Munching away on some cookies, Alfred walked back and forth between the whiteboards he had placed in his office, all of them filled with all the information he had on everything he was going through. He had to order a couple more boards as he was running out of space on the last one and purchased a few some more markers after the last one dried up. He had taken Arthur’s advice and prioritised everything, with his running of the Kingdom his top priority.

“No question, Kingdom comes first, that’s an absolute, number one, top of the list priority,” declared Alfred as he munched down on a cinnamon flavoured cookie. “Now then, next on my list of priorities would be... hmmm.”

Alfred wanted to pick Arthur and his garden but as far as he was concerned it wasn’t exactly causing him any problems. It did worry him that he was just popping over there without anyone noticing, but he came to realise it wasn’t exactly doing him or anyone any harm. In fact visiting Arthur was making him feel a lot better about himself and he enjoyed his company. He actually liked the idea of having his own personal friend. It was still a mystery but a mystery that didn’t need to be solved for now.

“I’ll just move him to the bottom of the list,” decided Alfred, “so next on my list would be... the missing Queen? Or that door?”

He had all sorts of research on the missing Queen thanks to his predecessors, even though none of it seem to point to a solid answer, but he did have some new knowledge thanks to the Joker. He had noted that the last Queen died an unknown and horrible death, and according to the official records she supposedly died from a heart attack. It was possibly a cover up but the records were never meant to hold lies, however Jokers never lied either.

Still that door in his dreams made him worry. It he had seen it twice now and even the Joker warned him about it. He wasn’t sure if it was an actual door or a metaphor for something, but Alfred could feel it in his bones that the door was holding something terrible back. He recorded everything he knew so far, including the little girl and those creepy children who ran away from him. Perhaps it would be best if the door became his second priority and the missing Queen his third, he could always change it if the situation demanded it.

He stood back to look at all the data and it still appeared to look like the ramblings of a lunatic. “I probably still don’t have all the information I need,” muttered Alfred as he placed the cap on his marker, “and I’m not asking that Joker again. I’ll just have to figure this out as it comes I suppose.”

It was all he could do unfortunately. There was no one he could talk to about any of this without them raising an eyebrow, and Yao was already accusing him of letting his imagination run wild. Until he actually got more information he couldn’t act, so for now he was going to have to wait and hope another clue would come along. It wasn’t as if he could just go and look for one right now, he had some important work to do today.

The usual workload was dumped on him; documents that required his attention, paperwork that needed signing, meetings with officials from all around his Kingdom, and updating his schedule for the upcoming dinner party. It was in three weeks and according to Yao everything was on track. The rooms were being carefully prepared, the chef Yao hired would be arriving soon, and the only thing they truly had to worry about was small trivial things that could easily be remedied. Then of course there was that dessert tasting thing Alfred was looking forward to, but that wasn’t on till tomorrow night and the sweet craving King could not wait.

Throughout the day Alfred did look out for any clue to his investigations, but he remembered what Arthur told him and focused on his duties first. Alfred could only hope something would come along soon and shed some light.

“Alright, that’s everything done for the day,” announced Yao as he put his folder away. “One last thing, I arranged your lunch date with Lady Isabelle Hamilton at the The Spring Avenue Restaurant. It’s in two days so please don’t forget.”

“Uh-huh,” replied Alfred, going through his own notes.

“And I know I don’t need to tell you this but please save some room in your stomach for tomorrow night,” pleaded Yao, smirking a little after realising he didn’t have to worry about that so much. “The students will arrive in the morning for a tour and begin prepping their dishes in the afternoon. They’ll be presented to you in the evening.”

“Right, right,” confirmed Alfred, his head still down.

Yao raised an eyebrow upon realising something else had his King’s attention. He glanced over at the whiteboards that Alfred had erected, all of them containing bizarre notes that made little sense. Things about a garden, an evil door, and some notes about the missing Queen. Yao could only assume that Alfred was conducting his own private research into the mystery about the Queen of Spades, but all that information he had recorded looked like the ramblings of a madman. He decided not to pry as Alfred was working hard on his royal duties, he just hoped that it would stay that way. It was all possible some bizarre hobby of his to take his mind of work.

“If you need me I’ll be in my office,” stated Yao, taking off to leave his King be.

“Later,” responded Alfred, his head still down.

With his Jack gone and with his workload almost complete, Alfred looked at the clock to find that it was still early in the afternoon. Looking back at the whiteboards Alfred sighed for he still wasn’t sure where to start looking for the information he needed for any of it to make sense. He then looked out of the window at the cityscape and Alfred thought about taking a walk amongst his citizens. Maybe something out there would point him in the right direction and at the same time he could enjoy a walk.

It wasn’t uncommon for a member of royalty to walk the streets of their Kingdoms, though they still had to be followed by specialist guards for their own safety. It seemed like a bit like an overkill since Kings, Queens and Jacks could take care of themselves as they had skills and powers no other human could wield, but it never hurt to be safe and it gave the members of royalty some peace of mind. Alfred himself enjoyed walking through the streets of his Kingdom, greeting his people with a smile and a laugh, seeing the sights up close, and getting his own personal shopping done, and that’s exactly what he did that afternoon. He chatted to some of his people, entertained a few children who followed him around for a while, explored some of the historic parts of the city, and stopped by certain shops to purchase items that caught his interest.

It was nice and it was getting Alfred’s mind off some of his problems, but every so often he’d see something that would remind him of certain things. Seeing some children singing nursery rhymes whilst holding hands reminded him of his nightmare in that maze. Noticing an advertisement for a film about a corpse coming back to life for revenge reminded him of that blasted thing the Joker showed him. Even seeing a street entertainer dressed up like a jester reminded him of the Joker thus reminding him of the corpse. It left a foul thought in his mind and to try and get it off his mind he walked over to the nearest bakery and bought a cake covered in icing, hoping it would distract him. Like Arthur said; good thoughts to cancel out the bad thoughts.

As he stepped out of the bakery after shoving the iced bun down his throat, something colourful caught his attention and he looked across the street to see a florist shop. Suddenly his mind was filled with thoughts about Arthur’s garden and he strolled over to admire the colourful arrangement of bouquets and exotic plants. There were all sorts of flowers from dahlias to asters, each one a different colour and each one with their own wonderful scent, and all arranged in beautiful bouquets.

“I wonder if Arthur grows any of these?” pondered Alfred, recognising some but not recognising the others.

He couldn’t help but stroke some of the petals, and leaned in a little closer to inhale their sweet scent. It suddenly dawned on him that he couldn’t smell the flowers in Arthur’s Garden, he couldn’t smell anything whilst he was over there. Alfred wondered what it would smell like, all those different scents filling the air. It probably smelled a lot like this flower shop but fresher, maybe? Arthur put so much care into his garden so it probably carried a far fresher and sweeter scent.

“Flowers for your special someone?”

Alfred jumped to attention when a young woman, who must’ve owned the shop, approached him. “Say what now?” he stuttered.

The florist smiled sweetly and held a bouquet of blue and purple flowers. “You looked like you were thinking about someone special,” she giggled, “I recommend the Azure Queen bouquet, it lets them know you’re thinking about them always.”

Alfred blinked and it took a minute for him to realise what she was on about. He looked back and forth between the florist and the bouquet she was holding.

A special someone?

A romantic looking bouquet?

Always thinking of them?

Arthur?

His face went completely red and he shook his head furiously. “W-What? Him? My special s-someone? Not a chance,” he stated with a nervous laugh. “No, no, he’s j-just a friend.” He started walking backwards out of the shop. “Love the flowers, n-not him, just the flowers! B-bye now!”

Alfred left the shop as fast as he could and started walking back towards the palace as quickly as he could. He could still feel the heat upon his cheeks and the quickening of his pulse. His thoughts were now a mess and he was having a difficult time putting them together.

“Arthur? A special someone? No, no, no,” he laughed, trying to make it sound like a joke. “No, he’s just a friend who lives in some garden, I don’t like him that way, no way, hahahaha. He’s just a friend, yep, a good friend, nothing more and nothing less!”

During his entire walk back to the palace, he continued to ramble to himself about the ludicrous idea that he saw Arthur as someone he fancied. Arthur was still a mystery to him, and the only things he knew about him was that he lived in some fancy stone house with a garden surrounded by large stone walls where he couldn’t touch him. He got violent and scary when threatened, acted smug when certain subjects came up, could apparently see faeries and spirits so he was clearly not right in the head, and constantly treated Alfred like a child. What was there to like about him? He didn’t mean it like that obviously. He was a good friend, a unique friend, that was certain and Alfred would not deny that but that was all he could see him as, a friend.

Before he realised it he was back in the palace, stopping by his personal drink fridge to grab a soda before storming back to his office. “No way in hell do I see him like that,” he continued, “I mean, he’s ok but that’s about it!” Various servants watched him as he continued to ramble to himself. Alfred downed the soda, crushed the can in his hand and tossed it in a bin he passed. “Special someone? As if,” he snorted as he pushed opened the door to his office.

However it wasn’t the office he walked into, it was a garden.

“Dammit,” he muttered.

He looked over his shoulder to see nothing but the rest of the garden with the stone wall in the back. The sunlight was pouring in and the little birds fluttered around the birdbath, not paying any attention to their visitor. Alfred rolled his eyes, whipping out his little notebook and jotting down a few things, things like what he did prior to coming here and his current mood and where he was at the time.

“Maybe eating or drinking triggers it?” he pondered aloud, tucking his notebook away. “Well, lets go say hi to Arthur... who is my friend.”

He walked through the garden, trying to see if he could spot Arthur and say hello. He walked around a little bit and so far he couldn’t see him, making Alfred wonder if he was inside drinking tea or writing in one of his books, or maybe he was tending to some flowers and was hidden in plain sight. He did stop by one of those special plants Arthur was growing and was surprised to see it had grown a whole lot more since his last visit. It was now much taller with more of those purple leaves growing from the top, in fact it looked an awful lot like a young tree. Did trees grow that quick? Arthur had mentioned it to him that these plants were growing unusually fast.

It was then that he heard voices, too far off for him to make out the words but not that far off either. He followed the voices, poking his head round a large rose bush and spotting Arthur, his back turned against him and currently engaged with another man. Alfred kept hidden, even though he knew no one else here apart from Arthur could see him, and observed. He recognised the other man, it was that grouchy man who took a lock of Arthur’s hair some time ago. He seemed to be the one in control of the conversation, yapping on about something.

“I wonder who he is anyway?” murmured Alfred.

He crept closer, not wanting Arthur to notice him. Alfred still couldn’t quite make out what was being said but it was painfully clear that the man was berating Arthur. Staying behind a large hydrangea bush Alfred observed silently, wondering if he should just go over there and do what he did last time. The man continued to yap away and Arthur just stood there, holding his arms with his head slightly lowered.

Alfred frowned at the scene before him. Arthur looked like a kid who was getting a scolding, he shifted a little on the spot and every once so often he’d look a little to his left before quickly looking back at the man. The man himself looked fed up but somehow had the energy to continue to run his mouth. He would stamp that cane if his upon the ground every so often and wave his free hand in the air like he was trying to swat a fly. Alfred wasn’t certain if he was angry about something or if he was just going overboard with the subject he was talking about, but as he continued to watch he realised something was off.

“Why isn’t he talking back?” Alfred could not help but notice that Arthur hadn’t uttered a single word since he arrived. He knew Arthur had a sharp wit along with a sharp tongue, so why was he acting so small right now? Why was he letting this man talk down at him?

Before Alfred could even think about going over there, he watched as the man suddenly reached out and seemed to caress Arthur’s face, the action causing Arthur himself to flinch. Alfred stood rooted to the spot and he watched with wide open eyes as the man stepped closer and embraced Arthur.

“What the hell!?” Alfred was confused as he continued to spy on the pair.

The man had one hand holding onto Arthur’s cheek and his other hand wrap round his waist, the cane still in his grip. The man then leaned over so that his head was almost resting upon Arthur’s shoulder and seemed to be whispering something in his ear. Arthur himself didn’t return the embrace, he just stood there as still as a statue.

Alfred felt off as he watched the scene unfold before him, his teeth grinding against each other and his fists clenched into tight balls. Just what the he’ll was going on? Who was that guy and why was he holding Arthur like that? He wasn’t certain why but seeing those hands on Arthur’s body was setting off sparks of... he wasn’t certain what it was but it was making him angry. Besides it was clear that Arthur wasn’t into it as his body language gave away that he was clearly uncomfortable, but then why wasn’t he pulling away? Just who was this man and what was his relationship with Arthur? He wanted to go over there right now and demand answers but he couldn’t seem to get his legs to work.

Then as quickly as it had happened the man pulled away, patted Arthur upon his head, like one would pet a dog, and exited the garden through one of doors, leaving Arthur standing there.

For some reason Alfred couldn’t move. He wanted to go up there and ask Arthur what that was all about, but he felt awkward about going up there after what just happened. He just watched as Arthur continued to stand there, noticing that he was trembling slightly. Maybe he should go over there and say something. Arthur then raised his arm and rubbed it across his face before stomping off towards another part of his garden. It was then that Alfred felt concerned and he carefully followed Arthur, not wanting to be seen just yet.

Sneaking through the garden Alfred found Arthur kneeling over some flowers that needed weeding, his back still facing Alfred. He was pulling the weeds out of the soil but Alfred noticed that his body was still trembling a bit and he could hear faint sniffles. Arthur even paused in his work to bring his hands up to his face to wipe his eyes, his body shuddering for a brief moment before he returned to his work. Alfred bit his lip, uncertain what to do or even say. He had come to see Arthur as this over confident man with a strong personality, so to see him in a distressed state like this made Alfred wonder what could he do. Could he even do anything, he couldn’t exactly touch anything here. He opened his mouth but no words came out. What should he say? What should he do? So far Arthur had been helping him every time he came here, but now it seemed like the roles had been reversed, only he didn’t know how he could help.

Still seeing him like this was making Alfred feel helpless and he couldn’t bear it anymore. He had to do something, he had to turn this situation around. So he counted to ten and said in a loud cheerful voice, “Hey Arthur! I’m back!”

Arthur flinched when he heard Alfred’s voice, quickly rubbing his face and sorting himself out before looking over his shoulder. Although he was pulling off a casual expression, Alfred could see that Arthur’s eyes were a little red. “So you are,” stated Arthur, coughing a little, “you’re looking much better.”

Alfred strolled over, pretending that he had only just appeared in the garden. For now he was going to act like he had never witnessed what had transpired between Arthur and that man. Arthur probably wouldn’t want to talk about it anyway, or maybe he’d get angry at Alfred for spying on him.

“Oh yeah, I’m doing so much better, all that advice you gave me is totally helping me with my work,” declared Alfred with a big grin. “If I could touch you I’d give you a hug.”

Arthur tried to smile and rubbed his eyes again. “Apologies, the p-pollen on these flowers is a little strong today,” insisted Arthur, sniffling a little, “it’ll clear in a little bit.”

Alfred knew it was a lie but accepted it anyway. “You’d think you’d be immune to it by now,” he teased, “gardeners and allergies don’t go hand in hand.”

“I’m not allergic, idiot,” snapped Arthur as he wiped his eyes once more, “the pollen is just a little strong today and caught me off guard.”

“Well I hope your nose doesn’t clog up,” snickered Alfred with a cheeky smile, “the last thing I want to see is your snot.”

“I beg your pardon!?” Arthur suddenly looked pissed, his cheeks now turning red. “I can’t exactly help it you idiot, and besides I use a handkerchief to clean my nose! Any sensible man would never allow anyone to see such a sight!”

Alfred stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes. “Just don’t start sneezing in my direction,” he muttered, “I don’t want your snot getting on me.”

“If I can’t touch you then I doubt any other substance from my body can’t touch you either,” snapped Arthur, folding his arms and scowling. “You’re such an immature brat, I go through all that effort to sort out your problems and you tease me about my condition. See if I ever offer you any help ever again!”

Alfred laughed as Arthur continued to fume and shout at him, going on and on about how a proper gentleman should act. It seemed he managed to get Arthur in a somewhat better mood than what he was in before. Although he did want to ask what that man say or did to him to get him so upset but Alfred decided not to pry. As long as he could get his mind off whatever was bothering him then that was enough. He could only hope that Arthur’s mood wouldn’t worsen for if it did then Alfred wasn’t certain what he could do.

“Oh yeah,” said Alfred suddenly, “those special plants of your-...”

“Don’t cut me off, you idiot,” snapped Arthur.

“Aw, but I was going to compliment you on those special plants of yours,” whined Alfred, sounding a little playful.

Arthur suddenly composed himself and wiped his hair out of his eyes. “O-Oh, I see... w-well of course. They’ve grown so well.” Arthur started acting smug again. “Guinevere has outshone them all!”

Walking over towards the centre of his garden, he ushered Alfred to follow him, his face beaming with a proud smile. Alfred followed and spotted one of the special plants that had grown a lot taller. A pole had been erected to give it some support and it had grown so tall it was now as high as Alfred’s waist. The last time he saw it, it was just above his ankle.

“Doesn’t she look grand,” sighed Arthur as he fawned over her. “She has grown far much more than the others.”

Alfred nodded in agreement, still not so knowledgeable about plants. “It sure has,” he said, “what exactly is it anyway?”

Arthur opened his mouth to answer but paused. He then smiled and raised a finger over his mouth. “It’s a secret, for now.”

“Seriously?” pouted Alfred.

Arthur chuckled at Alfred’s reaction. “I’ll let you guess,” he said.

Alfred sighed and stared at the plant. “Well it’s a tree... obviously,” he mumbled.

“Yes, but what kind of tree?” Arthur seemed to be teasing Alfred now and having fun with it.

“I don’t know,” whined Alfred, who couldn’t even name two types of trees, “an... oak tree? A willow?”

Arthur laughed and shook his head. “Look, at the rate they’re growing you’ll find out soon,” he said with a smile, “but I’ll allow you to have unlimited guesses.”

Alfred puffed his cheeks and folded his arms in a huff. “Argh, you’re a meanie,” he muttered.

Arthur did chuckle a little as he placed some more fertiliser around the growing tree. “A meanie who grows an excellent garden.”

He couldn’t deny that, it was pretty much a given fact. With a small smile upon his face, Alfred continued to converse with Arthur as he tended to his garden, the sun shining down upon the pair of them and the only sounds that could be heard were the singing of the birds and the cheerful banter of their voices.