A Confusing Paradox

Chapter One

It wasn't raining anymore. Why wasn't it raining anymore? And the sky, it was no longer dark and he wasn't bowing before me anymore. There were no tears running down his face because he wasn't there.

"Where am I?" He whispered to no one.

No Arthur on his knees sobbing in to his hands with the rain pounding down upon him. That rain was like the neverending grief that he knew Arthur would suffer through for the rest of eternity, until his country fell. Arthur would never fall, even Alfred was not that pig-headed, as Arthur thought he always would be.

No, he stood in a dark room, it looked odd to him. It wasn't the barracks that he'd shared with his soliders, it was a huge room with an blanket with the flag that Betsy had been stitching for General Washington. But it had more stars, this confused him. There was only thirteen states, why were there at least thirty-seven more stars on this flag blanket?

Outside the glass window with red long curtains near him, he heard loud - sometimes blaring – buzzing sounds. He decided to ignore these strange sounds and continued to look around this strange room.

There were posters on the wall, some looked very faded, had an old man with white hair wearing clothes with a design that matched the flag blanket. On one of them, the man was point his finger straight at he. The poster read; I want you. He raised his eyebrow. What did he mean that he wanted me? Wanted me to do what exactly?

"So, this is the true wish that the other one wanted? Why that was quite simple in my opinion." I looked up in surprise and turned my gaze to the corner.

He narrowed his sky blue eyes upon a man leaning against the wall. This man was staring right at him with bright, blood red eyes and with a smirk playing on his lips. The mysterious fellow straigthened up, causing his short black hair to dance around. When the man was in a more comfortable position, Alfred noticed that he had bangs that covvered his forehead completely. The man was tall and quite skinny too.

There wasn't a stench of gunpowder on him and he wasn't in a rebel uniform like Alfred was. Alfred had never seen this man around his home or even at Arthur's house when he would visit. And he didn't know him.

"What are you talking about?" Alfred asked, his eyes trained on the man. "Who the hell are you? One of Britain's allies? "

The man shook his head and tsk. "Incorrect, I am not an ally of the great United Kingdom."

Alfred frowned and scratched his head confused. Then he contineued his interirgation. "Then where the hell am I? I demand you show me to your comanding officers."

The black haired man threw back his head and laughed darkly. "That's not possible you see. For you, are not in Yorktown, Virigina anymore Alfred F. Jones."

Alfred's eyes grew with wide eyes. How was that possible?

The man tapped his chin with his forefinger and approached Alfred. "You don't believe me? No, don't answer that, I can tell, do not worry. I'm very good at sensing the mood you see."

Alfred frowned and stepped back from the man looming towards him. The American Colony did not like this man at all, he creeped him out for some reason. As the man approached him and got closer to him, the more Alfred stepped back. On man, where's Iggy? Th-This guy, I-I don't like him one bit! He kept begging for his older brother until he hit the wall with a grunt.

"Lea-Leave me alone!" Alfred cried out in terror. Where was his big brother when he needed him sometimes?

The mysterious man slammed his hand into the wall next to Alfred's head with his face shifting to a deranged look. The American Colony let out a quiet whimper of fear. Alfred began to shake violently as the man's fingers took a hold of his chin. The man titled Alfred's head to look up into his deep red eyes.

"Now listen to me and listen to me good Alfred F. Jones," The black haired man whispered to him. "I want you to deliever something for me to my…brother Kiku Honda. Its important you give him this message, understand?"

Alfred gulped and nodded obidentaly to the red-eyed man. "Ok-Okay…"

The man leaned in and whispered into the personification of the American colonies's ear. Alfred listened carefully just as he said he would and nodded once the other man pulled away from his ear.

Alfred fell on to the ground as the man turned and walked away from him. He stared wided eyed into the wall across from where he was sitting and his entire body was entirely engulfed in quakes. His skin was crawling like there were worms all over his body.

General Washington and his new friend, Gilbert or Prussia, had taught him not to be fearful in the face of danger. But he had been consumed by terror by that man. Shame began to coarse throughout his body, he had failed them. What were happening to his men? Weren't they searching for him at all?

Did the British try to attack them again with their personification now suddenly missing from the battlefield? Or had Arthur simply given up on him and his colonies? He shuddered in excitement and grinned to himself, he had won his freedom though, as far as he knew at least.

A knock on the door startled Alfred and caused him to jump.

"Amérique! Alfred! The meetings going to start soon! You might want to hurry or else Allemagne* will get furious." Francis's voice shouted from the other side of the door. He sighed. "I swear, Ludwig will probably will kill you for not being a very good host."

"Com-Coming!" Alfred shouted back and looked around at the drawers near the bed. He ran over to them and fished out dark cream colored pants and shirt with a black tie.

He tossed aside his bloodied rebel uniform to the side and quickly pulled on the clothes. Alfred heard Francis's foot tapping impatiently on the other side of the door and the American Colony personification qucikened his pace. He grabbed this odd big brown jacket hanging off a chair that was half way pushed in to a desk. On the back of the jacket was the number fifty on it, the same number as the amount of stars on the flag blanket.

"Alfred!"

"I-I know! I-I'm coming Francis!" He stuttered out as he threw on the jacket and headed to the door.

When he opened the door, he nearly slammed into Francis, the representation of the country of France. The Frenchman tossed back his hair with a whip of his head with a scowl imprinted on his face. How long had the Frenchman been standing there?

"Uh-Uh, hey Francis…So-Sorry I took forever." The colony stuttered out to the French country with a weak grin. Alfred had to try to fit in.

"Mon Dieu* Alfred!" The Frenchman grabbed his wrist quickly. "We are going to be late for the meeting!"

"Th-The meeting? Wh-What meeting Francis?" The colony squeaked out in panic. Oh god, what had he gotten himself in to?

Francis turned to the boy with a raised blond eyebrow. "The World Meeting you are host for the United Nations you stupid American." The French country sighed. "Honestly, what did Arthur teach you?"

Alfred's face darkened at the human name of the British Empire. His eyes lowered to the ground even as the Frenchman dragged him out of that room in to the real world that he did not recongize.

French:

*Germany

*My God