Warnings: Angst and Language

A special thanks to Jade who helped write out this scene as well as beta-d.

Also I do not own Hetalia or these characters, Himaruya has that honor.

Chapter 10: Ten of Spades

Kingdom of Diamonds: Throne Room
~Confrontation~

With a loud thud the grand golden doors were shut and suddenly everything that once glimmered was considerably darker, the only light let in was from the saffron stained glass windows within the darkened throne room. Just as the room had transformed in an instant,

so did the mood between the Kings that were now meeting eye to eye.

There was no need to uphold stupid protocol; it was now a war between two powerful men.

"I believe I already know what's on your mind."

Francis said, inviting Alfred to come to his throne.

"There's no need to act so innocent about the matter."

Alfred complied, not saying a word of his business until he was before the King.

"Do you now? Then that will make this a hell of a lot shorter than it has to be."

Alfred replied, slight sarcasm in his words joined with a forced smile.

"Now- who the fuck do you think you are?"

Francis gave an equally snide smirk finding Alfred's rage to amuse him so, perhaps far too much to Alfred's dismay.
"You cut me at the wick, Alfred." The Diamond King gasped in sing song voice, overly dramatic per usual and enough to get under Alfred's skin.
"You shouldn't complain of what you've allowed to permit."
Francis chided, shaking a sole index finger at him which served to irritate the young King.

"Well, I won't have it, not anymore!"
Alfred stated firmly, using his restraint to keep him as calm as possible before he did something regretful.
"I want you to stop seeing him."
He communicated clearly, fists clenched tightly at his sides as he tried to contain his anger.
Peace was more important for their Kingdoms, so he needed to focus on it rather than the desire to pummel that snide man who idly watched him on the throne with that condescending smirk.

"Now now, no need to get so upset over this.
Perhaps we should discuss this over some wine and a meal?"
The very manner that he spoke in to Alfred was enough to ignite the tension between them.
If Francis continued to speak down to him, Alfred wasn't sure how much more it would be until there was a fist in that frog's face.

"You're pushing it, yellow belly." Alfred hissed in warning,
his teeth clenched tightly and he was ready to strike if needed.

"There isn't a need to resort to name calling. I believe we're past grade school, Young King."
Francis replied, receiving a deep growl through gritted teeth in return, only to sigh in disappointment at Alfred's insolence in silence.
"Well I see you're not willing to pay mind to reason, are you? Fine then, I'll tell you as it is."
Francis spoke frankly, as if he were the wiser one among them,
quite tired of beating around the bush.
"I'm afraid the relationship Arthur and I have does not include you and therefore does not concern you. I'll only stop seeing him if he wishes to end it."

"You bastard!" Alfred yelled, using all the control he had to keep his feet firmly in place.
" He's my husband and I'm not willing to share!"
Alfred calmed himself best he could, focusing on breathing through his nose, rather than to allow his chest to rise as much as he was expressed in warning,
" I won't be nice about it a second time, so end it or I'm going to end you."

This comment came with caution, but it brought Francis to a deep laughter and it also made him wonder how far Alfred would be willing to take this. Surely he knew Alfred was no pushover, but he needed to know if his motives were true.
The threat seemed empty so he decided to play with the young King a while longer, by ignoring the request against his better judgment.
"Tell me Alfred; are you aware that you can't satisfy our own Queen?"
Alfred offered a low growl between tightly closed lips, not dignifying him with a response so Francis continued.
"He would not go seeking the favor of anyone else if you were able to satisfy him, you know.
Arthur requires something more passionate and a certain je ne sais quoi that I'm afraid your inexperience is horribly lacking in."

"Shut up! No one asked you about that! I just want you to stop seeing him."
Alfred barked back, face flushing slightly though his glare stayed perfectly placed on his face.

Francis grinned at the young King, knowing that he's pushing Alfred to his last nerve.
"You forget I am not the one pleading for his husband in return, am I?
I can have whomever I desire and the fact that I have your Arthur should be proof of that.
He's a fine prize indeed, beautiful, and perfectly miserable on his own…
I am simply tending a wild rose that had long been abandoned." Francis replied.

Alfred didn't want to admit it and there was no way in hell he'd ever admit to it to Francis especially.
He knew that he hadn't been such a good husband to Arthur, but he thought that the other understood.
He had only been doing all this hard work to get to the peace between all four kingdoms quickly so he could spend the rest of his time happily with his beloved, a far off dream now. Yes, the dream he had for them both had disappeared, but despite that fact Alfred wasn't ready to give up on the man he loved.
This could be remedied, once the frog was out of the way and Alfred truly believed it.

"Well, because I, unlike you, actually love Arthur!
Sure, you're bedding him now but for how much longer before he finds someone better than you?

He's cheated on me with you, what makes you think he won't cheat on you with someone else?
And don't give me that bullshit of you being the best lover there is on this damn planet because there is always someone better than you.
You can't be the best in the world.

-Hell, you're not even that good looking!
I don't see what Arthur sees in you...so maybe he's just using your sorry ass because you were the easiest fuck he could find."

Francis couldn't help chuckle at Alfred's comment, finding it did little to hurt his pride but the bite in him was amusing.
Francis could sense Alfred's insecurity with that weak rebuttal and the Diamond King was not against exploiting it for his own gain.
"Well then I suppose there is no other reason, oh mighty King of Spades!"
Francis laughed, claiming himself to be the best lover in all of the land, only to return to his smirk with harsh eyes.
" You forget, that the bond between Arthur and I has been thickened over time.
You can't simply attribute it to my skills in the bedroom.
Well I suppose you could, but that would be beside the point.
Arthur's motives are something you'll have to ask him, I however simply fill out his needs, which happens to be the very ones you are lacking in."
He said with a raised eyebrow.

"If that's all you have on me, then I suggest you'd better start counting your blessings."
Alfred stated, cracking his knuckles in forewarning of the pummeling Francis would receive if he continued to press on Alfred's last nerve;
the bastard already had it too good as it was.

"The sad thing is: It is everything."
Francis replied smoothly, with little effort to argue for dominance in the conversation.

"Hey! I can fix my not being there for him, I don't get why you're stupid enough to be so confident."
Alfred snapped back, his thought spoken with no restraint.

"Because my dear Spade, its confidence that wins the way and the heart.
-Tell me Alfred, can you love someone who might not even have ever loved you?
I've known him for far longer and I know his past for I, in truth, was his past."
He hoped this would be enough to stop Alfred if only for a moment and he succeeded in that alone,
however the pause brought about an answer he was not expecting.

"Time is of no consequence."
Alfred said as he shook his head, trying to regain his bite and the statement managed to silence Francis a moment.
While he was losing the battle for Arthur's heart, it didn't mean he was going to easily give in to that fornicating bastard.
Not while he was Alfred F. Jones, King of Spades!

"Love does not constitute of only sex, wine bastard, but of course you wouldn't know that considering you only see sex as the equal of love.
Love is so much more than that, but I'm sure that you've just tossed that aside as a mere child's naivete to the meaning of the word."

Francis swallowed hard at Alfred's truth filled words, realizing how sweet they were and that his motives were true.
Francis had cast the romantic portion of a relationship aside for so long, seeing it as something reserved for children and in the process;
he ended up redefining love as something it was not.
Alfred continued with a soft smile on his lips, love in his eyes, but with an even greater passion to defend his love for Arthur in his words.

"I don't know what Arthur's motives are, but I do know this:
I love him...and yes, he has hurt me and I've allowed it, but I've only done it 'cause I knew that I wasn't giving him the proper attention he deserved.
He is the joy of my life...and I will not stand down this time.
I will not step aside to allow some wine drinking, cheese eating, disease carrying asshole to steal him away from me!
So guess what? I will be fighting for his affections and I will prove to him that I'm a much better lover than you are!
I will do what I couldn't before and then we'll see just where you stand."

As much as Francis wished to comment, he wasn't given the opportunity for the Spade's passion had allowed him to take the floor.
"Hell, it's not much of a fight anyways, since I've already won his heart years ago.
That's the only reason I'm putting up with this shit, because I know that in the end, he loves me and I love him and no one will stand in the way of that!"

Now ordinarily Francis would step aside and simply let true love prevail, for it was in his nature to do so; however Alfred had succeeded in pissing him off.
Alfred really loved Arthur and to stand in the way of true love was foolish and even against the code he lived by, but the boy needed to learn his place and Francis did not want to lose.

"That's so touching and sentimental, but I do I hope you plan on fighting for a long while.
I have no intentions of letting him go for obviously he still shares interest in me."

"You're lying." Alfred accused, refusing to believe Arthur would want Francis still.

"Am I?" The Diamond King asked to bring about doubt, pulling a letter from his breast pocket that Alfred knew was distinctly written by Arthur's hand. He took little time to unfold it, making sure that Alfred caught a glimpse of the letter before he read it.

"Francis, I'm aware that you wanted to end the relationship, but I know that you need me."
He read aloud, attempting Arthur's signature accent, failing considerably however, there was no mistaking the words simply by ear.
Francis went on, his lips curled as he spoke smoothly of Arthur pleading for him to stave away the loneliness another night more, knowing that his dear husband would be gone for weeks time allowing for another tryst between secret lovers.

Though Francis was attempting to bring fire to Alfred's rage, he had only made him realize how miserable Arthur truly had been on his own.
Every word simply pierced Alfred's heart, knowing how lonely Arthur had been, all to his fault and as he pondered this Francis read on until there was nothing to be said.

"You see? He has no interest in you while he has me."
Francis stated, tossing the worthless note at Alfred's direction, but he just let it land at his feet, refusing to even give it any attention.
Had he, he would have noted the letter was years old, but Francis was relying on Alfred's foolish anger to work in his favor and the young Spade took the bait.
"If you intend to keep your lover satisfied, I suggest you let him stay in my humble care. Playing the hero will only get you so far…"

"I'll fucking murder you before I let that happen!" Alfred promised in a low growl that did crescendo into a shout.

"Ooooh, is that a threat?" Francis asked, quirking an eyebrow.
He knew that Alfred was livid, there wouldn't be much more to hold him back other than his belief in justice, so he'd exploit that if needed to protect himself.
"You are outmatched here King of Spades, remember you are a guest in my house.
I wouldn't resort to such threats, lest we need to get the guards involved."
Francis warned in sing song, quickly to remind the Spade of his reserve.

"You know, I was thinking about the same thing."
Alfred replied with an air of confidence and a wicked smile that seemed so out of place that it made Francis curious.
Had he finally gone mad, was the first thought to cross his mind and once Alfred put his hand into the breast of his coat Francis was on edge.
The scroll sealed with blue wax Yao had warned against resorting to was in hand and sadly,
at this point Alfred was willing to go to any length he had to in order to claim what was his.
"I came to bring you this." He said, placing the declaration in the palm of the Diamond King's hand.

"For me, is it?" Francis asked, taking the paper and feeling the weight that was within it.
His blood was beginning to run cold as fear set in as the cold glare from Alfred embedded into Francis' soul.
To trifle with the Kingdom of Spades was foolishness and it took this moment for him to realize that.
Slowly he took the letter opener from the table at his side to open the scroll, placed it down and read the warning silently to himself.
Silence followed after once he set the letter aside and just stared the Spade down, who was now his enemy in the battlefield.
"I accept."

The response was unexpected, enough to surprise Alfred who thought that the coward would run, but now wasn't the time to lose face.
"Wonderful. See you on the battle field."
Alfred said sarcastically with an insincere smile on his face, the only thing keeping his control together.

"Not if I meet you in passing from your bedroom first." Francis replied.
The statement was enough to set him off, but Alfred used his rage to walk away from this.
He would have his vengeance as far as he was concerned, where the world was a stage and every Kingdom would watch the Diamonds go to their crushing defeat.

The golden doors that required at least two strong men to open were easily pushed apart in a single thrust by the young King, who walked out enraged, the Spade servant following closely behind.
The very loud shuddering of doors was enough to startle the courtyard hens, their gossip ceasing as they caught sight of a very angry Spade King leaving the premise along with their breaths.

"What has happened?"
A soft voice asked from the Queen's terrace that overlooked that courtyard.
"There was such a loud noise."
At first her ladies in waiting attempted to ignore her, since there were no guards about and the guards had quickly learned to keep from the affairs of women, Lily was often bullied and mocked.

The flaxen Queen Lily leaned over, hoping to catch a glimpse of what had transpired and still persistent in discovering the truth for she knew Francis would never tell her.
"The man was in blue garb, a Spade perhaps?"
She asked, seeking confirmation however her ladies in waiting were quite awful to her and often ignored her, due to Francis' sister Princess Camille Bonnefoy, who was mad with jealousy of Lily's favor with the King.

The conceited maiden with the most adornments rose for her perch, nose high as she spoke,
leading the ladies indoors,
"It's much too hot, let us retire indoors, ladies."
"Yes let's, Miss Camille." The maiden with shorter blonde hair replied through a playful grin, helping the princess with her gown.
However the other girl, hair bound by ribbon red, felt guilt in ignoring her Queen considering she was assigned to her, however Camille was far more terrifying and it was best not to make her cross.
"Angelique!" The princess beckoned, her sharp eyes glaring daggers to the lady in waiting.
"Coming!" The girl with cinnamon skin replied, simply following orders and disappeared inside before Lily could receive an appropriate answer.

Queen Lily sighed in defeat, watching from the distance as the gate opened, releasing the guests in blue to their travels.
The Jack of Diamonds, her brother, forced by duty to escort the Spades out was mindful to close the gates tightly after they left before he could go to his King's side.
Both siblings knew that nothing good could come from such an abrupt visit and yet curiosity still compelled them to wonder, what would become of them now as a people and for the life they had known as of late. And as it was it seemed only time would tell.

A/N:
Well things have escalated and as always will continue to do so. This makes my heart super happy!
But I promised my editor and as I will promise you, that in the coming Diamond arc there are beginnings, fluff, and explanations as to how things came to be and the one sided relationships that came of this (drama too). I promise, that it'll be worth the wait!

Not to complicate things as the story progresses:
Seychelles is Lady in waiting for Queen Lily is named Angelique.
Belgium is Bella and serves as lady in waiting for Princess Camille, who is Monaco.

In other news, I'll be getting and Ao3 account by the end of the month and I'll be posting this story there as well, once I figure out the mechanics.
And thank you kind reviewers for your comments, they make me smile and I'm glad that I'm doing my job.
Sometimes having a character hated is what the writer intends... :3