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worldcakecakecake · 6 years ago

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Feliciano and the King of Hearts

Chosen by the gods as the Queen of Hearts from the moment of birth, we follow Feliciano’s story as he grows into royal life, learns to rule, go against age old customs, and his relationship with his husband to be, the King of Hearts.

Chapter 1 I Chapter 2 I Chapter 3 I Chapter 4 I Chapter 5 I Chapter 6I Chapter 7 I Chapter 8 IChapter 9I Chapter 10I Chapter 11I Chapter 12 I Chapter 13 I Chapter 14 I Chapter 15 I Chapter 16 I Chapter 17 I Chapter 18 I Chapter 19I Chapter 20 I Chapter 21 I Chapter 22 I Chapter 23 I Chapter 24 I Chapter 25 I Chapter 26 I Chapter 27 I Chapter 28I Chapter 29 I Chapter 30 I Chapter 31 I Chapter 32 I Chapter 33 I Chapter 34 I Chapter 35 I Chapter 36 I Chapter 37I chapter 38 I Chapter 39 I Chapter 40 I Chapter 41 I Chapter 42 I Chapter 43 I Chapter 44 I Chapter 45 I Chapter 46I Chapter 47 I Chapter 48 I Chapter 49 I Chapter 50 I Chapter 51 I Chapter 52 I Chapter 53 I Chapter 54 I Chapter 55 I Chapter 56 I Chapter 57 I Chapter 58 I Chapter 59 I Chapter 60

Posting this from Antonio’s country...my last day here actually. I’m incredibly sorry for the time it took me to post, but things were hectic and it wasn’t till the last moment that I dedicated some writing. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it too!

Chapter 61

Feliciano prepared himself for the ball in his room. Well, to be honest he wasn’t doing much that moment.

He sat in a comfortable chair, the sound but the music of his chest, the familiar melody that calmed Feliciano well even in the activity and haste of a ball being initiated in the floors below him. His wear for the night was well prepared on his side of the bed, ironed, shinning, with flowers of surely the most recent picking, yet Feliciano sat with only but a white blouse, humming to the song, moving his fingers as if he was leading the notes to spread all across the room, even out in the night, his balcony door open to let that freedom.

“Feliciano, have I told you how much I love your hair,” Kandake told him, helping the arising queen with fitting his hair for the ball. Not much was to be done, the only difficulty was adding the glitter and placing the golden vine circlet crown just the right place between his princely curls.

“You flatter me too much,” he giggled. “Have you finished?”

“And…done!” Kandake just wanted to adjust a single golden leaf from the crown out of place.

“Great! Now let me do your hair!” Feliciano excited, taking an instant jump to start.

“Feliciano, I don’t think you’re familiar with my kind of hair!”

“I can still try! Just let me know if it’s hurting or I’m doing something that can damage it.” He pushed her towards a mirror, so she could keep a constant check.

“Now…hmmm,” he began to think about what exactly he was going to do.

“Feliciano, you really need to prepare yourself for the ball. In fact, I should be the one dealing with you right now.”

“Don’t worry! We have enough time!” Feliciano took a white ribbon from a desk, keeping it around his neck as he began to take Kandake’s hair to prepare into the form he wanted.

“You will surely get scolded by Ludwig,” she reminded.

“Pfftt, he won’t,” Feliciano rolled his eyes and determined in the fixing.

He remembered how in his first ball at the castle, that phrase would have him panicking, obedient, because he was so terrified to deal with Ludwig. How beautifully things had changed, how the words now didn’t mean the threat from before, whatever anger Ludwig could come with surely one he could tame and cure with their kisses, words and embraces. He was looking forward to spending this ball with him.

“Shouldn’t he be here preparing himself,” she wondered as she hadn’t spotted him in the room since she entered.

Feliciano shrugged, “he told me that there were some things he wanted to discuss with his grandparents and would prepare elsewhere.” Feliciano wasn’t really thinking about it.

“Then, shouldn’t you be dealing with the guest if he’s not able to?”

“Kandake…let me finish your hair before anything.”

The ball was the shine, the gold, the red, the expected lavishness of the castle that had the guest awing as they made their way down the halls to the ballroom. Feliciano had decided on more peaches, diamonds, red flowers to flourish at every single sight. Most vases, statues and desks were moved, bringing in more space, for the mix of visitors that came from all kingdoms this time in preparation for the coming reunion of all the royals. More chandeliers were placed than usual to alight the drinks of apple and peach wine, the jewels in their guests, the laughter that started at the opening of the large doors, all kinds of conversations swarming, bringing to life and already making this one of the many balls to remember.

Of all the Heartian royals, the first to greet the plentitudes was Ludwig Beilschmidt, descending in a wear of an opened white tail coat, embroidered elegantly in red, underneath it a rich red vest and tightened white shirt with a not too flamboyant cravat. It needed to add just a small touch. All to his suit, his pants, his boots, suited his figure excellently, having many who he passed by sway at how handsome he shone for the evening.

“And who must this be for?” Of all the annoying people he had to meet first.

Ludwig rolled his eyes but turned with the most respectful expression he could utter to welcome King Francis. “Hallo, Bonnefoy.”

“As emotionless as ever I see. Doesn’t fit how well you look,” he dared wink and Ludwig had to hold himself well from showing the roll of his eyes.

“Ludwig!” Lili greeted happily, jumping on Ludwig for an embrace that the taller had no problem giving.

Lili shone elegantly in such a simple yellow dress, with beautiful floral diamonds at the top, the same ones she had circulating around her hair as her crown. “It’s so nice to see you after everything. How have you been? How is Feliciano? We’ve been hearing some amazing things from you two!” She excited.

“Lili, what did I tell you?” Vash scolded, coming along to join them as well in his own decorated suit.

“It’s only Ludwig,” she complained.

“Lili, I have to admit, it’s not queenly acting,” Francis scolded gently.

Lili pouted and Ludwig was about to exclaim joining to her side about doing as she pleased, but when spotting a blue and green from between the crowds of other guest, he got reminded. “Where are the others?”

“They’ve just arrived and are dealing with the traffic outside,” Francis told.

Both the royal Spadians and Clubians arrived at the same instant, their doors swung in the same moment, all coming down to meet each other in an easy sight.

“Hey! Ivan! How you doing?” Alfred exclaimed unceremoniously, waving his whole body along like a child.

Ivan smiled and gave a gentle wave and smile, with it hiding the true groan he wanted to use. Elizabeta was the only one that shared a true excited greeting, while Arthur was embarrassed and tried to get Alfred to calm down.

“Where is Yao?” Ivan asked, trying to spot the Spadian jack.

“Oh, he’s, uh-” Yao was signing at Alfred to shut up, wondering if there was a chance he could head out through the other exit without Ivan noticing. “He’s…already in the ball!” Alfred came out with just in time, Arthur giving a sigh of relief.

“Ah, I must search for him instantly.” Without more to spare, he made way into the feast, greeting and bowing to those he should.

It was then that Roderich dismounted, looking over to the Spadian royals with suspicion. “He’s still in the coach, isn’t he?”

Yao thought it safe to head out, waving in greeting to another fellow Jack.

“This is a royal reunion, Yao. At one point you’ll both have to be in the same room,” Roderich warned as he made his way forward into the castle alongside his queen.

Ludwig’s movements through the halls and ballroom were slow, for every corner there was somebody calling for a chat, a greeting, a join into a drink or snack that he took to not disrespect…as well as to calm the nervousness he possessed.

“It’s nice to know your kingdom is welcoming to tribal fairies,” one such creature had told Ludwig.

“Our kingdom accepts all. I wish you luck in settling and that you continue to enjoy the feast,” he wished with a clink of their wine glasses.

“Thank you, your highness.” The group turned away and Ludwig was momentarily relieved to have freedom, until he felt someone staring him down from behind. He turned to meet with familiar jokers.

“Ludwig, it’s so great to see you again!” Dua was the first to shout and greet of the group.

All were dressed elegantly in yellow, with shines and details typical of their provinces in Diamonds. Ludwig gave them all smiles, chatting instantly on how they had been since their last meeting. He took all by turn, until finally-

“I’ve heard about how your relationship has improved.” This time, he didn’t feel that jealous flare from the last time he had met with Haris, sharing a smile and a civilized hand shake.

“It has. I’m truly glad you’re here for the night.”

“We couldn’t waste a chance of being invited by the very arising royals to the Heartian castle,” Gupta added.

“Feliciano will be ecstatic to see you all. He’s pretty late, but sooner or later he will appear,” Ludwig let them know.

“Ah, no wonder we can’t find him anywhere!” A familiar voice added, Ludwig now turning to meet the ones who had helped Feliciano and him with a good part of their traverse in Spades, as well as their companions when saving the capital city from the invading men of Khaos.

“Hello, Mei,” Ludwig turned to greet the new group, in their own flourishing blues, bowing, all except Mei and Lei, who were mostly searching for Feliciano still.

Both these groups joined to chat and speak, at one point Ludwig leaving them in his own search for Feliciano. He went back into the halls hoping to have a better meeting of him, instead, he saw two figures he could just not ignore as they passed by each other.

“You made it,” Ludwig greeted them, giving his hand to shake.

Despite how normal he tried to keep this greet, Neeraja and Priya still bowed, shinning like the very diamonds and chandeliers with blues and silvers.

“And we thank you deeply!”

“It is an honor to be here,” Priya smiled grandly.

“This will be you home for the next few days.”

“Actually…it will be for more.”

“What do you mean?”

Neeraja and Priya glanced to each other with knowing smirks.

“Have you forgotten a detail about us?”

And that’s when Ludwig remembered, “oh, yes, fortune tellers.”

“We only recommend you prepare the castle for a much longer stay than planned for your guest.”

They were about to turn and leave to other matters, but Ludwig just had to ask. “You knew all this…you knew what would happen after I entered the field.”

They turned to him once again, wondering what he meant and what he wanted to get to.

“And…you know what will continue to happen, about the alignment…the war. Is there…anything you can tell us to prepare.”

Neeraja and Priya shared glances of concern, silently speaking about what they could say, but it was quickly decided.

“No. We’re sorry, Ludwig, but we do not like to release a future that is best you keep uncertain about,” Neeraja uttered.

“We can only give you the same words of advice from before. Train, practice, learn everything you can of your power and hope that it can be the best,” Priya continued.

They bowed once again and this time surely left elsewhere, Ludwig giving them a simple wave, off then to continue on his waiting for Feliciano.

“Ah, his highness, Feliciano Vargas!” And there was the calling from one of the guards, in prepare for his entrance to the ball.

Ludwig turned, awaiting a descend from the stairs in the area. He was so sure, ready, strong enough to deal with what he will ask him later, but gazing now at his utter perfection wear and shine, it all extinguished and his mind was left in rubbish. He wasn’t alone in this, as all turned and were swayed at the Hearts arising queen. Of course, he was the subject of all this attention. He had been the main talk all this time after Augusta’s reveal, along with him being an Ace and destined to save them all. It was as if they were already staring at a god in the heavens, some already bowing, others left breathless and many just stared and admired his well proclaimed beauty.

Everything on his suit was well crafted in flowers and jewels, placed in just an elegant fashion that grew well all around him. It was tight, showing a figure that surely had many drooling, yet it was soft and comfortable, shown in the ease and smile Feliciano came down in. A silky cape followed him, long, but not reaching the floor or covering the grace he held, it flew about with him. Then there was glitter, beautiful on his hair along with the laurel crown, as well as a simple touch around his eyes.

A true star, a true shine, sucking whatever movement Ludwig could have given, left only with impression and wonder. Feliciano managed to spot him between the heavy crowd, giving him an adoring smile, eager to be near him that instant. And after nervousness, there was pride.

No matter the people there, who swooned and could only dream of having an arising royal of that magnitude, Ludwig didn’t have to worry. As he walked his way between the people, he knew there was no other Feliciano thought about, no other he was expecting, no other to hold him, to kiss him to all’s impression and make clear who was the couple that would bring strength to a coming war. It made him stand taller than the usual, for all to instantly give pass without question, for they knew that the king was coming to greet his queen.

Feliciano was close to reaching the crowds, but Ludwig reached the bottom of those stairs first, offering a hand for him to take and Feliciano practically dashed forward to it. They spun and laughed, much to the awe and impression from those who knew how rocky their relationship had been before.

“You look, well…gorgeous, beautiful…I-I…what else can I say?” Ludwig laughed.

Feliciano chuckled, “you already have me flattered. And you, look so handsome and wonderful and all mine and all I want to do is kiss you.”

“Who am I to stop that?”

“Good.” And Feliciano threw his arms around him with a greeting kiss that had the surprise even wider across the crowds. They indulged in their lips for what they wanted, a dispatch to an applaud greet of the crowds, and both waving their own back.

As it died down, as all found other attention, Ludwig and Feliciano. with their arms well wrapped, decided on joining the feast and enjoying from what would be offered. It wasn’t long until they received shouts and the wanting of others to be close to them.

“Feli!” It was a very loud familiar shout from a Dane, coming along with his own familiar group.

“Oh gods! It’s so great to see all of you again!” Feliciano quickly went to wrap his own arms around each of them, strong embraces with sways and even accepted kisses on the cheek by the arising queen.

“You have to tell me all that has happened after you left us in the diamond kingdom,” Feliciano was eager to know.

“You’re the one with a lot to tell us,” Lukas said.

“What has happened even reached us,” Berwald added.

“You’re quite famed now,” Tino said.

Feliciano blushed, “yeah, it’s…a lot to take in. But, Emil! How did it go with the ingression to the Luna Rani Academy?”

Emil heavily smiled, an excitement that grew that had Feliciano taking both his hands in a dear hold.

“I got accepted! I’m starting in a month!” And Emil joined Feliciano along in shouts and jumps as if it was the first time he got the acceptance letter.

“I’m so glad and happy for you! Oh, you’ll make an amazing student! You’ll make lots of new friends and study all kinds of things! You have to write and let me know how it all goes!”

“I’ll be glad to!”

“Feli!” And then there was the Amazon group, Martin practically tumbling Feliciano down to the ground.

“Martin, please, don’t kill him,” Elisa commented as she tried to hold the rest from crushing the poor arising queen.

The rest were loud blabbers that it was a miracle Ludwig and Feliciano could understand. More groups joined and greeted, as those of the Oralee, of the Asian provinces, the Diamond kingdom joker group and the other royals, with conversations, anecdotes, meetings and stories that could have lasted long into the night. Not to mention that they all wanted to be introduced to Augustino, all new gushes that Lovino had learned lately to just stand.

To be honest, Ludwig and Feliciano did not expect to be so heavily ambushed by so many people. Not that they minded, but they still needed an occasional breath.

Time flew, the night was coming into deeper darkness and it was quite awakening when the King, Queen and Jack took the tallest standing for the usual welcome and speech, with the reasonings of the ball, mentioning the successful track of the journey, Augusta, the fear of the coming war and finally: “-but let us now calm whatever agitations with a dance. As per tradition, let us let our arising royals begin our lead with a song of their choosing. Ludwig, Feliciano.” Queen Louis opened her arms to the welcome of the open floor left for them, the orchestra ready and anxiously waiting.

What a change that this time, Ludwig and Feliciano didn’t have to question it. Their acceptance was giving in a simple glance along with a smirk, already deciding the song. They walked together arm and arm, by the orchestra, giving a bow as a thank you to their music. As Feliciano pointed to his laurel crown with a wink, it was obvious what song was meant to be played. The composer turned to his musicians and instantly began the familiar song known well to be that of the King and Queen of Hearts.

No complains, no hatred, no disappointment, the arising royals happily took their way to the center, wishing this dance, wishing this moment for themselves if even the many eyes. Feliciano turned to Ludwig, both taking the usual ready position, making sure to be comfortable, that they were set right, assured with a smile and the blushing color even in their eyes.

The sway that began was slow, simple, leaning them into the acceptance of the very song. This time, there were real smile in their faces, a glow that jumped all over the large ballroom, a spread that was helped as Ludwig and Feliciano took bigger spaces as they moved, taking quite a design on the floor for themselves. Spins, different kinds of grasps, of extends, graceful movement in every possible way that had everyone in true wonder and impression, lost in this magic, in a truth of love shown, even as the star dancers were ignorant to all those present. When the song took its known height, the arising royals matched with its quickness, jumping and daring to try new moves that were the perfect synchronization even when it was the first time. They laughed, they enjoyed, they focused on what they could create, of how they could test their trust with the sudden new movements. Unlike the last dance they shared in a ball, they were having fun, they felt freed, they shone with beauty and even as the song came to its conclusion, they waited on that last hold for more. As all around them clapped, and as they breathed, they could only stare into their eyes, wording whatever plot for the next song.

In this new one, others began to join along, and so Ludwig and Feliciano joined in dancing around them, smiling and greeting whenever they met with other couples they knew, like Herakles and Kiku, and Alfred and Arthur. They shouted, they matched, they sang and Ludwig had never thought that he would actually want to continue along with this feast no matter the song, the people that surrounded them or even if he was getting tired.

It was around the sixth song that he realized he was running out of breath, that neither his legs or arms could take anymore, yet he laughed and smiled, happy then to just hold Feliciano with him in an ending calming sway.

Yes, he wanted him, more than anyone, anything and he knew that no time was better to solidify that union. Whatever nervousness, he tried to keep it well inside him with his breaths, his hands on Feliciano’s waist, distracted in the scent of his hair…he was wearing the perfume he gave him. They were well calmed, part of the many couples swaying in soothing motions, the light dimmed as if to give them all that moving nap. No one noticed as Ludwig signaled Feliciano to follow him elsewhere, and the arising queen, in his daze, easily followed behind him through all the lessening activity of the ball. They reached one of the large glass and colored doors, through which they could see the towering formed bushes and trees of the garden, entering into their lost, their colors, and the few lights that were lighted for the occasion, for those who wanted a stroll of the aromatic area or just wanted privacy away from all the bustling crowds of the feast. They hadn’t drunken any alcohol, and yet Ludwig and Feliciano giggled, danced and even played about the paths as if they had gone through their heavy effects. Everything looked spectacular in the night, it was a surprise it was so lonely. Why didn’t anybody else dare to enjoy from this green? These stoned pathways, particular fauna, fountain, hedges, arches, all made in a singularity of red and beauty that was definitely worth the visit, especially if you came from another kingdom. To Ludwig, it was better. All this extended space and wonder for themselves, made it more unique, serene, the seclusion for what Ludwig planned.

They reached what was either a middle or end, both of them tired, taking a sitting in a shaped white marbled bench, in an enclosure of roses and a tall tree that draped with its branches, leaves and vines, keeping them closed from any kind of reach of the party. They breathed heavily, finding calm after their thread across the garden, Ludwig especially readying for what was to come. They enjoyed from the silence, from the only rustling being the occasional breeze and their continuing breaths.

“This was a nice break,” Feliciano admitted with an appreciated smile, stretching and settling much closer to Ludwig’s side, thighs touching.

“There were more people than usual in this ball.”

“We did invite a lot,” Feliciano reminded.

“We did, but it’s nice seeing them again, make ourselves really sure that they’re doing fine,” Ludwig smiled with such a kindness that Feliciano ogled with a clear stare.

“What?” Ludwig wondered for it.

Feliciano sighed dreamily, “you look more handsome than usual when you admit you care.”

Ludwig chuckled, “I’ve always done, Feliciano.”

“You were too busy hiding it though.”

“I was, but…things have changed, haven’t they?” Ludwig reached his hand and took Feliciano’s grasp gently.

“They have and I’ve made very sure that I’ve loved every single moment of it since you opened.” Feliciano looked up and shared his other hand with his, exchanging those grasps in a loving strength.

“Yet I don’t think I’ll ever stop apologizing for how I treated you either,” Ludwig reminded.

“It’s not necessary. It’s in the past and we’ve learned to move forward and can look ahead in earnest.”

“Even with a war?”

“I’m sure we’ll beat Khaos,” Feliciano was determined as he brought Ludwig’s hand to kiss in promise.

Silence then settled, but neither minded it, their eyes could speak enough. Feliciano distracted though, in a new breeze that brought along and intensified the perfumed aroma of roses. He turned to follow it and Ludwig to determine himself in asking. His hands shook and Feliciano turned back to him instantly in worry.

“I love you,” Ludwig pushed himself to say before anything, raising a hand to take Feliciano’s face, fingers tracing well the softness, the glitter, even the warmth that he felt grow beneath his fingertips. “I want to be with you always…I want us to be together for this war.”

“And we will be,” Feliciano assured as he raised his own hand to join his.

“I was us to be together in a different way than this.”

Feliciano’s eyes widened in a moment of worry, the worst coming to his mind first. It only worsened when Ludwig stood, but calmed once he saw him kneel before him, close, taking a powerful and somehow prideful stance between his legs. He lay like this simple for a while, Feliciano now seeing clear the nervousness in his eyes.

“Ludwig…are you okay? You seem really-” Feliciano was suddenly startled by a ring directly faced towards him. He was left without a word at the wonderful shine of red of the jewel, marbled well in gold, like a rose heart tempting to grow and embrace him in its shine. It was utterly beautiful, one that could blind, shut and leave Feliciano in an utterly frozen state. It was a wonder he could stare at it properly when Ludwig was shaking, constantly gulping, sweat temping to drop from his brow.

“I-It…was supposed to be your eighteenth birthday present, but after everything…well, I hid and tried to forget about it.” The gulp he gave then, along with his inhales, were deeply heard. “I…I...made it myself…took me weeks to be able to craft it with my magic how I wanted. I still think I need to retouch it… but maybe once a year I can add something or fix it how you wish,” he eased, distracting. He had to shake his head once again to bring him back to the track he wanted to take. “I…I know I don’t deserve you, I know I acted like a total fool before and know that I don’t deserve to even be asking you this question again. But I assure you that this time…I’m not asking because it’s duty, because it’s an engagement our families decided on or because it’s what the Aces, and the kingdom, and the rest of the world wants. This…this is not a recitation from an old tradition book, it’s not because of what’s coming or either because of the prosperity that will fall on our kingdom.” He took a moment to breathe, to gather his new words, while Feliciano remained as still, as patient and waiting for him to continue. “I’m asking because I want to be with you as this. I truly want us to rule together, to strengthen it with a love that I always want to devote true and powerful to you. I’ll journey far for you, no fear to loose, I’ll take down every opponent. There will be no heat or freeze to go against me. No sun, no rain…” It was then that he noticed what exactly he was saying, Feliciano giggling, but not minding. He only leaned closer to hear him clearer. “I love you and I want to be your husband, your king. So please, will you marry me? Will you accept to be mine…my queen?”

He looked so vulnerable, every weakness and opening in all his beautiful self that showed more strength than any soldier in a battlefield. Feliciano grinned and gave the gentlest laugh, the closest that he could show to the true flourishing that was occurring at this question that was now the loveliest shine to have happened. He leaned close, placing a gentle kiss of calmness on his head.

“I don’t want any of the riches you will bring,

I don’t care for any of the songs,

I only want you to hold,

I only want your arms around me,”

He began to sing sweetly, jokingly composing with a finger across their simple air. It died suddenly for both to laugh in the hold of their arms.

“Would you want all the gold I will find for you?

Would you like the songs I will bring from afar for you?

Would you accept me as your shield?

And would you want me always by your side?”

Ludwig managed to sing between, getting the lock of their eyes.

“I don’t want any of the riches you will bring,

I don’t care for any of the songs,

I only want you to hold,

I only want your arms around me,”

Feliciano answered, beginning a sway how they could in this position.

“Bring me your love, your kisses, your loyalty,

Your passion, your hope, your defeat,

Your promise, your weakness, your strength,

I will keep it all in my heart.

I’ll journey and see beyond the lines of our kingdom,

Never a fear to be lost, never a fear to fall,

In pleasure…”

Ludwig stopped singing, worried that the song was a distraction for him not to worry for when Feliciano denied him yet again. There was such a look of failure in his eyes and in it Feliciano saw that he now had to give his sure answer, one that in it lay a weight that the whole kingdom rested on.

“…I will take the mysteries of what I could meet…” Feliciano continued to sing in that low whisper, as the last time thinking, wondering…

“If you accept to be mine…” he stopped his swaying to lay still, with his upper body reaching his arms to rest on Ludwig’s shoulders “…my King.”

To be honest, the kingdom, the aces, his duties and responsibilities were the last on his mind when he looked into Ludwig’s adored blue eyes, still so terrified yet so naked in truth. All in his mind was love, his utter devotion to him, the feelings he instigated and how united, they could create so much more than what they knew on a surface. Happiness, he knew that there in his arms was his happiness, his shield, his sun, his heart. He didn’t think what it would mean to others but to himself, what this man would be to him, the trust and loyalty he would lay and he knew would prove faithful and brave. He thought about his true answer, well decided by the moment the ring was presented, before him now his true friend, his true king, his true Ludwig.

This time, in earnest, in joy and excited with all the expectations that were to come, he answered him:

“Yes.”

#Feliciano and the King of Hearts #fatkoh #f&tkoh #gerita #gerita fanfiction #gerita fanfic #gerita fic

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themyskira · 6 years ago

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Wonder Woman #48

Previously in What If Wonder Woman But Men???: Earth is being invaded by +~teh D4rK g0dz~+!! They’re an iteration of the Olympian gods from the Dark Multiverse. This means they’re suuuuuper dark and gritty and edgy (i.e. they’re into murdering and subjugation) and have suuuuuper dark and gritty and edgy backstories (i.e. with excessive fridging, slut-shaming and violence).

The reason they’re attacking now is that Diana accidentally summoned them by making a very big and very vague wish while in contact with a magical wishing device, and then forgot all about it.

Last issue, Diana was lured away from Earth by a nakedly obvious distraction so that the Dark Gods could launch their invasion behind her back. This time, we see how Jason managed while she was gone. (In essence: he fails to have any effect on the invaders, but he does discover that his armour gives him a handy infodump power. This entire issue is a waste of space.)

Meanwhile Wonder Woman, our alleged title character, appears in a grand total of one page. Two, if we’re generous and count an unnecessary recap panel.

The panel in question, included here because WHERE THE FUCK IS HER RIBCAGE.

Diana disappears, leaving Jason to fight them monologue at us all on his own.

He calls on the magic of his armour — which, remember, enables him to access ALL THE POWERS OF ALL THE GREEK GODS, but only one at a time because let’s not be greedy.

I want to talk about the armour for a bit, because it comes into play, the more we learn about it, the more utterly half-baked it’s looking.

As of issue #47, we know that the armour was created by Zeus as a weapon against the coming Dark Gods, to be wielded by ‘Earth’s greatest hero’. In a plot snag that only remotely works if every single one of the Greek gods is not only sexist but a complete dunce, the Olympians thought the ‘greatest hero’ in question was Jason and gave the armour to him.

The idea behind the armour seems to be that it allows the wearer to hit the Dark Gods with the combined power of all the Olympians, dealing a greater blow than any one could strike individually. That would make sense. Except that the only stated limitation of the armour explicitly prevents the wearer from doing this: they can only use a single power at a time.

Which means that the benefit afforded by the armour isn’t actually all that great. The Olympians would do better to fight the Dark Gods as a group. Or perhaps appoint a champion who already carries a divinely powerful item and the blessings of many gods. Say, the strength of the earth from Demeter, wisdom from Athena, a hunter’s eye and unity with beasts from Artemis, sisterhood with fire from Hestia, speed and flight from Hermes OH WAIT.

What’s more, the actual powers bestowed by the armour are absurdly ill-defined. In theory, the wearer can draw upon any of the abilities of any of the gods. In practice, that has meant that Jason leans almost exclusively on the Speed of Hermes and the Wisdom of Athena (and oh, friends, we’ll get to that one), with the occasional Strength, I Guess?? and Managed To Hit Something One Time And Claimed He’d Used A Marksmanship Power.

What are the actual powers and limitations of this thing? Can he use the power of Poseidon to cause earthquakes? The power of Dionysus to induce a drunken frenzy in people? The power of Aphrodite to make people fall in love? The power of Hephaestus to forge cool stuff? The power of Demeter to govern the changing of the seasons? The power of Hera to be a petty jealous ass?

Part of the problem with the concept of the armour is that it assumes that the Greek gods have discrete and clearly differentiated powers. It treats them like a team of superheroes as opposed to, you know, gods, with many and varied domains and associations.

Another problem becomes apparent here as Jason summons what he calls “the Wisdom of Athena”, but could more accurately be described as “the Infodump of the Lazy Writer”. This power doesn’t gift Jason with superior insight, understanding, judgement or strategic thinking — it just enables him to instantly know key pieces of plot-relevant information so that Robinson doesn’t have to go to the effort of folding them organically into the story.

This is how Jason learns the identities and domains of the Dark Gods and, hooboy, if you thought ol’ Khrysanthemum the Grimdark Love Deity was embarrassing, get a load of these guys.

ROLL CALL!

“Mob God, goddess of Chaos. And order, too— the “order” of mob rule. The order of a riot.”

MOBGOB! Horns, feathers, plate mail metal bustier and hoodie make for a confused sense of fashion, but the ripped fingerless gloves let you know she’s edgy™.

Literally just a shit version of the Greek goddess Eris.

“The God With No Name. God of doubt. God of nothing.”

THE HORSE WITH NO NAME! Too lazy to get a proper Halloween costume; thinks nobody can tell he just threw a couple of dirty sheets over his regular clothes. We can tell, Horse. We can tell.

Would crap his dacks in the face of the primordial void of Khaos or the gaping jaws of Tartarus.

“Savage Fire, goddess of war. Not war for some ideal or common good. War for power. War for profit. War for blood.”

SEXY SATAN LADY! Crotch is literally on fire. May want to get tested for UTI because that looks painful. Unclear how flaming-dominatrix-in-a-Halloween-mask getup is thematically connected to war domain.

Bro, you do realise that bloodlust, violence, destruction and slaughter in war is literally Ares’ entire deal?

The fourth Dark God — King Best, whose name sounds like a Melania Trump initiative — remains inside his floating statue, apparently biding his time while the other three take it in turns to attack.

Bear in mind, Jason is completely isolated and overwhelmed at this moment, and there’s no better opportunity for the Dark Gods to crush him into a pulp and feed him to King Be Best (he absorbs people’s power or something, it’s a thing, we’ll get to it). But no, they have to softball it by each waiting in turn to attack Jason while delivering some stilted line or other, aka the exact thing Robinson was poking fun at Jack Kirby for six-odd issues ago.

Sexy Satan Lady sets a bunch of flaming bats on Jason. I get the feeling she’s really not all that on board with the war portfolio. Like, she auditioned for the part of Lucifer, got cast as a war goddess instead, and now she just keeps trying to shoehorn hellfire and brimstone into everything.

Mobgob harnesses the power of the mob and uses it to… make a bunch of people jump off a skyscraper. This provides the Dark Gods with their second opportunity to incinerate Jason, as he scrambles to catch everybody before they hit the ground, but instead the Horse With No Name waits politely until all civilians have been delivered to safety before making his move.

Jason: To me, Polly! Jason [VO]: Named my spear after Mom — discovered another of its powers, too — it can appear and disappear out of nowhere if I will it to.

Oh, get fuuuuuuucked.

Jason has spent pretty much his entire life resenting Hippolyta, and now he loves her and named his magic spear after her because James Robinson told us so (yet again, abusing narration boxes for an infodump). And, by the way, how many super-special magical gifts does Jason friggin need?

But mostly what pisses me off here is that Jason’s weapon — a divine polearm with a feminine name that comes to the wielder when summoned with the words “to me” — is basically just Artemis’ ‘Mistress’.

Also, if you take another look at that panel of Jason, you’ll notice that as he summons his spear he is also diving out of the way of the Horse’s murderblast, allowing three innocent civilians to be horrifically killed in his stead. Cool hero.

(No idea how noxious green murderblasts fit in with Mister Ed’s doubt-and-nothing domain, either, but it’s clear that none of the Dark Gods are particularly married to their areas of patronage.)

Jason throws the spear at the Horse, who disappears, and Sexy Satan Lady tags in, attacking him in the form of a pterodactyl made of fire.

Supergirl shows up and decks her. This makes Kara dizzy, because something something magic, and so rather than pay attention to what Sexy Satan Lady is doing or who she might be endangering, Jason swoops right in to help the swooning Supergirl.

Wait, why isn’t Supergirl still in the Dark Gods’ thrall? I thought their very approach was intoxicating and frenzy-inducing to people? Particularly those, like Kara, who have ambivalent relationships with their own divinities? Have we dropped that plot thread?

Jason: Where did you come from—? Glad you did, but— Kara: Those insane gods possessed me, using their energy like I said—

That… does not explain anything.

After a couple of panels, Jason realises he’s forgetting something important. “Wait, what are we doing talking—? Should be looking— those ‘insane gods’ are still here.” But they’re not any more, because all of them except King Be Best’s flying stone statue have fucked off. Great heroing, guys!

Welp, out of sight, out of mind: Jason goes right on back to pointless talk.

“This armour is a gift from my father, Zeus. It allows me the powers of the gods — only one power at a time, but still — Athena’s wisdom allows me to know some things… but my inexperience and stupidity don’t always tell me the best way to act upon it.”

This is where it becomes clear that Robinson is confusing ‘wisdom’ for ‘knowledge’. Athena isn’t the goddess of Knowing Shit, she’s a goddess of strategy, innovation, crafty thought and good counsel. In other words, blessed with the wisdom of Athena, you might not have all the answers, but you can assess what you do know with clear and discerning eyes and judge the best course of action, a.k.a. the complete opposite of what Jason is saying.

Jason and Kara only remember that they’re supposed to be stopping supervillains from taking over the world when Steve radios in to tell them that the Dark Gods are taking over the world.

“They appeared in different parts of the world, sowing madness. Their very presence creates worshippers who then fight or become insane in some way.”

If that’s the case, how did Supergirl break free?

Once again, this is the kind of threat that could potentially be very effective, both in terms of building up the villains as a truly terrifying force and in terms of presenting Diana (remember her?) with a serious challenge in which the civilians she’s trying to save are trying just as hard to kill both her and each other.

And once again, Robinson delivers it in off-panel exposition, rendering it all kind of toothless.

The Justice League shows up and Jason fills them in. Somehow he now magically knows that Diana and the Star Sapphires are fighting another Dark God, I guess because his armour told him so. He also knows that the reason King Best & Less has yet to stir is that he’s waiting for something — though it’s not clear what that something is.

Because the Justice League are pros, they immediately decide that the best thing to do is to all fly right up to the super-dangerous floating murderstatue and stare at it curiously.

Supergirl: The way he’s firing those rays reminds me of the dead New Gods on the Source Wall.

oh good. Please, do talk to me more about some crossover event that I’m never going to read.

Jason: Gods? Funny, I never dreamed I’d hear that term as much as I have.

YOU ARE A DEMI-GOD, YOU FUCKING DUNCE. YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY IS GODS. HALF THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW ARE GODS.

Aquaman: Yes, old, New, Dark. Lots of gods.

I’m so glad we climbed halfway up the Big Bad’s nostrils to have this chat.

It’s at this exact moment that Bestie stops firing his eye lasers and eats the Justice League, which is no more than anybody in this book deserves. Or at least, he absorbs them or eats their energy or something. According to Jason’s useless power of infodump, he needed their power to animate his giant stone form.

Which really raises the question of why he needs a giant stone form. I’m sure it must be fun getting to trample the city and swat drones out of the sky like you’re Godzilla, but when it’s been established that you could be using your powers to induce frenzied levels of devotion and bend everybody to your will… stomping about in a giant rock suit that takes seven of the world’s greatest superheroes just to fuel seems kind of inefficient?

King B swats Jason out of the air, and then we get four pages of Best stomping on buildings while Steve tells us that the world is ending.

“The world’s gone mad. The Dark Gods are defeating everyone — armed forces, superheroes — those whom they haven’t possessed.”

Again, you’re not selling this. You expect me to believe that these dudes are an Apocalypse-level threat, but aside from Be Best eating the Justice League (we already know they’ll be fine), all I’ve seen of them is three rejects in unconvincing costumes making a half-hearted attempt to kill Jason before buggering off. Ten minutes later, I’m supposed to buy that they’ve crushed the world’s armed forces, beaten every hero and brought the entire world to its knees, all offscreen?

Best Buy tries to incinerate Jason; unfortunately Diana arrives in the nick of time to save him, and thus ends another entirely unnecessary issue.

(Oh yeah, and it turns out the big guy in the last issue wasn’t a floaty-stone-statue-Megazord, it was just Be Best. Pity; at least a Megazord might have been slightly more fun.)

#the james robinson shitshow #comics talk

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unaugmentedmonkeyscantfly · 7 years ago

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About Meme

tagged by: @secondchaircellist

IN GENERAL:

NAME: Mira NICKNAMES: apart from the ones my mom calls me, I go by my muses’ names for ease, I don’t really have other nicknames SEXUALITY: Ace-aro PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/Her are generally easiest for most people, but I’m not going to get cross unless you call me it ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON?: sometimes? WHEN SWIMMING, DO YOU PREFER TO DO IT IN THE OCEAN, OR IN A LAKE?: neither, thanks, I really really don’t like being in water where I can’t see my feet and can’t touch the bottom, and I’ve never been anywhere near an ocean that clear

ON TUMBLR:

ANYONE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET IN REAL LIFE?: pretty much all of my RP partners tbh ANYONE YOU HAVE MET IN REAL LIFE?: @projectlilith which was rad, and a few people from my first RP blog

WHEN DID YOU FIRST JOIN? 2012 was my first RP but I was on in 2011 first YOUR CURRENT ACCOUNT?: what does that even mean since I’m here, but it has as blogs or subblogs:

here

@sippingteafromabeaker

@nocompromisesinwar

@magnitudenine

@01000001010010010100010001000001

@thewayoftheweird

@heart-of-vibranium and I really hope that the other one that I don’t have the login for gives up so I can de-hyphenate

@scienceistheartofgod

@drwinslowsmagicalplace

@jerseysstretchiesthero

@thegodwhowouldbeking

@freyafitzsimmons

@henrytheaimonkey

@toppushikuretto

@multimusetrainingfacility

@childrenofterrigen

ANY PEEVES?: speech that doesn’t have a punctuation before the quotes? when the only comments you make on your own fandom ooc are negative and you never say anything positive? jumping from a more immersive roleplay like I typically do to a large more omniscient narrative? UNPOPULAR OPINION: tbh it feels like all my opinions on ships are unpopular, but definitely “if I don’t care much for a canon relationship, I’ll still be polite about it and work it into my writing”

FEELINGS:

DO YOU EASILY GET JEALOUS?: a bit but I really try not to be, I have this awful habit of getting jealous of interactions of my partners interacting with other versions of my muse instead of paying attention to me but then I’m like no that’s stupid and petty, it’s definitely allowed, it’s like different variations on the same spectrum. although I definitely try to steer away from “hey they did that with other Fitz, I wanna do that thing too” because then it feels like I’m shoehorning myself in, but that being said if you want to do things with me you’ve done with other Fitzes, just holla DO YOU EASILY GET ANGRY?: not angry really, but I do get quite easily frustrated and sometimes broody ARE YOU EASY TO CHEER UP?: not really, I mean you can cheer me up a little bit, but a full proper cheer up is not very easy to do ARE YOU GOOD AT HIDING YOUR EMOTIONS?: personally I think not but given the reactions of others I think that’s probably true WHAT’S THE VERY BEST WAY TO CHEER YOU UP?: Do the D’Dew song from Galavant? Delicious meat-based meals? My cats doing absurdly adorable things? The right song playing out of the blue? Watching a random act of kindness between other people? Mate, I don’t know. (Right now Delenn/Sheridan shippy ship fluff is a very good cheer up because oh my god they’re so adorable)

RELATIONSHIPS:

ARE YOU CURRENTLY IN A RELATIONSHIP?: No DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEONE: Not crush. Maybe squish. I dunno. I haven’t had a feeling like that for a real person--either crush or squish--in years IF YES, MIGHT THAT SOMEONE BE READING THIS?: n/a DO YOU KISS ON THE FIRST DATE?: I’ve only ever been on one date and that was a peer pressure “YOU’RE SIXTEEN AND YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ON A DATE” thing with my best friend and I can’t imagine kissing him???? or anyone???? tbh I don’t understand kissing as a romantic gesture, just as a...you put your sensitive face parts on each other’s sensitive face parts for a sign of affection? I mean I’ve never actually kissed so I don’t really get it either FOR DATES, DO YOU PREFER GOING OUT, OR STAYING IN?: ideally speaking, I would either go out to the museum for all the day like how on NCIS when Ducky took that lady to the Smithsonian, that would be a great thing. but I don’t know how to distinguish between a good romantic date and a good friend hangout thing without jumping to the candlelight dinner stage

THINGS:

FAVORITE DRINK: uhhhhhhh dr pepper? monster khaos? la croix various flavours??? FAVORITE FOOD: steaks (well done), lamb (medium), sushi, egg drop soup is my go-to comfort food...etc

Please Repost, Don’t Reblog

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scrumptiousstuffs · 1 month ago

Note

Delu mode on.

First flirt with others sometimes because he likes making khaotung jealous (either aware or unaware)

Quite curious if ray reaction regarding jealousy was in the original book or inspired by how kt reacts. First was also naturally a flirt that loves physical affection before Khaotung

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGddyJHrL/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGddU3JNm/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGddy91AE/ - khao flustered

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGddykuC2/ - eclipse cuddlyness

The blush for that model https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGddyerkK/ makes me want a 3 will be free type tv serie for them. One of the best fits suits wise.

The awkwardness https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGddUKuof/

Platonic or not. Kt knows he has a good thing 😂

https://www.tiktok.com/@khao_meowmeow/video/7237694502750719237 (5 years ago first or 5 copies of first.. Khaotung wanted a version of First for each moment)

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGddyxGTJ/ - First irl wears glasses 👄 and is such a video games/anime nerd

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGddy6s8Y/ - First fluttering eyes

Cute shy x Sexy shortie

Well anon, thank you for giving me (and now everyone who reads this blog) all these links that showcase cute FK moments!

I think by now, we have established First love language is a mixture of physical affection and affirmation. So, him being cuddly with Tay (who he has always called older brother) and Earth/Mix (First's inner circle) are not that surprising. You will also find countless of video/pictures of him cuddling with Pond and the younger GMMTV boys cause well, First is a cuddle bug hehe. But by far, his no 1 cuddle buddy is Khaotung 🤭

Khaotung looking amuse by his bestie being cuddled is actually on brand of them. You can tell that boy is very much assured of where he stands in First life 😏(I can't really comment on Ray being jealous to Sand is based on the book or Khaotung in real life - but if I am to guess, Ray seems at baseline, a possessive person. So, once Sand is his, he will work hard in making sure Sand stays beside him)

On a side side, if you have not watched Safe House Season 1, you should! Khaotung was being ghost-shipped with pretty much every single boy in that season. He too, was being cuddled too death by all the older boys in that house!

And you are absolutely right in saying FirstKhaotung know they have a good thing going on in their partnership as CP (as well as soulmate besties in real-life!)

As for your statement of wanting FirstKhaotung in a poly-relationship for a series? Why not? - If possible, I want Ciize or Piploy to play that part (if we are talking about MMF throuple) 🤣

#khaotung thanawat #first kanaphan #our boys in a throuple series? one can hope lol #firstkhaotung #firstkhao #asked and answered #so many cute moments thank you anon

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worldcakecakecake · 7 years ago

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Feliciano and the King of Hearts

Chapter 1 I Chapter 2 I Chapter 3 I Chapter 4 I Chapter 5 I Chapter 6I Chapter 7 I Chapter 8 IChapter 9I Chapter 10 I Chapter 11I Chapter 12 I Chapter 13 I Chapter 14 I Chapter 15 I Chapter 16 I Chapter 17 I Chapter 18 I Chapter 19 I Chapter 20 I Chapter 21 I Chapter 22 I Chapter 23 I Chapter 24 I Chapter 25 I Chapter 26 I Chapter 27 I Chapter 28 I Chapter 29 I Chapter 30 I Chapter 31 I Chapter 32 I Chapter 33 I Chapter 34 I Chapter 35 I Chapter 36 I Chapter 37 I chapter 38 I Chapter 39 I Chapter 40 I Chapter 41 I Chapter 42 I Chapter 43 I Chapter 44 I Chapter 45

Now this is actually the longest chapter :’D Another chapter I enjoyed writing and with a lot of information and I actually really recommend you skim through the story because a lot of details are put into play that most of you would have probably forgotten by now. Never the less, I hope you enjoy! This one is one of my favorite chapters and I was really excited to write it (There are many others I have in mind that I haven’t gotten to though, so expect them ;)).

Chapter 46

Feliciano groaned into the cover of his hands, a whimpering that had the three club royals wondering if he was crying, but one breath made them see that he wasn’t, just stressed, just a lot that he was slowly trying to make due with.

Feliciano was the only one who took sitting in the fall of a ruined pillar that belonged to another mural, the weight too much to make him stand, behind him the image of who he knew now as Augusta, with her own St. Mark, riding across a beautiful starry night sky.

“Augusta…Augusta, my great grandmother, Romulus’s wife, the last Italian queen of hearts before me, was the Ace of Hearts! She was the Ace of Hearts!” Feliciano seemed to keep wallowing, finding it hard to accept, to realize, only bringing him more question. He tried to connect in his mind, but some strings were still left hanging, some stories just didn’t mend with others, everything in this cave a proof.

“Yes, yes she was Feliciano,” Roderich assured him, joining the other three in calm expressions, all surrounding him, offering what they could in comforting words.

“But-but-but how? Why? How could she be a goddess? How could she also be a queen? How was she with my great grandfather? What are all these things? Why was it so important for me to know? Why do I appear in these images? What are those stars? What is that light she holds? Why is everything hidden here? Why didn’t I know? Why didn’t I know who Augusta is? Why did-” he streamed, quickly getting agitated, shaking, beginning to stand in a disarray that all three feared would just make him fall, disorientate and even faint. The three had to push him back into his sitting, wishing they would have brought some water to calm him down, but all they could do for now was sit with him, offer caresses to his back and arms, hoping they could steady his breathing and concentration.

“Feliciano, calm down,” Roderich tried.

“Calm down? I found out my great grandmother is a goddess, that the line of my family is of demi-gods and you want me to calm down?” Feliciano maddened. “I can’t, not when I have so many questions that need answers to!”

Elizabeta shushed him in a harsh grip, forcing him into shutting. “That’s what were here for Feliciano, to answer and explain everything that’s surrounding you,” she assured kindly. But it was so much, so much, a raining force that continued to fall heavily on the arising queen, so much to question and point, so much to hear and know. It was overwhelming him to a shock, to a paralyze of all his body that only continued to worry the three.

“How…-where do I even start?” Feliciano slumped in his stress, trying to rub the pain in his head away.

“How about…we just tell you everything…from the very beginning,” Roderich thought he could suggest, enough of a calm for Feliciano to sit straight, to be more open and ready, bringing them all more confidence to begin.

The three looked among each other wondering who could start, and so Ivan decided he was best, now that he was already standing before them, making his way to another wall covered by a large red wine curtain in the very encirclement.

“Feliciano…do you know the story of creation?” He asked without really looking at him, his hands taking the fabric of this curtain as he waited for his response.

It was a well repeated question from his teachings, from what he knew ever since he was a small child, so of course he answered like he was used to. “Ye-yes, the four aces created the four kingdoms to their image, the black and white kingdom as ones of union,”

“Wrong,” Ivan already decreed, which startled Feliciano.

In that moment, Ivan pulled the large curtain, letting it fall to ancient grounds so a whole new mural was shown. Not as tall as the one Pisa had made, yet still big enough, only showing two figures, a woman of white and a man of darkness, divided in a sort of world of only their two.

“It was actually Pisa and Keron who created them,” Ivan admitted.

“Ke-keron?”

“Khaos’s original name before the war of the blackened decades,” Elizabeta said.

“…They’re original gods?” Feliciano questioned with shock.

“Indeed. The writings say that the universe carved them in a process of decades, handing them ultimate power…and the hand of creation,” Roderich said, standing and pointing to the various images that held a light, the one Augusta held herself constantly throughout the cave.

“The hand of creation, as its name, is a fountain that gives ultimate power of creation to the holder. It was given to Keron and Pisa to share, but they didn’t do much with it, they simply created a space of their own, a small kingdom that they both shared and decided to live in solitude,” Elizabeta said, standing as she showed images of just the two of them, in their own sides, in their own riches, Feliciano following them as they told.

“At some point it became too lonely for them, and with that realization they set to test the true abilities of the hand of creation. They created the four Aces, Augusta being the very first one that they brought, along with Maiara, the Ace of Spades, Jabbar, the Ace of Diamonds and Artem, the Ace of Clubs.” Ivan moved them along to a mural showing the four Aces as little children, a sort of prophecy showing above them the representations of their own kingdoms.

“They were creations that they handed a semblance of power to, mainly to work as servants for them, each being handed their own group of angels to lead and help with the care of their small kingdoms and palaces,” Ivan showed tapestries of their order, of their angels, following under the same colors and forms the very Aces had been created in. “All held a grace of power and all the angels bowed before them as other gods, something that had made Keron extremely jealous, as so, it made him cruel to them. He lashed, he shouted, they suffered the anger of his power and thus they grew to be fearful of him…but Augusta…”

They moved to another mural of a child Augusta, in a beautiful dress, flowers in her hair, playing in a field of the first realm, with a smile that was much like Feliciano’s had been as a child.

“She was a very kind child, one who always found a way to remain with a joyful smile no matter the cruelness of Keron. She was imaginative, an artist, with a knack to create landscapes, buildings, images and stories to a world that she kept alive all through those first years. She learned to be a musician, especially after Pisa gifted her a harp, creating melodies, symphonies and lyrics to fill her spaces, having all come to sit and listen. She was dearly loved by all the other Aces, by the angels, by Pisa, who care for her like a daughter…and even Keron learned to adore her.” Elizabeta told, but her tone at that last mentioning was sad, like the beginning of something that was going to go wrong. She showed a little statue of Keron holding to the shoulders of a young Augusta, not like the comfort of a father and daughter, but of the empowering of master subjugating his slave.

“Augusta’s skill continued to exceed, the other Aces began creating their own worlds to join, to discuss in their gatherings and go on with dream. She herself grew, and thus turned into a woman of ultimate beauty in the heavens,” Elizabeta pointed to a painting depicting her bloom, a charm that even made Feliciano sway, seeing her with new flowers, enchantingly beautiful dresses of red with countless symbols, flows and even stars of the universe.

“And Keron…he grew to want her, and being impatient as he was, he was not ready to refuse any kind of disagreements from her.”

There was a tapestry of Keron holding to her in a harsh grasp, his touch poisoning, an evil gleam and smile as he took a breath of her hair. Augusta in this image cringed for an escape, wanting to be as far away as possible from his lust, looking away, greatly scared, a fear Feliciano shared in, worried as he brought his hand forward as if to help her.

“He was not worthy to become her first husband, for he continued to be as selfish, as cruel, as indifferent to the suffering of the other Aces, of the angels, even Pisa.”

“But…couldn’t she do something?”

“Despite having a share in the hand of creation, Keron had more control and knowledge of it, fearsome things that Pisa was too scared to go against. She was part of the kneeling to his words and wishes, fearing to do anything to disappoint him and feel his wrath.”

They passed a tile only for him, showing his reign of evil, tyranny and lust for power.

“Augusta was forced to marry him, a union she detested and spent miserably in for many years. He barely allowed her time to paint, to play her music, to create, and she did not stand how cruel he treated everybody else in their small realm. No matter what she tried to do, nothing changed him, nothing convinced him, and it only helped for hatred to grow strongly in her.”

A mural of her despair, of her cries, of her reach…to the light, the hand of creation.

“As a gift, a token, a show of his supposed love and to earn more of her acceptance to him, Keron granted Augusta entrance and watch to the hand of creation.”

“Did she…take it then?” Feliciano wondered.

“Not yet,” Ivan told, lighting another mural, all of Augusta reading, fighting, swinging swords and fists along with firing arrows in a normal bow. “It was an immediate thought that came to her mind, but she knew she couldn’t act brashly about it. Being under Keron, she had access to all kinds of readings he had made about the hand, and so she studied them, she learned every use of it, how to balance her power correctly with it and how to let the light accept her as a new owner. Other than this, she prepared for the worst of Keron’s anger once he realized what she would do, and so she mastered herself in the weapons they held, in any kind of defense, in fight, in plans that she slowly spread to the rest, preparing them all for an assault.”

“And how did she do it?”

“Unlike anyone had though,” Elizabeta smiled, ushering them forward to quite a beautiful tapestry despite the scene that was meant to be depicted.

“There was a dress Keron adored watching her in, a particular red one that revealed too much of her body, yet it was rich, with an elegance that could match with the scene of a palace and of her stringing to the harp. She shone beautifully that day, playing along a harmonious melody that she found calm in, Keron so enamored that he couldn’t bother to scold her, for once just sitting down to listen, and with that last note, with that last pull of her string, she shot him with a blast of strong fire.”

And that was exactly what this tapestry showed. The borders, the scene of the palace and of the heavens was decorated excessively, in flowers, vines, damasks, even shines of silver and gold, exalting the centering image majestically. It showed Keron struck by the shot, while Augusta sat on with her harp, a string pulled back enough to show the evidence of her doing, an expression full of determination and fierceness that made Feliciano proud.

“This one has to be one of my favorites,” Elizabeta smiled, a hand on her hip as proud as if she herself had made the action.

“It didn’t rid him as they hoped though, it only wounded him slightly, but the time given was more than enough,” Roderich said as he lead them to another large painting, of Augusta leading a large groups of angels as if to battle, the light she held high reigning well in the scene.

“All the Aces, all the angels, even Pisa joined in the raid to destroy Keron’s palace and weaken his own angels, and in the disarray, Augusta took the hand of creation. The hand, having seen Augusta’s mind, her soul, her spirit, her heart, into her bravery, order, kindness and imagination, granted itself as her possession and thus she became the new ruler of the hand of creation.” Roderich then presented a large mural showing her holding of the light, the very light granting her a crown, imperial robes and universal dominion to do as she pleased.

“As celebration, and Augusta seeing the hand’s need to create as it was meant to, she followed its call and joined by the other Aces, they all together began to form our world.” Ivan pointed to another mural from an old Clubian temple of that process of creation. It showed Maiara, Ace of Spades, form the lines of the Spade Kingdom, her aid with the sea, the ocean and the moon. Jabbar, Ace of Diamonds, create the powder of the desserts of the Diamond Kingdom, the carve of its capital and shores, and an aid with the light of day and the strength of mountains. Artem, Ace of Clubs, in the growing of the Club Kingdom, taking the largest space, only deserving after he aided in the fortifying of forests, trees and all kinds of jewels to decorate. And Augusta, Ace of Hearts, surprisingly created the smallest kingdom of the four, to her want of art and music, and with the hand of creation she gave the final blessing.

They went inside this temple, a shine of mosaics showing her form the very first humans and animals, the other Aces continuing with their own imagination. It showed as Augusta created the movements of the seas, of the wind, of the strong energy of magic in the air, the passing of night and day, the flows… blessing this world for the first time with plentiful and gracious life.

“It’s thank to her, no matter what kingdom were from, that we are standing here, that we all move, think, feel, with intentions and differences that continue to help this world spin,” Roderich admitted as he moved them out of the temple and back to see other relics.

“But…what about Pisa and Khaos?” Feliciano asked.

“Pisa was given her own space to create what was later the White Kingdom, the true kingdom of union and peace that all four aces wanted to symbolize for her after the love and care she had given them in the first realm. She remained there in a human guise, living among us, around the time even creating the mural we first showed you.” Ivan pointed to a statue showing Pisa in her own creation as the rest.

“Khaos on the other hand,” Elizabeta then pointed her torch to the frescoes of a ceiling, showing a large spherical field covering a land of darkness, a symbolic meaning with having Khaos taking a throne seat in the mountains inside it. “Feliciano, the journey to get the validity spheres, the locked field where they keep Khaos…was not the outcome of the war of the blackened decades, it has been there for many more centuries before it,”

“After the creation, after the Aces set the rules of order which proclaimed the kings, the queens and the jacks of their kingdom as watchers while they remained in their heaven, Khaos was taken prisoner,”

“In the…field?” Feliciano guessed.

“Yes,” Ivan continued, “the field is much older than we think, created by the very Aces instead of the rulers in the war of blackened decades as we had thought. You have to remember that Khaos is a god, older than the Aces, made by the universe instead of the hand of creation, as so, he’s powerful and it took a field of incredible power to be able to contain him, not in the heavens, but in our world, where his power can dwindle since he’s not exposed to the cosmic energy of the heavens, as well as caged in a human body. In there, he was granted the company of the angels who followed him, of even human creations that he made to obey to his command of tyranny, darkness and evil without the proper touch of the hand of creation.”

Now Feliciano understood their deathly and vicious aura that made them prominent if they stood outside the field.

“Now the field, it needs to keep running to keep him there, it needs continuous new energy every certain amount of time. The very first King, Queen and Jack of Hearts were the ones to offer this journey for the Aces, a duty that they set to continue on for generations in the ruling of the kingdom. They were accepted. The Kings, Queens and Jacks are the most powerful beings in our world since they are blessed with heavy power to compare to that of the Aces, they could accumulate more than enough power to keep energizing the field for centuries, a process that needed to be done at least every fifty years.” Ivan then light up a wall of metals showing the first ever journey for the Validity Spheres, the first ever created, even the first time humans placed them on the field in honor of the Aces.

Feliciano could identify King Fiorenzo, Queen Christa, their Jack being Rokurou at the time. Right by it there was a mural of Augusta handing the first ever empty crystal orbs to them from the heavens with a company of angels, which was a scene that awed Feliciano but had him staring in confusion. The Aces never presented themselves in their world.

“For many centuries, for many new generations of rulers, the world was a peaceful one, full of prosperity, an occasional conflict caused by Khaos’s men that they all did well to solve in their own ways. There was a good connection with the Aces and angels, their blessing and presence quite alive even if they denied themselves constant entering, just watching by the mirror and gates that were their portals, only used on the act to befall their decisions and changes.”

Gates that were constantly alive through different kind of stories of the Aces. A tapestry in the cave showed it exactly, intricately made, with flowers, jewels, columns and arches that would surely make any entire city envy.

From there on different stories of Augusta were presented throughout those years, like one of children spotting her play her harp in a hidden meadow, giving blessings to famous heroes of the kingdom, aiding them by sending storms or sunshine in their favor or joining them herself in battle, as well as appearing as a voice to help those that are troubling or helping to unite lovers of impossibility. One of Feliciano’s favorite had to be the one where she tamed a vicious and wild St. Mark that had been terrorizing a village, showing how she befriended it, giving it status of holiness and letting him join in the heavens by her side. From there on, her image was accompanied by him, along with the holiness of large wings to match her pet’s, a sun crowned halo, a surrounding glow, symbols upon symbols moving and living like flowing blood on her skin, in the heights of her power, especially when she needed aid from the hand of creation.

“His name was Fabius,” Elizabeta introduced.

“Is that…by any chance…Pookie?” Feliciano wondered, the little mentioned lion yawning that particular moment, still taking his rest upon Feliciano’s shoulder as he had done this entire time.

“The writings did mention that one would come to your aid, but we do not think it’s Fabius,” Ivan said.

“There’s a great chance that it might actually be his son,” Roderich assumed, just as the St. Mark seemed to nod proudly, nuzzling into Feliciano’s neck as he petted him. Incredible how a creature from the Aces could be so gentile, calm and playful, making Feliciano question if indeed he was the son of Augusta’s own fierce one, but it just made sense with his power, welcome, and the particular moment he came into his life.

“Now…for the stars,” Ivan wanted to start, a more serious intent on his tone as he pointed to the Verissimus chart that hanged above them once again.

Ah yes, the continuous stars that had appeared in the floors of all the palaces, a constant symbol around the relics of the cave…one that had even appeared in Feliciano’s dream.

“What…what are they?” Feliciano could finally ask, looking intently to them, somehow trying to get it himself, but it just seemed too complicated, especially when he was just finding out about this.

“The stars symbolize a moment when the universe is at complete balance, in which everything under its creation is surged with new power. In a way, it’s great for growth, for plentiful crops, weather, and more magical energy to arise in our air,” Elizabeta started.

“But…it means that both Khaos and Pisa’s power increases, an outburst that can release them from their human guise into our world, incredibly dangerous to those with a mind as dark as Keron’s,” Ivan warned.

“The hand itself had warned Augusta with visions about what was to come, of the great prosperity or great destruction that could befall our world once those stars aligned.” Roderich continued. “So, with the calculations done by a Heartian astronomer, Severinus Verissimus, a day was pinpointed for when it would come and Augusta decided that she would live among the humans for that time to face Keron herself. She was reborn in the Italian province in Hearts, a province that she held dearly to for it was the first and she showed more of herself in it than any other. She was given to a farm family in Barga, who were honored at being chosen and bringing growth to a new kind of human Augusta.”

Vases showed her rebirth, growing with this new family, doing things like farming, playing and meeting with Fabius, who couldn’t leave her behind even as a human. It showed her large mind, always learning, always practicing her power and knowledge of combat, but also painting, sculpting and playing the harp that she still kept with her.

“Leaving the heavens to the human world meant that she had to leave behind the hand of creation…who started making quite some decisions on its own,” Elizabeta told, which earned a worried glance from Feliciano, fearing the worst, but Elizabeta smiled to show him that it hadn’t been anything dire. “The hand chose her as Queen of Hearts, quite a surprise to her after seeing the mark, after the processes she had to go through being just a supposed farm girl to those who didn’t know in the kingdom. Now, being queen meant that she would have a king chosen for her by the hand, a quite particular one.”

Ah yes, Feliciano’s great grandfather, the acclaimed Romulus. He was wondering when he would come into the picture. What was his real side of the story? What parts did he play to the coming star alignment? And what was the truth of his relationship with the Ace of Hearts?

“As we all know, Romulus was a bastard and orphaned boy scavenging the streets of Rome, dirty and with nothing. Yet even with his circumstances, he was joyous, always accompanied with a boisterous laugh. He was also daring, brave, an air of nobility despite being from the streets. It was quite a shock for all to see that he was chosen as the next king, and so many had thought that he was unworthy of having the Ace’s affections…but…” Ivan smiled, so did the rest, showing then a painting of the first time Romulus and Augusta had met, as mere children, forced to interact after their discovery as future rulers of the kingdom. Romulus seemed so shy and nervous, wanting instant hiding from those beautiful eyes that seemed to inspect him fully, while Augusta stood just as impressed, as curious, a call for more from this boy and what he could do as her future king.

“They instantly befriended each other, with intense care and devotion that went through any barriers their world could place against them. Even in their own eight years of separation as tradition, they remained with a small connection, a letter for each of their birthdays. Even apart their relationship grew, and when they finally met again to begin their arising, a new spark had grown, something new was between their feelings that were not for mere friends.” Elizabeta alighted a new tapestry, of them meeting once again as adults, with a new kind of impression, eyes lost in new kinds of wants, a begging in the shake of their hands for something much closer.

“As their apprenticeship continued, as they learned and practiced together,” Roderich pointed to an unfinished metal work for a gate that showed all their kind of training, readings and discovery of new kinds of power, magic and energy. “Augusta realized that she fell in love with him, and Romulus shared those very feelings for her, in great devotion, sacrifice, and unlike any kind of force that Augusta knew.”

And so started a collection of paintings and murals dedicated to their love, showing their dances, their singing, Romulus granting her many gifts of flowers, of jewelry, poetry, even failed paintings that earned laughs from her. The romance between his great grandparents was absolutely beautiful, making Feliciano dreamy, lost to the imagining of more adventures between them, based on tales he had heard from his very family.

“After her horrible first marriage to Keron, Augusta was honestly quite scared of the kind of chains a lying love could give her. Love had a bad image to her that she never wanted to repeat, never wanted to go through again, but Romulus made her consider all her words, made her crave that romance and that closeness to somebody that she could trust, a person she could truly be happy with and even consider a dear friend as well. So when Romulus came to her, singing the famed ‘If you accept to be mine’ as a proposal for marriage, she gladly accepted and thus for their crowning they were also married.”

One of the largest paintings in the cave presented their marriage under an altar, both dressed in regality, jewels and power, Augusta wearing such a dress that almost made Feliciano melt under the gleams of its beauty. The image centered in the wear of their rings and crowns, officiating their marriage and officiating their rule of the Hearts Kingdom, blessed ultimately with the presence of an Ace.

“We should also add that the first time Romulus sang her ‘Accept to be mine’, it was a complete disaster,” Elizabeta laughed.

“The words horribly rhymed, in his nervousness he forgot many of the verses, he broke a string of his own guitar and the writings say he even stopped half way, having given up to embarrassment,” Roderich added.

“Augusta laughed, picked her own harp and helped him continue the song, completing it to as we now know it,” Ivan pointed to an old parchment paper resting on the hands of a statue of Romulus. As Feliciano got closer, he noticed that the old decaying thing was actually the original papers it was written on, the lyrics and melody clear, bringing Feliciano a temptation to sing it that instant.

“The writings say they sang it often, as whispers, as shouts that could be heard well throughout the castle halls, when they went out, when they practiced, a melody that the kingdom began to know and so it spread, and so the whole world knew of their dedicated romance…it even reached Keron.” Elizabeta pointed to another mural of his anger, full of vengeance and a need to kill as showed by his harsh grip on the throne he took, a looming danger with the stars slowly aligning unto the day. “Don’t be misled, Romulus and Augusta still kept their focus on the day those stars will aligned, they still strengthened, they still learned and Augusta received a great addition to her knowledge from her time living with humans.”

“On that year of the alignment though, Augusta birthed two sons, twins,”

“Filippo and Cecilio,” Feliciano knew, constant names in their history and the telling of his family, after all Filippo was one of his great grandparents, the one who returned to Barga to begin and repair the plantation after the war, while Cecilio stayed to care for the castle…or so Feliciano knows and hope was the case.

“Exactly. It was the height of Romulus’s happiness. He had everything, it was all perfect…so he grew fearful of losing it all. Augusta, his sons, their love, their life…he was willing to do anything to keep it like this, to continue to give them everything,” Roderich grew a saddening tone that Feliciano was not liking at all. “So on the day they were supposed to leave to fight, to be ready to face Keron near the field…Romulus refused Augusta to come along in deep fears of losing her…so…he used power of the validity spheres to keep her, along with their twins, locked in the Heartian palace so she wouldn’t come along and so she could stay safe.”

“But…but…the whole point for her rebirthing as a human was to face Keron herself! Why would he do this?!” He was as shocked as surely his great grandmother would have been.

“Like I said, dreading the thought of losing her. He was determined to face Keron’s wrath himself, thinking he was strong enough, not understanding the magnitude of what Keron was going to be granted.” Roderich then showed a painting of Romulus with an army making his way, with proud armor, weapons, flags…just like any other painting that was outside the cave about his triumph in the war.

“He-he beat him at least, right? After all, he’s the great hero of the war, that’s the point of his stories, that’s how he got known, that’s how he’s known to my family, how I know him…he-he had to…” Feliciano wanted to hope, wanted to think, shaking and even dreading the next words they were to say.

“Feliciano…this was before the war,” Roderich wanted to ease.

“Nobody, not even Augusta, expected what was going to happen…” Ivan continued, then showing an old decaying fresco of a large, intimidating, vicious and dark…monster. It was like a towering shadow, enough to cover the smallness of a village under his feet, with sharp teeth, eyes, claws, symbols upon symbols of hunt that only shook Feliciano with more fear.

“Wha-what is that?” He backed away, scared to even continue looking at it.

“That’s Keron’s escape from his caged human guise, the form he was granted with the pulse of the universe, more than enough power to break his bonds of the field and unleash his anger, with plans to destroy completely the creation of the Aces in his revenge.”

“It was an image of complete terror. The writings say that people died by merely watching him, and if not, they suffered under his power, under the war he had created in his shadow of killing, sucking the life and color of everything that was blessed by the hands of the Aces. It was utter chaos, which is how he got his new name,” Elizabeta explained. “Romulus’s army was not ready for this kind of immensity, many fell, only a handful survived to be able to take part in the writings, but with horrible damages that they suffered throughout the rest of their lives.”

“But Romulus, what happened to Romulus?” Feliciano begged to know.

The three grew nervous to say, Elizabeta taking that breath, ready to be the one to let Feliciano know this other detail.

“The writings say he fought on bravely, never for a moment stopping the swing of his sword, the intensity of his fire, of his spells and magic, but…it wasn’t enough…he died in the confrontation,” she declared, which brought a new surge of shock to Feliciano, bringing him a sudden weakening, a watering to his eyes, a hurt that seemed to still his heart.

“N-no, no…no he couldn’t have, they always told us he died of old age, he…continued to live, in the richest he earned after his triumph in the war, no, no, no,” he refused, the room spinning as tears welled more in his eyes.

“That’s…what they wanted people to think…but it wasn’t the actuality,” Roderich told, looking over to a painting of Romulus’s last approach to Khaos before he was succumbed into darkness, another mural showing how Khaos sucked his power, his life, a body to burn along with the disarray of others who suffered.

“Augusta had felt him disappear, she felt his light diminish and be gone from the face of the world, and that’s when her great despair started.”

Another painting, unfinished, showed her wallowing with an intense scream, kneeling before the floor, her face messed with tears and sorrow, her shadow seeming to be touched by Romulus’s loss of blood from afar. The tears that verged on Feliciano’s eyes fell, as if it he was retaking Augusta’s very own suffering. No, no, as more images were shown, of the kind of destroy that her emotions and soul went through after losing her dearly beloved, Feliciano realized that he could only reach to feel half of it. No such misery could compare, no such pains could be reached. Feliciano saw as each statue, painting and mural did the very light disappear from Augusta, gone along with Romulus.

“The loss made her weak, a breaking that even affected her magic and power, a pure misery that continued to reign within her…for thirty years.”

The next images were those of the true disaster of the known war of the blackened decades, but the blood, the ruin, the burning, unlike anything Feliciano had thought this war had brought. It was an agony, an obliterating that ripped apart into nothingness the world he know of beauty, prosperity and life. It only worsened his tears, his disarray, covering his face as if he could feel the stench of death looming high.

He always thought it had been mere battles, a force that should have been easy for his great grandfather Romulus to defeat…not this monster, not this utter bring into debris, of darkened lands left behind in poison and smoke, rivers and lakes drained, colors disappeared and nothing strong enough to stand against the now monstrous Keron.

“What about the other Aces? What about the angels? What about Pisa? Didn’t she get an outburst because of the alignment too?”

“None of the other Aces could do a thing, they sent as many aids to the human world, even angels that helped in backing, for many to survive longer, to hold out and even create distractions, but they weren’t enough, it wasn’t his unreachable potent.”

“Pisa was indeed granted her own power and a battle surged between them trying to subdue the other, but in one miss, in one failed attempt by Pisa, she was done for. She died, her kingdom perished completely without repair alongside her as we normally know.”

A mural showed that fight, Keron’s large dark monstrous shadow, while Pisa was a large angelic white, but the darkness took control of it, she was extinguished under him, a shriek, terror in her face that made Feliciano almost hear it as he passed hurriedly by it.

“And…Augusta?”

“She was consumed by her sadness and for a great length of the war all she did was remain in the castle, too weakened by her emotions, sending men after men, witches, wizards, angels, even all kinds of creatures to try and stop him, but none returned well, and year by year, the chance for an arising against him seemed much more bleak. Many had succumbed to knowing that their world was coming to an end and even Augusta was firm about it, waiting for the day that Khaos would finally extinguish everything until reaching Rome where she sat, his final goal.”

“He was willing to give her an offer though…the return of the hand of creation, marriage once again to him, and by his side in the ruling of his new world, but Augusta decided she rather perish than live so unhappily and betray Romulus even in his death, even with the years that passed of her watching the world she had helped create break more day by day.”

Feliciano was getting agitated, reaching a hand to a tapestry of her as if he could help console her, awaiting by her throne for Khaos’s soon reach to kill her.

“But even though Augusta seemed like she was ready to give up, there were many others who still hoped.” Elizabeta then pointed to ancient flags, showing the forms of seven figures, surely key. “The Queens of the time, Queen Adrian of Clubs, Queen Ailen of Spades, Queen Sabah of Diamonds, her very two grown sons, prince Filippo and prince Cecilio, and…her very jack,”

“Soren Sylvaster,” Feliciano knew, he was just as mentioned in the stories.

“Actually…his real name was Soren Beilschmidt.”

Feliciano’s steps halted, turned to them with widened eyes, filled with both intrigue and question.

“Beilschmidt?” Feliciano wanted to be sure.

“Indeed,” Roderich smiled, clearly proud of that part of his own heritage.

“Like Beilschmidt, Beilschmidt?”

“Yes! He’s Ludwig’s own ancestor,” Elizabeta added.

“The…jack of hearts?” It was surprising, he didn’t think his family had that connection to the Beilschmidts for so long. As he gazed to a tapestry showing Soren’s appearance, he noticed his strength and stature, bald but with a prominent blond beard. Feliciano could take hints to the same facial structures that most Beilschmidts held. Give him slicked back blond hair, shave that beard and one could see Ludwig.

“Yes, and just as loyal to her as Romulus had been,”

“Augusta cared for him dearly, like a good friend, sometimes even a brother. We suspect that it was because of that relationship that she granted his linage to hold the kingship of the kingdom.”

“Along with the other queen’s perseverance and her own two sons, they tried to convince her to fight, after all, it was her duty, the reason for her rebirth. They had to regain her once liveliness so her magic could rise, a magic they believed would be enough.”

“And did it work?” Feliciano began to hope as they had.

“At first, no, a sickening that none of her two boys could stand any longer, so…they decided to go to the war themselves and face Keron. After all, they were sons of an Ace, they were confident.”

“And they really did?”

“Actually, no. Augusta couldn’t take watching her boys leave to something so drastic alone, lose them as she had her husband, so finally…she went along.”

“With the Queens, with Soren, and with an army of soldiers they had gathered from Rome, Augusta led people to reclaim the burned lands that Khaos had taken, defeating those of Khaos’s men that remained, restoring back its color, its liveliness, giving back its control to its mayor, governors, people coming back to refresh, to build, to have their crops grow and try to live on, knowing that Augusta was fighting, traveling the lands, saving provinces after provinces.” Elizabeta then showed many countless of paintings with Augusta’s trajectory, her harp bow firing, on the back of her St. Mark, Fabius, with a cry for a war, a war to defend this time, Feliciano watching with each painting as her power strengthened in each battle, a return to her force as an Ace that many had seemed to forgotten. Always by her side fighting was Soren, along with the other Kings, Queens, Jacks, her sons, and a trail of soldiers of different kingdoms and provinces offering themselves to fight for their world, all until their final meeting with Khaos.

“She continued on fury, in her own vengeance, bloodthirsty, violent, a fierceness that no one had known she could turn into. She wouldn’t take proper rest until Khaos was defeated, for putting her world at risk, her loved ones, her Romulus, and it only helped to make her stronger, for her power to grow.” Ivan pointed to a large statue of her, dirtied, cut and ripped from the damages of war, yet her face and stature was still as determined, intent in the way she held her harp, even a sword a her other side.

“They had driven Khaos back, away from his goal to face Augusta in Rome, until he had no other choice than to stand for himself right before the field she had imprisoned him long ago.”

A tapestry showed that commence, that preparation, Augusta dressed in her own specific armor, harp at her side, ready to move forward to the large monstrous thing alone.

“The battle had been massive. The writings say it took various hours for a clear result, a large part of the field destroyed in the process, as well as many of Augusta’s men and women falling.”

Murals and tapestries showed that encounter, Augusta’s figure a shining sun light breaking apart Khaos’s darkness, sun arrows piercing well, a feral look in her eyes wanting nothing but to completely succumb him.

“For many it was a fest, for Augusta used skill upon skill to weaken him, trying new things that surged at the moment that nobody had thought possible. They watched as some had failed, as Khaos would hit back, but Augusta would strike harder, on and on, until finally-”

“She defeated him!” Feliciano excited.

“In a way, yes.” There was doubt in Roderich’s tone though. “She had weakened him enough to remove his powers, with it creating a new field to imprison him, returning him once again to his human guise and officially putting his rampage to an end.”

From there on the images were those of triumphs, of Augusta ruling at the post of a battlefield, proud, ruling, countless around her celebrating, but despite this relief, the grandeur…she still seemed sad. She didn’t shout, she didn’t jump or sing with the rest, if anything she even seemed scared.

“She was…the real hero of the war…wasn’t she?” Feliciano realized as he let his hand trace one of the images.

“Yes, she was,” Elizabeta assured.

“Why doesn’t…why doesn’t anyone acknowledge this then? Why was her meaning…erased like this?” Feliciano still wondered, broken that such an important story, one of their history, of themselves, wasn’t better known, instead buried in this cave and continued in the world above in silence for several centuries.

“That’s what were…about to get into,” Elizabeta began to introduce, meeting with a large painting showing Augusta in her Ace form, supreme, glowing and powerful. “You see, Augusta hoped…that Khaos hadn’t truly killed Romulus, but taken his spirit and soul since it did hold some energy because of the union of his power with Augusta, something to aid him, something to help bring more ruin to the world. She thought if she defeated him, then he would be released, but…”

“It didn’t happen. Romulus remained lost in an uncertain plain that she couldn’t reach, not into the cycle of acceptance into their heaven. She was never going to receive a meeting with him, so one of the reasons she couldn’t celebrate was because she didn’t earn her Romulus as part of her had hoped.”

“So…she began to heavily honor him. She prayed, she continued to mourn, had songs, stories, paintings, murals, even temples made for him, as a way to make his memory alive, hoping…hoping it would be enough to return something to her. The more it didn’t work, the more she tried to hide her own importance in the war if it meant it could be given to Romulus, for enough worshiping energy. When her time as human ended, she begged to not have many symbols of her, to focus on ROMULUS, TO DEDICATE ALL THE STORIES TO HIM, WHICH IS WHY WE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT Romulus Was the true hero of the war, a story we took to truth and history.”

“Even after she died, many continued to make murals and portraits, against her wishes, so King Iolanda, three generations afterwards, had decree this cave be made to hide everything that existed,”

“Willing to just erase our history?” Feliciano was rather insulted.

“It was Augusta’s very wish,” Roderich defended.

“As well to keep people from panicking over Augusta’s very last words,” Ivan continued, halting them all to a moment of opportune.

“Her last words? She couldn’t have just died, she’s an Ace, with her end in the human world, shouldn’t she just have returned to the heavens?” Feliciano assumed, hoping and even sure that it had been the case.

“Well…” Elizabeta tried to word in her nervousness, gazing over to the others hoping for some inspiration how exactly they should tell him this next part. “First of all, Feliciano…that star alignment… wasn’t the last one…”

Feliciano found meaning enough to fear, for a shiver to paint over him. “Wha-what?”

“It’s a common natural phenomenon in the universe that repeats every so thousand years. Augusta was clear about that, she knew that Khaos’s form would return for the next one. After all, she did defeat him, putting him back in the field along with his human guise, but she didn’t kill him…and he’s well enough to receive the same surge once again, to create havoc as he had done.”

Feliciano’s mind flashed with the images of monstrosity, shaking him to whimpers, wrapping his arms around himself to try and block from more continuing in his thoughts.

“She knew, that many more years from her own, that she would have to face him yet again, with stronger power, fierceness and intent on truly ending him. But she knew she wouldn’t be strong enough, and no matter how much she would practice for those next thousands of years, it wouldn’t be enough, it will end with the same results or with her own death.”

“She needed more power, energy, magic, and so she formulated a plan to get it.”

Yet another mosaic of Augusta holding the light, with ever imperial stature, yet this time, under her, was the image of a new baby…receiving all her power.

“The reason why Pisa and Khaos received that surge was because they were creations of the universe, unlike her who was a creation of Pisa and Khaos. But in her holding, she had the hand of creation, which we know was also an item of the universe. She knew that she needed that very surge from the universe to beat Khaos, and her ultimate help would be the very hand of creation, becoming one with it, turning completely into its person until she herself could count as a creation to the universe.”

“Why didn’t she think about it earlier?” Feliciano questioned.

The rest shrugged, “she didn’t think dealing with Khaos would be so disastrous, and it was only after the results that the very hand suggested this idea and that she had the information and skill to do it.”

“But turning into the hand of creation wouldn’t be enough either, she knew certain time was needed, she knew a certain creation had to take place, one she couldn’t do…one that could only be possible in the continuation of her lineage in our world.”

And this is where the three gazed to Feliciano, as if he was the painting, mural, tapestry or mosaic that would explain enough to the story now…that baby that constantly appeared.

“Before she died, she warned that a new alignment would come, she warned that Khaos would rampage again, this time with more ferocity. All who had been around her had hoped that she would just rebirth to face him yet again, but she told them instead that a great grandson would.”

Feliciano was weary about what they were going to continue saying.

“She told them that instead of returning to the heavens, she would transfer herself, her power, her magic, into her own linage, one that would start with the birth of her granddaughter, Sebastiana.”

“Wait, I’m confused, did she …actually die or is alive through our lineage?”

“In a way, both,” Ivan answered to Feliciano’s uneasiness, but his answer made him remain with the same question in his eyes and expression.

“She ceased to be able to send herself and the very hand of creation she became to regain more energy from her family members as they would remain in this world with essence of the universe, being sent and added through the creation of birth in our world, from child to child to child.”

The clarity was seen more in Feliciano’s face, but there was a sudden worry that was nearing. He knew something was coming.

“She warned that there wouldn’t be any more Italian queens after her…and she prophesized that thousands a year from her time, twenty years before the next alignment is to come…a new Italian queen will be chosen from her line, who will be born in Barga as she had once done, to live within the one with the highest of the Vargas lineage power, the one that will receive the surge of the universe along with Khaos…to face him and stop him once and for all and then take their place as the new Ace of Hearts and even the hand of creation…”

Feliciano shook, he trembled, fearing that his whole body would soon hit ground, to unconsciousness that seemed more comforting.

“And that is you, Feliciano.”

He fell and had been lucky that Roderich and Ivan were there to catch him, to stand him, placing balancing arms on his back to keep him from wobbling more, the torches close to keep his eyes awake. They really regretted not bringing any food or water, for he paled and grew ever the lighter, on a brink to wanting to let himself be spirited away from the sudden meaning and responsibility that was held in himself.

“A-Ace-Ace of Hearts? Ha-hand of creation? I-I have to-have to…face Khaos in the next alignment?” His breath worsened, slumping and sweating as if he had run miles around the cave.

“Yes, you are the strongest in your lineage as you have proven enough, with Augusta residing within you, having grant you this power and position,” Elizabeta told.

“With enough training, we believe you can manage to defeat Khaos,” Roderich seemed sure and Feliciano was surer about hitting the ground soon as another tiring wave went through his head. They had to force him into a sitting, Roderich taking out a fan to flap at his face trying to give him enough air.

“Kha-Khaos, I have to-I have to…face Khaos like…that!” He pointed to another tapestry showing another depiction of the monstrous form he took the last alignment. It made Feliciano tremble the more, the rest having to focus his eyes away from it.

“You have the power within you to do it!” Elizabeta believed.

“Augusta as well within you to aid,” Ivan tried to help, even placing a soothing hand on his shoulder.

“She could have begun to aid me long ago! She could have told me! Yet never a thing! Always leaving me with questions and silence, and when I finally get answers, all of a sudden I have to deal with saving our world, becoming a god and even a powerful item of the universe, just like that!” he angered, trembling into tears, Elizabeta sitting with him to shush and rub her hands over his arms and back.

“Maybe…it isn’t the proper time, maybe Augusta is waiting to properly contact you,” Elizabeta tried to make him realize.

“And this isn’t a proper time?” He whimpered, neared to a shout. “Don’t I need proper training and teaching? How can I get it when there’s no one else in the world with this kind of power and there’s no writings about it!” He frustrated, yet again Elizabeta seeing Feliciano in responses that didn’t fit him, rare and saddening, just making her wish that she had all the answers to give him in this matter. “A god? A god! She wants me to become a god! Does she expect me to leave behind my world like that? To just…know everything to face and kill someone with that much dark power.” He extended his arms, opening his hands as if he could see all that magic, confusing and loaded with ultimate creation and not a clue on what to do than what he was taught with books and teachers. It pained him to know that none of that would be enough, that he’d had to find a way by himself, and how could he? How could he deal with his queenly duties as well? All those people…all those creatures…all their world…its protection, its future, in his hands, heavy and prominent, and Ludwig…Ludwig…Ludwig…he crashed into tears yet again, all breaking and making it seem like his whole body was sobbing.

There were no more words they could give, only silence, Elizabeta leaning to give him an embrace, Ivan and Roderich continuing with their pats, as long as Feliciano needed to break from this.

“When…when?” He suddenly asked in his tremors, not yet daring to show his worsened tear stained face.

“When what?” Elizabeta questioned.

“When is the next alignment?” He practically whispered, surely scared.

They all sigh knowing that it would add to the heaviness of the duty, but it was important, pointing over to the Verissimus chart over them, the calendar stretching out to show two of these star alignments. The first they knew had passed, clear with its year and even time, then there was the next one, calculated and established, a sure one that Feliciano knew would remain marked in his head until that day.

“…a year from now,” Roderich realized, even the fear reaching him.

“Shortly after your twentieth birthday as Augusta said,” Ivan added, which only worsened Feliciano’s state, so sick and even deadly that Elizabeta couldn’t deal with it any longer.

“I’m sure the writings have something about proper training, we’ll properly search and hand you anything we deem might be helpful. But it’s a year from now, and right now you should be focused on placing the Validity Spheres tomorrow, it assures us that year to prepare, strengthening the field and perhaps even weaken Khaos when he breaks out.”

“Your orb must be the strongest one there has been for centuries, it would probably even give us more hours before Khaos breaks out,” Roderich added.

“Gives us good enough time to ready our armies,” Ivan already trusted.

“Armies?”

“Of course,” Ivan assured.

“We’ll begin preparations as soon as you head back to Berlin,”

“Well…that is…if you accept that the news should be diverged,” Roderich reminded.

“…I can decide if I want this to be known or not?”

“The writings did say that afterwards the cave is yours to do as you please, but to be wary on how people would react.”

Feliciano remained silent as he gave it thought, a serious dedication that Roderich couldn’t help but feel proud about, knowing that he was thinking logically and thoroughly. He had grown, a certain maturity in his mind had been reached that was thinking well of the outcomes and implications as a queen should.

“I believe…it should be told, but gently and slowly, it’s not something that most can easily learn to accept and adapt, but I don’t believe only Clubs should remain with that burden, the rest of the kingdoms would have to…prepare for a war.” Of course he was scared of the word, of its heaviness and surely coming threats, but the more they were prepared for it, the more casualties can be avoided. “I’ll…call for a meeting to tell my castle and then write messages to the rest of the kingdoms and provinces. They’ll ready what they can… we have a year. I’ll…search for readings and do what I can to learn about my power.” He was shy, rubbing his hands unsure if it was enough, if it could work, if the rest of the kingdoms can accept the contents of this cave to be open, without the panic that their ancestors had worried about.

“But…we shouldn’t fret for now, it’s a matter to focus once you return from the field. I know it’s hard but…we really have to try and get some sleep now. We have to create the Validity Spheres, you have to leave, head to the field and finally back home.” Elizabeta smiled as she caressed the side of Feliciano’s face, a suggestion she shared to her two other companions, who nodded and agreed that it was best for now to head to their rooms.

“Come along, if you ever need to come back here just ask any of us, we all know the spell of entrance from the hall,” Ivan offered, his torch leading them out, back until they found the stairs, a high climb that made Feliciano internally groan. Roderich went first, then Elizabeta, then Feliciano, leaving Ivan behind to stand alone, looking among the many relics in the cave…but not giving any other step to continue upward with them.

“There’s…something else we forgot to mention,” Ivan reminded, his gaze now strongly on an image of Romulus, young, vivacious and headstrong.

The rest stopped in their own step, looking back, attentive, although Feliciano groaned once again. What more was there to say? Hadn’t this all been enough to stress him and probably keep him awake at night?

“There’s…a letter.”

Elizabeta and Roderich’s eyes widened in realization, not believing that they had almost forgotten.

“What letter?” Feliciano immediately broke the silence.

“In the chest with all the writings, there was a letter addressed to Ludwig.”

“To Ludwig?”

“Well…not specifically Ludwig, the front said that it was meant for whoever would be king to you.”

“What’s in it?”

“We don’t know,” Roderich said.

“Huh?”

“We weren’t allowed to, our only duty was to send it to him before his eighteenth birthday.”

“But-but…why? If it was in the chess of writings the surely it has to do with Augusta, so shouldn’t you all be allowed to?”

“The thing is Feliciano…the letter was written by Romulus.”

Just when he thought things would be clear. Now another question reigned on his head, another worry, another persisting, wondering, connecting and trying to guess its contents and how it had to with Augusta and her plans if it meant that it was addressed to Ludwig. But…something didn’t make sense…why would Romulus send a letter to Ludwig when he died before he knew about what Augusta decided with their lineage? What could he have possibly written to a future king? Was it what…Ludwig was trying to hide from him? The reason for his acting and change? Finally a point, finally a nearing, maybe- his head hurt, there was a pang, he was tired, he was close to taking rest in that very step if it meant immediate sleep.

“Let’s just…head back for now, in the morning we’ll deal with the troubles that are at hand. Feliciano, really focus on resting, all will be revealed at its time,” were her last words before she urged them all to continue upward, even Feliciano who had a reluctance and seemed to stab each step with his worry, anxiousness and fears.

#Feliciano and the King of Hearts #f&tkoh #fatkoh #gerita #gerita fanfiction #gerita fanfic #gerita fic

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