I wake up warm, for the first time in my life. Muscular arms are wrapped loosely around my waist, and I can feel gentle breathing on the back of my neck.

Blinking slowly, I can see the sunlight streaming in through the window, but somehow, I can tell that it's early morning.

"Morning," a voice whispers into my ear, making me smile almost immediately.

"Morning," I return, rolling over to face Alfred, who wears a soft smile.

He lies there still, looking at me lazily before kissing my cheek. The way my breath catches causes him to pause, and suddenly his lips are inching toward mine.

"Alfred," I murmur, feeling my eyes start to close.

And suddenly, his lips are on mine, gentle and slow as his hand rests on my cheek. The movement of the kiss is slow and lazy, but it's absolutely perfect. I know it's to keep himself up as he hovers over me, but when he puts a leg between mine, the friction has me moaning into the kiss.

He pulls away, chuckling slightly, pecking my cheek before rising off of me completely. "You're adorable," he says softly, placing a kiss on my hand.

I blush heavily before turning away in embarrassment.

"Oh, don't do that," he teases playfully, wrapping his arms around my waist and nipping at my neck. It causes me to laugh, squealing as he tickles me.

"Alfred!" I yell, squirming wildly and laughing uncontrollably. "Alfred, stop it!"

"But you're so cute when you laugh," he counters, finally stopping.

Suddenly, there are two knocks on my door as it opens. "Prince Arthur, I heard yelling. Are you okay?" Kiku asks, walking into the room hurriedly. He stops short when he sees Alfred and I in a tangle of limbs together. "Oh," he says simply, sending Alfred and me into a fit of laughter together as he retreats out of the room quietly.

"That was amusing," Alfred murmurs when the laughter dies down. "Do you think rumors will spread now?" he asks innocently, giving me a grin.

"Maybe," I say. "And I hope they do."

"Why?"

I grin, flushing with color. "So everyone will know that you're mine," I murmur, biting my lip.

He kisses me again, more forcefully this time, passionately. "God, I love you," he breathes against my neck, holding me close to him.

"I love you more," I return, gently kissing his neck and ignoring the way my heart leaps in my chest.

He groans as he pulls away from me. "I have to train new knights today," he says. "I can't stay... as much as I'd like to take you..."

The blush on my face intensifies.

"Then, stay again tonight," I murmur, nibbling on my lower lip as he gives me a wide grin.

"Gladly," he murmurs, giving me another kiss. "But you better prepare yourself," he whispers.

Blushing at the double meaning, I smile.

"See you soon," he tells me, giving me one more kiss before rising out of bed and getting dressed.

I watch him move, imagining the way he'll feel later tonight. I'm admittedly perverted, but I can't help it. He's so beautiful inside and out that it makes me want to pounce on him.

I roll over and squeal into my pillow when the door shuts behind him, grinning madly. I can't believe it! He's finally mine. This is wonderful! All we have to do is take care of Ivan, and everything will be perfect!

I walk by the training grounds later in the day, eyeing an armor-clad Alfred as he dominates the inexperienced knights in spars.

"Arthur," Alfred calls, getting my attention as I head towards the garden.

A few of the new knights give me condescending looks as I approach, assuming I can't fight. It's understandable. I don't look like it.

"Yes, love?" I ask, hopping over the fence that separates me from the sparring ring as gracefully as possible.

"I have taken on a bet with this young man," he says, slapping one of the new recruits on the back. "He says he can probably beat you in a fight in less than five minutes."

I raise my eyebrows at this accusation. "And what do you say?" I ask, lifting my chin haughtily.

He grins at me. "I say he won't last one minute in the ring with you." He walks over to me and grabs my shoulder. "What do you say?"

With a smile, I nod, and Alfred clears the ring.

"Alright you two," he states, eyeing the two of us, now being the only people to occupy the ring. "This is a clean fight. No dirty tricks. Hand-to-hand combat only. No magic, and no weapons. Understood?"

The knight and I nod, looking each other in the eyes calculatingly. He has a smirk on his face, thinking this is an easy win, but he is about to get quite the shock.

"Alright, begin!"

With a rush, the knight comes charging at me, and I step to the side to avoid him. He quickly turns to try and land a hook on me, but I duck and land a jab to his gut, making him heave. Regaining his composure, he tries to swing at me again, but I step out of the way again and punch him in the nose. Dancing backwards a little bit, I wait until he stands still to deliver my final and favorite move.

Rushing forward, I grab his right shoulder and swing myself through gap between his torso and left arm, wrapping my legs around his head and using my momentum to propel him towards the fence as I land after the back flip. He slides a few feet until he hits his head against a fence post groaning to himself quietly.

Alfred reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few cold coins, smiling as the rest of the knights look on, dumbfounded.

"Let that be a lesson," he says, turning to face the rest of them. "Never underestimate your opponent."

With that he bids me farewell, telling me I can leave now. Deciding it's best to not damage any of the other knights, I head back the way I was going, leisurely walking to the garden.

Oddly, the guards are not at their usual posts. Did one of the cooks try to get them to taste test her food again? That's happened quite a few times, but I don't blame the knights for leaving their posts. That woman's food is the best I've ever tasted.

Heading over to the rose bushes, I smile. Roses are actually my favorite flower.

"You like the roses, yeah?" a familiar yet dark voice asks.

Spinning around at the sudden intrusion, I barely manage a scream before a thick wisp of shadow is wrapped around my mouth.

"That wasn't a very smart idea," Ivan says, talking to me as if I were a child that just ate a cookie before dinnertime.

I see Alfred and the guards come running out of the corner of my eye before something hard hits my head and the world goes dark.

The last thing I hear is Alfred's scream of anger, and the last thing I see is a pair of glowing purple eyes.

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Heylo, my lovely little nuggets! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to leave any comments or suggestions if you have them. They always make my day :) Anyway, I'll see y'all nuggety readers in the next update! Until then, have an absolutely fantastic and fabulous day! Bai!!! >:3

-IggyScones