Alfred could only stare at Arthur with a slacked jaw, the truth still fresh in his mind and although he was looking at it, he still found it hard to believe. Arthur just stood there with the towel clinging round his slim waist and the mark of the Queen of Spades displayed where his neck met his body. It wasn’t fake, Alfred was able to tell despite the fact he had never seen the actual mark upon another person, but it was still unbelievable like it had just jumped out of a fairytale. For over a century the mark of the Queen of Spades had only been seen in books or paintings, but to see it imprinted upon the flesh of another person was considered a fantasy until now.

He could still not believe it, that this whole time Arthur was the Queen of Spades. The person he cherished more than anything was destined to be his Queen. It felt like dream that he was tempted to pinch himself just to check but he couldn’t even think about moving any of his limbs, he was too transfixed on what he was looking at. The Queen of Spades who had been vacant from the throne for a very long time, so long that now people didn’t even seem to care was standing right in front of him. It was a bombshell of shock and Alfred was still recovering from it, unable to speak or even move.

“I suppose you know now,” sighed Arthur, reaching for a dressing gown and wrapping it round his thin body. “I guess you’re confused? I can understand, it would make anyone feel conflicted but it should also help explain a few things.”

Glancing over at him, Arthur couldn’t help but utter a “tch” sound as he continued to stand there with an open mouth.

“I know it’s a bit shocking but you don’t have to stand there like a twat,” he huffed.

Alfred had to shake himself out of his shocked state but he was still unable to form words. He was still trying to think of what to say or how to even react to this whole revelation.

“Alfred, say something!”

Arthur was looking annoyed yet anxious as well, as if he was desperate to hear his thoughts about all this.

“This... this is...”

Alfred was trying but it was still such a momentous reveal. His hands were shivering and he was certain he was sweating.

“This is what? Alfred, you really-...”

“This is WONDERFUL!”

Alfred suddenly broke into a giddy smile and his eyes sparkled as he stared at Arthur with pure uncut joy. He acted like a child who was just given a truckload of presents and sweets, he could barely contain himself. It had suddenly hit him that this was the best news he had ever heard in a long time, it may just be the greatest news he had ever heard in a long time. It was like the universal jackpot and he just won the grand prize. He was bouncing on his heels and shaking his fists in the air like an hyperactive kid.

“Holy crap this is great! This is the best! This is like the holidays times a thousand with infinity fireworks! This is the best thing ever!”

As he jumped about like a lunatic, Arthur could only stare at him bewildered. Clearly this was not the reaction he was expecting.

“W-what’s the matter with you?” Arthur was taking a few steps back. “How is this the best thing ever?”

Alfred then skipped over to Arthur and continued with his joyous bombastic act. “Don’t you see Arthur!? This is incredible! It’s like we’re destined for each other!? Can you imagine how everyone will react when you show up!? The whole kingdom is going to go nuts! There’ll be parties a-and fireworks and enormous feasts, it’ll go on for weeks! And you get to be with me, it’s like fate and stuff! OMG, this is like the best thing ever! I could hug you! Well I can’t right now, but when I get you back to the kingdom I’m going give you the biggest hug ever!”

He went on and on, emptying all the excited words that continued to explode inside him, but Arthur could only stare at him as if he were a madman.

“What the hell are you on about!?” Arthur was terribly confused.

Alfred laughed as he pointed at him. “What do you mean, what am I on about? You’re the Queen of Spades!”

“Yes, we established that but-...”

“So that means you get to be my Queen and you get to live with me and you can-...”

“Your Queen!?” Arthur was now completely lost. “Alfred, what are you talking about?”

He was still excited about the reveal but Alfred was starting to register the confusion that Arthur was emitting. “You know? You get to be my Queen? Because I’m the King?”

Arthur cocked his head, still bearing a confused expression. “You’re the King?”

“Don’t you remember? I told you that when we first met? Though technically that was our second meeting.”

Arthur pondered for a moment, trying to recall it all. “Wait a second... you were being serious!?”

“Of course I was,” declared Alfred, “wait, you didn’t believe me?”

“When a stranger suddenly appears in your home uninvited, would you believe anything they say!? I thought you were just trying to make a fool of me!”

“W-well I’m not!” Alfred then grasped his own shirt and waistcoat, ripping them apart to expose his chest. “Take a look! Here’s your proof!”

“ARGH! What are you doing!?” Arthur hid his blushing face from sight as Alfred exposed his chest to display the mark of the King of Spades.

“No, no, look!” Alfred stepped closer, not realising how the act was making the other man extremely bashful. “See, I’m the King of Spades!”

Arthur did nothing at first but he eventually peep out between his fingers, his eyes looking at Alfred’s exposed chest. He blinked a couple of times before he slowly lowered his hands and stared at the mark upon the bare tanned skin before him. Looking back and forth between his face and his chest, Arthur appeared to be in shock and disbelief. He did take a step closer and examined the mark, as if he was trying to confirm that what he was looking at was indeed the real thing.

“That’s... that’s the mark of the King of Spades,” he finally admitted, his voice sounding a little dry.

“You see,” exclaimed Alfred as he buttoned up his shirt as quickly as he pulled it apart, “I’m the King of Spades and you’re my Queen! Isn’t this fantastic? Isn’t this, like, the best thing ever!?”

Arthur didn’t seem to share Alfred’s enthusiasm. “You... are the King of Spades...?”

“Yes,” replied Alfred ecstatically, “don’t you see Arthur? This means we’re meant to be! That we can be together! Isn’t that great? Isn’t it?”

As Alfred continued to excitedly rant away about their destined future together, he was starting to realise that Arthur didn’t at all look thrilled about it. He was half expecting him to jump for joy and be happy that his King was someone he cared for. Instead he stood there with a look of disbelief and confusion, as if he was trying to piece everything together in his head but was doing a poor job of it. Alfred ceased his giddy chatter and stared back at him, still unable to stop grinning with explosive joy.

“Arthur? Aren’t you happy about this? We get to be together, you and I.”

Arthur finally spoke but what he said was not what Alfred was expecting. “You... can’t be the King.”

Alfred blinked. “Yes I am. Didn’t you see my mark?” He reached for his shirt and waistcoat again but Arthur stopped him.

“I saw it, I saw it!” Arthur wiped his brow as he was getting flustered. “This... this doesn’t make any sense!? How can you be the King!?”

“Hey, I’ve been a King for over half a year,” retorted Alfred, “I mean I can understand you not knowing since you’ve been cooped up in here but-... wait... Arthur, if you’re the Queen, then why are you locked up here?”

Arthur now look completely confused. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know who it is, but keeping you a prisoner and away from your duty as a Queen is a serious offence,” declared Alfred, planting his hands on his hips. “As the King it is my duty to liberate you from this prison.”

This news should be lifting Arthur’s spirits into orbit but he just stood there bearing the same expression he had for the past five minutes. “You’re not making sense!”

Alfred was getting a little frustrated with Arthur’s lack of enthusiasm and understanding. What was so hard to understand about all of this? “What do you mean I’m not making sense? Arthur, I can rescue you! I can get you out of here and the other Kingdoms will back me when the hear about this! Francis, Ludwig and even Ivan will aid me so you don’t have to fear your captor anymore.”

“Francis? Ludwig? Ivan? Who the hell are they?”

“The other Kings!”

“What?”

“I told you about Francis didn’t I? He’s the King of Diamonds. You must’ve heard of him, he’s been King for ten years!”

Arthur looked away and tried to think. “This... this makes no sense!”

Alfred had no idea how long he had left and tried to get Arthur’s attention so he could finally learn of his location, thus saving him from his wrongful imprisonment.

“Arthur please tell me where you are! I can rescue you! I can bring you to the Kingdom of Spades and we can live together always! You’ll be safe and I can protect you! So please, tell me where you-...”

“This makes no sense! THIS MAKES NO SENSE!”

Arthur shouted at the top of his lungs, clasping his hands round his head and bolted from Alfred’s side.

“Arthur, wait!” Alfred tried to reach out for him but his hand couldn’t take hold of him.

A million things were going through his mind, and right now the only question that was ringing in his mind was; why was Arthur acting this way? Shouldn’t he be happy that Alfred was his King? That Alfred could finally free him? Why was all this news confusing him? Alfred didn’t have time to ponder on these things and tried to follow Arthur before he returned to the palace. He had to get his location. He had to find him and take him away from this horrible place. Bring him to the palace and spend the rest of their lives together, like it was meant to, like it was destined to be.

Just as he was about to give chase, he suddenly found himself sitting back down at his desk once more, his hand still reaching out but this time it was towards Yao. The Jack had not notice any change as he continued to drink his tea, sighing gently after each sip.

Alfred lowered his hand, clutching the arms of his chair as he tried to calm himself down. His heart was still beating, his mind still exploding and his breathing was speeding up with every passing second. He should be angry that he had come back so soon before getting the information he needed, but the excitement he had when he first learned of Arthur’s identity as the Queen of Spades was still very much present.

“Yao!”

He used such a loud voice that it was enough to make Yao screech and drop his tea.

“Y-you don’t have to shout,” snapped the startled Jack, placing a hand upon his chest. “I’m standing right-...”

Before he could finish Alfred was already hopping over his desk and grabbing him by the shoulders. “Yao, you’re not going to believe this! This is huge! It’s going to be in the history books! It’s the most amazing thing ever!” Alfred was so excited he was shaking Yao like a rag doll.

“Alfred! You’re going to break my neck! Stop it!”

Alfred stopped but he was now bouncing on his feet, his whole face lit up like a kid high on sugar during the holidays. “This is the best thing Yao! I guarantee you’re going to faint from shock! It’s wonderful, stupendous, fantastic and amazing all mixed into one!”

Yao cringed as Alfred’s loud voice was causing his ears to ring. “Alright, alright,” he snapped, “What is it? What’s gotten you so hyper?”

Before Alfred said anything he dashed to the door. “Wait, wait, wait! I gotta get Francis! I gotta get Kiku! I gotta tell them! I gotta tell all of them!” Yao could only watch in bewilderment as the King ran through the hallways like a madman, until Alfred ran back and demanded, “you stay there,” before running off again.

Alfred dashed through the palace, skidding down halls and jumping over obstacles such as servants and furniture, running into the Diamond Court’s room where Francis was playing a game of chess with Erika.

“Oh Alfred?” Francis was obviously surprised to see him in such a state. “Is something the matter?”

Alfred said nothing and grabbed Francis by the arm, dragging him out of the room. “Sorry, I gotta borrow your King! I’ll bring him back!”

“Alfred! You’re going to rip my arm!” wailed Francis, desperately trying to keep up with the younger King’s frantic pace. “More importantly, you’re going to rip my coat! This is a limited edition coat!”

Alfred then ran to the gardens where the Heart Court were currently engaging in their daily physical activity, Ludwig barking out commands to both Feliciano and Kiku, the pair of them obeying every order to complete the exercise. Alfred sprinted after them with ease, poor Francis squealing as he was pulled along, and scooped up the oblivious Kiku, tossing him over his shoulder.

“What the!?” Kiku clung to Alfred desperately as he was carried away with Ludwig and Feliciano looking on in shock. “Alfred!? Please put me down!”

“I just need to borrow him! I’ll bring him back soon!” Ludwig didn’t even get the chance to ask why as Alfred had vanished along with his Queen, and Feliciano was secretly wishing that he too would be whisked away to get away from his training.

Dashing back to his office with Kiku over his shoulder who was clinging to him with dear life whilst dragging Francis along until he was practically flying off the floor, Alfred could not even care of how foolish he was acting before the other courts. He didn’t even care as he rushed by both Ivan and Elizabeta, the Club King and Queen looking on in utter bewilderment at the sight. Alfred needed to share the news with the people he trusted the most and Yao, Francis and Kiku were the first he thought of.

He burst back into his office where Yao was waiting, the Spade Jack appearing horrified at the sight of how his King was handling two very important guests. As Alfred released his powerful grip upon the other men and rushed to shut the doors, Francis fell to his knees as he tried to catch his breath, his hair was a mess and his clothes had stretched a little much to his woe. Kiku was now back on his feet but his legs were trembling as he was trying to calm himself down and he was a little disoriented, clutching onto the arm of a chair for support as he tried to get his bearings back.

“Alfred, what the hell is wrong with you!?” Francis barely managed to get the whole sentence out as he was still catching his breath. “I look like a farm boy wearing hand-me-downs!”

“A little warning would’ve been very much appreciated,” whimpered Kiku as he fell into the chair to calm himself. “Please inform me when the room stops spinning.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” insisted Alfred, though he spoke as if he didn’t mean a single word he said. “It’s just that this is really big, like really super big!”

“That doesn’t mean you can drag other members of royalty around the palace like toys,” snapped Yao, who was fretting that this little act would ruin the relationship between the Diamond and Heart Kingdoms. “Whatever this news is, it doesn’t give you the right to treat your guests like-...”

“But Yao, this is really big!”

“That is no excuse!”

“I know, but listen-...”

“Not until you get it through that thick head of yours that-...”

“I found the Queen!”

There was a sudden silence and Yao slowly phased out of his angry expression to a puzzled one. Even Francis paused in correcting himself and Kiku managed to focus on the young King. At first both Yao and Francis looked over at Kiku, the Heart Queen appearing awkward as two sets of eyes locked on him. Yao glanced back at Alfred, still confused, and raised an unsure finger that pointed at Kiku.

“You mean... him?”

“No, no, no,” muttered Alfred, wiping the hair off his brow. “I’m talking about our Queen!”

Yao once again failed to understand. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s Arthur!”

“Arthur?”

“Yes!”

“What about him?”

Alfred groaned and grabbed Yao by the shoulders. “Arthur is the Queen! He’s the Queen of Spades!”

The silence returned and Yao could only stare back at Alfred as if he told him a far fetched story. Alfred could only stare back at him with an enthusiastic grin, wondering why his Jack wasn’t so excited about the news. Francis managed to get back on his feet, however his attention was still focused on his clothes. In fact Kiku seemed to be the only one who appeared generally interested in the news, or he was still trying to settle himself down after being carried through the palace.

“Aren’t you thrilled?” asked Alfred, trying to understand why none of the three men shared his enthusiasm.

Yao said nothing for a moment, averting his gaze as if he was trying to think of what to say. “Um... Alfred, are you sure you weren’t seeing things?”

“No!” Alfred stomped a single foot upon the ground out of frustration.

He then ran to the bookshelf and pulled down random books until he found the one he was looking for. He opened the page that displayed the marks of the Spade Court, rushing back over to Yao and pointed at the mark of the Spade Queen, practically shoving it in his face.

“I saw this on Arthur’s body! This one right here! The mark of the Spade Queen!”

Yao glanced back at the book and then at Alfred. “Are you certain?” he asked in an unconvinced tone.

“Yes, I’m sure,” snapped Alfred. “I was going to speak to Arthur and then I tripped over-...”

“On your head?”

“I’m fine,” insisted Alfred, “anyway he came over to check on me after getting out the bath-...”

“He was naked?” Francis suddenly appeared intrigued.

“That’s not the point! I-I mean it is because that’s how I saw the mark, and he even confessed to me!”

“Confessed?” repeated Kiku, tilting his head in confusion.

“He told me he was the Queen of Spades! Look, I saw the mark upon his body and I knew it wasn’t fake. It was like when I saw yours Yao, I instantly knew you were my Jack. It was like that when I saw the mark on Arthur’s body; I just... felt like that he is my Queen! It must be the reason I’m going to that place, it must’ve been my destiny to find the Queen of Spades and I found him!”

Alfred continued to ecstatically go on and on about destiny and fate regarding Arthur and himself, about how Arthur was meant to be his Queen and they were meant to rule together. Yao had slowly transitioned from a confused state and had now gone into an uneasy deep thinking form. Francis, who Alfred had assumed would be excited for him, was now bearing a serious pondering expression. Even Kiku looked unnaturally alarmed about all this. Alfred eventually trailed off his excited chatter and looked at them, trying to understand why they were like this. Shouldn’t they be thrilled that the long lost Queen of Spades had been found? Shouldn’t this be a joyous occasion?

“Alfred,” said Yao at long last, “are you sure you saw this mark on Arthur’s body? And he told you himself that he was the Queen?”

“Yes,” confirmed Alfred, “he wasn’t lying, and like I said; the mark was genuine-...”

“Why was he hiding it from you?” asked Francis.

“Huh?” Alfred looked over at the Diamond King.

“He only just told you after you saw his mark? He never thought about revealing it to you before?”

Alfred was about to answer but realised he didn’t have a response for him. In fact he now too wondered why Arthur kept it hidden from him, even if he didn’t realise that Alfred was the Spade King. Why wouldn’t Arthur reveal his identity as the Spade Queen to him? If he was held captive in some secret prison, surely he would’ve told Alfred who he was in the hope it would aid in his escape. In fact Arthur didn’t even tell him he was imprisoned until he figured it out. Why was he only just thinking about all this? Why was Arthur keeping so many secrets from him?

“Did he know you were the King?” asked Kiku, raising his hand as he spoke.

“He-... actually didn’t realise until I showed him my mark. I mean, I did tell him when we first met but he didn’t believe me at the time, he thought I was a deranged madman when I told him I was the Spade King.”

“And how did he react when you revealed to him who you were?”

Alfred recalled the fresh memory in his head. “He... didn’t take it very well. In fact he was... really confused.” A few nasty thoughts crept into his mind but he shook them away and tried to focus on the positive. “But guys, I found the Queen! The Spade Kingdom is going to get its Queen back! Aren’t you excited?”

Yao had walked backwards and fell into a chair, his hands clasped together with his lips resting upon his fingers. It was as if the whole realisation had just hit him, and he was unsure of how to handle it. Even one of his legs seemed to be a little jittery as he tried to calm it down.

Francis still bore a serious look but he was slowly showing some enthusiasm, though he was keeping it under control. “The long lost Queen of Spades has finally made an appearance,” he muttered, slowly pacing back and forth. “Yet how and why has he been kept hidden from the rest of the world for over a century?”

“Alfred,” said Kiku as he rose from his chair, “Are you certain of what you saw?”

“Yes,” declared Alfred, still annoyed st everyone’s lack of enthusiasm, “I saw it as plain as day. You get Feliciano and get him to do that drawing trick again.”

“No, no, we believe you... it’s just that...” He trailed off as he tried to think of an appropriate response. “As Francis stated; how has the Spade Queen been hidden for so long? If this Arthur has been imprisoned in secrecy, why has he? Who locked him away, and is it because of his identity as Queen?”

“And if his captor has imprisoned him because of his identity as the Queen of Spades, how did they locate him before anyone else realised who he was? Have they done this to the previous Queens? If so then for what reason?” Francis was seriously thinking hard about all this, along with Kiku. “I don’t doubt your story Alfred, but I think you’re missing the big picture. For over a century someone somehow has been keeping the Queen of Spades from their duty, and we don’t know how or why.”

It didn’t kill off his eagerness about the identity of the Spade Queen, but it did make Alfred realise that they were right. Yes, discovering who the Spade Queen is was exciting news but learning that they were currently imprisoned by some unknown force was worrying news indeed. Who was it that locked away the Spade Queen? How did they locate the Spade Queen before anyone else did? Was Arthur’s garden actually an elaborate prison for the Spade Queens before him? Who was doing all this and why?

“Well I can say this,” said Yao suddenly, “we can rule Ivan out of this.”

“How come?” demanded Alfred, who was still a little suspicious of the Club King.

“I agree with Yao actually,” said Kiku, “Ivan may be a... difficult person to deal with sometimes, but not even he would imprison a member of one of the four courts, even someone from the Spade Court.”

“That still doesn’t tell us who has done all this, and for what reason,” sighed Francis.

Although Alfred was sort of glad that they believed him, he still didn’t fully understand why they were now so uneasy about this. The Spade Queen had been found, now all they had to do was rescue him and return him to the Kingdom of Spades, returning the Spade Court to normal at long last.

Yao noticed the young King’s troubled gaze and stood up to approach him. “Alfred believe me, I am just as thrilled as you are that the Spade Queen has finally been located. However what Francis said is true; someone or something has somehow kept the Queen from their royal duty for over a hundred years. I don’t know if this is all some strange coincidence that you have been going to this garden to meet this Arthur fellow, maybe it’s like you said; destiny or fate. I am truly ecstatic that the Queen has been found but right now our main concern should be at whoever has been doing this.”

Alfred bit his lip, understanding that what his Jack was saying was true. He wanted nothing more but to find and rescue Arthur, even if he wasn’t the Queen, but Yao was right. They were dealing with an unknown force that had somehow kept the Queen of Spades hidden from the rest of the world and if they were able to to do it to the Spade Queen then they might be able to do it with the other courts, and that seemed to be the main reason why Francis and Kiku were more alarmed than happy for Alfred; they were scared that the same thing could happen to their courts.

“I think,” announced Francis suddenly, “that we should hold a Gathering.”

Francis’ suggestion was surprising. A Gathering was basically a high profile meeting between the members of the four courts and was usually used to settle troubling issues between the Kingdoms or to discuss on something that was threatening the peace within their realms. A Gathering has not been held for at least a few decades and whenever one was announced it meant something big was up. Alfred had never dreamed about hosting one.

“I... have to agree with Francis.” Yao looked up at Alfred with a serious gaze and spoke in a professional tone of voice whilst addressing him. “Your majesty, if what you say is true than someone has imprisoned a key member of the Spade Court for over a hundred years. In order to restore our court, and to keep the other courts from a similar fate, I recommend that we hold a Gathering immediately.”

Alfred gulped silently. This whole thing was becoming serious and now Yao wanted to alert the other courts about it. He should be glad because if the other courts knew than they’d be able to help locate Arthur more quickly, but Alfred was feeling a heavy sensation in his gut because it was now dawning on him on how serious this whole thing was. As much as he wanted to find Arthur he also realised that something was keeping him locked away and hidden from the rest of the world, and whatever this force was that kept Arthur locked up it was not something he should take light of. This wasn’t some dragon he could slay, nor an army he could take down, this was something beyond his comprehension and if he wanted to hold Arthur in his arms at long last, then he was going to need the cooperation of all four courts in order to do so.

Straightening himself out, Alfred faced his Jack. “Arrange a Gathering at once.”