Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia Axis Powers, because if I did, France would be naked a hell of a lot more than he currently is :D
Anna sighed, sipped her now cold cup of tea, and placed her knit-work on the table, choosing to look out the window instead of focusing on her crochet. The day was nice and fair, albeit a bit chilly and cloudy; just about a typical spring day in England. Just being in the country of which she loved could bring a smile to the Briton's face, but today it seemed as things were a bit... off.
Perhaps it was the way that the shadows danced on the walls, as if they were having a competition to see who could move the most frantic, or perhaps it was the black cat that Anna had been seeing around the house lately. Perhaps it was a combination of those things, all culminating it a disaster just waiting to happen. Somewhat of a calm before a storm.
But then again, Anna might just be superstitious. It was something that Berwald and Tino told her time and again, but she had been taught in the ways of magic since she was a lass. It was in her blood to be cautious of things others could not sense.
Speaking of Berwald and Tino, Anna wondered where her troublesome little brother was. He was supposed to be back home from their house an hour ago, and to think that he wasn't back yet made Anna somewhat nervous. She'd never tell Peter to his face, but Anna often worried about how the younger adjusted to life since their parents died, and she was glad that he had found comfort in Berwald and Tino. They were good people, but they definitely didn't deserve the horror that was raising a twelve year old boy. Some of the things that Peter did made Anna think that he was actually trying to kill her and–
"Oi, jerk! I'm home! What's for dinner? You didn't cook did you? If you did I already ate," Peter said quickly and loudly. His dulcet tones disturbed the quietness that had surrounded the house in Anna's loneliness.
Scowling, Anna turned around and glared at the little blond boy that had just entered her house. "Ungrateful brat. I didn't cook anything, so you can eating your bleeding heart out."
"Then how'd you get the food, asshole?"
"Watch your bloody mouth!" Anna yelled, glaring at the young boy as he grabbed a couple biscuits. "Someone left a bag a pre-made food on the porch, I just assumed that it was Tino and Berwald."
Peter looked up at his sister questioningly, before taking a bite. The younger blond tried to speak, but Anna would have none of that. She didn't want her brother to be raised without any manners; he was going to be a well-distinguished Englishman and learn the appropriate times to speak.
"You know what they say happens when you assume, idiot? They say that you make an as–" Peter said in a sing-song voice, before being cut off by the sight of the vein in Anna's forehead throbbing.
The young woman took a deep breath, counted to ten, before glaring at her younger brother. "Don't be so uncouth! A proper gentleman knows that using such language is-" Anna's rant was cut short by the sound of a pain filled groan.
"Anna... I'm not feelings so well," Peter moaned faintly, his hands clutching his stomach. Rushing over to her younger brother, Anna raised her hand to the other's head, her fingertips feeling the beads of sweat.
"Pete, where does it hurt?" Anna whispered, her emerald eyes wide with worry. She'd never admit it, but she really did care for her brother, despite his apparent hatred towards her.
Peter moaned again before closing his eyes. "I-I don't think that those cookies were Tino's..." At this, Anna looked both confused and alarmed. If it wasn't Tino than who could it possibly be?
Suddenly, there was a large bang outside the door, causing both of the Kirklands to jump in surprise. They lived in the middle of a forest, and didn't have any close neighbors around, save for Tino and Berwald. And even then it took nearly half a day to travel between the houses. The closest town also happened to be a while a way as well, and while the townsfolk sometimes visited Anna for help, it was too late in the day for it to be anyone of them. Just as Anna was pondering this though, another large bang joined the first one.
Grabbing Peter, Anna dragged her younger brother to the chair in the sitting room. She gently set her brother on a chair, making sure to keep his head elevated and moved to answer the door. Whoever was out there clearly wasn't going to go away. Opening the latch, Anna was met with the sight of a tall, blond man.
"Sind Sie Anna?" The man asked, his blue eyes sweeping the room. At his side, Anna could see a finely decorated sword, dagger, and various knives, making her think that the man could possibly be a soldier of some kind. When he was satisfied with her surrounding area, the man looked Anna straight in the eyes, his eyes cold and somber. All in all, his appearance was intimidating, his foreign tongue making it even more so.
There weren't a lot of Germans in England.
"Um... I'm terribly sorry, but I don't speak German. If you're looking for the easiest way to get to town, then you just have to keep going west," Anna said, her voice tight. Whatever this man was up to, he could only bring trouble. Anyone with that much weaponry could only cause trouble, especially a German.
"Das könnte schwierig sein...My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt. You are Anna Kirkland, ma'am?" Ludwig asked, his tone exasperated, but still firm. Clearly Ludwig was used to things being hard to accomplish, and was just setting himself up for another hard experience.
Anna tilted her head, eyes becoming focused as well. What could a foreigner want with her? "Yes, I am Anna Kirkland. May I inquire as to why you are seeking me out, Mr. Beilschmidt?"
"May I come inside, Miss Kirkland?"
"...Of course," Anna said keeping her face devoid of emotion. This man was giving her the chills, answering her questions with different questions... why couldn't he just give her a straight forward answer?
What was he hiding from her?
"Oi, Anna! Who the hell is this kraut?" Peter shouted, his eyes wide and angry. It seemed as if her brother was feeling better, especially if he was able to express his displeasure towards the Germanic people. To their guest's face. Like an improper barbarian.
"PETER! FOR THE LAST TIME, WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE, ESPECIALLY AROUND GUESTS!" Anna yelled, furious at her brother's behavior. Turning to apologize to Ludwig, Anna spoke. "I'm deeply sorry for my brother's behavior, Mr. Beilschm-CRACK!"
Crumpling to her knees, Anna stared around the now spinning room, her eyes watering with tears. As blackness started to encroach upon her vision, Anna heard a whispered apology. Then, everything ceased to be.
Starring horrified, Peter soon jumped to his knees. What did that stupid bastard think he was doing? He couldn't do anything like that to his sister, Peter was the only one who could terrorize her! And with that, Peter charged towards Ludwig, screaming in anguish and anger. As he reached the taller blond, Ludwig did nothing to stop his attack. In fact, he looked as he barely felt the fists that Peter threw at him.
Brushing the the Englishman away, Ludwig swept Anna into his arms. Stepping through the threshold of the door, Ludwig turned back to Peter and gave the other man a sorrowful look.
"Es tut mir leid."
"Wait! Where are you taking her? Why do you need her? Hey! HEY!" The German didn't refused to turn around again, leaving Peter alone.
As he left, Peter succumbed to his sadness, tears staining his face. He couldn't believe that his sister was taken away, to somewhere he didn't know, and he couldn't do anything to save her. He felt so useless... He needed to get her back. It wasn't like he actually hated his sister or anything, he actually did love her. Somewhat.
Standing up, Peter ran towards the window, hoping to see Anna outside laughing. He hoped that this was just a joke. What could a German possibly want with his sister? As long as he could remember, both of them had lived in the forest in relative peace. They didn't have any real contact with the land at large, except for a villager here or there.
Why was this happening?
Opening the door, Peter looked around to see if there were any footprints in the dirt. If there were, than maybe Peter could follow the man and get his sister back. Even though Ludwig had been able to shrug off all of Peter's attacks as though they were nothing, the young Briton was sure he could save her.
As if. If Peter was going to rescue Anna, he'd need help, preferably from some large and intimidating mercenaries. Straitening his shoulders, Peter turned towards the direction of the closest village. Perhaps someone from the local pub could help him locate Anna.
"Kesesesesesese! That was totally awesome, Toni!" Gilbert laughed, his blood red eyes crinkling in amusement. He always enjoyed the time when he and his friends were on leave from the military; they could act like the huge dumbasses that they were, and not get chewed out about it. Ordering another beer, Gilbert slung his arm around Antonio's shoulder.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Gil. I only complimented the waiter's eyes," Antonio said, his voice laced with confusion. Of course, the look in Antonio's eyes, a mix between amusement and mischief, showed he knew what he was doing. Anyone could tell that because of his comment, the whole lot of them were going to get free food and service, even Antonio.
"Ah mon ami, your youthful passion is so heartwarming," Francis said enthusiastically, his eyes on the waiter's well formed ass. He truly was happy for his friend, he was becoming a ladies man like himself.
Suddenly, a shadow was looming over the table, causing each of the trio's heads to turn in alarm. Hands heading for weapons were stilled however, when the person's identity was made apparent. Instead, groans were heard around the table.
"Hey guys, the hero has arrived!"
"Bonjour Alfred~" Francis purred, his eyes still on the waiter. He had known Alfred for a long time, practically raised the other, slightly younger man, and had such grown used to the American's obscure personality. Sometimes his child-like excitement could be a wee bit taxing, but after working together for a few years, Francis had almost become completely immune to it.
"Yo Franny Gilbo, Toni. What's crack-a-lackin'?" Alfred asked his eyebrows rising while he pulling up a chair and taking a swig of his stash. The raw smell of crude alcohol made Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert's noses' crinkle. They liked their alcohol sure, but they enjoyed it being well made. "I thought I'd come see what my peeps were up to. How y'all doing? Y'all feel what I'm puttin' down?"
"Scheiße-Kopf."
"Tu eres un muchacho muy estúpido."
"Dieu vous punira d'être si stupide."
The three other warriors deadpanned before, smiling wildly at their Western friend. Alfred smiled back, not knowing what the other said, but since they were smiling, he knew it couldn't be that bad, right?
"Yah, I can feel that, bros," Alfred said, finishing his flask. Turning around to order another drink, the loudmouthed American missed the goofy faces that Gilbert made at his back. Some would call him oblivious, but he just believed that if he didn't see something, than it didn't happen.
And that was why he and Francis were such great friends.
The Frenchman watched his Prussian friend, all the while rolling his eyes and sipping his wine. Sometimes Gilbert could be a bit like Alfred, immature and silly, yet his confidence in his "awesomeness" always proved to be hilarious. Especially when coupled with a drunk Antonio, which by each passing second seemed more and more possible. Antonio might have charmed the waiter too much.
"HELP! PLEASE, PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!" A voice cried, from right outside the pub. Soon, the door was flung open and unveiled the desperate form belonging to a young man. The boy's blue eyes were wild, and his hair messy and in a general disarray.
"Now, calm down, Pete-"
"Don't tell me to calm down! They took her, Anna, she's gone!" Peter cried, tears flowing down his face. The local citizens in the bar were in an uproar, most of the flogging towards Peter in the hope that he'd calm down. Francis looked at his friends, taking in the look of determination on Alfred's face, alarm on Antonio's, and maniacal glee on Gilbert's, in.
"Peter," The barmaid said, her eyes upset, but understanding. "What exactly happened to Anna? What do you mean she's gone?"
"Belle, she's gone! Taken away by a angry German! H-He hit her over the head and knocked her unconscious. I-I tried to stop him, but he was too strong. A-And... And..." Peter trailed off, his hands coming up to wipe away the tears from his eyes. The entire audience seemed to be as depressed as the blond child, save the four knights in the corner. Belle, the owner, hurried over to the boy before burst with overwhelming sadness. It seemed as if the child would never stop crying.
Francis clicked his tongue, it was horrible to think that a young and helpless maiden could be swept away so easily. A beautiful woman should be treated as such, not like a sack of potatoes that a disgruntled (because all Germans are disgruntled) German could haul around as he desired. Looking at Gilbert, Francis knew that the story had peaked his interest as well. Anything relating to the other man's culture had that effect.
Standing up, Francis moved over to the crying child. After winking at Belle, the Frenchman placed his hand comfortingly on the Briton's shoulder, effectively drawing the younger's attention. "Do not worry, mon garçon. My friends and I shall find your sister for you, and return her to your care. After all, une belle dame exige un beau sauveteur."
"Are you sure you can save my sister, you frog?" Peter demanded, his eyes now dry but his anger lit. Anna had said to never trust the French; it pained Peter to think that he'd have to put his faith in someone his sister clearly despised.
"Oui, évidemment, gosse," Francis grumbled, his mind already picturing how thankful this Anna would be once he had rescued her.
"¿Eres serio?" Antonio asked, placing a hand on Francis' shoulder. The Spanish man's eyes were curious and amused, as if he was wondering how far Francis would go for a lay. Smiling back at his friend, Francis nodded and motioned for Alfred and Gilbert to come over.
"Well Peter, I think it best if you show us where to start. To your house?" Francis asked, looking down at the boy with a determined expression. Hesitantly, the blond returned the expression, and led the party out of the bar.
"Just follow the hero!" Alfred yelled, taking Peter's hand and leading him to the outskirts of the town, accidentally knocking into Gilbert and causing him to spill his beer. Squawking in horror, Gilbert's face glowed red in anger before he chased after the laughing American, shouting German obscenities. Chuckling, both Francis and Antonio followed after their friends.
And now, the journey had begun.
A/N: So this is my contribution to the growing FrUk section, only staring a genderbent!England. Which honestly, makes me a little happy (no fuzzy eyebrows, huzzah!). Translations are as follow:
Sind Sie Anna - You are Anna?
Das könnte schwierig sein - This could be difficult
Es tut mir leid - I'm sorry
Scheiße-Kopf - Shit-head
Tu eres un muchacho muy estúpido - You are a very stupid man
Dieu vous punira d'être si stupide - God will punish you for being so stupid
une belle dame exige un beau sauveteur - A beautiful girl demands a beautiful rescuer
Oui, évidemment, gosse - Yes, of course, rascal
Eres serio - Are you serious?
Besides the Spanish, all of the sentences in foreign languages are from a translator, so feel free to correct my grammar or vocabulary. Some of the phrases that I used I think are pretty common (especially if you read fanfiction) so I didn't translate them.
Thanks for reading and have a good day Space Cadets~~