Chronicles and Myth [Warning R-18]

[King of Spades]

The Kingdom of Spades had a king who was not yet a real king. To fully function as a regent, he needed to have a queen by his side. His father had died weeks ago, and while he was sad about it, his focus lied on the problem of a vacant queen's throne. Royal advisors pressured him to choose a bride, his people shouted out their demands for a administrated kingdom.

But the king was young. 19 years he was and still with curiosity in his sky blue eyes. Weeks ago he was still playing games with his friends on the gardens of the castle. The only love experience he had was when he was twelve; a village girl had thanked him for his help to find her missing doll with a quick peck on his nose. And now he was about to wed a woman. A woman, not a girl. And his cheeks heated up whenever he thought of the responsibilites of a royal couple. Making children being one of those. Alfred, the King, rolled and wriggled across his bed, tightly grasping on a large pillow, and squealed at the thought of it. He was so inexperienced.

It was then that a message was delivered. A Queen for the King was chosen by the oracle - and nobody said anything against the oracle. She was to enter the castle as soon as possible. She belonged to a family with rank and respectable reputation.

Alfred couldn't help fixing his attire every couple of minutes. He was definitely nervous to meet his future queen. While he would have preferred to stay a teenager a little longer, he also had the desire to make a good impression. He didn't want to appear as a boy but as a man who could be taken seriously.

A last glimpse on the mirror and he walked out to the audience hall.

[Queen of Spades]

Ever since he was a child Arthur resented his girlish figure. Even though he wore men's clothes people still mistook him for a woman. But at least then he was able to brush it off; this was going too far. Earlier that day royal guards had pounded on his family's front door, and at first he had been afraid of arrest. When he learned he was to be the <b>bride</b> of the King he was flabbergasted. Bride?! But he was male! How could he possibly fulfill the Queen's duties?!

But he went along with them, he had no choice. The oracle had spoken. Being in the castle intimidated him, it was large and imposing. He had been dressed in fine clothes decorated with the symbol of their Kingdom, the spade. Of course even with his slender and feminine figure, his short hair and lack of curves made it painfully clear he was a man. Seeing the King enter he swallowed hard, he knew he was a young King (only a few years younger than Arthur's 23) but he was still very tall and masculine. Handsome, even. Surely he would think this was a joke.

[King of Spades]

Alfred stared at the woman in front of him. It must have been a very...manly woman. Or an androgynous man. The latter seemed to be the correct answer for him. Here he was, properly dressed in a ceremonious blue coat with golden ornamentation, he was even holding his symbol of power...the Spade-shaped clock. And he felt ridiculous in this situation. "A-are you...my future Queen? This is," he coughed, "Kind of odd."

He walked down the stairs and approached the man who looked just a bit older than him with curiosity, eyeing the definitely feminine clothes and the lack of curves. He even touched the other's non-existent breasts and frowned. "You really are a dude...in a dress." He looked up at his 'bride' and found that he really had a smooth face, soft-looking and plump lips, long, elegantly curved lashes and...
Alfred laughed. Those eyebrows were huge.

[Queen of Spades]

Arthur scowled, he knew exactly what Alfred saw that make him laugh so hysterically. The same thing that everyone else always stared at. "I am! And you shouldn't laugh at your Queen!" Even his voice was deeper than a woman's and he felt utterly ridiculous standing here, in a gown, in front of his betrothed who was laughing at him. Hysterically. "It's rude you know. . ." Arthur at the same time didn't want to be rude right back, fiancée or not this man was still king and could still exile him.

[King of Spades]

The king needed some time to calm himself. After he had finally managed to let his laughter die down, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, he gave a light pat on the other's head. The blonde hair felt soft under his touch. "I'm sorry, man. But seriously, the oracle chose a man for me? I thought it was supposed to be all-knowing? A mistake perhaps? But the oracle is never mistaken..."

Alfred's puzzled expression mirrored the situation in his head. There was nothing anybody could do to change this. If he even dared to violate the word of the oracle, a great misfortune would befall his kingdom. Or so it had been said over centuries. In Alfred's opinion, though, the oracle was just trying to mess with him and was now most likely laughing his ass off. Brilliant. It was probably still miffed from the scrawny oblation (a half eaten hamburger) that he had once offered the oracle a few years ago.

But now he really had to take care of this problem. He strode around his bride and gently pushed him by the shoulder. "Let's give you something else to wear, this must be really humiliating to you. Not funny, man. Well, it is funny to me, but..."

They walked up the marble stairs, Alfred guided the other. "Oh, my name is Alfred by the way. No need to address me properly when we're...in private, okay? And what's your name?"

[Queen of Spades]

Grateful to be leaving the eyes of the court, Arthur gathered as much of his skirt as he could and quickly followed after Alfred. Arthur knew that the prince was supposedly very likable, but his humanity still surprised Arthur. "Arthur. My name is Arthur Kirkland. . .though I suppose my surname is going to change soon, isn't it." Arthur, if he ever got married, had always expected that it would be his wife who would change her name, not him. Oh how quickly things can change. "Thank you. For offering me normal clones, that is. I tried to insist I wasn't a woman but your chamber maids were having none of it."

Arthur still couldn't understand how this had happened, yes it was true that the oracle was never wrong, but. . .He couldn't perform the main duty as Queen, and that was to provide heirs. What were they going to do about this? Get married and ignore that large, obstructive fact? Were they just going to pretend, or would Arthur be beheaded for his inability? That thought sent a shiver down Arthur's spine. Surely he wouldn't resort to that. . .

[King of Spades]

The dressing room was at the other end of the long hallway, right next to his own chamber. These two rooms were connected to each other, so that he could have direct access to the vast collection of robes and other sorts of clothings that a king needed. He opened the heavy door and led Arthur inside. Not to his surprise, the old, wrinkly advisors appeared to have followed their every step to monitor the two young men's actions. They were about to shuffle in, joining Alfred and Arthur but the king pushed them away, not forgetting his well-trained glare. "You antiques, stay outside! Understand?"

"But your Majesty, we-" objected a small elder man who had a round face so red, it looked like he was constantly out of breath.

"Do you want to see my Queen naked?!" Alfred interjected, raising his voice. "That's highest treason! You're laying your eyes on him, lusting and full of disgusting fantasies, waiting to strike and rip his dress to see his delicious naked body, huh? Was that it?"

The already red face turned a shade deeper at the words. Nobody of the advisors knew how to deal with the ridiculous accusations, but they were all taken aback by how serious the king sounded. The accused man was clearly distressed, sweating and trembling. "Y-Your Majesty! What are you accusing me of, I-I would never!"

"Then stay away!" Alfred nearly shouted and the men flinched back. He slammed the door shut.

Alfred tried to regain his breath, buried his head in his hand and began to tremble. First it sounded like a sob, then he was beginning to chuckle until he couldn't hold it back any longer. He laughed uncontrollably. "Did you see their faces? Priceless!" He held his stomach, it was beginning to hurt because of his laughing fit. "This is how you can effectively shoo them away, those annoying oldies."

Alfred let his hand run through his hair, he glanced forward to eye the other man in the room, Arthur. He smirked. Now that they were alone he could finally let his cover down. "Seriously, a man? Are you kidding me? No way I'm going to marry you. I mean, hell...those eyebrows. Are you..."

[Queen of Spades]

The lewd words made Arthur's own face turn red and he covered it with his hands. It was true that he didn't want those crotchety old men to come in, but the King sounded so harsh and serious that it also made Arthur a bit afraid. He was very fit and young, after all. Once the laughter started in Arthur relaxed and looked towards the younger male, frowning slightly. How rude he was to get rid of them in that way.

He was still grateful until Alfred started to speak. "There's nothing wrong with my eyebrows!" He crossed his arms. "And you think I want to marry you either?! You've clearly just shown how despicably rude you are to those poor old men, and you've been nothing but rude to me! I didn't volunteer to do this you know, I was supposed to live alone as a scholar and enjoy my life. Now I'm forced to live with someone who is rude and two-faced." He scoffed, turning his back. "I don't want to be here or see you. I need clothes and then you to get out so I can change properly."

[King of Spades]

Alfred's expression hardened at the spat out words of his so-called queen. He jerked his head violently and avoided looking at the other, intently glaring at the wall. He pursed his lips, no way did he need anybody to lecture him. "Who do you think you are, speaking to me like that. So what if I'm rude, I'm the King and I have to show them who's in charge. Never would I let them govern over me."

A young king, only weeks ago thrown into this life of power without familiar support as he was now his only family, he didn't need someone from the outside to interfere with his life. He could handle everything just fine. Alone.

"Take anything you like. And I'll stay here, it's not like you have anything I don't have."

[Queen of Spades]

Arthur scowled still, the he was right. Alfred was the King. Arthur was far out of line to snap like that, but he let his anger get the better of him. That couldn't happen again, not to the King. They weren't equals at all, Arthur's family was prominent yes, but not Royal. That also meant that as uncomfortable as he was he couldn't make Alfred leave.

He turned around and started to unhook the dress in the back, keeping his back to Alfred. It was true that they both had all the same 'equipment' but it was still embarrassing. Arthur's frame was small, not very muscular, and his skin was a pale, creamy white from having never worked (or even really been outside) a day in his life.. He was the youngest of four brothers and had no familial pressures placed on him to be a knight, or a hunter, or anything that was considered overtly manly. Instead he preferred to read and study books.

Along with his more feminine and pale features Arthur also lacked hair on his chest and his legs too. He was almost the anti-masculine picture. Thankfully the women who dressed him allowed Arthur to keep his undergarments on and he quickly grabbed an outfit at random to dress himself in. The black pants and navy blue shirt were much to large on him but he had no other option.

[King of Spades]

Clean, smooth and pale like porcelain, Alfred thought as he caught sight of Arthur's skin. His arms and legs were slim, delicate like a girl but still not the same. He didn't know why he noticed. There was something oddly hypnotising in watching the man's shoulder blades move, he gulped and turned his gaze away from him. "S-seriously, don't you have any pride as a man? Try to work out, will you? No wonder they mistook you for a chick, even fooling the oracle."

"Anyways, let's talk to the oracle and see what she has to say about this, I can't stand being with you any longer," he said in a harsh tone. Truly, he didn't know why all these words seemed to stream out of his mouth, he couldn't help it. It was like a defence mechanism had been triggered within him. It was not only that, but somehow, he also felt a sort of satisfaction, seeing the other quiver under his mean words. He felt powerful that way. At the same time he also felt sorry for his dickish behaviour, after all, Arthur really wasn't at fault.

He held the door open once Arthur had finished dressing (now looking more like a man), he could at least offer this tiny act of kindness as a silent apology. Though, nobody was ever able to understand his ways of showing goodwill.

[Queen of Spades]

Arthur nodded, following out. This King was not the 'kind and outgoing Prince' everyone claimed he was, and Arthur was in no mood to further provoke him. Of course it was hard to deal with insults being thrown at you left and right, and his chest puffed up at the man comment. There was no way he could let that slide. "I am a scholar. I have no need to do barbaric things like hunt or 'work out'. I study books and stars and the like."

Still the words hit deep. So the King couldn't stand to be with him? They had been alone perhaps five minutes. All Arthur wanted right now was to get away from the abuse and get this all cleared up. Surely the oracle would say that she meant someone else and not him, and he could go home and never come out again. Just read.

Wouldn't that be lovely.

[King of Spades]

Alfred rolled his eyes at Arthur's explanation, he rarely heard of something that boring. "Why would you choose to sit down and bury your nose in boring books? Only old men do that stuff! No wonder you're so sickly pale. I bet you're never outside, always barricading yourself in the library or somewhere equally boring," he exclaimed and shook his head. Glancing aside and putting on a smug smirk, he said, "If I were you, I would've chosen to go out to see the world. I wouldn't need anything, only my backpack and my sword. On my way, I would meet people in trouble and because I'm a hero, I'd save them right away! Pure adventure!"

The King's eyes lit up as he kept on talking, waving and stretching his arms in a dramatic way to get his point across. It was great to talk about his own dreams, dreams that would never be fulfilled in his life.

They turned and ended up in front of a wide staircase that led to a grand massive portal, decorated with elaborate ironwork. Burning torches lit the way and induced a solemn atmosphere. One could easily grasp that they were about to enter sacred grounds. Every single step produced a clear sound whenever their feet tread on them. "Actually, I hate the architect who added these little extras. Music playing staircase, ridiculous."

Two guards in blue uniforms bowed before them and opened the heavy portal. "They already see him as the Queen," he murmured to himself, frowning.

"Let's go in."

[Queen of Spades]

Upon hearing that Arthur couldn't help but feel bad for the King. He was forced into a life devoted to the kingdom and wasn't allowed to adventure like he truly wanted to. Arthur was sure that if he completely lacked freedom in his life he would become rude and resentful as well. "It would be exciting, I suppose. It just doesn't appeal to me." Arthur was more of the stay-at-home guy. He didn't fare as well as his brothers did when it came to sword fighting and the likes.

Arthur too thought this place was a bit overdone and tacky. He had personally never been to see the oracle, as only those of Royal birth could enter. His family was well off, but not Royal. He tread lightly on the stairs, the chiming startling him each time it went off. There was something unnerving about the whole place.

When they got to the top the oracle was lying in a mess of white and royal purple cotton, the color of the Kingdom of Spades and Purity. Arthur was a bit surprised to see that it was a fairly young girl, he had been expecting someone old and wise. She didn't get up or even turn to look at them as they entered and Arthur was hesitant about what to do. Do you bow to an Oracle? Avert your eyes? But before he could move to do either of those things she began to speak.

"The King and Queen come to see me before they are wed. Is the King displeased with my choice?"

[King of Spades]

The corner of his lips twitched at the question. Admittedly, her tone was as solemn and serious as ever but Alfred was fully convinced that a devious face filled with schadenfreude was to be found behind the holy facade. At least, that was his theory. He didn't know for sure. He nudged at Arthur's side, signifying the other to follow him.

Alfred stepped forward with a stern expression, lips pressed together, forming a thin line. He went through the transparent curtain that was separating the oracle from ordinary mortals. Under normal circumstances, even he wasn't allowed to trespass the border. Obviously, today was not normal circumstance. Kneeling down before her, he tried his best to keep his calm. He had to constantly remind himself that he had to maintain a tone of humility. Therefore, the humble words sounded and felt strange on his lips. "As you can see, he can't be my Queen. He's a man. This is why I...beg you to withdraw your Word."

He waited in silence. And finally, after a moment that felt like forever, she raised her voice.

"Why?"

Huh? Was she dumb or what?

He cleared his throat. "I told you before, he's a man."

"And the right one," she added calmly and with finality in her tone.

[Queen of Spades]

Arthur followed Alfred in, uncomfortable in his closeness. She was a holy vessel, and a person that not many people saw ever. He felt as though he shouldn't be here in her presence, but if Alfred told him to step forward then he would.

Arthur frowned at hearing her words, surely she understood what they were saying? What she was saying? "I'm a man. I can't bear children like any good Queen should." Arthur knew that as a commoner it wasn't his place to question the oracle. But it also wasn't his place to be inside the holy barriers, yet here he was. So he might as well speak up, right?

"That matters not. You two are tied together by fate." The oracle still didn't look at them and instead looked upwards, as if seeing something they did not.

[King of Spades]

Alfred groaned in frustration and did nothing to hide it. He was not about to let a dubious girl decide over his future just because she was eternally young and clad in white and generally being creepy. Oh how he wanted to grab those white cheeks and force her to look at him in the eyes, maybe then she would finally stop playing God. But even he didn't have the balls to do that. The king gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. "You heard him. The both of us can't produce kids, there won't be any little kings running around the castle. Not next year, not in two years, never."

"The Queen," she began, "Will make your dream turn into reality. And you do know how much you want it."
Her eyes were the lightest shade of blue, cool as ice and seemed to be able to pierce right through the depths of his soul; Alfred felt his breathing come to a halt for a fleeting moment as she moved her head to face both men.

His dream. The one he'd told Arthur about. His mind promptly denied the possibility of such happening, and yet, he couldn't fight back the little spark of hope. "How?" He breathed out.

She closed her eyes and pointed at Arthur, Alfred's gaze followed her pointer and stared at the man beside him. "A hero does not tolerate injustice, he takes a stand for the weak and the oppressed. Your Majesty, be a King of the people. Do not escape your duty and responsibility any longer. Become this kingdom's King and take Arthur Kirkland as your Queen, for he will be your shield and your peaceful weapon, your other half to complete the entirety of power."

Alfred's eyes widened and his voice was stuck in his throat. To be a hero was not about receiving acknowledgement, was not about being glorified because of what he'd done. It was about sacrifying oneself. Was he willing to give up his adolescent daydreams and become a true hero? Not a part time hero seeking for adventure, helping a number of people and earning small smiles of admiration, but a true hero who was willing to sacrifice his own happiness, freedom, body and soul for the sake of a whole nation.

That was...hard. But on top of his realm of power, sitting beside his throne, wearing the other half of the burdensome crown...there would be...the Queen.

He wouldn't be alone.

But was Arthur willing to take on that path? Was he himself willing to share all those with Arthur? It was crazy; it would be blindly sprinting into the unknown. It was a hit or miss, wasn't it?

[Queen of Spades]

Arthur listened to the oracle speak in amazement. She really did see everything, even if those eyes sent a shiver down his spine. Everything she was saying surprised him. He would be Alfred's shield and peaceful weapon? How on earth could Arthur be either? But she was the oracle. She much have known something Arthur didn't, something he couldn't possibly know. He had to trust in her ability to direct them in the right path.

And he would be lying if being told that he would help bring Alfred's dream to light didn't make him feel at least a little bit happy. The way Alfred had sparkled when he spoke of being a hero, it was hard to not want to support him. Even if the 'hero' the oracle described wasn't exactly that adventuring knight Alfred envisioned, it was the type of hero his people desperately needed him to be.

Of course Arthur would be willing to take that path with him. Not only because the oracle said it had to be, but also because a part of him wanted to help support the King as much as possible. Even if he was a rude brat who seemed to loath Arthur's existence.

Arthur could deal with that if it meant happiness for the kingdom.

[King of Spades]

Naturally, their connection by faith was far more than that but the oracle decided to not speak it out, she knew it wasn't necessary for her to do so as it was inevitable. "If you please leave, you've heard everything you needed to know," she said in her calm and clear voice. "And don't forget that in the end it is your choice."

They rose and retreated without exchanging a word, leaving the oracle behind to do whatever an oracle did in their freetime. The guards closed the heavy portal behind them and they stood there, still not speaking to each other. Alfred waited for Arthur to speak but nothing came, so he cleared his throat and let his gaze wander in an awkward way. He knew the guards were secretly watching them, probably extremely amused by the situation. "A-Arthur..."

He could do it. It shouldn't be too hard, he thought in self-encouragement. "Would...would...," he gulped. His hands were shaking. "Would you be..."

[Queen of Spades]

Arthur was sure that this was just as hard for Alfred as it was for him. They would both have to meet in the middle, starting now. They both had dreams to sacrifice but they could do it together. There would likely be rough patches and disagreements, but they could do this. The oracle wouldn't have said so if they couldn't.

Arthur flushed and glanced at the guards, trying his best to ignore them. This moment wasn't meant for them but rather for the King and him. He did his best to block them out and nodded, meeting the King in the middle ground. "Yes. I will." He didn't have to finish that statement to know what the King wanted to ask.

[King of Spades]

"You will?" He asked in disbelief, his feelings a mix of surprise and relief. Good, Arthur wanted to be his...wife. It was then that it dawned on him. Alfred, King of Spades was going to wed Arthur Kirkland who was a stranger and of the same sex as him. He hadn't been the most charming person in front of Arthur and yet the other had agreed to get himself into this. It was a pact. Business. He didn't know how the hell this could work out but he was not one to back away. A hesitant smile and a handshake to seal the agreement.

"I will make you my beautiful Queen then," he proclaimed (not without a slight hint of mockery).

"We should let the oldies know about our decision. I'll tell them to begin with preparations of the, you know, royal wedding." He hated himself for the evident blush on his cheeks.

[Queen of Spades]

Arthur cleared his throat and nodded, quickly turning to walk back down the hall. He too was blushing so he willfully ignored the blush on Alfred, no matter how cute boyish it made him look. This wasn't the time to think about that, not at all. He was going to get married. To Alfred.

To the King.

He would be Queen. Wow that was hard to wrap his mind around. "I. . .don't have to wear dresses, do I?" That was the worst thing for him. Dresses. He could handle some perhaps womanly robes, but a flat out dress is a no-no.

[King of Spades]

Alfred laughed. "Hm...I don't know, you did look good in a dress," he teased with a smirk.


And so Arthur married Alfred in a dress, the most gorgeous dress ever made. In the colours purple and white, with several draped layers and dark laces. Pearls adorned the hem of his skirt and the spades symbol was the prominent motif on it. A small top hat adorned his head and it was richly endowed with more pearls, black laces and a white ribbon.

It was supposed to be a joke. But why couldn't he stop staring at Arthur once he walked down the aisle to join him at the altar?

[Queen of Spades]

Arthur hated the fact that he was once again wrestled into a gown (and the fact that a group of women helped him into it). A small voice in the back of his mind told him he looked good, but Arthur did his best to silence it. HE did not look good in a dress, he was male!

Though it was a very nice dress, he had to admit.

Walking down the aisle was one of the most nerve-wracking things Arthur had ever done. It was filled to the brim with important people and high ranking families like his own. He hoped to god that he wouldn't trip or otherwise make a fool of himself. He nervously looked around at the other patrons and then finally his eyes locked with the King's. He hoped he wasn't secretly laughing at Arthur in his mind. Oh god he couldn't take much more humiliation.

When he reached the end he took the King's hand as he was instructed to and the long, boring part of the ceremony began, leaving him only with the King or Priest to look at.

[King of Spades]

The hand that Arthur took was sweaty and he wasn't sure whether it was caused by the nervousness, his Queen's appearance or just the temperature inside the temple. Not daring to squeeze his seemingly frail hand, he simply held it in a gentle way.

Everything for that day was perfectly rehearsed. What had to be said was memorised, Alfred could recite it in his sleep without having to pause. Not only the vow but also the whole procedure was secured in his brilliant head. At least, it was like that last night. Now however, where he was standing in front of the priest with Arthur standing beside him, his mind was blank. The priest asked him the same question again. "Hast thou, Alfred III of Spades, a good, free, and unconstrained will and a firm intention to take unto thyself to husband this man, Arthur Kirkland, whom thou seest here before thee?"

He closed his eyes in concentration, chewed on his bottom lip while trying to remember the correct phrases. The guests sensed that something wasn't going as planned and exchanged murmurs. He desperately looked at Arthur, hoping for some kind of help. Could he simply improvise?

"C-could I please just marry him?"

That was it, he was officially an idiot. The whole temple fell in absolute silence.

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