Wayfare

Chapter 1

To say that Alfred F. Jones was nervous and paranoid was an understatement.

As the new King of the Kingdom of Spades, he was supposed to look good and noble. How would he do that?! He couldn't even sit still for a minute without getting distracted or being clumsy! He fixed his tie and combed his hair while looking at the mirror, leaving that one stubborn cowlick he could never tame. Actually, even after combing, his hair still looked wild, so he guesses that his hair itself is untamable. He chuckled to himself.

He was in his room, thinking.

Today is an important day, he was going to attend his first meeting and it was held at the Kingdom of Hearts. He had just been given the title of the King 2 weeks ago, after all.

He had been very nervous for this day, going as far as practicing how he'd introduce himself during the meeting. He even thought about making a grand entrance! Thinking about his previous ideas made him chuckle in embarrassment, what a silly thought.

Alfred had always been a troublesome boy, always wanting to be the center of attention, he was flashy, stubborn, confident and boisterous, as most people describe him. He's always beaming, grinning and thinking solutions to even the smallest things. He's charismatic and always willing to help anyone. His head's always filled with silly ideas, so a thought like a flashy entrance is just him being himself.

After he was finally done trying to make himself look presentable and getting the papers he's supposed to bring, he put on his glasses then called out to his Jack, Yao Wang, who was outside his room.

"Yao!"

A few seconds later, the said person knocked.

"Enter!"

Yao opened the door. "Hey, is everything ready now for my trip to the Kingdom of Hearts?" Alfred asked with both nervousness and excitement. Yao bowed at him.

"Yes, your highness. Your carriage is already outside, waiting for you." He replied and lead Alfred outside.

...

As they stepped into the carriage, Alfred turned to Yao and asked nervously. "Hey Yao, is my suit okay? Is my hair fine? Do I look good? What if they look down on me?! After all, I am probably younger compared to them." The King continued to ramble and ask questions, feeling anxious but anticipated at the same time. Then the ponytailed Jack cut his growing number of questions.

"No, your highness. You look good and you have dressed appropriately, your appearance won't be a problem." He answered honestly, "I do not think that they will look down on you nor that they will care about your age, all that matters is your choices and decisions in the meeting." He finished, assuring the nervous boy in front of him.

Alfred then calmed down, exhaling in relief. Yao complimented him, that was a good sign. The elder would usually just answer shortly. He turned his head back to him,

"Hey, you know you can still call me Alfred like before, right? My current status has nothing to do with how you address me. You've been one of my most trusted people in my whole life, I would prefer if you continued calling me Alfred." The blond stated.

Yao opened his mouth, attempting to reason, but no words left. He shut it again and looked outside the carriage window, as if thinking what to reply.

After an awkward moment of silence, he cleared his throat and answered.

"That was back then, you know it. You're the King now, I should address you by your formal title, as it is disrespectful to call you by your first name. Your position is now higher than mine." Yao finished as he looked at Alfred. The blond sighed dejectedly.