Chapter Text
Spring embraced the air and lightened the skies of the Kingdom of Diamonds, bringing to life the flowers that sat in the famous Gardens of Diamonds. The river flowed at a peaceful pace through the bright and lively villages that surrounded the castle in the Diamond Kingdom, and the sun beamed down onto the faces of everyone whom called themselves a Diamond citizen.
It was as though it was fate for the annual conference and ball to be held in the Kingdom of light and wealth.
The annual conference and ball happens once a year, during the springtime, and this year it is the responsibility of the Kingdom of Diamonds to host the event. The conference is held to allow the kingdoms to maintain their relationships in terms of trade and inter-kingdom politics. The compulsory bringing-together of the four Kingdoms encourages everyone to engage in discussion, regardless of histories and attitudes, relationships and treaties are cemented at the Conference. Whilst the Conference is strictly diplomatic, the Ball was created to cement kind and personal relationships between the monarchs through dancing, food, music, culture and discussion that was free from politics and formality.
In his fifth year of Kingship, it was Francis’ second year as the host of the Diamond ball and he shall see the other monarchs gather within his castle. He had met the monarchs of the Kingdoms of Hearts and Clubs, however, in the previous year a new King and Queen of Spades have been crowned.
“The ballroom is decorated for tonight’s festivities, sir,” the Ace of Diamonds announced, making Francis chuckle at the formality, as he turned around to look at his Ace.
His Ace was named Antonio, he stood at a nearly equal height to Francis, however, was visibly stronger he wore a long but lightweight golden coat, which was heavily decorated with Diamond embroidery along the cuffs of his sleeves. It was understandable as to why Antonio was visibly strong and heavily decorated, as it was the Ace’s duty to be the strongest knight in the Kingdom. As it was the duty of the Ace to give their life to protect the King and Queen, despite the peace of the Diamond Kingdom, Antonio was required to constantly keep his sword by his side, sheathed under his coat, with the handle readily accessible. This fate was foretold by the detailed Diamond birthmark on his hand, which sealed the contract between Antonio and his Kingdom. Francis was born with a mark too, a heavily detailed and large mark across his back, that defined his status as the King.
“Please, it’s been two years: I want you to you call me Francis,” Francis chuckled.
“Apologies,” Antonio murmured, “I was taught to shower you in formality.”
“I prefer familiarity.” Francis pointed out, “nonetheless, have you spoken to Lili?”
“She is overseeing the floral arrangements in the entrance hall; it is rather cute to see the young Queen so focussed on flowers,” Antonio chuckled, smiling brightly as the door to Francis’ office opened behind him.
“So she should be,” A voice said from behind Antonio, as a shorter man made his way past the Ace, wearing a fashionable golden suit. Francis smiled at him, recognising him as Vash, his Jack.
It is the duty of the Jack to guide the King and Queen in interactions with the other Kingdoms, as well as advise them on what actions they should take to better the Kingdom through finance and policies. “Everything needs to be perfect. The entrance hall is going to be the first thing that every monarch sees when they first enter the castle. First impressions mean everything. This is especially true for the Spades. If our relationship with the Spades is going to be maintained, we need to impress the new Monarchs.”
“Ahh, yes,” Antonio agreed, “It is the first time any of the other monarchs will see them too … so everyone will be focussing on them.”
“But we won’t let that take over the event,” Francis pointed out as he crossed his arms over his chest and walked towards the window, looking out at the green and lush front garden of the Diamond castle. “Go through it with me again; what do I want to get from this conference?”
“I suggest strengthening the trade relationship with the hearts, in light of their mining boom. King Ludwig and Queen Kiku have anointed a new Jack, whom happens to be a personal friend of theirs and the brother of their Ace. So you can use that fact as a conversation starter. You are free to point out the similarities of our monarchies, considering that your Queen is my sister.”
“Relate to the Hearts. Also, I know that the Queen of Hearts likes fish, so if I hint that we have a good fishing production…” Francis pointed out, rubbing his chin with his fingers and looking at Vash curiously.
“It’s worth a shot, but save it for later: you need to let me collect the numbers before you make any promises,” Vash replied. “Also, the Clubs are showing an increasing interest in our livestock, I received a letter from their Jack requesting our figures from the last six months.”
“Did you give it to them?” Antonio asked.
“No.” Vash chuckled loudly, “I’m not going to spoil the surprise. I’ll suggest that the letter was hijacked. If they think that another Kingdom is interested, they will act faster and harder to get a deal. King Ivan is a stubborn man who does not enjoy interference in his business.” Vash returned his attention to Francis, “let the Clubs come to you, Francis, and play hard-to-get. Don’t let them pressure you into anything.”
Francis laughed in response to the suggestion as well as Vash’s seriousness.
“Don’t speak as though this is detrimental. There hasn’t been a war between any of the four Kingdoms in nearly four dynasties,” Francis pointed out, “The Diamonds didn’t even fight in the last one.”
“That is true, but the Diamonds aided the Spades through supplies, and providing shelter for the Queen whilst the King went to the battlefield. It is why the historical relationship between the Spades and Diamonds is so important to maintain.”
“Is there something that concerns you?” Antonio asked, “you never talk this much unless you’re stressed.”
“The Club advancement, they’ve been extremely bold since the crowning of King Ivan and Queen Elizabeta, you all saw how they did at the last conference. They have the largest territorial space and one of the largest populations to feed and protect, on top of having the coldest climate. They have a lot to work for. I am only concerned about history repeating itself. Even the ambition of King Ludwig and Queen Kiku brings me concern.”
“However, neither of them have the largest army,” Francis pointed out, “that belongs to the Spades and they are our greatest allies.”
“Well, it didn’t stop the Clubs from invading Diamond and Heart territory in the last war,” Vash pointed out.
“But this is now, there new leaders are young, they understand the mistakes that the monarchs before them made and pledged to not repeat them,” Francis explained as he walked past his Jack and Ace, making his way to the balcony doors, opening them in time to feel the refreshing breeze blow through his golden blonde hair and golden clothes. “War can be prevented through negotiation and respect, as long as we keep everyone happy; there will be no call to arms. Or no need to even think about it.”
“Is that why you decreased the national budget to the army?” Vash grumbled, gritting his teeth as he and Antonio joined Francis on the tiny balcony, looking over the courtyard before the entrance the to the Diamond castle.
“Yes. Because there is no need for an army if we are not going to war. If the time ever comes where my Kingdom is under threat: I will change it,” Francis explained.
“Is that a carriage?” Antonio asked, pointing over the white stone balcony railing. Francis squinted as he struggled to see through the bright sun, however, he did notice that Antonio was right, as the golden gates to the Diamond courtyard opened and a carriage rolled through, being pushed along by two white horses. The carriage doors were decorated with red hearts symbols, which became more visible as the carriage came closer to the castle, reaching the fountain the stood before the stairs to the large golden doors into the castle.
“The Hearts,” Vash pointed out, “they’re early, as expected.”
Quickly, Francis made his way out of the office and down to the entrance hall, where he saw his young Queen waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.
Francis smiled as he greeted her; Francis had always seen Lili as a younger sister, or a niece, rather than a Queen. She smiled up at him like she would an older brother, she admired him.
They walked to the front door together as the grand doors opened, revealing the Hearts carriage and stood before the grand fountain.
The door opened, first the Ace of hearts stepped out of the carriage, with his hand resting on the hand resting on the handle of his sword, a reminder of his position. He had dark amber chocolate hair with an outstanding curl and dark green eyes; he was dressed in red and pink colours, which stood out in the bright colours of the Diamond courtyard. Secondly, the Jack stepped out of the carriage, his amber eyes were wide with curiosity and as he looked around, the more Francis’ drew similarities between the Jack and the Ace, the fact that they were siblings stood out.
“They look so alike,” Lili pointed out, her soft voice ringing through Francis’ ears.
With the Jack and Ace standing by their side of the steps to the carriage, a smaller figure with black hair stepped out of the carriage. Francis immediately recognised him as the Queen of Hearts and the strong built blonde man who came out after him as the King.
Francis smiled as he watched the group walk towards him, the King and Queen glancing at each other and nodding, reassuring each other. Like the Clubs, Francis always analysed the relationship of the King and Queen of Hearts to be another partnership based on the interests of the Kingdom. Just like all other monarchs, their marriage to the Kingdom was an act of tradition and prioritised the Kingdom over their own feelings. The determination of who is going to be King and Queen is as simple as being born; somewhere on the child at birth is a symbol on their bodies that determines whether they are going to have a place in the royal court. The symbols appear regardless of the baby’s gender, so it is completely possible for there to be female Kings and male Queens, Francis has noticed that within recent generations, male Kings and Queens being placed together was becoming more regular. The Kingdom has funny ways of deciding its rulers, gender is not an issue.
Francis and Lili welcomed Ludwig and Kiku into their Kingdom, thanking them for coming, and praying that they enjoy their stay. The Hearts were kind, and not as shy as the first time Francis met the young monarchs at the last conference, they seemed to have grown a lot in their short two years of power.
Within minutes of the Hearts entering the castle, the Clubs arrived at the castle. Francis couldn’t help but smile as he watched the King and Queen of Clubs walking towards them and greeted them like old friends. Queen Elizabeta happily pointed out how Lili had grown in height, and Ivan admitted that he loved the sun and was disappointed by he did not see the sun much in his Kingdom.
Finally, the familiar shade of royal blue accompanied by the symbol of Spades flashed on the side of a carriage. The door opened and the Ace exited from the carriage, and like the other Aces, he kept the tradition of holding his sword handle, ready to protect the King and Queen from any attack. The Ace had soft and fluffy blonde hair, with an outstanding curl. The Jack followed afterwards, dressed properly, with his long black hair tied back into a pony tail. Francis took in a deep breath, readying himself to meet his new allies for the first time.
However, something felt off, the next figure to step out of the carriage wore something that made the Diamond King frown with confusion. The tall man wore the royal blue coat of the King of Spades, making Francis wonder why the King of Spades was breaking the tradition and stepping out before his Queen. The Jack of Spades visibly sighed, while the Ace simply smiled at the King, as though he found it amusing.
The King of Spades was a tall young man with golden blonde and sandy coloured hair, whilst his smile reflected his confidence and pride and rectangular frames stood before his oceanic blue eyes. The King stood before the carriage and extended his hand to the door, where a pale hand reached out, and flashing two rings on his fingers. Finally the figure stepped out of the carriage and revealed themselves to the Diamond Monarch, the Queen of Spades.
Francis froze as the Queen stepped gracefully out of the carriage, holding the hand of his King, smiling sweetly as he watched his step.
His blonde hair glistened in the sunlight and his intoxicating green eyes looked up to stare at Francis from underneath bold eyebrows, making his entire body tense from the power of his stare, like he had just cast a spell on the King. Francis found himself captivated by the Queen of Spades and watched hopelessly as the Queen hooked his arm around the Kings.
This sight shocked Francis, he had never seen the King and Queen walk together like that, attached by the arms, nor had he seen a King and Queen look at each other the way that they did right before him.
Despite this confusion, Francis could not take his eyes off of the Queen of Spades, feeling his anxiety rise with every step the man took towards him. Francis struggled to breathe when he got a better look at the young man’s face, sinking deeper into his state of shock and hopeless confusion.
Francis watched the young Queens perfect lips part as he drew in a sharp breath, his eyes widening as he stared right through Francis' soul. His looks alone took Francis' breath away... Everything from his wide eyes, his small nose to the pigments on his cheeks, the rest of the world around him became a blur, with only The Queen remaining as clear as glass. Francis' heart raced so fast, it was beginning to hurt his chest.
He watched as the Queen slowly came closer to him, and Francis' thought process shut down, he stuttered and struggled to breathe, as though he were about to suffer from a heart attack. His face numbed and his hands became heavy enough to make him have to fight falling to his knees.
He felt his hands sweat, his knees weaken and his throat tense, preventing him from speaking when he found himself face to face with the King and Queen of Spades.
Francis struggled to think of the words to say as he was crushed under the stare of the Queen of Spades, his heart aching.
“Welcome to the Kingdom of Diamonds,” Lili explained, politely curtsying before their visitors, bringing the King back to reality.
“Y-yes, welcome,” Francis added as he tried to not sound so shaken, extending his hand to shake the hand of the King of Spades, “it’s a pleasure to finally meet you both.” He firmly shook the hand of the King of Spades, trying his best to keep his hand steady and to keep his eyes off of the Queen, despite how much his heart begged for him to keep looking at the beauty that stood before him. “I am Francis, and this is my Queen Lili.”
“Pleasure,” the Queen of Spades replied, extending his hand towards Francis, where he took the Queens hand and bent down to kiss it, astonished by how light and how soft his skin was to kiss.
“I am Alfred,” The King explained as Francis let the Queens hand dropped, not wanting to stare at it for any longer than needed.
“Arthur,” The Queen added, his voice sending a shiver through Francis’ entire body.
Arthur, Francis repeated in his mind, astonished by how even the Queens name was beautiful… Francis shook himself out of this phase, how could he be thinking these things about another Queen?! He had never felt such a powerful attraction towards someone before, why is this happening to him now? This anxiety writhed in his stomach and cried within his heart, his head pounded so hard and demanded his attention to such a high level, it made his feel dizzy, and the longer he looked at Arthur, the worse it became.
Internally he panicked when all of the monarchs turned around to walk back into the castle, and he found Arthur standing by his side, however, his arm was still linked with Alfred’s, as though they were glued together.
“Francis?” Alfred frowned, “are you feeling well?”
“You seem flushed…” Arthur pointed out; with his concern only making Francis feel worse.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” Francis promised, internally screaming. However, once he looked to his other side to see Lili, he knew that she wasn’t convinced.
“Do you need to rest?” She whispered.
“I’ll go to my study when we get inside, I just need to breathe, I’m dizzy,” Francis mumbled, leaning into his Queen to allow her to hear without risking Alfred or Arthur catching on.
“Are you sure that you want to miss the introduction?” Lili asked, Francis looked past Lili to see Vash and Antonio staring at him with worried glares, as though his discomfort was incredibly obvious.
It would be wise for him to disappear…
“Is everything ok?” Alfred asked, finally drawing the attention back to him and Arthur.
“Yes,” Francis replied as the grand doors to the Diamond castle opened to reveals the beautiful entrance hall, a chandelier hung in the centre of the large hall, which was decorated with diamonds and elegant flower displays.
“This place is so beautiful…” Arthur gasped.
Francis couldn’t take it, he felt like he was about to explode, he looked to Vash and spoke,
“Vash, may you escort our latest guests to the meeting room?” Francis asked.
“Wait, are you not coming?” Alfred asked.
“I will be there soon, I just need to check something quickly,” Francis replied as he began to make his way up the staircase, “please, do enjoy your stay; the other monarchs are very excited to meet you both.”
Francis escaped as quickly as he could, despite the distance he created his heart didn’t calm. As the door to his office slammed shut the King sighed heavily as he grasped his head through his clothes, cursing under his breath. However, he looked to his chair to see that a figure was already sitting there, staring at him with narrowed blood-red eyes that contrasted his ghostly pale skin and white hair he was dressed completely in black, which only made him stand out further in the bright office, Francis froze and braced himself to call for the guards.
“Don’t bother calling for your guards,” the man murmured, his voice was coarse and deep, and sent a shiver down Francis’ spine. The figure smiled as he crossed over his slender fingers.
It was then that the King realised the identity of the figure that sat before him, he was a man of legend, or depending on who was asked, a demon on earth. The bringer of bad luck. The teller of Doom. Or more formally, The Joker.
“Why are you here?” Francis asked, terrified of what terrible prediction the Joker was going to give him, or what curse he could inflict.
No one knows much about the Joker, as he isn’t seen enough to be properly studied and the majority of people do not believe him to be more than a superstition or wives-tale. The legend says that he stands back and watched the world go by, being in multiple places at once, and collecting information about everyone he watched. Some say that he knows the future and is sitting back and waiting for it to happen. But most believe that he appears to give people words of warning, but yet … his presence is said to be a sign of impending doom.
“I’ve been intrigued…” The Joker answered, “I’ve never seen a King fall in love with the Queen of another Kingdom, especially upon first sight. That was very impressive.”
Francis spat, “I am not in love! I barely know him, he could have a terrible personality!!”
The Joker laughed loudly, “You are wrong about both of those!! If you knew who he really was, you’d fall in love with him even more…”
“I can’t be…” Francis murmured, his mind refused to accept the Jokers words, but his heart agreed with each one.
“Your heart cries, it cries for attention, it cries for mercy and love. And it just so happened to be awakened right as you saw that man step out of the carriage.”
“Shut up!!” Francis snapped.
“Don’t get mad at me, I am the messenger,” The Joker pointed out, “your heart chose what it wanted, and that happened to be the worst possible person!”
“How so?” Francis asked.
“You noticed the way the King and Queen of Spades looked at each other and how they walked arm and arm…” The Joker explained, tapping his long black fingernails on the dark wood of Francis’ desk. “They are the first loving King and Queen that I have ever seen! They are married to each other, as well as their Kingdom. That is why they both wear two rings, instead of one. They are one.”
Francis sighed as he looked to the floor, staring hopelessly at his reflection in the marble flooring.
“This is one of the most interesting things I have seen during my time as the Joker.”
“So, do you find this funny?” Francis hissed.
“And … tragic …” The Joker pointed out, raising his eyebrows as he leaned back into the chair, “well… it will be tragic. You want something that you can’t have…”
“What are you here to tell me?” Francis asked.
“Well. I am giving you some insight… you can act on the cries of your heart; however, the price that will come with it will be catastrophic. But, if you choose to keep these feelings to yourself, only you alone will suffer…”