Total Eclipse of the Heart (Royal AU Wally x reader)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Will you marry me?"
After such an arduous battle, our group of heroes patched up their wounds and caught up on their hours of sleep. After all, (Y/n) and Wally barely slept ever since they left the Kingdom of Spades.
"Will you do me the honor of staying by my side forever?"
The guests that ran away were all given a message that the royal estate was safe now. As the debris was getting thrown out, any items that could be salvaged were given back to its owner. The last few days of the Shuffling were spent like this, while everyone resided in the other buildings in the estate, or the fanciest inns and hotels in the capital.
"May I have your hand in marriage?"
Arnold has been sent to a hospital, he hasn't woken up yet. (Y/n) would reside in the room with him, but she would go back to the castle during the day to get her and her friends' things back.
"Will you make me the happiest man on Earth and become my wife?"

"I can't take it anymore!" Lady (Y/n) exclaimed, her face red. "This is the tenth time he asks me now!"
"You never gave him an actual answer," Frank said nonchalantly. "of course he's going to be persistent."
The two of them were scavenging for books, since part of the library collapsed. They would pick them up and put them in the cart, to be put aside while the castle was rebuilt.
"Did you react just like you did the first time?" he glanced at her with a smile.
She groaned and covered her face. The first time Wally asked for her hand, she said, quote, 'haha! Good one your Highness! Let's go everyone!' before literally running away.
"At first I thought he only asked that in the heat of the moment!" she harshly whispered. "You know, after you save the world, anything feels possible! But it's been two days now and he keeps asking, he's very serious about this and I-" she moved her hands all around and made noises, overwhelmed.
Frank just hummed and carefully placed a couple of books in the cart, all neatly placed in stacks. Finally, (Y/n) sighed.
"I mean-" she looked around to make sure no one was looking before leaning towards him. "We only just kissed. Suddenly he wants us to be married right after?! That is madness!"
"There is actually an explanation for that."
"Really?" she tilted her head.

"Royalty has a different approach to marriage than the rest of the nobility does. There is never any courting involved, for there is no love involved. When there is a royal wedding, it's for the sake of their kingdom, their assets and their alliances. You are either engaged from the moment the two parties are born, or you select a match that is most beneficial. Me and Wally were lucky enough to have mothers who let us choose our match, and Julie had multiple fiancés but she scared them all away."
"Oh? How?"
"To put it simply, by being herself."
"Well then." she huffed. "They must not have been worth it."
"Trust me, they were not."
"But...That doesn't explain why he wants to marry me this quickly." she looked down. "Doing so wouldn't be beneficial at all, the only asset I have is my small town."
"To be fair, you did help save the world. That's pretty prestigious if you ask me."

"You know what I mean, Frank." she lightly hit his shoulder. "If our union is of no benefit, why would he marry me? If he wants to marry me for love, why go through this traditional process?"
He gave her a blank look, as if the answer was obvious.
"...Because the whole world is watching."
Her eyes widened.
"Julie has her siblings helping her, I have my mother, Wally is an orphan. He's been ruling alone ever since his mother's passing and he has rejected suitors before. What do you think people will say if he starts courting you?"
"...It could be a secret."
"I don't believe either of you could handle a secret relationship, you already have too much on your shoulders. Plus," he leaned closer. "you know that, when it comes to royalty, nothing stays secret forever."
She took a deep breath in.
"Well then." she exhaled. "That doesn't help at all."
"Oh don't take my words too seriously. Who knows," he went back to scavenging. "Wally's never been in love before, maybe he really just loves you so much that he's willing to get married right away."
She blushed. With all of this new information, she felt a headache coming.

Once the cart was full, the duo went back to the camp that had been set up throughout the estate.
"My Lady!"
They looked over to see Sally and Jeremiah rush over to them, their arms were full of scripts and papers. (Y/n) stopped the horse she was pulling.
"You are conserving the books, correct?" without waiting for an answer, she dumped her workload in the cart. "If I may put these aside as well thank you oh so very much."
Frank scoffed.
"Lady Starlet, you-!"
"Oh please, King of Diamonds," she raised a hand, shutting him up. "we defeated evil together!"
"I wouldn't say we defeated evil." (Y/n) mumbled while Frank huffed and folded his arms. "If there's good, there is evil, that's just-"
"Surely you can move past formalities with your fellow heroes."
"Um, very well." she nodded. "Sally, you've managed to salvage all of your work?"
"No! It all drowned and dissolved in the flood! So I wrote it all down again, from memory!" she pressed on her own temple.
"Well, you could at least sort them out properly." Frank started to collect the papers and arrange them.
"No what are you doing?!" Sally picked up the papers he couldn't get in time. "I have a system!"
"Oh, please, explain it to me."

"She's had some of that Spades coffee from Countess Gwendolyn." Jeremiah whispered to (Y/n).
"Oh my." she said. "That's not good."
"Yeah, it's been a nightmare." they nodded. "Speaking of the Countess, she was looking for you."
Curious, (Y/n) gave the reins to Frank as he kept arguing with Sally before leaving to the camp where she found Gwendolyn, Eddie and Catherine.
"We found the birds!" the latter of which beamed, lifting up the cage where the two small black birds were.
"They must've flew away and escaped," Gwendolyn said. "we found them in the forest, thanks to Mr. Dear."
"Oh it wasn't much." he smiled, bashful. "The ladies were the ones who found them, I just helped with the navigating in nature and such."
"That's great guys." she smiled. "I think it would be safe now to send them to the Spades Kingdom, along with the others from the King's personal zoo."
"Speaking of him, have you said yes already?" Gwendolyn asked with a smirk.
(Y/n) frowned.

"Come on, Gwendolyn." Catherine shook her head. "She has a right to take her time to think about it. She doesn't have to say yes just because he's a king. If she doesn't want to get married, she can just say no."
"Th-That's not the issue." (Y/n) shook her head.
"I will say, milady." Eddie stepped closer to her. "You were afraid that your feelings wouldn't be mutual, and as it turns out, they are. You said you couldn't be with someone like his Majesty but I swear that I cannot think of a better pair than the two of you. You're like pancakes and syrup." he smiled.
"That's...not the issue either." she whispered before changing the subject.
After this, she went to the infirmary to get her bandages removed (cuts from the glass shards in the throne room). She met Julie there, her arm was broken. When asked about it, she said 'Either I break it or lose it. In battles, you have to make tough choices like this! It comes with the job!'
"I better be maid of honor on Wally's side during the wedding." she said. "I'll bring a mountain of cakes, all in different colors. Also I hope there's a concert at the reception and that my favorite band will be there-"
"Please, hold on just a moment!" (Y/n) moved her hands up and down. "You speak as if this wedding was happening."
"(Y/n). Come on." she tilted her head. "It's gonna happen, everyone is talking about it."
"Because you guys keep bringing it up!" she pointed at her.

"Don't you think it's because you're stalling?"
"Stalling? I'm not stalling." she looked down.
"You totally are!" she pointed at her. "Because you're scared of love or something."
"That's not it at all." she folded her arms.
"Really if someone should be mad here it's me, but look at this!" she pointed at her big smile. "So happy for you guys!"
"You? Why would you be mad?"
"Because!" she hopped off her bed (mind you, the doctor was in the middle of putting a cast on her arm) and walked up to her. "Out of the three of us, Wally is the first one to get married?! Him?!"
Both the doctor and (Y/n) panicked and ushered her back on the bed.

"...Maybe you should just get married today then." (Y/n) suggested, half-serious about it. "That way, you'll get ahead of him."
Julie gasped.
"(Y/n)! Since when do you come up with such genius ideas?!"
"I believe this is the influence you have on me, Julie." she chuckled.
The Queen's face lit up. Ever since that battle, she called her and Frank by their first name, even in public. Julie then fell back on the bed with a big sigh, startling the doctor yet again.
"Oh but where can I find the love of my life in just a daaaay?" she whined.
(Y/n) turned her head to look at Sally, who has been watching them from a distance this whole time. She didn't notice the Lady staring at her, for of course she's been focusing on the Queen.
"Oh look." she pointed. "Here's Lady Starlet."

Julie sat up, the doctor almost made a wrong move and decided to pause the operation for now.
"Oh yeah!" Julie waved her arm. "Hiiiiii!"
Sally's head began to glow and made a quick curtsy before running away.
"Man." Julie sighed with a smile. "She is so shy!" she giggled.
(Y/n) slowly nodded with a tight smile.
'Selective shyness.' she thought.

A lot of important documents of Wally were kept in a safe where his office used to be. The safe was taken out and brought to his makeshift outdoors office, under a gazebo in the west gardens. He thought he should work outside more often. (Y/n) came by because the two of them needed to go over the paperwork they've worked on together in the past and now needed to be redone. They first started on the first task, for there was a lot of paperwork. The papers (along with the books previously mentioned) were either dissolved or soaking wet, so they needed to be carefully dried off. They couldn't use magic to remove the water, because they could take away the ink as well.
After drying the papers, (Y/n) and Wally worked on putting it all back in order. An easy but time consuming task.
"Could these be it?" she showed him some papers. "Page four and seven."
"Ah. Yes, perfect. These go right here."
They were standing side by side, the papers scattered on Wally's desk which he had brought from the castle.
"This is like a puzzle." he said.
"A very important puzzle, in which there could be terrible consequences if one piece was missing." she chuckled.
He just looked at her and smiled.
"Will you marry me?"

(Y/n) groaned and turned away, frustrated. As soon as she dropped her guard, it happens again!
'This man knows exactly when to throw me for a loop!'
"Your Highness please!" she faced him, her face red. "You've asked me so many times, can't you understand that I simply can't answer?!"
"Why? Ah. Could it be because...of your former engagement?"
"No." she shook her head. "I know you are nothing like him." her expression softened. "You're unlike anyone I've ever met, in fact."
Wally blushed.
"Then why?"
"Because-" she shook her hands, as if it would make the word come to her. "As much as the feeling is mutual, there is so much to do!" she gestured all around them. "In fact, I made a list of what needs to be done on my end!"
She took out a sheet of paper which then unfolded three of four times, pages stitched together with a thread.
"While together we have to gather our things and come up with a story to tell the press, explaining the disastrous end of your very first Shuffling, back home we still have the Spades plague. So many very important documents were ruined and need to be redone which is a long administrative process. We have to find the runaway nobles, bring them to justice and take back everything they stole. We still don't have a king. After this attack from our former King, our reputation will take yet another toll. With most of our belongings destroyed, that is a lot of money lost. And let's not forget-!"

While she talked, Wally only wondered when she had the time to make such a long list. He smiled in awe.
'Ah! Headache!' (Y/n) had to stop talking and hold her head.
She took a deep breath.
"I cannot get married." she looked at him. "How can you be so willing to do that when you have to deal with this?" she gestured towards the castle.
"During hard times, a wedding can bring joy to everyone." he smiled. "I'm sorry I can't give us time to get to know each-other a little longer, but I know in my heart that we've learned the most important parts of each-other's character."
"That's not-" she sighed. "That's not the issue."
She sat down on one of the small stone benches, staring at nothing for a moment.

"Besides," she looked up at him. "if we were to get married, would that mean I would have to leave my home and live here?"
"...If we were to get married, this will be your home." he gestured around him.
Her expression turned sadder.
"...But," he said. "I understand that you love your Kingdom too much to leave it."
She nodded.
"It would break my heart."
Wally's smile faltered a little bit.
"And that would break mine." he whispered. "I understand." he nodded. "You can go back to the Spades Kingdom right now, they still need you."
"What?" her eyes widened.

"And I'm sure your darling dog will be happy to see you again, after the way you parted ways with him." he chuckled. "He looked rather sad."
"Oh my gosh, he was..." she mumbled, heartbroken, before shaking her head. "B-But wait, you must stay here, so... You're letting me be in charge of your healers, doctors and all these medical supplies you've brought?"
"They'll be in good hands. I know it." he went up to her and placed a hand on top of hers. "Do what you must, once you're ready, I shall be here, awaiting your answer."
She looked at his hand, it was warm, smaller than hers. She took it and stood up.
"I don't deserve you." she smiled, her eyebrow furrowed. "You're... You're too..."
He kissed her knuckles.
"Go on." he said. "Before I decide to come with you."
'Maybe I want that to happen.' the thought made her blush.

She squeezed his hand.
"Goodbye, Wally."
His heart skipped a beat.
"Goodbye, (Y/n)."
With that, Lady (L/n) went back to the Kingdom of Spades.

When (Y/n) approached her estate. She heard Walter barking. The kind of barking where he was being intimidating, wanting to make someone go away. This worried her and she urged her horse to go faster. She saw a crowd of people in front of her manor. Henry and Walter were facing them, preventing them from getting any closer.
"Henry!" she called out. "Who are these people?"
"My Lady!" he looked at her with big eyes. "These are journalists who-"
"There she is!"
She was suddenly surrounded, it startled her horse.

"Is it true that you are the soon-to-be Queen of Hearts?" "Or have you yet to answer?" "How did you meet his Majesty the King and how did your relationship become more meaningful?" "Will you be bringing your culture over to the Kingdom of Hearts?" "When and where will the wedding be?" "How does it feel to have caught the eye of such a powerful and popular man?"
While the lady spoke incoherently, overwhelmed, she had plenty of questions of her own. Based on their outfits, these people came from far and wide, some were from different continents even. How in the world did they hear about this? How did they come here so quickly?
It would seem that Lady (L/n) has never experienced the power of hot juicy gossip! A statement and explanation about the attack on the royal castle of Hearts was yet to be given, but the people needed to know about the King of Hearts' romantic life! This was the scoop of the century!
She answered none of their questions, instead she rambled about what she was doing with her makeshift hospital. It seemed to bore them greatly. She offered them all a sweet and warm drink and sent them on their way back home.

Strangely enough, but also fortunately enough, the plague once again just went away. After cutting the tree growths off the patients, they just stopped growing after a while. Of course, every patient still stayed a full week in observation to be sure (Which was almost over by the time she got back). But they all seemed to be relatively healthy, if not a bit drained by the experience.
"This really isn't like the last Spades plague outbreak." one doctor said during a meeting.
"Is it even the Spades plague?" another asked.
"It might have weakened over the years." someone suggested.
(Y/n) didn't know anything about medicine so she quietly listened to the professionals bouncing theories off each-other. In the end, it was agreed that those who were infected will have to go through a weekly cheek up.
Out of the hundred-or-so patients here, almost half of them were now missing a limb. They couldn't work anymore. (Y/n) decided that these people would be given an allowance every month. The villagers deeply thanked her, but she felt a sting in her heart. She knew that eventually, giving out money to people would affect their budget and limit the actions of the council. Not only that but these people weren't the only ones who have undergone an amputation in the whole Kingdom. Others will apply for this allowance. She felt a headache coming.
'So much to do. So much to worry about.' she sighed, a hand on her forehead.

For now, she focused on cleaning up her house. She sent the doctors and healers away, with a gift basket and a letter of recommendation for every one of them, after thanking them for everything they've done.
"The Spades Kingdom is lucky to have you, my Lady." one of the healers from Wally's court said.
"Oh." she smiled, bashful. "You're too kind."
After that, she worked on tidying her home, putting all the furniture back. She also took the medical supplies that were left and donated them to the nearest hospital.
During this time, the Shuffling officially ended and an article about the attack was published in the paper. She (and probably the rest of the world) read it intently. There was criticism towards Wally from the other guests, saying that if he hadn't been so bold as to extend the celebration period, he would have focused more on the security of his castle, and maybe he could've prevented this attack from happening. As to what happened, it seemed that her lie hasn't changed much. The King of Spades faked his death to plan out this attack from the shadows then used dark magic to take over the castle. Arnold was only mentioned as an unfortunate chosen vessel for possession. The King of Hearts made a statement:

"My mother would say that a Ruler represents their Kingdom. I still stand by those words. But Michaelis Moribund stopped being King the day he 'died'. During the Shuffling, I and my fellow royals worked closely with a representative of the High Council of Spades, we learned more about each-other's characters and values. If it wasn't for that person, we wouldn't have put the pieces together and we wouldn't have been able to defeat Moribund. Not only did we save each-other's Kingdoms, but we also saved the Land of the Four Kingdoms, maybe even the world. Me and my fellow royals are looking forward to working with the Kingdom of Spades, mending broken connections, and making this land a place of community and harmony."

(Y/n) couldn't help but smile at how pageanty he sounded. The article continued.

"The representative his Highness was referring to is a noblewoman named (Y/n) (L/n), whose shaky reputation within her own kingdom has recently been overshadowed by her charity work during the recent Spades Plague outbreak. His Highness recently proposed to her after-"

She closed the newspaper, put it aside and went back to work.

The very next day, she had a visit from the most unexpected guest.
"Milady, this humble abode suits you perfectly!" Sally looked around the big living room while (Y/n) was on the couch. "It's old-fashioned, but grand and elegant."
"Sally," Jeremiah called for her. "your tea's gonna get cold."
"Ow, no more 'my Lady'?" she gave them a sad look.
"I quit, remember?"
"In that case, Mister Jeremiah- Oh." (Y/n) covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, it's Jerry, right?"
They looked surprised, then touched.
"Yeah but... Jeremiah's fine."
"Well, would you like some tea? Frank sent me these from his Kingdom." she gestured to a second teapot. "Spades beverages tend to be quite strong."
"Nonsens! Culture should be experienced!" Sally picked up her teacup and served herself some local tea.

She drank from it and, with a refreshed 'aaah', stood there smiling for a moment. Then, her face twisted, her eyelid twitched and her hands shook.
"You drank too much too fast!" (Y/n) said, worried. "Here, have some from the other teapot."
"I'll take some too, please." Jeremiah said as they sat on the couch.
"Thank you." Sally quickly said, containing herself.
Before anyone could do anything, she rushed to the table and picked up the second teapot, which she then drank from.
"Hey!" Jeremiah stood up and began to fight her to take it back. "Don't drink it all! I didn't get any!"
(Y/n) watched, perplexed. This was a lot different from the nobles and their manners.
'They are commoners after all.'
But she thought it was refreshing, they brought a certain spark with them.
'Oh! Was that a pun!' her eyes widened. 'I must tell Barnaby, first chance I get!'

The two friends sat back on the couch facing her, panting. Jeremiah got the teapot back in the end, and served themselves some tea.
"May I ask, what is the reason for your visit here?" (Y/n) asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted to see you again. It's just, I didn't expect you to visit so soon. Without even a letter. If I had known you were coming, I would've prepared."
The two best friends shared a look and made a mental note: nobles always write letters.
"You see, dear friend." Sally crossed her legs in the most dramatic way possible. "Now that the Shuffling is over, I took it upon myself to finally step foot into this empyreal kingdom." she gestured around her.
(Y/n)'s eyes squinted. It took her a moment to remember what that word meant. Sally continued.
"For I have been hit with yet another wave of my undying inspiration. You-" she pointed at her. "-are a woman of vision."
The Lady almost instinctively pointed at herself.
"Imagine, if you will," Sally stood up and moved her arms around to illustrate her words. "after the Shuffling put the Kingdom of Spades back on the map, the intergalactically acclaimed, royal playwright of the Court of Stars goes on tour!" she struck a pose.
"On tour? Where?"
"Here of course! What better way to bring over the tourists than to have a celebrity in your midst?!"

"Lady Star- Um, Sally." she gave her an apologetic look. "The Kingdom's borders have yet to open, only people on business can go through. I'm sure you had a pass for being of the Court of Stars, and other nobles may attend your plays, but that would be about it."
"Ah. I see." her eyes darted around for a moment before looking confident again. "Still, imagine the pu-bli-ci-ty! I can see the newspapers headlines from here!" she laughed, with a hint of harmless haughtiness.
(Y/n) looked at Jeremiah, then back at her.
"Is the King of Stars aware of this tour?"
Jeremiah became tense. Thankfully, Sally spoke before the Lady's attention could turn to them.
"Of course his Brightness knows!" she waved a hand. "He even praised me for my idea!"

"I see..." she slowly nodded, still a bit suspicious. "And what do you have in mind for the play?"
"An adaptation."
"Of what?"
"Of what else?" she smirked. "The famous novel 'the Count of Monté Cristo'."
(Y/n) loudly gasped, shaking her hands in excitement.
"Such an amazing story, coming to life on the stage?! You are blessing us, Sally!"
Sally puffed up her chest and glanced at Jeremiah, silently telling them 'I told you they would eat it up!' Indeed, this novel was very popular here in the Kingdom of Spades. Let it be known that, here in this world, that story was set in a made-up world.
"Oh when the other members of the council hear about this!" she giggled before clearing her throat and containing her excitement. "You are welcomed to reside in the royal castle while you work. We are honored to have you as your guests." she bowed her head.
Sally and Jeremiah's faces lit up.

"Fantastic! I do hope that we shall take this opportunity to have ourselves a friendly outing here and there!"
"Well, I am rather busy." she scratched her head. "You were fortunate enough to have caught me in one of my rare free afternoons-"
"Then why not go now?!" she opened her arms.
The Lady's eyes widened, impulsive outings never once crossed her mind.
"A-Alright, yes!" she beamed, standing up. "Is there something you'd like to do, or somewhere you'd like to go in particular?"
"I want to go to the beach!"
(Y/n) blinked twice at her immediate response, while Jeremiah sighed.
"The beach...? Sure, we can go there."
Sally squealed.

The Lady took them to the only beach in the Kingdom, near the old port. It was a pebble beach, very windy, tall waves and a greyish sky. The only colors to be seen here were the occasional colorful pebbles. Needless to say that Sally was a little disappointed. Compared to the sunny sandy beaches of the other kingdoms she's been to during her vacation, this was rather sad-looking.
"Why do you mean it's the only beach here?" Jeremiah asked.
"Because the rest of our coast line looks like this." (Y/n) pointed.
A bit farther ahead, up a hill, they saw a very tall cliff. Sally scratched her chin, humming.
"...If one was to jump from there into the water, would they die?"
"Um..." she thought for a long moment. "I don't think so."
"I'll take it!" she made her way up the cliff.

Sally then started a cycle of jumping from the cliff, swimming back to the beach, then walking up the hill again.
"I'm surprised your not cold." (Y/n) said.
"I'm a star, milady!" she struck a pose. "My body has a natural warmth unlike any other here on Earth!"
She looked at the Lady and, as she suspected, she had that curious look on her face.
"Yes." Sally extended a hand. "You may."
(Y/n) blushed, being called out without even saying a word. She took her hand and she let out a charmed 'ooooh'. It was like holding a warm cup of coffee during the winter. Sally laughed, with that harmless haughtiness again.
"Wouldn't you like to try jumping?" she gestured to the cliff.
"I'm good, thanks." Jeremiah waved. "Too much effort, and the water's freezing cold."
"I will also have to pass." (Y/n) sat back down on one of the chairs they've brought. "I believe I have done enough swimming for the rest of the year." she chuckled.
"Suit yourselves. But don't talk about interesting things while I'm not around!" she pointed at them before leaving.

At some point, a group of children saw what Sally was doing and decided to join her. Despite this new group being rather chaotic, she managed to lead them like little soldiers. (Y/n) made a mental note.
'We could advertise our coastline like beaches after all!'
So now, for the time being, Lady Starlet and her former-butler-now-simply-best-friend Jeremiah resided in the royal castle of Spades, where they worked on adapting this famous novel and organizing their tour. Sometimes members of the High Councils were asked for assistance, and sometimes she would make some requests that simply couldn't be fullfilled, no matter how important it was for her 'vision'.
At one point, Sally tried to get some answers out of Lady (L/n).
"Sooooo? Any news from your dear King of Hearts?"
But this time, (Y/n) knew she didn't have much room to talk.
"Have you spoken to Julie ever since the Shuffling?"
Sally glared at her while she smile.

Overall, Sally and Jeremiah were a welcomed addition. Words got around that this tour was in the works and people's general opinion (even beyond the kingdom) became more in favor of the High Council.
"This will be the best theater tour of all time!" Sally told her best friend. "Everyone will love it so much that they will begfor an encore!"
"So we'll get to stay on Earth longer."
"And we'll get to stay with our friends!" she joined her hands and lifted a foot off the ground. "How delightful!"

Today, Lady (L/n) received news that Arnold woke up. Upon hearing this, she immediately went to the Hearts Kingdom's capital. The young man was sitting in his hospital bed, one eye bandaged up and only one arm left. The one that was numb couldn't function anymore. On the chance that the King's soul could take control of it, it was amputated and burned. His eye turned all black during his stay here and so received the same treatment. (Y/n) rushed to hug him. He wanted to apologize again, but he thought that it wouldn't mean much at this point.
"...Thank you."
He gently pushed her away so she could look at him.
"I never told you. Thank you for helping me, for...putting up with me." he looked down. "For everything, really."
She smiled and touched up his hair a little bit.
"I'm just happy you're okay."
"Sure." he looked at his chopped off arm, cut off under the shoulder. "Three forth okay."
"Ah! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"I was joking."
"Oh. Well... At least it's not your writing hand. Right...?"
"True." he smiled. "Speaking of which."

He reached for the nightstand and picked up four envelopes. On it was also the newspaper she read, the one with the article about the attack. (Y/n) also noticed that there were flowers here, others that the ones she sent.
"Oh my gosh, they're so pretty!" she stood up and went to smell them. "Who are they from?"
"The three royals, and the Count of Rummoli."
"Really? The Count?" her eyes widened a little bit. "That's surprising."
"Yeah I didn't expect it either."
She noticed that there was a card in the bouquet. On it was a simple 'get well soon' but what was even more surprising was how he signed it: Rowen, his first name.
"It looks to me like he wants to be friends."
"I don't really care about him."
"Still, it would be nice if you had a friend that's of a similar age as you." she smiled. "At least be on better terms. You two should meet up after you leave the hospital, to get some closure."

He huffed, his cheeks dusted with pink. She was talking like a mom now, he thought.
"Sure, whatever." he handed one of the envelopes. "Can you pass this to the High Council?"
"Of course." she took it.
"And send these to the three royals." he handed the other three.
She took them as well.
"When will you be able to come home?" she asked.
"Two more days."
"I'll be sure to send a carriage for you."
"Okay!"

She didn't expect such enthusiasm. She watched, perplexed as Arnold picked up another sheet of paper and went to sit on the small desk.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Writing a letter to the King declining his carriage!"
"Huh? He offered to bring you back?"
"Yeah, and now I have a good reason to say no to him!"
"Arnold, no!" she rushed over and snatched the paper away. "In that case, no I won't bring a carriage."
He groaned and rolled his eye.
"You saw the King?" she put it back down. "The King of Hearts?"

"Yeah. He came here the day I woke up. We talked for a bit."
She wanted to ask what they talked about. But she had a feeling this was a conversation for only those involved to know.
"He told me about what happened while I was, y'know..."
She blinked twice, surprised.
"I asked him to tell me." he clarified.
She glanced down at the letters.
"Does your conversation have anything to do with these?"
He looked around, as if looking into her eyes would make him get everything off his chest.
"You'll see when you read the letter."

She sighed and smiled.
"Take care, Arnold." she caressed the top of his head. "Rest well and drink lots of water."
"Okay, okay!" he leaned back, away from her hand.
She walked away.
"By the way, where's Blizzard?"
She stopped, and just stood there for a moment.
"...He ran away during the attack." she looked back at him.
Arnold saw that she got paler when she said that. He took a deep breath and nodded. He had an idea of what really happened, almost as if he has known for a while.
"I see."
A moment of silence passed.
"So you're gonna marry the King of Hearts?"
"Goodbye Arnold." she left while he cackled.

After sending the letters, she came back home and went to the royal castle of Spades to open the letter with her fellow council members. Arnold said that upon his return to the Kingdom of Spades, he would like to make an official announcement to the council, the three royals, and 'maybe even some journalists'.
"Great penmanship there Arnold." Gwendolyn commented.
Of course, when a Marquis invites 'some journalists' and also the three royals, a lot of other people come in as well. In the end, the castle's ballroom was filled with the Spades nobility, journalists and other nobles from around the world. A stage was set up, with three chairs for the three royals and a podium for Arnold to make his announcement. While everyone was getting in their seats, the three royals spotted (Y/n), sitting with the other council members. The four of them waved at each-other.

Eventually, Arnold arrived, wearing an eyepatch, one of his sleeves folded and pinned to his shoulder pad so that it doesn't flop around. He thanked everyone for coming and spoke.
"I am the King of Spades' illegitimate son."
(Y/n) let out a scream. Julie and Frank almost fell off their chairs. Wally's eyes were so wide they could pop out of their sockets. Journalists stood up and began to ask questions.
'Arnold, what are you doing?!' (Y/n) thought, staring at him and holding her own head like she was preventing it from imploding. 'You read the article, people have accepted the story they've been given!'
Looking at his face, he looked like he knew what he was doing.
'This boy will be the death of us.' Wally took a deep breath.
Arnold gestured to everyone to calm down, half of them kept talking. Only when he spoke again did they stop.
"This is why my father, the Marquis of Spades, abandoned me during the Great Departure."
The members of the council exchanged a shocked look. He finally admitted it.

"This is why the King of Spades chose me as a vessel to act out his personal vendetta. I inherited his natural mana. My mother couldn't handle it, and she died... Prior to my possession, he manipulated me into thinking my actions were justified, that I was in the right. In the process, I destroyed a lot of people's hard work. The story that was given left out those details, those very same people protected me. And for that, I am deeply thankful, and I am deeply sorry." he bowed his head. "I know that after everything that happened, asking to be King would be foolish. Given my track record too- I mean, I'm still a kid, I don't understand anything about politics and paperworks, and honestly I would much rather go out hunting or play sports than staying in and work all day." he listed, counting on his hand. "I mean, who would want that?"
(Y/n) hung her head down, her fingers intertwined and pressing her forehead on them. Wally and Frank exchanged a look while Julie nodded like he was making a valid point.
"Isn't he supposed to know how to speak properly?" Catherine whispered.
"With what he's gone through, maybe he thinks he has nothing to lose." Gwendolyn thought out loud.
"But." Arnold exhaled. "I love this Kingdom, I love the people in it, and.. I want to be better. I want to learn." he cleared his throat. "This leads me to the reason for this announcement..."
With a pause, he grabbed the attention of everyone. The room was quiet.

"For this, I'd like to address my fellow people of Spades. Give me one year." he lifted his index. "I'll learn everything I need to know and more, I'll work my ass off everyday – and every night too, if I have to! – I'll become the best candidate possible to become the new King of Spades. I hope you will be the judges." he faced the three royals. "And...maybe even my tutors." he bowed to them.
(Y/n) covered her mouth. Everyone looked at the three royals, waiting for their answers, on the edge of their seats. The three best friends looked at each-other. Eventually, Wally stood up.
"Are you sure you're ready for the training you will undergo?"
"No." Arnold shook his head. "But I'll do it. No complaints."
'I have a hard time believing that.' Wally thought (even he would complain when he was being tutored as a child).
"I'll tutor him!" Julie hopped off her chair. "I like his spunk!"
"Now now Julie," Frank stood up. "we are plenty busy ourselves."
"Even if you don't, can we agree to meet again after a year?" Arnold extended a hand.
Although he addressed the three of them, he was looking right at Wally. The king just looked at him for a moment before walking up to him and shaking his hand. The crowd cheered, (Y/n) even gave them a standing ovation.

The guests were then moved to another room where they were offered drinks and food before leaving. It was Spades food, so no one ate anything and drank only water (except those who lived here of course). Meanwhile, (Y/n) joined Arnold and the three royals in another room. Julie hugged her tightly and Wally kissed the back of her hand (to which Arnold cringed at).
"You look as beautiful as ever, my Lady."
She chuckled, bashful.
"Thank you. I hope the repairs of the castle went well."
"Better than expected." he nodded. "I took this opportunity to give it a bit of a makeover."
"I remember, yes, I saw the sketches you sent me. I'm sure it looks beautiful."
"Oh it looks a-ma-zing!" Julie beamed. "It's got more secret passages now!"

"Maybe you can visit and see for yourself." Wally tilted his head.
"I would love to, but I'm rather busy these days..."
"Yes, I can tell." he turned to Arnold. "You really put us on the spot, young Marquis, in front of the press. Was that a part of your plan?" he tilted his head.
"Hey." he raised his hand with a shrug and a smirk. "I said just 'some' journalists, how was I supposed to know the rest of the world would be watching too?"
"You sly rascal." Frank shook his head. "He reminds me of you." he looked at Wally.
"Please don't insult me." the two men said at the same time before looking at each-other with big eyes.
While they glared, the others laughed.
"Anyway!" Arnold said. "I have something to give you." he searched in his pocket. "To prove that I'm serious about this."

He took out a small pouch and handed it to him. Curious, Wally took it and emptied its content in his palm. A tooth fell out. Wally turned paler. He looked at Arnold, who, with a finger, pulled his upper lip to the side to reveal that he had a premolar missing. Wally felt a chill of disgust down his spine. (Y/n) and Julie gasped.
"A Spades promise." the latter one whispered to him while he quickly put the tooth back in the pouch. "It's a big deeeeeal."
"It fell out while I was in the hospital." Arnold explained. "That was my last milk tooth."
(Y/n) gasped again.
"Arnold! You're a man now!"
"Damn right." he nodded. "But I wanna truly become one. Like I said: I wanna be better."
"Well lesson number one," Frank huffed. "stop talking like that. Have some proper decorum."
Arnold frowned.
"No complaints." Wally reminded.
It only made him frown more. Wally smiled.

"Maybe tutoring you wouldn't be so bad after all."
"I'm okay with that. Do your worst, bring it on."
"Just so you know," Frank said. "we will not pull any punches. Education at a royalty level is very hard, and you have a lot of catching up to do."
"More of a challenge, all the better." he nodded.
"Ohohohohoho!" Julie leaned towards Wally. "He is so dead." she whispered.
"I give him two weeks." he whispered back.
"That's amazing, Arnold!" (Y/n) lightly shook him in excitement before turning to her friends. "Please, take good care of him." she bowed. "He'll be very lucky to be under your expert tutolage." she beamed.
"Awww!" Julie hugged her. "Anything for you (Y/n)!"
"What are we supposed to do with this tooth?" Frank asked.
"If I can't fulfill my promise, if I'm not suited to be King of Spades by next year, you can use that tooth in a magic ritual and own my soul forever."
"...Did that ever happen?"
"Nope, everyone who ever made a Spades promise always kept their promise."
Wally looked at the pouch and hummed, now he was a little more okay with keeping a tooth in his pocket.

After catching up with each-other, it was time for the three royals to leave. They promised each-other to keep up their correspondence and Arnold was invited to go to the Kingdom of Diamonds at his earliest convenience to start his studies.
"Hey (Y/n)," Julie said before they got on their respective carriages. "do you have anything to say to Wally?"
The Lady's eyes widened and she looked at the King, who looked at her. The two of them were motionless. Her face turned red.
"...Have a safe trip, my King." she bowed.
He smiled.
"Thank you, my Lady." he bowed his head. "If the Moon ever says your name, don't be afraid. I talk to her about you every night."
"You..." she tilted her head, confused. "You speak to the Moon? Isn't she too far away to hear you?"
"Ah. That is a good point." he held his chin while his friends shook their heads and sighed. "Barnaby told me to say that, to woo you, so he said."

"Oh!" she blushed. "It's poetry! Of course it is." she looked away, embarrassed. "With this context, it is very romantic, thank you!"
"Good." he smiled. "I shall tell him that it worked. And just so you know, everyday, I hope to find you somewhere in my castle, whether it's with an answer or not. Having you near makes me really happy."
(Y/n) just stared in awe.
"She's wooed!" Julie whispered to Frank.
"Honesty really is the most romantic thing someone can give." he nodded.
Arnold watched that interaction in silent cringe. He waited for him and (Y/n) to get back inside and have a moment alone.

"Okay, seriously, what is your issue with this marriage thing?" he asked. "I know I don't like his guts 'cause he's annoying. But I know you love him. So...what's wrong?"
She let out a long sigh and sat on the couch.
"When I started to work for the High Council, it was always with the idea that once we have a new ruler and the council isn't needed anymore, I would go back home and live my quiet life." she sounded tired. "If I marry this man, I will become Queen of the most powerful Kingdom in the world."
"The most powerful Kingdom in the world for now." Arnold quickly clarified. "You know, just because you marry a king, that doesn't make you the ruler, you can just be the ruler's wife."
"It still comes with a lot of responsibilities."
"Is that what scares you?"
"It's terrifying! Not only that but... I'm from the Spades Kingdom."

"Oh... Really?" Arnold tilted his head with a frown. "You're one of those people? People from different kingdoms get married all the time."
"I know! I'm sorry, I know it's an old fashioned way of thinking, but I was raised that way. We're talking about Hearts and Spades. A marital union between the two is unheard of. Historically speaking, it never went well between the two."
"That's only because we've had the same King for centuries and he was an asshole."
"That's not the only reason though, and you know this. We are so different in so many ways. Yes I love him, yes he loves me and if I followed my heart I would've said yes on the spot. But all I'm thinking about is 'how long will this last'? How long into our marriage will our cultures clash? What if there are some values that we can't agree on? What if, by living with each-other, we become bored, or worse, we start hating each-other? Not only would it be bad for our relationship, but it would be terrible to the relationship between our kingdoms, and the domino effect could be catastrophic! What if..." she let her hands fall on her lap. "what if it all goes wrong in the end?"
She looked down with a sad look. Arnold pursed his lips.
"But what if it doesn't?"
She looked up at him.

"What if it all goes well?" he shrugged. "What if the worst was behind us, and the best was still ahead? What if...we could be happy? What if peace was possible? What if the world could heal?" he paused, his expression softer. "What if all our dreams came true?"
(Y/n) had her mouth agape. She rapidly blinked, her eyes glassy.
"That is...very optimistic of you, Arnold." she said, baffled.
"Yeaaaah." he shrugged. "I decided to try and be more positive."
She sniffed and stood up. She hugged him.
"Thank you."
"...No problem." he patted her back.

One day, Lady (L/n) was in her manor, working in her office (formerly her father's). She's finished working on some papers and could now cross it off her list of things she had to do after the Shuffling. Upon reading what was left to do, she realized something. Ever since they came back (and after Catherine officially broke off her engagement), her fellow council members worked harder than ever, they asked for advice and were more active. They reviewed (Y/n)'s list and asked to take on some of these tasks. So she noted that on her list.
And so she realized... all her tasks were complete.
She sat there, looking into space for a moment. For the first time in a year and a half, there was no work to do. Of course that wasn't entirely true, but for the present moment... Her eyes slowly became wider. She slammed her list and quill down on her desk and dashed out of the room.

Wally was in his office, having a meeting with the Baron of Hearts, when a butler knocked at the door.
"Your Highness, you have a visitor."
"I'm in the middle of a meeting."
"It's the Lady of Spades."
He stood up and excused himself to the baron. He followed the butler with quick steps, who opened the doors to a balcony, the highest in the castle, before stepping aside. Upon hearing the doors (Y/n) turned around. Their eyes met. A moment passed.
"I will!" she said, louder than expected.
Wally could feel his heart jump. He rushed over and picked her up, his arms around her waist. The two of them spun around and she laughed wholeheartedly as she embraced him back. Her laughter quickly turned into a panicked scream when she realized that Wally was slowly flying off the ground.
"Oh my stars!!!" she clutched onto him. "Wally! Wally!"
Wally just hugged her in pure bliss, believing he was still being hugged back.

"I got'chu lovebirds."
Before they could fly any higher, Barnaby caught Wally's cape. He must've seen them and quickly went to the roof.
"Barnaby." Wally smiled. "We're getting married."
"I figured yeah. Congratulations." he nodded. "I'd clap with both hands if I could."
"Barnaby help!" (Y/n) exclaimed.
"Wally, buddy, would you mind handing the Lady over before she gets a heart attack?"
"Why?" he gently squeezed her. "And why are you on the roof?"
Barnaby pointed down. Wally looked down.
"Ah. It happened again."
"Again?!" (Y/n) looked at him. "Does this happen often?"
"Only when I'm immensely happy." he smiled at her.
She blushed.
"I'm really happy too." she pressed her forehead on his.

After her feet finally touched solid ground, she huffed and dusted her dress.
"Now!" she clapped her hands. "May I see the marriage contract?"
Both Wally and Barnaby looked shocked. Wally blushed.
"Why the hurry, miss?" the tall dog man scratched his head.
"Oh no, I would just like to review it."
The same question was asked when the three of them went to a royal administrator to get the contract for them.
"I need to see what assets of yours I'll have access to," she told Wally. "and what will be the extent of my authority. Because, and I will be completely honest, as soon as I become Queen, I am going to exploit this Kingdom's resources to help my homeland."
"Ah, I see." he smiled.
The administrator looked nervous.

"What kinda resources?" Barnaby asked.
"Necessary things for the common people, like proper plumbing, heating systems, quality soap."
"Of course, of course." Wally nodded, while the administrator looked relieved.
"And by the way, I want to be clear." she leaned towards him a little bit. "My dog is coming with me."
At these words, Wally did take a moment.
"That's fine." he finally said.
She smiled.

"Lady (L/n), welcome back! Where were you?"
"I was getting engaged."
"What?!?!?!" every member of the councils dropped what they were doing and looked at her.
With a big smile, she raised a hand and showed her new ring. A shiny ruby framed in gold, beside the sapphire on her middle finger, framed in silver.
The engagement party took place in the Spades Kingdom, which hasn't had this luxurious a party since their King's death. Fortunately, Wally helped with organizing, since he had the most experience (and the money). The two fiancés talked to every guests together. Everytime they conversed with new people, (Y/n) was asked to show her ring, and the same questions were asked: when will the wedding be? Where? Will there be a theme? What will you wear?
"W-Well," she'd say. "there is a lot of factors to consider. There's a lot of financial costs and we shouldn't rush into those things, we need to know exactly what we want . It's not just our money, it's the Kingdoms', so it's important to not have any unnesessary spendings. I know we must make a good impression, but we also have to consider-"

Despite his calm and composed demeanor, Wally was extremely happy. He was in fact wearing heavier shoes so that he wouldn't float off the ground again.
"We will change the colors of every flower fields in the Land to match those of our kingdoms." he'd say. "Her dress will be made from diamond threads. We shall rent the Moon from the Court of Moons and we will place an installation upon its surface in our effigy, so that the entire world will bear witness to our love."
"I-I-I don't think the Court of Moons will accept such a thing!" (Y/n) exclaimed, her face red.
"They must. They will."
"Okay, let's calm down, please." she patted his shoulders with a nervous giggle.

Further into the evening, the two fiancés were separated to speak with their peers.
"You really got yourself a beauty, your Highness." someone told Wally.
"She is beautiful." he nodded. "And her mind and heart are even more so."
"So," Frank exhaled. "what do you have in mind for your bachelor party?"
"Oh yeah!" another man exclaimed. "This is your last night of freedom! Say the words and we'll make it happen!"
"Oh!" Wally lightly clapped his hands. "I'd like to paint."
The men laughed, their minds going to the gutter. Frank rolled his eyes.
"Paint what?" one asked, laughing like he said something clever.
"The paved cities of the Diamonds Kingdom." he joined his hands together. "They're so visually interesting."
Frank laughed at the others' baffled look on their faces.
"As you wish, groom-to-be, so it shall be done." he nodded.
Wally clapped his hands again.

Meanwhile, a similar situation was happening on (Y/n)'s side.
"Come on (Y/n)!" Julie jumped up and down. "You can do whatever you want for one day! The sky is the limit! Although technically, with Starlet's help-" she pointed at Sally who was busy advertising her upcoming tour. "-we might be able to get tickets to space!"
"Whatever I want..." she thought for a moment. "I think just spending the day with my friends would be great." she smiled.
"Awww!" the ladies said together.
"And then we go to a party around a big campfire and we dance all night long."
"That's the spirit!" Julie pointed at her.
"Leave it to us!" Catherine beamed. "It's going to be great!"

"By the way, have you guys seen Arnold?"
"Oh he's not coming." Julie waved. "He has a ton of homework to do!"
"How is he doing with his new studies?"
"Better than we expected he would. When he puts his mind to it, he can get a lot done."
"That's good to hear. Is he settling well in the Kingdom of Diamonds?"
"Diamonds? He's at Wally's."
"Huh?" she leaned closer. "But, in his letter, he told me he'd find somewhere to stay over there so that he doesn't have to travel all the time anymore."
"Yeah, but then Wally offered him a room in his castle instead. Since it's mostly been him doing the teaching lately."
"I see..." she looked at Wally across the room.
"I think he sees himself in Arnold. So he's being extra harsh on him." she chuckled. "But he can take it, he's tough."
(Y/n) smiled, then turned back to her.
"And how is he doing? Behaving well, I hope."
"He has his moments, almost ripped off his own hair because of Barnaby." she giggled. "He's fun to have around!"
"I'll make sure to write to him tomorrow."

Even further into the evening, (Y/n) moved to the side of the ballroom to get some alone time. She got herself a drink and sat at an empty table. She sighed, leaning back a little bit. She spotted her soon-to-be husband and a lovestruck smile formed on her face.
"[You'll be fine.]"
She quickly sat up and looked to the side. At the table was also an old grandma. She was the oldest woman of the town (Y/n) owned, along with its representative, so she was invited.
'I didn't notice her! She is sneaky!'
"[There's no need to worry.]" she spoke slowly.
"...[Is this really okay?]" she asked, as if she was asking for her permission. "[We're about to break off centuries of traditions, a lot will change after this.]" she rotated the glass in her hands. "[I don't want to disappoint you all.]"
"[You already did break off an old tradition.]"
"[I did?]" she leaned closer, slightly panicked.

"[The problem with the Spades Kingdom is that it's been closed from the world for a long time. Because of that, there's a disconnect between the people. But you,]" she slowly nodded. "[you did the one thing that should've been done.]"
(Y/n) tilted her head, confused.
"[When the Hearts King came to your house, you taught him our dance, you told him about our practices. You shared our culture.]" she smiled. "[Sharing is caring, that's a universal truth. Not everyone will accept it, but at least they'll know you care. And you have to make sure to never stop caring.]"
"[Oh granny, I would never.]" she smiled.

On the day of the wedding, people from all over the world gathered in the capital of the Kingdom of Hearts. The groom and the bride were to parade around the city before meeting back to the castle for the ceremony.
(Y/n) looked at herself in the mirror, up and down. Her gown was of the colors of her kingdom, but also decorated with light red and gold. This was the most expensive thing she've ever wore, she felt like she was wearing a piece of art. She heard the door open and turned to see Arnold. It was planned that he'd be here, but they haven't seen each-other for months.
"How do I look?" she did a little spin.
He smiled.
"You look great."
She noticed something new about him, aside from his beautiful suit. He had two arms, one made of wood.
"What is...?"
"Oh that?" he moved his shoulder and raised the arm. "It's a prototype."

"A prototype for what?"
"A replacement arm. The movements are restrictive, but we're trying to change it so that I can put my magic in there and have it function like a real arm. And maybe we can make one that works just as well even without magic."
(Y/n)'s eyes went big.
"When did you pitch this?"
"I pitched it to Frank while he tutored me, he liked the idea so he got me in contact with some people."
"This is brilliant!" she stepped closer to him. "I would've never thought of something like this!"
"I also thought, y'know, if this works on me, it could work for all the villagers that were amputated. That way they can get back into society."
She placed a hand over her heart.
"You're putting yourself as the test subject to help the people."
"I mean, I also need this."
"Still, you're thinking like a king." she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you."

He pursed his lips, getting a little tense.
"Ah come on." he waved a hand. "Let's not talk about work, this is the one day when I don't have to worry about that stuff."
"Alright then. I'll see you at the ceremony."
"I don't get to parade?!"
"I'm afraid only my maids of honor, Catherine and Gwendolyn, get to ride with me." she gave him an apologetic look.
"Your dog gets to parade with you!" he pointed at Walter, who was wearing a beautiful silver collar with gemstones.
"I don't believe he counts." she chuckled. "You could ask Wally if you wa-"
"Nooooo I'm good." he turned around. "See ya soon mom."

He froze, his eyes wide open. She didn't say anything. He only heard silence and it was killing him.
"Uh... I didn't-"
He heard a sniff and turned around. (Y/n) was crying, covering her mouth.
"H-Hey now!" he panicked. "The black on your eyelashes is melting!"
She ignored his lack of knowledge regarding makeup and hugged his tightly.
"I love you too Arnold." she whispered.
His eyes grew glassy and he closed them before he could cry. He hugged her back, only using his real arm, since his prosthetic couldn't be used for hugging just yet. After a moment, they let go of each-other.
"When we get to the ceremony," she rubbed her eyes. "will you walk me down the aisle?"
He was taken aback, but he felt honored.

"That should make up for the parade, right?"
"Oh for sure!" he nodded.
"Now, will you fetch me my makeup artist? And please be quick, I don't want to be late."
"No problem." he left the room and closed the door. "We need the god damn makeup artist over here, stat!!! Where are they?!"
She laughed. Frank would act in a similar way when he helped organize the wedding.

During the parade, it was unclear who was the most in awe: the people seeing the beautiful bride, or the bride and her friends seeing the beautiful festive capital. The crowd cheered and they could spot the people of Spades, shouting at the top of their lungs in joy. The ladies shouted back.
With his own carriage ahead of them, Wally wasn't allowed to look at his very-soon-to-be-wife until the ceremony. But her shouts and laughter made his heart spark with joy.
Once they were back at the royal estate, the guests went to the castle's chapel and sat down for the ceremony. (Y/n) waited, her arm linked with Arnold's, and he could feel her nervousness. She kept looking up and fanning her eyes.
"You know it's acceptable to cry at your own wedding." he said.
"I know but..." she sighed. "I don't want to look like a mess. Just like Wally, I want to be calm and composed."
"I wouldn't worry about that milady." Barnaby said, waiting for his turn to step into the room.
Him and Walter were walking in together with the wedding rings.

"Aren't you insulted to be paired with the pet dog?" Arnold raised an eyebrow.
"He is no mere pet dog." (Y/n) nudged him.
"Nah," Barnaby shrugged. "I'm smaller than the guy."
"No you're not!" Arnold glared.
"I'm just a lil pup."
"You're like forty-seven."
"Oop, added a dozen years there..." his gaze wandered.
'Did he manage to throw Barnaby off?!' (Y/n) thought, surprised, before comforting her friend.

Just then, the music started playing and the dog pair walked into the venue. (Y/n) took a deep breath. Arnold gave her arm a gentle squeeze and they smiled at each-other.
"Happy for you." he whispered. "You deserve to be happy."
"Thank you Arnold. Don't make me cry though, please."
A moment later, it was her cue. All eyes turned on her as she slowly made her way to the other side of the long room. She looked from side to side, people whispered compliments to her. She wanted to say thank you, but her voice was caught in her throat.
She looked ahead. Wally had his back to her at first and she could see his beautiful cape, in the colors of his kingdom but decorated with dark blue and silver. He turned around and looked at her. His expression didn't change much, he was smiling like always. However, tears were coming out of his eyes like two quiet rivers. It would seem he's been crying for a while now. (Y/n)'s heart squeezed and she giggled as she began to cry.
The ceremony went on without an issue. The newlyweds stepped out onto the balcony, holding hands with their fingers intertwined, and raised them in the air. The crowd boomed with applause, confettis flew in the air. Wally picked (Y/n) up and spun around. She laughed and they kissed, letting the entire world bear witness to their love.

Now it was time for the reception party inside the castle's ballroom, but before that, the newlyweds and their close friends had a moment in another room. During the ceremony, there were guests that were invited only because of their alliances, for political reasons only, there were also journalists of course. And this was – for the first time in recorded history – a union between the Hearts and Spades Kingdom. Because of that, these vows had to be politically perfect, (Y/n) and Wally worked together on them for a whole month. They couldn't tell the whole truth of their feelings. Which was why they would say their true vows in between parties, with only their friends around.
"My dear, my (Y/n), my everything." Wally started, reading his vow somehow in a more monotonous tone than usual. "When I became King, I learned to be strong, I learned to channel my feelings into things I thought to be useful. And they were, they fueled my desire to get revenge on the monster who wronged me, my family, my friends and my people."
The others looked at each-other awkwardly. But (Y/n) listened intently.

"I realize now that those feelings I channeled were mostly feelings of rage, grief, and self-loathing. Still, I learned to be strong. Through years of careful constructions, I had built myself a perfect shell. So that what I thought was my true self, overworked and hungry for revenge, would never be witnessed." he paused. "But you came into my life and cracked open that shell like an egg, using the softest of touch. Our time together may not have been all perfect, but each time, I would be left in awe. Wherever you go, you always leave an impact, no matter how much you try to not stand out. To use your own belief against you: it's as if fate was pushing you to be witnessed like the Moon that you are."
The others wondered why he said the Moon and not the Sun. They figured it may have been because of the Sun/Moon imagery between their kingdoms. But Barnaby knew the real reason, for Wally read his vow to him first to get his opinion. When asked about it, Wally said, quote, 'Well, when you look at the Sun, it hurts your eyes and you squint. The Moon is pretty. You can admire it all you want.'

"Falling in love with you came so naturally. You shook my world and opened my eyes. I asked for your hand, because I had made a decision. From now on, I choose love. Not just the love I feel for you, but love in general. Love for the little things, love for the people I care about, love for life itself. I don't want the things that fuel me to end up burning me and my heart. I want love. I chose love. Starting today, you shall never have to worry about being in need of anything, materially and emotionally. You shall never have to worry about being alone ever again. Not while I draw breath. If I can dare you ask you for one thing, please, don't go where I can't follow."
(Y/n)'s eyes were filled with tears. She tapped the underside of her eyes to make sure not to ruin her makeup for the third time. It was her turn now, she didn't have anything written down. She wanted her true vow to come straight from her heart. It took her a moment to start.

"Ever since I was a child, I only dreamed of one thing: to get married to a handsome rich husband that would love me and take care of me, and I would live in a big castle and live a life of luxury. I wanted a fairy tale ending. Then...things happened, and it made me realize that...life isn't a fairy tale. Life if work. Really hard work, no matter your place in this world. And sometimes, even that's not enough! You could have the best of intentions, be the sweetest you can be, and people will try to use you for their own selfish desires! Because life is unfair sometimes, unfair and cruel!"
She took a moment to catch her breath. Once again, their little audience looked at each-other, thinking that yes, it would have been pretty bad if they said this in front of the public. Except Arnold, who chuckled. He was having a good time.

"Which is why...it's very important to surround yourself with people you trust, and people who care about you." she smiled. "People who can pull you back when you've lost yourself, people who support you like you're supporting them. People you can grow with and learn from. I..." she looked at her friends, then back at Wally, taking his hands. "I can't wait to grow and learn with you. Whatever issue we might be facing in the future, I want us to work through them together. I want to work on making our world a better place." she smiled and squeezed his hands. "I don't know a lot about the world outside of books, but I know that my world can't be any better with you here."
Wally smiled, his cheeks dusted with pink, and they kissed. Julie, Sally, Catherine, Eddie and Poppy were crying and passing each-other the box of tissues. It was also handed to Arnold who got grumpy and swore that no he was not crying. The group could now go change before going to the reception and make their grand entrance.

A lot of people gathered for the throwing of the bouquet. As much as (Y/n) just wanted to give it to Eddie, the throwing itself sounded fun.
'I just have to aim it right.' she closed one eye, squinted and stuck her tongue out.
She threw it way off mark, for Eddie wasn't even attempting to catch the bouquet. As the flowers flew in the air towards his direction, Julie jumped in the way, shouting 'mine', and caught it with her teeth like a dog. She fell on top of Sally.
"Thanks Starlet!" she smiled. "I would've crashed if you didn- Ah! My eyes!!!" she jumped back on her feet, covering her eyes from Sally's glowing head.
"Apologies!" she quickly stood up and bowed.
"Wallyyyyy!" she began to walk around blindly, her hands outstretched. "Let me borrow your shades pleeeeease!"
"I'll take you to him, my Queen!" Sally took her arm and linked it with her own.
(Y/n) and her locked eye contact. The new Queen of Hearts gave her two thumbs up. Sally blushed and turned her attention back to Julie.

The party was perfect, from an organizing point of view. The decorations were a harmonious blend of the two cultures. The gifts from the other nobles were overwhelmingly expensive and/or rare to (Y/n). The dinner was delicious, the cakes were beautiful. But the real highlight was the dance. For months, (Y/n) and Wally have practiced their first dance as a married couple. They were both rather nervous, but they found comfort in each-other's eyes. Of course, they ended their dance with a kiss, and the ball could start.
(Y/n)'s personal highlight of the party however had yet to come. So far, classical music perfect for waltz has been playing, with a couple of drums and flutes added to get that Spades touch. But at some point, good ol' Spades music started playing. While the guests were startled, (Y/n)'s face lit up. The people who weren't familiar with this music moved to the side. Only her and her fellow people of Spades began to dance.
"Your Highness, can't you make them stop?" someone asked Wally. "This is unsettling. The ladies are showing their ankles."
"It's to better show their footwork." he smiled.
"I got the jist of it!" Julie exclaimed, wearing Wally's shaded glasses. "Make way!"

She joined the dance, then Sally, then the Count of Rummoli. One by one, the dancefloor became a little bigger. Of course, there were complaints, but the sound of music and laughter drowned them out. That, or they were shut up by Wally or Frank or Poppy. They eventually all died down upon witnessing the level of skill from two of these dancers. While people were getting tired quickly and stepped aside to rest, (Y/n) and Arnold were not even sweating. Even Julie tripped on her own foot at some point because she got too excited and she called it a night.
"How are they so good at this?!" she asked after finding somewhere to sit.
"I know Lady (Y/n) likes to brag about being the best dancer in her town." Gwendolyn explained (she got out of breath early on). "And Arnold had won dancing competitions in the past. But I never saw them dance together. Didn't think they'd be on a similar level."
Looking at them dancing together, it reminded Julie of how she fights with Wally and it made her smile. The chemistry was palpable!
"I'm afraid I know where this is going..." Gwendolyn mumbled with a grave face.
"Huh?" she looked at her and tilted her head. "Why so ominous?"

As the music went on, people didn't have the energy to dance anymore. One by one, they left the dancefloor. Until, at some point, (Y/n) and Arnold were the only ones left. They looked at each-other, big smirks formed on their faces. They knew what was about to happen. It was inevitable now. The music picked up.
"Finally, a real challenge!" he exclaimed.
"I may not be a fighter," she said. "but when it comes to dance, I am merciless."
He laughed. The music picked up and Catherine shouted 'dance battle'. The crowd closed in on them a little bit, cheering on – let's be honest – mostly the new Queen of Hearts.
"What are the rules to this battle?" Wally asked Gwendolyn.
"They just keep dancing until one of them trips or dies."
He looked at her with big eyes.
"...Figure of speech." she said. "Dies of exhaustion."
He sighed, relieved.

This battle was gobsmacking to anyone watching. Sure it was a 'battle', but they were still dancing together. To make up for his replacement arm not being suited for that sort of thing, Arnold put more emphasis on his footwork and jumps. Despite these limitations, his dancing was just as good as (Y/n)'s, who had clearly stolen everyone's heart at this point. Everyone was shouting her name. At some point she put a hand to her ear as she spun around and smirked at Arnold. It made him chuckled, this was a side of hers he's never seen before. It felt good to know she wasn't a goody-two-shoes all the time.
The two of them did notice how the three royals, the High Council members, and the Count of Rummoli were cheering for them both.
Eventually, (Y/n) tripped over her own foot and fell down, exhausted. The crowd cheered and Arnold let out a cry of victory, finishing his dance with a pose. The crowd cheered again, this time for the winner, who bowed with a hand over his heart before gesturing to his opponent. Wally rushed over to help her stand up.
"You let me win." Arnold went up to her and pointed.
"I swear I did not." she shook her head with a chuckle. "I haven't danced for a while, and my bachelorette party was really energy draining."

"Okay," he waved a hand. "I don't wanna know about whatever you did that night."
"Me neither." Wally said.
"What, why? We just danced."
"I trust that you did, my love." he took her hand. "I don't trust the planners."
"...What happened at your bachelor party?" Arnold frowned.
"Let's change the subject. Let's get yourselves some well-deserved refreshment."

The guests have left. Those who stayed went to sleep. It was dark outside. But for (Y/n), it wasn't over yet.
In her nightgown, she was sitting on the king-size bed, in what was now her bedroom, and her husband's... Wally was preparing himself for bed in the bathroom. She had placed her family ring in her jewelry box on her nightstand, but she kept staring at the wedding ring on her finger, turning it around and around. And she waited for him to arrive. She could hear him humming a tune from the other side of their quarters...
From the moment she stepped foot into this bedroom, there has been a knot of anxiety twisting and turning inside her stomach. She felt like she was going to puke. For the longest time she's been trying to avoid something like this from happening.
'No.' she held her wedding ring close and closed her eyes. 'It'll be fine. He's different. He's nothing like him. It'll be fine.'
Still, she couldn't stop shaking. And when Wally finally came in, she sat up with perfect posture and smiled like nothing was wrong. As she used to do with the King of Spades.
"My King." the words left her mouth without her even realizing.

Wally was in his pyjamas, without his glamour spell. He smiled, enamored.
"My Queen. Mrs. Darling."
He walked to the bed and laid down under the covers. (Y/n) kept looking at him, she felt like her heart would burst out of her chest. He opened his arms to her and, with a deep breath, she laid down with him. The two of them held each-other close. She could hear his heartbeat, steady, calm, the complete opposite of hers.
"Your heart is beating fast."
'Please don't point it out!' she whined on the inside.
"It's only because I'm so happy to be here." she said quietly.
'Lying on the night of my wedding... Not a good start.'
She closed her eyes, waiting for whatever had to happen next, for things to take a turn. But...nothing happened. Instead, she heard light snoring. She looked over to see Wally sleeping peacefully. She felt a heavy weight being lifted off her chest. She sighed, smiling.
'Of course.' she snuggled against him. 'I was worrying for nothing.'
And at that moment, before falling into a peaceful sleep, she told herself she would never doubt Wally again.

The very next day, the newly married couple had to go back to work! Not only was (Y/n) a Queen now, but she was the Queen of a kingdom other than her own. She had a lot to learn. So she began to be tutored as well. Sometimes she would pass by Arnold in the hallways and they would talk for a bit. Eventually though, he moved back to the Spades Kingdom, now that his lessons transitioned into actual work.
Living with Wally has been perfect so far. Every now and then though, she would get homesick. Fortunately, it was agreed that she and Walter would go spend a week in her home estate every season, even winter. It took some time, but she became used to her new home, along with her darling dog. She kept calling him by his nickname, which led to a lot of misunderstandings but she was too used to it. For example, one day, as she came back from a tea party for a charity.
"Wally!" she opened her arms. "My darling angel!"
Wally blushed and opened his arms with a big smile. But then she kneeled down and Walter came running to her. She hugged and kissed him. Suddenly, Wally felt cold. But when she walked back to the castle, she stopped by his side and kissed him.
"Hello, my love." she softly spoke with a smile. "I brought some cakes from the tea party. I thought you might like them."
His face lit up again. Being called by these pet names was a hundred times better to him.

She of course kept correspondance with all her friends. Arnold however has been so busy lately that he didn't write much. But she learned from the others that he was working hard, and they noted how much he's matured while working (outside of work though, he was still quite the brat).
A few months later, he was crowned King of Spades. It was a tricky thing to organize, there has been no coronation ceremonies before. Since... It's always been the same King posing as another. This was the beginning of something new, so the people of Spades did their best, and it paid off greatly. Members of the Spades nobility who worked with Arnold in the past half a year would address the crowd and give an account as to what made the new Ruler qualified (or not) for this position, and they had to give their honest opinion. (Y/n) was now the Queen of another Kingdom, and even before that, she was a noble of the lowest rank. So she sat besides her husband within the crowd. And she was happy with that, since she could have a good view of the ceremony.

While the members of the High Council (which will soon be dismantled) were giving their speeches, Arnold was sitting on his new throne. The black crown was now a deep blue, his red cape contracted his dark suit in an elegant way. His replacement arm looked a lot more detailed and complex, it was even decorated! And he was wearing a fake eye now, made of stone. Seeing him like this made (Y/n) emotional, but she promised herself that she wouldn't cry. Arnold had a grave, almost stoic expression on his face. His eyes kept scanning the room. Until finally, his eyes met (Y/n)'s. She waved and he now stared ahead, trying not to smile. He's been looking for her all this time. She covered her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh gosh." she whispered and leaned towards Wally. "Nevermind, I'm crying."
Wally chuckled and held her hand.

Now that he was king, Arnold was even more busy. He felt rather guilty for not having the time to meet up or write to her, yet she kept writing to him, telling him about her week and how she and her husband understood what he was going through. (Y/n) wasn't worried that much, each time she read about the Kingdom of Spades in the newpapers, it was good news. The hospitals that were built, these new replacement limbs available to the people, the old port opening back up for business, the new theater tour across the Kingdom and the theaters that were being built for the occasion, the borders opening for everyone, and the approval rates of the new King were quite high. She would only tell him in her letters to get plenty of rest and to eat well.
The future looked bright for her homeland. It looked bright in general.
Then, a year or so after the coronation, it was time for the yearly meeting between the four royals. It took place in the Kingdom of Hearts again, to commemorate the new and improved royal castle.

(Y/n) looked at herself in the mirror, fixing her hair and dress for the eighth time.
"No need to be nervous." Wally hugged her from behind. "You're beautiful."
"Thank you." she held his hands before facing him. "It's my first meeting where we'll be discussing the future of the entire land. This is a big deal."
"You'll be amongst friends. And Arnold will be there."
"My stars," she placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head. "I haven't seen him in a year. And this will be the first public meeting! The entire press and nobility will be there!"
"Only as audience members. And it's only to showcase how well we work together, they won't be there next year." he held her hands. "You'll do great." he kissed her. "My beautiful wife." he kissed her nose.
Her heart fluttered.
"Don't make me blush!" she pushed him away with a chuckle and fanned herself. "I must look poised and elegant. I'm a Queen now!" she looked at herself in the mirror, leaning closer, and pointed at herself. "Everything is under control, and I have no emotions."

Together, the happy couple stepped out onto the castle's patio to welcome their guests. At some point, she spotted Arnold in the distance, walking with his entourage. She felt her heart jump.
"Arnold!!!" she shouted, shouting the people standing next to her, before running full speed towards him.
Wally sighed with a smile, somehow he knew this would happen. And by the stars did he love her for it. Arnold saw her and began running as well. People stepped out of their way while journalists quickly sketched the scene. She jumped to hug him and he spun around a few times with her in his arms.
"Look at you!" she cupped his face in her hands when he put her down. "You're taller now! And your hair!" she ran a hand through it. "It's gotten too long now, when was the last time you got a haircut?"
"I'm too busy for that." he frowned. "Geez, happy to see you too."
'Yep, she's his mom.' everybody thought.

The meeting went smoothly, everyone was on their best behavior – even Julie, who understood the importance of today's event – a lot of projects were reviewed and whenever there was a disagreement, (Y/n) would act as an unbiased party (since, as the Ruler of Hearts, Wally did most of the talking). Once the meeting was over, the royals shook hands and everybody moved on to the banquet. Arnold was surrounded by kids.
"Wanna see something cool?"
They nodded. He hit the back of his head, making his fake eye pop out. He then tossed it in the air and moved his head so that it would pop back in. The kids let out a loud 'eeeewww' which made him cackled. Despite being able to be serious and focused while working, the new King of Spades was still a kid.
"Wow..." Molly whispered, in awe.
"Ohohohoooo!" Barnaby nudged Wally, who was watching the scene with him. "Somebody's got a crush."
"The poor thing, she'll be disappointed." he nonchalantly said, making his friend chuckle.
Arnold sneeze.
"...Someone's talking shit." he mumbled as he scanned around the room.
Barnaby and Wally quickly looked away, pretending they didn't even notice him.

While the party went on, (Y/n) was giving a tour of the castle to Catherine and Gwendolyn, with Walter at her side.
"I wanted to add a small personal touch of mine, without taking away from the fact that this is the royal castle of Hearts."
"It's beautiful... Your Highness." Catherine smirked.
"Oh please don't. Not with you guys." she waved as her friend giggled. "Within Spades nobility, I'm still just the Lady of Spades."
"Aren't these from your house?" Gwendolyn pointed at one of the many paintings on the wall.
"Yes!" she beamed. "I imported them here, just like I sent some paintings of my husband's to my house. Oh! Here!"
She walked a little faster and the two ladies followed. They then let out a long 'aww'. It was her and Wally's wedding painting, bigger than the others. The happy couple, holding hands, looked like the definition of royalty, with the bride sitting on the end of a couch, and the groom standing by her side.
"You look stunning." Gwendolyn gently nudged her.
"Thank you. The artist did a fantastic job." she smiled at it. "It's my second favorite painting ever."
"Second?" the two ladies asked, confused.

"Yes, my number one favorite was painted after this one, remember? I hung it in a safe place back home."
"Oh yeaaah." Gwendolyn nodded.
"You cried when they showed us the finished product!" Catherine pointed at her.
"I still tear up when I look at it." they laughed. "It's just... It means a lot to me."

Somewhere in the Spades Kingdom, there was a small living cottage named Home. (Y/n) brought the painting and hung it on his wall, for safekeeping, after telling him about the wedding and how her life was going so far. The painting was of (Y/n), Arnold, the three royals, her dog, her friends. either holding hands or wrapping an arm around the other's shoulders (Sally was just posing with Jeremiah who's been forced into this). Everyone was smiling widely. Mind you, they didn't pose like this for hours. Rather the artist observed them throughout the wedding reception, and painted from there. That way, the painting captured the personality and joy within all of them.
This painting represented people from all over the land, even beyond Earth. It captured what could be possible for the rest of the world. To (Y/n), this was proof that there was hope, and there was joy, no matter what.
In this small, quiet cottage, this painting spoke volume. And there shall be more precious and happy memories stored within its walls.

– ❤️ The End ♠️ –

[Except not really! There is a lot of adventures to be have in this world: (Y/n) being a queen now, going around the world, and her married life with Wally. The romance between the two queer couples (what will happen when Sally will eventually be exposed as a fraud???). Arnold looking for the runnaway Spades nobles and inevitably running into his dad. His struggles while the three nobles put him under their wings, him interacting with the other characters (Howdy makes him hot chocolate and he loves it!). How he got a new pet bunny and picked up the guitar (he picked up the guitar, it's his hobby now! He plays when he has some alone time) Whatever the fuck is up with Home. There is a lot of material to work with in this story... I just won't be writing any of it!

I' m sorryyyy x) It's just that I want to leave room for imagination. 😌

Thank you all for reading, thank you to the artists and their beautiful fanarts that I love so much. Thank you to NeonRoss for starting it all. Thank you Clown for creating these wonderfully charming characters. And once again, thank you guys.

Now get ready for three bonus chapters! Stay tuned, love you, byeeeee 💖

(Very first sketch I did of her 🥰 before even writing this fic)

(I have a lot more, but I think that's enough 😅)