My King - UsUk

The Curse

"Wow! I can't believe fairies and goblins are really enemies!" Alfred exclaimed excitedly in his room. After meeting the boy yesterday, whom he found out is named Arthur after reading the first page, he decided to read the book left behind.

Arthur must be some kind of genius, it seemed as though he spent all of his time observing the magical beings. He also writes that there is something called a flying mint bunny. Whatever that is.

As the prince continues to read, he can't help but to think about what the boy said to him. Those words rang in his ears the whole night until the morning when he woke up.

That kid, even though he was nothing but a poor peasant from the ghetto, told him he was nothing but a whiny brat and slapped him. Alfred didn't know what to think, as a prince and future king of spades, no one has ever dared to speak to him in any other way except respect.

What would his father have done if someone spoke to him with such disrespect? That's easy, Alfred scoffed, he would have the fool punished. His dad would probably make the guy slap his own face a thousand times, or better yet, make him a jester. Alfred giggled at the thought, he loved when his father got a new jester, they were always so funny! The king would bestow the punishment of jester, and invite Alfred to watch the man dance and be silly. The young prince loved watching them, even if they never spoke and never stayed long. There was always a new one every other week, but Alfred guessed that the punishment was over and they were released back home. But it was okay, because there will always be a new jester.

In fact, Alfred had a good idea. That kid dared to disrespect him, he is going to bestow the punishment of jester onto him! Alfred laughed, he couldn't wait to see the boy dance for him in that silly hat and costume.

Nodding at his decision, Alfred put the book away and left his room in search of the Jack. He needed the teen to search for the boy so that he can receive his judgement. But when he arrived at Yao's door, he wasn't there. Which wasn't strange he supposed, the Jack was always busy with something.

So Alfred searched the Royal Garden, the grand kitchen, the Spades Halls, and to his annoyance he still couldn't find him. Huffing, Alfred realized there was one more place inside the castle that Yao could be.

The Kings Chambers. Maybe Yao had a meeting with father.

Well, it's not like the young prince hasn't snuck in before.

Making his way to the Kings Chamber doors, Alfred spotted the air vent that lay on the other side of the hall. What the grown ups didn't know, was that that vent had a loose cover small enough for Alfred to squeeze through. Which is exactly what the boy did.

After squeezing in, The Prince crawled through the metal maze to where he knew the Kings Chambers were. He made sure to be cautious, if he moved too fast the sound could echo and warn of his presence. So quietly, Alfred made a final left in the air vent where he heard the voice that was unmistakably The King of Spades.

"So men, we are gathered here to discuss trade deals." His father began in a loud, powerful tone. As Alfred peeked outside the vent, he noticed the clothing of the other kingdoms. The King, Queen and Jack of Hearts were set at the table. Including the Kingdom of Diamonds and Kingdom of Clubs. The Prince was surprised, no one informed him of such an important meeting happening today.

"I have decided to increase the prices of Lumber, that includes both hardwood and softwood from my kingdom." His father said. Alfred didn't know what they were talking about, but the King of Diamonds must not have liked the idea. He stood furiously and banged his fist on the table.

"If you do that, your people will go into a recession! You can't increase your exports, we are already paying high price for Lumber as it is!" He spat. The other kings nodded in agreement.