Chapter Text
Every kingdom has a King. Every King has a Queen. They have a Jack who serves them in the open and an Ace who aids them in the shadows. Such it has always been in the four Kingdoms that governs the world.
The wealthy Kingdom of Diamonds.
The beautiful Kingdom of Hearts.
The vast Kingdom of Clubs.
The mighty Kingdom of Spades.
Each has a King, each has a Queen, and together they rule their beloved kingdom as one. It has been this way for eons, as this was the natural law of the world.
However the Kingdom of Spades has not had a Queen for a hundred years.
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“Is there really a need to do this?” huffed Alfred, buttoning up his waistcoat and tightening his tie, “I mean, what is the point? Is there a point? What would be the worst case scenario if I didn’t do this?” The King of Spades looked over his shoulder. “Well?”
“It’s tradition,” answered Wang Yao, the Jack of Spades standing nearby as he watched the taller man dress himself, “as King it’s your duty to uphold and maintain our traditions.”
“I know that,” huffed Alfred, throwing on his coat and checking over himself in the mirror, “it’s just that this particular tradition requires a... y’know.”
Yao rolled his eyes, uncertain if the King was testing him on stupidity or something, after all the King did this same routine whenever certain events and ceremonies took place. “I am very well aware that this ceremony requires a Queen present-“
“Exactly!” Alfred stepped away from the mirror and approached the composed Jack. “There is no Queen, so why are we doing this!?”
“Because it’s tradition,” repeated Yao, raising his voice slightly as the young King’s attitude was starting to stress him out. “Besides, you know full well that since we lack a Queen the other Kingdoms lend us their Queen, and they don’t complain because it’s-”
“Tradition! Yeah, I get it.” Alfred stamped his foot upon the floor, leaving a crack upon the decorated stone, and mumbled foul words to himself. He knew that this upcoming ceremony was important, he knew that since his kingdom lacked a Queen the other kingdoms lent him their Queens... it just annoyed him that he had to do this with a Queen. As far as he was concerned the Kingdom of Spades seemed to be doing well without the presence of a Queen.
“Remind me again, which Queen is...”
“Queen Erika from the Diamond Kingdom,” answered Yao.
“Oh yeah,” muttered Alfred, instantly recalling that he got a letter a few weeks ago from Francis, the Diamond King, that expressed his eagerness to see him once again. “That reminds me, I better get the chefs to bring up that special reserve he likes.”
Yao seemed concerned now. “Look, could you please, PLEASE, try to focus on the task at hand,” he pleaded, “once it’s over you can go and party, eat and drink, flirt, I don’t care. Just please do this right.”
Alfred smirked and gave the Jack a reassuring pat on the back. “Relax Yao, I got this. It’s a simple task anyway and who better to do it than me!”
Yao wasn’t easily swayed with Alfred’s honeyed words, but he took it for what it was. Alfred may act like an overgrown child but when he set his mind to something he’d see it through his own unique way.
Now that he was properly dressed and looked like a proper regal King, Alfred exited his private chambers with Yao following close behind. As he walked through the beautiful hallways he was greeted by the maids, servants, and scholars who all bowed in the presence of their King. Alfred would either smile, wave or wink at his subjects, pleased to see that they were doing well and working hard.
He eventually reached the glass elevator, a servant holding it open for him and closing it once both the King and Jack were inside. As the elevator moved to the lower levels, Alfred gazed out at his Kingdom through the window. The sun was close to setting and already the lights of the great city surrounding the palace were flickering to life. The great universities where students from all over came to continue their education, the noble housing district with its glorious gardens, the bustling shopping plaza where you can buy anything your heart desired, and smack dab in the middle of it all was the great palace where he ruled from. Alfred could not help but smile every time he saw it, for he truly did love his kingdom.
He hadn’t been King for long. It had been six months since he had been crowned the King of Spades after the passing of his father, and in that short time Alfred had done his best to keep his beloved Kingdom running smoothly. During his father’s reign, Alfred admired at how hard his father worked, keeping trade running, maintaining peace, and paying attention to the needs of his people, and he did it all without a Queen.
He was an exceptional King and Alfred was proud to had been his son. Now it was his turn to run the kingdom and he was going to make his father proud. After all, his father didn’t have a Queen, and the King before him didn’t have one either, and yet the kingdom continued to run like clockwork. He knew that each kingdom was supposed to have a Queen in their court but so far the Kingdom of Spades seemed to function well without one.
What was the point of a Queen then? What was their purpose?
He remembered his coronation. He remembered the weight of the crown as it was placed upon his head. He remembered how the other Kings acknowledged him. How his people cheered. The delicious food, the festive music, even the dancing and the laughter, yet the one thing that he could never forget, the one thing that came into his mind when he thought about that day, was the empty throne next to him. The crown that sat upon it with no one to bear it.
Why did that bother him so much?
“Were you paying attention!?”
Alfred flinched when he realised Yao had been talking to him during their ride. “Um... yeah, I was,” he lied.
Yao saw through his lie and glared at the King. “Fine I’ll keep it simple. 1800 is when the King and Queen of Diamonds arrive, and we’ll be waiting for them outside. 1815 we escort them to the guest chamber near the garden and share drinks. 1845 is when you will address the guests in the main hall and at 1900 the ceremony will begin, it’ll last ten minutes max. Got that?”
Alfred nodded. “Greet, drink, speech and the big show, got it.”
“Your speech? Have you memorised it?” demanded Yao.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” assured Alfred, feeling the elevator coming to a halt and the door opening.
“And you know what to do during the-“
“Yes, I got it!” Alfred was starting to get royally pissed with the Jack’s constant nagging. Then again if he didn’t constantly pester him over his royal duties, who would?
————————————
“Don’t tell Ludwig this, but I do love visiting your marvellous kingdom,” proclaimed the Diamond King as he brushed his golden locks out of his blue eyes, “it’s not as pretty as mine, but it is still a sight to behold.”
“Aw thanks Francis,” chuckled Alfred, pouring the Diamond King another glass of wine, “I just hope the trip over wasn’t rough. I heard the roads have been getting worn down and I don’t want you breaking your back.”
“Oh trust me mon ami, my back has been through a lot worse,” laughed Francis.
The two Kings sat opposite each other and enjoyed the sweet beverage whilst engaging in friendly banter. Francis had been the King of Diamonds for some time and he had assisted Alfred during his early days as the King of Spades. He did have a slightly annoying habit of flirting at anything with two legs, but he was like a big brother of sorts and he was quite possibly the only one outside of his court that Alfred trusted.
Francis brought his full glass to his lips, inhaling the sweet scent of the wine. “My sweet Queen won’t admit it but she is a little nervous about the ceremony.”
Alfred glanced over from where he and Francis sat, where Yao was casually talking with the Jack of Diamonds along with the Queen of Diamonds. She was such a small creature, with a delicate frame and an innocent face. From what Francis had told him, Queen Erika was loved by her people and she aided him in the governing of the Diamond Kingdom. Despite her frail appearance she was incredibly supportive and did everything in her power to keep her people content and safe.
“You know it’s rude to stare at a lady.”
Alfred quickly returned his gaze back to Francis, the fair King smirking mischievously. “You’re lucky my Jack didn’t notice, he’s quite protective of her.”
“I bet,” chuckled Alfred, trying to keep his cheeks from turning bright red.
Francis placed his glass down and leaned back against the velvet couch he sat upon. “It still bothers you, I see.”
“What does?” Alfred seemed confused.
“Come now Alfred, I can read you like a book,” teased Francis, brushing his golden locks back. “You’ve always been bothered by this ever since you became King.”
Seeing where this conversation was going, Alfred huffed and folded his arms. “It doesn’t bother me,” he stated.
Francis smirked and shook his head. “Don’t be in denial, it’ll give you wrinkles. Look Alfred, there is no shame in not having a-“
“We don’t need one,” declared Alfred.
That seemed to have surprised Francis. “You don’t mean that, do you? Your father was desperately trying to solve the mystery of missing Queen, and the King before him, and the King before him. Even the other Kingdoms are intrigued as to why the Spade Kingdom lacks one.”
“It’s in the tour guide,” snorted Alfred, taking another sip of his wine, “the greatest mystery in the Spade Kingdom; the Missing Queen. It brings in a few tourists and some adventurers keen to solve it.”
Francis seemed a little put off by Alfred’s claim that a Queen was not needed in his Kingdom. He had never told Alfred this but the real reason the other Kingdoms were intrigued by the mystery was because they didn’t want the same thing to happen to them. They had sent their own scholars and privately investigated the matter, but to this day know one knows why the Queen of Spades has been absent for over a century.
They’ve had the usual trickster come along with the mark of the Queen imprinted upon their body, but they were proven to be fake. A true mark of royalty could only be recognised by other members of the court. Hundreds of people with the mark on their body could come but either the King or the Jack could tell if it was real or not. Soon the tricksters gave up trying.
Francis also wouldn’t admit that he was concerned about Alfred. Every member of the court had their role to play, each was a vital link in the chain that bound their Kingdom. The King, the Queen, the Jack and even the elusive Ace. One missing link and the chain was useless and the Kingdom would fall apart. Though it was odd that the Spade Kingdom was still functioning with a missing link... well, Francis wouldn’t exactly call it functioning.
“And what about you?” Francis looked straight into Alfred’s eyes. “Don’t you want to find the reason? Don’t you desire to have a Queen?”
Alfred rolled his eyes and slouched onto his couch, blowing his lips and folding his arms. “Why? We haven’t had one in a 100 years and the Kingdom of Spades has thrived!”
Francis sighed as Alfred continued to dodge the question. “I wouldn’t say it’s been... thriving,” argued Francis, “it’s more like-“
“Your highness, it’s time.”
Yao urged Alfred to get up and continue with the tight schedule, the Spade Jack keen on keeping everything in order. Alfred looked over at Francis who merely smiled and casually waved his hand. “We’ll talk later, now take care of my dear Queen.”
Alfred gave him a smile of reassurance and rose up from where he sat, calmly approaching the petit Queen. She clearly was nervous about what was to come, but she smiled sweetly and curtsied before the taller King. He bowed back and offered her his arm, trying his best to ignore the dagger like gaze coming from the Diamond Jack. He kept his pace short so he wouldn’t end up dragging her, escorting her to the hall where the ceremony was to take place.
The ceremony itself was a unique one in the Kingdom of Spades. In one secluded section of the palace was a large courtyard that held a spectacular garden. It wasn’t an ordinary garden for Kings and Queens and rich nobles of the past had traveled far and wide just to catch a glimpse of it. Books were written about it, songs were sung about it, and many foreigners paid a fortune just to see it, it was that fantastic.
The garden was old but over the years it had been tended to by professionals and specialists, all who claim that this was a garden like no other and that it was a privilege to work there. It bore flowers and plants from around the world, some were rare and some were common, each one had been cared for with sincere affection.
But there was one thing in that garden that made the beautifully arranged flowers pale in comparison, one single thing that was considered a national treasure, and was the whole reason this ceremony took place.
An Elder tree.
These trees were insanely rare, rarer than any precious metal or jewel and just as valuable, and men even waged war against each other just for a single leaf. Elder trees were said to be the corporeal forms of old gods from ancient times, or the homes of eternal spirits who watched over the world. It’s bark shimmered like silver, it’s leaves glowed a gentle blue light, it’s roots buried deep into the Earth, and if you listened carefully you could hear faint whispers of old voices. The gardeners avoided it out of respect and fear that they might damage it, and only those permitted by the King were allowed to go near it. There were so many stories surrounding these ancient trees but no one knew if they were true or not.
No one knew exactly how the tree came to grow in the Kingdom of Spades, but according to history a King of Spades ventured into the Forest of Eternity and returned with a single seed. Some say that it was ludicrous story as no one ever entered that forest and simply walked out. No one knew for sure but at the end of the day there was an Elder tree within the palace, and that was all anyone needed to know.
Alfred remembered the day he first saw it. At first he thought it was just a very fancy looking tree, but he could not deny he felt some strange force that the tree emitted. He was actually afraid to go near it in his youth, and although he had outgrown the initial fear he was still weary about going near it. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling but he felt... resentment.
He did remember his first Elder tree ceremony. The Queen of Hearts was the one doing the ceremony with his father. He had watched from a balcony that overlooked the garden with his mother, watching as his father guided the foreign Queen towards the tree. Once the Queen stood before the tree, the crowds watching from their own balconies and from the large entryway into the garden fell became silent.
Then the Queen of Hearts began to sing a beautiful song.
Time seemed to have stopped as the voice from the Queen seemed to cast a spell over the universe itself. The only thing that seemed to prove that existence was ongoing was the soothing voice of the Queen. A gentle breeze made the leaves rustle, as if they too were trying to join in the song, even the flowers seem to remain in bloom just to listen.
All that fear that he had felt about the tree was replaced by a sense of peace and relief, and all of the spectators seem lost in a trance as the Queen sung. He asked his mother, why do they do this? Why do they need a Queen to sing to the tree?
His mother had no answer. His father had no answer. The foreign Queens and their Kings had no answer. The purpose of this tradition had been lost to time, and yet they carried on as if it was a vital ritual to keep the kingdom alive.
And now here he was, ready to host his first Elder tree ceremony with the Queen of Diamonds.
As he stood before the crowds with his back to the garden, Yao ushered everyone to be silent so their King could address them. Once the crowds were silent and their attention was upon the King, Alfred cleared his throat and began his speech.
“Greetings everyone, glad you could all make it,” he stated with his charismatic smile plastering his face. “This is my first time hosting the Elder tree ceremony and, just like the Kings before me, I know that tonight will be an event you soon won’t forget.”
The crowds seemed impressed if not surprised at the King’s mannerism and smiled politely as he continued. “As you know, the Kingdom of Spades is the only Kingdom to have an Elder Tree flourish within it, and these trees are said to be ancient gods given form. For reasons unknown a Queen must sing to the Elder tree every year, a tradition that has been lost to time but a tradition that the Kingdom of Spades continues to uphold... and since we lack a Queen-“ Alfred phrased that last sentence in a humorous tone, which caused a small chorus of laughter erupting from the crowds. “-this year the Kingdom of Diamonds has graciously allowed us their Queen to preform the ceremony, so give it up for her.”
The crowds clapped the moment their King did and the Diamond Queen curtsied before them, desperately trying to hide her blushing face. The Diamond King appeared amused whilst the Diamond Jack appeared slightly annoyed. Yao merely rolled his eyes.
“So without further ado, lets get this show on the road,” declared Alfred, more clapping exploded throughout the chamber as the King finished.
Alfred looked over at Yao, who didn’t seem too impressed with how the speech was handled. Nevertheless he clapped along with everybody else. He had a small smile he managed to force on, and was just happy that was one less thing he had to worry about that night.
As the crowds made their way to the balconies to watch the ceremony, Alfred yet again hooked arms with the Diamond Queen and escorted her towards the tree.
“I’m a little nervous,” she confessed to him in a hushed tone, “I have been practicing but my heart won’t stop beating so fast.”
“Meh, you’ll be fine,” assured Alfred, “it’ll be over before you know it.”
She tried her best to smile with confidence but even Alfred could hear her tiny heart thumping within her chest. He could even feel the icy stare from the Diamond Jack, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.
Once they stood before the tree, Alfred unhooked his arm from the small Queen and watched her as she approached it. The crowds fell silent and for a moment nothing happened, though Alfred was close enough to hear the Queen take in big breaths of air to calm her beating heart.
Then at last she sung.
It was a song from the Diamond Kingdom, as it was custom for the Queens to bring a song from their own country. Alfred wasn’t sure if it was a hymn of a lullaby, but hearing those soft notes made him feel almost at ease. Even the crowds seem to fall into a trance as the Queen sung her song.
The garden seemed to be entertained by the singing as time seemed to had stood still, albeit a few fireflies danced around the air above them. The Elder tree listened silently, it’s silver bark shimmering in the moonlight and its blue leaves shining like stars. It was odd to think so but it was almost as if the tree was relaxing to the sound of the song.
Alfred, just like the tree, listened in silence. At first he felt proud of himself for hosting the ceremony without anything going wrong, and then he felt proud for the Diamond Queen for overcoming her nerves. However as the song dragged on, Alfred felt a new feeling wash over him, and troubling thoughts crept into his mind.
He wondered what song the last Queen of Spades sung for the tree. Did a Spade Queen ever sing for the tree? He wondered what his coronation would had been like if he had a Queen by his side. He remembered peering into his father’s study, the old King desperately seeking out the mystery of the missing Queen. Although he loved and respected his father, Alfred had a little bit of resentment towards him when it came to his investigation... a resentment he still carried.
As these old thoughts weaved their way into his consciousness, he felt a peculiar buzzing sensation in his mind. For a moment he thought it was just a migraine but it gradually felt like something was crawling through his brain. He heard a faint ringing and soon it was all he could hear. He looked over at the Diamond Queen but was startled to find he could no longer hear her singing.
What was happening to him? Why could he no longer hear her, or anything for that matter? Was he sick? Was it stress? He had no idea. Soon the ringing was replaced by faint whispers, whispers he could barely make out. It sounded like a hundred people were speaking in hushed tones right into his ear, but no matter how hard he focused he could not understand them.
He squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten, trying to ignore the annoying whispers and that horrid buzzing sensation. When he reached the tenth second he snapped his eyes open.
The whispers had stopped.
The buzzing had stopped.
However there was nothing but silence.
The Diamond Queen has vanished from where she stood. He looked around him to find that the crowds were gone. He was completely and utterly alone within the garden.
“Alfred...”
Alfred flinched when he heard his name being called. He looked around, hoping to see someone, but no one was there.
“Alfred...”
“Who’s there?” he called out, “who are you?”
“He’s waiting Alfred. We’ve all been waiting.”
Waiting? Who was waiting and for what? He felt a tinge of fear as he began to wonder if he was being tormented by spirits or ghosts, he had always feared them since he was a child.
“If this is a j-joke, knock it off!” He was trying his best but his voice was starting to squeak a little as he spoke.
“I’m tired of waiting Alfred,” came the voice again.
“What are y-you waiting for?” demanded Alfred, trying not to sound afraid.
“I’m tired of waiting.”
“For what?” repeated Alfred.
The voice went silent. Alfred looked around but he was still alone in the garden. Was this just a dream? Had he somehow fallen asleep whilst standing up? If so he wanted to hurry and wake up.
“Alfred!”
Alfred flinched when he heard his name again, only this time it came from a voice he knew.
Almost instantly he heard the sound of a thunderous applause, and looked up to see the Diamond Queen curtsying to her audience. Looking over his shoulder he found himself staring at Francis, who seemed a little concerned.
“Are you alright?” asked the Diamond King, “you spaced out a little there.”
Alfred wiped his brow and looked around once more. He was still in the garden but everyone had returned, all cheering and clapping for the Diamond Queen. It was almost as if they had never left... had they left?
“Did... did everyone disappear a second ago?” asked Alfred, trying to figure out if he had been dreaming or not. “Did you hear a spooky voice calling my name?”
“I don’t believe so, no,” replied Francis, tilting his head in confusion. “Are you feeling well?”
Alfred sighed. “Yeah... think I’m just tired or something.”
Francis patted him on the back. “Aw well, a little bit of sleep and you’ll feel as fresh as flowers on a summers day.”
The Diamond King excused himself and headed over to his Queen, kissing her on the forehead and congratulating her. Alfred watched the pair and that peculiar feeling came back. He sighed heavily and exited the garden, wanting to retire to his bed and sleep until today became yesterday.