I don't own Hetalia

Cardverse AU

Watch Over Me

Once upon a time in a magical faraway land, there were four royal siblings. Their parents, the King and Queen of the vast land, which included snowy mountains, thick forests, soft meadows and uncountable islands, loved their four children so much that they decided to end the circle of only the eldest inheriting the whole country, since they loved their children equally.

Once the monarchs grew old and tired, they divided their land into four parts. They spent years trying to find the best balance between the quality and the size of the land, so that none of their children would receive the biggest share with the most prosperous soil. After many twists and turns, the pair had found a solution.

The eldest inherited the largest, but most scraggy part, the mountains, where it could get so cold, a person would freeze to death with one breath.

The second oldest gained the most fertile soil, but his part was mostly land-locked. The third child had direct access to the sea and his kingdom was medium-sized, but he had to share two long borders with the lands of his elder siblings.

The youngest child recieved the smallest country, but his was quite prosperous. Furthermore, with its many islands he had the best control of the sea which connected the four kingdoms.

The parents permitted them to give their kingdoms a name and determine a capital each. Ever since their founding, the Kingdoms of Clubs, Diamonds, Spades and Hearts existed next to each other in harmony and equality. Despite the close connection between the nations, the people started to identify more and more with their home countries and distinct cultures developed.

As time passed, the friendly relationships between the kingdoms became more strained, so that the solution was found to marry into other royal houses.

Thus, the heritable position of solitary King received back-up from the gainable positions of Queen and Jack, none of those were attached to a gender, even men could become Queens.

But destiny also had her hand in the game. Sometimes, she decided who would become the next Queen, Jack, or in very rare cases, also King. Destiny made her decisions noticeable by changing the Mark of the Kingdom each citizen bore. Most people, or at least very religious people, worshiped destiny by giving her the name of Joker.

Predominantly, the people of Clubs and Spades believed that their patron saint was the Black Joker, whereas the citizens of Diamonds and Hearts believed her to be the Red Joker. Nevertheless, the Jokers were also feared. The people thought if they didn't sacrifice enough and kept their gods satisfied, they could bring mischief across the country and wreak havoc and harm. They thought fate could play tricks on them and make their lives miserable.

Soon, the saying arose that the King of each country had direct access to the Jokers and negotiated with them. This, of course, was an old folklore which gave the heads of state much more power than they actually possessed. Some citizens even thought that their Kings were the real protectors of their lands and defended them from the Jokers. These groups of people then invented a riddle which summed up their beliefs.

The King of Hearts who has Love

The King of Diamonds who has Wealth

The King of Clubs who has Luck

The King of Spades who has Power

This story is about two brothers who lost themselves in the net of fantasy and had to find a way back to each other.

It took three heavy knocks on his solid oak door to rip him out of his thoughts. With an audible gasp, the young man faced the door and attempted to make himself look presentable. Even though he was fully clothed, his perfectionist side never rested. After straightening his long velvet red cape and adjusting his buttoned jacket, the blond allowed the person on the other side of the door to enter.

"Come in.", he said, with a much-suppressed sigh. Today was a very stressful day for him. In a few hours he would ascend the throne of Hearts and be the head of state until his death. He would be the next King of this country which had a, let's say, interesting history.

The woman pushed the door open and immediately addressed the young man in the center of the room. Ludwig liked Erzsébet a lot, she was very nice and always gave people a piece of her mind when she disagreed with them, she impressed the young prince quite a bit. This woman was fierce and brave, but also gentle and kind to the ones she cared about. Like him, for instance.

"Ludwig!", the woman in the green dress addressed him happily, but as soon as she saw the depressed expression of the future King, she herself faltered a bit and asked "Are you excited? Maybe a bit nervous?"

Ludwig swallowed and fumbled at his collar. Why were all these clothes so stuffy and hot? "A bit. Maybe.", he croaked. The lady smiled and wrapped him in a hug, ruffling his combed hair. Sometimes, people did wonder how she became Queen of Clubs with her manners. Ludwig appreciated the gesture nonetheless. "You will do wonderfully, your parents would be so proud!", she encouraged.

His parents. Sadly, his father died as soon as Ludwig was born, and his mother had not been well ever since. After also his elder brother deceased, or rather disappeared, his mother could not bear the fate, and this gave her the rest. All his family had left Ludwig alone on this earth and dumped the responsibilities of kingship on him.

Luckily, he had some friends who helped him out, such as his cousin Roderich and his wife Erzsébet, Kiku and Feliciano. The latter two had also run the kingdom as Queen and Jack, until Ludwig came of age, which was today. Happy Birthday…

Erzsébet let go off him, but held him at arm's length, grinning broadly with a nostalgic look on her face. "If only Gilbert could see you now…" Ludwig wasn't sure if the glistening tears in her eyes were of sadness or joy. It could be both.

The woman straightened and flopped her arms to her sides, changing the topic. "Well, if you need anything, Roddy and I will be right here for you. We will probably be in the gardens until the ceremony starts." Ludwig just nodded, not really paying attention. He had other thoughts which were occupying his mind.

The Queen was aware of Ludwig's helplessness in social situations and could read him quite well. With a fond smile, she reached for the door handle and stepped into the hall. "Really, sweetie, we all support you. You can ask us all for help, if you would just-" shaking her head, she cut herself off, but the Prince could clearly understand her mumbled words. "Sometimes you are just too much like your brother."

Freeing her out of the awkward situation, Ludwig thanked the woman, who left in turn, and stepped to the large bay window in his chamber. Through the window, he stared down at the glittering sea, with faint islands on the horizon, behind which he imagined the shores of Spades.

People from far and near were dismounting from expensive looking ships, but the future King cared more for the townsfolk who had taken long journeys to see him and congratulate him. Hopefully, he would not disappoint them somehow. He had a legacy to live up to after all.

With a new-found idea, the prince scrambled out of his room, ran down countless halls and turns, hoping he would not meet anyone on his way (what would the people think if they saw their King running and looking like a stressed rabbit?). Luckily, he did not even see guards or any servants, he assumed they were rechecking if everything was in order or were greeting the guests (and making sure there were not any assassinations planned on the visiting royals).

With a large step, the young man shut the double doors of the drawing room and turned the key in the lock. The satisfying click permitted the man to breathe, to calm his pained nerves. He was safe. He was alone. The room was not the actual drawing room of the castle, but rather almost a vault. Ludwig heard his shoes making click sounds on the clear marble floor as he stepped around and admired how the rays of sunlight illuminated the countless crowns the room contained.

Each crown was positioned on a pristine velvet pillow on a stone pillar and covered by a glass globe, put into position to let their whole beauty and might resemble the era of their deceased owners. On the walls, right behind the crown jewels, hung portraits of all of Hearts' Kings throughout history between hanging drapes. The serenity of the room's atmosphere calmed Ludwig down and he felt at ease.

The Prince looked to the right and saw the portrait and crown of King William I, the founder of Hearts. He had a ridiculously large mustache, which had almost always made Ludwig chuckle the countless times he had been there. He passed other crowns and more and more Kings, until he passed his father's. His father's crown was as traditional as possible, the used metals being mainly gold and a little bit of silver. The gemstones were rubies and diamonds and the fur lines were mink.

Subconsciously, the young man touched the fur of his own cape and stroked it. With a sigh he looked up, right into the stern grey eyes of his father. He was standing in front of a wall with ornate wallpaper, the featured room of the painting was still looking like then, Ludwig noticed. The drawn man was wearing expensive clothes, fit for royalty, he would say. Looking as determined and stoic as ever, the former King was clutching the side of his meter-long red cape, which was by far the most traditional cloth of the Kingdom.

His father had always liked to keep his hair long and flowy, sometimes even braided, giving him a natural appearance. Though, most of his friends had teased him, saying he looked rather "barbaric" with his natural hair, whereas they kept their powdered wigs in a braid or decorated with a bow. How pretentious some people were, Ludwig thought shaking his head. Gilbert always said his hair looked "girlish" instead, riling his father up more than those people ever could.

The prince snapped his head to the next crown, this one looking quite out of place. He took a step forward and sat on the floor, using his cape as pillow (that piece of clothing must have had some use). Ludwig gazed up and for a moment got lost in the hypnotizing radiance of the sunlight reflected by the dark gemstones. From form to color, this crown had little to no resemblance to all others in the room.

Instead of gold, it was used silver. Instead of diamonds, black gemstones were tipping the edges of the piece. Instead of the round forms of the common crowns, this King's crown was sharp, and its edges looked like mountains rising from a dark cloud, the stark black fur lining. The only resemblance, was a clear heart-shaped ruby in the front, which was standing out a lot more against the black background of the metal.

With a sad smile, the Prince's eyes wandered upward, and he looked at the portrait of his brother. The featured King himself differed from the others just as much as his crown. The young man was sitting casually on his throne, his legs crossed and hands caressing a scepter. His clothes were a stark red and black, darkening the atmosphere of the oil painting and highlighting his unhealthy-looking white skin. His head was leaning to the side, making a part of his spiky white hair fall the same way. Most people would be scared, or at least made uneasy by the sinister smile, which was revealing his canine-like teeth and by his demonic red eyes.

"Oh, Gilbert, I miss you so much." The prince sighed, what seemed to be the thousandth time that day. Hopefully, he would not have to make a habit out of it. "I wish you were here. You could support me and tell me where I go wrong. I just feel so unprepared, I cannot be King, I am scared of the future and of the responsibilities my "job" is attached to." Feeling more secured und less self-conscious about his conversation with a painting, the prince grew more confident and the words seemed to fall out of his mouth on their own.

"How can I live up to you, you were so great. You made Hearts much richer than ever before and expanded our land, even if it made the other kingdoms hate you. I know that some things you did were not correct, or justified, such as somehow managing to abolish the Reign of Three. You know, historians are still puzzling over how you passed the law that made Hearts' Queen and Jack "illegal" to put it into your words. But, were your Queen and Jack so bad? I don't remember them, I was too young. My Queen Kiku and Jack Feliciano are quite nice, and I dare call them my friends. The other Kingdoms reintroduced the Reign of Three after the end of The War of Cards, after you…", he swallowed "die- disappeared. Mother died shortly after."

A gloved thumb cleared his eyes off the salty water. "A lot has happened after you were gone. For instance, Spades got a new King, Alfred, he is just slightly older than me. He was chosen by the Red Joker, it was his destiny to become King. He was a commoner; can you believe that?" He looked at his brother with the expectation of disapproval, but got none. Realizing he was just talking to a painting, a blush rose to his cheeks and he looked to the floor.

"Sometimes, I do wonder how life would be if we had not been a royal family, but maybe bakers? I like baking. If we had just lived on a farm, far away from the castle and went just about our own business. Maybe the stress of being King would have not made you sick and maybe then you would still be here."

"Those were the worst days of my life. The war was raging just beyond our borders and mother and I had to look on how you were wasting away. Even the best doctors from all kingdoms could not identify what was causing you harm. I guess the first mental kick in the gut for me was when you were starting to get slower and were out of breath much, much faster than usual. We were playing catch together, remember? And one afternoon, I was running up that hill in the back of the castle, near the lake, and I just heard panting behind me and it was you leaning against a lantern. I was concerned and asked you about it, but you just coughed in the back of your hand and told me "Don't worry, Luddy. Now, let's race back to the castle". I thought you were fine, but, but why did you lie to me?!" The blond drove a hand through his hair and exhaled. He was getting way into this.

"I only noticed that you were not fine, when about two weeks after that incident, the doctor gave you that cane to walk with. Don't think I didn't notice how you lost your swagger more and more each day, no matter how hard you tried to hide it from me. The walls do have ears and mouths, you know. And then, shortly after, you were bed-ridden. Only propped-up by pillows you were exhausted even when just lying there. You were wheezing and coughing, and no one knew how to help you! It was horrible. You never said anything about your health, ever."

Ludwig held his head in his head, shaking it slightly. "That one time when it was important to know about how you were doing, that one time it was important to hear about you, you just didn't say anything. Why couldn't you have bragged then about yourself?"

"We spent one last evening together. You told the servants to fetch me and then leave. I stood in the doorway, uncertain if I should enter. You encouraged me by moving over in your enormous bed. Even if there was enough space to begin with, you patted the free spot beside you. I appreciated the gesture more than you know. So, I came up to you, scrambling on your bed, to your side. For a long time, you were just holding me, and I gave in to your embrace."

"Then, you spoke up, your voice raspier than ever before. You sounded like a stranger, like someone giving up. I would have never imagined this description would one day apply to you, you have never given up. You even taught me not to give up. You said "I guess that's it. I am proud of you, Luddy. Make sure to show the world what you're made of." I was too young to know what the words "I guess that's it" meant. I did not expect them to mean that you would just disappear overnight. The next day, you were just gone. No trace whatsoever. After years of looking for you, you were declared dead."

"Mother could not bear it any longer. At first it was father who left her for Heaven and then there was your peculiar "death". People said, the Red Joker must have (finally) gotten you. She couldn't move on. Well, and now, there is just me. Next in line for the throne of Hearts. Oh dear…"

A moment of silence passed in which the Prince gathered his thoughts. "You had many admirers. The people of your Kingdom worshipped you like a god. Some nobles found it really surprising to see that despite your erm, self-centered attitude you cared for your people and raised their living standards considerately in the brief time you reigned."

"It was the simple folk you counted on the most. That was smart and well thought through to implement your plans of expanding Hearts. But you also made enemies, especially the nobles from all kingdoms were mostly opposed to you. First of all, because you denied them the desired positions of Queen and Jack of Hearts- " Ludwig smiled as he looked at the grinning face on the portrait. It seemed to him as if the painted man was aware of his actions in the past and remembered them with humor.

"And then, of course the Kings, Queens and Jacks who did not appreciate you diminishing their kingdoms. Although, as I have gathered, Queen Arthur secretly admired you, even though he accused you of warmongery. Roderich and Erzsébet didn't care much either, since they were still thankful for you managing to give Roderich the position of Jack of Clubs, so that Erzsébet didn't have to go there alone and live with your nemesis Ivan."

"I still don't know why Ivan's parents wanted him to marry her especially and why Erzsébet's parents agreed with it, I thought they liked Roderich as son-in-law. But here in Hearts she would have not had any perspective to climb the social ladder. Wait, why did you not just make her your Queen? She is not that bad. And you were friends, somehow." Only his brother's sinister face answered him.

"Oh, I see, you knew that if you made her Queen, Roderich would have pestered you to no end and be jealous as heck. He would have been as annoying as he could be and then you would have given in. No matter how stubborn you were, Roderich has his ways to mush people with his personality. So, if he had become Jack, you three would have worked much closer together and I can imagine you feared Erzsébet would have always sided with her lover and you would have had no say anymore in kingdom affairs. You probably didn't want the constant Roderich-ness around you and shipped both off to another kingdom to let them and yourself live in peace, even if it meant to negotiate with King Ivan."

"I knew you were mischievous but not that manipulative.", he chuckled. A few moments passed when just sat there, a future King, sitting cross-legged on the floor, talking to a deceased person on a painting and chuckling to himself remembering shared experiences.

With a heavy sigh, the man stood up and adjusted his cape, which had become quite mess of fabric behind him. "Wish me luck, brother. And watch over me." He fished out his necklace from under his jacket and raised the cross pendant to his lips, kissing the iron softly. "I will come talk to you once the coronation and the festivities are over." With a pat on the glass globe, which contained his brother's crown and a respectful nod towards the painting, the Prince turned around and left the gallery, shutting the double doors softly.

What the Heir didn't notice, were the two translucent figures which were peering through one of the many windows. The hand that stroked the glass where the Prince just left through the doors, belonged to a floating man with a teary expression on his face.

"Are you crying?", a boyish voice piped up next to him, giving him a toothy smile.

"No, brat. Those are signs of awesome." The man shook his head changing the topic. "Isn't he just brilliant?", referring to the person they had been watching the whole time.

"If you care so much about him, why don't you just go talk to him?", the boy asked.

The elder rolled his eyes but tried not to look too annoyed. "Shaddup, kid. You know I can only talk to him as soon as he is King." A smirk tucked at the taller man's face and mischievously he reminded his friend something. "Now, we have a spell to prepare!" Grinning, the boy flew after his elder into the forests.

"Finally!"

Author's Note:

Sooooo, this is chapter 1 already! I have worked on this story for longer that I would like to admit because it means a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it. I just adore Hetalia AUs especially Cardverse, there are so many possibilities for a fanfiction! It's like, having some kind of guidelines, but at the same time you can invent the characters' backgrounds however you want and you can build on the existence of magic quite well.

Hopefully, you like my work and might give me some feedback. Thank you so much, I love you!

English is NOT my native language