Katerina looked out at the snow-covered grounds and grey skies, lost in thought.

She knew the journey to Spades could be done in a single day and night, and that Ivan promised to send a raven as soon as the battle was over. The Royals had left five days ago, and there was still no word of what had become of them.

The Club Royals had kept no secrets from Katerina all those years, and she fully understood what their position as Usurpers entailed. They were all very strong in their ways, but Katerina knew they were meant to be the villains of the Absorbing. She was the one who convinced Ivan that the advisors should know what needs to be done in Clubs should they not return.

At the same time, she didn't want to lose her siblings.

"You're fearing the worst, aren't you?"

Sighing as she heard the familiar voice, Katerina turned to look at her dear friend.

"Of course I am, Feliks," Katerina said, "We should have received any kind of message by now."

"Maybe they're playing hide-and-seek in the castle," Feliks suggested, "It could be a stalemate where they simply can't send a raven."

"Even so, Toris would've been able to tell us something."

Feliks didn't reply, and Katerina looked out at the snow again. This time, however, there was a carriage on the path approaching the castle, with two men sitting atop and guiding the horses. While both were familiar, only one of them was expected.

"Toris is back, Feliks! Why is Emil with him, though?"

"I'm not sure, let's go find out!"

She followed Feliks back into the castle, through the corridor, and down the grand staircase. As they reached the front hall, Katerina rushed ahead and pushed open the doors, surprising the guards who were standing watch outside. As she got outside, Toris and Emil had just parked the carriage by the main entrance. Katerina ran down the cold steps, watching in hope as Toris approached the carriage door. Before he pulled it open, he looked directly at her with a worried look on his face.

She froze in her steps when Toris shook his head in dissent as he opened the carriage door. When a young man with golden blond hair stepped out, Katerina cried out in grief as she fell to her knees, tears already in her eyes.

When the Club Royals had returned from the Spades coronation, Elizaveta had shown them all a sketch from Svetlana's Ledger of a pair of blond twin brothers. These blond twins would be the King and Ace of Spades at the time the Absorbing began, which meant they were destined to fight Ivan and Natalya.

Katerina could tell that this blond was one of those twins.

She could barely watch as Queen Lilli and Jack Feliciano also exited the carriage, and brought her hands to cover her face and weep as the second blond twin came out.

Her brother and sister were dead.

She couldn't control her tears, and barely felt the hand that held her shoulder.

"You must be Katerina," a soothing voice softly said, "I wish we could have met under better circumstances. I see you already know what has happened, and I am truly sorry that your brother and sister had to endure this fate."

As the young man spoke, Katerina felt his words warm her soul, and remembered Ivan's story about meeting this soft-voiced stableboy.

"Thank you, your Majesty," she managed to stutter, "Did they suffer?"

"Natalya more so than Ivan," Matthew told her, "Alfred's method was a bit cruel, I don't think it's one you want to hear about until you're ready for it. We did manage to recover Natalya's hair ribbon, as well as Ivan's scarf."

She felt a hand around her wrist, and allowed it to be pulled down. Matthew was kneeling with her, while Alfred and Feliciano watched as Lilli bent down as well. With a bit of encouragement from Matthew, Katerina reached out to the scarf and ribbon being offered to her by Lilli, taking them in her grasp and pulling them to her chest.

"Thank you," she muttered, feeling calmer as Matthew gently stroked her back.

"All four of them are gone?" Katerina heard Feliks ask from behind her.

"Yes, they are," Feliciano answered, "The Absorbing is complete, and we bear the Marks of every Suit."

"With Ivan's approval, I headed a group of advisors that needed to prepare for whatever became of Clubs once the Absorbing was complete," Feliks explained, "We should head inside, there is much to discuss."

"Yes, that would be a good idea," Matthew said to Feliks before turning back, "Let's get you back inside, Katerina."

She nodded and let Matthew help her up, and he kept gently stroking her back as they head into the castle.

From her small alleyway, Lenka could hardly see the holiday festivities.

It had been just over five years since her father was killed in the massacre at the Hearts castle, and the Deck had been united by one set of Royals. Lenka and her brother Tomas were only three years old when it happened, and their mother told them about how the Intended Royals were brave, intelligent, kind and humble enough to convince all four kingdoms to merge under one banner. The festivities honoured the day the Absorbing was completed, and everyone was praising the wonderful improvements that had been made to their lives since.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts from the Royals, poverty still lingered as a social issue to be resolved. It didn't help Lenka or Tomas that their mother died from illness last winter, and the children were left to the streets.

She felt a tug at her wrist, and Lenka watched her steps as her brother pulled her along.

"What did you find, Tomas?"

"There's a bakery over here, the shopkeeper is very busy," Tomas said, "I'll distract him while you steal a loaf of bread."

"Sounds good to me," Lenka agreed.

Tomas stopped her in front of a shop, and he went inside ahead of her. After a few moments, Lenka followed him in. The shop was full, and Tomas was intentionally interrupting as the shopkeeper tried to sell his stock to customers. Lenka approached the basket of fresh bread, and kept an eye on the shopkeeper. The moment he looked away, she grabbed a loaf of bread.

"You need to pay for that first, girl."

Lenka looked up to the voice in fear, seeing the baker now hovering over the display. Time seemed to still as everyone else turned to watch, including Tomas and the shopkeeper. Lenka took a quick peek behind her, and saw a small opening for escape.

She took the chance.

Holding the loaf close to her chest, Lenka bolted away, and heard the baker shouting after her. She ran out into the streets, dodging the people who had yet to spot her. She caught a few looks from those who heard the baker's pleas, but she evaded anyone who tried to catch her. Her steps only faltered as she rounded the corner and crashed into something metal. She fell to the ground, and looked up in a panic.

A soldier, wearing a combination of armour and fancy clothing, was offering her a hand.

"You okay there, sweetie?" the man asked, "That was quite the bump."

"I'm fine," Lenka said, accepting the hand that then pulled her up. She turned and saw the baker quickly approaching, and knew she was already in trouble.

"Ace Alfred, this girl is a thief," the baker said, "She just stole that loaf of bread from my shop!"

"Is that so?" a woman's voice asked, and Lenka looked past the Ace. A beautiful woman was there, wearing an ornate red dress. She was accompanied by a blond man who looked identical to Ace Alfred, as well as a man with a strange curl in his brown hair.

"Come closer, my dear," the blond man said, and Lenka nervously approached as he knelt down to her height. He took her hand in his, and pressed his fingers into her arm.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Lenka."

"What are you doing, your Majesty?" the baker interrupted, "Why aren't you arresting her?"

"You're so thin and frail, Lenka," the man asked, ignoring the baker, "When is the last time you had a proper meal?"

"I can't remember, sir."

"Where are your parents?" the woman asked.

"They are dead," Lenka said, "It's just me and my brother."

"That sounds awfully familiar," Ace Alfred said, "Doesn't it, Mattie?"

"It certainly does, Al, and I think we'll do something about that," the man replied as he stood up and looked at the brunet, keeping a hold on Lenka's hand, "Feliciano, pay the man for the bread, and we'll send him on his way."

"You're not going to arrest her?" the baker fumed, "She's a thief!"

"If she is a thief, than so are King Matthew and Ace Alfred," the woman countered, "Are you going to have them arrested as well?"

"O-of course not, Queen Lilli," the baker stuttered.

"Here are your choices, sir," Feliciano said, offering some coins to the baker with a smirk on his face, "You can either take these coins as payment, take the loaf of bread back, or I can investigate your business to see how much more you should be paying in taxes."

The baker hesitated before accepting the coins and rushing off. As the others chuckled, Lenka turned back to the man who was still holding her hand.

"You're King Matthew, aren't you?" she asked.

"That is right, Lenka," he replied, "The soldier you bumped into is my brother, Ace Alfred."

"Are you going to punish me?" Lenka asked.

"No, we're not," King Matthew said, "In fact, I'm going to help find you a better home, where you will never again want for anything. But first, we'll get you a good meal."

"Where is your brother, Lenka?" Queen Lilli asked, "He can come with us."

"Lenka, there you are!" Tomas shouted as he ran forward and hugged her, "What's going on here?"

"It's all right, Tomas," Lenka assured, "King Matthew and Ace Alfred helped me, and they've promised us real food and a home!"

"They have?" Tomas gasped, looking back and forth at the Royals.

"Of course!" Jack Feliciano confirmed.

"We should get going, the festivities are about to begin!" Alfred said, offering his hand to Tomas, "Come along, you can have the best seats in the house!"

Tomas took Alfred's hand in awe, and they rushed ahead.

"Let's go, Lenka," Matthew said, with a smile on his face.

Lenka smiled back.

Author's Notes

Lenka is meant to be Czech Republic, while Tomas is Slovakia. I obviously draw the parallel between them stealing bread in the epilogue with Matthew and Alfred in the very first chapter. In a way, it all circles around, as the poor children who once stole bread now help the other poor children who suffer like they did.

Thank you all so much for following and reviewing! This is my first fanfiction, and I am quite proud of myself for writing something not school-related that ended up over 85,000 words!

So, what's next for me? Well, I am about to start my last year of school while working part-time at the office that has already offered me a full-time position for when my degree is (finally!) completed in the spring. Since I expect to be quite busy, I'll need to take a break from writing before starting my other fanfiction idea.

Speaking of which, I may have decided on "Sun's Light and Winter's Heart" as its name. In my profile, I describe it as an exploration of multiple ships, both popular and rare, with a focus on Spain and female Canada. If there's enough demand for it, I could post a section from the first chapter onto this story as a teaser when I finally start writing it. I keep thinking of more and more ideas to add to it, so if I do write it, it will be a goodie!