Chapter 6
Arthur couldn't manage to go to sleep, no matter how long he remained closed within the warmth of the blankets he could hear the other visibly awake, his breathing at an unsteady pace and his legs moving the covers slowly as to not awake the other. Alfred, quite frankly, had endured quite enough of this from the other, not out of annoyance but simply due to the fact there seemed to be something withholding the other from speaking.
The end of the straw was an exasperated sigh followed by the cover's shifting at a dramatic pace, "Arthur." The fidgeting stopped in a sense of trying to lure the other into false beliefs, lifting himself up and propping up on his arm he looked over, "I know you're awake. You've kept me awake for hours, so just tell me what is bothering you."
Arthur lifted himself onto his side as well, "Well how in the blazes would you figure that out." He snapped, his accent slipping through harsher than it typically did. He appeared all too ready to walk out, but seemed to remain in control, or possibly desire to stay where he was, either from the sheer effort of not wanting to leave his place out of exhaustion, or the small part of him that wanted to confess what was lingering on his mind.
Now, surely Alfred could be ignorant of people's emotions at times, but after having spent an unknown amount of years with Arthur he could read him to an extent, he still managed to pin some of himself down into the fortress that was his own mind, having always been able to maintain a face bare of emotion, "I know you, just tell me what it is." He begged, sitting up to steady himself on his legs as he reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder, in a gentle attempt to sooth the other.
At this rate they were both sitting up, obviously fully awake as rain tapped gently against the windows, the curtains drawn apart allowing moonlight to fall upon the two, the lighter blonde turning into almost a silvery wisp in the light, faintly making out his hands as he fidgeted with his wedding band as it let off quick silvers of light when it matched at certain angles. Finally he turned to the other, "What if this is the wrong thing. What if we finally get there and all the sudden everything goes wrong."
Leading a hand, he cups the other under the chin, "Everything will be fine, this is what you wanted and I will happily oblige." He assured, slipping a smile to the shorter one as he rested his head into the Alfred's hand, slipping his hand around his wrist.
"For some odd reason I feel something wrong will happen, it'll start out alright; however," He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, fearing there was a way to disperse worse visions than he had been thinking.
"You're having the visions again aren't you?" He watched as the other's emerald eye's trailed to the side refusing to speak of it, "Art, you haven't had them since we met so surely this means something." he tried to confide in the other, trying to assist some reassurance into the other. The visions appearing once again didn't cause such a disturbance within Alfred as they seemed to perturb the other, but when he thought about it there seemed to be a reasonable explanation as he could only think of what the other was truly seeing.
The monarch pulled back, "What if it means nothing Alfred, you can't always assume that everything that occurs is going to have an equal reaction." Getting off the bed he strolled to the window, allowing a long shadow to run back to where he had sat over the other, "Something bad is going to happen. I can sense it and the visions are blurred, they aren't clear."
"You haven't had them in years, that's to be expected, maybe they've weakened or you're not remembering the other's properly. You didn't recognize me upon our first meeting, and when sitting down for our first time and we got word of what you had been experiencing you could only simply inform us that there was a Spade, following how you knew you had to come. Those visions lead to something good though, right?"
Turning around his hands laid upon the window sill behind him, "Yes, I suppose you're correct. They did lead us to be together." The room fell in silence, outside of the nonstop tapping, the other walked over to his companion, tilting his head up gently to view a small smile as he remembered their encounter, Arthur knew what was to come yet refused to speak anymore as his hand's fell onto the other's shoulders, giving him leverage as the space closed between them. Yes, as it never failed, Alfred could comfort him even in the worst moments, the magic that bonded them together had strengthened after their marriage and they became a standing symbol unable to be seen without the other on more than a physical scale, each able to comfort the other during times of stress or anguish.
Pulling away, Alfred held the other's hands in his, linking them together, "There's nothing to fear, I'll protect you."
Looking up a smirk pulled at the corner of Arthur's mouth, "Oh, you're gonna be my hero who rescues me from all my troubles?"
"Always have been." He corrected him, pulling him into an embrace.
"Well okay then hero, we might want to get some rest, before Yao come's and attacks us like a mother hen." He joked, leading the other back from the window into bed with a gentle brush of his hand against the taller male's cheek.
There was a moment on hesitation before he settled, wondering if drawing the curtains would be a wise choice before deciding the comfort provided by the other who was pressed into his back, and currently had his arm wrapped around his waist was much more appealing, drawing him in for the night with content and his chest filled with flowers blooming ever so with pleasure. Flipping over he connected their left hands, feeling their rings collide against one another in a quiet symphony before resting his eyes into the other's. Alfred offering one last smile before he could no longer resist temptation and closed his eyes, closing the small space between the two of them, as Arthur pulled the blanket up over their shoulders.
~ ~
"You've got to be kidding me!" The curtains were swung closed covering the mirror in a fit of undeniable rage as the figure watched the two come closer, giving a tight embrace as Alfred lowered his head to kiss the shorter blonde. The other was clearly mocking him and yet his lover laid there with him, unbothered by the other's tone. He desired to rip the curtains down in a fit of rage.
. .
As expected the castle still remained as flashy as the two remembered, citrine was placed into the outer walls with diamonds surrounding them in a shape of a diamond, the sun hitting the golden walls giving it a large disadvantage with many people around them wearing sunglasses or squinting - the two of them wished they had, or Alfred's tinted, but that wasn't the case. Arthur threw out a loud scoff as they entered the halls, having caught a glimpse out of a window of the oil factories pumping out fumes as the small plant had mountains being thrown out from the top. The two couldn't help but exchange a knowing glance, people who worked in the oil fields had their lives shortened exponentially, this was often made up by a generous pay and some health care benefits, it wasn't common for accidents to occur that could put people out of work for months or leave them unable to work in that field ever again.
"Lets get this over with." Arthur grumbled, clearly displeased with the sight he was seeing even from a far distance. The other placed a hand on his back, unable to swallow a ball that had wrapped itself up in his throat, brought from worry, making him unable to speak, simply offering a nod as he watched Arthur mess with his gloves making sure the Spades that were on the back weren't concealed or folding. His prideful item Yao would call them, they gave him a sense of self to the other besides the Queen's mark that laid on the left of his neck which he always keep covered. A gift from the other two when he took his position as Queen, although, despite what the two had believed he didn't hesitate taking the position as much as other's would believe and rather accepted his fate, his hardest accommodation seemed not people doing everything for him, well Alfred was also a hard part to become accustomed to; though now he wouldn't speak of that side, having accepted the proposal and coming to fall for the loud man who stood on his right. If ever asked about this, he would never respond, except the one time he explained it was thoughtless to brandish a mark so proudly, as they all knew Francis would have made his mark known to the public the second he figured out the meaning, had it not been somewhere where it was able to be seen without any inappropriate measures taken - at the very least that's what the other's Kingdom's held to believe as he never did reveal it despite having bragged about it, on several occasions.
Alfred removed his mind from the thought as they stood in the lavish room, awaiting for the other Royal's to arrive, as he eyed his surroundings: the walls were engraved with diamonds throughout them in gold, against a cream white took the rest of the unused space. Arthur took to grabbing his left hand and leading him to the table, which had a yellow cloth covering a length of it while still exposing the wood on the sides where they sat. Champagne glasses set in-front surrounding a bottle.
"Is that tosser trying to get us drunk after blinding us." Arthur murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose out of sheer annoyance.
It's true that Francis had always been quite a drinker, for lack of better terms, he was known for having a nonstop flow of brewery's which many believe is how his Kingdom received the title of The Kingdom of Wealth, as every other Kingdom had taken to measures to achieve their title. Some had just taken darker paths to get to theirs, whether it meant taking a darker path to achieve it or not; however, if either of the four Kingdoms had a dark past it was long since forgotten. Hearts had influence over your emotions, one would never want to make a deal with any part of the main Monarchy or either wise it would cost your heart, and sometimes soul if the deal wasn't completed, while also being the place where people were found to be some of the most gleeful and having a long history of rulers who married for their own mutual feelings: The Kingdom of Love. Clubs took themselves to an uptight measure, they were dignified but also had no fears or negative views on starting or joining a war, with the advantage of them having always won their wars throughout the years: The Kingdom of Luck. Spades came down to an unnatural advantage, the Kingdom which has taken up more wars in it's few centuries of being around as a total of one hundred-forty-three, only being toppled by the Kingdom of Clubs: often resulting in a truce between the two as to finally place a resolution to the wars before it kept up a conflict for over a century or more.
Spades was the last Kingdom to have formed itself, the first being Diamonds, followed by Hearts, and Clubs seemingly being the last before the fourth was arisen when someone had found a new mark on themselves and resided to finding an abandoned castle in the West to where it just ended up gradually growing a population of artists and individuals of free thoughts who would end up going to different countries as often occurred with citizens, changing their positions and taking up their residence in different Kingdoms based off their interests. Spades attracting those who are retained to science, and the mental arts; Hearts attracting creators of every kind, mechanics being found in every twist and turn of their walls; Clubs offered those a chance to act upon their rage while still remaining peace, people being raised to fight for their King, along with a numerous amount coming to explore their passion for the performing arts; Diamonds was a random mix of people, many coming to find themselves, then deciding if they wanted to depart or remain. Either way each Kingdom had a large population of people mixed in, and there has always been dominated by one occupation since their beginning.
"It is good to see your faces once again!" Francis burst in with a flip of his hair.
Alfred was pulled out of his thoughts, and Arthur thinned his lips to repress his disdain with the King. Alfred kept trying to remain focused on Francis, but small hints told him to look away, something was happening and he didn't want to miss it for all the wrong reasons, nevertheless he turned away as he looked at the champagne glass.
Something in his gut told him there was a sinister motive for there being alcohol involved in an economical meeting, yet he couldn't wrap around what the other could gain from causing the others to get drunk. If he could at the very least, many of the monarchs either refused to drink unless in their own company, or had a higher tolerance than expected, "Get your bloody hands away from me, bastard!"
Turning in shock he watched as Arthur stood on his feet, pinning the Frenchman down, his hands radiating a hellish green glow, it was obvious what had happened, Francis had once again attempted to make a move on him as he often did when in the presence of the Spade Queen, who would often not hesitate to leave a few burn marks in retaliation.
"Oh, is this an act of war mon cheri?" He proposed, coughing a bit as Arthur pressed the end of his heel into the other's gut.
As much as Alfred would love to watch this unfold he would rather be over with this ridiculous meeting and return back to his Kingdom to attend to his citizens needs, rather than sending them to war. 'Arthur stop'
'He started it! Why don't you speak rather than insist on using telepathy?'
Alfred returned a hard glare, 'You know why.'
Pulling off he looked down to the other, "Don't ever touch me again or your head will be nonexistent." Arthur warned pulling away as he strode over to the golden male. Raising one of his brows at the look on his face, 'What.'
"Please lets just get this over with. You can kill him on his death bed." He whispered as the other closed space, "Until then, please just tolerate him, I don't want to be here anymore than you do." He confessed placing his hand onto the other's shoulder.
The other took his place back in the seat, practically yelling his head off at the flashy King as he attempted to pour him a drink. I can't take anymore of this, Alfred decided before strolling out of the room and down random halls, knowing that he had to keep a constant eye on Arthur but was hoping Yao would show up before a death occurred. Typically around those two Alfred had no choice but to yell at the other, always keeping the conversation between their connected lines as to maintain a sense of discipline, otherwise blood would have been covering the white walls by the time Alfred left the room. Feeling exhaustion hit like a brick, he placed his back to a wall crossing his arms over his chest and raising his head revealing most of his neck as he pressed his head back, an act he often did when stressed or simply tired. Standing there felt slightly relaxing, nobody was giving him things to do, and he wasn't having to hear the other's arrive along with the bickering and possible screams that would leave Francis' mouth as Arthur threw fire at him. There was a slight issue though, where was he, he had walked so far without taking note of the turns he took meaning returning might be a challenge, especially since all the other Kingdom's attempted to avoid Diamond's for the very reason as to escape Francis' constant bragging, despite how calming it was he should start heading back.
Reaching to pull the pocketwatch out he felt prods from behind before latching onto his waist, looking down he found a pair of hands covered by silk gloves, similar to Arthur's but missing the Spade's that resided on the top, and having long lines pop up where the fingers would typically show an extended bone when the fingers were bent back.
Not wanting to move out of fear of provoking whoever had their hands around him, he held the watch tightly, "Arthur?" He quavered, fear starting to make their home in his bones as he attempted to not freak out.
The hands seemed to wrap themselves around him even more, feeling something pressing into his back, a breath falling on his neck as he clutched the watch closer knowing the value it held. Fear creased up in his throat, tears pouring into his eyes, everything he had been trained and informed of never compared to what was happening, he refused his body the urge to look back, fearing there truly being an item to remove his eye out at any moment. Surely it wasn't past Francis to seek revenge after the last meeting, especially with Alfred having been the one telling him why his reasons and solutions weren't right, but as much as he loathed that, would he really dare wage war over an economic discussion? He preferred to not believe it, hoping and pleading for this to be some sick twisted joke. Finally, having gathered the courage, moving his eye's at a slow pace to look over his shoulder and realize he was in a hall of mirrors, only to be standing right behind one, still that made more questions than it answered.
"Alfred?" At some point he heard his named called even through the frantic ringing in his ears, the world around his pulling out in a static daze. An English voice, full of the accent he had come to find as his driving motivation.
Pushing through he could feel his limbs numbed, tears no longer able to run through, his hands and feet unable to be moved as they had been filled with a static, he realized at this point he had been losing feeling in his lips and face, his body shaking to an unhealthy rate at his teeth chattered, finally he raised his voice, "Arthur?" Not able to hear the tone or volume of his voice as he spoke, hoping it wasn't a shout and simply sounded like a desperate call.
Looking around the side he found a gloved hand come into sight, a green ember resting in the palm, "Arthur!" His body fought back in a vicious rage, but as soon as he finally felt the other's name leave his lips, the arms around his waist departed at a frantic pace, dropping him on the floor with a loud thud as his knees hit the tile.
"Alfred, are you insane?!" A voice called, footsteps rushing over.
Peering through the part in his hair, he saw a pair of boots closing in on him, before his vision was clouded by the purple material of the other's cloak, "What is wrong with you now. Come on, we need to get going before the meeting starts." Wrapping his arms around the other he attempted to pull him up, before realizing the other was practically limp and shaking, unable to grasp the world that was around him. "Alright, can you hear me? Just blink once if you can." And so he did, "Great, I need you to breathe in your nose out your mouth, understand. Your body is attempting to shut down in a sense, leaving you in a state of unconsciousness for some time to fix itself."
So commenced the awkward moments of him just trying to settle the others body with the breathing technique, Alfred finally able to hear once again, and gather himself, pulling himself up to his full height and no longer on his calves with his back pressed to the wall looking toward the other, "Thank you, I'm not sure what came over me." Alfred fibbed, hoping the other wouldn't realize it was a lie despite that being a shared power between the two.
"Based on the facts that I know you, it was dehydration. You need actual water." It seemed he had hoped right, the other was too concerned with the meeting to detect it, at least for now as he assisted the other to his feet and steadying him. Unless it truly wasn't a lie, and he didn't know what had taken over him, which he hoped was wrong.
The meeting was drawn out longer than usual, having to catch Lili, Queen of Diamonds, up with the rest as she had missed the entire thing and Francis hadn't bothered filling her in since his last visit to Spades. Vash, their Jack, was always busy running the operation behind the curtains, often taking up or fixing things the King had done and assisting Lili, his little sister, with her errands from time to time when she fell under the weather as the stress often took over her health, making it impossible for him to have relayed the information back. While Lili was beloved by not only her Kingdom, the other Kingdom's held a soft spot for her, some of them holding more than a basket of sympathy her way for having to be married too the indolent King, while the King was often disregarded as self-centered and pompous by his own citizens, she never seemed bothered by her King and it was often she was accompanied by Elizabeta, or her older brother.
She appeared much more open and pleased with the idea, thankful for the others filling her in on the idea of the economical discussion and possible changes. Ready to open the discussion on how soon they could start shutting down the oil factories, and transferring those who had worked into the fields into careers that suited them and paid around the same wage, or possibly even transferring them to monitor and maintain. Making containment centers that would hold the required materials as to not spill any waste into the water supplies, Hearts offering to lend some of their people over to assist.
The other Kingdom's agreed, the discussion going well and setting up a plan giving those who were currently working in the oil fields seven months before having to shut down, saying during that time their wages would increase but people would not be laid off nor hired in those few months. While they placed a team to start building the panels which were quite costly as Ludwig had warned, Lili shrugging it off saying how this would save people from developing respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, and would overall be much better for those around them and future rulers of their country. It seemed overall this meeting would end in agreements, never once wavering against plans as the calculations were taken up to the costs.
"Hold on a minute here, surely the rest of you are going to assist us financially, I presume?" Francis broke in, not one figure having realized he hadn't spoken through their entire four hour conversation, until this point, to which they were thankful that he had kept his mouth shut.
His Queen reached out a hand to place gently on his arm, "Surely you cannot expect them to assist with our issues." She uttered, bestowing the other a look that none of the other's had ever seen appear on her face prior too. It was a look that spoke of how fed up she finally was of his nonsense, making Arthur smile at how she had finally grown tired of him.
Francis being an alexithymia, having always been emotionally blind to those around him besides himself, maybe Arthur was an exclusion to this, didn't observe the emotions that came from her pointed gaze, "Obviously I'm serious, they presented this idea so shouldn't they be responsible for part of the expense?"
Arthur pushed his chair back, alerting Alfred who was seated next to him who had been sipping water since the argument had begun. Typically someone would have shot the short-tempered one down as to avoid an argument, but at this rate everyone was finished with Francis' cheap ways as he attempted to get out pf paying for his own faults, "Unless I've stepped foot in the wrong Kingdom, you hold the title of being the wealthiest Kingdom. Take account for what you have caused, or remove yourself from the throne!"
Slamming his hand down on the table he took that as his leave, flinging open the doors with a wave of his hand before slamming them behind him, the loud clacking of his shoes slowly fading out as they presumably made their way back to the carriage or to await for the other blue cladded men to meet up with him.
The other's took to glaring at Francis, their brow's raised as their words had finally been spoken. Alfred joining them as he was also furious of the situation with the other, typically he could understand the issues that he brought up, or the random nonsense that could often be related to the situation. Francis turned to the Spade's King expecting a sympathetic smile only to receive a cold-hearted glare.
"Alfred, you must understand I simply cannot afford this without the expense of my civilians." He pleaded to the golden blonde, slipping the other a small grin.
Locking eye's with King Francis he straightened in his seat, snapping at the other, "You're full of shit, Francis."