Prologue

Heyyyy soooo I'm still alive and I didn't like how the story was going so I started over. Sorry about any inconvenience, but with the way the story was going, I wouldn't have been able to do a bunch of things that I wanted to happen in later chapters.

If this is your first time, then enjoy:)

If not, the plot is pretty much the same as the first time. This is just better written with a style that sounds like my other stories. I did change some details in this rewrite but nothing major so far.

"Hell is empty. All the devils are here." -William Shakespeare, the Tempest

The Queen's Ails

As the kingdom below laid its head in a vain attempt to find rest, the castle fought through sleep and exhaustion. Servants and other castle staff raced through the halls on the whims of their superiors. Many carried candles to the darkening offices, others brought refreshment to tiring minds, while some were sent to carry messages to other parts of the castle. Their superiors were pushing their own limits to carry the kingdom on their shoulders and, in turn, they would not stop aiding them. However, they did stop when they saw him.

He was a slender man with average features. However, with his back straight even as he glided through the corridor and the way he held his torso, one can't help to notice the importance this man held. Add the regalia of a long purple coat over a blue vest, a large ribbon over his throat, and black trousers tucked into brown shining boots, he was clearly someone of great importance.

This was Arthur Kirkland—powerful and effortlessly elegant, an innate gentleman. From former Emperor of Deck to Black Sheep of Suits to Conqueror of the North to Forerunner to the West, he has earned many titles. But most important of all was the Queen of Spades.

He had scorned the title when he had first obtained it, fueling more insults from his elder brothers. But the rankings of the Suits—from Kings, Queens, Jacks, Aces, to the numbers—were based solely and power, not gender or class. Nor was there an option to refuse once Signed.

He strode purposefully, barely showing his acknowledgement to those bowing before him, from castle staff to other Suits, as he passed them by. In normal times, he would stop occasionally to converse with his people. In normal times, the Numbered Suit members would be in their respective provinces while the Lettered Royals kept with their business in the capital city. In normal times, he would asleep within these hours.

Lamentably, these were not normal times.

Though his citizens smiled, he knew they were forced. There was blade of tension held against the neck of Spades, and Arthur would make damned sure that every measure was taken to ensure the safety of his people.

However, there was one problem; the cause of the unrest was unknown to both the Suits and the people. The markets were running smoothly. There were neither plagues nor famines within their borders. There were no signs of rebellion. No other kingdom would dare invade them.

What the bloody hell is going on? Arthur thought to himself frustratingly for the hundredth time that hour. He turned around a corner to the throne room where several village chiefs and lords waited with their grievances despite how late into the night it was.

Arthur pinched his nose. Usually it was the King's job to listen the grievances of his people, but the Spades were currently missing their King and Ace. A kingdom requires the full-force of the thirteen Suits to prosper. Maybe that's the reason behind the unrest? The Queen quickly pushed that thought away. It didn't make any sen—

"Your Majesty," a voice rasped behind him.

"What is it?" Arthur snapped automatically, turning to the manservant dressed in the Spades blue motif.

"Jack Wang requests your presence in the Ancestral Library," the manservant said, unflinching to his Queen's constant sharp tone. "He insists that it is of the utmost importance."

Arthur eyed the servant's greying hair, forming wrinkles and strugglings to bow at the waist. The Jack is the is the ranking right below his. Yao knows my schedule—if he's insisting, it must be more important than hearing the grievances. "Very well," he sighed, dropping his shoulders slightly. He usually took his posture seriously in front of his subjects but the stress of the past few decades were beginning to take its toll on his body. "Are any of the council members awake?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Several have just finished a meeting with the merchants."

"Good, send them to the throne room to hear the grievances. Have them make apologies as well for my absence."

"Very good, Your Royal Highness," the man croaked.

Arthur cleared his throat. "I hope you don't mind me saying, but you are not as young as you used to be. Please retire for the night. There are plenty of other staff running around to send messages."

"Yes, Your Majesty Thank you," he rasped, trying to hide the relief in his voice but Arthur was already striding away.

To send a man of that age to deliver his messages. Yao really wanted to catch my attention didn't he? Arthur wondered angrily to himself. And a human one at that!

He growled slightly, making a poor maid jump from her curtsy. He mumbled a quick apology then picked up his pace. The manservant was old but was no where near the age of Arthur. He was many years older. Centuries and millennia older in fact. The thirteen members of a Suit did not age passed whatever age their kingdom needed them to be. It was the holy Hand's decision whether or not a member of the Suit has completed their service. Arthur himself was turning two thousand and seven hundred fifty-three soon. Or was it two thousand and seven hundred sixty-three? Yet he looked barely over two decades old.

He looked up and found himself in front of the library doors. He threw them open, and blinked as his eyes were plunged into the darkness. The curtains were closed, not allowing a single ray of moonlight in. It was too late in the night to keep the candelabras and chandeliers lit. Anyone who wished to visit it usually brought his or her own candles to see.

A single orb of orange light floated from the forest of shelves. "My Queen?"

"You shouldn't send an ancient man running after me with your messages. The poor bloke should have been resting by now," Arthur snapped.

"Someone of your age shouldn't be using the word 'ancient' so carelessly, aru," the Jack of Spades and old friend of Arthur's replied. "Isn't he practically an infant compared to you?"

Arthur stepped forward and found Yao Wang bowing to him. "You shouldn't be talking. Even at my age, I can still bloody call you ancient. I am an infant compared to you."

Yao stood straight and smiled. Even in the dark, Arthur could easily make out the older man's features. He was several inches shorter than the Queen and wore long robes of Spades blue whose sleeves fell well past his hands. Underneath was a black tunic that Arthur recognized as a type of mail that was incredibly light yet strong enough to save a man from a sword's tip. Yao must have helped with training the new guards sometime today.

The Jack of Spades was the oldest of all the Suits that rule over the four kingdoms of Deck. He had experienced what other members of the Suits could only read or hear about. He is a skilled fighter and wise beyond his years. So it irritates Arthur to no end when his childlike tendencies rule over his personality. But this was the man that taught him the ways of the Suit and what he needed to look out for as the Queen of Spades.

Yao waved a hand. The orb of light, floating in the air, shone slightly brighter, illuminating more of the library. "Your Majesty, do you remember why this library is named as it is, aru?"

The Jack began to walk towards deeper into the forest of shelves. Curious yet irritated, Arthur followed him. "Because it was created by the first Suit of Spades eons ago. Because it holds what is left from their time and what will become of ours. Because it is the largest chamber in all the land. Because if those reasons were not the answer you were looking for, I don't give a bloody damn. I hope you did not bring me here to gander about history, half of which I've already learned and experienced."

"Aiyah, the stresses over are kingdom are dampening your already foul mood," the elder chuckled. "I ask because I need you to remember what this place was and is still used for."

Holding tomes and scrolls, was the first thought that entered Arthur's head as his boots made loud tapping noises in the deathly silence. The Ancestral Library was one of the greatest treasures of the Spades. It was priceless. Invaluable. An insurmountable amount of knowledge were held in the pages cradled in its shelves. Even Yao with his millennia of life has barely scratched the surface of all the knowledge it had to offer.

But words were not all it held.

Arthur opted to reign his tongue as the Jack led him deeper into the library. Yao's orb of magical light floated ahead, bobbing up and down in way that sent Arthur's head reeling. Bollocks, when was the last time I had a good night's rest? Last month?

Suddenly, the misshapen blots of blocks indicating the shelves disappeared. The Queen found himself following his Jack down a tunnel carved from stone. The tile beneath his feet disappeared to worn out rock. Their footsteps echoed louder in the enclosed space. Each step, like a clap of thunder.

The Jack stopped in front of a woven tapestry of the previous King and Queen. They were both females and had died long before Arthur was born. Songs of their feats were still performed in celebrations even to this day. But their real names were long forgotten.

As beautiful of a masterpiece it was, Arthur could not fathom what significance it held for the moment.

"Do you remember the order you gave me over a thousand years ago, aru?" Jack Wang asked, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

"A thousand years ago?" Arthur asked curiously. He had a great many adventures in his life. He had conquered armies, and in his pirating days, brought all of Deck into his empire. At his age, the memories begin to blend together. "Wasn't that during the northern savages' invasion?"

Yao nodded. "Iv—King Braginski's Trump Card failed against them. It was our armies, led by you, that saved the Clubs in the end."

"Or so the history books say. That was when we discovered the Jokers of our Suits' generation." Arthur looked Yao straight in the eye. "Each council gave the order to find the those Jokers."

"Yes, my Queen. And it wasn't until a few centuries ago that they were found."

"I don't remember which order you are referring to. A thousand years ago was a time of war. I'm sure I gave you a great many orders."

The Jack chuckled. "Aiyah, I do remember now. It wasn't a thousand years ago. Just a few centuries—when the two Jokers were caught by you and the other three kings."

"Yes, yes, and the Diamonds and the Clubs left their fates to me and the King of Hearts—"

"Because the Red Joker was the Hearts King's brother and the Black Joker was yours."

Arthur flinched, as if slapped.

"I apolo—"

The Queen grabbed the Jack's collar roughly. "I'm done with these bloody riddles. What is it that you have brought me here for?"

Yao remained calm despite sudden Arthur's anger. Without breaking eye-contact with his Queen, the Jack reached out and lifted the tapestry of the previous royals. Arthur fought not to wince at the crackling of the fabric—as a gentleman, he was a appreciator of the finer things in life, art being one of them.

He lost all thoughts and his grip on the Jack's collar as his verdant eyes found what was behind the tapestry.

"You gave me the jurisdiction in handling the Red Joker. I reported that we had him imprisoned but did not tell you where."

"Is this where you kept the Hearts King's brother?"

Yao nodded. "Take a look at that, milord."

Arthur glanced to where the Jack gestured. His blood froze. For his coronation nearly fifteen thousand years ago, the Clubs gave him a pair of locks constructed from the strongest metal they have mined—pluxyrian steel. When the Jokers were found, as the strongest Spell-wielder in all the Suits, Arthur was tasked with reinforcing them magically. They were indestructible and perfect to reign whatever chaos they could wreak over the lands.

Or so he thought. Arthur glared at the mangled lock on the cold ground, willing whatever illusions were playing at him.

"It's not an illusion," Yao said, somehow reading his mind. "I checked the magical trace. It was broken several hours ago."

"That's not possible."

"Aiyah, Arthur! The proof is right in front of you. How can you still deny it,?"

"Pluxyrian steel reinforced by my magic—"

"And now it's sitting on the ground like a spoiled brat's broken toy, aru."

At that, Arthur felt himself snap. "Bollocks! The whole bloody kingdom is at the point of shambles and now we have that tosser of a Joker running on the loose? Mighty fine cock-up that codger will make of things!"

It was a couple moments and plenty more swears later that Arthur regained control of himself. Jack Wang had stood quietly and patiently as the Queen vented. A wave of shame hit Arthur. Queen of Spades, most powerful in all of the kingdom until the King is found, and here I am throwing a tantrum like a bloody brat.

He was about to apologize but bit his tongue—the very man before him had taught him not to show weakness, especially with a position as high as his.

"We do not know who did this, aru. Nor how—"

Arthur scoffed. "Yes, let's add that on to the list of things we, the mighty Suit of Spades, don't know. We can't find out why are people are unhappy. We can't find the rest of our Suit. We can't keep the Joker in—"

"Queen Kirkland," Yao said sternly. "Your orders, aru?"

Arthur removed his top hat and ran a gloved hand frustratingly through his aureolin hair. He scolded himself. Losing control will not help anyone, especially not the people.

"Arthur—?"

"The situation has gone far graver with this escape," Arthur declared, waving his arm. As he did, several wisps of bluish light appeared. "The Spades Suit, in its current condition, is no longer befitting for its kingdom's needs."

Yao stood straighter as his Queen's voice grew more serious.

"The King of Hearts must be informed that his brother is at large. And if the Red Joker is free, the Black will soon be." He turned to the wisps of blue light. "Any Suit member currently in the castle is to gather in my office immediately. This order is to prioritize over any others."

The wisps flew away as Arthur then addressed the Jack of Spades. "Jack Wang, we have many issues to take care of. One of these Issues is our Suit—the completion of our Suit is now imperative in order to handle the others. I, Queen of Spades, highest power in all the land until the King is Signed and crowned, hereby relieve you, Jack Yao Wang, the Wise, of all other responsibilities."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your one and only charge from henceforth until the task is complete, is to find the King of Spades. I've had enough of these rubbish attempts in finding him and his Ace. We all have. Finding them now prioritizes over all these other messes."

"Very good, my Royal Highness, aru."

Arthur summoned another wisp—a red one this time—and mentally drafted an apology to the King of Hearts as well as a request to meet with him in person. Before he voiced his message to the wisp, he shook his head. His shoulders dropped as he faced Yao.

"The kingdoms are beginning to crumble. The Jokers will be the catalyst for our destruction. And without our King, we—Spades—will be the first to fall. Now, go. Go and find that bloody git."

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please review!

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I will try to update monthly on . On tumblr, I will post the chapters as I finish them.

Again, sorry please be patient because these chapters will take a while. That and exams are quickly approaching.