Finding My Way

Chapter 1: The Kingdom of Hearts

Chapter 1: The Kingdom of Hearts

It was a regular autumn day in the merry Kingdom of Hearts. The trees were dyed a reddish-gold, their leaves carried off by the wind to places unknown. 19-year-old Lovina Vargas wished for that too, to go on an adventure like that...She had always wondered what life outside the walls were like, having lived in the Kingdom of Hearts all her years. If she could, she would most definitely leave for an adventure! Maybe to the Kingdom of Clubs, the "land of gold". Maybe to the Kingdom of Diamonds, the "country of light". Where she wanted to go the most was actually the Kingdom of Spades, also known by many as the "Fields of wisdom". But Lovina simply sighed and glanced at the rose-colored heart mark on her hand, marking her a hearts citizen.

Don't be silly, Lovina. You need to look after Grandpa Roma. Feliciana can't possibly manage by herself now, can she?

Lovina smiled to herself as she let her thoughts wander to her younger sister, Feliciana Vargas, who was soon to turn 19 years old, just like Lovina herself. She'd never admit it out loud, but Lovina cared deeply for her precious sister, and would do anything for her. But most of all, she was proud to be her sorella, even though Feliciana was quite a dense idiota.

Oh well, time to go home! They're waiting for dinner. Lovina thought to herself, glancing over at her basket. "Flour, oil, cheese, tomatoes, pepperoni...perfetto! They were having a nice treat for dinner to celebrate Feliciana's birthday. She peeked at her purse and grinned, seeing the 5 silver coins she'd saved over the past month from her wages. Ever since Lovina saw that pretty flute in the display at the woodsmiths', she figured it'd be perfect for her sister's birthday. Both the Vargas sisters absolutely adored music. Lovina played the violin, while Feliciana played her "flute". (It really was a bent, pockmarked old brass one that produced whistling noises most of the time.) Grandpa Roma always enjoyed hearing them play their instruments together. Now, Lovina actually had the chance to get her sister a proper flute to play. As the italian lass walked into the woodsmiths', she saw it. There it was, the beautiful wooden flute. Made of quality oak wood, its sides were intricately carved, with streaks of gold paint wrapped around its middle. Lovina handed over the coins and rushed home, excited to give Feliciana her present.

"Ve? Oh! Welcome back!" Feliciana chirped excitedly at her sister as she opened the door. "Whatever." Lovina mumbled. Did I mention Lovina was rather covert with her emotions? She rarely showed her true feelings and usually covered it with an aggressive front. Now, on with the story!

"I'm making pizza today, Feli."

"That sounds great!"

"Mh. By the way, happy birthday, sorella."

"Grazie~"

-----------time skip-----------

Lovina was in the kitchen, kneading the dought to make pizza, while Feli cut the ingredients nearby. On the other end of the room, their grandfather, Augustus, (They preferred to call him "Grandpa Roma") sat, reading a book and smoking from his pipe.As much as they loved their grandfather, smoking was one of the things the Vargas sisters weren't very fond of.

"Nonno, don't smoke in the house, please."

"Sorry, my dears. I'll go outside. You'll call me when dinner's ready, si?" Augustus stood up and walked outside, just as Feli popped the pizza into the oven.

"Sorella? You were at the market longer than usual, did something happen?"

"I just went to pick something up along the way home. " Lovina mumbled, setting the table for dinner. She took out their finest silverware and crockery, which had little daisies and dandelions engraved in their centre. Lovina had gotten them off a street peddler for a few silver coins, and they were surprisingly durable. By the time they had set the table and washed the utensils, the pizza was ready. Feliciana went to the porch to call their grandfather in for dinner.

As they feasted, they talked about the current situation of the other kingdoms. At least, what the newspaper had reported. Lovina listened intently. After all, Grandpa Augustus was the only link she had with the outside world. Neither Lovina nor Feliciana could read, as their family never really did have enough money to send them to school. Feliciana was perfectly fine with not being able to read, but what Lovina wanted more than anything was to be able to read. It killed her to go outside and be unable to know what the signboards said. Despite all of this, she greatly enjoyed being around books. Her favourite book was "The Little Prince". She had heard her grandpa mention that it had been very well known before the great war, and could spend hours admiring the illustrations, running her fingers over the yellowed paper. How she longed to be able to read its contents and discover the story behind the pictures. She had asked her grandfather countless times to teach her to read, but he never really had found time for that, so Lovina simply just stopped asking.

Soon after dinner, Lovina and Grandpa Augustus were going to give Feli her gifts. Usually, they would just wish each other a 'Happy Birthday' and be done with it, as they never really had enough to buy a present. but this year was special, Lovina's precious sorella was turning 19. Grandpa Augustus gave Feliciana a special necklace that once belonged to thei grandmother, and when Lovina presented her gift, Feli's eyes watered and she gave Lovina a hug, eyes watering, saying

"Grazie, sorella. Grazie..."

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Later that evening, it was time for Lovina to go to work. She worked as a waitress at a bar, from around 9 at night to 3 in the morning. Not exactly the ideal job, but it paid well. She did a last check on her bag, making sure everything she needed was there. She put on her "work clothes" and left the house. It was a saturday night, and that meant more customers. More customers meant more tips. After arriving at the bar, she took a deep breath before stepping in. The regular smell of alcohol mixed with smoke sickened her greatly. Well, it's part of the job, Lovina. What did you expect? Lavender? She thought to herself.

Lovina's boss and friend, Elizabeta came over to greet her.

"Hey Lovina! Busy night tonight, eh? You'll be taking the upper floor today with me, that's where all the big customers are, if you know what I mean!" She winked. Lovina nodded, and made her way to the top floor.

It was around half past three when the last customer finally left the bar, and Lovina's legs were so exhausted they nearly gave out. She bid her colleagues farewell and headed for home. However, as she rounded the corner, someone called out to her:

"Miiiiiissssyyyy~ Wheresa you goin'?"

Ugh, this man was drunk off his arse, he wasn't even standing steadily.

"Leave me alone."

"Awwwweeee, don' be like thaaaat~ Let's go to my plaaaace!"

"No. Leave me alone."

"'Mkay, finee. How muuuchhhh?" He slurred.

"I'm not a prostitute, bastardo. Get lost." If only she could make it to the main street.. just as she was about to reach there, a hand grabbed her wrist. She wrenched it away, closing her eyes and giving whoever it was a good slap on the face.

"Ow! What was that for? I'm here to help, not get slapped!" A voice edged with surprise and shock yelped.

Lovina opened her eyes, and immediately looked into the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen, and she could only think two words.

Holy shit.

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Translations:

Sorella- Sister

Idiota- Idiot

Nonno- Grandfather

Perfetto- Perfect

Grazie- Thank you!

Bastardo- Bastard

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And that was chapter 1! This is my first cardverse fanfic, and criticism will be welcomed with open arms. I've put the italian in italic font (//casually laughs at own pun) so it's easier to tell what's italian and what isn't. Hope you liked it, I put a lot of effort into this. I would love you forever if you left a comment, a vote or told your fellow hetalians about this, eh ;) I hope the italian was understandable, I've left the translations there too, hehe!

Until next time, then!

-aphtomate