Three: Tea and Spades

03 – Tea and Spades

A haughty laugh filled the air.

“Save these lassies today, Knight,” sneered Joker, who started to pluck leaves off the branches of the tree. “But you’ll never know which direction they’ll end up in.” Alfred made a small noise, pointing the sword at the other man.

“Never with your lot, I’m sure.” He muttered. “Now, get away!” Joker made a face and waved at the girls with a lopsided grin, and then went off, hopping away into the dark forest. Once he was gone, the Knight turned to the four, putting his sword back in its case. “Now, I want you to explain yourselves.”

Elly glanced at Rianne, who just gave her a look.

Minutes passed as Elly explained to Alfred how they got there. When she finished, Alfred could only blink and ask her one question – do you really expect me to believe that?

An irritated Reese snapped that they didn’t know how it happened as well. Alfred realized they weren’t joking, and that they sincerely had no clue on how they ended up in the world of Cardverse. “Alright, then…” he said slowly, looking over the four. “I’ve got an idea. Come with me to the Spades Kingdom, and we’ll sort things out over there, yeah?” Rianne and Tricia agreed, but Elly spoke up.

“How are we supposed to know its safe over there?” she asked sharply. Alfred had a deep feeling that Joker planted them false information.

“Do I really look like a bad guy to you? Compared to Joker,” he frowned. That made them pause, and with a sigh, Elly merely shrugged her shoulders.

“Well then, how do you expect us to fit onto one horse? Five people can’t be supported on one, even though your horse is pretty large.” Alfred then laughed.

“Did you really think I came here without any reinforcements?”

“Reinforcements?” repeated Tricia, and then they heard another sound, the same galloping noise, except it was slightly fainter than the one made by Alfred’s white mare. He waved excitedly, calling over the rider’s attention. From afar, they couldn’t see the next person to come, but then saw a flash of dark blonde hair.

“Matthew, over here!”

The one named Matthew was riding a grey horse, and he looked a bit like Alfred, except seemed more reserved. Instead of a straight strand sticking up, it was a curvy one. His slightly wavy hair reached his shoulders, the color a darker shade of Alfred’s. A pair of rectangular-shaped spectacles framed his eyes, which were a darker shade of blue that reminded Elly of the ocean. His outfit was identical to Alfred’s, but there was a considerable difference in the length of his coat.

He stopped in front of the five, and blinked.

“A-Alfred…” his voice was much softer than expected. “…w-who are they?”

“That, bro,” Alfred paused for dramatic effect. “Is a long story. Short, actually – being the hero, I saved these four ladies!” Matthew sighed, and glanced at Reese and Tricia.

“I expect an explanation from you,” he muttered. “Both of you please climb onto the horse. You will fit, don’t worry.” Tricia looked up at the large animal nervously. “Kuma doesn’t bite…well, unless you pull her tail.” A sort of nervous laugh escaped his lips.

After much convincing, Rianne and Elly were on Alfred’s horse with Alfred in the front. Reese and Tricia were on Matthew’s, with Matthew in the front as well.

“Is this safe?” Rianne asked dubiously. Alfred laughed.

“Freedom doesn’t bite!”

“Er…Freedom?”

“Yeah, that’s the name of my horse – you ready, Mattie?” Matthew nodded, and at the same time, both horses started to move. Elly clung to Alfred nervously, and Rianne did the same to Elly. However, Tricia and Reese, both used to riding horses, comfortably sat and watched the scenery around them. “Oh yeah, what are your names?”

“I’m Tricia, and Reese is the one in front of me. The girl clinging to you is Elly, and the one hugging Elly is Rianne.” Alfred nodded, glancing sideways at Matthew, who was focusing on the road in front of them.

“Tricia, Reese, Elly, and Rianne.” He mused. “Alright, got it!” they continued their journey, and Reese started conversing with Matthew. Tricia just watched, amused, as Elly continued clinging onto Alfred for dear life.

“Elly, this is just horse riding,” she snickered. The other scowled.

“S-Shut up – I’m not used to riding, alright?” Alfred merely chuckled, soon overtaking Matthew and continuing to ride. “Alfred, can you slow down a bit…?”

“No can do, Elly,” he replied. “King wants us back as soon as possible for a report.” He noticed her tensed grip and he added, “don’t worry! He’s a nice guy. A bit of a hardhead at times, but he’s nice.” From behind, he could hear Matthew tsk.

“Alfred, don’t say that.” he said in a disapproving tone.

“What? It’s the truth, Mattie, and the truth always has to be said!”

They continued their journey for another ten minutes, and Elly felt like falling asleep. Though she had a feeling she would fall of the horse if she did. The skies darkened a little bit, and Matthew cautiously reminded Alfred about the erratic weather.

He cursed.

“Damn it, I forgot about the weather. Elly and Rianne, you two might want to hold on a little bit tighter, we need to speed up a little bit.”

“H-Hold on,” Rianne stammered, but squeaked and clung more to Elly as the horse quickened its’ pace. From behind, she could hear Matthew’s horse speeding up as well and the laughter of Tricia as she comfortably sat. “G-Gah! How bad can the rain over here get, Alfred?”

“It’s been raining nearly everyday at this point!”

Soon, they reached a wider road, Matthew’s horse now next to Alfred’s. They slowed down the slightest bit but were determined to go straight to wherever their destination was. Reese had noticed that this place was way different from Manchester. There were houses all over, and she spotted packing up vendors who looked anxious for the rain.

One of the children excitedly waved over to Alfred, and the cheery man waved back at the child, who was hastily taken away by his mother. She could hear her scolding, “Honestly, Jonathan, playing out when it’s about to rain…”

The scenery reminded her of the kingdoms she had seen in the stories she read as a child. Tying her hair back, she soon spotted a large castle built in mixed white and grey. She couldn’t identify if it was made of cement or stone, but as they came closer, she found out that it was both, with a little bit of wood in between.

At the sight of the knights, the two post guards at front made way and opened the gates. The horses galloped inside, and they were soon at the front doors of the castle, which looked traditional yet aged at the same time.

Matthew and Alfred hopped off at the same time, with Tricia and Reese getting down with ease one at a time. Elly was helped down by Matthew, and Rianne by Alfred, and soon led them inside. Matthew, however, hung back.

“Eh, Mattie, aren’t you coming in with me?” the other shook his head.

“I’ll be leading Kuma and Freedom back to the stables, and I’ll catch up. You go on ahead.” Alfred nodded and led the four ladies in, explaining to them the foundation, structure, and even the rules of the castle.

“Place is made up of cement and stones, but once in a while you’ll see something wooden.” He chuckled, turning right. The four followed. “There are a couple of floors here, don’t be fooled by the outside of the castle! Also a ton of rooms, but we’ll get to the tour later.” His tone turned serious.

“I have to warn beforehand, the King can get quite…” he laughed nervously. “…brash, if he feels like it. Just remember that whatever he says is either not really meant or said because of his current mood. Most of the time, though, he’s pretty okay. When he’s not burning food, that is,” he added hastily.

“Just keep your cool and don’t make too many comments, he might rage. Then again, don’t be too willing, he might feed you those stupid pastries he makes so much…” Alfred made a face, and they reached tall double doors made of darkened wood. “Alright, ladies, follow my lead, and don’t be nervous – though of course, I’m the hero, so you shouldn’t be nervous!” the opened the doors and walked inside, with the four following from behind in a horizontal line.

At the leftmost was Rianne, and then Elly, Reese, and Tricia. As they walked, they noticed Alfred run up to the person sitting on a throne, and whisper something into his ear. Tricia couldn’t make out the facial expressions of this said King – he was covering his face with some sort of mask.

They stopped in front of him, and the King stood up. Alfred was just nearby, watching cautiously and playing with the container of his sword.

“You lot don’t seem to be of any harm.”

He removed his mask, and Elly found herself looking into a pair of vivid green eyes. The man’s lips were slightly curved up in an amused smile, and she was shocked at how young this King was. The next thing that caught her attention were his unusually thick brows. Were they even real, she didn’t know.

His blonde hair was much lighter, more buttery colored compared to Alfred’s golden locks. It was shorter than the Knight’s, and fell in thick tufts reaching his ears. His blue cloak was exceptionally long, just sweeping the floor the slightest bit. The crisp, long-sleeved shirt was a lighter blue, the well-fitted pants a chocolate brown. His shoes were seemingly glossy, darker brown boots that reached his knees.

A small top hat was on his head, hued blue.

“Pleased to meet your acquaintance, ladies.” He greeted. “My name is Arthur Kirkland, but for formal purposes, I am King Arthur of the Spades Kingdom. Never mind that silly King Kirkland, I prefer my first name to be used in times of formality and such.” He eyed each of them, and Elly felt her cheeks redden.

“Now, it is…” he took out a golden pocket watch. “Half-past three in the afternoon.” He gave them a warm smile. “Everyday, at this time, I have tea. Now that I have guests, it can’t be helped that I have to serve you some delicious food-”

“Ahahaha! Come on, Arthur, I know you’re the King, but really?” Alfred sniggered. The four looked at him in shock. “Delicious food? If you’re the one that cooked the food, I have no idea whether to believe you or not!”

“Shut your yap, you bloody blithering idiot!” Arthur then yelled, loosing all composure. “For your information, my food is very good, thank you very much!”

All thoughts of Alfred exaggerating Arthur flew out of the window.

“You might poison them!”

“E-Excuse me? That’s a lie! Now, get away from here or I’ll have you cleaning the stables just like last week!” he roared. Instead of cowering, Alfred merely laughed, bouncing out of the room with his usual spontaneous energy.

A small awkward silence filled the room.

Arthur coughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“My apologies for that, ladies. Now, shall we have some tea?”