Normally Alfred wasn’t afraid when he was requested to have a private talk with someone, but a private talk with Ivan had both piqued his interest and got him a little nervous. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with a man he disliked, but he couldn’t ignore him plus Yao had pleaded with him to hear him out. He was still reeling from the nightmare he had last night he barely touched his breakfast, and from Yao had told him even he wasn’t certain as to what Ivan wanted to talk to him about.

Alfred had a good idea what it was about.

Ivan was the first person to notice that he disappeared when he went to Arthur’s garden, no one else had ever noticed that before. It had to be the reason why Ivan was so keen to talk to him, but Alfred wasn’t certain what to tell him. He didn’t want to tell him about the garden or Arthur just in case he was indeed the one who imprisoned him, but he couldn’t think of an excuse. Heck, Ivan might find a way to use it against him or accuse him for being a poor excuse for a King for continuously allowing it to happen. His mind was still filled with the images from the bizarre dream, most of it taking up his thinking space and no matter what he tried to think of what to say, the memories cane flooding back.

Swiping his hair back and making sure he looked at least a little presentable for the Club King, Alfred entered the area where Ivan was waiting for him. Curiously Ivan had requested to meet him by one of the balconies that over looked the Elder tree garden. It was a rather open space so Alfred doubted the conversation was going to be one of those intense ones in case certain ears were listening in.

He spotted Ivan standing upon one of the balconies, staring off into the garden and not realising Alfred was approaching until he heard his loud footsteps. Glancing over his broad shoulder, he gave Alfred his signature smile and turned to face him.

“Good morning young Alfred,” he said with a small bow, “I hope you are feeling better? Your Jack has informed us you were not feeling your best this morning. I hope that wasn’t because of me?”

Alfred tried to keep his cool. “I just slept funny, that’s all,” he insisted with an attempted smile, “no biggie.”

“That is good,” replied Ivan, “I’d hate to talk to you whilst you are feeling... how do your people say? ...under the weather?”

He tried smiling but Alfred found that even his face was in no mood to form one. “Relax Ivan, it’ll take more than a dodgy sleep to put me out of action. Now then... Yao said you wanted to speak with me?”

“Ah yes.” Ivan brushed his bangs out of his face and then glanced back out at the Elder tree garden. “It is beautiful, is it not?”

Alfred stepped closer to get a better view of the garden, he just wanted to get this over and done with but he remained polite and humoured him. “The gardeners do tend to it rather well, so it should be.”

“I meant the tree.”

Alfred then turned his attention to the actual tree, the silver bark shimmering in the daylight and the blue leaves looked like fairy lights from a Christmas tree as they illuminated the branches. He wanted to agree with Ivan but something about the tree was making him feel uneasy again, even more so than usual.

“I have always envied your Kingdom for having an Elder tree,” confessed Ivan, sighing a little as he placed his hand upon his chest. “They say that no matter the environment, beautiful flowers will always bloom beneath its branches. Even the harshest of deserts to the coldest of tundras, flowers will always bloom where there is an Elder tree.”

He couldn’t help but notice that Ivan’s tone had changed and he actually sounded sincere as he spoke.

“I have researched them ever since I was little you know, trying to figure out where they grow and how to find them. I looked into all the knowledge gathered by the four Kingdoms, learning about the myths and the facts and figuring out which one was which, their history and their origins. I am quite the expert according to the Heart King, as I apparently know more about them than any man. Yet I do not have one growing in my land, no matter how I wish it. In fact this is the only one I’ve ever seen.”

Alfred may dislike Ivan but even he could tell that he was truly being sincere about the subject. He wondered how he’d react if he learnt about the five Arthur had grown in his garden.

“You sure sound like you know a lot about them,” said Alfred, trying to be polite.

“There is one thing I know for certain though,” stated Ivan, peering down at the shorter King. “All Elder trees come from somewhere deep in the Forest of Eternity from their mother tree; the Grand Elder tree. This tree is supposedly older than the world itself, if you can believe that. I had thought about venturing in there to find it...” Ivan then laughed coldly. “...but you know that’s like walking straight into the jaws of death. Not only am I an expert on Elder trees, but I have vast knowledge of that deadly forest.”

“Is that why you send your criminals in there?” asked Alfred.

Ivan chuckled once more. “That forest is no ordinary forest young Alfred. It’s a realm that no man can navigate through, to wander in there is to loose yourself to eternity itself. At least that was what the journal said.”

“The journal?” Alfred could not help but be curious.

“Centuries ago, a King of Clubs found a journal of an legendary explorer, who was last seen entering that very forest. The journal was right outside the forest and the contents of the journal were quite interesting. Giant beasts that were as tall as the trees, voices of spirits that would drive one to the brink of madness, things that the naked eye could not explain, but there was one entry in there that caught my interest.”

“And what was that?”

“A grove full of Elder trees, as far as the eye could see, nothing but silver bark and glowing blue leaves for miles around, and right in the centre of that grove was an Elder tree so large it made the other trees look like mere twigs sticking out of the ground, it was as if it was growing from the very core of the world itself. He described it like he was walking into a dream, that he had at last wandered into the paradise the forest hid from the rest of the world. At least that’s what the journal stated... he started to ramble maddening words towards the end of it, we assumed he committed suicide.”

Alfred grimaced as the tone of the conversation suddenly went dark and Ivan continued to smile. Although it was a very interesting topic, Alfred could not help but wonder was this the reason Ivan wanted to speak with him? He just wanted to talk about Elder trees? Or maybe he wanted a sample from his Elder tree?

“Did you want my permission to take a piece of bark or a leaf or-...”

“Good gracious no,” proclaimed Ivan loudly, his face expression pure horror, “surely you know of the stories about bringing harm to an Elder tree?”

Alfred had almost forgotten about that. They say that even taking the smallest splinter from an Elder tree would bring down a terrible curse upon the one who committed the very act.

“There is an old story of a man who found an Elder tree on a distant island. To prove his discovery, he ripped a leaf off the very tree but by doing so the whole island was swallowed by the sea and he was devoured by the very earth the tree grew from. As much as I would love to take a sample of your Elder tree, I am no fool as to allow myself to get cursed.”

“Oh,” responded Alfred sheepishly.

Ivan sighed once more and gazed at the tree. “I would love for an Elder tree to grow in my land and to admire the flowers that would bloom amongst its roots. Admiring flowers inside a greenhouse can get... dull.”

It was rare but Alfred actually felt sorry for Ivan. He knew about his love of flowers and he knew he came from a land where they barely grew, he just never put them both together. It truly sounded miserable where the only place to see flowers in the Club Kingdom was inside a large greenhouse instead of watching them grow outside. The whole conversation also made him realise that he couldn’t be the one who held Arthur. If Ivan was truly an expert on Elder trees, he would’ve noticed if five of them were growing in one of his prisons.

In a vain effort to try and cheer Ivan up, he thought about mentioning Arthur’s garden to him and his Elder trees. “You know, I met someone who’s grown five of them.”

Ivan glanced down at him. “Pardon?”

“Oh yeah, he’s grown five of them and he’s even given them these fancy names,” continued Alfred with a smile. “What were they? Lancelot, Galahad, Belvedere, Gawain... um... Guinevere... but they’ve grown quite fast for trees.”

He was expecting Ivan to be intrigued but instead he looked a little annoyed. “Are you trying to upset me?”

“Huh?”

Ivan sighed and he actually frowned. “Human hands cannot cultivate Elder trees, no matter their skill as a gardener it is physically impossible. They’re not like other trees so pardon me if I fail to believe your tall tale.”

Was that true? But he saw them in Arthur’s garden, he watched him as he tended to them and grew them. Desperate to prove his claim, he pulled out the picture Feliciano drew of Arthur in his garden, recalling that he had also drew one of the Elder trees in the background.

“I’m not lying, look! Feliciano drew this for me, this guy here grew five Elder trees in his garden. Look, one of them is right there!” He pointed furiously at the tree in the sketch. “If you’re such an expert, you’d recognise it!”

Ivan carefully took the sketch from Alfred’s hands and studied it. “This is definitely Feliciano’s work,” he muttered, squinting his eyes as he stared at it more, “and that tree...”

He went quiet for a moment, rotating the piece of paper in his hands, pulling it closer and then examining it from a distance. A few minutes went by before he returned his attention to Alfred.

“Who is this man?”

Alfred rubbed his own arms. “His name is Arthur... Arthur Kirkland.”

“And... he is the one who grew this tree?”

Alfred nodded. “He grew five of them in his own garden, he’s quite an expert in gardening and he tends to it all by himself.”

Ivan looked back at the sketch and then back at Alfred. He was aware of Feliciano’s ability to draw the truth from one’s mind so he couldn’t deny what he was looking at.

“How did you meet him? In fact, where is this garden?”

Alfred mentally cursed himself when he realised that he had now no other choice but to reveal to Ivan about his strange visits to Arthur and his garden, though he wasn’t sure if he was going to believe it. Ivan was the last person he wanted to tell, but now he didn’t exactly have a good enough reason as to why he couldn’t tell him. With a defeated sigh he told Ivan all that he knew about Arthur’s garden and his strange visits to it. He didn’t tell him about the mystery girl who sent him there or the fact that Arthur was in fact locked up against his will, but did reveal to him that he had no idea where he was and that he was trying to find out his location. He also went on about how beautiful Arthur’s garden was and his strange habit of naming his flowers. He exaggerated at how it put Ivan’s greenhouse gardens to shame, that it was like a slice of heaven.

Ivan listened to him and he appeared intrigued by the tale, especially the parts about the garden. “I had a feeling you were disappearing without anyone noticing... well, I noticed of course.”

“How did you know,” asked Alfred, curious as to Ivan was the only one who realised it.

“Easy,” replied Ivan, “one moment you were acting like a cocky child ready to pick a fight and in the next second you looked like you’ve been crying your eyes out and were stressed. Your whole personality changed, along with your posture and also...” Ivan then blushed for some reason. “You smelt like you came straight out of a garden.”

“I what!?”

“I had been with you all morning and you reeked of that awful cologne. Then all of a sudden you carried the scent of a garden in full bloom. I came to the assumption that you must’ve teleported away right in front of me, using those time powers of yours, how else would you explain your change in mood and the new stench you suddenly got from out of nowhere?”

Alfred had forgotten that Ivan was actually quite the cunning genius and was one you should not lower your guard around. It pissed him off a little that he didn’t figure it out with his power but instead with his own integrity.

“Are the other Kings aware of this?” asked Ivan.

“Francis is aware and the Kiku also knows,” answered Alfred. “I’ve listened to their council and I’m currently investigating this matter.”

“Hmmm.” Ivan thought for a moment. “If I were you, I’d be concerned as to why I would be taken to a garden against my will. Though to be honest, I wouldn’t complain.”

“You’re not the first one to tell me that,” huffed Alfred, “anyway, is that why you wanted to talk to me? About me disappearing right in front of you?”

“No,” chuckled Ivan, pointing towards the Elder tree garden. “I was simply going to request your permission to go into the Elder tree garden. This is the closest I’ve ever been to an Elder tree, and all I desire is to get just a little closer.”

Alfred raised a suspicion brow.

“I assure you I have no intention of ripping off a single leaf from that tree. The last thing I want is to curse myself and your Kingdom.”

Alfred thought that there was no real harm in it, the only real reason the garden was closed off was to keep the Elder tree safe but Ivan was a self proclaimed expert when it came to them. It wasn’t like he was going to pull off a whole branch and then run off with it, as he recalled that Arthur had told him that the bark of an Elder tree became as hard as steel when it matured, thus making it impossible.

“I’ll let Yao know and arrange a time for you to go in,” promised Alfred.

“Excellent,” declared Ivan with a smile. “Well then, I thank you for your time young Alfred.”

He then handed back the sketch of Arthur and left the young King alone, still bearing that innocent smile of his as he walked away. Alfred sighed, glad that the whole thing was over and he gazed at the sketch in his hands, bringing it up to his lips and hoping that he’d be seeing him very soon. He carefully tucked the sketch away and gazed at the Elder tree one last time before departing from the area.

As Alfred headed back to his chambers, Ivan met with Roderich who had been waiting nearby and out of sight.

“That was nice of him,” huffed Roderich as he rearranged his silk scarf, “the last King didn’t want you anywhere near the Elder tree.”

“That was because he actually thought I was going to tear it apart,” laughed Ivan, “Alfred is more compassionate than he ever was, naive but there is some common sense in that brain of his.”

“Shall I inform the Queen?” asked Roderich, “I’m sure she’d love to see the Elder tree up close.”

“Yes, and one other thing.”

Ivan beckoned Roderich to come closer so he could whisper into his ear. “I want you to find any information regarding an Arthur Kirkland.”

—————————————

Lunch was drawing close and Alfred was feeling a bit peckish. His nightmare from last night and the chat he had with Ivan was all he could think about at the moment, and he hoped that a big lunch would take his mind off it all. That and he didn’t exactly eat a whole lot that morning. He was in the middle of finishing off some last minute paperwork regarding the dinner party, planned to start towards the end of the week and although Yao was supposed to be helping him, the Jack was distracted.

“I don’t like the look of those clouds,” sighed Yao, who was staring out of a nearby window.

Alfred gazed out to see dark clouds on the horizon. “Looks like it’ll be raining for a bit,” he sighed.

“It doesn’t normally rain this time of year,” muttered Yao as he stepped away from the window. “Maybe its just a change in the weather pattern, I don’t know.”

Alfred couldn’t help but smirk. “It’s not like you to be bothered by the weather.”

“True,” admitted Yao, “but something feels... off.” The Spade Jack did appear to be troubled by this. “Anyway, it was considerate of you to allow Ivan to go into the Elder tree garden. He’s been trying to get in there for years.”

“I don’t get why he was never allowed,” pondered Alfred, “I mean, he convinced me he was an expert and it’s not like he’s going to take a piece of it.”

Yao laughed as he poured himself some tea. “He’s not that stupid. Everyone knows that to harm an Elder tree is to ask for your impending doom. I think the reason he was never allowed in was due to simple paranoia.”

Alfred yawned as he leaned back in his chair. “I wonder if I should just open it up to the public? It seems rather dull that a garden is left alone for a whole year with no one to admire it. I mean, isn’t that the point of growing a garden? What do you think Yao?”

He looked up expecting to see his Jack, but he saw a large rose bush instead. Sitting up he looked around and found that he was sitting upon a garden bench, those stone walls still towering over him and the garden they surrounded, and above those was a sky filled with dark clouds. At first he was ecstatic to be back and he stood up to go and find Arthur, but then he recalled what happened during his last visit and it caused him to sit back down, his heart starting to beat fast and his fingers shaking.

“I... told him I loved him,” he muttered to himself.

The last time he was here, he confessed to Arthur his true feelings in an attempt to prove to him that he was loved. He actually left Arthur’s side before he could get a response and now a whole day had passed and he was wondering how he had reacted to the news. Pressing his hand against his chest he could feel his heart beating like mad and tried to settle it. What if he would reject him? What if he would refuse him? Deny his feelings? Call him an idiot? Laugh at him? Alfred was actually terrified to see him again out of fear of these possibilities. He was overreacting but he couldn’t help but think up these outlandish scenarios.

Before he could even think up a plan of action, he heard some distant muttering. “Where did I put the blasted thing?”

Alfred looked up and spotted Arthur on his hands and knees, peering underneath his plants and moving the mulch about. It appeared that he was looking for something. Next to him were a pile of what must have been plastic tarps along with ropes and pegs, and some of Arthur’s plants were already covered by them, possibly to protect them from the oncoming wet weather.

“How in blazes did I lose it?” grumbled Arthur, who had yet to notice Alfred.

Biting his lip, Alfred stood up and slowly approached him. Arthur still had yet to notice him as he was too focused on searching for whatever it was he was looking for. Alfred thought about being casual or maybe acting all cool and in control, or maybe act a little flirty, but nothing was coming to mind and he was already standing behind him, the man still oblivious of his guest. He also couldn’t help but notice how tight those trousers of his clung round his scrawny ass, and even the position he was in caused Alfred to gulp as perverted thoughts danced through his mind.

Shaking his head to rid himself of those lewd ideas and taking a deep breath, he said, “what’s up?” but instead of it coming out deep and sensual as he planned it, it came out high and squeaky.

Arthur jumped up at the voice and spun around, staring up at Alfred and his pale face turning a bright shade of pink. “Al-... Alfred? You’re back?”

Alfred was trying his best to not panic. “Yep,” was all he could manage to say.

“I-I see,” replied Arthur as he stood up.

“Um... hi?” Alfred felt ridiculous as he gave Arthur a cheap wave.

“High? Yes I suppose it’s... o-oh, you were greeting me,” chuckled Arthur nervously as he scratched his head. “Umm... hello?”

Although Alfred was happy to see him in a much better mood than the one he had last time, he still couldn’t form the words he wanted to say and stood there like a complete idiot. In fact the pair of them just stood there in silence, both of them hoping the other one would say something to get rid of the painful silence. The wind picked up, causing some of the tarps to blow away, but Arthur didn’t seem to notice as he fumbled with his hands and kept blushing like mad every time he locked eyes with Alfred. Something had to be said, it didn’t matter who spoke or what they said, Alfred just wanted this horrid silence to go away.

“I...,” began Alfred, “I was-...”

“My book!” Arthur shrieked. “I-I have to find my book before it rains! It’s got all my notes in it!” He then walked off with a brisk pace, looking around the garden for this book of his. He then stopped and turned to face Alfred, his face still red but he was trying to bear an expression of confidence. “W-Why don’t you wait upstairs? It’s going t-to rain soon, and I can’t have you getting wet.... actually you can’t here can you? Oh, j-just go up there, I-I will join you shortly.”

Before Alfred could even respond, Arthur walked off again and continued to scan his garden for the missing book. Alfred sighed as he didn’t exactly have a choice, noticing some raindrops falling onto the rose petals. He glanced up and could see the clouds were getting darker, along with the sound of distant thunder. He couldn’t feel the rain as it fell and there was actually a small part of him that wanted to stay out and experience walking in the rain without getting wet, but it would be best if he went inside and waited for Arthur. Plus it could give him some time to think up of what to say to him after he was finished looking for his lost item.

He trudged back to the door that lead to Arthur’s room, up the stairwell and into the room with the fireplace, which was still burning though Alfred could not feel the warmth. He noticed that there were a lot of books spread out across the coffee table, it reminded Alfred of when he had to study for a test. It made him wonder what Arthur was up to.

“Oh not now,” he said to himself, “I have to make up for how I acted out there. I looked like a complete fool!”

Frisking his hair, Alfred paces the room as he tried to think of how to make up for the way he acted. He had to think up of what to say, nothing stupid and nothing offensive, it had to be perfect.

“Ok... um... Arthur, I’m glad to see you’re doing better than last time... looks like my declaration of love cured your depression, ha, ha! ...no that’s just cheesy. Alright, alright... Arthur, what I said I said it from the heart and I want to know if your heart feels the same-... no that’s waaay too cheesy! Hey Arthur, you like me too right? NO! Dammit.”

How the hell was this so hard? All he had to do was talk to him like he normally did, but now it felt like the hardest thing in the world. He glanced over at the window and gasped when he noticed how heavy the rain had become, and Arthur was still outside. He glanced at the door and wondered if he should go out and check on but just as he was about to leave, Arthur came bursting in and he was completely drenched.

His messy hair was dripping wet and blocking half his face from sight, water running down his face and neck. He shook his head like a dog causing water to spray everywhere, swiping off as much of the water as he could. From the state of his clothes it looked like he jumped into a lake in order to get that wet, and his shoes squelched every time he took a step. Already a large puddle of water was forming at his feet, and he snorted angrily as he pulled the wet hair from his face, slapping his arms against the air. Alfred was trying his best not to laugh as Arthur looked completely different in this state, he no longer looked like a refined man he was used to seeing him as and it was very amusing.

Arthur snarled as he dragged the palm of his hand down his face. “Blasted rain,” he grumbled, kicking off his shoes and hopping as he ripped off his drenched socks.

Alfred was about to say something funny about the situation, but stopped when he noticed that Arthur was pulling off his waistcoat, throwing it to the floor with a wet slap, and was beginning to unbutton his shirt after loosening his tie. His face began to turn red and he wondered why the hell was Arthur about to strip in front of him.

“If I hadn’t misplaced that book I wouldn’t be so-...” Arthur paused when he noticed Alfred staring at him. “ARGH! W-What the hell are you doing here!?” Arthur wrapped his arms round himself and glared at Alfred as his face turned bright red.

“You told me to wait here,” snapped Alfred, trying not to stare at the exposed skin of Arthur’s thin waist.

“I did?” Arthur thought for a moment. “Oh n-now I remember! Ha ha, sorry about that! I was just trying to find my book and you were there and now you’re here, and I almost got naked in front of you... ha... ha...STOP STARING YOU IDIOT!”

Despite being ordered not too, Alfred found he couldn’t obey. The pair of them stared at each other again and the silence came back, neither one of them knowing what to say. Alfred frowned as he couldn’t help but worry that Arthur was going to get sick of he stood there in his wet clothes.

“Shouldn’t you take those off?”

Arthur blushed like mad and shivered as he hugged himself tighter. “W-What!?”

“I-I mean, you’ll catch a cold!”

“Oh? OH! R-right.”

Arthur began shuffling over to his bedroom. He paused and glared at Alfred. “Don’t follow me!” He then bolted to his room, trying not to slip over his wet feet.

Alfred couldn’t help but blush as he smirked after him, remembering how cute Arthur got when he was embarrassed. He did feel cheeky all of a sudden and scooted closer to Arthur’s room.

“What were you looking for anyway?” he called out, peering into the room and secretly hoping he’d see something.

“What are doing? You better not be p-peeping!” Arthur was trying to sound angry but he sounded both nervous and embarrassed.

Alfred glanced around the bedroom and noticed that Arthur’s voice was coming from behind his screen. “I’m not peeping, I promise,” he lied.

“You’re in my room! I can hear you!”

“W-well I can’t talk to you from the other room!”

“F-fine,” muttered Arthur, the sound of wet clothes being pulled off shortly followed. “Just stay where you are.”

Alfred blushed even more as Arthur’s wet trousers slapped over the screen. “So... w-what were you looking for?”

“My book, notebook to be precise,” replied Arthur from behind the screen. “I last had it in the garden, I’m certain of that and I misplaced it somehow.”

Next came Arthur’s under garments that were thrown over the screen and Alfred was feeling a little hot, pulling his collar back to allow some air in. “You sure you didn’t leave it here?”

“No, I looked,” sighed Arthur, coming up from behind the screen now covered with a large dressing gown. He peered over at Alfred and tighten the gown closer to his body. “I’m... g-going to take a bath, please wait till I’m done.”

“Ok,” replied Alfred sheepishly.

Arthur glanced down at his feet. “And tie up your shoelace, I don’t want you tripping up in here!”

Alfred glanced down at his feet and spotted that one of his shoelaces were indeed undone. He looked up but realised Arthur had used the opportunity to make a dash for his bathroom. With a smirk he bent down to tie up his shoelaces, but as he was about he spotted something on Arthur’s desk. It was an open book, a notebook to be precise.

“I think I found your notebook,” he shouted.

“If you’re talking about the one on the desk, that’s not it,” replied Arthur from the bathroom. “Don’t you dare look at it!”

“I won’t.”

Unfortunately Alfred’s curiosity got the better of him and he scooted closer to have a look. It was appeared to be a journal or something, and Arthur had already written down a full page and a half. Although Alfred knew it was wrong to read someone else’s private thoughts, he couldn’t help but read it and wondered what Arthur had to write about.

“...so that is out of the question. Still there was the old route I used to take and if I recall he rarely has anyone walk through there. A few obstacles to overcome but I think that they won’t even suspect it. There is still that insufferable git I gave to deal with. I’ve noticed he’s been a little more paranoid than usual. His visits are more frequent now and he’s as vile as ever but, thanks to Alfred, I’ve built up a little tolerance around him. I wonder if that’s why his paranoia has gotten out of hand, he keeps looking round the garden expecting to see someone else. Anyway I have little time to think about it, I only have one chance at this and if it means I can finally meet Alfred then I have to take it. It’s not enough that I can speak with him for...”

Most of the words had been scribbled over after that sentence.

“...I just want to meet him. I want to properly respond to his rather bold confession but I only want to do it when we’re face to face, it feels like that is how it should be. So I think if I give it a couple of days I should be able to escape from here before anyone realises. I just have to figure out...”

It cut off there but Alfred felt his heart leap with joy after reading the journal entry. Arthur was planning an escape! At long last he saw the light and was planning on escaping! This was wonderful news, Alfred could barely contain himself. He made a mad dash for the bathroom, ecstatic about what he just read.

“Arthur! Arthur! You’re really going to do it!”

He ran through the bathroom door where Arthur, currently resting in foamy bath, cried out in shock upon seeing the intruder and submerged his body even further under the bubbles.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re going!?” he shrieked, throwing a loofah at him, though it just phased through Alfred’s body. “Get out!”

Alfred ignored the fact that he was intruding on Arthur whilst he was bathing and was blinded by the news he had just learned. He was so thrilled with Arthur’s resolve to finally escape just so they could meet up that nothing else seemed to matter.

“I read your journal!”

“You READ my journal!?”

“Uh huh, and I-...”

Alfred jerked forward after stepping on his own shoelace he had forgotten to tie and slammed onto the floor with a loud thud. Although he was couldn’t really interact with anything in this place, the impact upon hitting the floor was felt real and so did the pain, and he loudly cursed in pain.

“Hah! That’s what you get for sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong!” sneered Arthur.

With a groan Alfred rolled over and massaged his aching head, his vision slightly blurred since his glasses had been knocked off, though he could still make out the decorated ceiling. He felt a little dizzy and couldn’t quite get back up, all he felt was pain and he groaned loudly.

“Alfred?”

He heard the sound of water swirling about and wet feet hitting the tiled floor. He then saw Arthur’s face come into view and he stared down at him with concerned eyes.

“Are you alright?”

Alfred squinted at Arthur as he tried to get him into focus. “Y-yeah,” he groaned as he reached around for his glasses. “Didn’t feel a thing.”

Arthur sighed with relief but then began to berate him for what he did. “What the hell where you thinking? You idiot! Who goes charging into a occupied bathroom!? And what the hell were you doing reading my journal!?”

He went on and on about how one shouldn’t invade someone’s privacy like that as Alfred tried to stare at him, noticing something between Arthur’s collarbones. His poor vision made it too hard to make out. It was a shape of some sort and at first Alfred assumed it was a birthmark or something. He finally latched onto his glasses and slapped them back on, his vision now perfectly clear and was able to get a better look at that mark.

What he saw made his eyes widen.

As Arthur continued to rant away at him for being inconsiderate of the privacy of others, Alfred slowly sat up. His eyes were completely focused on that mark between Arthur’s collarbones, etched onto his pale skin. A mark he had only seen in historic books, a mark he had seen upon Kiku, Elizabeta and Erika but in a different style, a mark that had not been see in over a century. He had to blink a few times to be certain that what he saw was not the result of head trauma.

“Alfred, are you listening to me!?” barked Arthur, not realising that his attention was focused elsewhere.

For a moment there was silence between them and Arthur could only stare at him, wondering why he wasn’t doing or saying anything. Alfred could only stare back. Arthur then looked down at himself and gasped when he realised he was completely wet and naked, covering himself up as best he could whilst reaching for the closest towel.

“G-get out, you pervert!” he shouted, his face glowing red as he wrapped up his lower half with a towel.

Alfred snapped out of his trance and quickly jumped back onto his feet.

“Arthur, wait a minute!”

“I said get out!”

“Arthur-...”

“NOW!”

“What’s that mark!?”

Arthur stood very still and peered over his shoulder. “Pardon?”

Alfred pointed at him. “That mark on your body. I saw it. What is it?”

Arthur once again went silent and could only stare at Alfred in shock as his lips quivered. He looked away from him for a second as he tried to think up an excuse, but then he sighed heavily and slowly turned to face Alfred with his half naked body. The mark upon his body was similar in design to Alfred’s and Yao’s, only this one bore more elaborate markings along with design of a Queen’s crown, the Q taking up a good portion of the design.

“There’s no hiding it now I suppose,” sighed Arthur with a defeated smile, “I was going to tell you but... well... I am the Queen of Spades.”