[Disclaimer! I found this AU on twitter (created by NeonRoss) and wrote this fic based on the information available to me at the time (plus a few additional info given to me by the creator, which I'm greatly thankful for). So please don't expect this story to follow the "canon" plot, because I got ahead of myself...again.
Okay enjoy!]

When a ruler dies, there is a short period of time during which the ones in line for the throne make one last attempt to get to it first. A rather chaotic few days filled with paranoia, especially for those involved.
When a kingdom falls however, everyone jumps ship. Families, friends and partners take all of the money and valuable belongings they can carry and run away, lest they run the risk of losing the very things that give them power. When the King of Spades died mysteriously, without an heir to his name, it did not take a long investigation to figure out that it wasn't an accident or an illness that took him. Although most of the commun people believed he simply died of old age, the late king wasn't the most beloved ruler amongst high society. It wasn't that hard to imagine that his death was caused by someone. No one knew who did it, but no one wanted to take his place and maybe find out for themselves. The court of Spades had now less than half of its people. All of the high noble families ran away.

Which left Lady (Y/n), a low-ranked noble whose family owned the smallest estate in the kingdom, in the position of High Council member, with the mission of keeping her homeland from falling appart.

It was a mess. And the fact that she's had no experience nor knowledge on how to manage an entire kingdom – she could barely manage her own estate – only made her more restless. The few other council members were of great support to her, and they've all grown closer as a result, but that didn't change the fact that none of them were ready for this kind of responsibility, duty, and power. They were either too low ranked, or too young. It was often very overwhelming, to the point where some wanted to quit more than once. But she never gave up, she would always lift up their spirits, support them, and put them back on track.

She may be from a small family, but that family was formed with its kingdom. She's always held a certain pride for it, though she's never said it out loud. No one wanted peace and prosperity for the Kingdom of Spades more than she did. So she studied, she has read almost every book in the royal library, what was left of it anyway... History, geography, politics, agriculture, anything that could be helpful.
But it takes a lot of time to learn this much, and she simply couldn't afford it. Not when her home was in need at this very moment.
The fact of the matter was, they needed help, desperately so.

Thankfully, an opportunity would present itself: the Shuffling. A silly name for the most important ceremony in all of the land. Every ten years, the four courts – and allies from neighboring kingdoms – gathered in one place for a week and a half. Ten days to celebrate the founding of the four kingdoms. It was six months away.
"My father used to call it the Shamble." the young Marquis of Spades, Lord Arnold, sighed, curling a strand of his light pink hair around his finger as he lazily leaned on the council table. "Said it's all just one giant pageant contest."
"Then a pageant contest we shall attend!" (Y/n) exclaimed, lightly hitting the table with a determined look, she was standing at the end of it while everyone else was sitting by its length.

"But...we have nothing to show off." the Baroness of Spades, Lady Catherine, nibbled on her nails.
"We don't have to show off, we just have to show up. Show everyone that we are still alive and kicking!"
"Yeah, and be treated like the bad guys." Arnold rolled his eyes. "That, or being a laughing stock... I dunno which one is worse."
"Don't you see this golden opportunity? This is our chance to get in contact with the three Kings and Queen."
The council members looked at her with big eyes, some whispered amongst themselves.

"The other three royals?" Arnold's back straightened up, now with a spark in his eyes.
"Yes! If we get in their good graces, we could ask them for help and support. The Shuffling can't just be a series of parties and spectacles, it's also an effective way to meet people and make connections. It's networking. They must know that."
The members looked at each-other, unsure.
"Won't we look desperate?" Catherine asked.
"We are desperate." Countess Gwendolyn bluntly said, her arms folded. "I agree with Lady (Y/n). This is an opportunity we simply cannot pass."
"And, I dunno about you, but I wouldn't mind standing by the royals' side." Arnold puffed up his chest.

"If we are to ask for favors..." (Y/n) thought out loud. "Then we must make sure that we have something to offer in exchange." she hit the table again with a huff. "Let's gather all of the cards we have in our hands! And make sure they're valuable, something the other kingdoms don't have!"
"If we had any of that, then our predecessors took them." Gwendolyn said.
There was a short silence, during which the council members felt a twist in their hearts. It was true, when the previous king died, and when half of the Spades nobility ran away, they didn't just take what belonged to them. Documents, books, art pieces, and more... It was the biggest act of theft the Kingdom has ever known, only talked about in whispers.

"H-Hey now!" (Y/n) broke the silence. "There must be some things left for us... We still have the Dark Forest."
Everyone looked at her with big eyes again, only this time, she knew she brought up a touchy subject.
"Woah." Arnold leaned back, it was clear that he and the others didn't like this idea. "You want us to use the Dark Forest as a bargaining chip, already?"
"Listen." she raised her hands. "I know we haven't even gotten any concrete results on our research, yet. Of course, if we're still unsure, we're not touching it. However, if it comes out that there is any possibility that we could utilize it for the benefit of the nation, then we have to try and talk about this to the right people. And the Shuffling will be where we find those people."
"...We're talking about the Dark Forest!" some council members complained, though their skepticism was justified.
"We're talking about the future of our Kingdom!" she hit the table. "We've had this exact conversation before guys, just trust me!"
They fell silent. She huffed.

"And come on," she smiled. "the Dark Forest isn't the only thing we have left. Like...we still have our mines, and our port too!"
"The port? That old place?" Arnold lifted an eyebrow. "Even the previous king gave up on i-"
"But its location could provide a market expansion to the North-West!" she quickly grabbed a quill and a parchment and started to quickly write on it. "If I'm correct, the Kingdom of Diamonds has yet to do any dealings in that direction. We would just need to renovate the docks, provide a few ships- This could work! We would have to update our inventory and maybe they could deal with the manufacturing, although the overall production will have to-"
"Oh boy, there she goes again." he ran a hand through his hair, hanging his head down. "Hearing her business babble gives me a headache~."
"Mmh, but if the Diamonds don't have any deals to make, then this is all useless... Which is why we would have to talk to the Kingdom of Tarock first, see if they even *want* to trade with them- Or with us." she gasped. "Oh this is good. This is really good. We are getting somewhere guys!" she pointed at them with a big smile, shaking her hand in excitement, before going back to writing and saying her stream of thoughts out loud.
"Well, that is our queue to leave." Gwendolyn stood up and so did the others.

"Do I have to do this?" Arnold whined. "You know I hate homework!"
"...My Lord, Marquis of Spades."
They all froze and looked back at (Y/n). All the excitement was gone from her face and she looked at him with an expression that could only be described as a quiet plea.
She called him by his title, they thought, she was being serious.
"I know that you, of all people here, want to go back to the way things were, when you didn't have to deal with all of these things. You are also the youngest, I know I may be asking a lot. I understand and I apologize. But please, your help is greatly needed. You're of the highest ranking here, you have a certain access to information that could be a game changer to us. So please..."

He blinked twice, caught off guard by her... he would call it 'serious gentleness'.
"Y-You don't have to kiss my boots like that! Calling me my lord and whatever!" he looked away. "Within this room, we're the same! And you're older than me, so it's weird!"
There was a moment of silence. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm sure my old man dropped some papers when he left." he mumbled, loud enough so she could hear. "I'll look around his office."
(Y/n)'s face lit up.
"Thank you Arnold."
He just huffed, avoiding eye contact, his cheeks dusted with pink, then left in a hurry. The lady quickly went back to writing.
"We have six months to prepare." she said to herself, gathering books and reports. "That's plenty of time!"

Six months became five, then four, then three. There's been no news, no letters, not even rumors, nothing.
"We're still not invited!" (Y/n) exclaimed, holding her head.
"We're screwed!!!" some council members panicked.
"This is the Shuffling, this celebrates the four kingdoms. It's obvious we'll be going." Arnold said.
"But it's happening in the Hearts' estates, they have to formally invite everyone." Catherine said, glancing at (Y/n) who was walking in circles, still holding her head.

"The Shuffling is three months away." she quickly spoke. "I know that's a lot but for such an event surely they must give out invitations like a year in advance. There is no way they won't invite us, not even with the reputation we have- Not even with the history we have together. But what if they don't even know who to send the invitation to? No they know about the council. Just send it to the castle, it's not that complex. Still, do we reach out to them first- No! That's preposterous! Are they inviting us last? That would make more sense. But then-"
A newcomer might assume that she was panicking. But this new council of Spades knew that it was only her mind racing, thinking of every scenario possible and then coming up with a solution for every one of them. But they did hope they would get invited soon, or else she will really panic. And no one wanted to see that.
She flinched and stopped when there was a knock at the door. Someone cleared their throat on the other side.
"Members of the High Council?"
"Come in Henry!" Arnold exclaimed, leaning back in his chair.

The head butler opened the door and bowed to them.
"Hello Henry." (Y/n) smiled. "What is it?"
"A messenger from the Kingdom of Hearts has arrived with a formal letter from their king."
Their eyes widen. Arnold almost fell off his chair but caught the table just in time.
"They also said they wanted to hand it directly to...'whoever is in charge' they said."
Everyone looked at Arnold. Arnold looked at (Y/n). Everyone looked back at her. She pursued her lips, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Alright. Send them in."
Henry bowed and left. As soon as the door closed, her and Arnold quickly switched seats.
"Wear gloves." she told him.
He nodded and clumsily took a pair out of his pocket as she took a seat by the length of the table, the farthest away from him, considering the gap in their titles.
"Remember guys." she looked at everyone before sitting down. "Everything is under control, and we have noooo emotions."
Everyone nodded to each-other and took a deep breath. With neutral expressions, they waited for Henry to knock on the door again. And he did.

"The official messenger of the court of Hearts" he announced before taking a step to the side.
The messenger, their red and white outfit contrasting the dark blues and pink golds of the castle, glanced around, curious yet unimpressed. They bowed.
"High Council of the Kingdom of Spades. I come with a mission from my King to deliver an official invitation."
(Y/n) contained a cry of surprise. The messenger took out the envelop and handed it to Arnold, who didn't move, knowing he shouldn't bear the trouble of walking across the room. Everyone noted this subtle act of mockery, but only Arnold reacted with a frown. Henry took the letter from them and went to give it to him. He simply looked at it, then back at them.

"Thank you messenger. Give our regards to your King and his court. We will send an answer as soon as we possibly can."
"Surely. Please excuse me."
"Henry." (Y/n) looked at him. "Please give our guest something to eat and drink before they leave. The trip here must've tired them."
The messenger blinked twice, they seemed surprised for an instant.
"You are too kind, my lady." they nodded with a hand over their heart.
She nodded back. When the door closed, and the footsteps faded away, the entirety of the small council rushed to Arnold's sides.

"Open it open it open it!" they exclaimed.
"Wait!" (Y/n) gently moved his hands towards her so she could have a closer look, at the seal to be more specific.
Bright red wax with a ribbon of the same color underneath, a beautifully detailed, decorated heart with a crown on top, inside the heart were the other three symbols. She breathed a sigh of relief. Although their situation started less than a year ago, she was afraid the other kingdoms would have taken the spades out of their official seal.
"Okay open it." she let go.
Arnold gulped and did just that. The handwriting was beautiful, elegant, effortless.

'To our friends of the High Council of Spades. As you may well know, the Shuffling is approaching. I would be delighted to have you and your court attend the festivities. In these trying times, and in the spirit of such an event, I would like for our respective courts to join together in peace and understanding. For I hope this new era dawning upon us all will be one of trust, partnership, and most importantly, friendship. You will find all the information regarding the Shuffling and its events in another document within this envelope. With regards and understanding, His Majesty, the King of Hearts.'

They all looked at each-other.
"His Majesty...?" (Y/n) read, confused.
"He didn't write the letter himself." Arnold frowned. "Someone did it for him!"
"Who cares about that?!" her face lit up, taking a step back. "For one, we're invited! Two, they want us to be on good terms. Three, we're invited!" she squealed, jumping up and down, quickly moving her hands in excitement.
Everyone cheered, except Arnold, who was still offended.

"Oh wait! What does the document say?"
"It's just the formalities." Arnold said in a 'don't worry 'bout it' tone as he opened the document and mindlessly read it. "Where the Shuffling will be held, at what date, list of guests, the one month duration, and-"
"One month?!?!?!" they all exclaimed, leaning over to read and almost crushing the poor young marquis in the process.
"Isn't it supposed to be ten days?!" (Y/n) asked, taking the document for herself and re-reading it over and over again, just in case he read it wrong.
"It is! What the hell is this?!" he took it back and slapped it with the back of his hand.

She took the invitation and re-read it.
"Maybe... Maybe that's a part of this 'new era' he's talking about. I do agree that ten days is a very short time for business and royal dealings, considering the current situation."
"But is that really why he wanted this?" Gwendolyn asked. "The King of Hearts is known to be keen on the theatrics. And this is his first time being master of ceremony."

"Either way, we simply can't leave the Spades kingdom for that long. Not all of us." (Y/n) said with a grave expression. "I'll stay behind to take care of things in your absence."
"What? No!" Arnold stood up. "Then I'm staying too!"
"Arnold, you know you can't. With your status, you're the face of the kingdom, you have to go-"
"But you are the brains!"
"Me? Oh no no no." she bashfully waved a hand. "I'm nothing like that."
"Even if that wasn't true, this is important, especially to you." Gwendolyn said. "And this whole plan was your idea in the first place. You must see it through."
"Yes lady (Y/n), we'll stay behind!" a few other council members exclaimed. "We'll take good care of the kingdom in your absence!"
(Y/n) felt her heart squeeze.

"Then let us prepare for the Shuffling! There is much to do!" she huffed, determined. "We have so many things to decide! Do we have our assets in order?"
"We do." Gwendolyn nodded.
"Amazing! Then we can focus of this." she pointed at the letter. "First of all, we gotta write a letter back!"
"What do we say?"
"Well we thank them, first of all, say that the feeling is mutual..." she shrugged, her face twisting with uncertainty. "'I'll see you at the party'?"
"That's not how you write to a king, Lady (Y/n)!" Catherine exclaimed.
"I've never written any formal letters like this before!" she waved her hands. "Much less to a king!"
They spent the rest of the day constructing a short but proper response.

It's been decided that Arnold, (Y/n), Catherine, Gwendolyn and the high knight, Captain Brahms H. Meredis, will attend the Shuffling. The latter was chosen as escort, for his military prowess and loyalty, totally not because he was also Lady Catherine's fiancé.
"Tooootally not." they assured her.
"Stop it please!" she shook her head, blushing.

(Y/n) reworked on her manners, and packed her most beautiful gowns with her. She wanted to take one of her mother's, but not only would it be considered too old fashioned, she wasn't sure she could emotionally handle it. But she did take some of her jewelry, and the ring of her father's. It was a symbol of her family's heir, a title she didn't feel was fit for her. But in this instance, she was their representative, and she shall bear that title and its burden. Being a small noble, she knew nothing in her wardrobe would turn people's heads. Which wasn't her goal at all, but she didn't want them to turn their heads in disgust either. So she asked for local tailors to upgrade some of her dresses, using clever and cheap ways to make them look more expensive. Luckily the tailors that were left in the Spades Kingdom were very talented, and yes they added that to their list of assets.

(Y/n) kept breathing deeply inside the carriage, reviewing the several files she's compiled about each guests and their courts and kingdoms. But once she looked out the window, she forgot all about it and kept looking out in awe. She's never left the Kingdom of Spades, let alone her estate prior to her King's death, so seeing new sights simply blew her away. Everything looked so different, from the architecture to the flora and fauna. How she wanted to explore it all, if only she had some time...

She was reminded as to why she was here once the carriage stopped. She fumbled with her files and quickly put them back in her luggage. She took a moment to watch the castle before leaving the carriage, besides she mustn't get out first, being the lowest one in the hierarchy amongst the council. The castle of Hearts was simply magnificent. Red, pink and white, gilded with gold, each window ornated, grandiose in its simplicity and effective in its impression as a monument of the Kingdom of Hearts. And with the festivities of the Shuffling, there were flowers and decorations everywhere, fitting the symmetry of the castle, harboring the colors of the four kingdoms, along with their respective flags.

In that moment, she didn't want to exit. She didn't feel like this was a place for her to be. She was content with this sight, like looking at a picture book. Alas, once the others were out, the door of her carriage opened, and she stepped out. They were greeted by servants and escorted inside by a maid. Standing at the back of the group, (Y/n) looked around. Royals, nobles, representatives from every kingdom were here, salutating each-other. Sometimes with a firm handshake, sometimes with a friendly hug, sometimes with a simple curtsy. She noticed that no one was greeting them, aside from servants of course. Only glances and whispers, none of them addressed directly to her of course. She pursued her lips, and kept looking forward.

As they entered the palace and walked through its corridors. She tried not to look too excited to be here. But she discreetly clenched her fists, suppressing a squeal everytime they walked through a new room. Everything was just so beautiful! Its pastel color palette was so warm and soft to the sight! Yet just like its exterior, it all felt grandiose, historical.

She saw something that made her stop. A giant painting of the former Queen of Hearts, Ambrosia Darling. (Y/n) looked ahead and noticed that her group kept walking, they hadn't notice that she's stopped. She looked around, noting that she was alone. The silence, before filled with chatter and laughter, was almost unsettling. But she didn't mind. It reminded her of home.
She looked back up at the painting. It was very realistic, as much as she could tell. She's never seen the Queen of Hearts, she's heard nothing but good things about her however. She looked very elegant, her smile seemed genuine, her big red hair in the shape of a heart, her dress was the most beautiful gown she's ever seen. She emanated a sense of control and poise. She looked on either side of the corridor, making sure it was empty, then bowed to the painting.

"It's an honor, madam." she spoke softly, then smiled at her. "Thank you."
She heard a chuckle behind her and spun around, her eyes wide open. There was an opening to the courtyard, but it was empty. The hallway was empty. She was alone. Still, she heard it loud and clear. She hesitated to ask if someone was there, but she didn't want to bring unnecessary attention to herself. Her face got redder, suppressing a whine of shame yet let out a noise from the back of her throat. She then quickly rushed back to her group. Arnold gave her a look that said 'where were you?!', to which she just tilted her head apologetically.

They were led to the throne room to give their regards to the master of ceremony. On the way there, they saw none other than the Queen of Clubs, walking in the other direction and so going past them. She was in the middle of an enthusiastic conversation with her three sisters – all four of them of a different color – so they didn't say hello to each-other. They did however make a small bow, knowing they'll have another opportunity to formally greet each-other later. One thing (Y/n) noted from this very short encounter was her blond hair, shaped like the Clubs symbol. She wondered how long it really was if she was to let it down...

Finally, they entered the room. Large in length, with a bright red carpet leading to a small set of stairs. The wall in the back was nothing but giant windows, with bright red satin curtains open to let the sunshine light up the entire room. At the top of the stairs was a platform, at the centre of which set a tall throne, bright red, the top shaped like a heart. But its owner wasn't sitting on it. There he stood at the bottom of the stairs, saluting his guests, talking to his officials about some last minute changes for future events, and laughing with...?
"That's the King's jester." Arnold whispered.
"Oh." she let out, she didn't expect that.
She kept looking at the blue dog person. They were so tall. Or maybe the king was small. Maybe it was both. Either way, the two of them looked like they were getting along very well.
"Ah, the High Council of Spades!" she almost flinched hearing the king's voice, she felt ashamed to be so focused on his jester rather than him. "We meet at last."

"Greetings, King of Hearts." Arnold said, him and the other council members curtsied, while (Y/n) and the others bowed.
"Young Marquis, I did hear you were the head of the council now. Accept my admiration for taking such an important role at such a young age."
"You were younger than me when you became king." he smiled.
"Haha, the circumstances were widely different however. I do hope your trip went well."

As they engaged in small talk, (Y/n) was still bowing and has now realized her mistake. She was a noble, she should've simply curtsied like everyone else! Now she looked and felt like a fool! But still, she was intimidated. The Kingdom of Hearts was the most powerful of the four, and it has been that way since the very beginning. Not only that, but the Hearts Kingdom and Spades Kingdom have had a, let's say, strange relationship. Always at odds with each-other, culturally speaking especially. They were even at war, fifty-or-so years ago. The history books called it The Eclipse. A war that the Hearts won, obviously some might say... A communally known image was that, within the four kingdoms, the Hearts were the Sun and the Spades were the Moon.

But (Y/n) wasn't intimidated because of their history of rivalry. Even after the tragic death of its former queen, the new King of Hearts kept things in order and the kingdom even flourished from his ruling. She's read all about it, and she was fascinated, trying her best to apply his methods within her kingdom (the results weren't astounding just yet). And now, the person she admired was only a few steps away. She did grow curious... She's only read about his work, never really caring for his appearance. But now she could have a close look. As she finally stood back up, she glanced at him.
Their eyes met.
She immediately looked back down, flustered. In the end, she only caught a glimpse of his pitch black eyes and red pompadour.

"I do hope you enjoy the festivities." he looked back at Arnold. "I shall see you at the welcoming banquet later tonight."
"Of course." Arnold nodded. "Have a good rest of your day."
The rest of the group curtsied, (Y/n) included this time.
"My King." she said as they walked away, then looked at the the jester. "Hello sir."
The dog person's eyes became a bit bigger, with an upside down smile, and for a short moment, he just looked at her. He didn't expect to be acknowledged by any guest today.
"M'lady." he tilted his small red hat.

She smiled then looked back at the king. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she just curtsied again before walking back to her group.
Barnaby and Wally shared a glance.
"She must be new here."
"You don't say..." Wally kept looking at her.