Hello! This is my first Cardverse story, so I was really excited about writing this! I hope you enjoy the first chapter, and please don't forget to review!

In the Kingdom of Spades.

Crimson blood dripped from the corner of the Queen's mouth as he glared up at the King, his eyes hurt and livid.

"Is this some sort of joke?" he spat, his arms bound tightly behind him. He had been forced to his knees by two cloaked figures with startlingly different heights who stood a couple of feet behind him warily. Arthur cursed, wincing as he felt the magic within him weaken once more. Whatever magic was left, anyway.

Alfred gazed down at him coolly, masking any emotion he might have been feeling. They were in a darkly lit, empty room with a magic circle drawn in the center. Arthur was in the center of the circle, while Alfred stood outside of it, looking down at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?!" Arthur demanded again, irritated at Alfred's silence, his voice hoarse as he struggled against the two restraining him. But their grips were like iron.

Alfred frowned. A crack. He could see pain in Alfred's eyes. Even sadness. Of course, Arthur could be imagining it all. For he knew that this was no longer the Alfred he grown to love.

"Respond, you dolt! What is the meaning of this?"

Arthur looked down suddenly, trying to remember everything clearly. He had been in his study as always when two black figures broke through the windows and restrained him. He was kidnapped somewhere, but he struggled as best he could. He realized the handcuffs restrained his magic, and they had put a bag over his head so he couldn't see anything. He tried sensing where he was, but he found he couldn't. And suddenly, he was in this room, on his knees in the middle of a magic circle.

With Alfred standing in front of him, unharmed.

"Was there a need to kidnap your Queen? Getting so busy that you needed me to come see you?" Arthur taunted, struggling to make sense of the situation.

"You know why you're here, Arthur. I've warned you so many times."

It was unlike Alfred, this cold, detached tone. Each word was perfectly enunciated, carefully chosen...nothing like Alfred's usual rushed babble, his strange, free way of speaking that Arthur had given up trying to correct.

It was a tone that held no love for Arthur anymore, a tone that cared for nothing.

Arthur's heart thundered in his chest.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. You'll have to elaborate."

"I told you, so many times," Alfred repeated, his voice low. "You never heed my warnings -"

"And for good reason, you twat! In fact, I do have somewhere to be right now, so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop playing these games and remove these handcuffs -"

"No, Arthur," Alfred said, his eyes darkening. "I will not."

Arthur opened his mouth in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"Get out of this country, Arthur."

"What? Are you out of your bloody mind? With the borders constantly threatened and the economy in shambles, there's no way I can -"

"It's...it's for your own...good," Alfred managed, and Arthur could tell his voice was breaking slightly.

"Alfred," he said, worried now. His voice softened. "What's going on? I...you...you don't understand, he's...they're..."

"Enough of them, Arthur! What about you?"

Arthur blinked.

"It's...it's all because of you..."

"What are you blathering on about? What do I have to be accused of? Alfred, I -"

"Enough," Alfred said, and his eyes looked black in the poor lighting. "Goodbye, Arthur."

"What are you -!"

He was surrounded by a blinding light.

And then, all was dark.

Present Day, United States.

"I told you to stop leaving your clothes around everywhere. Honestly, how long have we shared this -"

"Haha! I only do that because I know you're there to pick them up."

Arthur's mouth twitched.

"I'm going to leave you one of these days."

Alfred's mouth dropped open in shock, enough for him to pause his video game and turn around to face Arthur, a hurt look on his face.

"What?! I was just kidding! You know I don't do it on purpose! You can't do that!"

Arthur smirked.

"I might. I'm free to go whenever I please."

"Arthur..."

Arthur sighed as he bent down and kissed Alfred lightly on the cheek.

"Kidding, love. I thought you wanted to go out to eat?"

"Yeah, I wanted to check out this new burger -"

Arthur cut him off with a harsh glare, and Alfred raised his hands in defense, a small smile on his face.

"Ha..ha...I meant, um...a great...new Japanese place! You know, sushi?"

"Oh. That doesn't sound too bad, actually."

"I know, right? Lemme take a shower really quickly!"

Alfred jumped up, and suddenly he was right in front of Arthur with an eager expression on his face.

Arthur blushed slightly.

"W-What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"You know that I love you, right?"

Arthur blushed deeply this time, turning away.

"S-Shut up, you git."

Alfred grinned as he raised Arthur's chin up and kissed him.

"Alfred!" Arthur protested, his eyes wide.

"Mm-hmm?"

"Go have your shower, idiot."

"Got it."

Alfred hummed to himself as he walked to the bathroom. He suddenly turned around, a mischievous grin on his face.

"You sure you don't wanna join me?"

He took a pillow attacking his face as a no.

Arthur sighed as he lounged on the bed, looking at the floor with disdain. There was the stain from when Alfred spilled a Coke, and there was the mark from when a cat suddenly got into their room and left a mess, and there was the mark from when...

Arthur rolled over on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

Two years. Two years he'd spent with Alfred, with all the lovely, crazy, absurd moments that came with them...

He began to drift off slowly, lulled into a drowsy state by the sound of the shower running.

He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.

Voices.

He suddenly heard voices, insistent, calling at him...

thur...Arthur...

...rry...

...fe...ve...

He groaned, frowning in his sleep.

He couldn't understand what they were saying.

"mmm..."

He suddenly saw a blinding light from behind his eyelids, and all was dark.

Present day, United States.

"Al -!"

Arthur opened his eyes, sitting up quickly, but he suddenly fell silent.

He blinked several times to make sure he was fully awake.

Where...where on earth was he?

"What..." he began, shocked as he looked around.

He seemed to be in some sort of well-lit room, and there were two rather plain beds with some sort of large metal box against one wall. The walls were painted a light tan color in an effort at simplicity, and the floor seemed to be made of some sort of furry carpet.

He found himself sitting on the bed, his clothes and his hat still intact. He quickly rummaged in his jacket, and was relieved to find his clock inside.

"I..."

His hands roamed across the bed. It was extremely soft.

But the architecture was different. Too different. He didn't know where he was, but he knew that Alfred had sent him somewhere. But this didn't seem like anywhere in the palace, or a commoner's home...

Could he be in Hearts? He had heard they had certain styles of rooms such as these, but...but it was far too angular for it to be a Hearts home.

And far too simple.

He stood up carefully, and he noticed a sound from the other side of the wall to his left.

Almost...almost a turning sound. A squeaking sound, like rusty gears would make.

He decided he would have to confront whatever sort of person or creature was coming for him.

And then he would make his way back to Spades and talk to Alfred.

Pain tugged at his heart, and suddenly he had a headache and his eyes felt watery.

Alfred.

Alfred, who had sent him away, who had treated him as though he were a burden...

But it was all...all of it, it was...

Frustration welled up as he tried to make sense of everything. But he just couldn't fit the puzzle pieces together. Why would Alfred...

He heard footsteps suddenly, and he tensed as he waited, his hand stretched in front of him with his palm outwards as he quickly stood up from the bed.

"Yo, Arthur, sorry I -"

Arthur froze.

As the man came into full view, Arthur couldn't believe his eyes.

His voice, his appearance...

It was Alfred.

"You," Arthur growled, his eyebrows furrowed as he launched at Alfred.

"W-Whoa, what are -"

Arthur tackled him to the ground, and Alfred grunted as he fell, his back hitting the floor and his eyes opening wide with confusion.

"W-What the hell, man? I didn't take that long! And what are you even wearing?"

"Silence," Arthur hissed, his face inches from Alfred. "Where are we? How dare you -" His eyes widened as he leaned back, sitting on Alfred's stomach as Alfred stared up at him in shock.

"Wha...but..." Arthur leaned down again, gazing at Alfred intensely. "You..."

He gazed deeply into Alfred's eyes, and while they were the same as normal, the tiny Spades symbol in his left eye was missing. To any normal person, it was so small as to escape attention, but Royals were trained to recognize the symbol that other Royals shared.

"A-Arthur, are you okay?" Alfred began, his voice wavering slightly. "Uh, also, your clothes are...I mean, not that they're not charming, but I don't think you can go out like that..."

"You don't...the mark..." Arthur leaned even closer, and Alfred grinned as he suddenly reached up and kissed Arthur lightly on the lips.

Arthur yelped and jumped backwards, clambering off of Alfred while covering his mouth with his hand.

"How dare you even...after all that you did, do you think a simple kiss will suffice? Where's your bloody mark, and where are we?" Arthur demanded angrily, his eyes alight with fury.

"W-Whoa," Alfred began, standing up and dusting himself off. "Okay, first, it was just a shower. I don't know what happened from the time I left to the time I came back, but, uh..."

"What are you blathering about? Where are we?" Arthur questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you look absolutely ridiculous in those...whatever you want to call those."

"Uh, okay, first, if we're talking about weird clothes I think that you win that contest. What's with that huge blue jacket thing and hat and big ribbon?" Alfred asked, slightly hurt.

"It's my uniform, you stupid -" Arthur suddenly frowned.

"You...what is your name?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"Uh..." Alfred stared at him, his eyes wide. "It's...Alfred? Arthur, this really isn't a good joke, I said I was sorry -"

"Liar," Arthur growled, rushing over to him until they were inches apart. "Who are you? You aren't Alfred."

"Pretty sure I am, though," Alfred said, frowning. "Hey, did you hit your head or something?"

"You're the one who hired two men to kidnap me and you're telling me I hit my head? Your mark! You...you don't have the Spade brand."

"The what?"

"Look in the mirror! Your left eye, there's no..."

Arthur frowned.

"Wait...where are we?"

"The...apartment?"

"You fool. What year is this? What country? Hearts?"

Alfred stared at him, his mouth open. "Uh...America?"

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "And where is America? Have you heard of Spades?"

"Uh...okay, wait, why are you naming card suits?"

Arthur's eyes widened, and he shrunk back a bit.

"But...that doesn't make sense, how could...unless..." Arthur reached into his jacket quickly, drawing out his clock.

The second hand was moving normally, but the hour hand was spinning and the minute hand was spinning in the opposite direction.

"Oh, no..."

Arthur shook the clock futilely, biting his lip. "No, no, no..."

"Hey, where did you get that? Uh...are you okay?" Alfred asked tentatively, moving over to him.

Arthur stepped back, glaring at Alfred. "Don't touch me. How dare you impersonate the King and take his name! I'll have you executed, just you wait."

Alfred gaped at him. "What the hell, Arthur? What are you even talking about?"

"Silence. I will not have you talk back to me, not until I can figure out where we are exactly and how to get back. Now, where did you say we were?"

In the Kingdom of Spades.

"mm...hm? Where..."

Arthur groaned as he sat up, feeling groggy and dizzy. He was someplace dark, but his eyes were having trouble adjusting to the light. He was on the ground for some reason, even though he remembered falling asleep on Alfred's bed...

He felt a sudden, throbbing pain on the right side of his chin. His hand instantly went up to his face, and he felt that the skin there was somewhat wet and painfully raw. As he looked down at his hand and his eyes began to adjust, he saw that it was dark.

Blood?

Arthur's eyes shot up to study the room, and he saw a figure just about to leave through the doorway.

"Who's there?" Arthur called without thinking, and the figure instantly turned around.

He heard the person gasp and rush over to him.

Is that...he couldn't see, but it had to be...

"Oh, Alfred, is that you? Blimey, I fell asleep...err, where are we again? And...Christ, what are you wearing?"

He looked up at Alfred, who was wearing a rather long jacket with two spades symbols on the front. He seemed to be wearing some sort of jacket-vest underneath, although it was hard to tell. The style was quite refined, and while Arthur actually quite liked it, it was...strange.

Not that it didn't suit Alfred. It suited him surprisingly well...

Arthur berated himself inwardly. It wasn't the time for that.

Alfred stared down at him in shock, his eyes wide. "A...Ar...thur?"

"Y-Yes, it's me...where are we?" Arthur asked, slightly worried. He frowned slightly as he dusted himself off. "It's awfully dark in here, and -"

Suddenly, Alfred dragged him up by his collar to a standing position, and Arthur winced as his hands gripped Alfred's wrist that was holding him up.

"A-Alfred! What are you -"

"How...how did you..." Alfred frowned, his face cast in shadows as he studied Arthur, his eyes hard. He gripped Arthur's collar tightly, and panic began to settle in the pit of Arthur's stomach.

It was strange. Too strange. Alfred would never...Arthur knew Alfred was strong, but he'd never treat Arthur like this. He was always smiling, always cheerful, always kind...

Suddenly, Alfred's eyes widened, and he quickly let go of Arthur as if he were burned, taking a couple steps away.

"Alfred...what..." Arthur let his voice trail off, staring at Alfred worriedly. "What are you..."

He was too confused to be shocked or indignant at his treatment.

"Who are you?" Alfred murmured, almost as if he were addressing Arthur. He suddenly looked up, frowning at Arthur. "You don't have the brand, but...but I swore we sent him away..." He looked up at Arthur, his eyes narrowed. "And you talk differently...you're a bit shorter...who are you?"

Arthur's heartbeat sped up as he frowned. "If this is a joke, I don't find it funny, Alfred."

"I asked you who you were," Alfred said, his voice cold. He sounded different. "I will not ask again."

"Of course I'm Arthur, you fool! Now, will you please tell me what's happening?"

Alfred looked taken aback.

"But...you..that can't -"

"Where are we?" Arthur interrupted insistently, crossing his arms over his chest. "The last thing I remember was falling asleep in our room. Where have you taken me?"

"What room?" Alfred asked, frowning. "I thought you were in the study."

His voice was too distant, too deep to be Alfred's. Arthur frowned as Alfred fell silent again. "We don't...have a study, Alfred...you went for a shower -"

"Do you know where you are?"

Arthur groaned. "That's what I've been trying to ask you, you twat. Where are we?"

Alfred's eyes widened, and Arthur thought he saw a flash of pain cross his face.

"We are in the land of Spades," Alfred said carefully. "You...you know Spades, yes?"

Arthur frowned.

"What are you on about? The symbol? That doesn't answer my question."

Alfred's eyes widened.

"You don't know of Spades? And you don't have the mark...but...but that's impossible..."

"Look, Alfred, I'm not sure if this is one of those roleplaying events that you're always going on about with Kiku, but I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know so I can leave," Arthur sighed, walking towards Alfred and the door. "Come on, now. Out with it."

Alfred stood his ground, frowning down at Arthur. Arthur stared at him.

"Are you...have you grown taller? Why is...I really must have hit my head," Arthur frowned, slightly taken aback.

"You aren't Arthur," Alfred said finally, his voice dark. "You...he's gone. You're not him."

Arthur sighed. "Then who am I, Alfred?" he questioned sarcastically.

"I don't know. You should know," Alfred said, frowning again.

"Enough, Alfred. You're irritating me. And if you're going to continue this nonsense then I'm leaving," he said, stepping past Alfred towards the door.

He didn't know why Alfred was choosing now of all times to be confusing and infuriating, so he decided it was just best to deal with him later.

But he didn't have the chance to leave, as Alfred quickly sidestepped, blocking his path once again.

"Guards," Alfred called suddenly, his voice booming.

A couple of men shuffled into the room, their armor clanking as they stopped by Alfred's side.

"Yes, your Highness?"

"Your Highness?" Arthur snorted. "What kind of game is this?"

The guards stared at Arthur with their mouths open.

"My King," one of the guards began, his eyes wide. "I-I was told..."

"This is an imposter," Alfred said coldly, his eyes narrowed. It was an expression Arthur had never seen on Alfred before, and he stepped back unconsciously, worry tugging at his heart. "Impersonating the Queen. Lock him up."

"A-Alfred, what are you - mmph!"

Two guards yanked his arms behind him as he was gagged, and his eyes shot up to Alfred's in shock.

Whatever this was, it was no game. It hurt, his arms were in pain, and he was being forced from the dark room by the two 'guards,' or whatever Alfred had called them.

"mmfre! mmfre!" Arthur struggled to call him, but he couldn't form the words with the gag.

Panicked, he tried to turn his head to see him, but the guards forced him to walk with his face forward, down the dark path.

What on earth was going on?