~Crowns~(Chapter 4) EnglandXReader

TheBlackRose: She said yes.

Oh no.


A sharp inhale broke the steady rythm of your breathing.

...

    Your eyes were open now, hearing the soft thumping of your parents' footsteps downstairs, probably making breakfast. It was light outside already.

    Your cave showed almost no light because of your thick curtains drawn permanantely across the windows. The hallway light leaked under you door. It was a soft, white light, unlike the ugly yellow light lightbulbs gave off, so you knew that it was daylight. You moved slowly underneath your drawn up blanket, feeling your warmth stay with the spot where you had lay. The bed creaked as you began to roll off of it, moving each of your hands to wake up.

    More thumps, fast ones. Someone was running? Moved out of curiosity, you rose and slightly more quickly made your way downstairs. The stairs especially cold on your feet than usual made your toes go numb quite quickly.

    Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you dragged your feet into the kitchen, feeling the even colder tile on your feet.

    Oh, it wasn't your parents.

    No, it certainly wasn't. "Arthur?" you were bewildered.

    Why was he in your house... on a Saturday? Not that it would be normal that he would be in your house, but...

    His gaze turned up towards yours, and he smiled brightly, opening his mouth to say something.

    "Iggy!" a voice you recognized shouted from your living room area. Only then could you hear the T.V. going, playing what sounded like an action movie with shooting and shouting.

    Arthur's expression darkened at his nickname, his thick eyebrows dropping. "Bloody hell, what is it!?" he shouted back.

    "When's the coffee ready?"

    "I told you already, we're not having that disgusting sh-!"

    "Just quit arguing you two! I'm trying to watch!" another, more feminine, voice shot out of the living room, silencing both.

    "Arthur, what are you doing here!?" you asked in a strained whisper.

    "It's coronation day, love! When you become queen and the Rose Ceremony happens!" he threw the words out, and you found yourself wrapped in them, confused.

    "I what the what and the what club does what?!" your throat was beginning to hurt from your shoutwhisper.

    "We'll explain it over breakfast," he beckoned to the dining table, and you hesitated. In the end, however, his nonchalant smile was the only thing that convinced you to sit down. "Hey, the queen's awake you two!" he once again yelled towards your living room.

    "Alright! Party time!" you could hear the thump as something hit the ground, and a split second later Alfred ran into the kitchen, sliding on the tile in his socks. He gracefully rammed into the dining table before grabbing his chair and taking a seat.

    A brunette girl appeared behind him, without as much action, and took a seat opposite to Alfred.

    Your face flushed badly. There was a Prince and no doubt another royal in your kitchen. Automatically averting your eyes to the ground, you could feel their gaze upon you.
    "____, don't be scared," it was the brunette girl. You held your tongue, still feeling that the rules applied outside of school. It took Arthur, who took your hand gently, to convince you out of your frozen position. You finally looked up to meet his eyes once again; he offered silent reassurance.

    Cupping your cheek, he moved your face slowly to face the others. The others' stare never left you.

    "____, Alfred and Elizaveta," Arthur spoke to you as if you were a puppy. Taking a deep breathe, you gathered your courage.

    You met Alfred's gaze. His sky blue eyes showed no sign of judgment or disapproval. A cheesy, yet reassuring smile graced his features, and his glasses reflected off of the kitchen window for a moment. His brown jacket hastily drawn around himself seemed very warm in the morning's nipping cold.

    You switched to met Elizaveta's gaze. Her green eyes were a different shade than Arthur's. A lighter shade. She wore a pastel pink flower clipped into her hair, and a simple, white long sleeve t-shirt. Her smile was more of a motherly nature, and she seemed more like she knew that you were scared.

    "H-Hello," your voice caught, and it seemed to fill the silence. You cursed yourself for being so awkward.

    "Sup!" Alfred returned happily.

    "Hello," Elizaveta's voice was warm and inviting.

    "So... what are you guys here for again?"

    "We're here to talk about your coronation, ___."


    "So, why her?" Alfred broke the patient quiet as they waited downstairs for Elizaveta to finish dressing and putting make-up on you.

    "What?"

    "Why did you pick ____? I mean," he shifted his stance against the front door, gazing levelly at Arthur, who sat at the bottom of the stairs, "you have nothing to gain. Sure, she is pretty, but I know you, dude. There has to be a reason."

    Arthur returned Alfred's gaze, but sighed and looked away. He rested his pale cheeks, which grew slightly warmer, in his hands. Blowing a pale blonde strand out of his eyes with a short huff, he was silent for a moment.

    "I... I don't really know. I just knew that... that we needed a queen. A good queen. She..." he shook his head, "It only really makes sense to me. I don't know how, but if anyone can clean up this mess, it's her. She seems so strong-willed, and like she can handle things."

    Alfred opened his mouth as if to say something, but stopped as he caught sight of you. You touched the railing of the stairs, and Arthur stood up after following Alfred's gaze.

    "Oh my God," Arthur whispered and Alfred nodded slightly. Your cheeks blazed, and you avoided eye contact with either of them. You slowly took one step after another down the stairs, taking breaths to calm yourself.

    The two nations were right to stare in wonder as they did, because you did, indeed, look stunning. A long (f/c) dress fell to your ankles, slight lace with swirls stitched onto the end. The sleeves were (long or short), and had a slight ruffle on the end. Your legs, which were covered by (s/f/c) stockings that went to your knees, showed slightly with each step. You wore black flat shoes, since high heels didn't really work for you yet. Your hair was pinned against your head in an elegant fashion, with small strands towards the front hanging down, and curled. (If you don't like this style, just imagine another one that fits yourself) Your earrings dangled, each one a small, silver (fav animal). Your make-up was done so it looked natural, but smooth. A touch of (f/c) eye shadow that only someone who looked at your eyes directly could detect along with an average amount of mascara. Your lips being a slightly darker shade of red than your original lips finished everything off. Nothing was over done or under done. Everything was perfect.

    "____..." Arthur whispered, and you took a deep breath.

    "Yes?" His eyes once again roamed over your body, taking in everything. Alfred tried to help himself, but even he couldn't stop himself from looking you over in wonder. "You look... magnificent," the blonde said, voice barely above a whisper.

    He knelt, taking your hand and placing a gentle kiss upon your knuckles, before looking up into your eyes.

    "You don't look too bad yourself, Mr. King," Elizaveta stood at the top of the stairs. She was now dressed in a black shirt that hugged her body, but didn't seem uncomfortable, and a knee-length white skirt that swayed each time she moved. She wore stockings that were a deep red color, matching her miniature hat clipped off to the side of her head. She too, had make-up on similar to yours, except with a nice, noticeable deep red eye shadow.

     Arthur looked down at Elizaveta's comment, as if remembering he had on a tuxedo, along with Alfred, but returned to your eyes. Standing, he kept eye contact with you, and you barely felt his touch as he held lightly onto your hand as Elizaveta made her way down the stairs to stand by you.

    A smile that couldn't be broken was spread across her face. Whether it was from seeing you so happy with Arthur, or seeing how good her work came out, you didn't know.

    "Well, shall we?" Alfred opened your front door, and Arthur led you outside into the soft sunlight. Your could hear the door close and lock behind you, so you didn't bother to glance back.

    Climbing into Alfred's white Cadillac, a sense of alarm made your heart jump for a second. You were getting into Alfred's car. You had only met him this morning, and... and...

    Arthur climbed into the seat next to you, and you watched him smile sincerely at you. Taking a deep breath, you exhaled deeply as Alfred and Elizaveta climbed into the car also, the brunette girl driving apparently.

    "Okay... so what do I do when we get there?"


    It was a second year named Ludwig's house. He and his brother, a senior named Gilbert, lived there. Ludwig was an earl, and Gilbert was a duke. The whole kind of rank thing still confused you, but you knew that a duke was higher than an earl at least.
    The dark wooden door had a brass knocker on it, that, when used, the door opened fairly quickly to reveal who could only be Ludwig.

    He was a scarily tall man, his wide shoulders seeming very daunting. His blonde hair was slicked back, and his icy blue eyes took you in. He wore slacks and a dress shirt, instead of a tuxedo.

    You hid partially behind Arthur, and held his arm for reassurance. The blonde smiled, nodding to Ludwig. Ludwig gave a bow to the both of you, and a small smile appeared on his face.

    "____, Mr. Kirkland," a German accent was laden in his voice heavily. He stepped aside, and Arthur led you inside.

    His house was painted with different pastel colors. One room was a blue, another orange, and so on. The entryway was, however, white, along with the living room.

    The house smelled of so many different kinds of food, and so many different perfumes, it was overwhelming. Arthur led you the living room around slowly, allowing you to take in the house and all of the guests.

    All of the royals were there. So many people you didn't know, but so many you did. It was terrifying being in front of people that regarded you as invisible yesterday.

    You gripped Arthur's arm tightly, and he looked at you reassuringly. "Is it okay if I show you around to some of the princes and princesses, ____?"

    "Y-Yeah..." he smiled, leading you to a girl with wavy blonde hair that wore a short, plain green dress. She was by the kitchen, gazing into it. Her green eyes met Arthur's after noticing his presence, and she gave a short curtsy.

    He nodded, "Bella."

    "Mr. Kirkland, ____," she smiled warmly towards you.

    "Hello," you said quietly to the blonde.

    "____, this is Bella. She is currently the only princess, and is in a relationship with Francis."

    "Yes, it's a great pleasure to meet you, ____," you tried to return her gaze.

    "Well, the crowning is soon, and we must hurry along," Arthur gave her a small smile and a nod, leading you into the kitchen, where three nations sat along a marble counter.

    Francis, an albino you assumed was Gilbert, and another blonde sat along the counter.
    Francis sipped wine through a delicate, long stemmed, wine glass. Gilbert took a long drink of his beer on the counter in front of him, and the other blonde drank a cup of what looked like coffee or hot chocolate.

    You could see Arthur was less than happy about this, but he approached Francis. Everyone looked up towards you and Arthur, and Francis stood up, making a small bow.
    "Francis," Arthur's tone was flat.

    "Ah, Mr. Kirkland, and zhe magnificent ____," the blonde's deep French accent flowed smoothly through his words, making them exotic in themselves. His sky blue eyes sparkled mischievously, and his wavy blonde hair shone in the kitchen's lighting.

    "Hi," you attempted a smile, but was quickly overcome by curiosity towards the quiet blonde "and who are you?" Your question was directed towards the quiet blonde after he had stood up and done a similar bow. He stood behind Francis, and peeked out as you spoke to him.

    "Me?" he seemed surprised you had spoken to him.

    "Of course."

    "I'm Matthew, Matthew Williams," his voice was quiet, as if it was 3 in the morning, and he was surrounded by sleeping tigers.

    "Hello, Matthew," you felt comfortable talking to him. He was the only one more scared than you here, and you liked that you were in the same boat together. Francis frowned slightly, not happy that you paid more attention to Matthew.

    "Matthew is in a relationship with Francis, and is also a Prince. He is a freshman, like you," you were slightly taken aback. Francis was in two relationships?

    "Nice to meet you," you nodded, trying not to show your shock. Arthur led you off towards the living room and he leaned over to you, "Francis is in two relationships, yes." was it that easy to read your expression?! "Now, the Crowning is going to start very soon. All you need to do is follow Elizaveta and my leads."

    "O-Okay," your heart leaped. You were going to do it, become queen.

    Suddenly, a wine glass clinked loudly as a spoon hit it gently until all became quiet. Many more people gathered into the room, and soon a crowd surrounded you, lining the walls of the living room.

    Arthur took a step forward, and motioned for you to stay where you were. You tried to stand in a decent pose, holding your hands in front of yourself in a relaxed manner.

    "Thank you all for coming today! It is a very special day, as we will be crowning a new queen today. I would like to thank Ludwig and Gilbert for opening their home to us today," a small applause sounded, and you clapped with a smile.

    "And now, without further ado, I would like to introduce to you, your soon to be queen," the blonde's smile turned towards you, and you stepped forward, taking his hand. A louder applause was created by all who surrounded you, and you smiled, nodding.

    Elizaveta stepped forward, holding with her a small black case. She handed it to Arthur, and the room became quiet. With a curtsy, the brunette took a step away from you and Arthur. The Brit turned to you, opening the box.

    Inside was a beautiful metal wristband. It had a carving of roses and their leaves all along the inside of the piece. It was beautifully polished, and you took it from it's case.

    Arthur nodded at you, and you slipped the band over your hand and onto your wrist. It fit perfectly, and you admired it on your wrist. More applause.

    "And now, the gift from the King," what? A gift, from Arthur? Once again kneeling on one knee, the blonde gazed up to you. The crowd became deathly quiet.

    From his tuxedo's coat pocket he pulled a box similar to the wristband's. He opened and presented it to you.

    You gasped, it... was beautiful. It was a bronze heart necklace. A rounded heart. On the heart was carved various designs, all very flowing and smooth. You picked it up, and Arthur closed the box.

    Arthur held out his hand, and you gave the necklace to him. Turning around, you waited, inhaling slight faster as the cold metal hit your collarbone.

    He managed to clip it easily, and you closed your eyes from the rest of the room for a moment to take a deep breath. Once opened, your eyes found it hanging just above the dress's top, and you turned around to the King.

    A trace of a smile fell upon his light toned face. The crowd around applauded enthusiastically, and for the first time in so long, you actually felt important.

    People were applauding for you, and you alone. It was so dream-like, you were convinced this whole experience was a dream.

    "Long live, Queen ____!" Arthur shouted, his filling the room, and he held your arm up as if you had just won something.

    "Long live, Queen ____!" a series of whistles flew through the air, and a round of cheering started. Your cheeks flushed slightly at the attention, but the dream-like state had lifted you above your tied down emotions. With this, your heart rose up so high, it seemed in the clouds.

    A smile spread across you face so wide you were almost afraid you would damage something. It was, overall, amazing.

    And, like that, you weren't scared anymore. Maybe the royals weren't as big of jerks as you had previously thought. Well, you hoped not... since well... you were one of them now. Not just one, either. Their queen...

    So much was going to change... People wouldn't, couldn't, ignore you any longer. No longer would people expect you to avoid them, they would move for you. You would always get the best food.

    You could have anything you wanted... Good grades on the spot, friends, anything. Good God, so much power on the spot.

    As the cheering died down, everyone looked at you, including Arthur. Apparently you were supposed to speak. Uh...

    You took a step forward, making eye contact with as many people as you dared, "Thank you all for coming. I will strive to become the best Queen that I can possibly be."
    You stepped back as the crowd applauded once again. Arthur nodded, pleased with your simple words. And, after everyone had ceased their applause, conversations started up again.

    Arthur turned towards you, and a warming smile made you smile once again. Before you knew it, you were trapped in a gentle hug with him. His arms wrapped around your waist, and yours around his shoulders.

    The other conversations vanished into white noise, a soft chuckle that stirred your pinned hair filling your hearing. His scent drifted around you, and when you pulled apart, clung to your senses.

    "Congratulations, love," the smile that was present in front of your eyes made you feel like you had just drank a cup of (fav hot drink). All you could think to describe it was... amazing.