsome man, arrogant when he needed to be and more relaxed when the situation called for it, and he shone with all the brilliance a King should have. Arthur felt proud to have practically raised him, agreeing with the part of himself that had always thought Alfred's blue eyes had even fairly matched the colour of his Kingdom better than his own.

The front door of the ballroom opened and a pair of people entered, holding hands and sweet smiles on their faces.

Roderich, the Jack of Clubs, wore a rather light and sweet one, while Elizabeta, the Queen, beamed with a huge one on her face. As soon as they entered, cheers poured down upon them, and people, especially from the Southerners of the Kingdom of Hearts, who rushed to give them their blessing. Then, little by little, representatives from each Kingdom came to give them their congratulations and words of encouragement.

First, everyone from the Kingdom of Clubs arose, leaving a special appearance for Ivan who, without further ado, shook hands encouragingly with both of them with a smile. Next, the Kingdom of Hearts stepped forward and Elizabeta was embraced by the Jack who, being someone close to the couple in their childhood days, had taken these liberties. The King of Hearts, utterly embarrased, tugged at his clothes and apologised to them both, causing the couple to laugh softly, not giving the matter too much thought. Then it was their turn, and he and Alfred exchanged encouraging and respectful words with the newlyweds. A cynic like Arthur found it hard to believe in such frivolous things as love, but he could tell that these two loved each other deeply and dearly.

Once they were back in place, it was the turn of the splendid Diamond Kingdom to approach the couple. At this specific fact, Arthur allowed himself to snort like an annoyed child.

Stunning, elegant, glowing like the sun itself, the yellow colour that was the face of the Kingdom of Diamonds predominated in the clothes of those present, in different shades and intensities. Leading the way, hair soft and silky like that of the finest model, rich and ostentatious clothes that left one speechless, and a simple and loving smile, King Francis Bonnefoy stretched out his arms as if he were the young couple's greatest friend. The newlyweds grimaced as he approached them, even more when he kissed them both on the cheeks —a custom that typical of certain parts of the Kingdom of Diamonds and the Kingdom of Hearts— and then began to speak honeyly to them with his thick French accent.

Arthur had to suppress a retch as he pitied the poor fellows.

He had known Francis since the two of them were little more than half a foot tall and had gone through the first steps of training to be future Kings together. One could even somehow say that Francis had even been… something of a teacher in some areas of his education, being a couple of years older than himself. Still, they had never put up with each other, and had a cat and dog relationship most of the time, which they had always tried to camouflage under a mask of professionalism. It didn't usually work, and they often came close to gouging each other's eyes out.

Anyway, when Francis turned away, the next pair came to congratulate the couple. The adorable little Queen of Diamonds, just turned 12 and looking like a little doll, spoke a few quick, nervous words to them while her older brother, the Jack, stroked her back and gave her encouragement. The latter, for his part, was talking politely to Roderich and congratulating him quietly; and though Vash would probably have preferred to hide it, Arthur clearly saw the appreciation of an old friend in his gestures and words. Arthur smiled sideways, very full of himself, amusing himself by reading between the lines and getting into the minds of others. As the Queen, he had a certain talent for seeing things that others could not. The pair of siblings withdrew and suddenly Arthur caught a glimpse of one more person, so he blinked, quizzical.

In the Diamond Kingdom he had only known those three members of the high nobility for all those years, but he didn't recognise this guy at all. The bridal couple, on the other hand, had jumped at the sight of him, and after a brief moment of shock, they had smiled broadly and hurried over to him, the Queen hugging him tightly. Arthur found Roderich's face especially curious, who until then had been maintaining a quiet, thin smile, and was now smiling broadly, as if he were truly happy. When the woman turned away, it was the turn of the unknown man to step forward, and kiss her twice on the cheeks. A moment later, he was repeating the same action with the elegant Jack, kissing him as Francis had done earlier.

The reaction, however, was totally different.

— We've missed you. —Arthur had managed to hear from the Jack's mouth, disconcerting him. Words that elicited a sound that, to his ears, sounded almost like a spring breeze.

A frankly charming laugh came from this unknown individual who was showing his back to Arthur, who immediately took the hands of both bride and groom and brought them to his lips to place a light kiss of devotion upon their knuckles.

— I always knew you were made for each other, Rod, Eliza.

The sound of a male voice, not too deep and not at all raspy, charming like no other, dulled Arthur's senses for a moment.

The guy kept talking, but Arthur didn't understand the content of his words, more interested in intercepting the vibrations of his voice and his accent in his ears. And he was so lost, so far gone, that he didn't know where he was or what was going on until Yao brought him back to the earthly world with a couple of finger snaps. He growled at him, annoyed, and a moment later he apologised, remembering he was supposed to be a gentleman.

But as soon as he regained his self-possession, he craned his neck around in a desperate attempt to find the guy with the dreamy voice who had caught his eye. He asked Yao, his Jack and therefore who was in charge of external affairs in his Kingdom, to see if he had any record of who he was. The Chinese frowned his lips, mumbling.

— I… don't know him aru. I was surprised to see him too, I don't recall seeing his face ever before. —he had replied, to which Arthur realised that he had not, in fact, seen his face.

A heaviness in his stomach and a child's impertinent determination made him pucker his lips and come to the conclusion that he had to face this guy head on. Matthew probably noticed the glint in his eye, because he began to sweat uneasily for no reason.

But before he could go on any kind of intrepid adventure in search of the said man, the lights went out and music started to play. A single spotlight illuminated the starring couple, who prepared to begin dancing to the classic Viennese waltz that was playing.

After a couple of minutes the rest of the lights were dimly switched on and gradually people began to join in the ballroom, dancing. The first pair, as expected, were the King and Queen of Hearts; Ludwig, tall and elegant in his formal attire, being orthodox and polite in asking his husband to grant him this dance. Kiku politely accepted and they joined in the dance; Arthur, out of the corner of his eye, watched the reaction of Jack Feliciano, who was smiling happily, while behind his back his hands were clasped together, trembling.

So, little by little, other couples from different Kingdoms began to join the dance and even Alfred, who had been a little pressured by the situation, extended his hand to him offering him a dance wearing a stupid expression. Arthur shook his head, saying that he didn't feel like it, and pushed him to go ask Yao or his brother to dance. As Matthew had symptoms of social panic, Yao went out to dance with Alfred in the end.

It could be said that he had zero to no interest in dancing until his keen eyes caught something that left him stuck in place.

There, among the dancing couples, the curly, tousled brown hair of the guy who had caught his eye earlier appeared like a mirage. But it was not the apparition itself, but rather his company that left him still and petrified as if he were a poor idiot.

There, waltzing perfectly, the brown-haired fellow who had earlier let out such a charming voice found himself being grasped round the waist by the fro- Francis, by Francis. They were dancing together, and Francis, from his stupidly calm and happy expression, seemed genuinely delighted with the situation.

He didn't even quite know why, but a freckle popped out of his forehead from the strain of his eye contracting in pure irritation.

He honestly didn't know why, but the stupid face of the frog, so happy and debauched dancing with this guy who had caught his eye, gave a rather significant plus to his usual bad mood. He gnashed his teeth when, after a particularly awkward turn, both men laughed a little and hugged each other, then continued dancing as if nothing had happened. The twitching of his eyebrow was merely collateral damage from his boiling blood.

He relaxed himself as he realised that he was acting in a totally irrational manner.

He took a breath, leaned against the column behind him and glanced again at the King of Diamonds and the brown-haired guy dancing along with the rest. He felt uneasy for some reason, yet he chose not to make a big deal of it. Still, he couldn't stop his questioning from coming out in a sigh.

— Who is this guy…?

— That "guy" is Antonio, eyebrows.

A voice next to him startled him, causing him to put his hand to his heart in shock. A second later, he turned shudderingly to collide with the only red eyes he'd ever met.

The Joker.

Gilbert Beilschmidt, the older brother of the King of Hearts and the only current Joker. Some would correct him because there was, in fact, another current Joker; but Arthur preferred to be specific and correct in these matters, and preferred to maintain the status of Peter, the boy under his custody and care, as only a 'potential Joker'. After all, he was still only a child, so he couldn't use his powers, leaving this albino guy in front of him as the only current Joker.

He looked him square in the face, recovered from his initial shock, and asked. — Antonio? —with slight curiosity.

Gilbert, who —Arthur was absolutely sure— probably hadn't even been invited to this celebration, looked back at him with those blood-red eyes that used to make people nervous. He had an arrogant smile plastered across his face, as if he felt superior just knowing that.

— Yes, —he had responded—. Antonio.

The guy's repellent attitude frayed Arthur's nerves a little, who, trying not to get nervous, pushed a little harder. — And who is this "Antonio"?

— The amazing Ace of Diamonds, of course!

And with that Arthur's green eyes expanded to widen beyond their confines.

— The Ace…? —he had been thinking all his life that there was no Ace of Diamonds at present, that since the previous one died some thirty years ago there had been no successor! He was literally certain that apart from the Swiss brothers and Francis there was no one else in the Kingdom of Diamonds belonging to the high nobility, for there had never been any talk of a successor! He was literally sure that apart from the Swiss brothers and Francis there was no one else in the kingdom belonging to the high nobility, for he had never been spoken of, never been named, and certainly never appeared there. And he had known Francis since he was a little boy, so how was it possible that this guy…?

But then it dawned on him, and the muscles in his body seemed to relax.

— Ah… —he said, and unwillingly his mouth escaped—. So he's not that frog's lover, thank goodness. I was beginning to feel sick.

— Oh, if that's it, they probably are by now, zwar.

He choked for air, shocked.

— What?!

He glanced quickly back at the happily dancing couple, then turned to look at the Joker. — The King and the Ace?! together!? —Gilbert shrugged his shoulders.

— Well, these are modern times. And I'm sure you know Fran well, that's not especially something that would stop him when it comes to "l'amour". —he remarked, making inverted commas with his fingers and looking disinterested. His eyes, however, instead of looking at Arthur, were looking beyond, towards the duo—. Besides, Toni is beautiful. And Fran has always been after him like a hungry hyena. So it's not actually that surprising.

Pathetic as it was, Arthur couldn't help but resent the pretty brown hair that had so often prevented him from seeing the much-lauded face of the subject in question.

The comment about the King of Diamonds' apparent extreme interest in his Ace was, in any case, unimpressive. If anyone had ever told him that Bonnefoy drooled over lampposts, he would have put his hand in the fire without a second's hesitation, believeing it without a second thought.

Now fully recovered, he looked at Gilbert and noticed the strange, heavy look in his eyes. He narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

— I'm sorry to be indiscreet, but you speak of them in a very familiar way. What exactly is the relationship of the Joker, someone who should be completely neutral with respect to the Four Realms, to the King and Ace of Diamonds? —the question seemed to catch the albino's attention warmly, and he immediately smiled softly.

— We are childhood friends. I spent my early years as a Joker in the mountains of their realm, gathering my magic; they, of course, were something like my overseers. —and the blond drew his eyebrows together and twisted his lips.

He didn't like to be out of the loop on something. He was fairly well known for being efficient and a born gatherer of information, certainly seconded by his long system of espionage and investigation, so the news that was reaching him that day surrounding the mysterious figure of the Ace of Diamonds was beginning to irritate him. To irritate him as a personal matter.

He looked at Gilbert proudly, and then made a decision.

— Good. As the representative of the Kingdom of Spades I have to meet all the representatives of the other Kingdoms, so now you are going to introduce me to this Antonio. —at which, for a moment, Gilbert's face froze in a comical and strange grimace.

— Y-you want to meet Toni? Look, Kirkland, I don't think that's…

— Do you want our dear Queen of Clubs to know of your presence in her wedding reception?

Gilbert's face turned white and almost immediately blue, and a moment later he began to walk forward, leading the way to where he had been sent, almost in despair.

As he did so, and without turning to look at Arthur, who followed him calmly with a victorious smile of superiority, he said.

— Then later don't tell me I didn't warn you.

That sentence could not have mattered less to the monarch who followed in his wake with the air of grandeur typical of the Spades.

…

Circling the dance floor where the people continued to waltz, the pair reached the area closest to where Francis was still dancing gracefully. Gilbert called out to him, who, without paying much attention, winked and continued dancing as if nothing had happened. This time not only Arthur, but also the Joker had a shuddering spasm, annoyed.

It wasn't until the piece was over that the blond broke away from his partner and approached them, holding out his hands in a way too much dramatic gesture, as he was used to. With zero politeness, both Arthur and Gilbert rejected the greeting kisses the other was about to give, turning away sharply and looking disgusted. Not that Francis looked offended, by the way.

A princely smile on his lips, he spoke. — What a… pleasant surprise that his Majesty the Queen of Spades would honour me with his presence! To what do I owe such a gratifying pleasure? —with a wry yet syrupy and irritating tone that made Arthur's temper flare.

— Cut the crap, asshole. —He spat, somehow forgetting everything about etiquette that he had hold dear due to his status. Instead, he tried to look behind him insistently, frowing—. Why did I never know you had an Ace?

Francis played dumb.

— You… never asked?

He would please expect that no one would blame Arthur for wanting to kill that incorrigible fool.

And maybe he really would have jumped on the other one to hang him or something, if it hadn't been for the Joker's intervention.

— Kirkland here wants to be introduced to Antonio, Fran.

Francis' blue eyes paused for a moment, before looking directly at Arthur who looked, frankly, unconcerned on the subject.

— What? —stated Arthur, unmoved yet irritated—. Does it surprise you that I want to meet an important member of another country's high aristocracy? Well, you shouldn't be. In fact, you should be grateful that I'm not going to accuse your shitty kingdom of high treason for withholding such valuable information.

The other monarch did not seem particularly intimidated. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

— This wasn't really a matter of withholding information, don't make up things, Arthur.

— Oh no? And then what is it, because I still don't understand how is possible that the rest of the Kingdoms did not know about the existence of your Ace.

— You are wrong there, mon ami. The only ones who didn't know about it are you, the Spades.

He was answered almost instantly by a high-pitched cry of incredulous 'what!?' from the other. Francis tried to calm him down by waving his hands.

— Wait, calm down, that's not relevant now, it's really not as serious as it seems. And if I haven't been particularly interested in publicising Antonio in general, it's because… Because… Well, I suppose a picture is worth a thousand words.

And, leaving Arthur a little too curious, he turned gently to direct his gaze to the dance floor.

There, in the crowd, his former dance partner was gently guiding the steps of the young —and highly impertinent— Ace of Hearts. In a calm voice, Francis called out. — Toni! —and then, the said man turned.

Then Arthur's world stopped, just as his jaw gave way and he dropped to the floor, eyes wide and wide as headlights.

The sudden sight of deep green eyes was like a burst of spring.

As if he had wandered into an untouched jungle in the tropics, or plunged into the dew on the grass at dawn. Like the most beautiful of gemstones and at the same time the most terrible of curses, the greenish gaze fell in his direction, causing Arthur, holding his breath as a clumsy child, to almost choke himself.

The formerly peak of auburn curls framed the youthful face of a man about his age, with sun-tanned skin, healthy cheeks and a straight nose. From where Arthur stood he could not admire in all its fullness the rosy hue of the friendly lips which, locating Francis there in his direction, stretched to show a veritable wonder of the world.

The infinitely stretched smile, cheerful and carefree, which caused two dimples to sink into the defined cheeks, was another thing that made Arthur's brain gears explode, and his guts to simply churn.

And when this guy, grinning like an idiot, began to approach them and spoke, all the functions of his brain came to a screeching halt.

— Ah, Fran! —the young man had merely said, in a voice as masculine as sweet and charming, but that was enough for Arthur, his mouth unhinged, to be abandoned by his spirit.

The foolish incarnation of a god of art and passion began to approach them leisurely, his face lit up by a smile, while Arthur listened to Francis comment.

— I hope you understand me for being a little selfish in keeping him for myself.

....

As the brown man caught up with the group of three, his friendly face wore a quiet but certainly puzzled smile. As soon as he had arrived, he had positioned himself next to the King of Diamonds so naturally, with his own inertia, that it was more than clear that this was as normal and basic to him as breathing. Once at his side, Francis reached out his nimble arm to rest his hand on the newcomer's lower back, as naturally as the aforementioned. This was basically his usual modus operandi, while Gilbert, with a complicated expression on his face, watched the action with questioning eyes.

Arthur, on the other hand, continued as before. Quiet. More than silent…, gone. With his mind flying away, perhaps in some imaginary place or who knows where.

Francis could only take pity on him who, like a Spade, must have suffered some kind of culture shock after seeing his Ace's aura.

— What did you call me for, Fra- Oh, wait! I suppose at this point I should refer to you as Your Majesty. —and laughing awkwardly for a moment, Antonio rubbed the back of his neck, correcting his appellation—. If it is not too much of an inquiry, what is the purpose of your call, my King? —Francis, looking conflicted, somewhere between rushed and excited, gently stroked his companion's lower back as he gently shook his head.

— A simple trifle, my lord, a favour I ask of you as your humble servant. —the blond then replied, smarmily, as Antonio laughed, seemingly unaffected by the other's apparent devotion, and Gilbert snorted, hissing through his teeth. The King smiled for a moment, and then his smile devalued a little to a polite, emotionless one—. I wanted to introduce you to a fellow monarch and good old friend of mine. —he then held out his arm in a show of affection and addressed the man who had hitherto been left out of the conversation—. This is Arthur I of the Kirkland Clan, currently Queen of Spades.

And it was at that moment, when the splendid and devastating green eyes as big as stars, bright as the sun itself, and deep as the greatest abyss, turned and rested upon him, that Arthur came back to life to become, as he had never been in his life, red and redder, and even redder.

Knowing the fate of the greenish gaze that had so disarmed him, Arthur could do no more than stand petrified as he watched the man in front of him look at him intently. The colours rushed to his face as, somehow, the blood drained out of his brain. What was wrong with him, why was he acting so…?

Incompetent, stupid.

He felt like a elementary school child in front of some kind of divine creature.

Perhaps by the hand of those last thoughts he had truly lost his sanity, embarrassed to the core as he was 100% aware of the effect this man was having on him.

He managed to shake himself out of the stupor that had assaulted him when Francis, having taken the role of presenter, pointed to Antonio and introduced him.

— And, Arthur, this is Antonio Fernández Carriedo, the Ace of my Kingdom. —he said, smiling at his companion. Arthur was somewhat curious about the fact that Antonio had two surnames, remembering somewhere in the back of his mind that this was a tradition in some parts of the Diamond Kingdom. He turned his attention back to him when he opened his mouth again—. My beloved Ace here has been far away for a while on a research assignment in a distant land, across the ocean, so it is only natural that you two have not met before. This is, if I am not mistaken, the first time he has set foot on our continent in more than five years. —he was surprised, dismayed, and dismayed by this.

It surprised, dismayed and otherwise amazed Arthur, all at once.

He, a lover of wisdom as clichéd as it was from the people of his Kingdom, had always wanted to go beyond the Great Blue that stretched from the shores to the horizon. He knew that there was something beyond, but very few people and very few ships were limited to going and, perhaps, never returning from those distant lands.

He had always been drawn to such adventures and legends, and he was sure that, had it not been for the fate that fell upon him to impose the safety and welfare of his people, he would have taken to the seas to discover, to breathe, to live. Unleashed to run and be surprised by the strangeness of the world beyond his borders. In freedom.

This guy smelled, felt, like freedom.

And his eyes were so crystal clear that he felt the sea was right there for him.

If Yao were in his head, he probably would have called his attention to how shamelessly self-centered that had sounded, as if this Antonio had appeared now and there for and because of him.

Without skimping, avoiding letting a single second pass, he made an elegant but measured bow and formally introduced himself.

— Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades, here to serve you always, my lord.

And he held out his hand so that the Ace could extend his own, to make possible for Arthur to give him the formal, elegant kiss on the hand that, in a way, he longed to offer.

His lips stung in anticipation.

Though his intention was immediately thwarted when, rather abruptly if Arthur were asked, the other fellow's eyes widened slightly, his gaze averted, and in a curt tone he mumbled, cold as ice. — Ace of Diamonds Fernández Carriedo. It's my… pleasure.

The sudden rejection and the coldness that, from what little he had been able to observe, did not seem to go well with his warm and effusive character, made Arthur, not a little self-conscious and annoyed, pick up his own outstretched hand. His brows furrowed, which only seemed to be accentuated when he saw the same gesture reflected in the other's forehead.

Gilbert and Francis didn't look the least bit surprised.

Equally, he was not at all surprised himself when he deepened his voice and, trying to maintain his composure, said. — Forgive my outburst and I do apologise if my behaviour might seem out of place, but I would like to point out your attitude. —that caught the attention of the green eyes, which turned to look at him fiercely—. Are you always this lackadaisical, or do you just have a problem with me? Please don't beat around the bush. I can't stand levity.

The Joker jumped up, overwhelmed. — Kirkland!

But Francis cut him off, calming him down. — Gil, leave it to me. I'll explain. Look, Arthu-

— The latter. —he melodious voice dictated, responding to his kind of rethorical question, and they all turned to look at him, as he turned from glaring at Arthur, somehow fiercely. Then, he closed his eyes and turned away—. I simply have a problem with Spades, it's nothing …"personal", my lord.

…

Arthur's fists clenched, and he gritted his teeth, poisoned by the humiliation.

How could…

How could he pretend to tell Arthur that his entire Kingdom was a problem, but still pretend it was nothing "personal"?

He reached out and tied the man's arm, squeezing it tightly to stop him, and exclaimed.

— You're crazy if you think that-!

— D-DON'T TOUCH ME!!!

The scream reverberated through the room, and the music stopped.

The cold fell on Arthur, and he panicked. In a moment he was away from Antonio, and suddenly the Jack of Clovers Roderich, the groom on this occasion, obstructed his view and acted as a wall between them as, elegant as ever, he remarked non-important things to divert attention. His hand slipped off the arm where it had been, and suddenly the sounds melted into the background and he went still, catatonic. No, he…

He hadn't meant to scare the guy, he…

I mean, yes, he'd felt insulted by him and had wanted to show himself as a proud and capable leader in front of him, but… He'd never intended to unleash such a…

He hadn't… found words to define what he had seen in the other man's eyes for a split second.

There was hatred and rejection, yes. But most of all there was something else, something that made his throat dry and made him want to vomit.

Before he could name the nature of the mist in those eyes that, he was now sure, weren't exactly looking at him, Antonio had been pulled away from him, and the natural noise of the room had been organically restored. Roderich kept saying something to him, at least until he saw Gilbert, and the two of them started to argue, but Arthur didn't listen too much. He was only able to see Francis giving him a complicated look, before he, too, disappeared into the crowd.

Nothing else worth telling happened during the rest of the evening. Not that Arthur, in the pale state of his mind, could recall, at least.

…

But that same night, in his blankets, Arthur couldn't sleep, he was tossing and turning. The saw green freedom-eyes suddenly darken under a veil of unknown feelings every time he thought he was falling asleep. And then he would open his eyes and look up at the ceiling, thinking.

Who was really Antonio? Why hadn't he known about the existence of someone as important as the Ace of Diamonds? And how was it possible that he had been out of the Four Realms for so long? Why… What for did everyone seem to hide and treasure him so much? And, above all,

Why did such cheerful eyes as his only exude pure anguish when they looked at him, a Spade?

That night Alfred's snoring in the next room and the tinkling of the glass decorations in the guest room accompanied him in his wakefulness. Partly caused by the anxiety in the back of his mind that was warning him of something unknown; partly, too, by the tingling in his arms and in his soul that numbed his senses when he thought of Antonio, his hair, his voice, his eyes and his smile.

All night he thought of nothing else, in fact.

[To be continued… ]