Alfred shivered slightly as a small chill managed to work its way up his back, causing his spine to tingle and he couldn’t help but chatter his teeth. He glanced down at the train tracks as they stretched off into the distance, hoping to see signs of the expected steam engine but so far he saw nothing, not even a pillar of smoke.

“Not long now,” insisted Yao, who stood nearby.

“Is it just me or is it getting chilly all of a sudden?” asked Alfred, rubbing his arms in the hopes the friction would warm him up.

“It’s just you,” sighed Yao, who was actually feeling a little warm, “no one else here is feeling chilly. Just relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

“No you’re not. I understand why but could you please just try to feel at ease. Ivan is someone you needn’t fear-...”

“He doesn’t scare me.”

“Then don’t act like it.”

He rolled his eyes at him and returned his gaze back down the train tracks, hoping to see an oncoming train bringing the members of the Club court. Since the Club Kingdom was so far north and set right smack dab in the middle of a frozen tundra, the best method of travel was by steam engine. There were many train tracks that linked all the Kingdoms to transports passengers and trading goods, and it was a transport system used primarily by the Club Kingdom as it was the only safe way to travel in the frozen lands of the Club Kingdom. It was also the method used by the Club court to travel to the other Kingdoms.

The train station that Alfred and Yao waited in had been throughly cleaned out and repainted, with flowers placed all around until it almost looked like a garden and even smelled like one, it was actually making some of the staff members sniffle a little. A red carpet had been rolled out and the station master was wearing a pressed uniform that looked brand new, the station staff professionally dashing about and getting ready to receive the expected train. Like with the Diamond and the Heart courts, the royal guard was in place and ready to greet their esteemed guest, and spectators were crowding around the station in the hopes to see their visitors from the north. Alfred was wearing an extra layer under his clothes as he was fairly certain that whenever Ivan came he brought the cold with him.

Although he was here to formally greet the King of Clubs as the King of Spades, Alfred still could not help but wonder if Ivan was indeed the one who locked up Arthur. He knew Ivan ran prisons where the inmates were made to tend to gardens, and he couldn’t ignore the fact that Arthur was growing a garden within the confides of his prisons just like the criminals did in the Club Kingdom, it seemed like a huge coincidence. He was certain Arthur was no criminal, he recalled the tale he had told him of his youth and he never mentioned anything of committing a crime or doing anything that was worthy of being called a crime. If Ivan was indeed the one who held Arthur, he wanted to know why and he ultimately wanted Ivan to release him. Still he had no solid proof, only a speculation from his Jack, but he was determined to uncover the truth. All he cared about right now was finding Arthur and freeing him.

“Here it comes,” announced Yao.

Alfred glanced up and saw in the distance a large pillar of smoke rising from the ground, he couldn’t quite see the source of it just yet. Within minutes the sound of a mighty steam engine chugging away began to fill the air, along with the sound of a loud whistle blasting away. The station staff began getting into position, blowing their own whistles and raising their signals, the royal guard getting prepared to greet the visiting King. Soon Alfred was able to see a large and (he hated to admit it) a beautifully crafted steam engine as it slowly made its way into the station. It was made from steel and chrome, gorgeous patterns etched into it and decorated so it looked like horses were pulling it along the tracks. The Club Kingdom’s symbol was proudly displayed upon it, decorated with what looked like finely carved emeralds. The carriages also looked like they were crafted from precious metals and decorated just as beautifully as the engine that pulled them along. Though it was indeed a spectacular sight the whole contraption looked as intimidating as the King who was inside it.

Bracing himself, Alfred watched as the engine began to slow down until it came to a complete halt right before him, a gush of steam blasting out of the engine as it cooled down and causing Alfred’s coat to flap about, even Yao had to cling to his hat. It made Alfred wonder if they did that on purpose. The station staff moved about once again to make certain the engine was safe and in place and Alfred watched as someone hopped out of the engine space and dashed over to the first carriage whilst carrying a velvet step, placing it down before one of the doors before opening it.

“Here he comes,” whispered Alfred sarcastically.

“Be polite and formal,” hissed Yao.

The royal guard began their formation as a tall figure emerged from the carriage. Alfred hated the sensation of his neck straining as he stared up at the taller man but did his best to keep a formal expression as he stared up at those amethyst eyes and that damn smile. The King of Clubs stood before him with a supposedly sincere smile and wickedly innocent eyes, but Alfred knew that Ivan was just a pretender and was concealing what he really was behind that naive expression.

Ivan was a tall man with hair that almost looked like it was made from platinum and eyes the were an unnatural shade of purple. He bore a smile upon his handsome face but it didn’t look at all friendly nor inviting given his personality, at least to Alfred it didn’t. He wore his long coat with the beautiful patterns sewn into it and his trademark long scarf that was apparently his most treasured possession, a gift from his older sister from what Alfred heard. In his Kingdom Ivan was feared and respected, and those who made themselves his enemies would quickly regret it. He had been known to make the strongest men break down in terror and beg for his mercy, making public examples out of them so that those who plotted against him would think otherwise. His personality was a little odd, he came across as a friendly person at first but some of the things he said were either offensive or downright scary. His own relationship with Alfred wasn’t that great as he both figuratively and literally looked down at him, stating that Alfred was too young and recklessly bold to be a King though he wasn’t going to argue with the forces that elected him. He also had the nasty habit of constantly reminding him about the fact his Kingdom lacked a Queen.

The next person to walk off the carriage was a friendly face and was the only person from the Club Kingdom Alfred could trust a little, or at least tolerate. The Queen of Clubs, Elizabeta. She was a fair woman with long brunette locks and green eyes but her beauty was nothing compared to her skills in combat. It was said that before she became the Queen of Clubs she was a member of the royal guard, who moved quickly up the ranks as her skill continued to develop. The Club Kingdom actually had a strict rule that only men could join the royal guard, so she pretended to be a man to enlist. No one knew why, wether it was to prove she can fight just as good as a man or because she wanted more excitement in her life. When she was discovered she was already well respected among her men and the rules changed to allow girls to enlist in her honour. Now as Queen she also held the title as the Captain of the Guard, and boldly accepted any challenger who wanted to take her title. So far no one had managed to take it from her yet. From what Alfred heard she was a relatively friendly lady but was terrifying if you got on her bad side. The perfect fit for a man like Ivan.

The last person to emerge from the carriage was the Club Jack, the renowned Roderich. Dark brown hair with violet eyes and a mole just under his mouth, he was actually what Alfred could only call a very pretty and handsome man but a complete and utter snob. Apparently even Francis tried wooing him at some point until Roderich coldly shot him down from which the Diamond King never recovered from. He even dressed like proper royalty and compared to his King and Queen his fine clothing made him stand out, not a single thread out of place and looked brand new. When he wasn’t carrying out his duty as the Jack, he was off conducting orchestras and writing music, his works adored by many fans across the four Kingdoms. He was a famous pianist in the Club Kingdom and even after becoming the Jack he didn’t want to give up his passion as a musician, continuing to play for Ivan and Elizabeta. His only flaw was that he was rather weak and frail, he was very physically unfit but he made up for all that with his sharp wit and sarcasm.

These three were just as strange a group as the Heart Court, but just like the Heart Court they ran their Kingdom efficiently and were highly respected, or in Ivan’s case you’d fear him. You had to respect them as they dwelled in a land where it was frozen all year round, and it was the biggest Kingdom out of the four despite that at least 75% of it was uninhabitable. Alfred had never properly visited the Club Kingdom ever since he became King and he knew at some point he was going to have to go, he just wasn’t going to look forward to it.

Alfred approached Ivan and stared up at that bemused smile of his, trying not to glare. “Nice to see you again Ivan,” he said as he reached out his hand.

Ivan merely smiled down at him. “And it’s good to see you too, young Alfred,” he replied as he took Alfred’s hand.

Alfred had to suppress a shiver as a chill ran up his arm, it was like Ivan’s hand was made from pure frozen ice. After shaking Ivan’s hand firmly he tried to discreetly shove his hand into one of his pockets in the hopes it would warm up. “I trust the trip was an uneventful one?”

“It was,” answered Ivan, “except Roderich here got a little faint. He’s still getting used to the change in climate.”

Roderich coughed out of embarrassment whilst Elizabeta couldn’t help but giggle. Yao stepped forward and bowed politely. “We do have some aspirin at the ready in the car along with other refreshments.”

“Ah Yao, it is good to see you,” said Ivan suddenly, “it must be so hard to run this Kingdom with young Alfred here keeping you so busy.”

“We run this Kingdom together Ivan,” said Alfred with a forced laugh, “like we always do.”

“And to do so without a Queen is quite admirable,” chuckled Ivan, “it is most impressive, I do not know what I would do without my Queen.”

Alfred tried to keep himself from snapping at him. It was always like this with Ivan, he just had to find ways to insult whilst at the same time complementing him, which didn’t even feel like complements. It was confusing, but basically Ivan was just picking on him whilst playing the innocent card at the same time. Ivan just stood there with that damn smile of his, pretending to act all sweet and charming but Alfred could see through that accursed facade. He wanted to give him a snappy comeback but Yao had made him promise to be nothing but polite and respectful around the Club King.

After the greetings and handshakes were out of the way, they were escorted to the car that awaited them outside the station. The station was a little distance away from the palace so Alfred was going to have to share a small space with the last person he’d ever wanted to. Still it was amusing to see how Ivan had to crouch down a little inside the car, his hat almost tipping off his head. It was still an odd sight as the car was very spacious but Ivan still took up a lot of room, it almost looked like he was crushing his Queen and Jack.

“I look forward to seeing Erika again,” announced Elizabeta with a smile, “I haven’t seen her in so long.”

“Well I’m not looking forward to seeing that troublesome Jack of hers,” huffed Roderich as he swallowed his pills, “he has such a stick up his-...”

“Language Roderich,” hissed Elizabeta.

“Still I’d rather take up his company than that little pasta eating brat.”

“Oh that’s not nice, Feliciano is a good boy.”

Roderich suddenly groaned at that remark. “I still have trouble believing that.”

“Believing what?” asked Alfred, a little curious.

Roderich began blushing furiously and Elizabeta laughed her head off, so Ivan ended up explaining. “A long time ago, Feliciano actually came to live in my Kingdom before he became the Heart Jack. His skill as a painter caught my eye and he painted me many fine works of art, mostly of gardens and meadows of flowers. At the time he was a child and Roderich here mistook him for a girl.”

Elizabeta laughed harder. “How could anyone not think that!” snapped Roderich, “he wore dresses and had that ridiculously high pitched voice!”

“Until it broke,” snorted Elizabeta.

“He wore dresses?” Now Alfred couldn’t help but smirk, whilst Yao rolled his eyes.

“Not only that but he was a complete and utter glutton! Ate everything he deemed was sufficient enough for his gourmet tongue and complained about starving even when we provided him food that wasn’t up to his ridiculously high standards. I was glad when he had to leave!”

“He used your scarfs as napkins,” giggled Elizabeta.

“And I burned every single one of them.”

As the Club Queen and Jack continued to reminisce about their past with Feliciano, Alfred couldn’t help but stare at Ivan. He hated how he sat there and looked so innocent whilst doing so. It made him wonder if he did indeed had Arthur locked away and he was secretly laughing at Alfred behind his back. He was desperate to know, he wanted nothing more than to learn if Ivan was indeed the culprit who had locked Arthur away.

“Say Ivan,” he said suddenly, “the other day Yao here was telling me about the way you treat your criminals in your Kingdom.”

That made both Elizabeta and Roderich cease their chatter and looked over at Alfred with surprise. Yao glanced over and now had a face full of dread. Ivan didn’t seem too surprised, in fact he looked rather amused. “Have you now? So what do you think?”

Alfred shrugged. “You throw murderers into an inescapable forest and have the lowlife tend to gardens. Seems a little weird.”

“Weird, but effective,” insisted Elizabeta with a confident smile, “those we send to work the gardens are rehabilitated into well adjusted members of society.”

“We estimated that at least 89% of those who finish their jail term never return to a life of crime,” continued Roderich, “repeat offenders are given three strikes before we send them to our more, ahem, effective rehabilitation centres, but those rarely happen.”

“Our scheme has inspired the Diamond Kingdom to do something similar, and the Heart Kingdom is also invested in the idea.” Ivan then titled his head and smiled at Alfred. “Are you thinking about it too? I’d love to give you some tips on how to deal with your Kingdom’s vermin.”

Alfred clenched his fists so hard the knuckles cracked, but he kept his cool and just smiled back. “Sure, why not,” he said through his teeth, “who knows, I’ll probably get over 100% when it comes to rehabilitation.”

Ivan just laughed. “We shall see,” was all he said.

The rest of the journey was just filled with small talk until at last the arrived at the palace, much to Alfred’s relief as he was certain that the temperature dropped whilst he was stuck in there. One royal welcome by the palace guards later and Alfred escorted them to their rooms. As Yao had suggested they were accommodated in a wing where they had access to the best garden the palace had to offer, apart from the Elder tree garden, and the room was decorated with so many flowers it almost made Alfred sneeze like crazy.

Ivan seemed pleased with the arrangements and caressed the petals of some sunflowers that were on display, a rare display of genuine joy upon his face. Elizabeta was admiring some alongside Roderich, the pair of them talking quietly amongst themselves. Alfred wanted to leave them be but he was still eager to learn more about Ivan’s prisons and find out if he knew anything about Arthur.

He ignored Yao as he tried to usher him out and approached Ivan, the Club King still admiring the floral arrangements. “Hey Ivan? I need to ask you something.”

The tall King looked away from the flowers and appeared curious to Alfred’s query. “What is it?”

Alfred tried to think of a polite way to ask, are you imprisoning a man against his will in one of your garden prisons, but he couldn’t really think of one, so he had no choice but to be blunt about it. He knew Tao was going to be pissed and Ivan was going to be offended but Alfred couldn’t take it anymore, he needed answers. “Have you-...”

Alfred paused when he heard singing.

He spun round and found himself in Arthur’s garden once more, the guest room now gone along with Ivan and his Court. The garden was as vibrant as ever and he could make out the soft notes of Arthur’s song and his heart leapt at the thought of seeing him again. Alfred forgot all about Ivan and ran off in the direction of where the song was coming from.

“Arthur!?”

He looked about frantically until he spotted him kneeling over some tulips, his back to him.

“Arthur? Arthur, I’m back!”

Arthur slowly glanced up as Alfred rapidly approached him, but for some odd reason he didn’t seem at all enthusiastic to see him again. In fact he appeared worn out and a little sickly looking and yet he wore a small smile.

“Hello Alfred,” he said in an unusually low tone.

Alfred skidded to a halt before him and he couldn’t help but notice something was off. “Arthur? Are you ok? You’re not ill are you?”

Arthur continued smiling and shook his head. “No Alfred, I’m fine,” he insisted, “I’m just checking on Julia and Sandra here, they’re a little weak and need some support.”

“Are you sure? I mean last time... you know...” Alfred fiddled with his fingers, unsure of how to pick up the conversation after their last encounter.

“Oh that?” Arthur chuckled dryly. “It’s alright. I was being silly, I apologise for that. Now then, I have to get back to work. This garden isn’t going to grow itself.”

This was strange. It was more than strange; it was unsettling. Even the way he spoke sounded strange. Alfred knelt down next to him and looked him over, frowning when he noticed his puffy eyes, the dry skin upon his cheeks, that almost dead look in his eyes. It was like looking at another person who had the same face as Arthur.

“Arthur? Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes.” Arthur didn’t look at him as he answered.

“Well then... so tell me who has you locked up here! Who is it? Is it the Club-...”

“Alfred please,” sighed Arthur, “it’s fine now. Don’t worry about that.”

“Don’t... worry?” Alfred was taken aback. “What the hell do you mean by that!? Tell me who has you locked up! Tell me so I can find you and free you.”

“There’s no need for that,” replied Arthur.

“No need!? What are you talking about!?”

Arthur continued to smile and shrugged at him. “It’s just when you showed up, I had the silly little notion to allow myself to feel some sort of hope of ever leaving here.” He clipped one of the tulips and tossed it into a nearby basket. “I only recently realised that was foolish of me; I’m never going to leave here and I’ve accepted that.”

“Wait, what!?” Alfred couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I can’t leave this place Alfred,” continued Arthur, his face still expressing that empty smile and those dead eyes. “I apologise for giving you the impression we can meet up for real, but that is something that is just not going to happen.”

Alfred was certain his heart stopped beating for a second. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “So... you’re just giving up!?”

“Giving up? Don’t be ridiculous Alfred, I’ve just come to terms with my fate.”

“That’s the same thing, you’re just trying to justify it!”

“Please Alfred, you’re overreacting.”

Overreacting? Alfred could barely believe what he was hearing. Why was he acting like this, it was unusual even for him. It was as if he was indeed talking with someone else, a complete stranger

“Arthur, cut this out,” he pleaded, “you’re creeping me out.”

“Could you please use proper words and proper phrases,” replied Arthur.

“You can’t ignore this!”

“I’m not ignoring this Alfred, I’ve just accepted it. Now please let me concentrate.”

Alfred clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. The way Arthur was acting was both irritating and heartbreaking, and he was doing his best not to shout at him. Was this the result of his five years imprisoned in here? He recalled the first time he ever met Arthur; huddled up in front of his fireplace and crying his eyes out. Did he cry everyday before he showed up here? Suffering all by himself with no one to help him, Then when he appeared he filled him with some hope, a belief that he would one day be free of this place, only now Arthur believed it was all just a pretentious delusion he made up and had reverted back to a state devoid of all hope. Alfred couldn’t bare to see him in this state. He wanted to grab him and force him to look at him, he wanted to pick him up and take him away from this place, but more than anything he wanted to hold him tightly and never let go... but he couldn’t.

Without Arthur noticing he reached out and tried to touch him, feeling a surge of bitter emotions flow through him as his fingers just phased through his body as if he wasn’t even there, as if this whole place and Arthur himself was nothing but an illusion, even though in his heart he believed it to be real. He didn’t realise tears were running down his face. When he did Alfred tried in vain to stop them, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes until they hurt, desperately trying to hold in his choked sobs but with each passing second it was getting harder and harder. He hated this. He hated seeing Arthur like this and being unable to help him.

Before he realised it he was bawling his eyes out, crying like he did when he was a child, his loud cries filling the silent void of the garden. He hated this feeling, he hated being unable to do anything and he hated that he had idea what to do to fix any of this. All of his emotions had swollen up inside him until he no longer could hold them in, and he wailed and wailed.

His loud crying obviously caught Arthur’s attention, though he appeared unsympathetic at first. “Alfred, stop crying,” he snapped, “you’re a grown man.”

Alfred ignored him and continued, howling like mad and his tears falling down his face like a waterfall.

“I said stop it,” hissed Arthur, his attention now fully focused on Alfred. “Stop it right now!”

Alfred couldn’t. The stress, the fear, the feeling of failure of a self proclaimed hero who only wanted to save the man he loved had overtaken him.

“Stop it!” Arthur grew even more angry over Alfred’s tears. “Stop it right now! Why are you crying? Why?”

He didn’t realise it due to his own crying but Arthur himself was now on the verge of tears, the sight of Alfred’s pitiful state was setting of his own emotions he had tried to bottle up.

“Stop it right now,” barked Arthur, his voice breaking and his green eyes flooding with tears. “Why the hell are you crying!?”

“Because I failed,” howled Alfred, continuing to cry his heart out, “I wanted to save you! I wanted to take you away from here, but I don’t know how! I don’t know who locked you away! I don’t know where you are! You won’t tell me anything no matter how much I beg, and now you’re like this and it’s all my fault! I failed you! I failed myself! I wanted to be your hero and save you, but I can’t!”

Alfred continued crying and punched the ground with his fist, though he left no mark. Arthur’s lips quivered and he clenched his fists as he tried to keep his emotions under control. “Stop crying,” he said again, his tone a little more softer.

But Alfred couldn’t and his tears continued falling without end. He wasn’t even sure if he could stop them, he was filled with so much grief and despair that he doubted it would ever go away no matter how much he wept.

“Alfred, please stop,” begged Arthur, “it’s... it’s not your fault.”

“Yes it is,” argued Alfred, “you said it yourself! Me coming here gave you nothing but false hope!”

“I-I didn’t mean it like that. I just... it’s all very complicated-... look, it’s not your fault so please stop.”

“Then tell me where you are,” demanded Alfred suddenly, trying to get himself back under control. “Tell me who locked you away and where I can find you.”

Arthur’s eyes became full of uncertainty and fear, looking away from him without providing the answer Alfred desperately needed.

“Why!?” Alfred wailed again. “Why won’t you tell me? Do you have so little faith in me?”

“It’s not that!” Arthur but his lip and fumbled with his hands. “I just... don’t want you to get hurt. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I knew you’d be harmed because of me.”

“Who cares if I get hurt!”

“I do!”

Arthur’s voice was so loud it cut through the air like a sword and it actually brought Alfred back to his senses, though his eyes continued to leak tears.

“You don’t think I want to leave this place? Do you think I enjoy being here? I’ve been denied my freedom because of one man’s paranoia, locked away in an over glorified bird cage! I want to go out and meet people, socialise and see the world but I can’t, no matter how much I wish it I can’t! The only thing that kept me sane was tending to this garden, but now I’ve grown sick of it and I despise myself for hating it!” He rubbed his eyes as if he was trying to push his tears back into his sockets. “I want to tell you where I am, I want to tell you why, I want you to take me away from here, but you can’t. If you get hurt at my expense I wouldn’t be able to bear it! Just believe me Alfred, I’m not worth it.”

As Arthur broke down, Alfred felt his heart ache at his rant. As much as he wanted to stand up and hold him, he knew he couldn’t and he hated that he couldn’t, it all made him feel ridiculously helpless. From what Arthur had said, he desperately wanted to tell him everything he needed to know to free him, but couldn’t out of fear of him getting hurt. It even hurt to hear how much that he didn’t even think he was worth saving. To Alfred, Arthur was worth the world and more and he wanted him to know it. He had to redeem himself and to show Arthur how much he was worth it. If he couldn’t do anything for him physically, then at least he could do something for him with his voice.

Standing back up and putting his glasses back on, Alfred declared, “you are worth it!”

Arthur flinched at the loud voice and stared back at him.

“You’re worth every bruise, scar and drop of blood! I don’t care if I have to go to hell and back and then back again for the he’ll of it, if it means getting you out of here I’d fight every single army in the world. Arthur, you mean so much to me... I mean-... you-...”

Alfred’s heart was thumping like never before. He had fantasied about this moment but in a completely different setting, but if it was the only way to convince Arthur how much he meant to him, then he’d give up his dream confession. He was sweating like mad and he felt a little scared, but seeing Arthur’s face helped boost his confidence. He inhaled a big breath before exhaling it, locking eyes with him before forcing the words out of his burning throat.

“Arthur... I love you!”

Three simple words but the affect they made proved otherwise. Arthur’s body almost slumped upon hearing this confession, his arms dropping to his sides and his eyes widening with disbelief. His tears had slowed down, almost stopping actually, and his jaw dropped a little whilst his lips trembled. Even his legs, that were stiff as a tree for a brief moment, began to shiver a little and he seemed unable to control his arms, moving them a little before they flopped back to his sides. It was as if it was the first time someone had ever expressed their love to him, and he was completely unaware of how to handle it.

Even Alfred was unsure of what to do. He could only stare back at Arthur with a determined gaze and his cheeks burning a bright shade of red, wondering desperately what to do next. He didn’t know what to say or if he should wait for Arthur to respond, but the only thing he really cared about was if it worked, if it proved to Arthur that someone in the world cherished him above all else. So far his confession seemed to had stunned him completely and the air was filled with the faint sounds of the rustling leaves and the songs of the distant birds.

Arthur did try to speak but all he could manage to say was, “I... I...”

He was trying, even swallowing very hard as he tried to regain control of his vocal cords and he finally opened his mouth to say something.

“KIRKLAND!”

The two men flinched and glanced up to see that horrid man approaching them. “What was with all that shouting!? What’s going on!? What are you up to!?”

Alfred glared at him viciously, knowing full well he couldn’t see or hear him, but wanted to scream and curse at him with all his might.

“Leave him alone!” he snapped.

“Leave who alone?”

Alfred gasped as he looked up to see Ivan’s amethyst eyes staring at him with gentle confusion. He looked around to see Elizabeta and Roderich looking over and the pair of them looked equally confused.

“What?” was all that Alfred could say.

“You said, leave him alone,” replied Ivan, who was more curious than he was offended. “Who were you referring to?”

Alfred gulped. Why did he had to come back at such an awkward moment after another awkward moment? His mind was a complete mess and he couldn’t think of a good enough excuse. He had to say something without the risk of upsetting the Club King but nothing was coming to mind.

“Is something wrong?” asked Ivan, his intimidating gaze starting to get to Alfred. “Who were you asking me to leave alone?”

“He was referring to me,” said Yao suddenly, jumping in to save Alfred from his mistake. “I told him about our chess games we take part in when you visit and how aggressive of a player you can be. He was merely concerned that you were bullying me, even though I insisted you were not.”

Ivan glanced over at Yao and then back at Alfred. Alfred said nothing and could only hope that Ivan would believe it. “You needn’t fret Alfred, I’m only aggressive in combat, not in a friendly game of chess.”

Alfred wanted to sigh with relief but held it in. “Good, good!” He stood up straight and tried to brush it all off as a joke. “Well I hope you settle in nicely! If you need anything just ask the steward, and I hope to see you at dinner! Well, I gotta go, bye!”

He almost ran to the door but before he could even leave Ivan’s side he felt an iron grip grab his arm, keeping him from moving. He looked over his shoulder to see Ivan staring at him, those eyes of his were almost intense.

“Where did you go?”

The colour from Alfred’s face almost drained away. “W-what?”

“You went somewhere whilst asking me that question,” stated Ivan, “where?”

Alfred couldn’t even process what he had just heard, but if he heard right then Ivan noticed he disappeared. How? No one else noticed so how did Ivan notice? He wanted to ask but Yao stepped in once more to save him.

“Apologies King Ivan but Alfred has some duties he needs to attend to urgently.”

Ivan did nothing for a moment but he eventually released Alfred. “Then I hope you can answer my question in the near future,” he said with a smile.

“S-sure,” replied Alfred.

As he and Yao left the Club court to their own devices, he could not help but wonder if he was any closer to figuring out this mystery and if Ivan was the only one who could help him. Still, was Ivan the one who held Arthur? How did Ivan notice him going to the garden? Did Ivan actually know about his visits to the garden and was trying to get it out of him? All he knew was that he was going to have to be careful around the King of Clubs.