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It seemed hopeless for the kingdom of Spades. Truly, no one was expecting for the main city and castle to get attacked by a dragon. Even worse, the dragon was allied with the kingdom of Clubs.
Alfred could not keep the look of panic off of his face as he watched the battle commence from the castle balcony from his and Arthur’s quarters. In his mind, as king, he needed to be down there fighting with his people. He felt like a spectator in a colosseum watching a one-sided fight.
Next to him, Arthur kept his gaze on the battle. He was just as concerned for the kingdom as Queen. Although he didn’t show it on his face unlike Alfred.
“Your majesties!” Yao, the Jack, rushed up onto the balcony. “Fresh intel came in about the dragon attacking Spades.”
“Good or bad news for us?” Alfred tried to read Yao’s face for any hints.
“Bad. None of our attacks are doing anything to the dragon.” Yao reported.
“Even our battle mages are struggling?” Arthur asked.
“Yes. The knights’ blades can’t penetrate the skin of the beast. And the dragon seems to be shrugging off whatever spells the mages throw at it.” Yao looked past Alfred and Arthur to see the battle. “I’ve never seen anything like it, aru.”
“Sounds like King Ivan managed to get his hands on a Sorcerer’s Dragon.” Arthur frowned.
“What the hell is a Sorcerer’s Dragon?” Alfred glanced between Arthur and Yao.
“A Sorcerer’s Dragon is the most powerful dragon there is.” Arthur explained. “Thy start out as regular dragons. A dragon becomes a Sorcerer’s Dragon when a magic user creates a soul bond with the dragon. The ritual to achieve such a result is very powerful magic.”
“Is there any way to kill a Sorcerer’s Dragon?” Alfred asked.
“With extremely powerful ancient magic directed at the beast. There’s a specific spell for it.” Arthur took a side glance at Yao. “None of our mages would have the skillset nor spells to defeat the dragon.”
“Same with our knights and weaponry.” Yao added.
Arthur nodded in response. “However, I believe it’s possible for us to defeat the dragon.”
“But we don’t have…” Yao’s voice died as a thought came to mind. His eyes widened in realization.
Alfred figured it out at the same time as Yao. “You’re not thinking of using the one staff in the treasury, are you?”
“You know the one.” Arthur said.
“But it’s dangerous to use that particular artifact!” Yao restrained himself from grabbing onto Arthur. “Everyone who’s used it has lost something. Sometimes even their own life.”
“Is there another way we could possibly defeat the dragon?” Alfred cringed as a scream from all the way down in the battlefield faintly made it to his ears.
Everyone took a few moments to ponder on the situation. It was incredibly risky to use the ancient staff that was stored in the treasury. It could work, but it was not the ideal solution.
“Not that I can think of.” Arthur broke the silence. “Another way to kill them is to kill the person who performed the ritual, but we won’t learn that information in time. Otherwise, I can’t remember if anyone in my family mentioned anything else in regard to Sorcerer’s Dragons.”
“I can’t think of anything either.” Yao sighed.
Alfred couldn’t think of anything from the knight side of battle techniques. He knew nothing about magic compared to Arthur. He reached over to hold Arthur’s hand. “I don’t agree entirely with you using the staff. But,” Alfred held up his other hand right as he saw Arthur open his mouth to retort, “if you think that using the staff is the best solution, I’m not going to stop you. I’m just afraid of losing you.”
Arthur’s face softened at the confession. “I knew you wouldn’t be.” He squeezed Alfred’s hand. “I didn’t want for it to come down to this either. But at this rate, it’s this or Spades falls.”
More faint screaming reached the balcony. It reminded everyone how urgent the situation was.
“We need to get going now if we want to have a shot at saving Spades.” Arthur went back inside his and Alfred’s shared bedroom.
“Yao, update Matthew on the situation, and have him watch the castle. Then you catch up with us on the battlefield.” Alfred ordered.
“Yes, your majesty.” Yao resigned to doing what was ordered of him. It was no use trying to change anyone’s mind.
Alfred caught up with Arthur in the hallway just outside of their bedroom. The two navigated through the castle with ease. Although the tension between the two was thick. Neither of them said a word as they made their way to the underground caverns of the castle. Down there was the treasury.
The guards in charge of the gate to the treasury bowed towards the king and queen as they arrived. One of them unlocked the gate and presented the open passage for entry.
“Don’t let anyone else in while the queen and I are in here.” Alfred ordered the guards before he went in.
Since the staff was extremely powerful, it would be incredibly dangerous for it to get into the wrong hands. Therefore, it was locked behind an additional gate towards the back of the treasury. Only four people in all of Spades had a key: Alfred, Arthur, Yao, and Matthew. The lock also had a spell on it, should someone attempt to use magic instead of a key. The staff wasn’t the only artifact stored there; other ancient items with comparable or more powerful abilities were kept under lock and key too.
Arthur used his key to open the security gate. He knew exactly where the staff was at, so he wasted no time getting it in his hands. The clear gem at the top, which was about the same size as Arthur’s head, glowed a light blue reminiscent of the iconic Spadian color. It was almost as if the staff recognized how powerful Arthur was in both magical aspect and position within the kingdom. The handle was made with smooth wood, carved with various intricate runes representing the ancient tribe that made the staff. It was approximately 4.5 feet long.
“What’s the plan here?” Alfred liked how powerful Arthur looked while holding the staff. But now was not the time to address his feelings.
“You’re coming with me.” Arthur didn’t phrase it as a question, already knowing the answer.
“Of course. Someone has to protect you while you perform your magic. We’re stopping by the armory too.” Alfred’s tone told Arthur that it was non-negotiable. Then his voice went quiet. “It’ll make me feel better if I can ensure your safety.”
Arthur couldn’t argue. He would do the same if their positions were reversed. They needed to be together: not only as king and queen, but as lovers too.
“We’ll go to the armory for armor, and probably for your sword too.” Arthur explained his plan. “Then we’ll ride out to the Sorcerer’s Dragon. You’ll order all the remaining men to retreat while I prepare the spell. Hopefully by the time that everyone is back to safety, I’ll be ready for the dragon.”
From a battle tactic perspective, Alfred saw liabilities. “How will we make sure that the dragon doesn’t notice you?”
Arthur couldn’t give an answer right away. “We’ll have to get lucky. I don’t want anyone fighting that beast when I’m casting the spell.”
“We can think about it while we head to the armory.” Alfred said. It wasn’t a lot of time at all, but they didn’t have a choice.
Arthur wished that he had a plan B.
~~~
Arthur and Alfred rode as fast as they could on horseback to where the dragon was still terrorizing the kingdom. The city was a ghost town as everyone was either taking shelter at the castle or attempting to fight the dragon. Both royals had insisted that no guards travel with them, as they didn’t want attention drawn to themselves. The worst thing to happen right now would be if they got onto the dragon’s radar before Arthur could even start preparing the spell.
At the city gate, the two were able to get a closer look at what happened. Both of them tried not to gag as they rode past dozens of bodies. Blood seemed to be everywhere too. The entire area smelled awful.
In a small alcove, they dismounted their horses and tied them to a nearby tree. They walked the rest of the way. Alfred put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, asking a silent question. Arthur nodded his head, trying to put up a facade of confidence.
At the edge of the battlefield stood the commander of the army sent out. He fumbled slightly seeing both the king and queen approach him. “Your majesties!” He hastily bowed.
“Tell everyone to retreat.” Alfred ordered. “They have no shot at defeating the dragon.”
“Pardon me, your majesties, but if that’s the case, then how are we expected to defend the kingdom?”
Arthur thumped the staff into the ground a few times. “With more powerful magic than anyone out there has. Now order the retreat.”
Faced with no other option, the commander ordered the army to retreat.
Arthur moved closer to the chaos, looking for a spot to charge up the staff. There was a small area of large bushes that offered some cover. If Arthur crouched, he and the staff could be hidden enough from the dragon. Seeing no better place, he went over there. Alfred was right behind him.
“Alfred. Tell me when everyone has retreated.”
Alfred nodded in response. He took his sword out of its scabbard, ready for any attack against them. The opportunity also allowed him to get an estimated headcount of how much of the army was still alive. The numbers would have been way worse if Clubs had sent an army of their own to accompany the dragon.
Meanwhile, Arthur blocked out the battle from his senses. All of his focus was getting the powerful magic necessary to defeat a Sorcerer’s Dragon to the staff. He closed his eyes to help himself concentrate. He muttered the words to the spell. The gem on the staff began to glow the same blue as it did in the treasury.
It took nearly 15 minutes for the entire army to retreat. Normally, Alfred wouldn’t be happy with such a slow retreat time, but it was what happened when the cannons were brought out. Then there were the people that had to stay back to fight off the dragon to keep it from attacking everyone else while they ran away.
But the delay worked in their favor too. Arthur took the entire time gathering magic into the staff. The gem was so bright that Alfred couldn’t look at it. He didn’t know it would have taken this long for Arthur to prepare.
“Everyone that is able to has managed to get back to safety.” Alfred felt that he had to shout in order to get Arthur to hear him. Even though Arthur didn’t acknowledge him, Alfred knew that Arthur had heard.
Arthur knew exactly when everything was ready for the dragon. He never felt so powerful in his life. The magic flowed through his veins like blood. He felt like he was magic. When he opened his eyes, they mirrored the staff gem’s glorious Spadian blue.
The intense light could not be concealed by the bushes at this point, and it caught the attention of the dragon. It walked over to where Alfred and Arthur hid. Its nostrils flared with smoke. When the dragon was only a few meters away, it was able to look over the bushes to see the two humans.
Alfred got into a defensive stance. He gripped his sword tightly, ready to strike if needed. His shield was secured on his other arm.
Fortunately, Arthur was ready for the dragon. “Alfred, get back!”
In response, Alfred put up his shield and only took a couple steps back instead. He heard Arthur shout in some ancient sounding language. Then he was thrown a few feet away onto his back by some powerful force. He grunted in a mixture of annoyance and confusion while he picked himself up. Pained, beastly noises made Alfred shift his attention to Arthur and the dragon.
The light from the staff was so intense that Alfred couldn’t see Arthur at all. He only saw a bright white light and a huge beam of magic striking the dragon. The sight was enticing, so much so that he forgot he was supposed to be watching over Arthur.
To Alfred, it felt like it took forever for Arthur to use all of the magic on the dragon. But at some point, the magical assault stopped. The light faded away, allowing Alfred to see everything clearly once again. The dragon was definitely dead, based on the fact that there was no head. There were ashes scattered all over the grass though, leading Alfred to believe that the head had been disintegrated. He saw Arthur using the staff as a crutch. The man was hunched over, seemingly panting for breath.
A huge grin appeared on Alfred’s face. He put his sword away. “Yo, Artie! That was so badass!”
Arthur turned his head slightly towards Alfred’s direction. Then back towards the ground by his feet. Moments later, he collapsed onto the ground.
“Arthur!” The grin disappeared from Alfred’s face. He rushed over to Arthur. He immediately went to his knees to get a closer look. He flipped Arthur onto his back. Upon initial inspection, he couldn’t see any visible injuries. He took Arthur’s wrist and pressed his fingers against it, looking for a pulse. Alfred’s heart stopped when he could barely detect it.
“Shit. Don’t die on me, Artie.” He picked up his lover, planning on getting back to the horses to go to the castle.
“Your majesty!”
Alfred looked up to see Yao approaching him on horseback.
“Is the dragon dead?” Yao looked at the still body of the beast.
“Yes, but Arthur’s not doing good.” Alfred stood up. “We need to get him back to the castle, stat.”
“Fuck.” Yao only now saw Arthur. “Hand him up to me, aru. I can ride back immediately.”
Carefully, Alfred and Yao got Arthur onto Yao’s horse. Yao held Arthur’s body upright.
“Get him back to the castle as quickly as you can. I’ll catch up with you.” Alfred picked up the dropped staff.
With the queen in possibly critical condition, Yao sped back to the castle with no additional comments.
Meanwhile, Alfred ran back to where his and Arthur’s horses were. He untied his own horse. In his haste to get back, he left Arthur’s horse behind. He would send someone to retrieve it later.
The ride back to the castle was a blur. All Alfred could think about was the possibility of losing Arthur. He refused to believe that the one thing he feared the most would happen. He tried to reason with his own panic: Arthur did use a shit ton of magic. Maybe Arthur’s body just needed to rest? He had seen similar events happen to some battle mages before. Selfish as it was, Alfred would have rather let Spades fall than have Arthur die.
“He just exhausted himself.” Alfred said to reassure himself. “That’s all. He still had a pulse. Faint, but still there.”
He did not die right in front of my eyes.
Several guards and townsfolk were startled by the sight of the king riding hurriedly past them on a horse. Alfred didn’t care about them at all right now. All he cared about was Arthur’s health.
In the courtyard, Alfred dismounted from his horse. He only got to unstrap the staff from the horse when he noticed Matthew rushing up towards him.
“Al.” Matthew reverted back to the childhood nickname used for him. It was a sign that things were not good. “Yao told me to tell you that Arthur has been taken to the medical wing.”
“Medical wing.” Alfred muttered. He rushed into the castle with Matthew following at his heels. Servants were forced to step out of the way, wondering what the king and ace were doing running through the castle in such a manner.
At the medical wing, two guards stood in front of a closed door. Alfred walked over to them. The guards bowed when Alfred addressed them.
“I hear the queen was taken to the medical wing. Is this his room?” Alfred asked.
“Yes, your majesty.” The guard on the right replied.
Without another word, Alfred went inside. His gaze immediately fell on the bed, where Arthur laid unconscious. Next to the bed, Yao was talking to a doctor. He didn’t get a chance to listen on the conversation, as the doctor interrupted himself upon seeing the king.
“Your majesty.” The doctor bowed deeply.
“How is he?” Alfred failed to keep the worry out of his voice.
“It is not looking good.” The doctor answered with a grim look on his face. “His heart had almost stopped completely by the time I got to him. We got him treatment as fast as we could, but it’s unknown whether he’ll live.”
“Is there anything else we can do?” Matthew asked.
“Nothing for now, unfortunately. Aside from monitoring his progress.” The doctor said.
“What did you do to treat him?” All Alfred could watch was the very slight rise and fall of Arthur’s chest. It was the only visible indicator that his lover was still alive.
“There were healing spells used to keep his heart going.” Yao spoke before the doctor could. “And to keep him in an induced coma to let his body rest.”
“What seems to have happened was that the queen used too much magic at once.” The doctor looked directly at Alfred. “It overwhelmed his body, causing it to nearly shut down. Although instead of merely fainting, this case proved to be more lethal. If the queen didn’t get treatment when he did, he would have died minutes later.” The doctor paused, looking between the king, jack, and ace. “But he could still die within the next 24 hours.”
“How long do we have to wait in order to guarantee that he’ll live?” Alfred blinked away the tears that threatened to fall.
“I would give it at least 3 days. This is one of the worst cases of magical exhaustion I’ve ever seen.” The doctor said.
When there was nothing else to be said, everyone started filing out of the room. Except for Alfred, who stayed kneeling by Arthur’s bedside. He was there for well over an hour before getting pulled away to do his kingly duties.
Between addressing the kingdom with an improv speech regarding the dragon’s defeat; getting personnel out to check on the welfare of the citizens (and a headcount of the dead, but Alfred didn’t want to think about that right now); getting the staff locked back up in the treasury; and overall getting castle operations back and running, Alfred kept thinking about Arthur. Something in his gut told him that Arthur was not going to make it. That the cost of using the staff to save Spades would be Arthur’s life. It was what Alfred feared from the beginning. He was afraid that he jinxed it when he told Arthur his concerns.
Before he went to bed that night, Alfred paid one last visit to the room that Arthur rested in. He knelt at Arthur’s bedside again. After sending a prayer for Arthur’s recovery, Alfred gently kissed Arthur’s forehead. He held Arthur’s hand and squeezed it.
“I love you.”
~~~
Queen Arthur passed away during the night.
The kingdom didn’t get to celebrate surviving the dragon for 24 hours before entering a state of mourning. As soon as the news of the queen’s death spread throughout town, the celebrations ceased. Throughout the day, citizens came to the castle courtyard to contribute to the ever-growing pile of flowers and offerings in remembrance.
Alfred stood on the balcony of his bedroom. He felt empty inside. He had no more tears to shred. After Matthew came to Alfred’s room to wake him up, bringing the news of Arthur’s death, Alfred rushed to the room that Arthur was kept in. He begged the doctor to try to revive Arthur; anything to possibly keep him alive for another day. But there was nothing that could be done, the doctor had explained to Alfred. Yao only put a hand on Alfred’s shoulder in quiet condolences, while Matthew gave his brother a hug.
A breeze blew across the balcony, making Alfred shiver slightly. If he tried, he could pretend that it was Arthur’s ghost coming to stand by his side. But a look around himself reminded Alfred that he was now alone. He wanted nothing more than to destroy the staff that took Arthur’s life. But he didn’t know how to properly dispose of such a powerful artifact.
A leaf that somewhat resembled a club landed on the railing next to Alfred’s hand. Alfred scowled at it. Clubs. It was their fault that Spades’s queen was dead. The dragon attack was only a battle won. There would be war to come.
Alfred went back inside the castle, shutting the glass doors behind him as he did so. He made his way to the throne room, ready to have a council meeting to discuss their next move against Clubs. He had a war to win, and it would be in Arthur’s honor.
Your sacrifice will not be in vain, my love.