Alfred yawned as the car came to a halt at long last, stretching out his stiff limbs and rotating his tired hips. The journey back from the Heart Kingdom has worn him out and he was glad to be back home at long last. The moment the car door opened he stepped out before his legs fell asleep, trying to look professional as his guard welcomed him home. He had only been gone a week but it felt like an eternity since he had been here.

“Welcome back Alfred.”

Waiting for him patiently as always was Yao, the Spade Jack ready with a clipboard in hand, and a rare smile on his face

“I just got back and you already have things for me to do?” moaned Alfred as he climbed up the steps “At least let me rest a bit”.

“Just a few,” promised Yao as he followed close behind him.

“Last time you said that I had to do over a hundred tasks before you let me go to bed!”

“I mean it this time, I promise.” Yao held up the clipboard as he read the contents. “First off, you have a PR event in a few days in the Central Park, it’s for charity and it’s hot to be flashy. So I’ll let you work your charm on it.”

“Another one? Not that I’m complaining, I love doing those sort of things.”

“Second, the Diamond Court will be coming next week now. Apparently King Francis caught a cold or something, he said he wasn’t feeling very well and has apologised.”

Alfred couldn’t help but snort. “I wonder how he got that.”

“Lastly, it’ll be the Anniversary in a few days.” Yao pauses and glanced up at him. “Planned anything special?”

Stopping dead in his tracks, Alfred sighed as he took in what his Jack had told him. “It’s already been a year?”

“Yes,” answered Yao, “got anything in mind, or did you completely forget?”

“No!” Alfred shook his head furiously, his cheeks turning a little red. “I’m just surprised that it’s already been a year, it felt more like a couple of months.”

“It has gone by rather fast,” admitted Yao as he stared up at the crystal blue sky, “and it’s been a really good year for the Spade Kingdom. Fortune has indeed smile upon us.

Alfred smiled as he thought back on all the memories from the past year, those beautiful moments reminding him of the one person he had been dying to see the moment he came home, and he wanted to go seek him out right now.

“Where is-...”

“In his garden, and he has been missing you terribly,” answered Yao with a smile, “come see me after you reunite and take your time.”

Alfred gave Yao a wave of thanks and trotted off, the Jack bowing as he himself went off to perform his other duties. As Alfred walked through the palace, he thought back on the events that had transpired until now, still unable to believe it had been a whole year since he brought Arthur back from the forest of Eternity.

——————————

After he brought Arthur back from the Forest of Eternity and introduced him to the other courts, Alfred had the task of integrating him into their present society, as well as organising the official coronation of the Queen of Spades. Although he initially settled in well at first, Arthur was still having a little trouble getting used to this era as many things were beyond his understanding. He didn’t understand most of the technology and although it was funny at first, it was actually starting to become a problem when he couldn’t perform basic tasks with simple everyday objects. Yao was willing to step in to educate him whilst Alfred had to deal with the official announcement of the return of the Queen of Spades. A large press conference was organised and journalists from all over the four Kingdoms turned up to get the details of the big news.

He practised his speech with Yao many times before the that day, and prepared himself for the questions he knew he was going to get asked before addressing them. Some of the things he was going to say would no doubt upset certain people, but this news had to be shared no matter what. It was nearly overwhelming as he stood before all of them and all those cameras glued on him, but he went into King mode and did what he set out to do. He told them all that the Queen of Spades had indeed returned, which caused a huge outburst as he was assaulted with question after question. How did it happened? Where was he? What was the reason? Why was he gone for so long? When could they meet him? Alfred settled them all down and explained that it was a very long story but filled them in on all the details as best he could.

So he started from the very beginning and he told them how over a hundred years ago the Forgotten King locked away his Queen out of fear of his power, placing a false one on the throne and fooled everyone with the aid of a Joker. For five years the true Queen was sealed away from the rest of the world in this very palace, and during that time he managed to cultivate five Elder Trees in his own personal garden. However the Forgotten King grew paranoid that his rule might be threatened by this powerful trees and in his foolishness had all but one of the trees destroyed. The true Queen, in an effort to prevent a great catastrophe from the terrible deed, sealed the four angered spirits of the slain Elder Trees in the surviving one before leaving for the Forest of Eternity to find a more permanent solution. He was then he was pulled out of time by the Grand Elder Tree and put into a death like sleep to keep his seal active for as long as possible.

A hundred years passed and Alfred explained how he was guided by the the surviving Elder Tree to seek out the true Queen and end the terror that threatened their world. It involved a bit of time travelling and bizarre dreams, but some of those memories he kept to himself as they were personal to him. Alfred told them all how he went through many ordeals before learning the truth of what his predecessor had done and what he had to do for his sake as well if the sake of the Kingdom. He managed to do what was needed and brought the true Queen back to the Kingdom, as well as ending the impending doom that his lineage had caused. He apologised for what happened and vowed that he would never allow something like that to happen ever again.

It was understandable that many of them did not believe him right away and wondered wether he was just playing a game with them, but the fact remained that the Queen of Spades had returned and soon their Kingdom will hold a coronation in honour of his return. The story circulated around the four Kingdoms like wildfire, many stories and tall tales were spoken as the public wondered if this were all true or just some made up fairy tale. Alfred was criticised by some members of the public as well as members of his own court, upset that he would dare accuse the mighty Spade Kingdom lineage of committing a terrible deed. Others wondered if Arthur was indeed the real deal, or just an imposter that fooled their young King. Alfred was prepared for the backlash, thankful that Arthur didn’t know a thing about social media since most of the topics trending about him weren’t particularly nice at first.

Arthur himself had been nervous about the whole thing. He had already been out and about the city, but now that Alfred had officially declared him the Queen of Spades he was genuinely concerned about how the public would feel about him. Nevertheless he actually put on a brave front and learned everything he could from Yao about what was expected of him, even the other Queens contacted him to give aid. The servants and guards of the palace treated him respectively, all of them excited to have a Queen at long last, but Alfred kept him out of the public eye until the coronation.

Still, despite all the bad reaction to what Alfred told the public, there was an immense good reaction. The people of the Spade Kingdom were thrilled that their Queen has returned, and that Alfred acted like a mature ruler upon revealing the truth of what happened, praising him for taking responsibility and owning up to it rather than continue to hide it. They still could not believe that Arthur was over a hundred years old, but there have been many stranger things that had transpired in the world before so it really shouldn’t surprise them. Alfred was happy that all the negative reaction was getting buried under the positive ones, so much so that he showed Arthur some online comments about him. It was rather fun to watch him as he tried to figure out this internet worked and how people used it to share information really fast.

With all that out the way, Alfred began planning for the coronation. He wanted it to be a grand spectacle, and of course his aides were happy to pull out all the stops to make this a grand occasion. He wanted parties, he wanted food and music, and he wanted fireworks and anything else to make it a day no one would forget. It was all over the news, the papers and it was all anyone was talking about, and it was getting everyone excited. As the day drew closer and closer, people from all around the world were booking into every hotel in the Spade Kingdom and when those became full some people were happy to camp out in tents in order to see the big day. The other courts were coming as well of course as it was tradition that they’d be present to welcome the new members of the Spade court. Francis was excited for Alfred to finally having a Queen, Ludwig was pleased that everything was now back the way it should be, and even Ivan was eager to meet with Arthur once more after the pair of them became chummy with each other, much to Alfred’s displeasure.

Arthur himself was still feeling a little uneasy, which was understandable since he had never seen so many people gathered in one place just to see him. It was actually overwhelming him and on the night before the coronation he couldn’t help but cry, not out of sadness but because he was actually really happy that the people were accepting him. He admitted that he thought the people would want to lock him away after finding out what happened. Alfred held him that night, promising him he’d never have to fear about being hidden away again. Arthur held him back, happy that at long last he was somewhere that wanted him.

The day of the coronation was an event that Alfred doubted he would ever forget. The crowds were massive, every tv news station and radio presenters were covering it, there were flowers decorating everywhere, parties being held with loud music, the sky was as blue as his own eyes, and it was like nothing no one had ever seen. It was a perfect day and it was something that Alfred knew no one would ever forget, and vowed that no one would ever forget.

Although the coronation was normally conducted by a specific member of the Spade court Alfred selected Yao to do it, who was pleasantly surprised that he was given the honour. Alfred himself was going to escort Arthur to the grand cathedral where the coronation took place, excited as he imagined how it would all play out. Wearing his finest uniform he went to fetch Arthur who was getting changed himself and the other three Queens were helping him get ready, shooing Alfred away at first and ordering him to wait. He tried waiting but he was growing impatient as he really wanted to see Arthur now, and barged into the room without warning.

Erika scolded him, Elizabeta told him off, and Kiku appeared a little disappointed, but Alfred was too busy staring at Arthur to notice them. He was now dressed in the traditional Spade Queen coronation uniform designed for a male, with beautiful shades of blue and velvet, golden buttons adorning his coat, the blue sash across his body with the gold trimmings and the long cloak that trailed down his back and across the floor. He looked strangely beautiful dressed up like that and Alfred could only stare, he couldn’t look away even if he tried. It wasn’t until all four Queens ordered him to leave, with Arthur calling him an impatient idiot, shoving him out the door and slamming it shut. Although disappointed that he only saw him for a moment, Alfred couldn’t wait until he was allowed to stare at him longer.

The Spade Kingdom’s take on a coronation differed from the other Kingdoms, although there were some aspects that were similar. The main difference was the mode of transport. The Diamond Kingdom used an carriage that parades through its old city, the Heart Kingdom used a boat along its beautiful canals, and the Club Kingdom used a horse drawn sleigh upon its icy roads. The Spade Kingdom’s method was an posh open top car, driven from the palace to the cathedral, and Alfred got to ride with Arthur to where the coronation was taking place.

With the crowds waiting outside and the car waiting to go, Alfred himself waited in the hallway with the other Kings for their Queens. All of them were dressed in their traditional coronation uniforms, looking extravagant as ever. Although Ivan, Ludwig and Francis waited patiently, Alfred was pacing around like a maniac.

“You look like a man waiting for his bride,” teased Francis as he carefully tidied up his robes. “Now all he needs is a veil and he will be a bride.”

“S-shut up,” stammered Alfred, visions of Arthur in a bridal gown suddenly taking up the majority of his mind. “It’s a coronation, not a wedding... wait, are they the same thing? Oh no wait, don’t tell me!”

“Have patience, young Alfred,” insisted Ivan, smiling away as he always did. “You weren’t like this during your coronation, so relax.”

“Yes, panicking now won’t do you any good,” agreed Ludwig.

Alfred cringed as being patient was his weak point, so he tried keeping still but his foot was tapping on the ground like crazy. The clock upon the wall stated they only had five minutes left before they had to get in their vehicles.

Finally the other Queens emerged, all of them dressed in their finest gowns and gearing their elegant crowns upon their heads. The only one who lacked one was Arthur but even without one he looked like a genuine Queen. Alfred eyes were locked onto Arthur as he and the other Queens descended the staircase to join their Kings. It was like something out of a dream that had come true at long last and Alfred’s heart pounded against his chest. In fact he was indeed imagining Arthur as his bride, slowly descending the staircase to meet his groom. Alfred was getting goosebumps. Even has Arthur stood before him with that gentlemanly smile of his, he found he couldn’t even utter a single word.

“Well?” asked Arthur, holding out his arm. “Shall we?”

Alfred finally regained control of his voice box and quickly looped his arm around the arm extended towards him.

“You look fantastic,” he said as he lead him out and towards the car.

“You’re looking rather dapper yourself,” chuckled Arthur.

The two men made their way to the car, Alfred helping Arthur in and the driver closing the door behind them. The other Kings and Queens were already in their cars, ready to follow behind them. As the car began to move Alfred squeezed Arthur’s hand in reassurance, smiling at him.

“Ready to meet your Kingdom?”

Arthur smiled back. “Yes.”

The journey to the cathedral was an amazing experience for both men and it was nothing like the first time Alfred made the journey when he was crowned King. Thousands of people were standing on the pavements and poking out the windows to watch them drive by, even standing on the buildings and climbing lampposts just to get a look at them, cheering and waving as they drove by, colourful ticker tape and confetti falling through the air like snow, music playing all around them, it was a sight like no other. Both Alfred and Arthur waved to the crowds, feeling the warmth and the energy from their people as they cheered them on.

They reached the cathedral and the coronation took place only Alfred didn’t partake in it, he merely escorted Arthur up to where Yao waited for them, the silver crown of the Queen of Spades in his hands. For a hundred years that crown had been sat in a display box, believed it would never be worn ever again. Now Arthur was kneeling before it as the rites were read out and it was placed upon his head at long last. The crown seemed to shimmer as it was placed upon that golden head, the applause that broke out all around them was deafening. It was a momentous occasion and Alfred was holding back tears of pure delight to see Arthur officially being declared the Queen of Spades, that he was now his Queen of Spades.

After the coronation, Arthur was taken back to the palace where he made an appearance before his people upon a balcony alongside Alfred, the pair of them along with the other Kings and Queens as they waved to the public. The crowds before them had numbers they could not count but they could feel the immense love and admiration their people had for them. Then came the grand party located in the most beautiful garden the palace had. Alfred had planned it out to the Jady detail with the music, the food and the all important fireworks. Everyone had an amazing time where they all drank and celebrated the night away before Alfred carried a very drunk Arthur back up to their room, and the pair of them spent an unforgettable night together.

————————

A whole year had passed since then. Arthur had slowly but eventually integrated into this era. He learnt everything he could from the other Queens and from Yao, and once he learned what he needed to do he became a very efficient Queen. With his aid the Kingdom of Spades flourished like never before, leading into the start of what had to be a golden age for the Kingdom. He was adored by his people and cherished by all.

Alfred was just happy to rule the Kingdom alongside the man he loved.

Reaching the garden at long last, Alfred looked around and sighed as he admired it’s beauty. What was once the Elder Tree Garden and Arthur’s former prison had been transformed into something else much more grander than anyone had ever envisioned. The walls along with that room Arthur had been living in had been torn down to make it more open, allowing a spectacular view of the city beyond it. All sorts of flowers decorated the landscape around him, birds sung as they rested upon shrubbery and small trees, it was a spectacular sight and everyone was envious of it, including Ivan.

There was also an Elder Tree growing, one of the four that Arthur had been given from Guinevere. It was growing slowly, but Arthur had insisted that it was growing the way it should be, just like the other three that were growing in the other Kingdoms. He even named her Elizabeth and loved her just as much as he loved Guinevere and her siblings. It’s silver bark was still delicate, but it should be ready to hardened soon and glow once the sun has set. Looking at the tree gave Alfred such a strange but fuzzy feeling, like looking at a child that was playing with delight. It made him feel proud to have a new Elder Tree grow in his palace.

And right there, singing away whilst tending to it, was Arthur. The Queen of Spades was carefully weeding around the tree as he sung one of his favourite songs. He was dressed in a more modern version of his original clothes, only they had a more royal touch to it. As always his voice sounded angelic and Alfred enjoyed listening to him sing.

Alfred crept up right behind him, the Queen not noticing his King. “Hey Arthur!” he shouted.

Arthur jumped up and spun round, shocked to see Alfred there. He huffed in embarrassment and anger, folding his arms as Alfred laughed at him. “Dammit Alfred! What have I said about scaring me like that, you inconsiderate idiot!”

Alfred giggled as he pulled Arthur into a hug, nuzzling his cheek. “I couldn’t resist, you’re so cute when you’re startled! The Heart Kingdom was no fun without you.”

Arthur groaned as he was embraced but allowed it anyway. “How is Kiku?”

“He’s great! Also his Elder Tree has grown really well, it’s making all of his Sakura trees grow even more, it’s nothing but pink in his gardens.”

“If I recall he named it Kodama. I think it’s a beautiful name.”

“You should visit next time,” insisted Alfred, releasing him from the hug. “We drank tea underneath it and ate cakes. It was wonderful.”

“I can tell.” Arthur poked his gut. “You’ve gotten bigger again.”

“I have not!” Alfred sucked in his gut. “You’re just imagining things.”

Arthur rolled his eyes as he made his way over to a bench underneath the Elder Tree and waved over at Alfred to join him. Alfred sat down and scooted up close to him, wrapping an arm around him as the looked out towards their Kingdom. Despite the hustle and bustle of the city, it was beautiful and serene to watch.

“I missed you,” said Arthur suddenly.

“Me too,” replied Alfred, pressing up closer against him.

“Did you get everything sorted with Ludwig?”

“Yep.”

“And did Yao tell you about the PR event?”

“Oh yeah, you didn’t curse Francis with a cold did you?”

“What!? N-no.”

“Did you?”

“A little...”

“Arthur.”

“It’s our anniversary and I don’t want that bearded frog around to disturb us.”

Alfred laughed as he pulled him into a hug. “Oh I know, I know. So what do you wanna do?”

“What? You mean you didn’t plan anything?”

“I wanted us to plan it together.”

Arthur chuckled as he rested his head against Alfred’s shoulder. “I’d love to just sit here for a while.”

“That’s what you want to for our anniversary!?”

“No, you idiot!” Arthur hugged him tighter. “I just want to sit here for a while, with you.”

Alfred smirked as he rested against him, sighing as the floral scent of the garden around him helped him relax and the warm body of his Queen pressed against him filled him with joy.

“Let’s go to the sea,” suggested Alfred suddenly.

“Right now?”

“No, for our anniversary.”

“Oh... could we take a boat trip? I always wanted to sail. The wind in our faces, the sound of the waves..”

“We can go up the coast, where the beaches are pure white and the sea and sky merge on the horizon.”

Arthur sighed as he imagined it. “I don’t mind where we go,” he said, looking up at him with those gentle green eyes of his. “As long as you and I are together, I’ll be happy wherever we go.”

Alfred smiled back at him before leaning in to kiss him, their lips gently pressing against each other and sharing their warmth. They then relaxed against the bench and looked out at their Kingdom, the new Elder Tree growing behind them in its new home.

Everything was how it should be, and Alfred continued to rule as the King of Spades with his Queen by his side, ushering in a beautiful age of prosperity under their rule. The two mens love for each other bloomed as beautifully as their garden, and it remained that way until the end of time.

The End